Page 21 of A Luna's Revenge (Stone Mountain Shifters)

Charlie

"Knock, knock! How's my patient today?" Dr. Emily Sutton calls out as she enters the room. Nurse Reynold is trailing behind her.

"I am feeling much better today." I smile, caressing Xyran's cheek with my finger as he nurses. We've been here a couple of days due to Xyran's fragile condition when he was born. He has improved dramatically, but there have been some issues with his heart rate dropping a few times.

Jenson has had to meet with Alpha Commander or another Alpha a few times, but other than that, he has stayed by my side, helping with Xyran.

"We have identified the issue causing Xyran's heart rate to drop suddenly." Dr. Sutton claps her hands. "Xyran's heart rate issues always occur when Alpha Jenson is gone."

I gasp. She's right. Every episode has occurred right after Jenson has left for a meeting and continues until Jenson returns. Why didn’t I notice this before? I look at Jenson, and I can see he realizes it, too.

"Studies have shown that wolf pups are highly intelligent and are susceptible to outside stimuli in utero, especially that of their sire. We feel like the issue may be that Xyran didn't get that nurturing from his father that he needed, and when he did hear Alpha Jenson, as we all know, it brought him back from the brink of death. Compounded by the fact that Xyran's father is an Alpha."

"That's all well and fine, but what exactly are you trying to tell us?" Jenson demands.

"In a nutshell, Xyran has formed a powerful bond with you, Alpha, in a very short time. He probably feels the loss when you leave." Dr. Emily tries to explain. "We don't know enough about this anomaly to adequately diagnose, but it's as if Xyran becomes depressed when you leave, Alpha and his health suffers. Sort of like separation anxiety."

As the words sink in, I begin to cry. "My having left Jenson and stayed away has caused my pup's health to be adversely impacted."

"No!" Jenson interjects. "I'm not letting you take this all on yourself, Charlie. I mishandled things, and you felt you had no choice."

"Let me finish here, and we will leave you all to discuss that further. But blame is unhelpful at this point." Dr. Emily interrupts. "It will probably be something he’ll outgrow as he is nurtured. There is no need for medical intervention, but we will schedule regular checkups to monitor his progress.

“In the meantime, Alpha, you must stay close to him. When you need to leave for any reason, tell him where you are going and reassure him that you are returning. This may sound silly to some, but our young pups are more perceptive and intelligent than we give them credit for."

"Okay, Dr. Emily." Jenson agrees.

"Do either of you have any questions?"

"Not at this time, but I am sure I will once I process everything," I say, rubbing my temples in an attempt to clear the ringing in my ears.

"We are going to release you now. When the paperwork is complete, Nurse Reynold will come in for you to sign." Dr. Emily waves breezily as she exits. "You all take care!"

While Nurse Reynold is gone to prepare the releases, Jenson and I stare at each other.

"What now?" I ask Jenson.

"Charlie, I think you know how I feel." I get down on one knee beside her bed. "I’ve always loved you and only you."

"Jenson, I’ve never doubted your love. But love is not enough." I reiterate. "If I didn't make myself clear, I want—no, I NEED open communication. Our relationship can't breathe or survive without honesty. You have broken my trust."

Jenson takes my hand, and I let him. "I promise you, Charlie, that I will earn your trust back. I will never put our marriage in a compromising position again. I will tell you everything that ever happens to me in the future, no matter how humiliating or embarrassing. Just be open to reconciliation, and I won't push for anything else."

"Well, we don't have any choice but to stay together right now anyway. Xyran needs you." I whisper. "I needed you too, but you failed me."

"Never again until my dying breath, I promise. I will be there when you need me." Jenson whispers back. "And, as you may know, I am working with a task force to eliminate outside interference in mate bonds. Mates still have the option to part ways if the relationship is not working, but outside tampering will be illegal. Also, future gatherings, conferences, and meetings will be closely policed to ensure that no one else becomes a victim."

"That's wonderful, Jenson. I don't want anyone else to go through the pain I’ve suffered these last few months. Let's take our son home. Can you get someone to pack up my place?"

"I will have it taken care of now." He taps out a message to someone. "Address?" He asks, handing the phone over to me. I type out my address and hand it back. He nods. "It will be done."

Jenson

I send a few extra texts to some of the wolves in my pack. I have some surprises for Charlie that I hope she’ll like. I’ve instructed Beta Ben to have the pack throw together an impromptu welcome home party. That was already in the works; we were just waiting for confirmation. I did not know if Charlie would come home with me.

After being released, I load Charlie and Xyran in my Escalade SUV and head home. It doesn't take too long to cross into the familiar pack lands. As we pull up into the parking lot of the pack house, I gently shake Charlie awake. "We are here, Love."

Charlie sits up and takes her seatbelt off. Sleepily straightening her clothing, she hops out of the car and moves to the back to remove Xyran from his car seat. I step up and grab the diaper bag.

Charlie

As we walk through the door, we are greeted by nearly the entire pack, who have come out to celebrate my return and Xyran's birth. Reggie is the first to come up and hug me. "So good to see you back, Charlie. Your pup is beautiful."

"Thanks, Reggie."

"I want to apologize on behalf of the pack for what happened before you left. No one understood the situation at that time. But after that other female was arrested for mate bond tampering, word got out." He dropped his eyes.

"It's fine, Reggie. I had no idea what was going on, either. We were all in the dark and shocked. But I am glad to be back."

