“My help? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either, but Jace didn’t explain what he meant,” Synthia said softly. “Jace said you would understand when you met them. Use your omega skills, Shelly.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best,” Shelly promised.
“You always do, Shelly Belle,” Synthia said, smiling when her little sister laughed softly at the use of the nickname she always used when it was just the two of them. “Just to give you warning, Jace also said he told the men that they could stay at the house.”
“Which house?”
“The old alpha house.”
“My house?” Shelly was horrified.
“Shelly, you have to trust that Jace knows what he’s doing.”
“Oh, crap,” Shelly muttered. “I don’t want anyone horning in on my place.”
“I think they need to be there,” Synthia offered.
“You do? Why?”
“I don’t know, really. It was just a feeling I got when I was talking to Jace. Give the guys a break, Shelly. Jace said they were good men.”
“Okay,” Shelly said, sighing softly.
“Have fun at your party.”
“I will.”
“Are you all set with a dress?”
“Martha made me a beautiful white dress with full sleeves that have red ribbons weaved through them,” Shelly said happily, her attention successfully averted from the worry of the two men who would be sharing her alpha house. “There’s the same red color at the bottom of the fitted sleeves from elbow to wrist. There’s red piping around the neckline. It’s really beautiful. I feel pretty in it.”
“I wish I could see it.”
“I’ll take pictures when it’s ready. Martha asked me to come over tonight for a final fitting. Afterward, I’m going to the old alpha home. I’m going to stay there for the rest of the week. It will be like a little vacation for me.”
“Sounds good,” Synthia said, laughing softly. “Go on and get your dress fitted. I’ll talk to you in a few days. Take care of yourself, Shelly Belle. I love you.”
“Love you. Bye, Syn. I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Shelly hung up the phone and grabbed for her overnight bag that was already packed. Leaving the house that she shared with Vera, she closed the door behind her and made her way to Martha Gregg’s home. She was looking forward to spending some time with the kind woman and her mates. It was a nice, big home at the edge of pack land. Shelly loved being there. It was always filled with laughter and love.
Martha was such a good mother. Her mates Silas and Grant were strong men who loved their children and Martha completely. There were so many times over the years that Shelly and Synthia had spent days and weeks in that home when Vera had been particularly mean. Shelly would be forever grateful to the kind family who had adopted her and her sister and had taught them by example what a real, loving family was.
“Are you ready to see how beautiful you are in that dress, little one?” Martha called to her from the front porch of her home.
“Absolutely,” Shelly said, laughing as she ran up the stairs to stand before the woman that she loved fiercely. She put down her overnight bag and hugged her tightly. “Thank you for making it for me, Martha.”
“You’re very welcome, honey. Come on in. Once I pin the hem on it and sew it secure, it’ll be finished.”
In just a matter of minutes, Shelly was standing on the top of the kitchen table, dressed in the Renaissance creation. Martha was sitting in a chair right in front of her, pinning the bottom of the dress and touching Shelly’s ankle when she wanted her to turn.
“You look beautiful, Shelly,” Grant said as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed for an apple from the wooden bowl on the counter.
“She does,” Silas agreed as he came up behind Martha and kissed the back of her neck lightly. “You did a wonderful job making her dress, Mate.”
Martha smiled as she looked up at her mate. “Thank you, Silas.” She looked over her shoulder at her daughter Janine as she walked into the kitchen and hesitated in the doorway. “Come on in, Janine. We need to hem your dress, too.”
“I don’t want to go,” Janine said angrily.
“Why not, honey?” Silas asked his twelve-year-old daughter, going over to her and gathering her within his arms to hug her lightly. “I think the blue dress your mother made for you is going to be beautiful on you. It’s the perfect color to match your pretty eyes.”
“Nothing will make me look beautiful,” Janine said, pushing out of her Poppa’s arms. “I’m a horrible person, remember?”
“Janine! Why would you say such a thing?” Martha asked, horrified by Janine’s words.
Janine turned and walked out of the kitchen, her blue eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t say it. You did,” she whispered to herself as she tugged on her long blonde hair and ran up the stairway to her bedroom.
“I’m worried about her,” Martha said to her mates as they watched their little girl leave the kitchen.
“She seems sad,” Shelly offered.
“She does, but we don’t know why,” Martha admitted.
“It breaks my heart to see my little girl hurting,” Grant said quietly. “I wish I could do something to help her, but I don’t understand what’s wrong.”
“Maybe I can try to talk to her,” Shelly suggested.
“Maybe,” Martha said softly. “I don’t know if you can get her to open up, Shelly. I hate that my baby is so sad. I wish she would tell me what’s wrong, but every time I try to talk to her, she clams up and refuses to talk.”
Shelly stepped down off the table to the chair beside it, glad when Grant immediately offered her his hand to steady her. She loved these people so much. Stepping down once more, she stood beside Martha as she sat in the chair and bent down to hug her gently.
“Sometimes kids make mistakes,” Shelly said softly. “Maybe Janine made a mistake.”
“I don’t know,” Martha whispered. “I just want my little girl back.”
