Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
Practice makes perfect
*Loki POV*
I was on cloud nine after finding out what our pups’ genders were. I was going to have little girls, daddy’s girls. I still felt like shit for being selfish in being curious about whether I was the one who actually got our mate pregnant or not. It wasn’t fair to Liam for me to think that way, but wouldn’t anyone want to know for sure? I quickly shoved that curiosity away because, at the end of the day, it truly didn’t matter. We were both their daddies, and nothing would change that. Leaving the hospital, Mel mentioned she was hungry and wanted a good pizza. Liam and I both knew exactly what she was hinting at, so we walked down the street to Coffee & Thyme. Hazel eagerly greeted us, and sat us at our normal table. Liam and I ordered our usual coffee order, and Mel ordered an apple macha smoothie. As far as food, I ordered a BLT with extra bacon and tomato with some kettle chips. Liam had his normal turkey club with potato salad, and Mel ordered her a flatbread pizza with pesto sauce, onion, arugala, hot peppers and balsamic vinegar. While we waited for our food, we just had simple conversations, and I had to think about what we should name our babies. “Guys, what do you think of the names Fiona and Fallon for the babies? At least for their first names, but if we did both first and middle, we could do Fiona Adelina and Fallon Hopper. Adelina was our mother’s name, and Hopper was the name of Nick’s Wolf. It could be used for a boy or girl,” I asked. Liam liked both full names, but Melian remained silent. “You don’t like them babe?” I asked her. She smiled and shook her head and said, “No, it’s not that at all. I love them. All of it. I was just hoping to add my mother’s name somewhere. Would it be too weird for them not to have matching letter names? I know you both do, but I really want her in there somewhere.” I fully understood, and again felt like an ass for not considering she would want her mother’s name in tribute somehow. So I put my brain back to work. “How about Adelina Rose and Alette Lily? The same first letters are kind of important to Liam and I,” I asked. She thought for a minute, and looked at us both with an expression that I couldn’t quite read. “I love it,” she said. “Really? That’s great! It’s a perfect combination of the people who meant the most to us,” I replied. Her face twisted in confusion, more than likely she wasn’t aware of where Alette came from, so Liam filled her in. “Alette was our dad’s mother’s name, baby.” Her mouth formed an OH and she nodded her head. “Definitely perfect then,” she expressed just in time for our food to arrive.
We quickly finished our meals and rushed to the training fields. I wasn’t happy about Mel being out in the cold like this, but since she would be in wolf form, I knew she would be warmer than normal. Lucky me, was nominated as the guinea pig for Ruby’s exploration inside someone’s mind. I wasn’t afraid, per say, but I was definitely nervous. Luke sat a chair in the middle of the training field and had me sit in it. Mel had gone into the forest to shift out of sight of other people’s eyes, and when she emerged Luke led Ruby about 40 feet away from where I was sitting. Gretchen stood by her side and instructed me to close my eyes and create a scenario in my mind where I was hiding from Ruby. Kind of like hide and seek. The idea was for Ruby to enter my mind, and search for me. I imagined myself in a dense forest that contained lots of caves and cliffs. I had run deep inside the forest to a cave and covered myself with mud. I shimmied into a rock that had a huge crack in it. Big enough to fit just me, and I waited. I could hear Gretchen’s voice enter my mind and help keep me aware of what was going on. It was as if she was right there with me. “Alpha Loki, before Ruby enters, you need to slow your heart rate. You need to stay calm, your body is reacting as if you were truly running. If you don’t slow your heart rate, she will find you easily. Mammon will not make it easy for her,” she said. I took a few deep breaths and concentrated on slowing my heart rate. Once it was at a normal pace, if not maybe a tad slower, she informed me she was going to help ease Ruby inside my mind. I stood as still as I could, and stood in a meditative state to keep my heart at an even keel. I could hear the thumping of Ruby’s paws on the ground, and the slight noises she would make as she would sniff the air and ground. I could hear her near the cave, but hoped the mud would mask my scent enough to throw her off just a bit. Zeus was going haywire, and I told him to calm down before he gave us away. He said she was trying to link him, but he wasn’t replying.
She had passed the cave numerous times, and I could sense her frustration. Gretchen told me to hold strong, that she would find me. She just had to believe she would. Ruby had made another pass past the cave, but this time she turned around and walked inside. She nudged the rock I was standing in, and started to growl. Suddenly she let out a loud howl and stuck her paw inside the crack. She had found me. I gave a laugh and stepped out with my hands raised. “You found me Ruby. Good girl! I knew you could do it.” I praised her. As I was petting her soft fur, she disappeared, and I was brought back to reality. I opened my eyes and I could tell Ruby was distraught. I shifted to Zeus and went to comfort her. As soon as I shifted, Ruby’s voice entered my head. “I failed, I took too long and you all would have been dead if this was in the cells.” She whimpered. I reassured her that she wouldn’t fail in the cells. My hiding was intentional, and finding Mammon wouldn’t be hard because he wasn’t really hiding from anyone. He was more or less inviting us in. It was just her job to keep him distracted. “Ruby, you and Mel are one unit. Together you can do this because you are the strongest combination I have ever met. You add us to the mix and we will be unstoppable. Let’s practice a few more times, and get some rest. Tomorrow we exorcise the demon.”
