Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
“Leif and Jorma are coming today. Are their rooms ready?” I asked Liam. He nodded his head without looking up at me, and I decided to mess with him a little bit. I knew he wasn’t fully listening, so I started with something small. “Maddix said ‘poop’ today,” I started. “Mhmm…that’s good,” he replied. “Did you hear about the elephant in the room?” I asked. “Yes, babe. Is it new?” He asked. I started to laugh, and he still didn’t look up. “Are you even listening to me Liam?” I asked again. He laid down the paper he was looking at and picked up another and said, “If you are fucking with me, Melian, you are going to have to do better than asking me random questions and statements involving the kids.” he said, and my mouth dropped open. He started to chuckle at me and glanced my way. “I heard every single word. I just wanted to mess with you too.” he stated. I walked over to him and grabbed his manbun and shook his head a little and then planted a kiss on his temple. “You big goof! I fell right into that one,” I laughed. He wrapped his arm around me and said, “Yes you did. However, yes, their rooms are ready, and I have reserved the small community room for their meeting with Gretchen tomorrow. I wanted them to have privacy with a little comfort. There will be lunch waiting for them also.” I thanked him and told him that I was asked to sit in with them. He said that it was probably a good idea, and the three of them probably needed support. I left his office after our talk and went to the kitchen to grab some soda. Loki was walking out as I got to the doorway, and he pulled me up into a huge hug. “Hello gorgeous,” he said as he kissed my neck. I wiggled in his grip and kissed him back. “Where you off to baby?” I asked. “Training grounds,” he replied. “We have some new recruits and I wanted to sit in on their first day to see if there are any hopefuls.” he continued. I asked him about Tim, and it seemed to still be a touchy subject for him. I let it go, and he started to leave. He stopped after taking a few steps, and without looking back he said, “He’s working hard trying to prove himself again. It…it just feels different though.” I knew how he was feeling with just that sentence, and he continued on his way.
I took out my phone and called Rory. I wanted to see if she had sensed any distress in Gretchen’s moods. She said that she didn’t seem like herself, but considering the situation, it was to be expected. I asked her to keep an eye on her, especially since my uncles were coming today, and she assured me she would. I knew from the last time I spoke with her that her nerves were on edge and the guilt she carried was eating away at her. I hope that getting everything off of her chest will help ease her mind a little. I have a meeting with Hazel, and it is the first time we have spoken since everything went down. I have been putting this meeting off, but I can’t keep avoiding her. I felt a little betrayed and scorned even though I understood the reasons, and my mates said the way I was feeling was justified. They felt the same way about Tim, especially Loki. Once trust is broken, it’s hard to get back.
I entered Coffee & Thyme and saw Hazel sitting at my usual table. “You are just in time. Food just came out.” she said meekly. I knew deep in my heart she regretted her actions, and I didn’t want to come off as standoffish with her. I bent over and gave her a hug, and took my seat. “It smells wonderful, Haze. Is this a new concoction?” I asked. She nodded her head, and said that the sauce was a balsamic vinegar-based sauce, and she created it with me in mind. She named it ‘The Luna’. It was a large flatbread pizza with a vinegar-based sauce, and was topped with clumps of mozzarella cheese, basil, onion, red olives, tomato and arugula. It had crushed red pepper flakes sprinkled on top. I took a bite and melted into the savoriness of the taste. “My Goddess, Hazel. This is heavenly. Girl, if you never did anything else other than create pizzas, you could live like a queen.” I raved. She flashed a small smile and thanked me. We ate with casual conversation, but I knew the inevitable was coming. “Mel… Luna, I just wanted to apologize again. I should have trusted you enough. I’ve made such a mess of things, not only with you and the alphas, but with my mate and his friends. Things are awkward between Tim and me right now because of all the secrets and the fact that I wouldn’t let him reveal we were mates right away. I just hope I will still be able to fix everything between all of us. I know Tim is his own person, and wasn’t forced, but we all know how the mate bond works. I wish they would just punish and blame me, instead of taking it out on him. He was proud to be Head Warrior, and now he feels like he’s nothing. All because of me.” she said. I hated she was being so hard on herself, and that Timmy was being even harder on himself. I had to fix this. I chose to forgive her, and talk to my mates about the same with Tim. Life is too short to hold grudges and be spiteful to those who you love. People do things for various reasons, and sometimes they are big things that may not deserve forgiveness. I don’t think this qualifies as one of those big things.
