Mates: Melanie's Warrior

~Melanie~ I stop and take a drink from my bottle. I just finished 30 laps as my warm-up. I’ve been training hard lately, preparing for the Warrior’s Battle. Winnie is as ready as I am to show up and show out. I haven’t participated in anything like this for years. When I was coming up and training, I had planned to be the top warrior. I always joined battles and competitions to prove my worth. I was always being boxed out as a warrior because I’m a woman. I used these events to show these small-minded men I was more than they thought. In some cases, I was more than what they were themselves. Kehlanie took notice of all that and offered me the Gamma position. The former Gamma had no children, so the spot was open to whoever could fill it. I never thought I’d be a ranked member. I was content with the idea of being a top warrior and protecting the pack. I’m grateful for the opportunity and all that has come from that. I head to the training area and start to stretch. It’s time to spar like I’ve been doing every day since I got the invitation. I was glad to open the envelope and see that the event had made it to our area. We’ve had a lot going on lately, and I would love nothing more than to bring some happiness to the pack. ▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞▞ I pile my plate high with food: pancakes, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns, fruit, and scrambled eggs. I need all the food I can get to have enough energy and replace what I just pushed out through training. I have a seat in my spot, and the table fills up in no time. “Hey, Melanie. How’s training going?” I swear I love Shanice. She is fun and sweet. I’m so glad that Jax found someone as amazing as her. “Training is going well. I’m ready for this battle and Winnie is too. Will you be in attendance?” Shanice looks at Jax and looks back at me. “We plan to be there, definitely. I’m actually looking forward to it.” “We won’t be there, though.” Kehlani is getting Kamila settled in her high chair, and Jayden is taking his seat. I’m not surprised to hear that they won’t be in attendance; that’s usually what happens. “We have to stay here and keep the pack going. I know you will kill it, though, so I’m not worried,” Kehlani says while she sits next to Jayden. Winnie whimpers in my mind, watching the two couples together. She wants to find our mate, but I’m not so sure. A couple of years ago, I thought I had found my mate. The bond wasn’t that strong, but there was something there. His name was Daniel, and he was not who I’d usually go for. I went through the process of trying to get to know him, trying to build our bond. I was kidnapped, by Daniel, because Daniel wasn’t Daniel. Daniel was actually a man named Malachi, and he was after me because he felt I had killed his child. I mean, I guess I did kill his child. I did so while protecting my Alpha so I could never feel bad. His mate hated my Alpha Kehlani and was determined to end her life. She came at her with a dagger in her hand. She approached her from the back, and I stood before her. I had no other choice but to strike first, and I did. I used my trusty sword to stab her, and I ended up killing her child. It was painful for a bit; I mean, who wants to kill an innocent child? That being said, I have to protect my Alphas at all costs, and that’s what I did. I was kidnapped and beaten once he told me who he really was. His plan was to kill me. Besides all of that, he caused my wolf to disappear, and I was lost. Even after I made it back home, Winnie was gone, and I had no way to find her or reach out to her. I thought I’d never get her back, which was hard to deal with. I left the pack in an attempt to come to terms and figure out how to still be me without Winnie. I ended up returning once I found out that both of my Alphas had been kidnapped. Thankfully, Winnie returned to me, and I’m me again. Dealing with all of that, I decided that fated mates were irrelevant. I think I’d be better off finding someone I like and falling in love with, and making them my chosen. The problem with that idea is Winnie strongly disagrees. As far as she’s concerned, we haven’t had the joy of finding our fated mates, and she wants that. She wants to find the one that the Moon Goddess has paired us with. This conversation has been a point of contention between Winnie and me, so I try to avoid it. “Melanie? What do you think?” I shake my head and look up at Kehlani. She’s waiting for me to answer, and all eyes are on me. “Uh…..think about what?” Jax looks at me, really looks at me. “Are you okay, Melanie? Is anything wrong?” I take a deep breath and crack my neck. “I’m fine, Jaxy. Promise.” A throat clears, and I turn my head to Jayden. “Kehlani and I were talking about having Brooklyn go to the tournament with you guys. It would be a good experience for her, and she should have fun.” I can feel my stomach twist, and my breath shortens. I close my eyes and swallow. I count in my head to ten before opening my eyes again. “A….are you ssssure?” Kehlani walks over to me and places her arms around me. “We told you, Melanie……what happened wasn’t your fault. We trust you with Brooklyn, always.” I can feel the tears gathering, but I don’t want them to fall. I forgot to mention that when I was kidnapped……Brooklyn was taken with me. Jaxy looks sad for me, and Shanice looks confused. Footsteps make me look up, and I see Brooklyn walking toward the table. Kehlani sits back down, and I close my eyes, willing my tears away. “Hey Brooky!” Brooklyn gives me a big hug before sitting next to me. She looks around the table but says nothing. I know she can feel the weight of emotions in the room, but she’ll never ask about it. She starts to eat, and we all follow suit.