14. Chapter Twelve
CHAPTER TWELVE
MICHAEL
T hose three days fly by. I spoke with Mae right after Xavier and I agreed to give her some time to gather her thoughts. She was not pleased to hear that she’s going to be interrogated, even though that’s not really what it is going to be. But it will feel like it to Mae. It wasn’t as hard to communicate with her as I thought it would be. I brought a white board so we could write to each other. It actually worked really well.
It was nice to know she was part of a different pack. It helped me know that she would know how to write. I was worried that we were only going to have sign language, that we would have to use Rylee as an interpreter, and I wanted to talk to Rylee alone.
Well, we weren’t really alone. Rylee was in the kitchen while we talked. Mae knew that if she needed anything or felt uncomfortable that she could leave and go to Rylee. I made sure she knew. I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable and push through the whole thing because she was scared.
But she stayed the whole time. Sure, her breathing was labored at times, but with a bit of contact from me, things got better. The first time I touched her hand, she jumped, and her eyes opened wide, but she has gotten more used to my touch now.
Today is the day. So many questions need to be answered. I have to admit I’m worried. What if my touch doesn’t calm her? What if she doesn’t want me to touch her to help her calm down? So many what-ifs.
She will always be a worry of mine.
Mae and I have gotten a lot closer these past three days. She doesn't flinch around me, and she's not as scared. I call it a win. Small progress, but I'll take it.
Rylee has been helping translate things when I don't know or don't understand something. Mae’s been teaching me quite a bit. She’ll point to things, and then do the sign. I've definitely learned a lot more this way, but I still have so much to learn. I'm always going to be learning. But Mae is a good teacher.
If someone would have asked me ten years ago if I would have any interest in learning sign language, I would’ve said no, and I wouldn't have even tried. But it's different now. I'm excited to learn so I can communicate with Mae. Now the learning has purpose. Hopefully, once I mark her, we'll be able to talk through the mind link, but until then, I need to rely on sign language.
"I've got to go clean some things," Rylee says and signs at the same time. "Are you two okay being together alone?"
She is always with us while we’re talking on the white board or at least in the kitchen or close by where Mae can see her. But I know that Rylee’s trying to get further away so we can have some privacy to talk to each other.
Mae looks uneasy.
"I can go clean whatever you need cleaned," I suggest. "That way Mae isn't uncomfortable."
Mae looks at me, confused. As she signs to Rylee, I catch bits and pieces, but she is signing way too fast to understand everything. Something about asking what I said, maybe.
I watch Mae and Rylee have a conversation in front of me.
"You do realize I'm here, right?" I ask.
"Yeah, we do, but we're talking right now," Rylee responds, not even looking at me.
I decide to sit on the couch and relax, which doesn't happen very often. I really should stay on high alert. There have been other sightings of the rogues, but they haven’t dared to cross our border yet. It’s only a matter of time.
The alpha informed me today that when he gets home from work, we’re all going to sit down and talk. I need Mae to be prepared. When I told Mae that Xavier was going to ask her some questions in three days, I didn’t give her an exact time. I really need to tell her now.
"She's fine being alone with you while I go clean the room," Rylee finally speaks.
"Are you sure?" I ask. "I don't want her saying that to just say that. Are you pressuring her into it?”
Rylee gives me the evil eye. "I did not pressure her into it. She’s only nervous because you still don't know a lot of sign language."
"We've been writing on the whiteboard. Sure, it takes a while, but we've been able to communicate."
"She knows that, but she's still worried. What if something bad happens, and you don't have time to write on the whiteboard?"
"I'll protect her no matter what. Tell her that. Let her know that I'll do whatever it takes to protect her so she's prepared."
Rylee sighs. "I've already said that. Sometimes a girl just worries because she can't help it. She knows all of that."
I know that Rylee had already told her that, but I need to make sure.
“I’m not setting you up for failure. I want you to succeed and have a happy ending. Well, happy life. You deserve it,” Rylee says.
If only that were true. I want to have a happy life and an easy life, but nothing ever comes easy. There always has to be twists and turns, ups and downs. It’s never simple or easy.
I don’t think I know anyone whose life was easy and simple. All of them were twists and turns, dark and light times, a death that knocked them off course. How’s my life any different?
Mae is somebody from a different pack who lost her whole family. She went through something very traumatic and life altering.
Sure, she met me in the process, but she’s lost so many people. So many people that she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
“You're going to do just fine. I have faith in you,” Rylee says.
I don't have faith in myself right now. There’s so much that can go wrong. I could make a huge mistake, and Mae might never want to talk to me again. I don’t want that, and I can’t guarantee that I won’t mess up anything.
"You're really going to be all right,” Rylee encourages me. "I'm leaving now."
Before I can make any more excuses, Rylee quickly signs something to Mae and walks out of the room. I sigh, close my eyes for a second, and tell myself that everything is going to be okay. I just need to watch what I say and how I say it or explain it.
This is the perfect opportunity to talk to Mae about the conversation she’s going to have when the alpha gets home. She needs to know what time he’s getting home so she’s not blindsided when Xavier walks in and demands answers.
I open my eyes and look over at Mae. She’s already looking at me with concern.
"Are you okay?" she signs.
At least I know what that means. I nod my head and smile. This is going to go okay. I’m going to make it through, and Mae isn’t going to hate me. I hope.
I grab the white board on the coffee table and start to write.
I need to talk to you about something and I don't want you to freak out or hate me, I scribble.
I watch as she reads the words. Fingers crossed she will understand. I mean, she knows what’s scheduled today, but she doesn't know what time.
What do you need to talk to me about? she writes.
Everything’s going to be okay. Nothing bad’s going to happen.
I really don’t want to tell her that she only has thirty minutes until Xavier walks in the house and demands answers. I should have told her yesterday, to remind her. It hasn’t been that long since her pack was slaughtered. It hasn’t been that long since she lost everyone she loved and had to run for her life.
It’s not going to be easy to talk about, ever. I worry that it’s going to harm her more than do any good. I tried to talk to Xavier about pushing it further out yesterday, but he said no. He needs answers so he can keep the pack safe.
I even suggested that she and I could go somewhere else for the time being until she’s ready to talk. Xavier shot that idea down really fast. He can’t afford to have me away from the pack, away from protecting Rylee. He also can’t protect us if we’re away from the pack and they come after us.
The rogues know she’s in here with us, and it’s just a matter of time before they come and attack us as well. We just need to be prepared, or better yet, find a way to kill them first before they can attack us.
What do they want with Mae? Why did they slaughter the pack and leave her alive?
Xavier tried to look into that but he found nothing. I was tempted to ask Mae myself, but I know that would infuriate Xavier if he wasn’t present to hear her explanations.
Mae touches my shoulder and gives me a small smile. She looks down at the white board in my hand.
Sighing, I start to write on it. The alpha’s coming in thirty minutes, and we're going to go into his office. When we get there, we're going to ask you questions about your past. Thirty minutes.