Page 16 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

‘I am, and we both know it. I don’t know how long I’ll stay this way. I’m not going to let him be punished because he was the one who found me. He should be rewarded, not stuck caring for a mentally ill woman for years until she’s able to function again.’

“Stop it, Violet,” Cory growled out loud, his aura slipping and forcing everyone around him to bend their necks, including me, though I was trying not to show how weak I’d become and wastrying to fight it. “Shit. Sorry guys,” he apologized, bringing it back in.

I grabbed my tablet and busied myself with it, ignoring the way Cory was trying to connect with me again. He could force it, as my alpha, but Cory would never abuse his power like that. In the end, he growled, and tried to stand up to come talk to me, but the fasten your seatbelt sign came on. I could feel his aura leaking through his control, making the warriors twitch uncomfortably when it did until Evie took his hand and slowly calmed him down.

I felt bad, I really did. It was never my intention to make him feel like this, but he needed to face the truth. And the truth was, I would never be the same as I was before everything happened. I might become a functioning adult again at some point, but I would never be the same.

Chapter Five

Bellarose

Iwaited anxiously for my family to arrive, so grateful they were coming to help. As predicted, I’d gotten a measly dozen workers for the season and three of them didn’t even bother to show up.

We only had a week to teach the Crescent Moon volunteers how to harvest properly, but I thought we could get it done. Some were coming to help with the patrols and my sister... just thinking about how she was pushing herself out of her comfort zone to help me brought tears to my eyes. I already installed her internal lock and placed her at the end of the Alpha wing, with Cory’s and the twins’ room between her and the stairs. I also installed another internal lock in the Luna office. Since I’d been working from the Alpha office since last year, my old office sat unused and I set up everything she would need there.

I was proud of her for being able to get on that plane. I didn’t think she would do it so quickly after finally being able to leave the house for the first time in a year. I expected to get a call fromher apologizing this morning. Instead, Cory mind-linked me to let me know she was on the plane.

I was working from my phone when I got the mind-link that the SUVs and buses were approaching, and went in search of Adam. I pulled him from daycare early today, and got him all dressed up and ready an hour ago.

I wanted my family to meet him. So far, only Mom and Dad had come out this way since I took him in. The other two times I traveled south to see them, Adam stayed behind with Linda, one of the mothers who helped look after the kids in the fields with me. Cory was still in full lockdown at the time, and I was scared of taking Adam into a potentially deadly situation.

“Adam, where did you go, sweetie?” I called down the hallway when I found his room empty. I heard giggling coming from Violet’s guestroom and followed the sound. What I saw was the result of World War Three. At least, that was what it felt like.

Adam was sitting in the middle of the rug, covered from head to toe in the chocolate sauce I kept for ice cream sundaes. He must have struggled to pop the top because there were squirts of chocolate sauce on the walls, the rug and yep, that was chocolate on the ceiling.

“Oh, buddy, what did you do?” I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, and I suspected I would do both right now.

“Chocolate!” he squealed happily when I bent down to pick him up, putting his sticky hands on my face.

“Yes, chocolate. Chocolate all over,” I laughed nervously.

‘Hey, Bells, we’re almost there,’Cory mind linked.

‘Shit. Okay. Hang on. I’ll be right down,’I answered, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

‘What’s wrong?’he replied immediately.

‘You’ll see,’I said cryptically, and laughed as I looked down at the tiny chocolate handprints now decorating my shirt.

“Alright, well, so much for a good impression, my little chocolate thief. Let’s go meet my family, okay? I’ll give you a shower after and” —I looked around the room helplessly— “figure this shit out.”

I picked him up and started heading down the stairs. At five years old, Adam was a solid little boy, but it was easier to pick him up than to let him run around spreading the chocolate sauce on the walls. The cleaning staff was working in the fields half the week, and they wouldn’t be amused to see dried chocolate all over the walls of the pack house. I’d put some elbow grease in the room after I got everyone settled.

Cory and Evie chuckled when they saw me walking out of the pack house.

“Chocolate explosion?” Cory asked, coming closer, but faltering as he thought of something. “That is chocolate, right? Not the other brown substance generally associated with toddlers?”

“Chocolate fudge to be exact,” I answered, then extended my free arm to my side. “Come give us a hug!”

“I’m sending a virtual hug from here,” Cory chuckled again. “It’s good to see you, Bells. And you must be little Adam. Having a good day, buddy?” Cory asked.

“Chocolate!” Adam squealed again, showing Cory his hands.

“Right on! I love chocolate. Did you leave any for us?” Cory asked. Adam shook his head and Cory laughed. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to go to the store and buy more, yeah?”

Adam put his hand up to give him a high five and thankfully, Cory went in for it.

“Sorry. I’ll get you guys settled, then I need to give him a good scrubbing,” I explained.

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