My Commander (Bewitched and Bewildered #1)

by Alanea Alder

  When she walked into the dining room for breakfast everyone looked at her in horror.

  "What are you doing out of bed?" Aiden jumped up.

  "I was hungry and wanted breakfast. Can't I have breakfast?" She asked confused.

  "Of course you can. Come sit next to me, dear. I don't think Aiden fully appreciates how strong women can be." Meryn sat between Adelaide and Aiden. She noticed that Aiden watched her very carefully. Maybe she had laid it on too thick last night.

  "I got you cake." Aiden leaned in and kissed her cheek.

  "I saw. I totally plan on eating it later."

  "Which one?"

  "All of them."

  "All?" Aiden asked.

  "Yup, I don't know how you knew I was craving chocolate, but I swear last night I would have killed for some."

  She saw Colton give Aiden a thumbs up. What on earth had they gotten into last night?

  "We can delay introducing you to the sewing circle if you're feeling unwell. As a shifter, I only get my cycle once a year, I can't imagine getting it every month." Adelaide shuddered.

  "It's not so bad when you get used to it." Marius set a full plate of eggs, bacon, toast and fried potatoes in front of her, she smiled her thanks.

  "You can't have been getting it for very long. You're barely in your childbearing years." Adelaide sounded confused.

  "I've been getting my cycle for about ... twenty two years now." Meryn took a huge bite of toast.

  "Twenty two years? How old are you Meryn?" Adelaide asked.

  "Thirty four. Why?"

  "That means you started your cycle at the age of twelve? Every month for the past twenty two years." Adelaide looked ill.

  "Yeah. So?"

  "Do humans have babies that young? You're practically babies yourselves at that age." Adelaide asked.

  Meryn shrugged. "Depends. Kids are having sex younger and younger these days. It's not unheard of to read about a twelve or thirteen year old having kids." Meryn carefully lifted her egg onto her toast. Her favorite part was biting into the yolk.

  "That's barbaric. These girls' fathers, do they seek retribution for their daughters?" Byron demanded.

  "Sometimes, sometimes the girls just get kicked out."

  "Kicked out. What do you mean?" Keelan asked, getting pulled into the conversation.

  "In some families if you do something like get pregnant young or come out as homosexual the parents kick them out of the house." Meryn explained. For all their paranormal worldly ways, she was discovering that Lycaonians were quite sheltered about the harsh truths outside their city.

  "But that means they have nowhere to go, right?" Ben asked.

  "Yup. If they're lucky they have another relative that can take them in, but too many times they end up homeless, and subject to the predators on the streets. Most end up addicted to drugs or forced into prostitution."

  "In Lycaonia, every child is cherished. I can't imagine abandoning your own child like that." Byron wrapped an arm around Adelaide. Meryn felt horrible for ruining everyone's breakfast. It was so commonplace to her, she didn't even think twice about discussing it.

  "Those are extreme cases. It's not too bad out there. I survived and I lost both of my parents. There are good people out there too." Meryn set her fork down suddenly wanting that chocolate cake.

  Aiden sensing her change in mood lifted her onto his lap. It was starting to feel natural to her to be there.

  "Would it hurt too much to discuss it?" Ben asked, sympathy in his eyes.

  "There's not much to tell. Both of my parents died in a car crash when I was five. After that I lived with my grandmother. She was strict, but pretty much left me alone. As long as there was food to eat, I was okay. She ended up passing away my senior year in high school. My guidance counselor let me move in with her for my last month of my senior year and the summer before I went to college. After that I survived off of scholarships, part time jobs and grants. I graduated college and started working. It didn't take me long to figure out I didn't like working for other people, especially since most of them were dumber than me, so I started my own internet security business and I've been doing that ever since. The End."

  "You've been alone since you were a teenager?" Colton asked. Meryn nodded, then thought about it.

  "Actually, since my parents died really. My grandmother didn't really talk to me much. The only nice thing she ever did for me was get me my library card."

  "Humans are amazing creatures aren't they?" Gavriel said, his tone full of amazement. Everyone nodded. Meryn blushed.

