Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
“Well, since he is young, he will grow up knowing Melian as his mother. We will never hide Rochelle from him, and if permitted, we would like some of her ashes to put in a small urn in his room. That way, his biological mother is always with him. You will need to respect my mate as his mother. He will still know you as grandpa, and you will have access to him whenever you want. However, because of the threat of your mate, it will be on Blood Moon’s property. I will make sure you have time alone with him, but until he gets older, there will be a guard posted at the cottage we will provide for your stay. As he gets older, things will adjust, and he will learn more and more about Rochelle. You will have to respect the fact that Loki will be a co-father and not his uncle. His uncles and uncles will be those who help take care of him. We don’t want to exclude your son, Barron, from his life, but your mate will never be welcome on Blood Moon’s property. We have four other children; triplet daughters and a son who is almost 2. Maddix is adopted and will be treated as an equal by everyone he comes in contact with. He may not be mine or Loki’s blood, but he is ours. Just as the others are. So, if you have an issue with that, then you need to keep it to yourself. Other than that, everything else that will come up is negotiable,” he said. What he asked wasn’t impossible to abide by. I didn’t like the fact that he would be calling another woman mother, but the Luna seemed sweet enough. I had a feeling she would be a wonderful mother figure to him. Pheonix deserved that. He was a good boy, and had so much love to give. I was thankful that Liam and his family were as excited about him as they were. This could have been disastrous if they hadn’t been so accepting. The Liam I knew when he was with my daughter was a good man, but he had his issues. He wasn’t as attentive as he should have been, and that’s why Rochelle never told him about the baby.
“I agree with those conditions. How long before you have to leave? I want to make sure you have her ashes, and I would like to say goodbye to him. I miss seeing him every day, but the current living situation is for the best considering everything,” I told him. He explained that they would be leaving that evening, and asked if we could all have lunch in the park after my grandson got out of school. I agreed and told them I would grab some pizzas, and they would grab the drinks. I was going to make the most of the day with Phoenix, because I wasn’t sure when the next time I would see him would be. We all sat and signed the required documents that would be needed for Liam to take guardianship of Phoenix, and the document relinquishing my grandson as a member of Northern Sun. Signing those papers was more difficult than I imagined it would be. I fought back more tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes. I had to keep telling myself that it wasn’t the end of our relationship, that it was just a different path for it.
Paperwork was signed and in the hands of the alpha. Markus made copies for Liam, and that was that. The alpha told them they were free to leave, and thanked them for being so understanding. He also thanked them for promptly responding to the situation. They took their leave, and told me they would see me in a couple of hours. I was honestly looking forward to it. Some fun time with my grandson was just what I needed at that moment in time.
“OK, Malcom. Spill it. I know you aren’t being fully honest about all of this. What gives?” Markus asked as soon as they left. “What do you mean? I told the truth. What wasn’t I being honest about?” I asked him. He started to laugh and leaned forward on the table. His face grew serious, and he replied, “Rita. I know there is more than her just not wanting Phoenix around. You need to tell me what it is. If she is a danger to you, or this pack, she will have to go. I’ve expressed my concern about her behavior several times, and this will be the last time. Are we clear?” He had figured out that I wasn’t as forthcoming as I should have been, and I finally just let it all out. I nodded yes, and I started to tell him about Rita’s threats towards my grandson, and that she had mentioned that either I would take care of the ‘problem’ or she would. I knew exactly what she meant by the threat, and it would mean my daughter’s son would either be abandoned somewhere, or she would take him out. It was no secret that she hated anything that still tied me to my first mate, and she always resented that she was always considered second best as a second chance mate. I told her that I would remove him from our home, and seek out his biological father. Me, myself, not even knowing fully if Liam was that person. Markus sat back in his chair, and closed his eyes shut tight. The stiffening of his jaw told me that he was fully upset. Blowing a breath out of his mouth, he opened his eyes and looked at me. Shaking his head, he spoke very bluntly to me. “Rita is clearly a threat to anyone she doesn’t agree with. I can’t have that type of person here, Malcom. Especially with you holding the position you do. You are my oldest and dearest friend, and I don’t want to cast you aside. However, she cannot stay on Northern Sun pack lands. Period. The choice is yours. If you choose to leave with her, I will have no ill will towards you. If you choose to stay, and deal with the bond breaking after I banish her, I will help you be able to keep Barron and deal with the pain. You have lost enough, my friend, and I hate putting you in this position, but it is strictly for pack safety.” Defeated, I asked him to give me a couple of days to adjust and make my decision, and he agreed. I shook his hand and left to grab the pizzas and meet the others.
The rest of the day was bliss, and it hurt my heart when I had to say goodbye to Phoenix. He hugged me tight and told me he loved me. He told me I was the best papa, and that I needed to be a good boy. I laughed at his sweetness, and gave him a final squeeze. I told him I would see him soon, and I turned to leave. “Beta Malcom?” I heard the Luna say. I turned to her, and she took my hands in hers. She had tears in her eyes and said the sweetest thing. “Papa Malcom, you aren’t alone in all of this. I promise you. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I can lend that shoulder to you. No questions or judgments ever.”
