I want to thank everyone for the comments and critism. I appreciate them. I hope this answers all the questions! Sorry for the delay, but life got in the way!
Hugs, DragAngel!
"How are you feeling?" I asked Missy. She was due in a few weeks, and the pack doctor had ordered her to take it easy. Dane ordered her to bed, and wouldn't let her out of their suite.
"Fine, bored. Dane is being so overprotective. Doc just told me to take it easy, he didn't say I couldn't do ANYTHING! Dane would feed me if I let him." She said with an exasperated sigh.
" I understand, I can't imagine how bad Darrell is going to be. He is already so overprotective of me, I fear it is only going to get worse the farther along I get." I replied.
We had been officially mated now for 8 months. I was 3 months pregnant. I was overjoyed and so was Darrell. So much had changed.
8 months ago, the day after the mating ceremony, Darrell gave me a present. The dog that attacked me.
She was a husky Rottweiler mix that had been abandoned and abused. I named her Joy, because she had brought joy back into my life. She didn't like men, but tolerated Darrell when he was with us. She wouldn't let any of the other guys near unless I was with her. She had spent 6 weeks at the vet getting healthy and healed. The night she attacked me changed my life in so many ways. Darrell had explained that after he found us, when he brought us home to the compound that I was in such bad shape that he had forced me to drink some of his blood. That is why I healed as well as I did, and why my body had changed so much while I was healing. He also thinks that is why I was able to make the change and transition as easy as I did. Most humans who are turned take weeks to make their first change. I was able to do it the night of our mating.
Joy had padded into Missy's room behind me. She was my shadow and even stayed with me whenever I changed. She was at the foot of the bed.
"So how are you?" Missy asked.
"I am well. The babies are doing fine. I found out some more information about my old family. Once I 'died' they came out of the woodwork to try and get their hands on my estate. They always and only wanted money. The lawyer said that they were all fighting and trying to claim that they only wanted to help but with my detailed accounts of what really happened, and some digging, the truth came out. Both of my brothers are devastated that their wives were so blinded by money and a free ride they thought my sister would be, that they are filing for divorce and custody of their kids. My estate was left to my nieces and nephews and only when and if they meet certain conditions. My brother's will have to live with the knowledge that their wives destroyed their family. I heard that Nancy admitted to my lawyer that she threatened my sister with a lie in order to try and get her to go live with them. She wanted my sister's benefit money. Cathy only wanted my sister because she wanted a live in maid. Neither of them had Stacy's best interest at heart.
"Oh and the lies they told about me. Wow, I thought my brothers were going to throw up when they heard the details of the lies their wives convinced them of about me. Nancy admitted that she lied about me taking care of my Mom, and Cathy admitted that she didn't want to share her family with anyone and thought that she could control me." I told her.
"Oooh I love juicy gossip." Missy said.
"In the psychiatric evaluation that was 'required' by my estate, it showed that Cathy is a sociopath, and she lies about everything to get sympathy and to get away with what she wants. She has been telling my brother for years that she was sick, but her medical didn't find anything wrong with her. And Nancy has such a low self esteem that she can't handle any one she views as competition. She was the only daughter in her family and couldn't stand the fact that she wasn't the only 'daughter' in my family so she did everything in her power to take my position.
"I personally feel bad for them because of their actions, I moved away and took my sister with me. It was easier to tell her that she couldn't see them because of the distance. I couldn't handle her heart breaking every time they broke a promise to her. So I took the job in Washington and moved away from the heartbreak. The whole time I was gone, my brother's thought that I was being selfish and didn't think of them. They had never seen the Christmas cards or emails or anything we sent. Their wives hid all of it. My brothers didn't realize what their wives were doing. But Cathy and Nancy talked all the time and actually were trying to work together to get me out of the way so they could 'have control' of my sister and her benefits. My brothers, Al and David lost their family without knowing why. I hope that they can recover." I said.
"Wow that is so horrible. How do people like that live with themselves?" Missy asked. "I couldn't imagine deliberately hurting anyone in my family, extended or not."
"I know, I couldn't either. I really do feel bad for my brother's, but they are the ones who chose to give control to their wives. We all have to live with the choices we make. For better or worse." I said. "So, do you need me to do anything for you today? Is the nursery all set up?" I asked changing the subject.
