Blessed by the Moon Goddess

Chapter 17

Two weeks later

Janielle

“Janelle, dear, would you like to accompany me and Sadie on a walk?” Helga asked as she climbed the stairs to the apartment. I’m sitting on the couch reading a book, having nothing else to do today while Abel is with his dad at the packhouse trying to get everything in order now that Serge was elected Alpha as we predicted would happen. Serge elected Abel to be Beta and the future Alpha.

“Sure, just let me get my shoes on,” I reply setting my book down with a bookmark to mark my place. I could use some fresh air, I spent most of yesterday reading in the backyard under the oak tree, but today I chose to stay inside knowing I can go out anytime now.

Once my shoes are on, I meet Helga by the front door and help her bring the carriage out. As we walk, Helga seems to calm in the fresh air. “I know how it feels to be a prisoner in the house.”

“Abel told me something to that effect.”

“When I came here, I was happy to be with Serge. I promised my family that I would stay in touch and let them know when the baby was born. The baby then was Abel. I never realized the mistake I made by choosing to come here with Serge because he is my mate, and the father of my child.” Helga continued. “When I was told I could only deliver Abel at home, I figured it was just a pack tradition. But once I was mobile again, and Abel developed a… I don’t even know what it was called. He had to be in constant motion to sleep. Rocking, rolling, bouncing, swinging, you name it, it was the only way to get him to sleep. So, after 24 straight hours of him screaming off and on unless I moved with him, I put him in this very stroller and took him out. I figured a long walk in the fresh air will aid in his sleep, and perhaps I could sleep. I got to the community garden across from the packhouse before Serge came running out asking why I was outside. I tried to reason with him, but he urged me to go home. Later that week I was informed that Serge was demoted for disobeying direct orders. Now, 25 years later I learned that those orders were to reject me and leave me in Sunrise Valley.”

“I’m sorry.”

“The real realization of how trapped I was and how big of a mistake came when Abel was 2. I gave birth to a little girl, but she wasn’t breathing. I blamed her loss on Serge. It was his fault I delivered her at home with no doctors to help her. I was so angry with him. I even tried to reject him.” I stopped and looked at her. “I know this has been a rough few months for you, and I’m not trying to convince you otherwise. I’m trying to tell you; that I know how you felt. I didn’t let Serge touch me for a year. I lived in the room next to the laundry room and cared for my son, but I blamed Serge. If he had followed orders, I would have only had Abel, but I would have had my family. I wasn’t even allowed to contact anyone, and for the longest time, all I wanted was to talk to my mom. I guess what I’m trying to say, is… If you ever feel like you need your mom, I hope you come to me. I know I could never replace her, but I see you as a daughter.”

“I appreciate that, I really do.”

“I loathed that man so much. I’m glad he’s dead. His evil deeds finally caught up to him.” Helga stated, looking ahead as she proceeded to walk. “I recall you mentioned that your mother lost a lot of pregnancies, which more than likely is weighing on your brain given Abel’s age.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“No, but I’ve been in your shoes. I was 19 when I met Serge, then I went into heat. When we first met he told me he wanted a big family, I told him four was my limit. Looking back, I wish I stuck to my guns. I love all my children, but 9 is too many.” Helga replied. “I lost 4 babies. Two pregnancies between Abel and the oldest twins, then two more between the oldest twins and Nia. Not as many as your mom, but it happens. Sometimes nature takes its course and then the Moon Goddess changes her mind. I’m not entirely sure, but I do know you are special, Janelle. Worrying about having a family shouldn’t be weighing on you. Finding yourself after all your loss is the most important thing for you to focus on.”

“I know, I’m doing my best. As for the baby thing, Abel and I have had a heart-to-heart and have an agreement. I’m no longer stressed so much about having a baby.” I don’t know how to tell her that if I lose 10 babies, I’m done. I was baby number 10 for my parents, and I barely survived. Which is why my limit is 10. “I also am very aware of the fact that I probably will have twins along the line.”

“I had two sets, twins come from my side of the family.”

“You have a twin?”

“No, my brother and sister are twins. Younger, but still.”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“3. One brother, and two sisters. Which is why my number was 4.” Helga answered.

“And you’re the oldest?”

“I am.”

“My mom had two pregnancies that were twins. Babies A and B, then Babies N and O were twins. Babies A and B are what started mom’s kick of picking a name with the letter that the pregnancy would be. Such as A would have been Anna or Alvin, and B would have been Bethany or Bart. So on and so forth.”

“Have you thought about how you are going to choose the names of your children?”

