Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
*Melian POV*
1 month later
It’s been almost a month since the attack. Jason, Rebecca and the kids have settled into Starry Moon with my uncles and Meribeth. He is doing so well with his Alpha duties, and Rebecca is an amazing Luna. They had their swearing in ceremony last week, and Maddix was so excited to see his uncles and aunt. I’m getting close to my due date, so Liam and Loki have me on lock down. They said that the ceremony at Starry Moon was my last bit of excitement for a while because Dr. Flores wanted me to rest as much as possible. I’m so thankful that werewolf pregnancies are so much shorter than human ones, because I don’t think I could do this for a full 9 months. Not with 3 very active little ones. It feels like they are competing for who can kick mom the most sometimes. Since the attack, Loki has been slightly distant. I know he is still mad at me for fighting, but as the Luna, it was my job to protect my pack when my Alphas weren’t present. During the attack, however, we discovered that I can not only enter people’s minds, but can read them without entering, as well as the gift of healing. At first, I thought I could only heal myself, but my son had skinned his knee and while I was tending to it by rubbing on some ointment, my touch started to heal it. Ruby says there are other gifts ready to come out, but won’t be able to until I have the babies. She won’t tell me what they are, but one for sure could hurt the babies if I tried while pregnant.
I am still seeing Peter on a regular basis, feeling alone now that my brother is gone has caused some issues to resurface, and we are working through them. I have been helping Chris in the library history section quite a bit, and I have fallen in love with it. I talked with my mates about doing online courses for pack and world history, and they were all for it. I speak to my uncles on video call a lot, and have learned so much about my lineage. Who would have thought that this once abused and lost girl would be Fae Royalty? Chris is also helping me with research on that topic as well. I have a meeting with him in an hour to go over some of his findings at Coffee & Thyme, and I can’t wait. They have a new pizza I’m dying to try out, so what better excuse to do so than a meeting.
The past few times I had been here, I noticed that Hazel hadn’t been there. I asked the new girl, Christy, and she just said Hazel was taking a short leave of absence and would be back next week. I didn’t pry for more information, but hoped that Hazel was doing well. I placed my order and sat at my usual table and waited for him to arrive. He was running late, and that wasn’t like him, but I figured I would give him a pass since he was working so hard. Christy brought out the pizza and a pitcher of orange soda, and placed them on the table. The smell of the sauce and dough alone was making my mouth water. It was a hand tossed dough with a creamy marinara, and topped with onions, mushrooms, grilled chicken, jalapeños, and olives. I, of course, had to put some balsamic vinegar on my slices just because that craving hadn’t gone away yet. Chris finally joined me, and we sat and chatted about his findings while we ate. “OK, Luna, I have found out some very interesting stuff the past few days. First, as it stands, you and Jason are the last of the Royal Fae adult bloodline. This doesn’t include your children, of course. I believe you both knew this already. What I don’t think you knew is that only females will carry on the gene for magic.” he said. I told him that I believed that was told to us by Gretchen, but couldn’t remember, so it was good to know. That is when he surprised me with the biggest finding of all. “It’s funny you mention Gretchen, Luna. Because I found this in one of the census books.” He said as he pushed forward a book that held the names and dates of every Fae that had been born, until the time that Fae’s seemed to disappear. There in red print was the name Gretchen McFarland aka Gretchen Bastille. It gave her parents and children’s names, as well as her husband’s name. On the list of children were Pablo and Marcus Bastille. However, in fine print to the side were the names Lily, Jorma, and Leif McFarland. I didn’t understand what he was saying, or trying to point out, because my mother and uncles’ last names were Rosewood. Then I started to read further. They were born out of wedlock to Gretchen McFarland and Albert Rosewood. So this meant that Gretchen was my grandmother. Did my uncles know that the woman that raised them wasn’t actually their mother? I had to talk to my mates to see how to approach this, as well as Jason. This was going to be a tricky one. It also meant that Gretchen was not only a witch, but Fae as well. It would explain a lot about how she knew so much about the Fae, but was she ready to tell the truth about who she really was? Did she know we were related when she came here? So much to process. Chris went on to tell me more about things he had found out, and that he had also come close to figuring out who was leaking information to the enemy. I thanked him for his good work, and told him I would see him tomorrow at the library. I stood to leave and that’s when I felt the weirdest sensation. I felt a contraction and my water had broken.
