Freya whispered, “It’s ok, Melanie.” Haley offered quietly, “He’s telling the truth.” I fell to the ground and hugged myself, sobbing. Xander picked me up off the floor quickly. I heard Haley declare, “Ok that’s enough of this conversation for tonight.”
Grandpa Ben argued, “The HELL it is.” Haley scoffed, “Exfuckingcuse me?! Do YOU have several degrees in psychology? No. Are you a licensed therapist? Also no. I get to say such things about discussions ending. I’m telling you, for tonight this conversation is over.” No one said a word.
She explained, “Melanie needs to decompress. In the course of a few hours, she was tortured, rescued, and told everything she thought she knew was a lie. When we saw her she’d been shocked repeatedly, her hand was broken, and she took a blow to the head. She discovered three people she believed to be dead are not.”
“Let’s not forget those people were in her core family group. She found out a man she considered her Alpha, and a member of her family, never truly banished her. We teach the kids here that packs are family. She felt rejected by her family in blood and the pack.” I really did. Haley really just understood it all so well. Which was good…because I was certain I wasn’t going to be able to say any of that the right way at this moment.
Haley sighed, “Now, we discover she’s been told Drake wasn’t her biological father. That she was a Hunters daughter. She’s a fucking Werewolf. Do I need to explain why that would devastate her other than the obvious reasons?”
I mean now didn’t seem like the time to say Hunters weren’t supposed to hunt Werewolves. Freya agreed, “It’s not. Not even kind of.” Another day then….that was an opening though. Freya chuckled, “You can solve all the problems another day. You went through an emotional upheaval and so did they.” True…it would’ve gotten the attention off the topic of me though. Freya hummed like she didn’t believe me.
Haley continued, “This was malicious. This was fucking cruel and sadistic. It was done to a teenager into her beginning adult years. Fourteen is a formative year and they used her teenage year to hurt her. That’s too much information for one day.”
She snorted, “Hell, it’s too much for one lifetime! You cannot deconstruct six plus years of thinking everything is one way when it’s not, in one conversation. Look at her. This is about Melanie. She needs to stop for the night. That’s my opinion as an expert and a mom.”
My mom spoke shakily through her tears, “Haley is right. I can’t leave though Drake, I can’t. Not like this.” My dad agreed, “Neither can I.” He’d always give my mom the world if she wanted it. Maybe I was in a coma and everyone was back. Freya argued, “We are not in a coma.” Well, there went that theory.
Eric said, “We have the space for to stay. You don’t have to leave.” Dalton sighed, “I don’t want to leave like this but….” EJ interrupted, “We know you can’t stay. We can pop you guys back tomorrow.” I linked Addison, Avery and Paige, “Go, they need you guys. You can get the answers you need. Just be happy. That’s all I want.” All three squeezed my hand before they walked over to their mates.
Paige studied me then sighed, “I’ll go BUT I’m coming back tomorrow.” Dalton told her, “We have Fairies in our pack they can pop you back.” Paige told him, “I know. Melanie has talked about your pack a lot. I have a few places I’m definitely scouting out.” They were popped out.
Xander popped us away too. I looked around asking, “What is this place?” Xander smiled answering, “My treehouse.” I nodded and cried until I didn’t have any more tears. I whispered, “I’m sorry.” Xander assured me, “There is nothing for you to be sorry about. EJ wants to come talk to me, but he’d bring Elise with him if he did.”
I shrugged, “Ok.” Xander sighed, “I just told him I’d tell you. I’m not inclined to talk to him.” I frowned, “Why not?” Xander shrugged, “I’m pissed. He told me I couldn’t head straight to you. That I had to fight with our Warriors.”
I thought about it and knew EJ must have a reason. I told him, “I think there’s enough sibling conflict going around. Let him pop out here so you can hear him out. If you don’t like his answer… you can tell him to leave.” Xander kissed me then pulled back.
He declared, “You’re amazing.” I snorted, “Not really.” Xander pulled me back into a hard possessive kiss. He said, “Yes, really.” Then he sighed, “My cousin wants to talk to me afterwards. You don’t have to listen, but I want you to be with me. I don’t want to part with you again. It’s all too raw right now.”
