Filed to story: Mated to the Alpha and His Beta Novel Free >>???
“I want you to tell me something Stella thought to a teacher and made the teacher say,” I told them.
“Her say… mean she say, to me and Izzy, do we want Stella to make the teacher say a funny,” Alaina promptly replied.
va “I say for her to make the teacher say…” Isaac doubled over in laughter at the memory. “She make her say…
@ALLI— IL.
one thing I was learning about motherhood, it was that it would never be boring.
“He said for the teacher to say she was full of far ts!” Alaina crowed, also bursting into a flood of giggles.
fortssss, Mumma!”
I pressed my lips together to hold back my laughter. And the teacher said that?”
“Stella made her,” Isaac said, still giggling.
It was better than making the teacher pass wind, but still unsettling to think that Stella was able to exert that kind of mind control.
Yes, obviously it was the sort of prank any child would think to pull on a teacher, but how many kids were able to get a teacher to do something like that?”
And what would happen if my daughter decided not to play a prank but instead made a teacher do or say something much more harmful than a joke about fa rts?
I blinked, thinking of how I’d ordered Greyson to set Charlotte on fire. It had taken a lot of my strength to make that happen, and it was, of course, a much bigger ask than simply compelling a teacher to say a few words. Not to mention that my grandfather had needed to step in to stop Greyson from completing my command, because I’d been so caught up in compelling him that I’d been struggling to control myself.
If it was hard for me as an adult, how much harder would it be for a child to properly control herself?
The thought of Stella forcing someone to cause harm pushed a rush of frigid fear straight to the pit of my stomach.
“Eat your ice cream,” I told the twins. I went to Stella’s bedroom door and knocked. “Stella. Come out here please.”
My tension didn’t ease very much at the sight of her suspicious face peeking out from the doorway. Quickly, I shielded my emotions, but too late. My sensitive, special daughter had already figured out I was upset about something that had to do with her.
“Your brother and sister told me something, and I’d like to talk to you about it. Come over here.” I to to the couch and we both settled onto it.
“Yes, Mother? What is it?”
“They told me about what you’ve been doing at school. With the teachers,” I added when her brow furrowed in confusion. She still looked like she didn’t understand. “That you think something to them to make them say funny stuff. Is that true?”
Stella looked relieved. “Oh, yes. It makes Allie and Izzy laugh, that’s why I do it. The teachers don’t get mad about it, Mother.”
Likely because they weren’t even aware that she was compelling them, or mind controlling, or whatever it was. She might even be making them forget.
“How do you do it, Stella?”
“I don’t know, Mother. I just…do it.” Stella shrugged, looking totally unconcerned.
Can you do it to me? Right now?”
Ill [e)
“If you want me to” she said. “But you probably won’t like it very much Lanie–
“Why wouldn’t I like it?” I asked as calmly as I could.
Stella shrugged. “If I made you say something silly, then Izzy and Allie would laugh at you. You wouldn’t like them to laugh at you, would you, Mother?”
“If I said something funny, I guess I wouldn’t mind.” I took in a deep breath, m entally preparing for words I didn’t mean to say to tumble out of my mouth.
Stella’s brows drew close together. Her expression screwed up in concentration. I braced myself.
“Abba!” Stella cried and got up from the couch to run to Mason.
I was now “Mother,” but he was still Abba. That made me smile. Stella was a little girl with three fathers, but Mason was the one she’d known first. There was more than a biological tie between them. He swung her up in the air and then down with a small groan.
“Won’t be able to do that much longer,” he said to me as I also got up to greet him.
I wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss me, or honestly, if I wanted to kiss him, but when he pulled me against him, sweet relief flooded me. I closed my eyes and let him hold me close. His lips brushed my temple.
Oh, how I loved this man.
And he loved me, too. I could see that in his eyes when he pulled away to quickly kiss my lips. He mouthed “later” and added a wiggle of his eyebrows that made me laugh.
Mason turned to the twins and the melting cartons of ice cream. “What’s this? None saved for wow, you two must’ve been eating a lot of ice cream. Look how big you got.”
He shot a look at me over his shoulder and his eyebrows raised. It was kind of startling to see he they were changing.
