The Healing Souls

Choices

[Mike]

Beth turned and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her as tightly as she held me. I could feel tears on my skin where her face pressed. She was shaking and I tried to soothe her as best I could.

“Beth, I need you to let your mate go so we can do an exam and see how far along you are,” the doctor told her.

She let me go and I went to pull the chair beside her, so I could be right by her. The doctor had her lay back and put a sheet over her lap before pulling out stirrups and the nurse came in with a tray of things.

I held on to my mate as the examination happened. I growled a little when she winced as the doctor checked her out. Though I didn’t mean to, I knew from my friends that it was hard not to when our mates were pregnant.

She pulled out an extension for the bed and had Beth lie down all the way before moving the gown and sheet apart, baring Beth’s stomach. The doctor felt over her stomach and nodded to herself a little.

“Everything is looking good. When was your last heat?”

“Two weeks ago,” Beth answered.

“And you went through the whole thing?”

“Yes.”

“Then you may have managed to get pregnant between heats. That’s rare, but it does happen. Let’s do an ultrasound to see if we can see anything. It will let us know if it was a late heat conception or not,” the doctor said.

The nurse handed her a bottle, then pulled a machine out of a closet and started plugging it in while the doctor explained what she was doing.

When it was ready, the doctor squeezed some gel onto Beth’s stomach and used a scanner-looking thing, pressing it firmly against Beth’s skin. She moved it around while looking at the screen and stopped. The doctor pointed the screen to us.

“There’s a little one. It looks like you are about one week. It’s only barely visible.”

“Doctor… go down a little again…,” the nurse whispered.

The doctor turned the screen back to her and did what she said. Her eyes widened and she moved it more, then gasped.

“Three. There are three egg sacs. That’s impossible. The odd in-between pregnancies are always singletons unless the egg splits. That means you released at least three eggs outside of your heat. I didn’t even realize that was possible. It looks like the goddess has blessed you.” She chuckled.

“Triplets?” Beth gasped.

“In another week we can get a clearer picture, but I’ll print out the scans for you. I could only see three, but with multiples some can be obscured this early. I’m tentatively saying triplets,” the doctor told her.

I stood up and hugged Beth. We’d talked about a large family before. The goddess was certainly paying us back for years of sadness. All of our children would be close. The goddess wouldn’t break up multiples. I knew she wouldn’t. It was her promise that we’d actually paid back the debt owed to the fae.

Beth got dressed while the doctor gave me the pictures and information we needed for first pregnancies and pregnancies with multiples. I’d make sure my mate had everything she wanted and desired while she carried our pups.

When we left, I drove straight to the packhouse. I carried Beth into the house and over to Trent’s office. I needed to tell him about the fae stuff, but I really wanted to tell my friends we were finally having the pups we’d wanted forever.

The door was open and Lily was in the office with Trent. They were talking about something but stopped when I walked in carrying Beth. Beth blushed, but I didn’t put her down.

“What’s wrong, Mike?” Trent asked, standing behind his desk.

“Beth’s pregnant. With triplets!” I grinned at him.

Lily squealed and jumped up. I let Beth down so she could hug her friend. They were so happy, both of them were talking over each other and crying as they talked.

“We need to go talk to Darla! She’s going to be so excited for you!” Lily cried.

They pushed past me, but Beth turned back to kiss me before she left with her friend to find their other friend. I couldn’t help but smile after them, and then I turned back to my Alpha.

Trent came over, extending his hand. When I took it, he pulled me in for a hug and slapped my back in a friendly way.

“Congratulations, Mike. I was worried about you two and our future Beta.”

“I need to talk to you about that, actually, and I need Ben in here, too.”

No sooner had his name been spoken, than Ben appeared and pounced on me. Most Gammas were more emotional, but we didn’t mind. He was the softness in our group. I hugged him back.

“Triplets! Now we’re gonna look weak compared to you,” Ben laughed.

“Close the door, I need to tell you guys something important about my parents and grandparents. I’m excited about the pups, but I need to make sure you two know about some serious stuff I just found out today.”

Ben closed the door and we took our seats. I told Trent and Ben everything that Carmen told me. Trent was unreadable, but Ben looked appalled. When I told them our infertility was caused by the deal with the fae, they shook their heads.

“That’s it and today’s news about the pups is slightly dimmed by the chance that none of them will be born a Beta. I won’t make the same deal my grandfather did. If the goddess wants to end our Beta line with me, then that’s the end of the Rosen family as Betas of the Hallowed Moon Pack,” I told them.

“We’ll deal with that if it happens. Don’t let it take away from your happiness. The goddess will provide what we need when we need it,” Trent said. “We’ll cancel tomorrow’s morning meeting so you and your mate can have some time with your happy news. On Sunday, we’ll deal with all the Saturday stuff. Go find your mate and spend some time together. The next six months are the last time you’ll be alone for a long time.”

“Thanks, Trent. Let me know if you need me for anything tomorrow,” I replied.

“I will. Go on, now,” he told me, shooing me out of his office.

I got up and left my friends behind. I wanted to find my mate and take her back to our quarters. We had some celebrating to do.