Home
*Melian POV*
We loaded up everything that was coming with Phoenix, and I called Grace. “Hey Gracie, I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but I need another favor. I’m sorry,” I apologized. She started to laugh at me and asked what I needed. “Well, you have another nephew. It turns out, Liam did have a son. He is coming home with us, and I want to set up a room for just him and Maddix. The girls can keep the nursery, but I think we should move the boys to the room on the other side of Tara’s room. That way, she is in between them. We can put another door connecting her room to theirs as well,” I told her. I told her I would call and warn Tara about it, so it wouldn’t be a surprise, and she said she would take care of it. I was blessed to have Grace and I would make sure she was handsomely rewarded for all her sacrifices she makes for us and the pack.
Pulling away, Malcom and Josh watched us until we were out of sight. A pang of guilt hit my heart, but knowing it was in Phoenix’s best interest, made that pang go away quickly. We made arrangements for Malcom to come for Christmas morning, and he excitedly accepted. “Liam? You know Christmas is quickly coming, we need to get some shopping done.” I informed him. He gave me a slight chuckle, and said, “That we do. Let’s go tomorrow,” he said. Loki agreed, and we were going to have a date for it. I asked if it was too soon to leave our son with the nanny, and Loki said we would just see how he adjusted to her when he met her. OUR SON. I loved the sound of it. I thought of not having more kids tore a hole in my heart that I wasn’t sure would mend. With one meeting, Phoenix filled that hole. My heart was full. This little boy needed me, and I needed him. He was truly special to me, and I would show him every day just how much.
We arrived home at mid-afternoon, and everyone was outside to meet us. As soon as we got Phoenix out of the car, he started waving hello to everyone. He didn’t hesitate to go up to each one standing there and introduce himself. “Hi, I’m Pee-nix,” he would tell them. Even the biggest of them all, Rico, got all giddy at the introduction. “Hello there Phoenix, I am your uncle Rico. It’s my pleasure to meet you. You are going to have to help me keep your ol’ dads in line over there,” he told the little boy. A serious look spread across Phoenix’s face, and he turned to look at the twins. “Uncle Weeco, those dads aren’t old,” he stated. Everyone broke out in laughter and Liam thanked his little buddy for the nice words and scooped him up to his shoulder.
As we made our way inside, Loki took the little one from Liam. “So, Phoenix, did you know that you have 3 little sisters and a little brother here?” he asked.. Phoenix shook his head and said, “Noooo, can I see them?” Loki nodded his head and said we could go right then. Phoenix got agitated, and nodded his head. We went up to the nursery, and sat Phoenix on Mel’s lap. We first introduced him to the girls, and as he looked at them, and repeated their names as they were told to him, he kept his eye on Maddix’s crib. “Brudder?” he whispered. Liam picked Maddix up from his crib and Maddix rested his head on daddy’s shoulder. Both boys, being bashful, took their time greeting each other. It didn’t take long before Maddix walked up to Phoenix and pulled him in a hug. Maddix would kiss him on the cheek and Phoenix would crack up laughing. He couldn’t say Maddix, and he called him ‘Magic’, and it fit. Their relationship was magic. It was as if they had always been best buddies, and never the strangers they were less than 10 minutes ago.
I needed to go and meet with Grace and check on the status of the boys’ room as well as the ball. The twins needed to take care of some pack business, so we asked Gretchen to stay with Tara until the boys were completely alright. It gave Phoenix time to bond with his grandma and nanny, as well as his younger brother. I took one of the monitors with me since I was going to be in the pack house. I found her in the boys’ new room, and I was amazed that all the adult furniture was gone and replaced with everything 2 little boys would need. “Oh my goddess Grace! This looks fantastic! Thank you!” I exclaimed. “I take it you like it?” she asked through her smile. “Like it? I freaking love it!” I was on the fence about painting the walls blue, but seeing the crisp white walls with the blue sailboat-themed decorations, I decided against it. It was perfect. Grace and I went to Coffee & Thyme to have some lunch and discuss the ball and what else needed to be done. It was pretty much set, but there were odds and ends to take care of. She had a detailed list of things to finish, and then the setup would be handled by our most trusted Omegas. It was going to be amazing. Not only do we fully introduce our girls to the pack during the ball, but also our son. I couldn’t wait to see our boys in their little black tuxes and our girls all frilled up. Their little tutu dresses would match my gown. A gorgeous emerald green with silver accents. Grace promised to email me full details and we went our separate ways. I took my time going back to the pack house, and found myself sitting at the edge of the training field on the big rock near the barracks. I found myself going over the events of the last several months, and I honestly felt more blessed and at ease with myself than I had ever in my lifetime. Sure, the Goddess had thrown more than enough curveballs at us, but each time we hit those balls into home runs. I pulled my coat closer around me, as it was getting colder, and started to walk back to the packhouse. I wanted to see my kids and mates. I was about half way there when I started to see it. Snowflakes, and they were as big as cotton balls. It was snowing, and it was so beautiful.
