Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
“Well, you know the king is coming sometime this week, right?” I asked. He nodded his head, and I continued my explanation.
“I need to get the house in order. Which means, I need to know what position you want to actually be in. Do you want the Beta position, or would you rather remain Gamma?” I asked.
Without hesitation, he sat back and crossed his legs and said he would prefer to remain Gamma. “No disrespect, Maddix, but you put a lot on your Beta. I understand why it had to be that way in the beginning, but when things started to get better and less crazy, you continued to put a lot of your own duties to the pack on George,” he stated.
I knew he was right, and I felt horrible about that. A huge part of me blamed myself for George’s breakdown, and I also knew that Henry did a little bit too. I would find a way to make that situation right, but for now, I had to concentrate on what was in front of me.
“I know, man, and I feel like an asshole about it. I don’t want to repeat that lesson either. I’m just at a total loss about whom to appoint though,” I sighed.
“What about Gunner?” Henry mentioned. “He has been a huge part of the pack since he turned 18. He has been Timmy’s right hand for the past 2 years, and he is fiercely protective of this pack and Ruby Meadows,” he reasoned.
Gunner would be an amazing replacement, but I know first hand how dedicated he is as a warrior. It wouldn’t hurt to ask, and I thanked Henry for the suggestion, and asked him to call Gunner to the office. As he was contacting Gunner, I received a link from Bailey. She worked in the guard shack where all visitors had to check in, and she informed me that the King and his entourage had arrived. Great.
I thanked her, and told her that I would meet them downstairs. I linked Riley asking if their accommodations were ready, and she said that she had the whole left side of the second floor prepared for them. It’s customary for the King and Queen to stay on the Alpha floor, but I protected my privacy, and I was refusing to allow even the king to disrupt it.
I asked her to meet me in the foyer, but had her leave the kids with Sarah. Until I got a feel of this man, my kids didn’t need to be in his presence.
I slid on my suit jacket, and took a huge gulp of my coffee. I looked at my gamma, and he said that he sort of told Gunner what was going on, but there wouldn’t be enough time for him to change and even pretend to stand in.
I linked Gunner myself, and asked him how he was dressed at the moment, and he told me he was in a pair of slacks and a button-down dress shirt. I gave him a quick rundown of what Henry and I discussed, and asked if he was game. He said he would be, but would like to know more about it all.
I told him I would explain more later, but needed him at the pack house immediately to put on an already established front. He said he would be there as quickly as he could, but he didn’t have a jacket with him. I told him I had an extra, and honestly, I hoped it even fit him.
Gunner was close to 6’6″ and was built like a brick shit house. His arms and chest were enormous. He had dark skin, and all the features that a Native American holds. He kept his long dark hair in braids, that made his chiseled jawline stand out. He hadn’t found his mate yet, but the person that he ends up mated with will be very lucky.
Thankfully, he arrived before the king’s car pulled up, and I gave him the jacket. Just as I feared, the arms were too tight. Henry handed him a tie, and I quickly tied it for him. If he couldn’t be in a jacket, at least the tie would help out some.
“Just play it by ear, and I will try to take the brunt of all the questions. We will get through this as one unit. I promise you,” I told them.
Finally, Riley made it downstairs. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt, a soft light green button-up blouse, and a pair of black pumps. She had pulled her hair into a low bun, and she looked amazing.
“We got this,” she whispered. I took her hand in mine, and the four of us went out onto the porch.
*MADDIX POV*
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.