Mates: Revenge

Chapter 18

~Jayden~

My baby has been home for three days, and I have been at peace. She has been eating and keeping hydrated. The doctor gave Brooklyn the all-clear the other day and has determined there is no reason to worry about long-term damage. When it comes down to it, Melanie did an amazing job keeping Brooklyn healthy and safe even in her debilitated state. Speaking of Melanie, she is still out in the hospital. We have no idea when she will wake up, so it is just a waiting game.

Everyone has been ecstatic to have Brooklyn back. The pack members have been leaving gifts and well wishes for the past few days. My parents have been cooking all of her favorite foods and sitting with her. I have slowly been getting back to better health and even started some of my duties. Kehlani has left us to have a lot of time together, and she has been taking time to sit with Brooklyn and visit Melanie. I know I couldn’t have survived without Kehlani by my side, supporting me. I still owe her an apology, and now I owe her thanks. I just don’t know how to approach either one.

My other issue is Brooklyn. I’m beyond ecstatic that she is back and safe. She is my heart, and I don’t know if I could have survived without her. The issue is that…..Brooklyn is not the same. There is something really wrong with her, but I don’t know what it is. Brooklyn hasn’t spoken a word since she has been back. She smiles and nods at us, but no words have been spoken. Clearly, she experienced something devastating that has sent her into silence, but we don’t know what that may be. We only know that she is physically okay. I have asked the pack therapist to see her, but that isn’t yielding any results so far. She has told me to be patient, and I plan to, but I can’t ignore how worried I am.

I walk into Brooklyn’s room and see my mother sitting with her. Brooklyn is lying in bed and seems to be asleep. “How is she, mom?” Mom gives me a small smile.

“She’s okay. She is resting right now.” Mom gets out of the chair and walks towards me. She kisses me on the cheek. “She will get there, just give her time.” I nod to her and can feel the tears start to build up. As mom walks out of the room, I walk over and sit on Brooklyn’s bed. I caress her head a bit and lay down next to her. Wrapping her in my arms, I smile when she snuggles into my chest.

“I don’t know what happened to you, but I’m here, my love. I will do whatever it takes to get you better. I love you a billion skittles.” I let my eyes close, and I drift off into a dreamless sleep.

~Third Person~

Melanie and Brooklyn have been home for three days. Melanie has spent that time in the hospital. She has not woken up from her ordeal yet. The drugs she was given, along with the disconnect from her wolf, are making it hard for her to come back to reality. When she does return, she will have her guilt to deal with. She did all she could to keep Brooklyn safe while they were captured, but the fact that Brooklyn got captured in on her entirely. It is her job to keep Brooklyn safe, and she failed to do that. She should have known there was something not right with Daniel or, rather, Malachi pretending to be Daniel. How did she not sense that he was not her true mate? How was he able to trick both her wolf and herself? Kehlani and Jayden will never be able to forgive her for what happened to Brooklyn, and she can’t blame them. Her status as Gamma is lost, and she must come to terms with what that means when she finally awakens.

Brooklyn is traumatized. What she saw, she can’t unsee. She is a bit broken, and no one will be able to repair her. This could have a lasting impact on her as she gets older if she does not come to terms with what happened in front of her. Being kidnapped and held against your will is hard enough to deal with. If that were all that happened, Brooklyn might have dealt with it a bit better. Watching Malachi die in front of her and by her mother’s hands, no less. That is a lot to take in. Knowing that her mother is still out there and plans to hurt Kehlani, that is weighing heavily on the child’s mind and heart. She wants to tell everyone what happened and who is at fault. The problem is that Brooklyn can’t find her voice. The words are in her head but won’t come out of her mouth. She is starting to feel trapped in her own mind, and she doesn’t know how to break free. The only calmness she feels is when she is with her dad or with Kehlani. She knows that she has to break free soon, especially if she wants to keep her family safe. She just is unsure how to come back from what she has experienced.

~Stella~

It’s been three days since I killed Malachi and helped to set my child-free. Truth be told, I have no love for Melanie, and she could be dead for all I care. I just couldn’t sit back and let Malachi kill my child. I may not have been a mother to her, but allowing her to die that way would have been much, much worse.

When I left that place, I returned to where I had been staying. I picked up some needed items that I had already prepared so I could set out on my next journey. While Malachi was gone, working on his miserable plan, I was working on a plan of my own. Kehlani has to pay for what she did to me; how she destroyed my life. I have spent weeks and months trying to acquire the information I need to be able to enact my revenge.

I know where to find Kehlani now, and I don’t mean the packhouse. I have inquired into every bit of her life, and I plan to make sure that I take my time making her pay for what she has done. I don’t care about Jayden, and I won’t hurt Brooklyn. Kehlani needs to die. Maybe, this time, I can be the Luna I was meant to be. Once I eliminate Kehlani, Jayden will be all alone. Maybe I will give him the opportunity to have me again. That is a thought for another time. Right now, I need to focus on giving Kehlani exactly what she deserves.