Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
I never found sleep again after that phone call, so that was going to make my day extremely long. I did, however, find out a little about the DeLuca family. They own shipping steamers all along the west coast. They are based out of Portland, but also have ports in Astoria, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Miami, New York and New Jersey. They have done very well for themselves. DeLuca-Santos was what they went by on the west coast, and on the east coast it was reversed to Santos-DeLuca. I noticed when looking up their business information that they also had another business that was only listed as Commodities. What kind of commodities? I decided to give this to my Beta to work on. George was amazing at finding out the hard questions. Miles assured me that Damian was a good guy, and I sensed it as well when I met him. He didn’t have that arrogant aura about him that his father did. My dad, Loki has a saying that says, ‘Shit can only pile so deep before they drown themselves in their own stench.’ Basically, what he is saying is, a person can only be shitty for so long without revealing just how shitty they are. Pretending to be a nice guy can only last for so long before your cover is blown. No one with good intentions has to pretend. Thankfully, I have the best bullshit detector in the world still with me. My grandma Gretchen.
Close to lunchtime, I call my grandma. “Gran! It’s me, Maddix.” I say when she answers. “Well, no shit sherlock. I have a caller ID,” she giggles. “Sorry, I just wasn’t sure you checked it. I have a question. How would you, Luke and Rory like to come to Seattle with Riley and I on Saturday to see the girls?” I asked. She was quiet for a minute, and then replied, “Cut the shit Maddix. What is going on?” she asked. Straight and to the point. I don’t know why I even tried to beat around the bush with her.
“OK Gran, you caught me. Yes, there is an ulterior motive, but it isn’t as bad as you think. I just want to get an honest feel about the girls’ mates. Alette’s mate has a person in his family who isn’t as good of a guy as he pretends. I need to make sure he isn’t following in their footsteps,” I admitted honestly. Almost immediately, grandma screams through the phone. “WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL THIS OLD LADY THAT MY GIRLS FOUND THEIR MATES?” she yelled. “Again, sorry gran. It literally just happened. I was hoping to tell mom and our dads first, but this can’t really wait. Lette is having issues with her mate’s cousin. I want to make sure he understands who her brother is, and that he needs to go away. I will prohibit Lette from having contact with him.” I told her.
“We will be there Friday afternoon. Make sure my regular room is ready, please. Maddix, honey, you also need to remember, your sisters are adults now, and have their mates. Marked or not, they are involved in their well-being as well,” she said. I know she is right, but I can’t just walk away. Not yet anyway.
Now We Know
*Maddix POV*
A few days had passed since I got the call from Addie. Grandma, Luke and Rory will be here tomorrow afternoon. Riley took it upon herself to make sure Grandma’s room was just how she liked it. Grandma Gretchen wasn’t a picky person, until it came to her space. She liked a certain softness to her sheets, and her blanket had to be just the right texture and thickness. They even had to be sprayed with the right scented rose water. For this reason, grandma had her own room, with all the right linens, and was always stocked with things she loved. Riley tended to it when grandma was coming, because she knew exactly how grandma was, and how she wanted things.
Luke and Rory didn’t care, as long as the bed was comfy, and he could control the temperature in the room. Luke was pretty easy going, as was Rory. It’s weird trying to explain my relationship with both of them to people. Luke is my cousin on my mom’s side, Rory my cousin on my dad’s side. They just happened to be mated to one another.
Addie is excited to see us, but I have a feeling that once Alette finds out we are coming, she will try and talk us out of it. She wants to prove to us that they can live just fine on their own, and handle their own shit, but I just honestly want to meet these mates of my sisters. Asteria face timed me with her mate, Simon. He seems like a great guy. He is very much what Asteria needs.
If Alette wasn’t my constant worry because of her wild ways, Asteria would probably be that main focus. She is slightly smaller than the other 2 girls, but she doesn’t let that stop her. She was the runt of the 3, mom’s late term surprise. However, she is the most resilient and savvy of the three. She thinks before she acts, and it gives us a lot less to worry about with her.
