Chapter 2 #2
Immediately, I let go of Monroe’s hand and looked toward the little cutie that was running toward him. She wasn’t exactly steady on her feet, and there was one point that I was certain she was going to fall down, but she managed to make it to Monroe and grab ahold of his pants.
He gave me an apologetic smile before he bent down and picked her up. “This is Maelie. We call her Mae more often than not though.”
I waved to her. “Hi, Mae. I’m Oscar. You have very pretty curls.”
“I have curls too!”
I looked at the boy who was rushing over to us and chuckled. I knelt down so I was more on his level. “Yep, you do. And what’s your name?”
“Mason. But everyone calls me Mason because I don’t have a nickname.”
I nodded. “Me either. I’m just Oscar. No nickname or anything like that.”
“That’s all right. Monroe doesn’t have one either. But he said I could call him dad since Mae does. He’s our brother though. Our mom and dad died when Mae was born. I don’t remember it, though, cuz I’m so little.”
My eyes widened, and I could only nod. “My parents died too. But I was older when it happened. That doesn’t make it easier though.”
Mason nodded, then held out his truck. “Do you like trucks? I do. I had three, and Monroe let me bring all of them cuz he said we were moving here. There is a mountain with dragons,” Mason said with big eyes and lots of enthusiasm.
“There is. I have a friend who is mated to a dragon, and they have baby dragons. Well, they will shift into dragons when they become teenagers.”
I wasn’t sure Mason’s eyes could grow any larger, but they did. “Whoa. That’s so cool. I’m going to have magic when I get older. Monroe said he’d teach me how to use it. Do you have magic? Or are you a dragon?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m just an ordinary wolf. A little one at that.”
“I’m sure there is nothing ordinary about your wolf,” Monroe said. He held out his hand, and when I took it, he pulled me to my feet. When I tried to drop his hand, he held on tighter, and those tingles came back.
I couldn’t help but smile at him. The things I was currently feeling, I’d not experienced since I was a teenager with my first crush on an alpha in the pack.
“Da-da,” Mae said. Monroe looked at her, and when she pointed at me, she grinned. “Daddy?”
My eyes widened now. “That’s right, Mae. Oscar is going to be your other daddy. Is that all right?”
The adorable little girl just babbled nonsense before she stuck her thumb in her mouth and laid her head on Monroe’s shoulder.
“We’re getting a daddy? Really?” Mason asked.
I glanced down at him and nodded. I didn’t know what else to do, really. I couldn’t, nor would I deny that Monroe was my mate. Mason ran off yelling and whooping, and Monroe leaned in closer. “I’m sorry about that. I never meant to put you on the spot like that.”
“It’s all right. We are mates. But I think we should probably talk and discuss some things.”
“Of course. I have a few things I’ll need to make sure you are aware of as well,” Monroe said. I nodded at him, and he stepped away a little. When I gently tugged on my hand, he sent me a questioning look but did let go and wrapped his now free arm around Mae, who had fallen asleep.
“It’s good that the two of you are in agreement that you are mates and are willing to work on things,” Thomas said as he joined us. “There is, of course, the housing issue that needs to be addressed.”
My face flushed red at that. My house was on the smaller side. There really wasn’t room for another three people in it, and now that it had been mentioned, I realized that it probably wasn’t the best for Mason and Mae to be around Hailey with the way she was acting.
“What’s wrong?” Monroe asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing too serious. My house is on the smaller side. Alpha Forest was generous enough to offer it up. It’s a pack house.”
Just then, Alpha Forest joined us where we were standing just inside their back room. “There are some larger houses that are available if the two of you want to look at them. But I was under the impression that you would be moving to Treasure Ridge?”
I was confused and looked to everyone else for an explanation.
I received it from Thomas, who nodded once.
“Monroe is to be the new manager at the council’s store on Treasure Ridge.
One of the perks of that is that he will be provided with housing up on the mountain if you two decide to live there. ”
That made sense. I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to calm my racing mind. A gentle hand on my shoulder drew my attention to my mate.