-

[Trent]

-

When Mike left, I leaned back and sighed in frustration. For years we’d been wondering what was going on with Mike and Beth. They both seemed normal and healthy, but no pups ever came.

Last year, I’d gone to see a witch seer and they told me Mike couldn’t have children until the goddess decided they could have pups. Not that Mike and Beth couldn’t, only Mike. I never realized that until he told me about what was going on with his family.

“Ben, I want to talk to Mike’s parents. Get them for me and go back to your office.”

“Are you sure you should be doing that? Are you going to tell Mike’s parents about the pups?” he asked.

“No. They don’t need to know until Mike decides to tell them, or until it leaks to the rest of the pack. I don’t know what his plan is, but I’m going to deal with their secret-keeping today. I don’t need you here for that. This is an Alpha issue,” I told him.

“Got it. Let me know if you need anything else. I linked them and told them to report to your office immediately. I’ll go. Darla’s going to want to talk about having another pup now that Beth’s pregnant.” Ben laughed.

I joined him in the laughter. “I’m sure Lily will have some ideas about that, too. She always gets baby fever when she’s around other women who are pregnant.”

Ben left the office without closing my door. I worked on clearing my desk. After this, I was done for the day. I didn’t want to deal with anything other than my beautiful mate and her impending baby fever.

Once my desk was cleared, I put my chair onto a higher setting and lowered the height for the other chairs. It was a trick I learned from humans. Put someone at a lower height than you and they feel weaker. It was important for dealing with someone who had a history with me since I was a pup. They tended to forget that I was their Alpha, especially the previous ranked members.

I sat in my chair and waited for them. While I waited, I had an idea and linked my father to join us. It wasn’t because Matt respected my father more, but because I wanted him to know what was going on. If I was potentially losing my future Beta, I wanted my father’s input.

Dad showed up first. He was visiting the library in the packhouse, which was better, honestly. He walked into the office and looked at me curiously.

“What’s up, Alpha? Is there something you need from me?” he asked.

Unless we were at family events or in private, my dad always called me Alpha. It wasn’t just to remind the pack, but me. When I was younger, I would sometimes acquiesce to whatever he said because I was used to him being the Alpha.

“Alpha Landon, I found out about something that happened under your and your father’s reign as Alpha of this pack. I didn’t want to bring him into this, since his Beta was the start of this and his Beta is dead. I’ll talk to him about it on Sunday. I wanted you here while I dealt with your Beta, though.”

“My Beta?”

“Yes, he risked our relationship with the fae twice because of this situation and I don’t think he ever told you about it. Are you aware of the relationship between the Rosen Betas and the fae?” I asked.

“Aside from Carmen being mated to one, I only know that neither my father’s Beta nor mine liked them. Matt seemed fine with them until after Carmen was born, then I heard him denigrate them more and more as time went on. He never told me what it was about, only that it was personal,” my father replied.

I could hear the footsteps of Mike’s parents coming down the hall, so I knew I didn’t have time to fill my dad in. I pulled a seat over and had him sit.

“You’re going to hear some stuff and it will be a surprise to you, but I want you to pretend like you already knew,” I whispered.

“Got it.”

Matt and Corrine came into my office and stood in the doorway. They looked surprised to see my father sitting beside me.

I had them close the door and waved them over to the seats in front of my desk. They sat down and looked up at us. My father was wearing his disappointed Alpha expression. I knew I had a similar look on my face.

“You have one chance to come clean about why you hate the fae. If you do not, it will be considered the third offense against this pack and you will be banished,” I told them.

They looked shocked, then Matt got angry and Corrine started crying. It seemed to be their go-to emotions for situations lately. I wasn’t moved, though. I simply waited for them to speak.

“That’s none of your business,” Matt growled.

“I am your Alpha and this pack’s well-being is my business. I already know, but if you choose not to tell me, I am completely fine with sending you away.”

“Landon, you’re not going to let him do this, are you?”

“I’m not the Alpha of this pack, but if I had known about this earlier, we could have dealt with it together. You’re on your own, now,” my dad answered. “I suggest you answer your Alpha unless you want to be rogues.”

Matt glared at me. “After Carmen was born, we took her with us to the human town to get some errands run. While we were there, I was approached by a fae who told me my father made a deal with her and Carmen was her payment. She demanded my daughter. I told her we didn’t make the deal and she should take it up with my father.

“She said she already did and he told her she would have to get her payment some other way. My father always told us to have only one child, but Brice’s mate got pregnant with Ashley and Corrine wanted to have another baby.

“The fae told me my son would be the last Rosen Beta and my parents would be named an enemy of the fae if I didn’t give her Carmen. I told her Carmen was our child and no fae was going to take her away from me,” Matt explained with a growl.

‘What the hell?’ my dad linked me.

“Did you confront your father about it?” I asked.

“I did. He told me he had a dream from the goddess where he was told that his choice to mate with my mother and reject his fated mate meant the end of the Rosen Beta line. I would be born a common wolf.