I have a meeting shortly with George and Henry. It pertains to Micah, so I have asked her to join us. Yolanda, our newest omega, has brought a lunch cart up to my office, and it’s filled with various sandwiches, a charcuterie board, and various drinks. I thank her for bringing it, and she leaves me to prepare for my meeting. I am honestly dreading this, but it has to be done. A light knock is at my door, and I call whomever it is in.
It opens slightly and Micah peeks her head in. “I know I’m early, Alpha, but I was hoping to speak to you before the others arrive,” she says. I waved her in, and asked her to have a seat. “Micah, it’s just Maddix. You are practically family, no need for formalities.” I told her. She smiled and thanked me, and then the look on her face dropped. “Maddix, I know this may sound odd, but I have a favor to ask. Before you execute Scott, I would like to speak to him,” she requested.
It dawned on me that I hadn’t informed her of his execution, but I guess I didn’t think I needed to as it was part of the terms of her coming back to Blood Moon. However, I instantly felt like shit. “Um, Micah, Scott has already been executed. I did it before you came back from Alettes. It was part of the terms of you coming back, remember?” I explained. “Oh, yes. Now I remember. Forget I said anything,” she whispered. “Micah, what’s bothering you? Like truthfully bothering you? You can always talk to me, you know this,” I explained.
I noticed her getting teary-eyed, and I went and sat in the chair next to her. I placed my hand on her knee, and made her look at me. “Micah, you are like one of my little sisters. If you need help, I am here for you. No matter what,” I said. She hesitantly acknowledged me, and then said, “Look, Maddix. There isn’t anything wrong. I forgot about our agreement. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but it’s too late for that. I will have to figure out how to get over this anger another way. No problems.” I shook my head at her and said, we will figure out a way to help you through all of this, OK? If you agree to get help, Phoenix himself has agreed to take you on as a patient. That way, you can get any kind of therapy you need. For whatever issue you need to deal with first. He will also be the one to prepare you to surrender the child for adoption. Because you are a pack member here, we feel it would be best to send the child to Starry Moon until they are adopted. Does that sound alright?” She nodded, but wouldn’t make eye contact with me. “Thank you, I appreciate all of your help, Maddix,” she whispered. In my heart of hearts, I didn’t think she really wanted to give the child up. I needed her to understand that it was her choice, no one elses.
George and Henry finally joined us, and the four of us spent the next couple of hours having lunch and going over her side of the story in the rape investigation. We found out that she knew Willow’s mother. Her name was Hannah Markum. I was surprised to hear she was a transfer from Alette’s mates’ pack, Spirit Mountain. I tried to see if Micah knew why she transferred, and she said that all Hannah ever mentioned was that it was for safety reasons. Her parents had sent her to Blood Moon to live with her uncle.
Her uncle passed away, and she stayed. I can recall her being at one of the pack inductions ceremonies, now that I think about it. I never put two and two together. “Micah, do you know if her parents were ever notified of her death?” I asked. She shook her head, but said that her mother may have their contact information. Micah’s mother and Hannah’s uncle were good friends. I asked her to call her mother to see if she did, and she left the room for privacy.
It wasn’t long before she came back in, and handed me the phone. “Hello? This is Alpha Maddix,” I said. “Hi, Alpha Maddix. This is Micah’s mother, Millie. I have Hannah’s contact information, but they won’t tell you anything out of fear, I’m afraid. I have already informed them of her passing away, and don’t worry, they won’t come for your daughter. I will be honest and tell you why she was sent here though. They sent her here to protect her from their alpha. He has been taking young girls and selling them on the black market as sex slaves,” she said. I quickly thanked her and handed Micah her phone. “Please leave us, Micah. Thank you for your time today,” I said to her as I dismissed her. I needed to quickly meet Alette’s mate. There is no way he is that oblivious to his father’s doings.
Striking a Deal
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.