The Healing Souls

The Boulder

[Rock]

“What do you want to know?” I asked.

“All I know is her name and that she had one night with your dad. I’ve never heard the name Eru before. How did she come to live here?”

I breathed in deeply and sighed. She wanted to know everything. I supposed it was understandable. It was her mother-in-law, after all.

“Eru is an elven word for desert. My mother was named by her mother’s friend, Queen Maeve. They became friends as my mother grew older, but I never really got to know the queen, myself. I don’t really know where to start from here….”

Carmen laid her head on my shoulder and caressed my face with her hand. She traced a finger over my lips and I kissed it. I knew she was trying to connect with me by asking about my family, but I didn’t talk about my mom or her past very much.

“At the beginning, silly boy.” Carmen giggled.

I sighed. “My mother was born in the fae realm. You talked to Pyla and Ilana about it last weekend. It’s like a world overlaid on the human world, where we live. Most of the realm is a path surrounded by a massive forest where magical eddies swirl. The rest of it is the fae ocean.

“Unlike the human world, where land masses go down to the ocean floor, the fae realm rests on the ocean, like a net on the water. Some of the paths converge and the forest gets thicker. There are villages in some of these places, but not many creatures can live in the fae realm,” I explained.

“But your mother did?” Carmen asked.

“Trolls are one of the species that can live in the fae realm. She was born and raised there. That was where she met her true mate. He was visiting the troll village there and went to see her parents as a sign of respect. It was my mother’s coming-of-age party and he was welcomed as an unexpected guest.

“When he was sent back, he fell in love with her instantly, as he was already over fifty, and it didn’t take long before her mind cleared. She said it was a blessing from the goddess that he happened to be visiting on her birthday. My brother, Haldor, was conceived during the celebration.”

“That sounds wonderful. Was he also a desert cave troll?”

“He was. He was from the deserts of America. He lived in the realm of humans. My mother had never seen it, but wanted to. Her mate said it was safer for her to stay in the fae realm. He was very protective of her.”

“I bet she hated that,” Carmen said.

I laughed. “She did, but she loved him enough to stay in the fae realm. They had Haldor, then Goran and lived in relative safety, until war touched them. My grandmother, then my mother led the village, so we’re considered fae nobles, but we’re not royals. When two warring royals decided to fight with force, people from all over the fae realm were conscripted. It was the last time that was ever allowed. They lost too many people and fae birthrates aren’t high enough to replace them.”

We were taught about the Great War by our parents. Conscription magic didn’t care about family or alliances. They took whomever they wanted and didn’t care about how they affected the lives of others.

Both of those royals were dead. They were told by others that they would have to fight their own battles and conscripting armies was no longer permitted. The next time they butted heads and tried taking warriors from villages, a pack of angry nobles descended on them and killed them. The other royals just shrugged and said they warned them.

“My mother left the fae realm and came to America. She went to visit Jett’s mother in the forest village here, then traveled. She was determined to see the world her true mate came from. When she was in the southwest… she was never clear about where exactly… she met a professional wrestler.

“He was about my height, maybe a few inches shorter, and had features my mother said were very handsome among trolls. Other women were afraid of him in the bar where she was, but my mother was a full troll and he was only a little human. She was wearing a glamour the whole time. He said she was big and beautiful. He liked that.

“She never told me how he died; only that it was with a smile on his face…. For all I know, he could still be alive. Or could have been when I was born. I’ll never know.” I shrugged.

Carmen nodded but remained quiet. I checked to see if she was still awake, and she was watching me with those blue eyes. It felt like she actually saw me. I wondered what was going on in her head.

“Troll pregnancies take about thirteen months. My mother was two months pregnant when she realized it. She went back home but didn’t feel the same as when she used to live there. Everything reminded her of her lost mate and she felt like she’d cheated on him. She wanted to keep me, but she couldn’t do it there.

“So she asked her best friends to come live in the human realm with her. She knew all about the curse, but still wanted to raise me here. Of all her friends, only three moved here, Elbio’s family, Forrest’s family, and Shayle’s family. All of them decided to have another child in order to support my mom.

“Trolls may be assholes, but we’re loyal to our friends and families. They knew she’d need support and I’d need friends. All of my friends, except Mica, were children of my mother’s friends. Shayle doesn’t like me much, but she’s in love with Forrest, so she plays nice.”

