Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry
The two girls kept arguing, even with me standing there. It took them more time than I was happy with to even notice I was there. I finally raised my voice and released my alpha aura just enough to get their attention. “GIRLS!” I yelled. Both of them stopped mid-sentence and looked at me like I had 6 heads. “Enough of this childish crap! If you can’t make a decision as adults, I will make the final call. Arguing over a place to sleep and study is ridiculous. Now, let’s figure this out, and I need both of your schedules on my desk by tomorrow morning. No argument about it! Am I understood?” I bellowed. The two of them nodded their head and Adelina gave in. “Fine, she can have the attic room. However, I want an extra spending allotment for being so generous to her,” she said. I agreed and she pranced out of the room thinking she won grand prize.
Ready for the Journey
*Riley POV*
My sister-in-law’s party was a success. They leave in the morning, and I know Maddix is worried sick. He has always had them near him, and sometimes his overprotective way of loving them is smothering. I have spent a lot of time with them this week, and I sure am going to miss them. After what happened to Alette, she seems to have calmed down some. I hope she continues to stay calmer after she leaves for school. True to his word, Wiley found the witch who gave him the tainted potion. However, she adamantly denied ever selling it to him.
What the witch didn’t expect though, was Melian. She instantly read the deception in the witch’s mind, and called her out on it. The witch, Yvonne, finally admitted that she had sold the potion to Wiley, and tainted it with Wolfsbane. She said it was in retaliation for being denied a place in the coven at Ruby Meadows. She blamed Liam for it, because he had refused her advances during a visit, and reported her to Gretchen and Luke. As the warriors moved to detain her, she vanished into thin air. We haven’t even found a slight trace of her since.
I know that is just another worry to add to Maddix’s already long list of worries. He was such a great big brother. He was a fierce protector, and had a heart of gold. I got lucky in the mate department, that is for sure. “Hey, Adelina, can I speak to you a moment?” I asked. She nodded her head and patted the spot beside her on her bed. “What’s up?” she asked. I had Willow with me, and she quickly took her out of my arms. “I just want to ask you a favor. You are the most responsible one out of the three of you, and I want to ask you to help make sure Alette stays out of trouble. Your brother is worried sick she is going to get herself in some trouble without realizing it. She’s too trusting and naive, and definitely a wild one,” I explained. She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry, Riley. I will make sure she behaves herself. I’m sure she will be too busy with her studies to worry about anything else,” she replied. I wanted to believe her, but something in my gut didn’t feel like what she was saying would work out that way.
Willow and I sat with her aunt for another half an hour, and the baby started to get fussy. “I had better get her to her room and get her settled down. She is probably sleepy, and ready for a nap. I’ll see you at dinner, OK?” I told her. She nodded her head and waved us goodbye. I walked into Willow’s nursery, and noticed Maddix sitting in the rocking chair. “Maddix? Everything alright, love?” I asked him. He just stared into space and didn’t acknowledge me. I laid the now sleeping Willow in her crib, and sat on my knees in front of him. “Babe? Maddix?” He looked at me finally and tears started to fall from his eyes. “Riley, have you ever just had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right? Like something bad was on the way?” he asked. I nodded my head, and asked where this was coming from. He explained he had been having nightmares.
His nightmares were where a shadowed figure kept telling him not to allow his sisters to leave for school. To keep them in the pack, and to be leery of any new friends in their lives. “Sweetheart, it’s just nightmares, and your sisters will be fine. It’s more than likely your nerves about letting them go. They will only be a few hours away, and we can go visit often. If it gets too much for you, we can require them to come home on weekends. Plus, you have Josh, Andy and Ryan watching over them. Try to relax, it will be fine. I promise,” I said to him. Trying to console Maddix when he is this shaken has proven to be a task, but I would help him through this at any cost. He cupped my face, and quietly replied, “Thank you.”
