Possess me, Mr. Alpha and Mr. Beta

There was no possible way I could be less than I was now. The skin I wore was nothing but a shell. No insides. No soul. No heart. Nothing left to make me a person. Someone worthy of love. Of devotion. Why would there be anything left after all this time? Alone. I was utterly alone and there was nothing that could be done about it. Just another specter floating about her own life, watching from the outside in. “Sutton! Why are the dishes not done yet? And the floors? We are living in a pigsty! Do you expect me to do it for you? With my bad back?” My mother-in-law’s shrill voice sliced through my silence, tightening my insides with deathly precision. Stiffening, I glanced up just long enough to make eye contact with the woman. Dull brown eyes stared back at me. Fury morphed her otherwise average face. “I’m sorry. I’ll get to them now. I just got done with my-” A rotund finger pointed at me, teeth exposed from her sneer. “I didn’t ask for excuses! I told you to clean the f*****g house! You can do your work when everything else is clean in the house!” She screamed and stomped her foot in the process. “Yes, mother,” I whispered, going back to my sweeping. I didn’t watch as she turned on her tail and stormed to her room. The only indication that she was in there had been the door slamming. The boom of it set my heart racing. Andrew would be home any moment now from his patrol. In a bad mood, no doubt. Or he would simply ignore me and settle on the couch whilst watching videos. Unless he had some gossip to share. Then I’d be up for hours debating the juicy tidbits with him. It was the one time I enjoyed being in his presence above all. Hopefully he had gotten the things I had asked of him after his patrol. Doubt settled deep in my stomach. Swallowed me whole. No. He had forgotten. Would likely promise to get them for me tomorrow. Tomorrow. Always tomorrow. Rage came and went. A fleeting tide that had died years ago when I had resigned myself to my fate. I should be more appreciative. Happy. They had taken me in when I had nothing and no one. Just a girl, stranded in a pack that didn’t want rogues. Pregnant. Too damaged for anyone to take a second look at. But not Andrew. He had marked and mated me. Adopted my brilliant son not long after. They fed us. Clothed us. And in exchange, I kept the house rigorously clean. Helped out whenever his mother needed me at the store. Tried to work so that the family had an extra income. Devoted myself to keeping everyone happy, excluding myself. Because a mother and mate came second to her family. So, the rage died and I became this. This hollow thing that barely wanted to breathe. Except for my son. I would always breathe for him. And Andrew, if he’d let me in. The front door to the house opened and shut. A lithe, tall body came into view. Golden brown hair shimmered beneath the newly cleaned chandelier. “Sut, I’m home!” Andrew called as he came into view in the hallway. In his arms he held our four-year-old. Both were beaming at me as they entered. Bright smiles that erased the tragedy I felt. “There’s my boys!” I exclaimed and perched the broom on the edge of the counter. Andrew let Levi down and he scurried to me with a squeal. “Mama! Mama! Look what I made today!” The little boy beamed as he handed me a piece of artwork. A beautiful vase made out of pink paper. Deep red roses in them. At the bottom it read ‘Happy Valentines day, Mommy! I love you!” Squinting, I took the page from his little hands. Kissed the top of his head. “It’s beautiful, baby. A real work of art!” Bright blue eyes lit up at the praise. His little hands rested on his hips as he studied me with triumph. I hadn’t known it was Valentines day. Knew the holiday had been close but hadn’t checked to see when it really was. Hadn’t cared enough to do it, for it would most likely be the same as all the rest. “Daddy said he’d also buy you flowers but money is tight. And they die too easily to spend money on-” “Whoa there, bud. Give mommy some space to breathe,” Andrew said, interjecting before Levi could finish. I blinked at Andrew, my heart already sinking. Why I still got my hopes up about certain things, I had no idea. Why bother when you were only going to get disappointed in the end, anyway? But I hoped. I always hoped. Chubby cheeks humphed as Levi’s arms crossed over his small chest. “No fair daddy gets to talk a lot but I can’t,” Levi muttered and stomped to his room, backpack bouncing on his back as he went. Andrew smiled gently at me, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “I’m sorry about the flowers, babe. I know how much you like them but…” He trailed off. But I knew how to finish the sentence. Waving him off, I forced a smile. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. As long as the two of you are happy. “ I explained. “Speaking of which, I need to go give these to my mom. She in her room?” He asked and pulled out a tray of chocolates from the grocery bag. My heart sank even further as I realized what was going on. What was about to happen. So, I swallowed and nodded, alluding to him that everything was fine. He was good. “Great. Let me get these to her and I’ll come tell you all about what happened on patrol. You’ll never believe it.” Andrew trudged away from me before I could respond, completely lost on what he had done wrong. No. No. I couldn’t be jealous of his mother. It was absurd. She had given him life. Had given him everything he had ever had. Loved him more than I could. Devoted herself to- A knock at the door startled me enough that I yelped and spun around. My breath hitched in my throat causing my lungs to spasm. When I got enough control back over my own body, I swallowed and went to the door. “Coming!” I called, walking into the living room. Another knock sounded but this time the person on the other side turned the knob and opened it. “Sutton Smith?” A familiar voice called from the door, sending ice down my veins. Into my lungs. Everything the sound touched sliced open. Bled. No. No. We locked eyes across the room and time itself halted in its tracks. “Xavier,” I breathed right before a small body collided with the back of my legs. “Who’s the man, mama?” Levi asked, peeking out from behind my legs. Xavier made a choking noise. Face went slack. Eyes wide. Lips trembled. He looked to be close to passing out. “Goddess, he looks exactly like him.”