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The Healing Souls
Baby Shower Part 1
Baby Shower Part 12803words
Update Time2024-11-01 09:40:37
[Carmen]The weekend with the seers went fairly well. They were lovely women and wanted to teach me everything they could in the time we had. I invited them to tag along on Mondays when Orella came over, but they didn’t think that would be a good idea. Once I had everything she wanted to teach me down, they would start teaching me other things. Part of having True Sight meant that I would have some seer abilities, but they had to be learned and practiced. I wouldn’t have them all. I didn’t have the healing touch they did, but I would be able to see what was festering in a person and causing them to be ill. When we returned home on Sunday afternoon, Gemma was quick to tell me Austin proposed. I was so happy for her, for both of them. They were a lot more lovey than they had been before, but Gemma privately told me they hadn’t had sex yet. Instead, they were angling for a January wedding and would wait until they were married. She felt that giving a date would help with both his anxiety about getting physical and her desire for it. Each day would put them a day closer. I got even more news on Monday when an invitation to a bonding ceremony was delivered with the mail. Dennis and Sybil were performing their ceremony the night after the Solstice. They wanted to invite us and I was thrilled about it. Rock couldn’t believe they were getting married so fast, but he wished them happiness. It felt like everyone was getting married around us and before us. Not that I was unhappy about deciding to wait for May. We were planning for a much larger ceremony than either of the other couples. They were in hurries for their own reason, but I already had Rock and we had completed our mate bond. It was enough for me. Within the next year, we were planning to try to have a pup. I wanted to be young enough that I could fully heal from the physical aspects of it. I didn’t know when the goddess would bless us with a second child, but we had a plan for our first one and I thought it was good. It would give us a year to just enjoy being together. With all that figured out, I happily went about the rest of my week. There was still no sign of my father. I hoped that he took whatever path it was that brought him back to us. He needed to accept that Rock was my mate and come back home. It was the Saturday after we returned from staying with the fae seers and we were getting ready for Beth’s baby shower. It was two hours in the pack lands and Austin was going. Gemma was excited to show him the pack. He seemed a little worried, but didn’t let that affect his decision. I thought it was very brave of him. He was willing to go to see a pack, even though he left a terrible one. Everyone would show him what I had been trying to tell him. Our pack was different. “Are you ready, Carmen?” Rock asked. “Just about. Can you carry the gifts to the car?” “I can. All of the other stuff was already delivered and set up. Why do you seem so nervous?” I laughed. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just that I want this to go smoothly. It’s the first time we’re seeing Aunt Cathy since that first family dinner that didn’t go great. I’m hoping she and Queenie don’t cause too many problems.” “Beth said that her uncle was going to be there and your Aunt is on her best behavior around Alphas. Plus, Trent will be there along with Ben. There will be more ranked wolves than she knows how to deal with. I don’t think she’ll be a problem, and if she is I’ll just eat her,” he joked.“She’ll probably upset your stomach if you do that,” I giggled. “Alright, I won’t eat the bitch, but I don’t want you to let her push at you. You tell her off if she starts acting up.” “I will. Are Gemma and Austin still here?” I asked. “They’re gone. They have to stop off so Austin can pick up something for Beth. It’s you and me, little wolf. Were you hoping to fool around instead of going, maybe?” “No, I think Beth will be sad if we don’t show up. I promised I wouldn’t miss family things just because I live in the fae lands now. Let’s go.” I heard Rock pick up the gifts and we headed out to put on our shoes and leave. On the drive to the pack lands, we talked about the social stuff we needed to attend this month. I would be going to the pack lands for the pack run on Moon’s Glow. My family celebrated Christmas and Rock’s mother was hosting a New Year’s Eve party. Rock always closed his company for the week between Christmas and New Year’s because no one wanted workers coming in and out of their houses, plus, there were holidays that his employees celebrated because of their various traditions and stuff. We were looking forward to a little time off without social obligations. I didn’t realize how much busier our winter would be over the summer. A break was just what we needed. Rock parked when we got to the packhouse. He helped me from the truck and grabbed the gifts