Forest Pack: Tristan Ch. 03

Hi guys!! I'm sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. I'm a full time student so I don't have much time for my writing even though I'd much rather do this than sit at a desk all day. I hope you like this chapter. I'm having trouble finding an editor so please forgive me for any errors.

Xoxo

Emogirl

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Tristan watched as Rhea drove off and chuckled at the way she had politely tried to get him to back off. He could tell that his mate was a feisty one and that he would have to be persistent with her. There was no way he would be forgetting she existed. It simply wasn't an option. Tristan shifted into his wolf form and followed Rhea's car from a distance. He ran along the periphery of the woods and easily kept track of her all the way to her little cottage. He was surprised by the fact that she lived so close to the woods. He knew that that particular cottage was hardly ever occupied due to people being afraid of the occasional wild animal heard in the forest.

Tristan growled at the thought that his mate had been so close to the pack's compound for all this time and he had not once scented her. He was usually very level-headed but his wolf was impatient to mate with Rhea and he could find no compelling reason to hold the wolf at bay. His mate seemed to be fine with the idea of werewolves so all he needed to do was convince her that they were in fact soul mates and were destined to be together. It was that simple. Tristan groaned, knowing that this task was far easier said than done.

His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of running water and Tristan let out a strangled groan at the image of Rhea taking a shower. He could picture the water flowing smoothly over her naked smooth creamy skin and he shut his eyes in a futile attempt to escape the picture his mind had conjured up. Tristan waited a little while longer until he saw his mate exit the cottage and leave for work, his wolf only calm because he knew they would be seeing their mate later on that day.

Tristan sprinted back to the pack's compound to inform his betas that there would soon be an Alpha female joining the ranks and to prepare for his meeting with Rhea. He was ecstatic and could hardly process the fact that he had actually found his lifemate. Tristan had waited for four hundred years and had been contemplating the idea that he just was not destined to find his mate. It was a ridiculous notion but he had watched many of his family and friends mate with the one special person that fate had gifted them with while he remained alone. Now he had found his destiny and he knew that he had to tread carefully. Failure was not an option. Tristan linked telepathically to Aidan, his second in command, as he neared the compound.

'Aidan, are you at the compound or at work?'

'I'm still at work Alpha. Am I needed at the compound? I'll leave immediately.'

'Oh cut the Alpha crap. We've been best friends for three centuries. I just have a question. Is there a Rhea Blake working at the hospital?'

'Yes there is. She's a nurse in paediatrics and she lives at that cottage on the south side of our border. Why do you ask Tris?'

'She's my mate Aid!! I've finally found her!! I can't believe she's been living near the compound and working at the hospital all this time and I never knew she was so close.'

'Well we know there's no such thing as coincidence brother. There must be a good reason why your meeting was delayed and I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. You know, this might not go down too well with the other females in the pack. They've been trying to get your attention for years and they won't take this too kindly. Not to mention the fact that she's human...'

'Yeah I know there are some who will not be pleased but any disagreement will have to go through me. Besides, the mate that Luna gifted to me would not be meek and submissive. I know she'll be able to handle herself. I'm briefing the other betas in a few minutes so I'll see what the reaction is like then.'

Tristan closed off his mental link to Aidan as he shifted back into human form and entered his private living quarters. He took a quick shower and changed into a pair or black cargo pants and a plain black t-shirt before linking telepathically to his three other betas and calling a quick meeting in his study. The betas were in charge of various duties. They were all fierce warriors but were also given great responsibility in helping Tristan rule the pack and the numerous corporations owned by the pack. Unlike most other wolf packs, Tristan had female betas as well as male and he trusted them all implicitly. He watched from the window as all three arrived at his cabin at the same time and smiled as Caden opened the door for the two women, Katrina and Alyssa. Tristan was unfailingly proud of the fact that all the men in his pack treated women with courtesy and respect, regardless of rank.

"Thank you all for heeding my call. This won't be long. I just have an announcement and then you all can return to whatever you were doing."

All three nodded and stood waiting for Tristan to continue.

"I have found my mate and will hopefully be bringing her to the compound soon. There may be issues with certain members of the pack since she is human so I want you all to be aware and keep your ears open to any possible threat. I will not tolerate her being harmed by any other person, especially any pack members."

"T-man that's great news!! Wow!! I'm so happy for you!!" Caden congratulated Tristan. The tall sandy haired giant smiled cheekily while he clasped forearms with Tristan and thumped his back in the traditional way of greeting.

The two women expressed similar reactions and wished Tristan well in his pursuit of his mate. Tristan thanked them all and asked Caden to stay behind while he dismissed the two women.

"Cal I want you to be extra vigilant. I trust Kat and Alyssa but I know they might hesitate if their friends or family show dissent. I want you to be my right hand on this."

"Sure thing Alpha. Thank you for entrusting me with this. You know I won't let you down."

The two men shook hands before Caleb left Tristan's cabin. Tristan grabbed his car keys as soon as he was alone and headed off to the hospital, eager to see his mate once again.

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Rhea found herself lost in thought more than once during her shift and mentally shook herself for her distraction. It had never happened to her before as she was always aware of her surroundings, especially at work. She cursed Tristan for invading her thoughts and focussed on the files she was organising. It was the worst part of her shift, the hour before she got off duty.