  Adelaide wiped her eyes, "You don't have to attend the sewing circle with me. I was thoughtless and never even considered your past." Meryn pushed down her momentary sense of relief. She couldn't let Adelaide down.

  "I don't mind. I'll just be real quiet in the corner. I'll meet everyone, that way no one can come back later and say I was being stuck up or thought I was better than them by not saying hello."

  "They would think that too. Oh dear, after the past couple days you've had, plus starting your cycle, I feel terrible about subjecting you to this." Adelaide twisted her fingers together.

  "Dear, if she says she can do it, she can, I think Meryn can do anything she sets her mind to." Byron pulled his mate's hands apart so she didn't hurt herself.

  "Damn skippy!" She paused and looked around. "I can bring my laptop right?"

  *****

  Meryn was in high school hell. Around her the ladies of Lycaonia tittered and giggled each complimenting the other ever so sweetly. Meryn felt like gagging.

  "I thought the dress you wore to Lady Rosethorn's fall tea was stunning. Did Laurel at Just Sew Sew do it up for you?"

  Meryn had of course promptly forgotten everyone's names, but in her mind she was calling the blonde lady speaking Horseface. The poor thing had the unfortunate luck to be born with a long face and a bray like laugh. Horseface was talking to a much stouter woman that Meryn had labeled Fruit Loop. She was round, smelled like lemons and was a bit loopy.

  "How are you liking Lycaonia dear? It must be hard keeping up with everything, being human and all." And there was Queen Bitch herself, Daphane Bowers. Ironically enough, the only one of the bunch that Meryn could stand was Daphane's sweet unassuming mommy-to-be daughter-in-law, Elise.

  "Nope, everything seems pretty easy to understand to me." Meryn shrugged. Daphane giggled. Meryn didn't know how old Daphane was, but where Adelaide could pull off a giggle this woman could not. She should have stopped like two hundred years ago.

  "Nonsense, of course you're confused, with only Adelaide here to guide you. You absolutely must come to us with any questions my dear, after all, that's what the Daughters of Lycaonia Sewing Circle was created for, to help lesser, more unfortunate individuals." She said it so sweetly that Meryn simply blinked for a moment.

  Did that heifer just refer to her as a lesser individual?

  "How generous of you. But of all people Adelaide is the perfect choice to help me learn about your world. She is, after all the Councilman's mate and my mother-in-law to be. She has been so patient and wonderful explaining things to me about what it will be like to run one of the most powerful houses in Lycaonia."

  She paused and sniffed dramatically. Meryn dabbed her at eyes with her tea napkin.

  "Now I finally know what it's like to have a mother." Sniffle again and someone cue the dramatic music.

  "You poor thing."

  "Alone in the world, can you imagine?"

  "Adelaide really is the sweetest, you couldn't ask for better my dear." Meryn nodded and accepted their sympathy.

  "Mothers really are special. I keep telling Elise, that she will be a wonderful mother. We've been planning the nursery for weeks, haven't we Elise?"

  Oh, oh someone played the baby card early.

  Meryn turned to Elise and in genuine sincerity congratulated her. "I'm so excited for you! I think you'll be an amazing mother. Do you decorate the nurseries using themes here in Lycaonia?" Meryn
asked.

  "Themes?" Elise's soft voice was barely heard.

  "Yup. Like Hello Kitty if it's a girl or a baseball theme if it's a boy."

  "Oh no. We don't have anything like that here. Just different colors. What would you recommend for a wolf shifter baby?" Elise asked, her eyes alight with curiosity.

  "Hmm. Nothing too scary. Maybe cartoon wolf pups with different colored bandanas around their necks." Meryn suggested.

  "That would be so adorable." Elise clasped her hands together.

  "No one in Lycaonia has that Elise, it would definitely be something new. Our announcement won't go out until later today, but my Eleanor is expecting. I bet she would like something like that too." The woman to Elise's right said her voice bashful.

  "I'm so excited for Ellie Lady Canter! Tell her I'll call her later." Elise radiated goodwill. Meryn was taken aback at the completely different personalities between Daphane and Elise.

