Chapter 60
“Cole, I’m not mad or upset with you. This wasn’t exactly planned. I tend to follow my instincts when it comes to situations like this. When Lynnie came looking for me after she’s been uneasy all day I felt that allowing the two of you to lay together would help both of you in different ways. Lynnie, do you want to lay with Alpha Cole and help him with these shots?”
“Don’t force her alpha. I’ve already upset her enough.”
“There’s no force here Cole.”
“l’m sleepy.” Madilyn manages to talk through her yawn.
“Can you do something for me Madilyn?”
I’m shocked that he’s talking directly to her so soon.
“Sure,” she says, yawning again.
“Will you drink one of those protein drinks that’s in the fridge? You’re too young to not eat something.”
“Okay. Can I sleep with you?”
“It’s up to you and your dad.”
“I want to help you. Don’t be afraid of me.”
She climbs off my lap and finds the mini fridge in the room before coming back with a drink.
“Can you help me?”
She asks handing me the drink. I shake it quickly before opening it and taking a small gulp.
“Hey, that’s for me.”
She shrieks playfully as I hand her the drink.
I set her back up on the bed so they have a chance to get used to each other. She watches him closely as she drinks the chocolate protein drink. His eyes are closed but I can tell by the way he’s breathing that he’s nervous and trying hard to remain in control.
“Try to relax Cole. I’m allowing this to happen.”
He moves his hand into his hair. I can tell this is stressing him but there’s something about his behavior that is encouraging me to continue as I do believe this will help him.
“May I lay with you, Cole? I feel sleepy.”
“If you want to, sweetpea.”
He whispers as he’s still quite sedated and upset.
I watch as Madilyn moves closer to his chest, laying her head on his arm.
“May I touch you? I won’t ever hurt you. All I ever want is to protect you, care for you.”
“But why? I have mommy and daddy for that.”
“Because it’s something I’ve never had.”
I hear him whisper as I stand from my stool to get started on the medication he needs. I watch his interaction with her closely. He seems to have relaxed a little more now that I’m not so close though the trembling in his hand can easily be seen.
“It’s okay. I’m not scared. You’re shaking. Are you still scared?”
I can hear the concern in Madilyn’s tiny voice as Cole barely touches her hair.
“I’m sorry sweetpea. I promise it’s not you I’m afraid of. I can’t control the shaking but I’m usually good at hiding it when I’m not so sick.”
I come back to the bed towards his back carrying the spray we use on children when they need to receive multiple shots.
“Cole, I’m going to use a spray on your arm to reduce any pain you may feel from so many shots at one time.”
I explain as I shake the can. He whispers a quiet thank you as I use a large alcohol wipe to clean his arm before applying the spray. I pause after I’m finished, silently watching his actions. His movements are timid and slow. His body is stiff, nearly paralyzed in fear despite my permission for the two of them to be together. Yet the way he has positioned himself around her is inherently protective.
Too many times I’ve come across abused she-wolves hiding in the forest with their pup, their bruised bodies curled around the pup so that they take any blows that may rain down upon them.
I can hear Lilly in the link frantically asking if I had seen Madilyn. I calmly reassure her that Madilyn is with me and to come to the medical wing. I grab the steroid, pain medication and saline from the tray of medication and move to the opposite side of the bed.
“Madilyn, are you still awake?”
I run my hand gently through her hair. She whimpers softly as she curls herself even closer to Cole. I sit on the side of the bed near Madilyn’s feet, once again mesmerized by his actions. His eyes are now closed but his breathing is tense. He’s curled his body around her so his knees touch her toes and his face is near the top of her head. Her head lays on one arm that is curled around her touching her back while the other is in her hair, softly, rhythmically petting the strands on her shoulder.
I slip my hand gently into his, stopping his movements and pulling his left hand towards me. I clean the IV port and twist on the saline before pushing a couple milliliters in to verify the line is clear. He moves his arm uncomfortably out of mine as I’m certain he knows what’s coming next despite his sedated state.
Lilly comes charging into the room just as I hook the steroid to the port. I quickly leave the bed, intercepting her quietly about a foot from the bed and quickly use the link.
‘He’s out of the cycle and breathing normally but with me allowing this very simple interaction between him and Madilyn he’s quite stressed and can’t handle the wrath of a mama wolf. Talk to me, Lilly. What do you know?’
‘He’s going to hurt her. What are you thinking to allow her to lay with him?’
Lilly all but screams in my head.
‘I don’t believe the rumors.’
‘There’s always some truth to any rumor.’
‘When I talked with Jamison he told me a story of how his parents got hurt five years ago while Cole was living with them. He took charge and took care of him and his siblings, a one year old boy and three and five year old girls. He was terrified to wash them and insisted that Jamie be in the bathroom while he did. When his parents finally got home Cole was sleeping in the girls’ room with the boy on the floor with him. He flipped out and begged Jamie’s father to beat him for washing the kids.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with washing kids that can’t wash themselves.’ Lilly states quietly through the link.
‘He was eighteen when this happened and the pedophile rumor was already very strong in his pack.’
She pulls away from me and looks sadly into my eyes.
“It was already established at eighteen?” She whispers.
“To the point that Cole told Jon Jenkins that if he so much as thought he had been inappropriate with his children that he should beat him with the belt around his waist.”
I pause a moment as Lilly watches Cole return to subtly petting Madilyn’s hair. I turn so I’m behind Lilly, moving my head behind her’s so I could whisper.
“Even with me watching him, witnessing every move, he was terrified to touch her. He doesn’t have the behavior of a predator. He has the behavior of a father protecting his young.”
“He was branded at eighteen?”
It seems that she’s still trying to process such a terrible fate.
“Before he was eighteen. I think Jon’s training with Cole started a year before he moved in with the Jenkins. It was well established before then that he had an unusual relationship with some of the young girls in his pack. He’s constantly getting beaten for his relationship with them.”
“Then why hasn’t he stopped?”
“Lynnie asked the same thing. He refuses to stop protecting them. Which is the same body language that I’m seeing now with Lynnie.”
She nods her head slowly, I can feel that her body has relaxed with my explanation, my judgment of what I see of the young he-wolf.
“He needs your help. I was going to have Madilyn help coach him through the slow count but she’s finally fallen asleep and I don’t think he’d want her woken up to help him.”
“You want me to coach him?”
“I’d like you to interact with him, yes. How did you find out about the rumors?”
“Several omegas were still setting up lunch when the fight between Dallas and Jamison happened. They’ve been really hushed about it. Just talking among the kitchen staff.”
“But it won’t take long for it to infiltrate the rest of the pack. The trouble is, by not knowing how it started it will be difficult to convince anyone that they’re not true.”
“Are you completely convinced they are not true?”
“I’m neither. I’m giving him a chance to prove them wrong and I told him so when I allowed Lynnie to lay with him. I need to see, to know, who he really is.”