“All I know is I’m not going to use Max, Victory, Will, Zach, Kelcy, or Jax.”

“Why not those names specifically?” Helga asked.

“Max’s death scared me for life at a very young age. Victory and Will; as much as I loved and adored them I feel naming my child after them would bring bad luck somehow. As with the other three names. I loved my family, but the way they died. I don’t know how else to explain it aside from viewing their names as omens now.” I explain.

“Was Zach your dad’s name?”

“No, my uncle. Dad was Jax.” I answered. “My father believed he was cursed. So much so that he urged my mom not to give us kids his last name. Mom strongly believed that giving us his last name would be our connection to him, so she reasoned with him. She hyphenated our last names, but the opposite of what you would think. Instead of the common mother’s maiden hyphen father’s last name, she reversed it. She put dad’s last name first then her own, and we only go by Ridge.”

“You go by Janelle Ridge?”

“Most know me as Jani Ridge if they’ve dealt with my uncle, but yes in school I was Janelle Ridge. Legally I’m Janelle Comet-Ridge.”

“Comet? I’ve heard that name before, though I’m not sure where. It’s been so long since I was allowed out in the world.” Helga chuckled. She stopped and turned to face me. “My name is Helga Oak Vilkas, it’s nice to know you Janelle Comet-Ridge.”

“You kept your maiden name?”

“Legally, I’m not married. Spiritually we’re married through our mate bond and marks. Marking one’s mate holds more power than a marriage ceremony.”

“That explains why the one time it came up, Abel said he’s not worthy to mark me just yet. I’m not in any hurry, though I worry he’s rushing things. It’s only been two months, and Abel is constantly telling me he’s in love with me and that he loves me. It’s too fast.”

“That’s the Vilkas in him. Serge was the same way. He fell faster than Abel. The second he found out I was pregnant; he was madly in love with me and convinced me to leave my home and come here to Silver Crest. I wanted my child to have a father, so I agreed. I didn’t fall in love with Serge until Abel was almost 4 years old. I resented him for keeping me from my family when Abel was born and then he didn’t help with Abel at all. It wasn’t until Abel was 4, that Serge began to help me. I’m not sure what changed or if he just realized that I hated him for making me a mother with no help.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask.

“Because, Janelle, believe it or not, I strongly believe we women need to stick together. You have no one here that has your back. I’m trying to tell you that I will. Despite Abel being my son, if your relationship ever sours for any reason and you want to leave. I will help you, no matter what. If I had help after my first daughter was born dead, I would have left and Abel would have been an only child. I don’t expect you to fall in love with my son anytime this year. If you do, then great, but if not, I understand and I have your back. I know you don’t like talking to me about your relationship because it feels strange with me being his mom, but if he does something or makes you feel less than, I want you to come to me. I know you’re strong and I see that survivalists’ will coming out in you, but sometimes even the strong need a shoulder to lean on.”

“Thank you,” I reply as we continue walking.

“I do have a favor to ask you, between us girls.”

“What’s that?”

“If Serge and Abel can’t find their grove as leaders within a month, will you step in and teach them what you know?”

“That’s a big ask.”

“I know, but I’m afraid their hearts are in it, but they don’t have the knowledge. You have the knowledge but don’t seem to want to be involved.”

“I’m still trying to figure out Serge’s long game plan,” I admit. “He refused to allow me to renounce my claims to the Bloodmoon pack. Meaning, he’s forcing me to keep the status as Alpha to a pack that has a population of me. As long as I hold this title, all my heirs will be Bloodmoon.”

“That is interesting. He plans to only be Alpha for ten more years, then step down when Abel turns 35, which I find intriguing, but to have you keep your claims I’m not sure what he’s thinking.”

“I feel he’s planning to set Abel and I up as a power couple. However, I fear I cannot become Luna if I’m already an Alpha. It’s unheard of, never mind the fact that I’m a female Alpha.”

“You never answered my question.”

“If Serge or Abel come to me and ask for help, I will, but I will not inject myself into their leadership. They have to figure out how to do it themselves until they feel they need my help.”

“I fear Serge won’t ask for help.”

“You never know. We have to trust in the process and trust that they will persevere.” I urge her as we enter the community gardens. “When Abel took me here on our date two weeks ago, I was unaware that it’s near the pack house.”

“It’s a vast park, beautiful and peaceful. It’s the only place I’ve found around here that remotely reminds me of something from home.” Helga replied. “I was thinking about stopping at the packhouse and asking the guys to join us for lunch.”

“That sounds nice.”