“What’s wrong? We don’t have to live on the mountain if that’s not what you wish. I was told there is a childcare center up there that I can have the children in as well, which is most certainly helpful. I understand you probably have a job down here though.”
I sighed. “Two, actually. Raising teenagers is expensive.”
“Two?” Alpha Forest asked, his tone somewhat stern. “Why haven’t you come to the pack for help?”
“Because Joseph needs a car to go to college next year, and Hailey is all about material things anymore. She has a new group of friends that are really not good for her, but whenever I try to explain that to her, she throws it in my face that I’m not her father and she doesn’t have to listen to me. ”
Someone cleared their throat, and looks were passed around between the others. I was going to hear it from someone, I was certain.
It was Thomas who spoke up. “Yes, well, you and Monroe can discuss that and work all of that out when you are ready. For now though, it’s obvious that the two of you recognize each other, and you will have time to work things out and claim one another.”
I tried to look apologetic to my mate. I didn’t have time to let him claim me right now. “I have to get to work. As it is, I’m going to be late. Then I have a shift tonight at my second job. I don’t work there tomorrow though, so maybe we could talk then?”
“Nope, that’s not how things work, Oscar. You are no longer alone in your fight,” Alpha Forest said. Aspen came over and joined us just then and carefully took Mae from Monroe, who seemed hesitant at first but gave up his baby sister.
“Don’t worry. We have a crib still, and both of them will be perfectly fine here while you two have your time together to form your bond,” Aspen said.
He gave Mae a gentle squeeze and closed his eyes with a huge smile on his face.
Alpha Forest gave his mate a loving look, but now that Monroe’s arms were free, he used them to reach for me.
“Is there something you find displeasing about me?” he asked.
“No. We do need to talk though, but meeting my mate wasn’t on my radar this morning. I was just hoping to get through the day without another tantrum from Hailey.”
“Yes, we’ll deal with that as well,” Alpha Forest said.
“Dad and Papa are coming to help out with both of your siblings, and Papa was going to swing by your place and pick them up. They’ll be perfectly fine here until the two of you are ready for everyone to be together in your new place.
You just need to let us know where that’s going to be. ”
Everyone seemed to be looking at me expectantly. Talk about a shotgun mating. “I guess we’re living on the mountain. It’s closer for Monroe, and maybe I can find a job up there too.”
“Fantastic,” Thomas said.
Monroe gave me a confused look, but I didn’t know what to tell him.
I had responsibilities much like he did.
Sure, we would share them now, but he had two siblings he was raising.
His were still young though, and things were cheaper for them.
I was about to ask him if we could meet up tomorrow after I got off work, but my stomach did that flip thing, and we were no longer standing in Alpha Forest’s house.
It was silent where we were, and when I looked around, I saw that only Monroe was with me.
“Did you do this?”
Monroe shook his head.
I took several steps away from the door that we were standing just inside and found myself walking into a gorgeous house that had my eyes widening. There was definitely a wall full of windows that showed the forest behind it.
“Where are we?” I asked.
Monroe had come up behind me, and although he wasn’t actually touching me, he was standing close enough that I could feel the heat coming from him.
“I would have to guess that we’re on the mountain. You mentioned your house was too small. My job will be up here, and it comes with a house as a bonus. This is probably it.”
I nodded. That made sense. I looked up at Monroe, who I found staring intently at me. “We should probably talk for a bit before anything happens. There’s a lot about me that you need to know.”
“That sounds…ominous.”
I shrugged. “I was sold by my parents and older brother to a sex trafficking ring. If you consider that ominous, then I guess it is. I found it to be a living nightmare, so yeah, I guess it is.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected from Monroe, but a look of understanding wasn’t it. He gave me a smile and took my hands. “Let’s go talk. You’re right when you said we had a lot to discuss.”
I nodded and let Monroe lead me into the house. It was already furnished, and I had to wonder just what all we would find if we went exploring. Time would tell.