Broken Wings

Still Waiting

*Adam POV*

It's been a couple of years since the whole incident with Ivy. I thought I had even found my second chance mate, but that turned into a bigger disaster than the whole ordeal with Ivy. So, I have just been living my life, and trying to make my own way instead of my family footing the bill.

I still remember when Abbie and I were found in the woods. I was terrified of men because my birth father was so abusive. The man literally killed our mother right in front of us and tried to blame it on rogues. However, we knew the truth, and I made sure to tell Grandpa Loki about what I knew.

Even though I knew that our new dads would never hurt us, and no other man in the family would either, it still took me a long time to fully allow them in. Since then, I've never looked back, and they have proven time and time again that no matter if I think I'm falling, all of them are there to catch me.

I have been working a lot in Louisiana trying to not only get my grandparents pack up to par, but also Buck and Micah's pack. Both were so run down when they took over that we had to start with repairs, and then build new places.

I was honored when Buck asked me to design and build a new pack house for them. I had free rein over the design, and the only request they had was the number of bedrooms, a library/study, and an indoor area with a lot of windows for all of Micah's plants. Trust me, she has a lot, so the room will need to be large.

I ended up falling in love with the pack, and decided to stay. My family will be surprised when they find out that I am about to become Buck's Beta. I haven't fully accepted yet, but more than likely I will.

I just have to make my decision before the family gathering where we will decide the new names for some of the new packs. We will also celebrate Grandma Mel's 64th birthday, along with Lark and Phoenix's 45th birthday.

Buck, Micah, Zion and I had dinner the other night to talk about names. Up until the past couple of years, I haven't had many opportunities to get super close to my aunt Lark's kids. None of us really have.

However, since she has moved closer to us, I would definitely say I'm closer to Skylar and Zion than any of them. I'm super stoked to be working closely with Zion, because his talent on the training field is crazy, and the way his brain works in pack politics is near genius.

The name the three of us came up with fits perfectly, and I just hope that Sterling, Grace, and the others love it as much as we do. It pays homage to our family, and although Buck isn't a Young by blood, neither am I. That doesn't stop us from being family either.

My uncle Maddix said it best. When I was around sixteen years of age, I felt like an outcast. I'm sure it was just teenage hormones, but he sat me down and talked with me to find out what was wrong.

I explained that I felt as if I didn't fit in. I felt like I didn't belong, and it was because I was adopted. Up until then, I wasn't aware that he was also adopted, and wasn't aware that my dad, River, was adopted as well.

He told me that just because my grandparents' blood didn't flow through my veins didn't mean that they didn't look at me as if it did. He said, "Adam, sure, blood makes you related, but it doesn't make you family. It's what you carry in your heart, and how you treat people that makes you true family".

That was the day I also found out what happened to my grandma as she grew up, and it all started to make sense. That's why none of us really think about blood bonds. In our family, it's the bonds of the heart that matter most, and that's why we want to honor them.

"Hey Z, when do the new recruit training sessions begin?" I asked. I wanted to help out, and get my mind focused. If I took this Beta position, I would have to lead sessions one week a month, and I wanted to be on top of things.

"We aren't doing any isolated new recruit training until the beginning of next month. Buck wants to wait until the new barracks are finished," he replied.

I c****d my brow in confusion, because, according to my books, it should have been finished three days ago. I had already signed off on everything, and it was given authorization to move in the furniture. So, I was confused about his statement.

"It's been done, Z. I gave the sign-off sheet to Ash. She said she would file it, and send the furnishing request over to the warehouse," I said. He was walking out of the door, but when I told him what I had done, he stopped. The anger on his face said enough.

"This is the third time this month that she has dropped the ball. The first was with the school of all places. Then she forgot to send the supply order in for the kitchen, and now this. I understand that Buck hired her to help Micah, but this girl isn't going to work out. I'll take care of it," he said, and instead of leaving, he went straight to Buck's office.

I decided to follow behind him since I could verify what he was about to say regarding the barracks, but I didn't expect the explosion that would happen as soon as he opened the office door.

"Either you get rid of Ashley or I will. I don't want to override you on this, but she's f*****g really important things up, Buck. She forgot to send the food supply order to the warehouse for the kitchen last week. Before that, she forgot to send funding to the school to order books. Now, she hasn't sent the furnishing request into the warehouse for the barracks, which has been ready for at least three days. Three f*****g days, Buck," he yelled.

Buck had us sit down, and he called Micah to join us. Ash was her assistant, so he felt it necessary for her to be present while we hashed this out.

Once she joined us, Buck had Zion calmly tell her what was going on. Micah looked at me for confirmation, and when I gave it, she was now pissed off.

"The funds that were supposedly sent aren't in the account; I just finished the ledger balancing. So, are you sure she didn't? Have you guys confirmed it with the warehouse?" she asked.

It was a valid question, and I told her I would step out and check with them about the barrack request. When I called and asked about the furnishings, they said they were just waiting for funding. Funding that Micah had just said had been sent.

I explained I would get on it, and disconnected the call. When I went back to the office, Zion was hanging up with the school, and Micah was still speaking to the food supply warehouse. Turns out, none of the invoices were sent over to any of them. Great.

"Call her in here. I'm not waiting to deal with this. I can't stand a f*****g thief, and I won't tolerate it in my pack," Buck demanded.

Micah obeyed her husband, and called Ashley immediately. She asked her to come to Buck's office under the guise of needing her to process a few more invoice submissions before the day was over.

The second she walked through the door, Buck had her arrested, leaving Zion and me to take her to the cell house, kicking and screaming about how innocent she was.