bChapter /bb39 /bbAmalie /b

bI /bblink owlishly as I step into the sunlight. I smile as I take in the outside world. I take a deep breath, through my bmouth /bband /bnose. I feel Beren purring in the back of our shared mind. I want to sit in the grass and purr as well. I want to shove bmy /bface binto /bbthe /bflowers that are blooming

g in th

the garden.

I want to drop the crutches and take off running. Beren deserves to get to run through the pack grounds. She should have bbeen /bable to run through the forest until she drops. I want to then let her rest and then keep running again. Beren deserves the world band /b

then some.

“Before you start running, let’s get that leg fully healed,” Gretchenughs.

“Was it that obvious?” I ask, a blush coating my cheeks.

“No, but I figured that you wanted to. Most werewolves love being outside and free. You have been stuck inside for thest seven years, and your wolf has never been outsideb,/b” she tells me.”

I nod my head. Goddess do I want to transform and let Beren run. I am about to ask when bI /bbcan /btransform when I felt brage /bthat bwas /b

not my ownb. /b

‘Mates are angry,‘ Beren growls as she fights to keep her

wn rage down.

I nodded as bI /bswallowed. I tried to mind link the twins to figure out what was going on. ‘Cal? Markb?/bb‘ /bbI /bbask/bb, /breaching out for bthem /bboth. I felt nothing in the form of the mind link. ‘James!‘ I shout in my head towards the beta. b‘/bGretchenb?/bb” /bbI /bask, fear creeping into my voiceb. /b“Gretchen, I can’t mind link,” I tell her as I start to panic.

“What?” Gretchen asks as she stops looking around.

“Something is wrong with the twins, and I can’t mind link them,” I say, panic is evident in my voice now.

“James!” Gretchen shouts, she has some panic in her voice.

I see her eyes ze over and I know that she is mind linking someone.

“What? What is wrong?” James asks as hees running through the garden, Rose is on his shoulders.

“The twins? What is wrong with them?b” /bI demand bas /bGretchen is still mind linking someone.

“What?” he asks in confusion.

“bI /bcan’t mind link them, but I can feel their rage,” I tell him, fear is evident on my face.

“What is going on?b” /bDr. Will says as he runs outside.

“She can’t mind link,” Gretchen exins.

“Has this always been true?” Dr. William asks me.

I nod my head. I never really thought about it before. Who bwas /bbI /bsupposed to mind link? Everyone thought bI /bwas James’s eyes ze over as he is hopefully mind linking the twins.

I bwatch /b

“Okay, I’ll take some blood and run a panel for any substances that might still be in your blood from your time bwith /bbyour /bbparents/b. They could have done something, or/Mathew could have done something. bWe /bwill figure it outb,/bb” /bbhe /bbassures /bbme/bb. /b

I nod my head in understanding. Goddessb, /bwhy couldn’t my life be bless /bplicated? I never asked bfor /bbthis/b, I bwanted /bba /bbsimple /bblife /b

bChapter /bb39 /bAmalle

“bThe /bbtwins /bare okay. They are now worried about byou/bb,/bb” /bbJames /btells me as bhe /bsets Rose bdown/b.

I feel guilty now. I didn’t want to worry the twins, I wanted to woITY about them and not have them worry about bme/bb. /biI /ifeel like all bthey’ve /bdone is worry about me. I’m a horrible mate.

b“/bWe’ll figure this out,” Gretchen tells me as she wraps her arms around me.

I let her guide me to the bench that is a few feet away. I feel numb, I didn’t realize that I should have been able to mind link the rest of the pack over the years. Rose was too young to be able to mind link, Mellisa, Thomas, and Marie would never mind link, they would have just yelled at me. I should have put the clues together that something wasn’t right.

“Mommy?” Rose asks me as she walks up to me,

“I’m alright baby,” I try to assure her. She gives my legs a hug and looks up at me.

“Let’s go pick a bouquet of flowers for your mom,” Gretchen says to Rose. “We can pick any of the flowers from the garden.

Rose gives me a look before nodding her head. She takes Gretchen’s outstretched hand, and the pair walks off.

“Goddessb, /bI am a messb,/bb” /bbI /bsay to James.

“Everything bis /bgoing to work out,” he tells me as he sits on the bench beside me.

“Why did the twins wait?” I ask aloud.

“Becauseb, /bthey’ve always loved you,” he tells me. “From the moment Markus and bCalyx /bmet byou/bb, /bthey’ve been smittenb. /bMark bwent /bout of his way to make sure that you were included. And bCal/bb, /bthough he will never admit itb, /bbwas /balways watching to make bsure /bbyou /bwere happy.”

“I feel like I’ve let them down,” I tell him with a sigh.

“I guarantee that they feel the same way,” James says with a smile. “Idiots, you three deserve each other.”

bI /bscoff at him. His words bring a smile to my face. I am content to sit and rx in the moment. It is an amazing feeling to soak up the sun. I never want to go back inside. I want to sit on the bench and enjoy this moment. We sit in silence for some time. It’s peaceful to listen to the window and smell the flowers. The smell blocks out everything, but I don’t mind.

A scream breaks through the tranquility of the garden. My head perks up at the noise. bIt /btakes me a second to realize that it was Rose screaming.

I take off running, my crutches long forgotten. I follow the path through the gardenb, /bthe smell of flowers blocking out Rose’s apple blossom scent. I make it around the corner of the hospitalb, /band I stop dead in my tracks.

bChapter /bbComments /b

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