Shelly turned and allowed Martha to unzip the beautiful creation that she couldn’t wait to wear to her party then walked to the bathroom down the hallway from the kitchen. Closing the door behind her, she slipped the dress off and carefully hung it on the hanger that was hanging from the shower rod.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help but sigh sadly. Janine’s emotions were weighing heavily in her heart. She had to help her. Pulling on her jeans and teal sweater with a cowl neck, she quickly left the bathroom and headed back into the kitchen. She handed Martha the dress then walked up the long staircase to the second floor. She could feel Janine’s sadness as she got closer to the young girl’s bedroom.
“Poppa, Daddy, please help me help her,” she whispered, drawing on her fathers’ omega abilities that they had passed on to her. Raising her hand, she knocked lightly on Janine’s bedroom door. “Janine? May I please come in, honey?”
“Go away!” Janine yelled out angrily.
“No, I don’t think so, Janine Gregg,” Shelly said firmly. “I’m going to stay right here until you open this damn door.”
“I’m going to tell Mom you’re swearing,” Janine called out.
Shelly couldn’t help but laugh softly at the threat. She knew Janine would never tattle on her. The younger girl had been her constant companion since Janine had been able to walk, always trailing along after Shelly no matter where she went or what she did. Shelly loved it. She always thought of Janine as her little sister. It was nice to play the big sister. Synthia had always watched over her, and Shelly loved watching over Janine. There was no way her little sister would ever tell Martha anything negative about her.
“If you tell Martha that I’m swearing, I’ll tell her that you’ve got boyfriends,” Shelly called through the closed door.
The door opened immediately to reveal the horrified look on Janine Gregg’s adorable face. Shelly couldn’t help but laugh softly
at her little sister’s expression.
“Shelly! Why would you say that? You know I don’t have boyfriends,” she whispered, her expressive blue eyes wide with shock.
“Not yet, you don’t,” Shelly said smugly, pushing her way into Janine’s bedroom and gripping her hand to drag her behind her.
Once the door was closed solidly behind them, she walked over to Janine’s bed and sat down on the plush comforter that Martha had quilted for her only daughter. It was made up of the most beautiful hues of pink and burgundy. She never let go of Janine’s hand as she turned sideways on the bed to face her.
“Okay. Give. What’s going on, Janine?”
Janine looked at her defiantly, clamping her mouth tightly shut and refusing to speak. There was determination in her eyes, but there was also sadness there, too.
“Tell me,” Shelly said softly. “I can feel your pain, honey. I’m worried about you. What happened?”
Janine shrugged her shoulders and looked down at their joined hands. She could feel the gentle love and caring coming from Shelly and was glad that she was there with her.
“Did someone hurt you?” Shelly prodded.
Janine nodded once.
“Who?”
Janine remained silent.
Shelly sighed in frustration. “Nina, please, honey. Let me help you.”
“No one can help me,” Janine whispered. “No one can love me.”
Shelly gathered Janine within her embrace and held the young girl tightly as she cried gut-wrenching tears. She did her best to use her omega abilities to give Janine every bit of comfort and love that she could. It broke her heart to feel Janine’s devastation. She didn’t understand why Janine felt the way she did, but she certainly could identify with it.
Didn’t her own mother tell Shelly time and time again that she was not someone anyone would ever want or love?
Chapter 7
Shelly walked quickly along the path beside the lake to the old alpha house, rolling her overnight bag behind her. She couldn’t wait to get to the home that she had loved forever. It was the one place that she felt safe. It had always been that way.
She remembered the night her fathers had taken her and her sister there to be watched over by Alpha William, Beta Michael, and Queen Clarice. That was the night that her fathers had died. It was also the night her Poppa had teased her about living in that house with her three bears. She had laughed then and had told him that she only wanted two wolves—just like her Poppa and Daddy.
“I wish I could find someone as wonderful as you,” she whispered to her fathers, her heart heavy with sadness and loneliness.
It had been a long and difficult three years living alone with Vera while Synthia had been away at college. She knew that her sister wasn’t ever going to return, and she was fine with that. She also knew that, in just a matter of days, she would ask Jace Beckett to take her away from Beckett land so she could be with her sister. Maybe someday they would return, but Shelly knew that if they did, it wouldn’t be to return to the woman who was their mother.
“Shelly, where are you going?”
Vera Moore’s grating voice cut through the calm of the night, making Shelly jump in fright. No matter how she tried to stay strong, she couldn’t help but admit to herself that Vera intimidated her. Hell, she more than intimidated her, she scared her. She had talked about it with Synthia, and they both thought that it was because of the coldness in Vera’s heart. Being omegas, both Synthia and Shelly were very attuned to people’s feelings and temperaments.
The people of Beckett’s pack family were good and kind people—except for Vera. It had always confused them that Vera had been allowed to stay after the deaths of Shelly and Synthia’s fathers. Martha had told them both that Alpha William and Beta Michael were protective of both her and her sister. They wouldn’t allow the girls to be taken from pack land. If they had forced Vera to leave, that’s what would have happened. William and Michael had made a promise to Kurt Brooks and Neil Lancaster and were determined to protect their little girls and see to their safety. Jace and Jackson had also taken that promise very seriously and had watched over both of them over the years.