Rekindling Emotions
*Gretchen POV*
Today is the meeting with my boys. The biggest hope I have is that they fully hear me out before judgment. I didn’t know what their dad had told them, and I am sure it wasn’t the whole truth. I wish Tomas had been here with me to confirm how hard I tried, but unfortunately, he went to be with the Goddess a long time ago. I had Pablo, but he was too young to remember, so I had to hope they were able to at least remember some things from back then. I noticed it was almost 10am, and I started to get ready to leave. Melian was coming by to pick up Luke and I at 10:30, and I wanted to be ready. I appreciated her being so active in trying to get this reunion organized, and I was blessed to be able to start building a relationship with her. She is truly remarkable. I sense that Alette and Asteria carry more of the Fae gene than Wolf. Adelina, I don’t sense Fae at all. Not that I couldn’t be wrong, but as of right now, it’s what I sense. I think the witch gene is so diluted now, that there may not be another among my daughters’ children and grandchildren. Out of all her boys, Todd always held promise of carrying on that gene. I believe when he went feral, so to speak, all his magic, Fae and witch went with all that was good in him. I heard the horn honk, and I slipped on my shoes and jacket. Luke helped me out the door. I asked Luke to attend because, like Melian, he holds the power of truth. He also holds the power of projection. He can take someone’s thoughts and memories and turn them into a visualization in thin air. I also carry that trait, but I think it would be more believable if someone else could show what is in my head, than if I did it myself.
He helped me into the car, and Mel greeted me. “Good morning grandma, sorry I’m a little early,” she said. I wished her a good morning and told her it was alright. I was ready to do this, and hopefully start making amends with my twins. “Are you nervous?” she asked. I shrugged my shoulders and flashed her a meek smile. “Maybe a little, but it’s more so that I’m ready to get this under way.” I told her. She told me that my boys were just as ready and just as nervous, and that I shouldn’t stress it too much. They were kind men, and knew that their childhood wasn’t the roses their dad had tried to portray. She also warned me that Jorma may seem closed off, but he was the one who had a harder time recalling times of the past. She assured me that he was willing to remember and willing to listen, but to be aware that I may have to be more patient with him. It was always that way though. Leif was my carefree adventurer, and Jorma was always more cautious. Questioned everything. I remember when I had gotten pregnant with Lily, he was the one to ask a million questions. How did she get in there? How was she getting out? Why was she so tiny? Will she grow up to be a boy? Why was Leif a brother and Lily a sister? If it was a question to be asked, you can bank on Jorma asking it. It appeared he was still that same young man who had to know all the facts. We pulled in front of the pack house and Luke held onto my hand. “Are you ready grams?” he asked. I nodded my head and patted his hand. He helped me out of the car, and together we walked into the house.
I stood in the foyer, and spoke briefly to the alphas. They knew how nervous I was, and asked me if I needed anything, to have Mel get a hold of them. I expressed how I would like to see my great-grandchildren afterward, and they promised they would make it happen. They were good men, great mates, fantastic fathers, and even better alphas. Blood Moon was lucky to have them, and my family was even more blessed that they were part of it. With Luke on one side and Melian on the other, we walked hand in hand to the community room that was reserved for us. My sons were on the other side of the door, and I took a shaky breath before entering through it. As I entered, the men I had birthed all those years ago stood to greet me. Leif enveloped me in a hug, and Jorma simply shook my hand. Which was more than alright, given the circumstances. Luke and I sat across from them on a dainty love seat, and Melian sat in one of the side chairs. Far enough to give us space, but close enough to give me comfort. After staring at each other for some time, I started the conversation. “I know finding out about who I am was probably a shock for you boys. I should have told you during the whole alpha demon debacle, but I figured there was enough going on to put more shock and stress on everyone. I never had intentions of not telling you, I just needed the right time. It was by chance that our sweet Melian found out before I could. I’m willing to answer all your questions, and if you would like, Luke here could show you my memories to show that I am telling the truth. Plus, your niece would be able to confirm whether I am lying to you or not. Before I start, however, I want you to know how much I love you boys. How much I loved your sister, and even your father. You have a family that are anxious to meet you both, formally, and not just like some witches who were willing to help out. Before going into detail, I would honestly like to know what you both remember about that time.” Leif leaned forward and Jorma stiffened in his chair. “The only thing we remember about you, was that our dad called you Rose, and that you left us when father found his mate and got married. There are things that might be memories, but only you can answer if they are or not. Our early childhood was a blur to be honest,” Leif explained. This was going to be a long and emotional day, but I was ready to face it head on.
