I wrote most of this chapter many months ago when my father passed away. My feelings of grief and loss were too much and I used them to move me through this scene. I don't normally write out of order, but it just felt right to do it that way, this one time. I love you and miss you Dad.
JOSH POV This is quite the experience. I’ve never witnessed something of this magnitude before. Yes, I’ve been to funerals, but I’ve never seen one as big as this. Not only is it a large crowd, but everyone is walking to the funeral site. All the funerals I’ve attended in my life, everyone drove to the cemetery. And they were usually in the morning or early afternoon, not at night. It is pitch black out here. All I can see are our candles and the faces of the people nearest to me illuminated by their own candle’s tiny flame. But far in the distance, I can see larger flames lighting up the night. I’m just thankful that Maddie has a hold of my hand, or I wouldn’t be able to find my way. As we get closer, I realize the flames I saw are torches. Fires blaze at the top of long wooden poles that are standing tall from being secured in stone holes. The stone in which these holes are carved stands high above our heads. It looks to be at least ten foot tall
MADDIE POV“Sweet pea?” Mama calls out, checking to see if I’m here. I step into my bedroom from the bathroom with my hair done and clothing in hand.“Hey Mama. You and Josh have a good afternoon?” I ask. She still looks tired but she’s moving around much better than she was earlier today, so I know she’s recovering fairly well.“Yes. I filled him in on a lot of things today. He seems to be absorbing it all pretty well. I guess that’s to be expected since he’s your fated mate. Selene wouldn’t gift you someone who fought the existence of shifters too much. He looked through the photo album several times and each time he had many questions. But he never seemed scared or repulsed by anything, so that’s good.”“Honestly, I’m surprised that he’s taken everything in so well. Most humans run away when they first meet a shifter or see us shift. I just knew seeing the battle would make him run and reject me, but he didn’t. I am pleasantly surprised by him each time we talk. Where is he, by the
MADDIE POV I close the door to my suite and have to pause for a moment. Calming down after that intense moment with Josh is incredibly hard to do. Infinity is pushing me to forgo our meeting; to go back inside and finish ravishing our mate. But the pack comes first, dammit! Hopefully though, this will ensure I can spend more time with Josh, and we can finally complete our mating, even if Fin and I don’t get to mark him. When I walk into my office, Daddy, Uncle Thomas and Uncle Adam are waiting for me. Both Thomas and Adam have a knowing smirk on their faces while Daddy just beams with pride at me. “Thank you for coming.” I address them as I sit behind my desk. “I’m not sure how to ask, so I’m just gonna say it. Would you all be willing to stay and handle my CEO responsibilities while Josh and I get to know each other? You’ll still have Greta, Maddox and Bruno, of course, so I’m not asking you to run the pack. They can handle most everything, but if a
JOSH POV Then there are the pictures of Maddie doing warrior training, studying, wearing protective gear while using tools and machinery, playing with her little siblings, sitting with Tyson at a large desk looking over paperwork, holding an older Nolan’s hands while sitting in Lotus position in meditation, Maddie walking through what I recognize as this very packhouse, tall and proud while speaking to a younger Bette. There are so many pictures depicting Maddie’s life as she grows. Rose continues to talk while my eyes drink in the images before me. “My male pups all have nurturing, protective, or healing powers. Very powerful, but passive, I guess some would call them. In a sense. “My female pups are the ones you need to worry about. Theirs are all aggressive, offensively powerful, and dangerous. Their powers were the ones we had to actively work on controlling. They tend to lose control when they’re angry.” I turn another page and see a
JOSH POV “Kent had the idea that any pup born from me and another alpha would be a powerful alpha heir. Which in turn would, essentially, free these alphas from taking a mate they didn’t want and at the same time, give them and their pack a future heir.” “I have no idea if Kent would have been correct about his assumption of any pups I birthed to other alphas who weren’t Tyson would have been super powerful. His theory was never tested, thank the Goddess.” Rose’s expression changes from relaxed into one of sly devilishness. I’m not sure what she is remembering, but she doesn’t explain it. “Tyson rescued me before anything more traumatic could happen. Plus another Alpha couldn’t have gotten me pregnant, I was already pregnant with Nolan. The first of our royal children.” Ah… so Nolan is Maddie’s brother. She never explained that earlier. Well, I guess I distracted her with kissing before she could explain… no regrets on my end. Maddie is a terrific ki
JOSH POV I scramble to get my shirt on as Maddie leaves my room and I see Rose standing there, just outside the door. Rose gives me a mischievous wink and walks away, but I hear her yell down the hallway. “I’ll meet you in the living room, Joshua.” I guess I’m meeting Rose in the living room. I walk out of my room once I get my clothing righted, down the hallway and into the living room. Rose is sitting on the sectional, a blanket draped across her lap and there are several items sitting on the coffee table in front of her. She pats the couch cushion next to her when she sees me, “Come, sit with me Josh.” I make my way over to her and sit down next to her, like she asked me. Unlike several others here in the pack, I’m completely at ease with Rose. It’s probably because she is human. I don’t even mind her teasing me about Maddie. “You know, things aren’t always like this in the packs. Sure, there’s daily warrior training and pack patrols.