Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
It didn’t take long for the trio to arrive, and Wiley was still visibly upset. “Come in, have a seat, please,” my dad, Loki, said as he invited them in. He started to speak to them, and my grandma interrupted. “I’m sorry, Loki, sweetheart. Curiosity is bothering me. Wiley? Is it? Son, what did this witch look like, and could you tell me exactly where in Ruby Meadows you met her?” she asked. One thing about Grandma Gretchen: she wasn’t one to beat around the bush.
Wiley started to describe the woman. “She was short, with very pale skin. Her hair was bright red, and she had a birthmark type thing on her chin. It was about the size of a quarter, and looked like a small strawberry. Her eyes were so silver they were almost white. She didn’t seem to have any strange aura, but I am also not well versed in witches,” he explained. He turned to my parents and said, “I want to apologize to you all. I didn’t mean any ill will or harm towards Alette. I care deeply for her, I always have. I pray to the goddess that she is alright.” They thanked him, and told him to be more mindful of what he does. Trying to bend her will without her knowing was also harmful to her, especially since he wasn’t her true mate. He explained he understood, and the three friends left the villa.
I could tell grandma’s wheels were grinding full force. When she was in deep thought, the wrinkles in her forehead were deeper than usual. “Grandma, what are you thinking about?” I asked her. Without looking at me, she patted my knee and explained that she was trying to place the woman who Wiley explained, but she was still drawing a blank. She decided she would call my cousin Luke, and ask him to come to Blood Moon the next day. I was excited about seeing him and Rory again, but I wished it was under better circumstances. Luke had received grandma’s powers years back, and he held the gift of sight. Not only the future, but the past as well. He asked that we have Wiley return to the pack house tomorrow evening, because he would need him there to see his past interactions. So I called Micah and had her relay that message to Wiley.
He said he would be in the dining hall for dinner, and would meet with us after. Grandma seemed to relax a little bit after speaking with Luke, and I was thankful for that. He said he would put their watchers on alert, and would make sure we figured this out. Grandma didn’t want to keep people for setting up in our markets because it brought new people in for business. However, she also couldn’t allow dangerous people to infiltrate and hurt people she cared about.
After our discussion, my parents, my mate, grandma and I went to check on Alette. When we arrived Phoenix, Adelina and Asteria were sitting by her side. River was on patrol, so he wasn’t aware of what was happening. Loki said not to interrupt him, because he was still training. Mom agreed, and we waited for Dr. Flores to come in to fill us in on her situation. My mom climbed in bed with her, like she does with all of us when we are sick. She held onto my sister, and I heard her weep. “Please, Goddess, watch over my baby. Help her fight this ugly situation,” she whispered.
What The Hell?
*MADDIX POV*
My sister was still unconscious when most of our family left. The only ones still here were me, mom, my dads, and Asteria. River had finally come in and stayed a couple of hours, but Adelina started to feel sick, so he took her home. Riley took grandma back to the pack house, and I asked her to grab us some food while she was there. She hadn’t been gone long, but I missed her already. Phoenix had to go do his rounds on the psych unit, but said he would be back after he finished. Dr. Flores had been in and out, checking her vitals, and he asked mom if Alette had received her wolf yet.
Mom confirmed that she had received her wolf, Alaska, the day the girls turned 18. He wrote that on her chart, and dad Loki questioned why that was important, because she was dosed with Wolfsbane, it would affect her wolf as well. “Alpha, Loki, I just wanted to make sure her chart was fully up-to-date. That’s all. No other reason,” Dr. Flores explained. My dad relaxed, and my mom made him sit down and rest.
As the night got later, my mom sent my dads and sister home. It was just me, her and Riley in the room when Alette finally started to stir. Mom sat up next to her, and started to talk to her. “Come on sweetie, come back to us.” she whispered. Alette’s eyes slowly opened and started to blink. “Mom?” she said in a low voice. “Yes, baby. It’s mom. How are you feeling?” my mother asked her. She tried to sit up, but immediately realized that was a bad idea. As she laid her head back on the pillow she put her hand over her eyes and replied, “Like I have been beaten by tree logs. Where am I?” I stepped forward and told her she was in the pack hospital, and I asked what the last thing she remembered was.
She opened her eyes, and looked at me like I was crazy. “Wait….last thing I remember was being at RockAway with Micah, Scott, Brian, Jamie, Jordan and Wiley. We were having a picnic and having fun playing in the sand. Wiley brought me a drink, and now I’m here. That’s all I remember. How long have I been here?” she asked. Mom told her she had only been there a little over 24 hours, and that she had been dosed with a potion that contained Wolfsbane.
She closed her eyes and released a huff. “Wiley did it, didn’t he?” she asked. Her emotions were all over the place, and you could hear them through her voice. I told her he had done it, but he wasn’t trying to poison her. I explained what the potion was for, and it wasn’t supposed to have Wolfsbane in it.
I told her how remorseful he was, and that he only had pure intentions behind the act of giving her the potion. “I know, he cares for me a lot. Maddix, I care a lot for him too, but I want to wait for my mate. Not just anyone will do.” she whispered. Sometimes the desire for a mate can make the one waiting for them miserable. Especially if they aren’t within your pack, or somewhere you frequent.
Mom said that now she was awake, there only needed to be one person at a time staying with her. We didn’t want her overwhelmed, and since she had to be there at least one more day, we wanted her to rest. We would take shifts, and switch out every 4 hours. I had pack business to start attending on the next morning, so I told my mom I would take the first shift. Alette started to pout, and asked if our dad, Liam, could take the first shift. Our sisters depended on our dads for different reasons than us boys. When they wanted to be comforted or just needed someone to talk to, they went to Liam.
When they needed someone to vent to, or a different kind of comfort that they got from Liam, they asked for Loki. Loki was more of the cry and vent and dad will go kick that boy’s ass, kind of comfort. Liam was more soothing. Mom called dad, and he must have already been in the hospital, because he was there within minutes. As soon as Alette saw him she started to sob. “Daddy, why did this have to happen? I have only just met my wolf, Alaska, and now she isn’t talking to me. Plus, I can’t trust my good friend anymore. This isn’t fair.” she cried.
My dad held her close and shooed me and everyone else out. I could tell it hurt my mom’s feelings, but I also knew her very well. She was hurt, but she wouldn’t have this situation any other way. Mom always appreciated the bond our dads had with us. She never had that with her own dad, and to make sure we had it, especially the girls, she would eat her own hurt just so they could be there for us.
Me, Mom and Asteria walked into the lobby of the hospital and there sat Wiley. He stood when he saw us and asked how she was. “Well, Wiley, to be honest, she is hurt. She is confused, weak, tired and confused. She’s also angry. She cared and trusted you, and now she feels like she can trust no one. She is very upset because she can’t reach out to her wolf, and we aren’t sure when she will be able to again. We understand that you are remorseful for what you did, but it still doesn’t excuse the fact that you hurt her by doing it. It was selfish. I hope to the goddess you have learned your lesson, because if you haven’t, and you continue to upset or try to manipulate her in any other way. You will be punished to the fullest extent of my ability. I promise you that,” I told him.
I could feel my own anger starting to fester, so I said what I needed and left the hospital. I was afraid if I didn’t, I would hurt him.
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.