Discoveries
*LIAM POV*
It’s the full moon, and time to rid our pack of not only Callum, but also the demon Mammon. Surprisingly, I’m not nervous. More focused than anything. I will not fail this time, and I’m determined to do my part. Mel has been fatigued all day, so we have let her rest, only waking her to eat. Regardless of the task at hand, she is still carrying our daughters in her belly. Rocko has been communicating with Ruby, and he says she is ready and that she feels strong and focused. Ruby is definitely one of a kind. She is strong when Melian can’t be, and she is comforting when Mel needs her most. She is everything a wolf counterpart should be, and more. Loki and I were helping with patrols, and Luke came along with us to put protection barriers around the pack. The last thing we needed tonight were rogues who are still dedicated to Callum to attack while we are trying to end this nightmare. We were at the furthest point of our boundaries when Luke stopped. “Alphas? There is a wolf’s presence about 30 feet into the forest. I don’t sense any ill will from him. He seems to be moving closer,” he warned. I asked our guards on the patrol with us to stay vigilant and be ready for anything.
Just as Luke said, a man emerged from the forest and it looked as if he had been beaten. “Stop where you are or my guards will attack. State your name and your reason for being on our territory.” I demanded. He raised his hands in defense and stated, “I mean no harm, nor do I want any trouble. My name is Leif Rosewater. I am the uncle of your mate, Melian. Her mother was my sister. I’m here to help you defeat the demon.” Loki and I glanced at each other and then at Luke. One of Luke’s gifts was the ability to detect deception. Luke shook his head and said, “He’s being truthful.” Today was not the day for surprise relatives to just show up. We have too much on our plates already. I asked Loki what he thought, and he said that before we allowed him any further into the pack, that we needed answers to the questions we were all thinking. I agreed and asked Leif if he would mind answering some questions with his nephew Jason present. He quickly agreed, and I called Jason and asked him to get to our location immediately. I hated to interrupt his meeting with Iris, but it was necessary, and I knew she would understand once we explained.
Jason arrived within 15 minutes, and the shock in his face was unexplainable. “Uncle Leif? Wha..How? I saw dad kill you.” He stammered. He ran and embraced his uncle and both men sobbed. He pulled away from his uncle, and started asking many questions. “I don’t understand, how are you alive? He…he made us watch as he killed you and uncle Jorma. I…I’m so confused.” Jason cried. Leif held onto his nephew’s elbow, and they sat on the ground. He motioned for us to join them, and said he would answer whatever questions we needed, but he needed to explain to Jason the events of the past 8 years. He started at the beginning, the night that Leif and his twin brother Jorma ended up in a fight with Jason’s dad, David. Apparently, they had shown up at David’s door, demanding to see their sisters’ children. David had kept them from their mother’s brothers since she passed away and they were desperate to see them. They refused to leave until they at least saw that the kids were alright, and it angered David. He agreed to take them outside so that they could see them. One by one, David led the boys outside. When Jorma questioned where Melian was, David told them that she wasn’t available to be seen by them. In all reality, he didn’t want them to see how malnourished and beaten down she was. Jorma started to demand that he take her outside so that they could verify she was alive, and it angered David more. He pulled out a pistol and shot them both in front of all 5 of their nephews. Jason was 16 at the time, and remembered the utter shock of watching his uncles ‘die’. He also remembered his dad forcing his brothers Thomas and Eric to help get rid of their bodies. Leif explained that the boys only placed them in the forest just outside of the Mystic Shadows borders, and didn’t bother to check to see if they were actually dead.
“After they dumped our bodies, we were unconscious for awhile. We had both lost a lot of blood, but as much as it hurt, we managed to help each other and try to find help. We came upon an old hunting cabin that didn’t look like it had been used in years, and Jorma attempted to help our wolves heal us. His Fae magic is the gift of healing. He was able to heal me to the point the wound sealed and stopped bleeding, and my wolf finished the rest. However, the bullet that hit me went straight through me, and his bullet was lodged in his back muscle and he couldn’t heal himself until the bullet was removed. Things in the cabin weren’t very sanitary, but I was able to build a fire, and sterilize a knife and spoon that I found. It was beyond primitive, but it did the job. I was able to remove the bullet out of his back and his wolf used their magic to heal him also. We have been hiding out ever since. Patiently waiting for the day we could reunite with our niece and nephews. I have seen what happened to the majority of them, and my heart still weeps for how they turned out and what they turned out to be. I was on my way here to see you, alphas, to seek refuge for Jorma and myself, and to offer our services to help rid your lives of the demon alpha and Mammon.” he finished. I was having a hard time believing what I was hearing, but Jason confirmed everything he said other than the healing part, since he wasn’t present. He was stunned to know they were also hybrids, and started to question himself. Leif smiled at his nephew, and confirmed that although he was also a hybrid by blood, his wolf carried no Fae magic. The only one of his brothers who did was Todd, and he refused to embrace it.
