The Broken Protector

Chapter 25

Irina's POV

I know he abandoned me, I know that I shouldn't care for him anymore yet the mate bond won't go away. I know she didn't have anything to do with his death, but she hangs out with the people that killed him. I care for her but I hate her at the same time, or I want to hate her but for some reason I can't.

"Irina!" I heard Tanya call out to me.

"What!" I called out a bit more aggressively than I intended to.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" She asked softly.

"Sure, what about?" I asked settling down.

"Alessia." She says bluntly and looks to be expecting a shout or a scream or something. "I called her number through your phone after you left and it wasn't her that picked up, it was two members of the pack." She paused once again looking at me expectantly but I still said and did nothing, just listening. "After you hung up on her she cried herself to sleep and was still crying in her sleep, she's fallen for you deeply already, she never intended to hurt you."

"Then why did she hide the fact that she's a part of their pack?" I asked her with anger and sadness in my voice despite my best efforts to hide it.

"She didn't hide it, or she wouldn't have told you point blank that she was living with them." Tanya said and I couldn't argue, she didn't hide it she came right out in the open with it. "They told me vague details about some of the things that have happened in her life, it also explains why she doesn't trust humans bar a few of them that are tied to the supernatural."

"I don't want you to tell me, if Alessia and I ever speak again I want her to be the one to tell me when she's ready." I said and Tanya nodded with a smile making its way onto her face.

"In that case you're the one that'll have to make the move to call this time." Tanya says and I nodded. "Point is, she won't allow herself to romantically love a vampire due to the mate bond and she won't risk it with a shifter either even with the off chance that the imprint bond is not a romantic one."

"And she doesn't trust humans enough to actually hang around them willingly, bar the exceptions." I finished by repeating what she said earlier. "I don't have any of those types of risks because Laurent is dead and I won't run the same risks with her due to her bond being severed."

"Yes, and I believe you'd both do much good for each other." Tanya said plainly. "She took a chance in calling you and it hurt you both because you weren't prepared to listen to what she had to say."

"How badly did it hurt her?" I asked worriedly, I never wanted to hurt her but I was hurt about the fact that I thought she was playing me for a fool.

"It hurt her a decent amount, nowhere near as bad as others have hurt her but it still hurt her quite alot." Tanya answered and I looked down in shame.

"I never wanted to hurt her." I said quietly, more to myself than anything else.

"I know, but I also think she's not ready to give up on you." Tanya said and I looked up quickly. "I think you should let her sleep and call her tomorrow, see if she's willing to talk or not, but don't give up on her."

"I won't." I said determinedly.

"Like I was informed, she's spent her whole life fighting for others but nobody has ever fought for her." Tanya said sadly. "Please, be the first to fight for her, even if you have to fight her in order to fight for her."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement and as a way to say I would before we both sped back to the house. I spent time hanging out with everybody, really just trying to kill time until tomorrow. I think Kate is getting annoyed at my insistent need to check the time so she zapped me and now I'm chasing her around the house trying to catch her and make her zap herself or whatever else I can think of to get back at her.

"Alright, it's eight in the morning, you've been at it for hours." Carmen called out making me look at the clock in shock.

I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed Alessia's number. It rang four times before it was picked up.

"Hello, who is this?" I heard a tired voice ask.  

"It's Irina." I said nervously. "I know you may not want to talk to me but I want to let you know that I'm not giving up on you."

"Is it alright if I call you back after I wake up?" She asked, confusing me. "I just got back from my patrol and I got into a fight with a nomad vampire that was heading for the people on the res I didn't kill her but she is wounded just like me, and I need sleep to heal."

"Of course, please take better care of yourself." I said worriedly.

"I called for backup but nobody showed up, so how is that my fault?" I heard her ask somebody else. "Yes I did, several times."

"No you didn't, we would've heard it if you did!" I heard a voice shout at her. "Plus you're back to consorting with vampires!"

"I'm sorry, I've got to go." She said to me.

"Wait, at least promise you'll call me again?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but it looks like I'm being sent on another patrol so I might not be able to talk till tonight or tomorrow." She said sounding exhausted and I can hear the pain in her voice.

"Take care of yourself." I said before she hung up.

"What's going on, we could hear shouting coming from her end but we couldn't hear what was going on?" Tanya asked worriedly.

"Apparently the alpha of the pack isn't happy about her talking with vampires and is punishing her by sending her on another patrol while she's injured from the one she just got back from." I said and Tanya looked pissed.

Out of nowhere my phone rings and it's from Alessia's number but it can't be from her because she just went on patrol or at least she said she did.

"Aren't you on patrol?" I asked while picking up the call.

"It's me again, Sam is pissed because I'm pregnant and somebody from outside the res knows the packs secret." Emily said and I am immediately worried about her.

"Are you sure it's safe for you there?" I asked her worriedly.

"As long as either Leah or Alessia are here I'll be perfectly fine since Alessia has more skill and stealth than Sam and Leah is faster than Sam." Emily answered. "But I'm worried that as soon as Alessia finds out and Sam makes a wrong move it'll result in a fight between the two."

"I know it will, even from knowing her for literally only a day, collectively, I know she'll fight for you and your baby." I answered a bit worried. "Just please try and keep him from taking it out on her, like you've said she's been through too much in her life."

"I'll see what Leah and I can do, and I think Jacob and Seth will also help." Emily said and I sighed in relief that they'll at least try to protect her.

"Thank you." I said before she hung up.

"We might be needed in Forks sooner or later." I said to the others and they looked worried. "The alpha of the pack that Alessia is in is turning volatile and violent."

"Any clue what's causing it?" Eleazar asked curiously and worriedly.

"A few things, he doesn't like that Alessia is regularly communicating with vampires again, his imprint is pregnant with his child, and someone from outside the reservation knows about the pack and he doesn't like it." I listed off.

"Is the imprint safe?" Carmen asked worriedly.

"Yes, she has a few people there that will fight to protect her should things go bad, one of them being Alessia, so she'll be fine." I said plainly, hiding my worry. "He seems to be taking out his frustration on Alessia who is currently injured from her last patrol and was sent out on another."

"You've got to let her know that she has a place to run to should she need to for whatever reason." Carmen and Tanya said in sync and I nodded.