“They’ve almost caught up to you, Stella my star,” Mason said. “How was school today?”
For a moment, I tensed. Mason loved our daughter. I would never doubt that. But I knew he was worried after what I’d done with Greyson. I didn’t want him getting upset about Stella. I needed more information firs Stella looked at me. Then she smiled brightly. “It was great, Abba. Miss Janice let me go into the reading group. Do you want to listen to me read?”
can’t Mason gave me a startled look. “Reading? Already?”
I shrugged and tossed up my hands. “Apparently so.”
“We’ll go in my room and do it,” Stella said, lowering her voice. “So the twins don’t feel bad, since they tread yet. They’re still in the baby group”
“Right of course” Mason met my puas ansin as we channad silent communication “When did she start reading?” He thought to me.
“As far as I know, this morning,” I replied through the mind link “Abba,” Stella said impatiently, tugging his hand.
“Did you see Xander and Zane?” I asked as he let our daughter lead him away.
“Yes. We’re good,” Mason thought back, although his attention was fixed on Stella and her description of something she’d read in the encyclopedia.
Through the open door, I could hear her reading to him. I helped the twins get cleaned up, just finishing as the door opened again to reveal Zane and Xander. Both of them were laughing, arms slung over each others shoulders. Relief swept over me.
They obviously weren’t fighting anymore, “Papa!”
“Daddy!”
The twins ran to their fathers. Zane scooped up Isaac, and Xander tossed Alaina high into air, catching her easily as she shrieked with laughter. He snuggled close to her.
“Hello, love,” he thought to me. “About earlier…
I cut him off with my reply through the link. “Never mind. I’m just glad you’re all back home. We’re all together.
“Daddy, play with us!” Alaina shouted, squealing with delight as her father tossed her again.
Xander caught her in one arm, cradling her against his broad chest. “As you wish. What do you want to play?”
Isaac squirmed to get down from Zane’s arms and ran to the bookcases along the wall. Whoever had supplied these rooms for us had been thoughtful enough to provide a bunch of kid-friendly board games. Isaac picked out Weasels and Swings, an old favorite I hadn’t played in ages.
“Stellie! Come play! Abba! Come play!” Alaina shouted as Xander put her down.
I was reminded again of Stella playing Hide and Seek Of my sister, of my childhood. But for now, I was present here, with my children and my mates. Instead of letting myself be haunted, I chose to focus on the blessings the Moon Goddess had bestowed upon us all.
I was going to be grateful for this peace as long as I could…because I knew it couldn’t last forever.
Xander–
Nobody would ever accuse me of being computer savvy, but I was doing okay. I had a few different spreadsheets up on the laptop in front of me, and the notepad on the table was full of my scribbled notes. This meeting was lasting forever, and we weren’t even really close to being finished.
I had to admit, though, it felt good to be doing something. So far, we’d spent the morning going over the different security protocols already in place in the enclave. Most of them were fine, and a few were even impressive. But there were still fragilities in the system that could be exploited. Mason had pointed out a few I hadn’t even noticed, and I also had to admit I was impressed.
Malachi and the other enclave members on the leadership council seemed to be, too. They also seemed to be regarding me and my brother as a team. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. It made sense, sure, but it wasn’t like we’d grown up together. Had never led a pack together.
“Now, about the testing for Lanie,” Mason was saying when I snapped back to attention. He addressed Malachi and also Charlotte. “I’d like to insist that there be some better protocols or checks and balances put in place for that. I know it has to happen, but…
He looked at me.
“We don’t like our mate being set up to do things we can’t be sure she understands how to control,” I finished for him in a firm tone.
I wasn’t going to let anyone here talk us out of this. We’d discussed it before coming to the meeting, and both of us had agreed. Lanie was not going to be used by anyone. Not for any reason.
Malachi steepled his fingers under his chin and studied us for a minute or so without speakin finally did, he sounded kind of amused, which, no lie, kind of pis sed me off. “When will the pair of y accept that your mate is, and always will be, much stronger than the two of you combined?”
“It’s not about how strong she is,” Mason cut in before I could snap back. “It’s not about her skill.
about her being able to use that strength and skill competently, something that’s impossible to do with training and practice.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?