bChapter /bb32 /bbAmalie /b

b“/bI’ve been okayb,/b” I tell James as I settle back into my hospital bed. Rose climbs up onto the bed and settles bat my /bfeet.

“Uncle James, I need pictures please,” Rose asks as she holds out her hands.

“I know that is a lie, but I’ll let it slide,” James says as he moves the wheelchair and sits beside me. He then hands Rose a bfolder/bb. /b

Rose tunes us out and focuses on her envelope of pictures.

“What do you want me to say?” I demand, my walls and defense rising. “That my life sucked for seven yearsb? /bThat I find bout /bmy parents and my old alpha were both in the plot to keep me locked up for no reasonb? /bThat my best friends never bgave /bbup /bbon /bbfinding /bme and are now my mates? Or how about the fact that I’m free for the first time and I have no idea what to do with myselfb?/bb” /b

“I want you to be honest with me,” he stated calmly. He looked me in the eye and continued, “I know you. You push everything down and bottle up how you are feeling. You have so many walls up that you only let people see the first or second wallb. /bYou bmay /blet Cal and Mark see deeper, but not all the way.”

I forgot how well James knew me. He was the first one to notice the flinching at words my parents said. James knew that bsomething /bbwas /bgoing on at home. “I don’t know,” I tell him. “I don’t know how I’m doing or what to feel. Everything is too much too bsoon/bb./bb” /b

“That’s okay, as long as you are being honest with me and yourself. I would love you to talk with bCal /bband /bbMark /babout byour /bbtrauma/bb, /bbut I have a feeling you won’t,” he says simply.

“I’m going to talk to a therapist,” I tell him.

He gives me a pointed look, a look that says he knows I will share enough to satisfy the therapist but not delve in to deep.

“Mommy, I made these for you!” Rose says happily as she hands me the yellow folder that she had been sorting through. I open it up and see that it is full of drawings and coloring pages. “Wow, these are bso /bgood! I love them.”

James sent me a look that told me we were not done, but he would top the conversation for the moment. “You should be jealousb, /bbI /bsaw the blue owl she colored for Mike,” he told me.

“Wow, Uncle Michael got a blue owl?” bI /bask Rose, engaging with her.

“Favorite color!” Rose stated happily. She then looked at James and asked, “Your color?”

“My favorite color?” James asked, rifying what she waned to know.

Rose nodded her head in excitement. She held out her hands for the folder. bI /bsmiled and handed it back. She took the folder back and started to sort through the pages to find one that would qualify for James.

“Orange,” bhe /bbsays /bwith a smile.

Rose nods her head and finds one that has orange on it. “Okay to give?” Rose asks me bas /bshe holds up an borange /bde

“I think that one is perfect. Thank you for asking me,” bI /btell her and pull her back to me. I give her a bhug/bb, /bbas /bbbig /bbas /bbI /bbcan/bb. /bbI /blove bmy /bdaughter so much.

Rose turns and hands the picture to James. She then turns and states, “I will color more when we homeb./b”

“I look forward to bsee /ball the bnew /bpictures,” I say. Rose makes herselffortable in myp.

“Daddy says you get toe home todayb,/bb” /bRose tells me bexcitedly/b.

bChapter /bb32 /bbAmalle /b

bMy /bbbrain /bbshort /bcircuits at the word daddy, I start bto /bpanic. Did Mellisa’s bex /be back bto /bbthe /bpackb? /bbDoes /bbhe /bbnow /bbwark /bbmy /bbaby Goddess bwhat /bam I going to do if he tries to take her away from me. Beren doesn’t helpb. /bShe is bgrowling /bwith rage in my head bthinking /bis following my same line of thoughts. She will fight to her death to keep Rose with us. Beren isn’t talking bto /bme, just growling and pacing. Beren wants to be free to go rip Mellisa’s ex to pieces foring back into Rose’s life.

The bastard who got Mellisa pregnant wanted nothing to do with Rose. He had advised Mellisa to abort Rose when bhe /blearned be bhad /bgotten Mellisa pregnant. He then asked Alpha Mathew to leave to go to college out of state. The guy bhadn’t /be back since

I can hear James in the background trying to get my attention. But it was no useb, /bBeren and I were in our bown /blittle bworld/bb. /bWe were trapped by the prospect of losing our pup. Ourbined anger just fueling our spiral.

long? Was this punishment for something bin /bba /bbpast /bGoddess, what had we ever done to lose the one bright spot in our lives for so life? It had to be, why else would someone be trying to take our pup away from us.

I heard crying and a door m open.

I wasn’t able to respond to anyone. My thoughts continued to spiral out of control bat /bthe prospect of losing Rose. bRage /bbstarted /bbto /bfill me. I knew Beren and I were growling. I was about to snap when I felt hands on me. The hands were going bto /bhold me bdown /bband /brip Rose away from me for forever. bI /bcould not allow that to happen. They would take Rose away from me over my own bdead /bbody.

“Sleep little one,” Zviad ordered me, breaking through the haze.

ckness overtook me. Beren and I slipped into darkness and bpeace/b.

bChapter /bbComments /b

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