Chapter 103: The Weight of a Mark

Trishelle’s POV

Three days had passed since our journey to Trixy’s library, and I was starting to feel the walls of the mansion close in on me. Aunt Cynthia—as she insisted I call her—had messaged that she was still retrieving the books about the legend, her words careful and measured. The wait was gnawing at my insides. Bradley was locked away at headquarters, navigating another corporate merger that meant nothing to me but everything to his pack. James had returned to Bloodmoon, his presence a ghost that lingered in the hallways of my mind.

I picked at my breakfast, pushing scrambled eggs around my plate. Across from me, Samuel and Alexis were lost in their own little world, their hands intertwined on the table, their soft smiles a private language I wasn’t meant to understand.

"Morning check-up," Samuel announced, standing and pulling Alexis to her feet. "Dr. Lorenzo’s expecting us."

I watched them go, a strange ache settling in my chest. Lorenzo was getting busier with each passing day, his clinic overflowing with new pregnancies. He was looking for an assistant, but his own mate was expecting now, and the over-protectiveness was kicking in hard. Nicole wouldn’t be able to brush her teeth without Lorenzo’s supervision soon enough.

The other males were no better. Sammy’s daily speeches about protecting their mates and unborn pups had the warriors training like they were preparing for a full-scale war. Maybe they were. As I remembered what the text said about the realms being in chaos, the constant drills didn’t seem so ridiculous anymore. Better safe than sorry.

I wandered through the house, my footsteps echoing on the marble floors. The emptiness of the space pressed in on me, amplifying the loneliness I tried so hard to ignore. I found myself standing in the doorway of the nursery, my breath catching in my throat at the sight before me.

The room was overflowing. James and Bradley had gone insane that day in the store, and after my humiliation at that saleswoman’s words, they had cancelled the original order, found three other stores, and bought everything they could get their hands on. Three cribs. Two changing tables. Enough baby clothes to outfit a small army.

I crossed the room and sank into the white rocking chair by the window, its surface covered in plush animals in every color of the rainbow. I began to hum, rocking back and forth as I stroked my belly. Lorenzo was pleased with the baby’s progress, and so was I. I reached out to El, my wolf, but she just yawned sleepily in my mind. Maintaining the pup was using a lot of her energy, but she insisted everything was fine.

"Hello in there," I whispered to my belly. "Are you going to talk to Mommy today?" I was met with a sharp kick, followed by a lazy roll. I delighted in these movements, but I longed to hear a voice, any voice, from the child growing inside me. So far, nothing had happened.

"Someone’s in here," a voice called from the doorway.

I looked up to see Alexa leaning against the frame, a low whistle escaping her lips as she took in all the baby gear. "Damn, what is it with these males and baby stuff?" She walked over to the window and looked out.

At my questioning look, she expounded, "Sammy. He has so many shopping carts online that I swear, even in the digital world, they’re falling over. He probably has three of each item, simply saying that reviews can’t be trusted, yet every time someone posts some new baby item, he goes and clicks ’add to cart’."

I shook my head, smiling. "Are you worried about how he can afford it? Don’t worry, Sammy had more money from his spy days than he knew what to do with. You know he was the best, right?"

Alexa shook her head. "I’m not worried about that, I’m worried about where we’re going to put all of it. We don’t have an entire floor like you guys."

I smiled, not wanting to give away my friend’s upcoming promotion. If Sammy hadn’t told her yet, it was because he wasn’t ready. "Don’t worry, I’m sure things will work out. But if they don’t, you can just tie him to your bed and torment him until he surrenders. I think he might like the second option."

Both women cracked up, the sound filling the nursery with warmth. We talked about our hormones, cravings, and every other pregnancy-related symptom we could think of. My stomach rumbled, and I laughed. "Time for my morning snack."

We headed downstairs to the kitchen, not wanting to be waited on. Mrs. Shine smiled when she saw us, and soon there were buns, cookies, and muffins spread before us. I dutifully drank my glass of milk while Alexis sipped some iced tea.

"I wish we could go back to the library," Alexis sighed. "I was reading a book that was fascinating, and I wanted to finish it."

I nodded. There was actually something else I wanted to know about, but reading about the prophecy or legend had distracted me. Wiping the crumbs from my lips, I wondered aloud, "Maybe if we ask Trixy, she could let us in, just for a minute."

The two women smiled and rose, thanking Mrs. Shine and the rest of the staff as we headed to the Beta’s room to talk to his mate.

Trixy’s POV

Boredom was a new and unwelcome companion. I was no longer rushing between part-time jobs or cleaning the apartment when I wasn’t working. Bruno seemed to have found his place, training with the warriors, helping the new recruits, and spending time with Samuel. He fit in better than I did.

Sam insisted that the omegas were happy to clean and that the pack never took advantage of them. I tried asking one of them for a broom and a mop, wanting to clean at least our room, but I was denied. And before bed, Sam had punished me, withholding my orgasms until I agreed to let the staff do their jobs. Hmmm...tattletale, I thought to myself.

Sam was with Bradley, and all I had done was arrange and rearrange the closet. I felt like I would go cross-eyed from staring out the window when a knock on the door cut through my boredom. I rushed to open it, finding Trishelle, Alexis, and Nicole standing there.

The two ladies had bumped into Nicole while she was fleeing from the medical wing. Apparently, Lorenzo was being an "over-protective ass," and Nicole couldn’t take it anymore. She loved her job, but right now she didn’t like her mate too much.

Trishelle and Alexis shared a look, and with both linking their arms with Nicole’s, they brought her along. I stepped back, allowing the three women in. I wasn’t sure why they were here, but I was glad for the company.