*****************************************************

Abel

“Dad, all these files Clayton had in his office are junk. There is no information pertaining to anything. It’s almost busy work notes. Nothing worth saving.” I complain. We’re going through the files in the two offices to figure out what needs our attention first.

“I just need you to go through everything, toss the junk, but make sure 100% that it’s junk before you toss it. Vinny had s**t hidden in a few files I’ve found. Had I not gone through the file page by page, I would have thrown out information about our current trading status with which packs.” My dad explained. “I know it’s tedious, but we need a starting point.”

“Fine, but I’m not built for this. I spent half my life training to be a soldier, not a paper pusher. I hated school.” I grumble as I return to my office. After a damn hour, I’ve made it through one tiny folder out of mountains. I need a coffee. I get up from my desk and leave the packhouse debating if being a Beta is worth the headache of all this paperwork.

With two coffees in hand, I return to the packhouse and bring a coffee to my dad in his office only to see he has visitors. Much to my delight, she’s here. My Janelle, standing in the room with her light brown hair hanging loose and a pretty pale-yellow dress hugging her curves. Janelle turns and smiles when I enter the room. I hand my dad his coffee, take her hand, and walk to my office, where I close and lock the door behind us before pressing her against the door in a kiss.

Finally, I pull away and put my cup of coffee on the desk. “I’ve missed you,” I tell her before sitting down.

“Your dad was just telling me that you are annoyed about some paperwork?”

“Of course he was,” I grumble gesturing to all the piles of folders. “I’m not a paper pusher. I can’t do this job, Jani. He’s wrong, I was never meant to be anything more than a soldier.”

“I can help you get through what’s junk and what to keep.” She offers walking over to me. “There is so much more to being a Beta and an Alpha than paperwork. It just seems like a lot right now, because you need to pick up where the last two left off and wade through the mess they left. I promise you, once you get through all this paperwork, you will see the importance of this role.”

“Will you help me?” I ask. I feel guilty asking her to help knowing she hates this work. She’s made it clear that working as her uncle's secretary was her least favorite task, he assigned her to learn. She smiles, then leans in to kiss me tenderly.

“Only because you asked. I will read through everything, you pass me what I need and once I get a pile of junk, you are in charge of shredding it. Anything worth saving, I will set aside to be filed in the file cabinet.” She pulls out of my arms, clears off the coffee table, and sits down on the sofa. “Bring me what you got.”

“These I’ve gone through, but I want to be sure I kept the right things and tossed the right things.” I reply handing her the stacks I just went through an hour ago.

“I can help.” She answered she sifted through each page, reading then moving it to one side of her or the other. After twenty minutes she looks up at me and smiles. “You only missed one thing, and even if you tossed it, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Just better to keep it until you find a more recent record of the same thing.”

“That’s good. I was worried I messed it up. If it was up to me the whole mess would have been tossed.”

“If you did that, then the budget for the school, hospital, and pack events would have been lost. I’m sure you could reach out to each department for a reprint, but it could make you look sloppy instead of them.” She replies. “Come over here with the shredder and get to work. Also, please bring me two of those tall piles from your desk, then stop speaking to me until I’m finished.” I bring her what she asks for, take a seat next to her with the shredder and give her a kiss. “Do I really need to say keep your hands and lips to yourself as well? Goddess, you make no sense. Do you want my help or not?”

“I do, I really do. I will keep to myself, just tell me what I’m shredding boss.” I smile at her. She rolls her eyes and points to the pile on the floor between us. I set to work shredding.

A knock on the door has me standing up to unlock it. “We’re going to lunch, would you kids like to join us?” My mom asks.

“Jani, do you want to join them?” I ask.

“Abel, what did I just say to you?” She asks without looking up from her papers.

“Can you bring us back a couple sandwiches?” I request.

“Did you really pass the work off, son?” My dad inquires looking at Janelle.

“First, she offered. Second, she knows what she’s doing. I don’t. It’s better to ask for help than to chance messing up. From what she just said, if it was up to me I would have made us look sloppy by tossing out some report of a budget.” I answer. “She hates the work, but she’s the best we have of getting this s**t together.”

“I had another job in mind for her I just found.” My dad states.

“Later.” Janielle snaps from the sofa.

“You heard the lady.” I smile. My dad just nods and walks away with my mom and Sadie. I sit back down on the sofa and resume shredding the junk we don’t need.

Once the shredder is full, I empty it into a garbage bag and continue until she runs out of files. “Are we going through everything, or just what’s on your desk?” She asks as she stands up.”

“Everything,” I answer. She goes to the file cabinets and begins emptying them. “Why are you starting there?”