"No, I don't need anything, other than a walk, and yes the nursery is done. I think Dane finished it before my 6th month. He is so excited to be a Daddy. I am still nervous about being a Mommy, but I know that I have the whole pack for help. My Mom was a drunk and with a different guy all the time. I pretty much raised myself until I was 12 and met my best friend. She kinda rescued me and I stayed with her and her family as much as I could. She showed me what a 'real' family was like. I learned a lot from her Mom and knew I could go to her for anything. I miss them, but that is the way of the pack. I know that they are safe and happy. That is what matters." Missy said.
"Well then, I will walk with you, and you know that I will help anyway I can." With that, I helped her out of bed and we started walking the floor. I knew that Dane had some guys hovering outside the hall to alert them of any changes with Missy so we couldn't leave the suite. We walked to the French doors and I opened them to let some air in. It was a nice fall day. Still warm, but the leaves were starting to turn. We walked out onto the deck and then back into the sitting room. We made this loop a few times and just chatted about small things. The weather the leaves the coming winter. Nothing of importance. We were almost back to the bed after our 6th lap when Missy stopped and kinda hunched over.
"Ouch!" Missy breathed as she grabbed her belly. Then there was a splash of liquid.
"Darry, get Dane, I think Missy's water just broke!" I screamed through our mental connection.
"On it, I will send Doc too." He replied.
"Missy, Darry is getting Dane and Doc. Let's get you back to bed." I said as calmly as I could.
"Ok, but I want to change my gown. I don't want anyone to see me all wet like this." Missy groaned around the next contraction. I knew better than to argue with her. I took her to the edge of the bed, and helped her to sit as I went to get her a new nightgown. I got her changed and comfortable just as the guys got there. The three of them burst through the door so fast and hard I was shocked to see the door was still in one piece.
Doc started asking Missy questions about the contractions and her pain levels. Dane went straight to Missy's side and took her hand, and Darrell wrapped his arms around me from behind. Once Doc was done with his questions he looked at us and said "I need to examine her now. Please go wait in the other room, my Alpha's."
I looked at Missy and said "We will be waiting to meet the kids. You have this girl! See you soon."
Darry took my hand as we walked into the 'waiting room' and sat me down on the couch.
"You look tired."He said."How are you feeling?"
"I am well, the babies are too, no need to worry. I am a little tired because I can't get comfortable at night. The babies are more nocturnal, and start kicking and playing once I lay down." I explained.
"This could take a while. Here, snuggle in and try to take a nap." He said while opening his arms and moving so I could use him as a full body pillow. I was not about to pass up a nap.
I leaned against him and I really tried to go to sleep. I just kept thinking of everything that is new and different in my life. The last 9 months has been a whirlwind of change. I went from being alone to being responsible for hundreds. I went from being a nobody to being Madame Alpha. It was all so fast that I didn't really have time to process it all. Thank God for Julie, she helped me so much.
After the ceremony, and after meeting Joy, and getting her all settled in with us, Julie came over and we had lunch. She explained that the normal duties of the Madame Alpha included looking after the children of the pack, and the female members. She explained that I was part den mother, part head mistress, and part doting grandma. I was responsible to hear and help with any issues that would arise with the children and women. And then with Darrell's input find the solution. I was cool with that, I had always been a 'fixer' so it fit me. I had spent my days wandering the compound with Julie getting to know the kids and woman of the pack. I was proud to say that I knew all the kid's names and what they looked like as wolves, and I knew all the woman's names and most of their wolves. I did know all their scents so even if I hadn't met their wolf, I knew I would recognize them.
Darrell also wanted me to learn to protect myself, and to defend my charges 'just in case'. So I spent time in the training area with Dane, Mark, Kevin, Mike, Dennis and Christopher. I could easily understand why they were Darrell's Beta's. These guys are fast, cunning, and can easily kick my ass. I was thankful that they took it easy on me. But learning to fight and protect was so cool. I remember one session that I had felt pretty confident, and knew I was getting the hang of it when I started thinking beyond the teachings. I knew that I was smaller and faster than the guys, so instead of waiting in the middle and squaring off like a boxer, I needed to sneak attack and then run away. So when Dane whistled the start, I bounced out of the corner and pounced on Mike. He wasn't expecting that, and I took him down. I then ran out of the way and snuck around and took Kevin down. I did this until all the boys were down. I was bouncing with excitement and pride when I heard "Good job, now see if you can beat Me." from Darrell.