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The Healing Souls
Ultimatum
Ultimatum2412words
Update Time2024-11-01 09:40:33
 [Rock]“I want him punished for trying to take my mate from me, for lying to his Alpha, and for assaulting her. Not ‘we’ll talk to him’. I want a real punishment for his actions. He was Beta of this pack and the way he has behaved brings shame to your pack and the current leadership,” I told him. “That will be at the top of my list. I’m sorry, Carmen. I would have listened to you and I would have seen the truth. I don’t know why you didn’t trust your Alpha, but I will never simply believe someone because they used to hold a rank.” Carmen squeezed my hand. “I believe you, Alpha. I was just scared. No one had ever hit me like that and everyone loves my father, but they seem to be waiting to hear other ways I’m broken. I didn’t know if you’d really believe me and I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me. I spent a lot of my life being pitied. I’m really tired of it.” “Carmen has no reason to be pitied. She is smart, strong, and brave. She walked into a party full of trolls and didn’t balk even when they got nasty. She made sure she could claim her mate, even against the wishes of two of the people who were supposed to love her the most,” I said. “We are still new to the idea of a blind werewolf. I think that a lot of people’s pity is in not understanding. We’ll be better about it,” he promised. We talked for longer about my concerns. We made a list of people who were allowed in the pack lands. I would take it to Queen Maeve. She would have the final say, but it was relatively short. Only Carmen’s brother and sister-in-law, and her two best friends would be permitted for now. Of course, as an ally, Alpha Trent was allowed on the fae lands as much as he pleased. I made sure they understood that Carmen would never be on the pack lands without me. No matter how much Alpha Trent fought it, I wouldn’t back down. If she needed to attend meetings and holidays, I would be by her side. No one could change my mind once I made a decision. Alpha Trent relented when he saw he wouldn’t be able to talk me out of it, especially when it came to Carmen. I would never let her suffer because of what someone else thought was best for her. “The omegas said they have your things in the van. Gemma and Ashley are waiting to see you off. Congratulations on finding your mate, Carmen. I’m happy for you. I hope that you’ll keep me updated,” Trent said. “Of course. You’re like a brother to me. And the Alpha of my pack. Thank you for everything, Trent. I’d like to go home now,” Carmen replied. I helped Carmen stand and her brother looked at her as if she was disappearing. I didn’t know what it was like to be an older sibling, or to be as soft as a werewolf, but I understood that look. I let go of her hand and she looked at me before Mike reached out and touched her shoulder gently. “Can I have a hug?” he asked. “Yes,” she answered with a smile. She hugged him, then the Gamma, and the Alpha. I stood by and let her. I didn’t dictate what she was and wasn’t allowed to do… not always, at least. Carmen reached for my hand again and I smiled. I took her hand and held it gently in my hand. We went back out to where the van was. Both of her friends were standing by it. Ashley looked a little disheveled and there was a fresh mark on her neck. She looked really happy like Carmen did when I marked her. Elbio and Forrest were securing the last of the boxes into the trailer. My mate didn’t have a lot. I didn’t know if I liked that or not. It meant I could spoil her, though, so I took it as good news. I let her go and her red-haired friend, Gemma… if I remembered right, hugged her, then pulled away quickly. “You’re not wearing a bra.” She hissed. “Shush. We’re all pretending that no one notices.” I whispered loudly. Carmen blushed and crossed her arms over her chest. I couldn’t help but laugh at my cute mate. She was even cuter when she was embarrassed. I rubbed her back gently, trying to let her know it was okay.  Gemma looked up at me speculatively. She wasn’t staring the same way the others were. It was more like she was trying to dissect me with her eyes. “You’re not as gross as I thought you’d be. You treat my best friend right and we won’t have any problems,” she warned.“Like you could take a troll.” Ashley laughed. “Shut up, Mrs. Beta. I’m so pissed at you two for finding your mates before I do. Now I have to go out hunting guys on my own.” Gemma pouted. “There’s always the Gamma of Lune Rouge,” Carmen suggested. “I hear he’s still single.” “I think I’ll just go to the national gathering. Maybe there’s a hot Alpha out there for me.” She hummed speculatively. “Maybe he’s not a wolf at all,” I proposed. “I’ll be your mate,” Elbio purred. “Umm. No. Thanks?” Gemma replied nervously. “Your loss. I’m the hottest troll in the region.” Elbio scoffed. “It’s true. He’s considered supermodel hot among trolls.” I told the women. “I think Forrest is more attractive. His tusks are bigger and his skin is rougher.” Carmen shrugged. We stopped and stared at her. I looked at Forrest and he shrugged, too. How the hell did she know what was considered attractive for trolls? She wasn’t wrong. Forrest was a northern mountain troll. They populated more of the area than desert trolls, so he was considered the more attractive of the two among most of the area’s population.Forrest started teasing Elbio about being less attractive than him. Carmen was trying not to laugh as they started fighting. She was just stirring them up.  