He played with Xyran's fingers and cooed at him. The one good thing about our wolf immune systems is that we are hardy. It's not only safe for our pups to be exposed to others after birthbut also beneficial. We are pack animals, so we like to bond with each other. Xyran was reveling in the attention.

After Reggie, the ladies that had gathered around Tracy Vincent came up to me next. "Luna, we want you to know we didn't desert you to that other female. We were assigned to covertly guard her and keep her from leaving until after all investigations were completed. We are sorry if our duties at that time hurt you in any way."

"Don't worry about it any longer. The fault isn't with you all." I reassure them. "Jenson should have communicated with me, but he kept me in the dark."

They all gasped and shook their heads, mumbling about stupid males.

"There never was anything going on between them," I add.

"Oh, we know that now." a tiny but tough female was quick to interject. "It’s all public knowledge due to the prosecution she’ll eventually face. It’s in the records."

"You are the one that suffered, Luna Charlie." another female enforcer reassured me. "Well, you and this precious pup." She crooned to Xyran. "Aren't you the cutest little pup!"

We spent the next hour showing Xyran off to everyone, but he decided he had had enough at that point. He began wailing pitifully and would not be soothed. "I think it's time we went up to get him fed and changed, then down for a nap," I tell Jenson.

"I agree, but I’ve another surprise for you." Grabbing Xyran and his diaper bag, Jenson nodded so I would follow him out the back door. As we started walking through the forest, Jenson is cuddling and bouncing Xyran. He gazes at his father intently, a serene look of contentment on his little face. The connection between them practically hums; it’s so magical.

As we approach "our meadow," a large house stands before us. "Jenson, what is this?" I ask.

"I built us a new house, Charlie," Jenson admits. "Even before I knew about Xyran, I wanted—no, I hoped you and I could mend our relationship. We need a fresh start, Charlie. Come inside, let me show you around."

The house is beautiful. It has a wrap-around porch with a set of swings in the corner. Lovely ceiling fans are placed throughout. Through the oak front door, we enter into an ample living space.

There is a seating area placed strategically around a massive fireplace. That will be nice on cold winter nights. Behind the seating area, a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows looks out into the forest to the right of the house. The windows are rolled back on tracks to expand the space onto a large deck.

A dining area is next, leading into a gorgeous kitchen and pantry. A main suite and three bedrooms are up the steps to the left of the living space on the second floor. Each bedroom has its ensuite bath.

The smaller bedroom next to the main is decorated as a nursery in blues and tans. "When was this built?" I eye Jenson suspiciously. "Was this nursery originally for Tracy's pup?"

"No, baby." Jenson strokes my back soothingly. "This was just another bedroom until a couple of days ago. I ordered all the furniture and decor for the nursery. Our parents pitched in to set everything up so our pup would have a nursery ready for him. The house has been here for months, but I've not lived here until now."

It's then that I feel safe enough to admire the nursery. Xyran's name is spelled out in large raised letters on the wall. Spread throughout the space are various toys, blankets, and anything a pup would need.

The closet and a chest are filled with infant clothing of various sizes, including a supply of diapers and wipes that will last at least a few months.

Matching overstuffed rocking chairs are nestled next to a bookshelf stocked with storybooks. The changing table is across from the baby bed.

It’s the perfect oasis for us to feed and nurture our pup. There is even a camera monitor in the corner of the ceiling, where we can watch our pup as he sleeps.

This room and this house make me feel safe and caredfor.

Jenson lays Xyran on the table to change his diaper and clothing. After putting him in a soft sleeper, he brought him to me in the rocking chair. Xyran latches on greedily as I place him on my breast. After a few minutes, he is full and asleep. I pull him from my breast and wipe his mouth.

Jenson lifts him to his shoulder, where he has placed a soft towel on which to burp him. Next, he gently kisses his head and lays him down for a nap.

"There is an app that connects to the camera system." Jenson shows me on his phone as we leave the nursery. He pulls it up and connects itto the camera in Xyran's room. "Give me your phone," he says. I watch Xyran sleeping on Jenson's phone while he loads the app on mine. He has thought of everything.

He leads me back down the stairs, where we find an older woman in the kitchen. Jenson stops and introduces us. "Charlie, you remember Selma Billings? She now works for us as a part-time nanny and housekeeper."

Selma is busy working at the island. "Hi, Alpha. Hi Luna. I am just prepping dinner and adding a few extra casseroles to the ones in the freezer." She leads me to the upright freezer that blends into the cabinetry and opens it to show me that it’s nearly full of homemade dinners. "Each one comes with a note detailing the contents, cooking time, and temp instructions. I hope it makes taking care of our Alpha Heir easier on you."

"Thank you, Selma!" I burst out as I hug her. "That is so sweet of you."

"Well, it’s my job to care for you guys." She pats my back as she hugs me. "I'll just pop this in to cook." She says, shoving a delicious-looking casserole in the oven. "And these in the freezer." She deposits a couple of foil-covered pans there. "I made a few different onesso that you can have another one tomorrow night. There are also a few breakfast ones as well."

"Thanks, Selma." Jenson interrupts. "I am going to take Charlie for a walk while you are here." He grabs my hand, pulling me out through the opening to the deck.

"I have a couple more surprises for you, my love." He beams, lifts me off my feet, and races down the steps with me in his arms. I look up just beyond our backyardandsee our meadow in the distance. I gasp. "Oh, Jenson. You didn't."

"Yes, I did, my darling. Yes, I did." He chuckles.