“I saw...” He trailed off, “God, I couldn’t get to you, and I heard you screaming in pain. I just need you with me until you’re sleeping. Then someone else will be with you that I trust.” I agreed, “Ok.” I didn’t want to be away from him anyway.
EJ and Elise popped in the next second. Elise looked wrecked. I asked, “Why the long face? Did you get fake kicked out of your childhood pack too? Somehow? Not by your dad, but with a letter in your dad’s handwriting? But somehow… it’s not from him.”
Elise cried, “No, I’m so sorry Mel.” I admitted, “I never thought it was your fault. I suspected you didn’t know. You don't live there anymore.” Elise insisted, “I should’ve known.” I asked, “How? You have your own pack to run. One of the largest in the country…and Europe…if we are being technical.” She muttered, “I don’t know.”
Elise sat next to me on the couch I was sitting on. She put her head on my shoulder and cried. I had no more tears, or I’d be right there with her. EJ said, “Alexander, I didn’t say it hurt you. I just had to…” Elise snapped, “Oh for god's sake Eric Junior! There is no more beating around the bush with explanations!” Freya snorted, “Rhea is big mad.” I was picking up on that.
Elise turned to my mate saying, “Alexander, Angela told him to tell you that so just ask her why. We are done tiptoeing around shit in this pack. We all skirted the whole no popping rule, and it was a complete fabrication. No more bullshiting each other or evading.”
“In conclusion, ask Angela why. She had a reason. No one is going to be mad at her, and I’m not dealing with you two being pissed at each other over this. We already have a massive pile of shit to wade through. So, we aren’t throwing a wrench into how you two work together. Got it?” I laughed.
EJ smiled at her agreeing, “Ok, Elise.” Xander frowned asking, “Angela?” Angela popped in and winked. She said, “I was going to tell him myself, but I liked the speech Elise gave.” Elise smiled saying, “That’s me. I’ll just be here cutting through the bullshit from now on.” I bit my lip.
Angela told Alexander, “In my vision, it’s blurry with Melanie but it seemed like when you went after her they hurt her more. In the path where Drake got to her, she didn’t get hurt as badly.” Xander asked, “Why didn’t you just say that, EJ?”
Elise answered, “Because he doesn’t fully trust that pack that came with us. Only Phil knows that Walker guy. He didn’t want them to know all about Angela’s abilities.” EJ added, “I did try to link you, but you shut me out.” Xander responded, “I was pissed.” EJ snorted, “I noticed.”
I added, “I know someone in that pack too. Her name is Blair, and she’s Walker’s mate. They would never betray you because she’d tell me.” Elise disagreed, “If it was her mate…” I interrupted, “She’d still tell me.” Lots of people were loyal to me because I’d saved their lives and fought for them.
Xander asked, “Why?” Then he sighed, “My dad said we need to come back. Your parents are still in the room, Mel. Do you want them to leave?” I shrugged, “Why? I already know they aren’t leaving. I just can’t… I can’t deal with that anymore tonight. Your mom was right…”
Xander picked me up, interrupting, “She usually is. You don’t have to deal with this right now, I promise.” Our group popped back. Duke Corbin was smiling at me, “Hi I’m…” I jumped in, “Duke Corbin Cambridge, I know.” Cayden snorted, “She does that.”
Corbin laughed, “I see. Just Corbin is good among family. How do you know who I am?” I told him, “Uhh… Well… you were in a group photo T had with Levi at some event in your realm. I’ve seen it…. That’s totally how I know… that did actually happen.”
My dad snorted, “Well, some things don’t change.” Freya said, “You are a bad liar.” I replied, “But that wasn’t a lie. I did see that picture.” She snorted. Corbin smiled saying, “Good memory and one day we’ll get back to how you actually know me.” I blushed.
He glanced at Xander before saying, “About this whole suppressed wolf thing. We don’t have to talk about it, I’ve been told that’s vital information to give. It’s just that…” He trailed off then sighed, “Alexander, we just ummm. You, god. This sucks.” Uh oh. This was going to be bad.