before I wrapped my arms around one of his. I would save my seeing magic for when we were in there. The shower was being held in the Beta’s quarters, which had been my home for much of my childhood. As we arrived at Beth’s baby shower, we were greeted by the scent of freshly baked cookies and the sound of happy chatter. I wondered how many people had come to the baby shower. It sounded like a lot. We walked into the place that had been my home. I let my magic fill the room. It was packed with people who were sitting, standing, and leaning all over the place. I didn’t recognize most of them, but I had never seen most of my family, so that was understandable. Rock and I made our way through the crowd, I caught sight of two people who could only be my Aunt Cathy and Queenie. They were sitting together at a table, whispering to each other and casting disapproving glances our way. I could feel my heart rate quicken at the sight of them.I hoped they would behave themselves, but I didn’t know how realistic that was. We would ignore them until something made us have to acknowledge them. Instead, we put our gifts on the table and went to find Beth. She was sitting in an armchair with my brother leaning against it. He was doting on his wife and she looked like she was a little exasperated by it. Her hands rubbed over the bulge of her stomach and she nodded at something Mike said to her. “Carmen!” Beth exclaimed as soon as she saw me. Beth got up from her seat and pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back happily. I was almost as excited for the babies as Mike and Beth were. They were truly blessed by the goddess. I couldn’t wait to be an aunt. “I’m so glad you made it. I thought you might not. Gemma is taking Austin on a tour of the pack lands, because he got a little overwhelmed by all the people. I didn’t realize everyone would come when I invited them. I really thought some wouldn’t make it. Maybe I should have done this in the dining room of the packhouse instead of our quarters,” she chuckled. “I think it’s fine and it will ensure that no one gets too comfortable and wants to stick around after the shower is over.” “True.” “Is that little Carmen?” a vaguely familiar male voice asked. “It is, Uncle Zack,” Beth answered, pulling out of the hug. “Carmen, you remember my uncle, Alpha Zack Pullman. You two met at our wedding and again at the Beta ceremony. I think you were what, fourteen or fifteen the last time he saw you?” “Fifteen. It’s nice to meet you again, Alpha. This is my mate, Rock Beaumont.” I could hear them clasp hands and used my magic to see what was going on. Alpha Zack was smiling at Rock. I knew my mate was still using his glamour as a courtesy to Beth. He didn’t want to frighten any of her guests. “You’re an awfully big one, and your hand feels bigger than it looks.” “I’m half troll. My glamour makes me look smaller than I really am. It’s nice to meet you, Alpha,” Rock replied. “Yes, I heard about Alpha Trent’s treaty with the fae in the area. I was thinking of proposing one myself. We don’t have confirmation, but there are rumors of a fae settlement near my pack. What do you think of werewolves so far, Rock?” Rock grinned. “I think I’m quite fond of them, Alpha. They have a good sense of community and loyalty to their pack. And the fact that they’re always ready to protect their own is admirable.”“I couldn’t agree more,” Alpha Zack said, clapping Rock on the shoulder. “You’re a lucky man to have found your mate in our kind.”“I know I am,” Rock said, turning to me and taking my hand. “She’s a gem.”Alpha Zack chuckled. “Indeed she is. Well, I won’t keep you two from enjoying the shower. It was good to see you again, Carmen.”“You too, Alpha. I hope you have a good time on your visit to our pack.” He hugged Beth and wandered into the crowd. She shook her head. I knew it was hard to keep an Alpha’s attention when there wasn’t an emergency around. Having grown up in the packhouse meant the Alpha was practically part of our family. In fact, Alpha Landon was also making the rounds about the party. “I’m going to take Rock around and introduce him to people. Are you planning any games and stuff, or are there just too many people here?” I asked. “We might try a couple, but this place is really too crowded. There are snacks and drinks in the dining room. We’ll see you in a bit.” I took Rock’s arm and led him through the house. They had arranged the furniture differently when they took over the house, much to my mother and father’s dismay, but I learned where everything was. I took him to the dining room and we grabbed some drinks and a plate of snacks. While we were wandering around, I was able to introduce Rock to Beth’s parents, the ranked members of the pack who had been in power when I was a kid, their wives, Luna Lily, and Ben’s wife Darla. I took him over to where Trent was talking with Zack’s son Donovan. They were talking about the treaties with the vampires, witches, fae, and rogues. Donovan was interested in doing something