Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
No More Shadows
*MADDIX POV*
“Alpha, please…wait,” Wiley yelled after me. I wanted to keep going but as an alpha I couldn’t, and unfortunately, I wasn’t just Alette’s big brother anymore. I stopped and turned towards him. “What, Wiley? I am kind of in a hurry,” I said to him. His whole body looked deflated, and I tried to hide my frustration. He was as nervous as I was frustrated, but, in fairness, I needed to hear him out. “Alpha, I really want to apologize to Alette. What happened has really been bothering me. I would like to try and help you find the witch who sold me the potion,” he said.
His willingness to help might be just the thing to help me stop being so pissed off at him.
“OK. The apology will have to wait. She is with one of my dads, and is resting. She is very confused and very hurt about what happened, Wiley. I will ask her tomorrow if she will see you, but tonight isn’t good. Sorry. As far as your offer to help find the witch, I will take you up on that. Thank you,” I told him. He shook my hand and we both left the hospital.
I stopped by Nick’s place as I walked home to check on Henry. He and Celeste took over residency today, and I wanted to see how they were adjusting. We haven’t gotten many abandoned children lately, which is a good thing. However, our domestic violence shelter stayed full. Our cell house stood as a revolving door for offenders, and unless they gravely harmed their mates or children, we couldn’t hold them longer than 5 days. I felt that the jail sentence wasn’t enough time, because with a light sentence like that, they always repeat offended.
Maybe that is a change that me, George and Henry could implement. Luckily, when I walked in, my bride was sitting on one of the rocking chairs with one of the current infant residents. She put her finger to her lips to tell me to be quiet, and I gave her a smile. Seeing her there holding the baby and rocking the little girl made my heart swell. I couldn’t wait to see her belly round with our pup inside. It’s not something we have talked about really, but I know that I wanted as many as she would want to give me. I loved kids, I always have. I wasn’t only willing to care for my own either, I wasn’t opposed to adoption either. I mean, I was adopted. So was River. Mom adopted Phoenix as her own, even though he was biologically Liam’s.
Watching my mate with the baby, I briefly caught myself wondering if my biological mom ever did that with me. She couldn’t have been all bad, could she? I had to quickly shake that thought from my head. I didn’t want to think of them. I don’t even know why my biological parents ever came into my thoughts. I didn’t know them, and from what I was told, I’m glad I didn’t. I am nothing like any of the Carter family. Except for my mom and my uncle Jason, they were all horrible humans. I felt sorry for their wolves, because I truly don’t believe their wolves held any part of what my mom went through. “What’s on your mind?” George asked. I shook my head and didn’t reply. I heard him sigh, and he came close to talk to me.
“Look at me Maddix, you are not them. You will never be them. You are no more your parents than Henry, Jack and I are like our father. We were all blessed to be raised by strong, caring men. Even stronger women. I know it’s different for you because you didn’t know yours. Trust your older and wiser best friend. You are better off. I never met them personally, but heard all about them from people who did. You are a million times better than them,” he explained.
George was one of a kind. He was close to 10 years older than me, and hadn’t found his mate. He believes she might have died, or is human, because he has never even gotten a tingle she has been close by. He hasn’t given up hope yet, and I admired him for that. His brother, Henry, was also older than me. He was 8 years older, and had found his mate. Celeste was pretty awesome. She was slightly younger than Henry, but she adored him. I never really had friends my age. I didn’t trust them much. If my parents had their way, Phoenix would have been my Beta, and River my Gamma. They, however, didn’t want the positions. George and Henry were already like my brothers, so it made sense.
Riley laid the little one back in her crib, and she came and snaked her arms around my waist. “How’s Alette?” she asked. I pulled her tight and said, “She’s awake. She’s confused and upset, but she will be fine. Dad Liam is with her right now.” She nodded her head and said that with dad there, she was bound to be good. He had a way to make things seem they would always be good. “You looked good holding that little one. Have you ever thought about whether you wanted kids or not?” I asked her. She nodded her head, “I was an only child, so I have always dreamed of a big family. I hated not having siblings to grow up with. It was so lonely. What about you?” she asked. “Yes. I have always wanted a huge blended family,” I replied. She looked at me oddly and asked, “Blended?” I smiled at her and said, “Yes, blended. I want my own, but I also want to adopt.” She just smiled and squeezed me tighter.
She mentioned she was starving, and we said goodbye to Henry and Celeste. “Let’s go eat.” I said, and we made our way to the dining hall. It was Italian night at the pack house, and I couldn’t wait for a few slices of chef Mattie’s pizza.
Willow
*Riley POV*
I went to visit Celeste at Nick’s Place to see how she was settling in. Since arriving at Blood Moon, the two of us have grown rather close. I have always been kind of awkward when it comes to meeting new people or developing friendships, but Celeste made it really easy to love her. From what I have learned is that she and Henry met Celeste during a ranking member seminar that he attended with his dad, Rico.
It was being held at her former pack, Snowy Creek, in central Oregon. She was born an Omega, but in Henry’s eyes, she might as well have been an Alpha Queen. It was her quirky sense of humor that drew people to her, and I loved her calm demeanor. It reminded me of my mom. Celeste may have only been a couple of years older than me, but she definitely had that motherly vibe about her. Gretchen says that Celeste is wise beyond her years, and that she will be the one with common sense when things get crazy. I had to agree.
From what I learned recently, there haven’t been many children taken in at Nick’s place. I suppose that is a good thing, but it didn’t leave much for Celeste to do. She decided that she would also volunteer at the domestic violence center. That place, unfortunately, had more residents than it should have. It’s almost at max capacity, and more than likely, we are going to have to open the doors here to make more room. There has to be a solution to that problem, and maybe Maddix and I can have a conversation about how to fix it. I have some ideas, but not sure if they are feasible here.
Henry and Celeste needed to admit a family, so I agreed to watch Willow. Willow is only 5 weeks old, and her mother died during childbirth, along with Willow’s twin brother. We don’t know who the father is, and he hasn’t stepped up to claim her. She was born with small traces of Wolfsbane in her system, and was just recently released from the NICU. She seems pretty healthy now, but she has to go in for frequent health check-ups to make sure she had no adverse effects of the Wolfsbane. She is just the sweetest. She started to fuss, so I picked her up and walked with her. Singing softly, hoping it would calm her down.
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.