Chapter 43
Jade
Den mother.
My official title. I didn’t know how much I cared for the title but it was mine for the taking. No wonder Alice had called herself the Alpha wife or the Pack Mom. This Den Mother title was for the birds. I could have gone forever without hearing that. But one little witch named Valentina decided it was her calling in life to make things as difficult as possible on everyone in the pack. Including myself.
“Ohhhhh, Den Mother,” Valentina called from across the room as I helped Alice cook dinner. Alice shot me a tight-lipped smile as she stirred the beans on the stove. I checked the bread in the oven and tried my hardest to ignore the little shit. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. “Is that what I’m supposed to call you now?”
“Jade is fine, really. I’m notofficiallymated to the Alpha.”
“Okay, Den Mother, what’s for dinner?” She completely ignored what I said and grinned while she swung her feet at the bar. I bit down on my tongue. She wouldn’t be here that much longer, at least that was what I told myself. I prayed they had a coven lined up for her to go to when all of this was over with. But fate laughed in my face when it came to her.
Alice was the one that replied back to the little heathen. “Pork chops, mashed potatoes, and baked beans.”
Valentina didn’t say anything. She hopped down from the barstool and marched out of the room. My shoulders relaxed slightly until one of the little pups decided he could call me Den Mother too. My shoulders immediately straighten back up and I shook my head. It wasn’t that bad, but at the same time, it was. In my head, the Den Mother was a little old lady. I didn’t know if I could be considered old enough to have any of these kids. I was in my early twenties. They were at least ten years old.
Alice bumped her shoulder into mine. “It gets easier. Your role in this pack is still turbulent to some of the other wolves. They don’t know where they stand with you just yet.”
“I’m not sure where I stand yet, either.”
Alice’s face softened. “I promise you it will get better. It’s also incredibly rewarding.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s what my mom told me when she needed me to volunteer at the church.”
“She was probably right!”
“I don’t remember any kind of reward.”
Alice laughed and my chest ache seemed to ease a little. I would do anything to have both of my parents here to experience this with me. All I wanted was to fall into my mother’s arms and ask her for advice but I could never open her up to this world. She would never understand. She would never accept me. Thankfully, I was dating a man that had an incredible mother.
Alice wrapped her arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are adjusting better than anyone else I know. Mav was a basket case for weeks. He wouldn’t even leave my home. Every little thing made him jump.”
We laughed together. “Really?” I asked. He didn’t seem to be the type but I knew under all that big burly muscle, he was a big softy.
“Yes!” She exclaimed. “He stayed huddled under the blankets and when he shifted for the first time, he screamed when his tail whacked his side. His tail was the first part of him that would shift. The rest of his body wouldn’t do what it was supposed to. We struggled to get him to shift properly for months!”
“Poor Mav,” I said between giggles.
“Poor me, what?” Mav said behind us. Alice and I both straightened up immediately. I put my hand over my mouth and shook my head.
“Nothing!”
Mav’s eyes looked between the both of us. “I don’t believe either of you. Women cooking in the kitchen together are dangerous creatures.”
Alice leaned into my shoulder as Mav walked away and we both fell into a fit of giggles. I didn’t know how it started or how it ended but it was everything I never knew I needed. My heart felt lighter and my head didn’t hurt anymore.
“What about Mav’s family?” I finally asked once the giggles were out of our system.
“Mav was in foster care. He hasn’t shared his story with anyone else. Rafe found him wandering the streets after that psycho girl changed him.”
“How long has it been?” I asked as I swiped a warm roll off of the counter.
Alice chewed on the inside of her lip. “Probably six years.”
“He’s adjusted well,” I commented.
Alice nodded. “Mav is special. He has this way of lighting up the room he walks into. When he is serious, you know it’s bad. Mav has always been one of my favorites out of Rafe’s friends. He always cared about Rafe in a different way. He was never one to get into trouble either. Archer and Knox were always the troublemakers. You could count on them to sniff out the party anywhere. Rafe would go along with it unless Mav wasn’t cool with it. When the need for Guardians arose, Mav was the first to pledge. He cared about Rafe more than any of the others it seemed. Seeing them as Guardians now… It’s hard to choose who cares about Rafe more.”
“Did Rafe’s father have Guardians?” I asked timidly.
Alice rubbed my shoulder. “Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions. We are family and I want you to feel comfortable here. I can’t imagine how it feels to not be able to share this life with your parents.” She grabbed a roll off of the counter and tore it into a few pieces. “No, he didn’t have Guardians. He wasn’t approached with the seat of the Pack Law until right before he died. He hadn’t told many people about it. When Rafe challenged him for his Alpha spot and won. The Pack Law came in and informed everyone that once Rafe was established as Alpha here, he would also need a headquarters home where Pack Law is established.”
“Where is Pack Law established?”
Alice shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. That’s information only Pack Law members know and their wives that travel with them there. But it’s highly classified, I’ve heard. I started to reach out to the other Alpha mates that had seats with the Pack Law but they were elusive. All I wanted to do was prepare my son.”
This entire world was cryptic. There were too many secrets.