After my mate finally calmed down, we went to Coffee and Thyme to meet his dads. They wanted to discuss some things about their trip and the girls with us. They were already waiting when we got there, and Maddix stopped by the counter to order us a sandwich and drinks. Loki gave us a huge smile, while Liam looked like he was about to cry. Loki stood up and greeted me with a hug, and I went over to Liam and hugged his shoulders. “What’s got you so glum? You are about to embark on an amazing journey,” I said to him. He finally smiled and said he was just worried about being so far from home.
“What if you kids need us for something? Cell service isn’t going to be the best in some places we are going. What if there is an emergency?” He asked. Maddix scoffed and shook his head. “Dad, will you please put a little more trust and have a little more confidence in me? I will make sure everything is fine. If push comes to shove, we will get a message to you somehow. I have 3 copies of your itinerary, thanks to each of you. I know where you will be before you do. Hell, I think mom even scheduled bathroom breaks.” Maddix replied. I understand their worry, but I now see where Maddix gets his overprotective tendencies from.
Our meeting went from Liam worrying about his kids to us worrying about him and Loki. Melian has got them doing some crazy things, and some of them even have these strong Alphas, fearing for themselves. Melian didn’t have much of a childhood, and went from being on lockdown all the time, to being Luna, a wife and mother. She didn’t get to experience what being a kid is like, so she scheduled a visit to an amusement park in every country they visit. Roller coasters, Ferris wheels, rides that spin fast.
Everything the Alphas dreaded was the things she was most excited about. Just listening to them whine was comical. Loki was terrified of heights, and Liam got motion sickness pretty easily. I hated finding humor in their misery, but the way they were acting, I couldn’t help it. Tomorrow was the beginning of our journey and theirs, and as hard as it was going to be on all of us, we were ready.
One Good Thing
*MADDIX POV*
Driving to Seattle this morning was not high on my wishlist. Thankfully, mom was smart enough to hire a moving truck to drop the girls’ stuff off yesterday. She followed the movers, and stayed overnight to help organize things a little before the triplets got there. Adelina’s friend Ashley was there too. Alette and Asteria drove in the car with Riley, Willow and me, and Adelina drove in the car with my dads, Jamie and Mary, and Phoenix and River drove in River’s new truck.
Everyone was very quiet during the drive. That is until we pulled onto their street. Alette gave out a squeal of excitement and woke up Willow. So now we not only have a happy Alette, but a crying Willow. Asteria finally got the baby to calm down, and she scolded Alette for waking her up. Asteria definitely had the motherly instincts of all my sisters, but claimed she didn’t want to have any. I’m sure that will change eventually, but as of right now, her persistence in never having kids was OK with me.
Pulling up to their townhouse, mom was waiting for us on their little porch. She was sitting in one of the chairs drinking her coffee, and eating a doughnut. “It’s about time you all got here,” she yelled. Dad, Liam, told her to keep it down. ‘The girls have neighbors, Mel’ he exclaimed. Mom’s only reply was that they would get over it, and a hearty laugh. I’m going to miss her sassy banter. Everyone filed out of their cars and made their way inside. Mom had a pot of coffee ready and a plethora of pastries for us to eat.
I grabbed myself a cream cheese danish and a bottle of orange juice, and sat on the floor in the living room. Riley made her plate, and came and sat beside me. Willow was sound asleep again, and tucked in her bouncy seat. As we were eating, we heard a scream from upstairs. My dads and I bolted up the stairs, only to find Alette sitting on her floor in front of an open box. The look of horror filled her eyes, and when we peered inside the box, we all started to laugh. Well, everyone except Alette. Inside the box was a bunch of Playboy magazines. They were my dads when they were young, and must have gotten mixed into Alette’s stuff. The box had even been marked ‘Alette’s Room’. Liam took the box and pitched it in the dumpster. When mom asked what happened, he told her. Mom’s laughter filled the house, and right then we knew, she had been the one to label the box as a prank. That was mom, forever the prankster. Just one more thing I was going to miss with her being gone.
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.