Chapter 5 Absolutely Not!

~Landon~

I feel the bed next to me, but it's empty. I open my eyes and come face to face with the eyes of my brother. Tia isn't there. I sit up and look around the room, but there is nothing to see. Lincoln heads to the restroom but comes back quickly and shakes his head. I have no idea where she went or how long she has been gone.

'Trent?'

'Yes, Alpha Landon.'

'I need you to find someone. Find Portia Colby. See where she is. Check with her family if need be.'

'Yes, sir.'

"Trent is going to look for her." Lincoln nods and sits on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"For talking to me last night. I really needed that. I don't want to lose out on our mate." I reach over and pat Lincoln on the back. I head into the restroom to shower and get dressed. I throw on some jeans, a long-sleeved V-neck sweater, and a pair of Timberlands. When I come out of the closet dressed, Lincoln is sitting on the bed, having changed as well. He has on a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt with Air Forces.

'Son?'

'Yes.'

'We need to talk. Your mom and I are in my office waiting on you and your brother.'

I look at my brother and realize he got a similar message. We head out of my room and down the stairs. This packhouse has four floors, with the Alpha floor being on the top. My parents have a house next to the packhouse, but my brother and I opted to stay on the Alpha floor. The floor under us houses the Beta on one end and the Gamma on the other. The second floor has various offices and meeting rooms. The bottom floor has the general areas for all of the pack: game rooms, kitchen, sitting rooms, dining room, etc.

We make it to my dad's office, soon to be our office. My mom sits next to him, and we sit across from him at the desk. We all sit and look at each other, no one speaking."Well?" My mom says, looking between Lincoln and me. My dad puts a hand on her arm, patting it. I clear my throat, but Lincoln beats me to it.

"We found our mate yesterday.......our fated mate." My dad looks interested, and my mom looks suspicious.

"And exactly who is she?" Lincoln and I look at each other, realizing this may not go over well. I take a deep breath.

"Portia Colby." A small smile appears on my dad's face, and he nods.

"Absolutely not! I will not allow it." Lincoln looks at my mom with surprise written all over his face, and my dad looks at her with an eyebrow raised."Isn't it interesting that at your very ceremony, when you were about to announce her sisters as your mates and Lunas, all of a sudden, she decided just to show up and announce you as mates?" Lincoln growls, and he looks like he is trying to contain his wolf. "Why haven't you realized her as your mate sooner?"

"Maybe because she is never here, Mom. Are you serious right now? You honestly think that Tia is trying to trick us in some way?"

"Tia?"My dad looks at me.

"Yes, Tia.....Portia......You know who I mean. She hasn't been here since she got into college. She was only here yesterday because you guys made every pack member be in attendance. How would she know what was going on to plan such an elaborate rouse?" I look at my mom, willing her to respond to that, but she doesn't. She knows that it isn't logical to think that this is all some trick at the hands of Tia. It just makes no sense.

"So what now? You are going to break up with the Colby twins and take Portia as your mate?" My mom laughs out loud, though the humor is missing. "You can't seriously think that girl is Luna material. I won't have her messing up all of the work I have been putting into this pack over the years."

Lincoln stands up, hands clenched at his sides. "What exactly is your problem with Tia anyway? Why are you so against her? What has she ever done to you or to this pack?" My mom scoffs but doesn't answer.

"Sons, what is your plan now? That is a valid question." I look at Lincoln, and he nods. I turn to my dad.

"We want Tia. She is our fated mate, and we need her. We know we will need to talk to the twins and tell them of our decision, and we will. I think we sho-" A knock on the office door interrupts us. My dad welcomes them in, and it's Trent. "What did you find out?"

Trent looks nervous, looking between Lincoln and me, so this can't be good. "Her father and sisters said they haven't seen her. I tracked down Doctor Colby, and she admitted that she fled back to school." She left to go back to campus. Why would she do that so hastily and without saying anything?

"There, you see? She doesn't want to be here and claim the title or you two, it looks like." My mom has a smirk on her face, and it's pissing me off.

'L, I mindlinked Lynn and Mark.'

'What did they say, Linc?'

'They didn't see her, nor did she say anything to them. The last Lynn heard from her was on her way out here yesterday.'

That is odd. Lynn and Mark are her best friends.......her only friends. There is no way she would come to the pack and not go to see them. I doubt she would leave without talking to them at all. Something seems off.

"Dad, can we postpone the ceremony to give Lincoln and me time to see about Tia?" My dad nods in agreement quickly. Maybe he thinks there is something not right here, too.

"We can do that, but you need to talk to the twins first." Lincoln and I nod in agreement, and we leave with Trent in tow.