like that when he became Alpha. They were talking about Donovan coming to visit for a month and observing Trent’s interactions with his new allies. At some point, Rock was pulled into a conversation with Aunt Naomi, Conrad’s wife, about the renovations she was planning for her kitchen. He was talking to her about her ideas and how he could get her materials at cost, plus a family discount, if she wanted to hire him to do the renovations. He was especially adamant that she meet with Viola for some design ideas. I wandered away and talked to a few other people. Gemma and Austin came back. He looked pretty happy. I was hoping they found a few omegas he could talk to who would tell him what life in the pack was like, but I didn’t get over to them before I was stopped by my cousin, Queenie. Everyone always told me how much she looked like me. Now that I could use magic to see, though not perfectly, I could see it for myself. She did look similar to the carving Rock made of my face. But I could see our differences. Her eyes were closer together and she had a narrower face, but she was still fairly similar to me. Anyone could tell we were related. I smiled at her I wouldn’t cause any problems at my sister-in-law’s baby shower. “Hi, Carmen,” she said. “Hey, Queenie. How are you and your mate? It’s been a few months. I hope things are going well,” I replied. “You know, it’s the usual difficulty of finding your mate before you’re legally an adult. We have time together, but it makes those times when we can’t be together harder. Oh, I suppose you don’t really know, though, do you?” I shrugged. “I didn’t claim Rock until a week after we met. I don’t know exactly what you are dealing with, but I can imagine.” Queenie nodded. “It’s tough, but we make it work. We’re planning on getting married as soon as we can, so we can be together all the time. But enough about me. How are things with you and Rock?”I smiled. “Things are great with us. We’re both really happy.”“You know, I never thought you would end up with something like a troll, but I’m glad you’re happy. I mean, he’s a perfect match for someone who can’t see. If my mate looked like that, I wouldn’t have been able to accept him. Since you’re blind, you don’t have to worry about how ugly he is.” I felt my cheeks flush with anger. “What’s that supposed to mean, Queenie?”She shrugged, not bothering to hide the smugness in her expression. “I’m just saying that you’re lucky you don’t have to worry about looks. It’s not like you could tell if he was handsome or not.”I took a deep breath, trying to control my temper. “That’s not true. Beauty is more than just physical appearance.”Queenie rolled her eyes. “Sure, Carmen, whatever you say. As long as you keep thinking you’re happy with that monster, who am I to question it?” I took a step closer to Queenie, feeling a flash of anger. “Rock is not a monster. He’s an incredibly talented craftsman, a loyal friend, and a kind-hearted individual. He’s always been there for me when I needed him, and he’s shown me more love and acceptance than anyone else in my life.”Queenie crossed her arms, looking at me skeptically. “That’s all fine and good, Carmen. But let’s face it he’s still a troll. It’s not like he can help how he looks.”“You know what, Queenie? I’m done with your ignorance and bigotry. Just because Rock looks different than us doesn’t mean he’s any less of a person. Your narrow-minded views are what’s truly ugly. I won’t stand here and let you insult the person I love.”Queenie’s eyes widened in shock at my outburst. “I...I didn’t mean to offend you, Carmen. I just don’t understand how you can love someone like him.”I shook my head, feeling a sense of sadness and disappointment wash over me. “Maybe that’s because you don’t think of anything but what looks good both on and off paper. I hope your mate never sees this ugly side of you, he might not be willing to look past your hideous personality for very long.” With that, I turned on my heel and strode away from Queenie, feeling the weight of her ignorance and prejudice bearing down on me. As I walked, I could feel Rock’s presence nearby, his aura a warm and comforting blanket that enveloped me in its loving embrace.I found him a few moments later, chatting with a group of family members and laughing loudly at something they were saying. When he saw me, his face lit up in a wide grin, and turned to me, enfolding me in his massive arms.“What’s wrong, love?” he asked, his voice deep and soothing. “You look upset.”“We can talk about it later. Are you having a good time?” “Yeah, but it’s better now that you’re here. I always have a good time when I’m with you.”I smiled, feeling the tension in my shoulders start to ease. “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”As the baby shower continued on around us, I leaned against Rock’s side, feeling safe and secure in his embrace. My mind wandered back to my argument with Queenie, and I couldn’t help but wonder how someone could be so closed-minded in this day and age.