Welcome to the World
*Melian POV*
I went wide-eyed when my water broke, and I could see the panic in Christopher’s eyes. “What do I do, Luna?” he asked. I placed my hand on the table, and told him to call one of my mates. Christy came rushing over to me, and helped me sit back in the chair. I kept apologizing about the mess on the floor, and she told me that it was more than OK, and she would get it cleaned up, and that I was top priority right now. Within minutes after sitting down, Loki clumsily came running through the door. “Where’s the Luna?” I heard him ask, and Trevor, one of the baristas, pointed in my direction. I waved at him with a crooked smile, and he was in front of me within seconds. “Are you good? What do we do now?” he asked. I shook my head and told him the only thing to do was get to the hospital, and he picked me up out of my chair, and started running towards the door. “Slow down, Loki! I swear to the goddess that if you drop me you will regret it!” I yelled at him. I wasn’t being mean, but I was serious. He almost face-planted the floor when he ran in earlier, and I didn’t want to be underneath him if he fell going out. He slowed down, but kept a steady pace. Liam met us at the entrance of the hospital and had a wheelchair waiting. He pushed me inside and told the receptionist that I was in labor, and she picked up the phone to let Roxy know we were there. She led us to a room and gave me a gown to put on. She left the room, and my mates helped me change clothes. Liam had barely said two words to me, and I asked if he was alright. He gave me a small smile and said he was perfect, just very nervous. I took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “It’s OK to be nervous, my love. I am too. Just please don’t shut down on me. Deal?” I whispered to him. He nodded his head and pecked my lips. I asked them both if they thought they would be able to stay in the room with me during the delivery, and both thought it would be good to go. Thankfully, there weren’t going to be any male doctors until the end when Dr. Flores came in for the post-delivery check-up, and I told them they would have to leave for that. They agreed and helped me into bed.
My contractions were getting closer and closer, but my dilation wasn’t progressing as it should. Roxy started a Pitocin drip to help with the dilation, and the pain was starting to become unbearable. Once the Pitocin started to work, the back pain during contractions made me feel like I could claw the ceiling tiles if it would make the pain better. I was hell-bent on having these babies all natural, but I was quickly rethinking that decision. “Trish, can you ask Roxy if I can still get an epidural please, I don’t think I can do the natural thing any longer,” I asked. She checked my dilation, and rushed out to ask about my request. Before long, Roxy came in and sat at my feet. “Kiddo, it’s too late for the epidural. Apparently, there is a head ready to make an appearance down there. I started to panic, and Roxy placed her hands on my knees and told me to focus on her face. I did, and she spoke to me softly, “Now, Mel, I can see the first head. She is right there. I’m going to go ahead and put your feet in the stirrups. I’m going to need Loki and Liam to help you scoot your bottom to the edge of the bed. Once we are in place, the next contraction you feel, you need to give me a good push. You can do this, love, we are all right here to help you along. OK?” I nodded my head and my mates helped do as she asked. They each had one of my hands and Trish and another nurse had my knees to help hold them in place. I started to feel the contraction and I told Roxy. She flashed me a smile and said, “Good, you know what to do. Give a good push, Mel!” I squeezed my mate’s hands and I held my breath as I gave Roxy that good push she asked for. “That’s it Mel! Push Push Push Push! We have a head, and she is beautiful, momma!” Roxy yelled. “Now, I need one more good push for this beauty, and she will be fully here mommy.” she instructed. I followed her commands and gave her one more push. I didn’t hear my daughter cry, and I started to worry. Before my panic could fully consume me, I heard her little cry just as another contraction hit. Roxy quickly handed her off to Abby, another nurse that was in the room, and I was given the same instructions as before by Roxy. After pushing for another 15 minutes, our second daughter was born and cried as soon as she came out. A good, strong set of lungs is what her great aunt proclaimed.
I was so tired, and didn’t think that I was going to be able to continue on. Loki and Liam encouraged me not to give up. “We are almost at the home run mark,” Liam encouraged. I looked at him like he was nuts. “Who is this ‘we’? Do you have a frog in your pocket?” I asked. Loki couldn’t contain his laughter and I just shook my head at them both. “Babe, I know you are exhausted, but you are doing so good! The last one is almost here, and then you can rest all you want. We will make sure of it.” Loki whispered in my ear. He took a washcloth and wiped my sweaty brow, and Liam stroked my hair. As much as it annoyed me, I let them do it because their touch was comforting. I felt a big contraction coming, and told Roxy I needed to push. She took a peek and felt around a bit, and gave me a flashy smile. “She’s ready to come meet her mommy and daddies, I believe. Let’s bring this angel into the world, momma.” she said. I looked at each of my mates and they kissed my forehead. I gave the biggest push of them all, and Asteria Iris came into the world screaming at the top of her lungs. I felt such relief and joy that I started to cry. Liam and Loki both had tears in their eyes, and kept staring at where our girls were. “Go to them, I have a little more work to do here before they can bring them to me,” I told them. Roxy explained what I meant, and they did not want to see the delivery of the placenta. They went over to our daughters instead. I could hear them gushing over their babies, and it was the sweetest thing ever. Once I had delivered the placenta, Roxy and Trish quickly cleaned me up. I was so tired, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest until I saw my girls. Abby rolled their little bassinet over to my bed and Loki and Liam handed me my daughters. “Hello my beautiful babies. Welcome to the world. I’m your mommy.” I whispered to them. Their names suited them as well. Welcome to the world Adelina Rose, Alette Lily, and Asteria Iris. You are going to do special things in this world.