“So, that once we find things, we can start filing them in an organized fashion. No sense shuffling papers around twenty times and chance mixing piles by accident.” She replies sitting back down now that she’s covered the coffee table with stacks of files. “Don’t worry, I’ll go over everything once I’m done.”

“Thank you, babe.” I got lucky to have her as my mate. Who would have thought all that useless training she thought her uncle gave her would come in handy? I’m not sure about my dad, but I know I’m going to ask her to help me figure out what my role actually should look like. Judging from this, Clayton was in charge of the paperwork Vinny didn’t want to deal with.

By the time my parents returned from their lunch date, Janelle had gone through and sorted everything in the three file cabinets in my office, tossing more than half of what was in them. A knock on the door had me standing up and stretching. My dad handed me two sandwiches. “I brought your mom and Sadie home, as Sadie had a bit of a blowout from her diaper and your mom wanted to bathe her.” My dad informed me. “How’s it going in here?”

“Clayton had no clue what he was doing,” Janelle stated as she filed something into the file cabinet. “Vinny had so much control over everything, Clayton was given the task of listening to the boring accountant meetings and writing reports about everything for Vinny. Poor guy was a pee-on. Almost everything in these files was busy work that didn’t need to be done, telling me either Vinny handled everything for control purposes, or Vinny didn’t give a s**t about his pack. A Beta is supposed to help and support the Alpha. Meaning, they share equal work. All I’ve seen so far in this office is Vinny telling Clayton to do something as useless as watching paint dry on a wall and report about it. It’s bullshit.” She clears the remaining files from my desk and puts them on the coffee table.

“Great, so what I’ve found in my office was just a chunk of the sad state this pack is truly in.” My dad sighs. “Janelle, when you're finished here, please let me know. I would like to check something out before I go home for the day and could use your assistance. It may even be a job for you.”

“Okay, I can do that.” She replies as she takes her seat and resumes her reading and sorting. I take the sandwiches from my dad and sit down on the sofa to continue shredding paperwork. After a while, she sits back and stretches. “Can I have my sandwich now? I needed to make some room.”

“You are one hell of a fast reader,” I comment handing her the sandwiches as I continue shredding. I feel like I need to catch up, she’s going so fast.

“Truth is, I’m just skimming. I did this kind of work for a year and know what to look for and what’s just garbage.” She replies taking the sandwiches out of their wrappers. “Once I’m finished, and you’re done shredding the junk. You should go through the files in the cabinet, familiarize yourself with the information, and type them so you have a digital copy you can access quickly.”

“Babe,”

“Bring one file home, and I will show you on your computer how to make the digital copies.” She stated, picking up her sandwich. “Before I leave, I will walk you through each file and how to read the information. If you come across something you don’t know or understand, just call me.”

“You are awesome. I honestly was going to quit.”

“If you quit after two weeks, you and I would have had a problem.”

“Why?”

“Because I was raised to not be a quitter. My uncle had a rule of working for a minimum of two months unless I had legitimate reasons and evidence to back up my reasons.” She replies with a shrug of her shoulders. “I wouldn’t support your decision to just give up because something was too hard or too aggravating for you. Abel, I believe in you. I trust that your father knows what he’s doing by choosing you to be his Beta and next in line to be Alpha. You just need to push through this s**t storm that was left. There’s hope as long as you keep pushing.”

“I’m so glad you were brought up the way you were.”

“Why do you say that? Because I’m doing the work for you?”

“No, because you are just perfect. I don’t mean it as you don’t have any flaws. I mean, you are perfect for me. You don’t take my s**t, and you call me on it. I also see you pushing me to achieve anything I set my mind to. I don’t think anyone else in this world could do what you can.” I explain. “Thank you, for giving me a chance to prove that I can be a good mate. Goddess knows you had every right reason to reject me by now, but you're sticking by me and giving me a chance. I appreciate that.”

“Are you going to eat, or just stare at the sandwich?” she asks as she finishes her sandwich.

“I was trying to catch up.”

“Easier said than done.” She replied kissing my cheek. “You’ll be shredding for a while. Eat, shred, then I will explain your files to you, then you will finish shredding before you go home. So tomorrow, you can come in and read all the files and start making your digital copies.”

“Yes, boss, is there anything else I’ll need to do?”

“Don’t be a smart ass?”

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. You know I was trained to take marching orders. I will do my duty as you ordered in the order in which you told me to do them.”

“What did I just say?” I kiss her swiftly on the lips then begin to eat my lunch before I piss her off with my smart-ass remarks.