She turned and faced Vera as the woman stepped forward into the patch of moonlight that lit the path. She looked angry. What else was new?
“I’m going to the old alpha house,” Shelly said calmly. “Jace asked me to stay there for the next two weeks.”
Okay, so maybe Jace hadn’t asked her to stay there for the next two weeks, but he had told her it was okay for her to stay there as long as she wanted. Vera didn’t have to know that.
“Why would he tell you that?” Vera asked, her eyes narrowing in disapproval.
“He asked me to keep it clean and stocked for the people he’s going to have living there,” Shelly explained, hoping Jace would back her in her lie. She surrounded herself with her omega powers to mask her scent from Vera so she wouldn’t be able to tell that she wasn’t being truthful. It was something that both she and Synthia had perfected over the years in order to protect themselves and the people who offered them love and help. It was the only way to ensure that Vera wouldn’t take out her anger on any of them.
“People will be living there? Who?” Vera demanded.
“I don’t know.” At least that was the truth. “Jace just asked me to stay there and be sure that everything was in order for them.”
She had to fight not to smile, saying a silent prayer of thanks to her fathers for passing on their omega powers to her. She always felt strong when she used them. It made her happy to know that she had been successful in keeping herself apart from Vera once again.
“I’ll do whatever Jace asks me to,” she said calmly.
“We’ll just see about that,” Vera said angrily.
“See about what, Vera?” Jace’s deep voice came out of the shadows, making both women turn at the sudden interruption to their conversation.
“Alpha, I didn’t know you were there,” Vera said quickly, looking down to hide the emotions that filled her eyes.
“Why would my being here have any bearing on how you speak to your daughter, Vera?” Jace asked calmly, stepping forward and filling the space with his presence.
Vera looked from Jace to Shelly, the anger twisting her mouth into the same expression that Shelly had often seen right before Vera lashed out at her. She knew a moment of real fear when she saw the promise of retribution in Vera’s cold eyes.
She felt Jace’s strong hand on her shoulder and soaked up the support that her alpha gave her. A sense of calm came over her. It was going to be okay. Whatever Vera had to give her, she could take. It was going to be the last time this woman ever touched her again. Once she left Vera tonight, Shelly would not return home until after her twenty-first birthday when she would only go home to gather her meager belongings and leave.
“I apologize, Alpha,” Vera began quickly. “I was just questioning why you would tell my daughter to live at the old alpha home for two weeks.”
“You question my instructions to your daughter? You dare to defy my wishes?” Jace asked, his blue eyes blazing with anger as he looked down at the woman who had caused such sadness in Shelly’s and Synthia’s lives.
His voice was calm, but the power of his position as alpha vibrated through both women. The instant glow of his eyes showed the golden intensity of his wolf. There was no question that his wolf was powerful.
“No, Alpha. Never. I questioned her honesty,” Vera hastened to answer.
“Your daughter is a good and honest woman, Vera,” Jace began, reaching out and touching Shelly’s cheek lightly. “You would do well to behave exactly as she does.”
Shelly blushed lightly, enjoying the compliment and the rush of support that Jace sent her through his touch. He was such a kind and caring man. He and Jackson were so good to her and Synthia, acting as the big brothers that they never had. As far as she was concerned, Jace and Jackson were her brothers, and she loved them so very much
.
“Thank you, Jace,” she said softly.
He nodded at her and smiled tenderly. “You are most welcome, Shelly,” he said gently. He turned to face Vera, crossing his arms across his massive chest. “Shelly will be living at the old alpha home for two weeks, possibly more. I haven’t decided yet. You will stay away from her and that home. Are we clear on this, Vera?”
Vera nodded quickly. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Shelly, there will be two visitors who will be staying in the home as well. I don’t want you to worry about them. They’re good people. I trust them. They will watch over the home and you.”
“Okay, Jace,” Shelly said without hesitation.
“Give them your support and your help,” Jace said firmly. “They are worthy of your friendship and caring.”
Shelly looked into Jace’s eyes and saw the golden color ease away to allow his natural blue color to return. She sensed his urgency to tell her something very important. He was trying to tell her that these people needed her. She could feel his worry for them. She wasn’t going to let him down.
“You can depend on me, Jace,” she said softly. “I promise to help as much as I can.”
“I have no doubt in my mind that you’re exactly what those two will need,” Jace said with conviction.
He tugged on Shelly’s long, dark hair gently, laughing softly at the instant smile that came to the young woman’s face. He knew that Max and Eli were going to be worthy mates for Shelly. He also knew that she was going to be exactly what the lonely wolf shifters needed. They had suffered much in hiding their triad partnership. They had also suffered physically at the hands of Randall.
She was going to be the goodness and light that both men needed and deserved in their lives. Mother Fate had shown him that they were Shelly’s destiny. He was glad that Shelly was going to be mated to such strong and caring men. They were going to be great additions to their pack.
Shelly's Forbidden Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 7