I led them to the table by the window where Alexis and I sat. Nicole leaned against the wall, and I perched on the edge of the bed closest to them. I nervously rubbed my hand on my jeans, silently cursing myself as I took in the way they were dressed. I really needed to go shopping; my life was definitely different from before. I began to pluck at the threads where the cuts on my jeans were.

"So, ladies, what do I owe to this pleasure?" I asked, my voice barely steady.

Trishelle waved her hand. "You don’t have to be nervous. We were all bored, so we thought you might be as well."

The others nodded their heads. "Well, except for me," Nicole said with a sigh. "I’m hiding from my current a-hole of a mate. God, he is so overprotective, it’s driving me insane."

The others nodded, and soon talk of the craziness of impending fatherhood ensued. Nicole shared that other females were experiencing the same, and Alexis called Mrs. Shine for refreshments and two extra chairs. When they came, she patted the one next to her, indicating that I should sit.

We talked about the weather, the pack, and giggled over some of the warriors who had great physiques. I felt out of place as I never had girlfriends to sit and gossip with. My life was so busy trying to stay under the radar, hone my powers, keep my hot-headed brother out of jail, that I didn’t know how or even had the time to make real friends. Yet listening to them, I felt the gap between us growing.

Alexis turned to me. "So Trixy, tell us more about you. We would love to learn who Goldmoon’s female Beta is, what she’s like, what she likes, etc."

I swallowed, feeling all eyes turn to me, my face flushing at the attention. "Ummm... there’s not much to say."

Nicole scoffed. "Are you kidding? You’re from a different realm, lived in an actual kingdom, have the coolest powers I’ve ever even thought of—but I wish I had—your library is my inner nerd’s dream come true..." she began listing.

Trishelle piped in. "And you can conjure up those puffs of clouds you call chairs at will, not to mention that unlike us regular people, you can just sit your pretty butt on those chairs and have all the information come floating to you, and you don’t have to clean up because they put themselves away."

They all nodded. "You rock!" Alexis exclaimed, her youth showing.

I smiled. I never saw myself like that, always afraid of people finding out about my powers and taking advantage of me and my brother. It occurred to me that I didn’t

have to hide anymore. When they saw me, they didn’t back away in fear or disgust, as some had in the past—a painful memory tugging at the edges of my mind, but I pushed it away. Here, they embraced me fully with excitement. Is this what family is like?

Trishelle leaned over and held my hand. "We are all curious, but we won’t be upset if you’re not ready to share. Just know that this is a safe place and we are all happy that you and Sam are mates."

Alexis nodded, "I’ve known Sam for years, he was such a hard-ass that I wondered if his face could even smile. Now I wonder if he’ll ever stop. You, Trixy, have made him so happy, and all he wants is for you to stay by his side. I know your powers are incredible, but I promise you, if all you could have done was some lame coin trick a two-year-old could see through, he would love and want you just the same."

Nicole held my other hand. "And believe me, just being here and accepting him and allowing him to know and accept all of you is enough."

The women all smiled at each other, teary-eyed as their bond of friendship grew. I thought that Sam’s love and acceptance were enough, but now I know what being whole is like. My grip tightened, and my whispered thanks could be heard.

Trishelle leaned back, waving away her mushy feelings. "Alright, ladies, enough of that. Trixy, I was wondering if I," she paused and looked at the others, "if we could go to your library again. I was so focused on my babe talking and learning about that, yet over the last few days, there is so much more I want to know. I’ve tried asking Lorenzo and even my wolf, El, but they keep saying everything is fine." She sighed. "And I’m jealous."

Everyone turned to look at her, mouths open.

I squeaked, "Jealous of me?" I asked, pointing at myself.

Trishelle nodded, pointing at her neck. "Yes, of you and Nicole, Alexis and almost all the mated females in this pack." She sighed again. "In Bloodmoon, my old pack, a lot of wolves didn’t wait for their fated mates, and rejection was high. The females schemed often, using whatever they could to bag the higher-ranking wolves, and the males were no better. Birthrates were low in that pack, and I know for a fact some of it was deliberate. There was the mate bond ceremony, of course, but there were very few mate marks. I thought that it was normal, seeing that I never went to any other pack, and was always left out at ours. I was also an outcast, an orphan that nobody took notice of, except those bitchy females. There was also a lot of cheating as people would find their mates after their ceremony, but if he or she was of lower rank or status, they usually couldn’t completely ignore the pull of fate, but the greed and desire for power and position usually meant that many were hurting."

"My goal was to get away from there as soon as I was old enough to be on my own, posing as a human. Sammy often told me he would take care of me, but I knew his job was dangerous and he would be gone for long stretches without contact. I was afraid of being on my own, and a few months ago, he succeeded in convincing me. That night was the first time I was invited to a party the pack had, and everyone seemed nice, well, at least not as mean. I didn’t know it was a set-up, and now I’m carrying James’s baby." She looked down, rubbing her belly, feeling the little one stretch. She looked up at the horrified faces around her.

"Sorry if that was a bit heavy, but I wanted you to understand. Nicole, you are fully aware that Bradley couldn’t mark me, and right now, I don’t know what would happen if James did it, as he is my mate as well. I have so many questions, but I want that mark. I never thought I would, but I feel left out. Besides, wouldn’t it look weird that the future Luna, who was labelled an Omega a few weeks ago, didn’t have a mate mark?"

The others became thoughtful.

I stood and dusted off the crumbs from my shirt. "Okay, future Luna, you’ve convinced me." I waved my hands, and the library door appeared. At Trishelle’s raised eyebrow, I just shrugged. "I figured that somebody would want to return, so, since Sam’s not here, distracting me with his kisses, I practised opening up the portal. Come on."

And as one, they all walked in, curious about how things would work out for the two Alphas and their Luna.