  "Don't be ridiculous! Who has ever heard of decorating a nursery with cartoon characters? Preposterous. We're decorating in the traditional Lycaonian hues of blues and greens for boys. I'm positive she will have a son, a little boy just like my Donovan." Daphane interjected her tone slightly stern. Elise shut down right before Meryn's eyes. Meryn began to seriously get pissed off, she hated bullies more than anything else.

  "Elise I think you should be able to decorate your nursery any way you want to. It's your baby after all. I know you've probably been looking forward to this for a long time." Meryn guessed. Elise looked up gratitude in her eyes.

  "I would like something new and bright. I like the idea of cartoon pups. We could do bandanas in different colors so we could start right away. It wouldn't make a difference if I had a boy or a girl. I ..."

  "Elise, don't be silly. Look, you're getting too worked up. This is obviously upsetting for you." Daphane turned her gaze to Meryn. "Until you understand our customs a little better, it might be best for you not to interfere." Daphane's flinty gaze did not deter her. Meryn simply turned to Elise ignoring Daphane and gave the woman her back.

  "Or you could do wolf constellations racing across the ceiling. I've always thought that twinkly lights were soothing." Meryn turned her head so that only Elise saw her wink. Elise's eyes widened and she hid a smile behind her napkin.

  "Really! Elise!" Daphane protested.

  "Let the youngsters talk Daphane. I like hearing about new ideas, very stimulating." Lady Fairfax, the old, cranky looking woman spoke up for the first time. Meryn shied away from her at first, because she reminded her of her own grandmother, but she was rapidly becoming one of her favorite amongst the ladies.

  "Yes Daphane, Elise hasn't looked better in months." Horseface countered. Seeing that she was outnumbered Daphane backed down. But Meryn could tell something else was brewing.

  "So Adelaide, how does it feel to have one of your children finally mated? I have to say I was rather shocked to hear you had to cast a spell in order for your son to find a mate and a human at that." Daphane sipped her tea.

  Bitch said what? Okay gloves are coming off now.

  "Isn't it miraculous?" Meryn gushed. She clutched her throat in a sensational fashion. The ladies leaned forward instinctively.

  "Fate chose Adelaide to help so many warriors find mates. I mean, in all of the world she trusted her to channel her purpose through. Because of Adelaide, so many good men will find their mates and fulfill Fate's design. Only she could have come up with such a practical yet efficient plan. It's almost like Adelaide became one with the Divine." Meryn closed her eyes and heaved a dreamy sigh. She opened her eyes a crack to take a peep. She prayed that she hadn't gone too over the top with it. To her delight the women around her were weeping and staring at Adelaide in something close to reverence.

  "I always knew she was meant for great things."

  "Lady McKenzie you simply have to come to my luncheon I have planned next week!'

  "She was guided by the Divine!"

  "I've always known that House McKenzie was blessed." The excited voices of the women around her had Meryn turning her head to hide her grin.

  Check and mate bitch.

  "To think Fate herself worked through you Adelaide. How exciting!" Horseface was practically vibrating in her chair.

  Outside the faint sound of bells ringing signaled the top of the hour. Adelaide stood and everyone quieted immediately. She looked somewhat surprised at that.

  "Ladies, thank you so much for coming today to welcome my daughter to Lycaonia. Your presence here speaks volumes to your character. I hope that she has discovered as many friends amongst you as I have." The ladies all preened and clapped a round of applause.

  "Until next time." Adelaide nodded and one by one each woman stopped to speak to her.

  Elise made her way over to where Meryn was standing next to Adelaide and took both of her hands in hers.

  "Thank you, I won't forget your help today. I would like to talk to you again." Elise said shyly.

  "Sure. That'd be great, though I have to warn you, I'm really kind of awkward and have never really had a girlfriend before." Meryn confessed.

  "Me either. Not a true friend. I have a feeling that you would be a true friend Meryn McKenzie." Elise nodded and hurried to catch up to her mother-in-law who had been one of the first to leave.

  "Meryn McKenzie huh? Doesn't sound too bad." Meryn mused to herself. Adelaide walked the last woman out. When she returned to the drawing room, she was bubbling with laughter. She wrapped her arms around Meryn and practically tackled her to the sofa.