No Tears Allowed
*Jason POV*
“Would you hurry up,” Rebecca yelled at me. She was angry because I had caused us to miss the birth of our nieces. I tried to explain that it wasn’t my fault that Mel went into labor earlier than anticipated, and she started to laugh. I stood there not knowing how to react. “I’m sorry, you are right. I’m just excited about seeing them, and we were supposed to be there 2 days ago anyway. I miss our family being close,” she apologized. I could understand where she was coming from, but it wasn’t like we could uproot and leave the pack any time we felt like it. Especially since we walked in to a total mess left over from Callum. I have been doing some research for the twins while trying to get caught up in my Alpha duties here. They apparently had someone within their pack who was giving information to those who took over while Callum was imprisoned before his death. They are hoping there is some kind of paper-trail evidence that will tell them who it was. So far, I haven’t found anything other than receipts for books that Dark Star had purchased for Christopher, who is now a member of Blood Moon. We are still going through mountains of documents and papers that were in the Alpha office, so there could still be something here.
I buckled up Trinity in her car seat as Rebecca was buckling up Joel. We said goodbye to my uncles and Meribeth, and told them we would be back in a few days. They were going to go visit after us since we couldn’t leave the pack unmanned for that long. Jorma said they would continue to organize the paperwork in the office and if anything of urgency came up, they would call me. I climbed in the car and drove out of Starry Moon. Rebecca started to flip through the music stations because she hated the heavy music I listened to. She said it gave her a headache. I didn’t mind, because I could listen to anything, and as long as she was happy, I was happy. She settled on a country station that played mostly 90s country music, and she started to sing along to a Keith Urban song. “And you’re always in my heart, always on my mind, when it all becomes too much, you’re never far behind, and there’s no one that comes close to you, could ever take your place, cause only you can love me this way,” she sang. Her voice was amazing, and I don’t think she even realized it. I could listen to her sing all day long. This was the first song she had ever sent me when we first found each other. Neither of us were good at expressing emotions when we first met, especially me, but she always seemed to find songs that would tell me exactly how she was feeling at that particular moment in time. It kind of became our love language for the first couple of months. I would leave her little notes saying, “Listen to this, this is how you make me feel,” with the name of the song, and when I got home she would have another song ready for me to hear to tell me how the song I gave her made her feel. Eventually, we were able to just voice it or show actual emotion to one another without music. I miss those days, but I am thankful we were finally able to communicate. Rebecca has changed me for the better, and I never thought that would be possible.
Time seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, I was pulling into the drive at the Blood Moon pack gates. I started to get excited about seeing my nieces and my sister. They should already be home since they were being released today, but Rebecca called to make sure. I looked at Trinity through the rearview mirror and asked, “We’re here, are you excited about seeing aunt Mel?” and she squealed with happiness. She loved her aunt Melian, and the feeling was mutual. Rebecca said they were at the packhouse, so we went straight there. I parked on the street, and grabbed Joel for Rebecca. She got Trinity unbuckled and out of the car, and we made our way into the house. Walking in the house brought back so many memories of the past months. Just the smell alone reminded me of how amazing their cooks were, and made me envious that our cooks were still learning. Maybe the twins would let me borrow one of theirs to help train the ones we had recruited. Don’t get me wrong, they knew how to cook, but it was the seasoning of the food and baking they needed help with. Meribeth offered to help, but my uncles said only if we had no other option. They wasted no time in getting her pregnant, claiming they weren’t getting any younger. They were fully pampering her and I can’t say she was complaining. It was sweet how they doted on her.
Loki was the one to greet us by running down the stairs and practically jumping in my arms. I missed Liam and my sister, but Loki has become one of my best friends, not just my brother-in-law. I don’t know which one I got closer to, him or Rico. I loved my relationship with them both, and I missed them terribly. He led us upstairs to the nursery, and when I walked in, I quickly turned my head. Mel was sitting in the rocking chair feeding two of my nieces, and I didn’t want to see my sister’s boobs hanging out. Mel and Rebecca started to laugh, and my mate said, “It’s not like you haven’t seen nursing boobs before babe.” I kept my head turned and replied, “Your nursing boobs and my sisters are two different types of boobs, and I don’t need to see my sisters.” Everyone laughed and Liam took a sheet and draped it over Mel. She had finished with the two she was feeding and was now feeding Alette. We sat on a couch in the nursery, and the twins handed Rebecca and I each a baby. I was amazed at how much they looked like my sister, and my heart broke. Because, as much as they looked like her, they also looked like my mom. Teary-eyed, I looked at Mel and said, “Mom would have loved her grandkids.” She nodded her head and said that she knew she would have also. “No tears, Jason. This is a happy occasion, no tears allowed,” she said as she laughed through her own tears.
Broken Trust
*MELIAN 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.