Christmas Morning.
*Loki POV*
It’s Christmas morning, and the boys have already opened all of their gifts. It was cute watching them show each other what they got, but the not-so fun part was listening to them fight with each other over them. I had to laugh though, because they literally both got close to the same things. I can remember Liam and me as kids, and it was always the same thing. Fighting over each other’s toys, even when they were identical. We didn’t start receiving gifts that were suited to our personalities until we were almost teenagers. Liam had given Phoenix and Maddix Melian’s gifts, and they immediately ran them to her. “Open Meme,” Phoenix said excitedly. “These are for me?” she gushed. Both boys nodded their heads rapidly, and she sat on the floor with them to open them. She gasped when she opened the first one. A pair of diamond hoop earrings. “They are beautiful. Thank you so much,” she said. She opened her second gift, and it brought her to tears. “Oh my Goddess, Liam! Loki! This is the best Christmas gift I have ever gotten.” She took it out of the box and asked me to put it on for her. It was a necklace with 5 little stars. In each star was a precious stone representing each of the children’s birthstones, 3 topazes for the girls, an emerald for Phoenix and a Garnet for Maddix. In the middle was a sapphire, representing their mother. She jumped up to hug us both and then fell back to the floor and roughhoused with the boys. This is what life was about. Family would always come first, and everything else would fall in line after.
Mel opened the door to our suite and allowed the Omega to push the cart in to set our table. We had decided to spend the day with just the three of us and our babies. We had already celebrated Christmas with our friends and family at the Holiday Ball last weekend, so today was just us. Something intimate to start new traditions. Melian had expressed at the ball that she hadn’t had a good Christmas since her mother was alive, and all she wanted was a day with her kids without interruption. That is what she was going to get. She went into our room and came out with 2 gift bags. One for each of us. Liam started to pull ou the paper from the bag, and stopped and looked up at her. He pulled out an original leather-bound hardback book of Moby Dick. It was Liam’s favorite book from when he was a kid, and my father was the only one who had a copy. He then pulled out a framed picture of our mate and our babies. “It’s for your desk,” she gushed. He pulled her in for a kiss, and told her how much he loved the thoughtful gift. She handed me mine, and I followed the same actions as Liam. What I pulled out of the bag, shook me to my core. In the bag was a duplicate of the picture she gave Liam. For my new desk in our office. I then pulled out something wrapped in brown paper. As I removed the wrapping, my heart thudded hard within my chest. It was my father’s pocket watch. It was still inscribed on the inside with a message from my mother to him. “Forever My Love, Forever My Heart.” When my parents passed away, our aunts came in to clean out their belongings. I thought his watch had been given to one of their children, but here it was in my hands. “How did you do this?? We thought they were…….gone.” I asked. She just smiled and said that Roxy had them still, and she begged Roxy to let her have them.
How did we get such an amazing mate? They may have been hand me down gifts, but to Liam and me, they were treasures of a forgotten time. A time that sometimes I wish we could get back. Liam, Rebecca and I felt like time stood still back then, the old traditions gone forever. Little did we know that our mates would bring that spirit back into our hearts. We laid the kids down for a nap after lunch, and decided to take a quick nap ourselves. It had been a long time since we had a time like this, and I, for one, was going to relish it. I slept the best I had in a while. No nightmares had haunted me for quite some time. Life felt like it was finally moving forward instead of falling backwards. No one had crossed us threateningly since the incident with former Dark Star rebels. No weirdo family members coming to avenge some idiotic bullshit from a time none of us were even born. Lastly, no one but us, as a family, are united. Things couldn’t get any better than they were right now, except for maybe Mel’s health to get better. We both see how easily tired she is getting lately, but she insisted she wait until after New Years to have her ovary removal. We didn’t argue, because it was a logical request. No one wants to be miserable on the holidays.
I felt my mate start to stir, and I pulled her closer to me. “How did you sleep baby?” I asked her. She let out a soft moan and said she slept amazingly. I kissed her forehead and held her tight. “Anything special do you want to do before dinner?” she shook her head and said that she just wanted to remain resting until the babies woke up. I told her we could have Tara take care of them, and she could rest as much as she wanted, and she said it wasn’t necessary. We did just as she asked. We both lay there in each other’s embrace until Liam and our babies woke. There was snow outside, and the boys wanted to try out their new sleds. We bundled all the babies up, and took them out to play. Liam and I took turns pulling the boys around, and Mel sat on the porch with the girls watching us. I was right where I needed to be today.
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.