“Forrest doesn’t love her, though,” Carmen said softly.

“They’re closer than any other troll couples their age,” I told her.

“Maybe, but at the barbecue he seemed to like Pyla more. His voice was gentler when he talked to her. He sounded annoyed by Shayle.”

She would have heard the differences. I didn’t pick up on it. So much for being better at picking up on subtle things. I shook my head.

The truck came into view as Carmen yawned. She snuggled into my arms and I suddenly didn’t want to be at the truck already. I considered walking in circles for a while, but Carmen looked so sweet and helpless right now. I wanted to take her home and keep her to myself.

Heading to the truck, I shifted her a little and opened the door before settling her in her seat. I buckled her in before she could reach for it. Carmen huffed at me as I finished.

“I’m not helpless, Rock. And why did your mother give her other sons names like Goran and Haldor, but called you ‘Rock’? It seems like she didn’t take the time or care she did with them.”

“Goran means ‘mountain man’ or ‘man of the mountain’. He has some features of a mountain troll because of an ancestor his father had who was a mountain troll. Haldor means ‘Thor’s stone’ because he has a powerful appearance. My name isn’t ‘Rock’… it’s Rockwell. It means ‘rock spring’ because I was so small and my mother gave birth in a hot spring while she was taking a vacation with her other pregnant friends,” I explained.

“You never told me your name was Rockwell. I like it.”

“I don’t. I like to be called Rock.”

“Oh? I thought you liked to be called ‘Alpha’.” She giggled.

“Only by you, my little wolf ѕlut,” I purred and kissed her forcefully.

Carmen moaned against my lips. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer. I let her, but only because she was so damned cute when she was needy like that.

When I stopped the kiss, she whimpered. I rubbed my thumb over her lips and pulled back. I kissed her forehead and moved away so I could close the door.

We headed back to the house. It didn’t take too long. The entrance to the forest was only on the other side of the fae lands. Carmen looked like she was getting sleepier as we drove. It was peaceful in a way that I found my life being only when I was alone with Carmen.

Somehow, she created the peace I always craved. Things that ate at my mind when I was alone were held back. I was more sure of myself and confident, which was translating to my time when I wasn’t around her. I didn’t take ѕhit from my customers or employees before, but something about how I was now made them stop pushing back as much.

Pulling into the driveway, I could see a shadow in the corner of the porch that was too dark to be natural. I frowned at it. Couldn’t we go a week without him getting into our business?

I got out of the truck cab and went to get Carmen. She was trying to get out on her own, until I growled at her. Carmen blushed and pouted.

“Not yet, little wolf. Let me take care of you until you’re rested. You know I’m not trying to take over your life and make you feel weak. Right now, you’ve been probed in a very tiring way. Let me carry you around and keep you safe,” I murmured.

“I don’t want to be a burden. I should be stronger than this.”

“My little troll wolf, you are as strong as you need to be and I am here to help when you need to be stronger than that. Remember, I’m your partner and your biggest supporter. I’m not here to take over, I’m here to help when you need it and you need it now.”

“I’m fine now. Let me walk into the house on my own,” she insisted.

I sighed. “Fine, but if you fall, I’m picking you up. Next time, I won’t even let you try.”

Her chin set in a stubborn way and she climbed down from the truck cab. She managed to get out of the cab but didn’t even get a step before her legs seemed to fold. I caught her before she hit the ground.

Carmen looked embarrassed as I swept her into my arms. I knew she didn’t like being weak, but there was nothing that could be done about it. The examination was too much for her. Even with her werewolf healing…. That was probably what was bothering her the most.

“I will never make you seem weaker than you truly are, Carmen. I don’t gain anything from coddling you and you don’t gain anything, either. I will never do what your family did. Do you understand?” I asked.

She nodded but didn’t reply verbally. I didn’t like it. I leaned in until I was right next to her ear.

“I didn’t hear that answer, Carmen,” I growled. “That isn’t how you respond to your Alpha. Now answer me.”

“I understand, Alpha,” Carmen whispered as a shudder went through her.