  "Became one with the Divine? Oh my goodness Meryn, I thought you said you didn't know how society women were." Adelaide and Meryn sat up breathing hard from all the laughter.

  "I said I didn't like it, I never said I wouldn't be any good at it."

  "You made an enemy today." Adelaide warned.

  Meryn shrugged. "I can live with that. It's a good thing this thing wrapped at three, I was two seconds away from throat punching that bitch. How can you stand her?" Meryn ground her teeth together.

  "Because she does do a lot of good work in the community. Her motives may not always be pure, but the end result is the same." Adelaide shrugged.

  "I liked Lady Fairfax, she seems like a cool, old lady."

  "I like her too. She is very direct and honest. I think maybe she liked you too. Her grandson owns a café in the city called The Jitterbug." Adelaide stood.

  "Sydney is her grandson? No wonder I liked her." Meryn mused, putting two and two together. They both had Fairfax as a last name.

  "Put your laptop away, dear. I can hear my son pacing in the kitchen. I can't wait to tell him how stupendous you were." Meryn blushed. She followed Adelaide to the kitchen. Aiden and his unit stood. They had been snacking on leftovers from the sewing circle's tea.

  "So how did it go?" Aiden held out a chair for her. For a second she felt disappointed he didn't scoop her up in his lap. She sat down and waved at Adelaide to fill them in.

  "Your mate, singlehandedly routed every attempt Daphane Bowers made to belittle her or me. In fact, she may have elevated me to a 'Divine' status." Adelaide smiled broadly.

  "I've always thought you were divine." Byron said coming up behind his mate and kissing her neck.

  "Oh Byron I wish you could have seen it. Meryn was absolutely perfect. When Daphane insinuated that the only way our son could find a mate was to cast a spell, Meryn turned it on her. She said that Fate chose me as a vessel to help so many warriors find their mates."

  Byron looked at Meryn. "That's actually a very solid theory."

  "Yup, it should also take the wind out of her sails in case she tries to revive that terrible rumor about Lady Adelaide using black magic to get pregnant." Meryn yawned. Adelaide and Byron looked at her in shock.

  "Where did you hear that old story from?"

  "I have my sources." Meryn boasted.

  Byron rubbed his chin. "Very good move Meryn. You're right. No one can resurrect that old tale to h
urt Adelaide anymore. Excellent maneuvering." Byron's approval made her sit up straighter.

  "My little politician. How is your condition?" Aiden asked softly.

  "Oh. My cramps? Better. I found an old bottle of Aleve at the bottom of my backpack. I'm doing great." Meryn fought the urge to jump into his lap. What in the hell was wrong with her? She felt jittery, like she couldn't sit still.

  "Aiden." Byron pointed to Meryn. Aiden's face broke out in a smile. Wordlessly, he lifted her out of her seat and into his lap. She let out a long sigh of relief and buried her face in his chest.

  "I didn't think it would affect her being human." Aiden murmured as he rubbed his cheek against her hair. Meryn felt like purring. When she realized what she was doing, she froze.

  "What's going on?" She pulled back to look up at Aiden.

  "That's the mating pull. It will get stronger and stronger the longer we're together." Aiden nuzzled her neck. Meryn turned to Adelaide and Byron.

  "How in the hell do you function?" She knew they had been together for a long time. Byron just laughed.

  "We're mated Meryn, that feeling like you just have to touch your mate never goes away, but it does get easier after you've been claimed." Adelaide explained.

  "Damn period!" Meryn snuggled down in Aiden's arms. Byron blushed and coughed.

  "On that note, I'll be in my study until dinner." He leaned down and kissed Adelaide before making his way to his office.

  "Why don't you take Meryn upstairs for a nap?" Adelaide suggested.

  "We're going to patrol around the house." Colton announced as he, Darian, Gavriel and Keelan stood.

  "I'll check in with you later." Aiden also stood with Meryn nestled in his arms. They gave a smart salute and filed out the back door. Aiden smiled at his mother and walked upstairs.

  "I could actually get used to being carried around like this."

  "I could get used to having you in my arms all the time too." Aiden said and carried her into their room.