“He went to the fae looking for an answer because their magic was strong and he thought they could undo the goddess’ decree. He found a healer who offered to make me a Beta if they promised her their second child. That was why they never had more than one child and why they told us to have one child. Apparently, the fae told them they would just take my second child.”

“That fae wanted to steal my baby. I didn’t want to lose Carmen,” Corrine added tearfully. “She was my baby. They had no right to her.”

“But the fae have her now. She was given a troll for a mate and she’s very happy in their lands,” I replied.

“They’re tricking her! A werewolf can’t be happy with a monster fae. She needs a werewolf mate! I figured out what I did wrong. Carmen needs someone weaker than her. Someone who will take care of her and do what she says. If we can pick out an Omega mate, I know she’ll see that she belongs with us,” Matt insisted.

I shook my head. “You’ve been learning about trolls. If Carmen has a troll mate, why would she want a weaker mate? Even you have said Carmen needs a strong mate who can take care of her. A troll can take care of her and there are even blind trolls, so he is more understanding of her condition than a werewolf could ever be.”

“Please, Alpha, you don’t understand. He did something to make her think she was his mate. If her first mate was a werewolf, why would her second mate be a troll? It should be another werewolf,” Corrine pled.

“You sentenced our pack to lose the Beta line by keeping this to yourselves. There was no chance for us to fix this, Matt. I could have talked to Queen Maeve about something to fix it. I agree that you shouldn’t have had to take on your father’s debt. If Carmen mating with a troll was enough, then you should have accepted him as her mate,” Dad said.

“Even if Mike and Beth ever have pups, there’s no guarantee that any of those pups will be Beta of the pack. You never told your son about this, even though he and his mate have been suffering. You never told your Alpha, or me, about this. It affects the whole pack. How could you do this to your pack?” I asked.

Matt glared at me. “Mike accepted that monster fae as his sister’s mate and helped with your treaty and the goddess still doesn’t give him what he wants? That sounds like the goddess doesn’t intend to let our family stay in the ruling line, no matter what we do. She has forsaken our family and I no longer feel any compulsion to follow her idiоtic ‘plans’. The goddess doesn’t dictate my life anymore.”

My father’s mouth dropped open and Corrine looked at her husband, horrified. His pride was more important to him than his children’s happiness. Calling the goddess’ plans idiоtic was the final straw for me.

I slammed my fists down on the desk, making everyone else jump. Standing, my Alpha aura came out, bearing down on everyone in the room. No one insulted my goddess.

“You can leave this pack on your own or I can banish you, Matt. If you hate our goddess that much, you shouldn’t be part of a pack that is following her plan. We’ll keep Corrine if she rejects you and works harder to accept her daughter’s mate.”

“I wouldn’t want to be part of a pack that won’t protect my property. Carmen belongs to me and I won’t leave the area without her. Corrine is mine, too. You won’t reject me, will you?” Matt asked his mate, standing and holding out his hand to her.

Corrine looked at him, then back to my father and me. Real tears pushed past the weak fake tears she’d been using.

“Make your choice, Corrine, your pack and family, or your delusional mate,” I told her.

She was silent as she looked more and more torn. I saw Matt realize his mate wouldn’t follow him without question. He started to wilt and went down on his knees.

“Corrine, baby, don’t do this. Stay with me. We’ll save Carmen and leave. We can find her a mate somewhere else and help with the pups; wouldn’t you like that? All the grandpups you could want. And Carmen will need her mother to help raise them.”

“I’m sorry, Matt. I can’t. The goddess made us mates. She gave us Mike and Carmen. I never questioned her plan before, but what if the troll really is what’s best for Carmen? Mike’s going to need me if he ever has pups, too. I don’t want to be ‘right’ and cut off from the goddess,” Corrine whispered.

“No….”

“I, Corrine Lansing Rosen, reject you, Matthew Rosen, as my mate,” she whimpered.

He collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain. Corrine started crying harder as she gripped her chest. I knew it was asking a lot, but I couldn’t have someone like him tied to my pack. That meant either cutting her off from the pack or from her mate.

After a while, Matt got up and looked at his mate with a mix of pain and anger. I stood and moved around the desk to protect Corrine from him. I could see the betrayal on his face when he saw me pull her from the chair and get her behind me.

“I accept your rejection, Corrine. And I, Matthew Rosen, reject my bond to the Hallowed Moon Pack and its Alpha. I accept the title of rogue,” Matt said.

“You have one hour to gather as many of your things as possible and get out of this pack. That is all I am allowing because of your service to this pack. I don’t recommend staying in the area without talking to Queen Bellamy first. You are an unaffiliated rogue in her territory. She might not be too happy with the intrusion in her territory,” I told him.

“I can take care of myself, pup,” he spat as he stood and left the office.

I turned to Corrine and wrapped my arms around her. She sobbed into my chest as I tried to calm her. My father came over and hugged her from the other side. I linked Ben about the rejection and he said he would come to help.

Mike would need to know, but, right now, I would let him enjoy his good news a little longer. Without Matt’s influence, I hoped that Corrine would accept Carmen and be able to be part of her children’s lives.