Tempest

12 : Past Re-lived

Dean pulled the car onto the road and headed out.

"What did you find?" Tempest asked him.

"Geez, I missed you too," he said as he cast her a side look. He could smell the Lycan blood coming off her but he would not ask about it. She would tell him if she wanted to. Without looking at her, he knew she rolled her eyes at his statement and he grinned.

"You know I love you, kid, but right now I really need some good news."

He heard the pain in her voice and looked at her sharply. She turned to look out the window and he frowned. Something had gone badly wrong and he struggled to hold back his questions. He took a deep breath and then sighed.

"There is a ball that's going to be happening next week. We are not the only ones looking for answers. This is going to be a grand affair hosted by the Elves in the mountains. The question is how to get a legitimate invitation. We can't get in without one."

"Leave that to me," Tempest said. "Get us to the area. If it's as grand as you say, we need to get some fancy clothes. If we head there now, ahead of the crowds, we can scout it out before the masses and see what comes out of it."

Dean nodded. It made sense. Tempest started rubbing her tattoo and he knew what that meant. He focused on the road, keeping within the speed limits. He didn't need some types of trouble at the moment. He drove on quietly, sending occasional looks in her direction. He had been trying to learn that communications trick of hers but he just couldn't do it. Something about a lack of affinity.

His thoughts wondered to the day he had met Tempest and how it had changed him completely. When he had gone into that club sixteen years ago, he had been close to losing his mind. His family had been taken away from him pretty much the same way that Tempest's had. He had gone to visit another pack when his tribe was attacked and thus he had not been taken. He didn't know what happened to them and had been looking for them ever since.

One of the major differences between him and Tempest was that he had not had the support that Aida and Sam had provided her with. When he found her and she called him little brother, it was as though a part of his soul had been restored. He would do anything for her, the same way she would do anything for him.

Their search had been a non-stop hell hole. Every time they felt they were getting close to something they would hit a major wall. It was like when they took three steps forward, they were thrown seven back. It had been the same way for years, as though someone was keeping track of their every move and blocked their advances at every opportunity. It frustrated the hell out of him and he wanted to find both his parents and Tempest's. It was a driving need that burnt within him every day.

He loved Tempest like his own blood. She brought light to his life at a time when he felt he no longer had anything to live for. She had taken him home that night and had pretty much provided for him ever since. He no longer needed to hustle in the streets or steal to earn a meal and a warm bed. She had provided more than just a home for him. She had made him a part of her family and he cherished his relationship with her more than she would ever know. When they had come across Marc and Leon a little over a decade ago, their little clan had grown.

She turned to him and smiled softly. "We have our invite," she told him.

"You going to tell me how?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Well, it turns out that the Elvin King is married to a Witch, who not only happens to know Aida, but they are very good friends."

"Small world," Dean laughed. "So let's do this then."

It was going to be a long drive and they normally chit-chatted when he drove. Not today. Dean could tell that Tempest was struggling with something and he allowed her time to resolve whatever it was that was bothering her. His curiosity was aroused but he bit his tongue to keep his questions in check.

"I found my mate today," she said softly out of nowhere. His startled gaze flew to her and he knew his eyes had widened. Her face was turned away again and she sounded so lost.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I wanted to reject him."

Dean's hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white and the steering wheel started to bend.

"Why?"

Tempest was quiet for so long that Dean thought she wasn't going to respond to his one word question. Kilometer after kilometer passed before her strained voice sounded again.

"I wanted to protect him. He's perfect but being with me could get him killed."

Dean sighed. "Show me. Please," he asked, gently.

Three months after he and Tempest had met, they had conducted their bonding ceremony. Although it was just the two of them, they had formed their own pack. The ritual had been simple. They had each cut their palm and merged their blood in a handshake while proclaiming their allegiance to each other. They swore to protect each other always and be there for each other. The ritual had also allowed them to mind link and thus would allow them to share events that had happened in the absence of the other if they so wished.

So, after pulling the car over to the side of the road, Tempest showed him. She showed him what had happened at Le Coffee Shoppe and then at the clearing. When she was done, he pulled her into a tight hug, offering her comfort. Through their bond he had felt her turmoil and distress as the events unfolded. She really believed she had been doing the right thing.

"Tempest," Dean said as he released her from his hug and held her hands in his. "I know you had your reasons for doing what you did, but you need to remember something. Whatever is coming is coming for all of us. There will be no mercy given, and as long as you are a supernatural then your life is in danger. Have you considered that you could be stronger with him by your side? He is in danger anyway but with you supporting him, he could be safer."

Tempest chewed on her bottom lip. Aida and Sam had pretty much said the same thing but she had not wanted to listen. Dean sighed, released her and faced forward.

"I have a mate," Dean told her. He felt the tears in his throat and the knot there refused to go away. "She was taken when the rest of my family was taken. The reason I wasn't there is because she had asked me to go pick up her family for our mating ceremony the following day."

He suddenly hit the steering wheel with his fists repeatedly. The metal bent with each smash and Tempest quickly stopped him. She pulled him into her arms and his heart seemed to be breaking all over again. He sobbed into her shoulder and he didn't care that he was bawling like a baby.

"I have been looking for her for twenty-six years, Tempest. Twenty six. The only reason I haven't gone berserk is because I believe she is still alive. We hadn't completed our mating but sometimes I swear I can still feel her and that gives me the hope that she is still alive. I have to find her."

He turned teary eyes to her and found she had tears streaming down her own face.

"You only have one true mate, Tempest. One. You have to make it work with him. He is your other half and denying him is denying yourself. Promise me. Promise me you will give him a chance."

"Dean..." she looked helplessly at him, and he knew she wanted to refuse him. He frowned at her, almost glaring at her. He wasn't above using emotional blackmail if it would get her the happiness she deserved.

"I never told you about her because I wanted to keep every memory of her to myself. It seems stupid now but all these years I locked her up within me and felt the loss each day. I couldn't bring myself to talk about her," he said softly. "You have an opportunity that I don't. Promise me."

He pulled away from her and watched her as she nodded. Satisfied, he dried his tears with his hands and started the car. He heard her quiet sobs next to him and he squeezed her hand gently before he drove off.

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6 October 2020

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