13. Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MICHAEL
A day has passed since Mae helped me with dishes. It was such a nice time, even though it was quiet. We were working with our hands so it made it challenging to communicate.
I have wondered several times if I will be able to talk to her once I mark her. Will that be possible since she’s deaf? Or will we still have to communicate with sign language? Either way, I’m learning sign language for her. I want to so we can talk both ways if it can happen.
Maybe I should ask her what she thinks about it. She had to have had a family at some point in her life. I have a feeling she hasn’t always been a rogue. I have encountered many rogues in my life, and she doesn’t act like any of them. Which is off.
Something definitely isn’t adding up, and I am going to find out what it is.
I sigh and turn my body so I can see all four of them. Rylee, Alexander, Violet, and Mae are in the living room hanging out. They have been playing and talking for what seems like hours.
All I want to do is sit and watch them play, but I don’t want to make Mae uncomfortable. Before Mae arrived, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch, but there is something mesmerizing about watching Mae interact with the kids.
Maybe it’s the way she looks, so happy and carefree. There’s a huge language barrier, but Alexander doesn’t seem to be phased by it. He just talks to his mom, who signs to Mae. Everything is going well. Almost too well, and I know that something is going to drop sooner or later.
The front door slams open, and everyone in the living room jumps. I could sense Xavier coming towards the house, but I thought the other people could as well.
“Daddy!” Alexander yells and runs toward him.
I watch Xavier and can feel his anger. Standing up, I take a step forward but stop myself as Xavier bends down and hugs Alexander.
“Michael, in my office, now,” Xavier demands.
I bow. “Yes, Alpha.”
I don’t want to escalate anything. It doesn’t feel like his anger is directed at me. What else could it be? I make my way to his office and remain standing, waiting for him to come in.
“Sit,” he instructs.
Sitting down, I look at Xavier and notice how tense he is. What’s going on?
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Some rogues came by our border today asking to talk to me. Said they are looking for a girl. They described her and informed me that she’s the last of the Lunar Pack.”
I still as the words came out of his mouth. Our pack received a message that the Lunar Pack was taken out by rogues, no survivors. And yet, here Mae is, a survivor. They were allies of ours, good people. Everyone was heartbroken when they heard the news.
“Are you sure?” I question.
That means Mae isn’t a rogue by choice but a rogue by force. It’s a completely different situation. It changes everything.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Xavier replies. “The guards and I killed the two rogues that came by, but there are going to be more. They’re going to know that we have her in our pack, and we need to prepare for war.”
We haven’t had trouble with any rogues for a while. It’s peaceful in our pack, and I will miss that. I wouldn’t ever wish that Mae never stumbled onto our pack lands. If I did, then I wouldn’t have ever met her, my mate.
“We’re going to need to ask her questions,” Xavier informs me. “You’re not going to like it, Mae isn’t going to like it, and my mate isn't going to like it, but it must be done. We need honest answers to our questions so we can be prepared for everything.We need any useful information, all the details of what she has experienced…what she heard, what she saw, what she smelled…everything.”
That’s an understatement. The last time we tried asking Mae any questions about her past, she had a panic attack. Something I don’t want to experience again. It might be that if I hold her hand or she sits on my lap while we quiz her that it will help her stay calm and allow her to give us complete and honest answers.
“It’s going to take a toll on Rylee,” I say.
“I know. I want to keep her away from this, but she’s the only one who can really communicate with Mae,” Xavier sighs. “I don’t want to do it, but we have to in order to protect her and the pack.”
“She could write on a whiteboard or a piece of paper.” I offer an alternative.
“It will go faster if she signs to Rylee.”
He’s right. I knew that, but I was trying to find a way to protect Rylee, my luna, from the trauma she’s going to endure interpreting for Mae. I know that it’s going to be gruesome no matter what, and Rylee has experienced her own horrors and suffered a lot in her life. She needs the calm and relaxation in our pack to start her healing journey.
“What about the luna? How will she react to everything Mae will be signing and telling her?” I ask.
“I’ve considered that, but what if they attack right now? I’ll ask her and explain how difficult it might be to see if she’s okay with doing it,” Xavier replies.
I don’t like it one bit. It isn’t going to end well at all. Mae is not ready to talk about it, and even though Rylee will agree to help, I don’t think she will be okay afterwards. She’s already feeling gloomy from the little Mae has shared with her.
“Can you give Mae a day or two to come to terms with it,” I half plead. “Tell her that we need to understand what’s happened to her and give her a day and a time that we’ll meet. That way she can wrap her mind around everything and be mentally prepared, not taken off guard.”
I need to buy her as much time as I can. I want to talk to her alone, to help her understand why this is so important, and to help her think through things if I can. I don’t want to just spring it on her and not give her a chance. With preparation, I hope we can avoid another panic attack or something even worse.
I watch as Xavier takes in several deep breaths. He’s not happy, and I can’t blame him. He has the weight of the pack on his shoulders. If I was in his shoes, I would want to find out the answers right away. But it’s good to look at things from a different perspective.
“What if the roles were reversed?” I asked. “What if I was asking you to spring something like this on your mate. Just give me a couple more days to tell her and have her mentally prepared. At least a little more mentally prepared than she would be if we do it now.”
“You have three days,” Xavier replies with hesitation. “In three days, we are going to ask her questions, and I expect answers, whether you like it or not. Tell her sooner than later.”
Xavier pushes his chair back, stands up from his seat, and walks out of the room. I know it isn’t right for me to question him, but if our roles were reversed, I need him to see where I’m coming from. Mae needs someone to protect her, and I’m going to do that every chance I get.