I Could Never
*Jorma POV*
I had to get over the jitters of seeing her. She was my mother for goddessâs sake. While we were waiting for our niece to get back with her, the alphas handed us a couple shots of moonshine to calm our nerves. It was still morning, but I gladly accepted the gesture. I wasn’t even this nervous when we confronted David the day he shot us, or when Meribeth told us she was pregnant. We could only remember what our dad had told us about her, but Leif admitted that he had flashes of what he thought might be memories with our mother. He wanted to make sure before he held on to those flashes, because if they weren’t memories and just wishful thinking, then it would be silly to hold on to such things. Loki had received a text from Mel, and it said they were almost here. The alphas left us, and went to greet them. Liam assured us everything would be alright, and that we should relax. “Gretchen is a great woman,” he praised. I hoped he was right, because I didn’t know If I could handle another psycho mother figure.
Before long, the door opened again, and our mother, nephew and niece came in. We stood to greet her, and she walked towards us. Even though I knew she was my mother, I still only saw the woman who helped us destroy a demon. Leif embraced her and when they separated she turned to me. I wasn’t ready for that level of intimacy, so I extended my hand to her. She shook my hand firmly with both of her hands, and my nephew helped her over to the small love seat to sit down. She started to stare at her hands and then looked up at us both. She started to speak, and my whole body tensed. I was ready to hear what she had to say, but I wasn’t going to stand for her bashing our dad. I was ready if it came to that. She apologized for not coming forward sooner, and then let us know she had wanted things to die down before approaching us. It was admirable since there was so much going on at the time. She even offered to allow Luke to show a projection of her memories so that we knew she was being honest. She even mentioned how much she loved us, Lily and even our dad. I took in a deep breath at that comment, and had to remember that she thought we had been dead for a long time. Everyone did. Leif sat forward and replied to what she had told us.
“The only thing we remember about you, was that our dad called you Rose, and that you left us when father found his mate and got married. There are things that might be memories, but only you can answer if they are or not. Our early childhood was a blur to be honest,” Leif explained. He looked over at me expecting me to chime in, so I closed my eyes and said, “I think we would like to see the projection. I think we will be more willing to hear things about the past, by also seeing it. I don’t want to have doubts whether you are speaking the truth or not, because I’m sure there are going to be some not-so nice things that happened involving our dad.” I watched as she relaxed, knowing that we were willing to be open-minded and hear her whole side, no matter how ugly or painful it was for us to hear. She explained how it all worked, and that Melian would confirm as the projection played out whether it was truth or a lie. Mel came and sat between Leif and me on the couch, and held each of our hands. “This is a good thing,” Mel stated. I gave her a smile and kissed the back of her hand. Finding her and Jason was a blessing all around. Once Luke and my mother were ready, they joined hands. My mother started to speak about her past and how she met our dad. Once she had spoken for a few minutes, Luke opened his eyes and, almost like a movie, her memories played in midair. It showed everything from the time she found out she was pregnant with Leif and me, to the court cases, to the time she found out we had been shot and left for dead. It finally ended with the night we destroyed the demon.
Luke closed his eyes again, and my mother slumped over. Obviously, the projection had drained them both. Leif started to get up, and Mel stopped him. She shook her head and told him to give them a moment. She confirmed that what Gretchen spoke, and what we saw was the truth. The complete raw truth. She asked if we had any questions for her, and we both shook our heads. I gave her a tight hug, and Leif followed me with a hug of his own. I looked at my niece and cupped her cheeks and said, “Thank you little bird. As bad as some of it hurts to watch and hear, it answered so many questions.” Leif agreed with me, and suddenly my mother sat up and took a deep breath, while Luke’s eyes shot open again. Leif and I went to be by their sides, and make sure they were alright. “Are you alright mother?” I asked. She nodded and started to shed tears. “I’m better than I have been in many years, my boy. Thank you for making the choice to listen.” she cried. Luke looked at us and said, “I wish all of you could have grown up around grandma. She spoke of her lost children often, and about how much she missed and loved all of you. It used to break my grandpa, uncle Marcus and my dad’s hearts when she would talk until the tears soaked her cheeks. She never got over it, and her kids and grandkids she had with my grandpa never replaced you all.” With a faint whisper I heard, “I could never.” come from my mother.
Dear Diary
*Melian POV*
1 month later
21st December
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.