“Leif, we trust Jason whole heartedly, but we have to be cautious. We would like for you to meet with your niece and our friend Luke’s grandmother before we can truly come to a solid decision. I hope you understand. Also, where is your brother now?”ã?/p>
Coincidences
*JASON POV*
When Liam called me and asked me to join them on the patrol route, I was confused but agreed to do it. I definitely wasn’t expecting what I walked up on. I thought for sure I was seeing a ghost, but I couldn’t have been. There in the flesh was my mother’s brother, Leif. I thought my eyes were deceiving me, because I had seen with my own two eyes when my father shot him and his twin brother Jorma. ” “Uncle Leif? Wha..How? I saw dad kill you.” I couldn’t contain myself and ran to him to embrace him. Both of us started to sob and we crumbled to the ground. Other than my sister, my uncles were all I had left of my mom. The only good parts about me come from them. Once we were able to control our emotions, Leif asked Liam and Loki to join us on the ground. He started to explain everything that had happened. From the second they were shot, up until that very moment. I still couldn’t wrap my head around why they stayed hidden for so long, but once he explained that they couldn’t until my father was out of the picture, I understood. After he had finished explaining, Liam asked him where Jorma was. He was hesitant to answer at first, but he finally told us.
“Alpha’s, I understand your hesitancy. My brother is close by, just outside your borders. We have a camp there, and it hasn’t been the safest for us. We have always been short distances from our sisters’ children. Far enough not to be detected, but close enough to keep an eye on them. It still saddens me that we were so close, and still couldn’t prevent what happened to our niece.” he confessed. Loki stiffened at his words about Mel’s attack, and instantly questioned Leif about it. “If you were so close that you knew about the attack, why didn’t you stop it? They nearly killed her!” he snarled. Leif’s face fell and he admitted that night they were in town getting supplies, and didn’t know anything about it until later, when we were already at Blood Moon. He explained the only reason he even knew where any of us were was because of the Royal Council invading the Mystic Shadows pack. He even admitted that they had snuck into our old cell house to confront my dad, but there were too many guards near him, so they left. Loki was legitimately upset about them never revealing themselves before the attack, and trying to save Mel. I had to explain to Loki that no matter what they tried, they would never have succeeded in that attempt. Even when she was at school, she was being watched by either my brothers or people in her grade so that my father had tabs on her. He started to calm down, and apologized to Leif. Liam had been silent, and when he is silent you know he is in deep thought. “Liam, Loki, I know you both are leery considering everything that has happened, and what is about to happen. My uncles are good people, and if they say they can help us with Mammon, I believe them.” I said. Luke agreed with me about them being good and only wanting to help, and I thanked him for verifying what I said. Liam finally broke his silence, and I could see the look of conflict still on his face, but he finally said, “Fine. If you say you can help us, you must go get your brother. Jason and my Beta will go with you. When you get back, I would like you both to meet with Luke’s grandmother, Gretchen. If she agrees with her grandson, we would be happy to have you help us. I’m not only looking out for my wife and pack, but Jason too. Just like Melian, he doesn’t need anymore heartbreak and turmoil caused by family. Is that understood?” Leif nodded his head, and thanked Liam and Loki. We waited for Rico to arrive, and the three of us went back into the forest from where Leif came from.
Just as Leif said, they had a camp set up just outside of Blood Moon territory. “Jorma, come out, it’s me.” Leif called. Jorma crawled out of their tent and stood to face us. “Jason?” he whispered. I nodded my head and the large man enveloped me in the most comforting hug that I have had in years. “It’s me uncle,” I replied. He cupped my face just staring at me. “You look so much like your mother. You have her eyes.” He said. After we had our moment, Leif filled Jorma in on everything that had transpired. Jorma thanked me, and they started to tear down their camp. You could tell he was nervous about meeting with my brothers-in-law, but Leif explained that it had been quite some time since they had been around those with authority. Rico made sure to inform them about how Loki and Liam were as people, and not just how they were as alphas. This seemed to help Jorma relax, and we made our way back to the pack. Rico had linked the alphas to let them know we were almost at the packhouse, and they asked us to meet them in their office. Mel was at Nick’s Place helping Grace, and it would be the perfect place to meet. They also asked Luke and Gretchen to join us, and they were there waiting for us when we got there.
I knocked on the door, and Loki told us to go in. Leif and Jorma were very nervous, but seemed to relax as Gretchen approached them. “Welcome, Rosewood brothers. It’s good to see you again. It’s been many years.” she greeted them. “Wait, grandma, you know them?” Luke asked. “Oh yes, our paths crossed several years ago when I was traveling to Seattle to see your aunt Agnes. They helped me when I was threatened by a rogue during my journey. I didn’t expect to ever see them both again, but I’m thankful they are here.” she replied. She hugged them both, and led them to the couch where she was sitting before we came in. The three of them were lost in their own little world, talking about when they met. Apparently, they escorted Gretchen as far as they could to her destination to make sure she was safe, and she held a great fondness for them. She eventually turned to the alphas and said, “Alphas, I believe we found the security we needed to keep you both from worrying so much about your mate.”
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.