Chapter 06

FRANKIE POV (Age 16/ 4 years ago)

I stayed silent. I knew she was right. I was lost in the anger of the moment, and I knew better than to speak to Alpha Tom like I had. Alpha Tom was always the fun uncle. He always took care of me and supported my pursuits just as passionately as Luna Margie had. I shouldn’t have unleashed on him as I did.

I nod but don’t speak.

Aria comes forward with a clap of her hands and a big smile. “Now, as a studying healer and future pack doctor of Blue Ridge pack, let's check out those wounds. I can already see that it is leaking through your bandage.”

“I cleaned it with water from the stream and used the tree salve that you showed me has anti-bacterial properties.” I answered nervously.

“Okay, but again, I can smell your blood from here, Frankie. We need to get you checked out by a professional.” Luna Margie frowned at my dismissal.

“Let me have a look, okay.” Aria walked over to my side and lifted off the crimson-soaked clothes, then gasped. Her eyes widened. “Frankie, you need to get this looked at. Now!”

Hearing that, Luna Margie stepped next to her daughter’s side. Like Aria, her eyes widened at the sight. It was already red and angry-looking, a sign of an infection already setting in.

“Why didn’t you say it was this bad, Frankie?”

I remained silent.

“Oliver,” Luna Margie called out. I turned my head and watched as the oversized eldest son of the Alpha pair stepped into view. I should have known he was around. He was incredibly protective of the females of his family. He was always around, lurking in the shadows in case he was needed.

Oliver wasn’t Luna Margie’s biological son. He was the product of Alpha Tom and his high school sweetheart, Annabelle.

Alpha Tom had planned to make Annabelle his chosen mate after she gave birth to their son, forfeiting his claim to become Alpha, as the rules of the Blue Ridge pack were clear. Alphas take only their true mates before the age of twenty-five. If their true mates are still unfound by then, a chosen mate may be accepted as a substitute. Alpha Tom didn’t want to wait; he wanted to marry the mother of his pup.

Annabelle was Alpha Tom’s first love, and with their first pup on the way, Alpha Tom saw it as a sign.

At least that was what he thought initially.

After Oliver was born, Alpha Tom was divided between arguing with his family about his responsibilities to the pack, and trying to provide for his girlfriend and newborn. Annabelle fell into a deep state of postpartum depression.

No one noticed how far she fell into it until it was too late.

When she took her life, she left Alpha Tom a letter and a newborn baby to raise alone.

Oliver was only four years old when Alpha Tom found his true mate, Margie Sinclair. She didn’t hesitate to accept Oliver as her step-son, and the two bonded instantly. Oliver finally had a mother.

Two years later, Aiden was born, and then Aria followed another two years after that.

Oliver, like with Luna Margie, became very attached to his baby sister, Aria. Aiden and Oliver never got along from the start. Aiden has been a jealous brat since his birth, and Oliver was the person Aiden fixated on the most.

“Frankie,” Oliver’s deep voice drew my focus. He was always commanding. “That was impressive back there. For what it’s worth, I saw you the victor from the start.”

I was caught off guard. I figured he would support the boys-club dynamic.

“Uhhh— thanks.” I whispered timidly.

“Alright, we can chat later, but right now Frankie needs medical treatment.” Luna Margie smirked at my embarrassing blush before she turned urgent in her words. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you swaying or your glossy eyes starting to droop, young lady.”

She was right.

I was stationary for too long, and with the adrenaline worn off, I was feeling every spike of pain, and my limbs felt like lead; they were too heavy to move on my own.

“Frankie,” Oliver's expression was hard to read. “I am going to carry you. You’ve lost too much blood. You’re going to pass out if you continue to exert yourself like this.”

I nodded and within a fraction of a second, I found myself nestled into Oliver's expansive chest. It was like cuddling a boulder. Did this guy not have any actual body fat?

The subtle jolt of each step he took and the rhythmic beat of his steady heart began to lull me to sleep. I wasn’t sure I should be. Would I wake up again if I allowed myself to close my eyes completely? But the calming effect of Oliver was too much to ignore.

Oliver was always like a rock. Steady and strong, it made me feel safe at that moment.

Safe enough to stop fighting. To stop holding onto the anger I felt during the match and my family's lack of support, I faded away to the soothing sounds of Oliver and his calming heartbeat.

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