I wrapped my arms around her and nuzzled her soft little ear. “Are you saying my tusks are too small for your tastes, my little wolf?” “Never. Your tusks are the perfect size for me, my big strong troll,” she purred. “Okay, you two either need a room or a cold shower. Go home. We’ll call you. Here’s your phone. One of the omegas found it in your room. Don’t lose touch just because you don’t live here anymore. You either, Ash. The pack is going to be so lonely without you two.” Gemma whined in an annoying tone. “We’re not forgetting you, Gemma. We’ll always be there when you need us and you better tell us when you find your mate,” Carmen told her. “Promise,” she said happily.Carmen knew how to handle people, no matter their race. I liked that. It would serve her well to live in a mixed community like the fae lands. I helped her into the van after she said goodbye to her friends and told them to call her to keep in touch. I was glad she had friends still, even after mating with a troll like me. After Elbio and Forrest were in the back of the van, I closed the door and went to the driver’s side. I hadn’t seen Carmen’s father after we left the Alpha’s office. That was good for him because I wouldn’t let him try to take her or talk to her again. Maybe he would come around to the idea, but I didn’t expect it any time soon and I would be suspicious if it did happen soon. He wouldn’t be able to trick me. Trolls weren’t as dumb as the human stories made us out to be. We stopped at a light after leaving the pack lands when I took Carmen’s hand and squeezed it gently. She smiled at me. This was perfect. My mate and my two best friends were with me. Forrest decided I was fair game again for messing with. He let me have a fair amount of time, I suppose. He leaned forward in the back and tapped my shoulder. I looked back in the mirror to see him smirking. “So, Rock, when are you taking Carmen to meet your mom?” Forrest asked. Carmen turned to me when I pulled my hand back to try to hit my ‘best friend’. “Well?” she asked. “I’m going to kill you, Forrest.”“Now who has rocks for brains?” Elbio scoffed. “That’s a conversation for another time, Carmen. Let’s just spend some time settling in. I think that would be for the best,” I said. She scowled at me. “We’ll definitely be talking about this later.” It was absolutely not time to start piling on stressors. She needed time to get comfortable before I introduced her to my family. Plus, I didn’t know how my mother would take me being mated to a werewolf. Not that my mother was prejudiced. She was a free-thinking troll and didn’t believe that people shouldn’t mate outside their species or anything. But it was one thing to talk about it and a different one to actually have someone you care about in that situation. When we got back to the house, I sent Carmen to sit on the couch while we carried everything into the house. It was a job better suited to people who could carry a lot and who didn’t need multiple trips. We could carry five or six boxes at a time. We were careful with them, too, since I didn’t know what was in each of them. Some boxes were labeled with ‘books’, ‘decorations’, and things like that. Forrest and Elbio left soon after, citing that they wanted to go home and enjoy the quiet for a while. I organized Carmen’s boxes, then brought her into the bedroom to put things away. “The other half of the closet is empty. There is a bar that is very high and another that is lower and should be just above your head. There are two sets of three drawers in the middle with a low shelf that should be waist-high on you,” I told her, describing the closet as best I could. “The boxes labeled clothes and other boxes that were about the same in weight are stacked outside the closet door. I can go put your bathroom stuff away if you want.” “Yes, please. Let me know where you put it all, so I know where to find it,” she replied. Carmen and I got to work putting things away. I checked in with her a little and she was doing fine. They hadn’t taken her hangers out of her hung clothing. I took the box of books and put them on low empty shelves out on my bookcase. We worked in silence for a while. I kept an eye on Carmen, making sure she was okay. She seemed to be doing alright, though she did have a few quiet moments where she would just stop and stare off into space. I didn’t say anything, just gave her the time she needed.As we continued working, I noticed that Carmen was starting to get more and more emotional. Her eyes began filling with tears as she worked, and I could see her trembling slightly.At first, I didn’t know what to do. I felt helpless watching her struggle with her emotions and not being able to do anything about it. But eventually, I decided to just sit down next to her and put my arm around her. She let out a quiet sob and then buried her head in my shoulder as the tears spilled down her cheeks.I held her close, offering my support and love in that moment. She was still working through all of the changes that had happened in her life since we first met. It seemed like she was surprised by how much her father hated my people. But deep down, I knew that she would get through this. Together, we would be able to weather any storm and overcome anything that came our way. And no matter what happened, I would always be there for her, ready to offer a comforting embrace or a helping hand whenever she needed it.“I’m sorry, Rock. I didn’t know he was like that. I never would have guessed that my father hated fae,” Carmen whispered. “Don’t worry, little wolf. You’re my mate, not your father. I’m here for you if you need anything, you know that.” She nodded. “This was the right thing for me, right? I shouldn’t have tried to patch things up more?” “No. He needs time to understand that going against the goddess isn’t a good idea. The goddess picked you for me and me for you. She’s never wrong. Maybe this is what your father needs to learn about how to accept the fae,” I suggested. “You think he’s going to learn to love you?” “He fuсking better if he wants to be in your life because wherever you are, I am. I’m never leaving you alone. You’re stuck with me now.” She gave a sniffling giggle. “It figures I get the clingy troll.” I laughed. “Yes, the most annoying troll in the whole of the fae lands, that’s me. Too bad you love me too much to ever give me up.” Carmen nodded. “It is too bad. Thank you for loving me, Rock. I was so scared of being rejected again. I loved you from the moment I heard your voice.” “I know, you told me that. Do you want to spend the rest of the day on the closet floor, or should we go have some dinner? I premade a lot of food so we wouldn’t have to cook much once we got home,” I offered. “I say I love you and you reply with that?” She scoffed. “Maybe I don’t love you as much as I thought.”“I need to feed you before I can eat you, little wolf.” I leaned in close to her ear. “Is that any way to speak to your Alpha?” Carmen shivered. “No, Alpha.” “Dinner?” “Yes, Alpha.” “Good.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I love you, too, Carmen.”