Rhea turned to grab the last file off the desk and gasped as she came face to face with Aidan Forest. The man was beautiful in a severe sombre sort of way with short brown hair and piercing icy blue eyes. Rhea placed her hand on her throat in surprise at his sudden appearance. She was not at all used to being caught unawares and it was the second time in less than 24 hours that she had managed to get into an odd situation without even seeing any sign of it coming. The werewolves that had accosted her on the road had literally appeared out of nowhere and by the time Rhea realised that she was not alone they were too close for her to escape.

Rhea gazed at Aidan and briefly wondered at her complete lack of interest in him before she spoke. "I'm sorry Mr. Forest, I did not realise you were there. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked politely.

"No nurse Blake, not really. And please, call me Aidan. I've just come to inform you that another nurse has come in early so you may end your shift now if you wish."

Rhea frowned as she wondered why the head surgeon would feel the need to inform her of shift changes but shrugged off the weird feeling before replying.

"It's just Rhea. And thank you for letting me know Aidan. I'll clock out now then. Have a good day."

"I'll walk you to the foyer Nurse Blake," Aidan said formally.

Rhea saw no way out of the situation without being rude and she really did not want to offend Aidan Forest of all people so she sighed in capitulation and walked to the staff changing room to collect her bag and change into her everyday tennis shoes. She emerged from the room half expecting Aidan to have disappeared but found him waiting in the exact position he had been in when she walked into the staff room. Rhea followed the imposing man to the elevator and wondered whether she should attempt to chat with him but dismissed the idea after glancing at his stony features. The man was the youngest and most successful heart surgeon in the country but he definitely needed to lighten up.

Rhea was so lost in thought that she was startled when the elevator bell chimed, signalling that it was at the hospital foyer. She turned to thank Aidan for escorting her but he was already turned away and heading to the receptionist's desk. Rhea frowned at his odd behaviour before slinging her bag diagonally across her shoulders and heading to the staircase that led to the employees' parking facilities. She was suddenly shoved from the right and swore under her breath as she waited to feel the impact of hitting the porcelain tiles that decorated the foyer floor. After a few seconds Rhea forced her eyes open and gasped as her gaze was instantly snared by the half irritated half amused emerald eyes that had haunted her since last night. She groaned as he began speaking and she became aware of his strong arms wrapped around her.

"We've got to stop meeting like this my sweet," he grinned.

"Tell that to the idiot who decided I should become intimately acquainted with the floor. What are you doing here Tristan?"

"I told you I'd see you after your shift Rhea and I am a man of my word."

"You know, this could be considered stalking. What did you do, call every hospital in the city?"

"Nope, I just called Aidan," Tristan replied seriously.

Rhea glanced at him as if he was certifiable before the realisation of what he said actually sunk in.

"That snake!! That's why he randomly decided to escort me downstairs... He knew you'd be here!"

Tristan growled at the idea of Rhea being alone with an unmated male and his gaze turned feral as his wolf insisted they mark their territory so every male would know that Rhea belonged to them.

"Ok really now, is the growling necessary?" she asked impatiently.

"Huh?" Tristan looked completely taken aback.

"What's with the growling under your breath? You're making the sick people uneasy."

Tristan looked around and realised that a few people were staring at him and Rhea.

"I don't like the idea of you being alone with any other male. Now you must be starving, I'm taking you to lunch Little One."

"What? Are you insane? Any other male? Geez, why do I attract the loony ones? You show up at my work like a crazy stalker person and expect me to just come along with you? I don't think so Tristan. You must be out of your freaking_"

Rhea's tirade was suddenly cut off by the high pitched squeak of her Head Nurse and Rhea winced at the sound before realising that Nurse Stone was headed rapidly towards her and Tristan.

"Mr. Forest, oh what a pleasure to see you here Sir!! We weren't expecting you today. Let me escort you to your office or is there anything else you would like me to help with?" she gushed.

Rhea frowned at the enthusiastic enthralled tone coming from one of the scariest women on the planet and Tristan had to school his features so as to not laugh at his mate's obvious irritation.

"No thank you Nurse Stone, I'm just here to pick up my lunch date so that won't be necessary."

The large imposing woman's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she looked at Rhea for the first time since spotting Tristan. An expression of disbelief crossed her face before she turned back to Tristan.

"Lunch date? Well then let me know who the lucky lady is and I'll send Rhea here to fetch her for you."

"Actually Rhea is my date Nurse Stone and I do believe I am the lucky one in the situation," Tristan said coolly. "That is if she would grace me with her presence," he teased Rhea.

Rhea was fuming at her supervisor's audacity and decided to play the situation up a bit. Nurse Stone always had it in for Rhea and now was her chance to exact her revenge. Ignoring the other woman's presence, Rhea sidled up to Tristan and looked him up and down as if considering what he had to offer.

"Oh I'm not so sure Tristan. I mean I have quite a busy schedule today so I don't think there's enough time to fit you in," she said almost regretfully.

Before Tristan could reply Nurse Stone cut in with an incensed gasp.

"Are you out of your mind?? Have some respect you insolent girl!! Don't you know who Mr Forest is!!??"

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