“You have to get used to the fact that you’re weaker than me, Carmen. It doesn’t mean you’re useless or incapable. It means you have someone stronger than you to lean on when you need it. Pushing yourself too far does nothing to prove your capabilities. You will ask me for help and accept help from me when you need it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Good. Let’s get inside.”

I carried her into the house and removed her shoes before pulling off my own. I knew we were safe from the prying eyes of the warlock in here. I gave him all the show he was entitled to. Without his insistence, we might have put seeing the healer off until it was too late.

When Carmen got pregnant, it would be entirely planned. I didn’t want anything to happen to her and I wanted healers and doctors with her every step of the way. The healer said she would barely survive having my child. I wasn’t going to be caught by surprise.

We went into the kitchen and I set her on the counter. She frowned at me. I wasn’t going to sit her in a chair or something, she’d try to get up and fall down. She knew she needed help getting off the counters because they were so far off the ground.

“Rock, this isn’t fair,” she insisted, kicking her feet out in a cute way.

“You’re staying right there until I can carry you to the table. The book thing Trent gave me said eating helps werewolves heal, and so does being near your mate, so I’m going to make you a snack and you’re going to sit in my lap while you eat it,” I told her in a commanding tone that made her squirm.

I went to the fridge to get some things out. Some of the fruit Mike’s note had on it with some cheese and some meat. It wasn’t a troll-sized snack, but I figured dinner would just be a little larger.

“You know, Gemma said you would strap me to your back and carry me around if you could.”

I chuckled. “Trolls and dark elves call being married ‘strapping the boulder to your back’. I know it sounds like it’s a burden, but it’s not to us. A long time ago, if royals wanted to wage war, they would use conscription magic to raise armies. Your army wasn’t complete unless you had trolls, ogres, orcs, goblins, and several other species.”

“That sounds terrible,” Carmen whispered.

“It was. You might end up fighting your brother and there was no way to refuse. The magic made you follow their orders. The only ones who could resist were nobles and those of noble birth. My mother resisted when the war came, but her mate was not noble born. He couldn’t,” I told her as I started cutting things up for her.

“But they can’t make you do it, right?”

“Conscription magic doesn’t work in the human realm. That’s one of the reasons why people live out here. It’s been banned in the fae realm and any royal caught using it is severely punished. But since royals aren’t trolls, they don’t know the difference between males and females. Some dark elf women have thick beards, so they thought they were also male. We would often go to war with our mates beside us,” I explained.

Carmen looked sad. The reality of war with your mate at your side, a war you had no hand in or feeling about, was terrifying. I never liked the idea of it to start with, but now that I had Carmen, I was grateful for that time being over.

“When a mate fell, the other would strap them to their backs. Sometimes they were just injured, others, they were dead. If they were alive, they would be strapped so they could keep watching their mate’s back and even fight. If they were dead, others would watch their back, so one mate would make it home alive. It was never a burden, it was an honor to carry the person you love on your back. It showed them the love you had for them.”

“And you would really strap me to your back like that?”

“I would be honored to carry you for the rest of my life, Carmen.” I picked up the plate and slid my arm around her waist. “You are my sweetest treasure. I’ll always fight harder for both of us if you’re ever hurt, like you are now. Let me carry you, my love. Just until you’re strong enough to fight again,” I murmured.

Carmen smiled. She had tears in her eyes at the same time. For werewolves, it might be a burden, she might be a burden, but she never was in my eyes. Carmen was always my heart.

“Yes, Alpha,” she whispered.

She wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck as I supported her soft little bottom in my hand and carried her out to the dining area. I set her plate down and maneuvered her so she would be straddling me when I sat down.

Using her thumbs to find my tusks, Carmen kissed me passionately. I held her close until she was done, but only tentatively responded. I wanted her to focus on her food and not on what she wanted to do to my body.

Carmen pulled back and her eyes found mine. I moved her hair so it wouldn’t cover her face. She leaned her head against my hand.

“Turn around and eat, little wolf. I want you to heal faster. That can’t happen if you don’t eat.”

Carefully, I helped her turn in my lap. Carmen took my hands and wrapped them around her middle before she found her food and started to eat. She ground her bottom into my groin as she ate. I groaned at the feeling of my mate trying to tempt me to do what she wanted.

She had no idea what my plan was for taking advantage of her weakened state. I’d let her think she was tempting me. She thought she was being naughty. It was adorable.