Jaded Hearts
Chapter 40

Taylor

“Are you and Kade alright now? Did he like his cake?”

“Yes! He didn’t get to eat any of the one I made for his birthday, so he was really happy to get this one,” Morgan replied with a smile.

“I took care of all the other goodies you made. Believe it or not, it’s really easy to get a bunch of wolves to take free delicious baked goods,” Alaia said.

The three of us were in her office, trying to figure out exactly what a Beta and Gamma female were responsible for doing. I honestly had no clue and hoped that she could fill us in.

“Okay, so your roles will be on the same level as your mates, but just on a less physical, more supportive level. Make sense?”

I quickly shook my head. “No, not at all.”

“Umm, alright. I’m the Luna, so my duties are on par with the Alpha’s. He does the majority of the work to keep things running, and I’m his support. He may want to host a party for visiting alphas to negotiate alliances and such, and it’s my job to make sure the party and all the guests are taken care of. I make running the pack as easy for him as possible.”

“Okay, we get that,” Morgan said, “but what do Kade and Matt do that require that type of support from us?”

“Well, Kade oversees the patrols and warriors. That’s his number one responsibility, and sometimes, he may need you to help with scheduling rotations. Also, since we have a large pack, he may not always be able to keep track of when certain members are injured and cannot train or fight. You’ll help with that. And when Xander and I are away, the two of you step up and keep things running smoothly.”

“And me? It seems like the two of you have everything covered.”

“Taylor, you’re a special case,” Alaia said with a smile.

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Matt’s role at the company is vital for the pack, so you being his assistant is perfect. And you’re in charge of the omega staff.”

“The whole staff? But why?”

“Because they need someone to make sure things don’t fall apart. Mrs. Dyson is the head omega and does most of the work, but more so as a supervisor. You’re their manager. Schedules and rotations are done by her, but pay disputes, internal gripes, or any problem of significance are on you to resolve. The house doesn’t run very well with unhappy workers.”

“I guess I can handle that. When do these duties start?”

“Once you’re made official members of the pack. It should’ve already been done, but everyone’s been so busy. We can do it tonight if you want. It’s just a quick five-minute ceremony in Xander’s office,” Alaia suggested.

I looked over to Morgan, who looked nervous, then took her hand and leaned towards her. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“I’m a werebear. Will the pack accept me?”

“There may be some hesitation amongst a few of them. Wolves haven’t always had the best relationship with bears, but it will be alright. I promise that once they see who you are and not what you are, they’ll come around,” Alaia said.

“Should we wait? At least until they get to know me some?”

“No. It won’t change anything. You’re still our Beta female; they can either accept it or leave.”

Alaia may be small, but she didn’t take s**t from anyone, no matter who they were. It was one of my favorite qualities of hers.

“Okay, so I guess we’re doing this tonight.”

* * *

Morgan

When Kade asked me if I’d bring down food for Tyson, I quickly agreed.

Yes, he was “Hades,” and I had no idea how many lives he had taken, but he was still my family, and I loved him.

“I’m coming down with you, and you need to stay outside the cell. Alright?”

“Not alright, Kade. I’m going in that cell and making sure he’s okay. Then I’m going to clean him up so that none of his wounds get infected. After that’s done, I’m going to sit and talk to him. You can come down if you want, but you won’t keep me away from my family, especially not when they need help.”

“Your family? Babe, he’s a hired killer. How many families has he destroyed because of his chosen profession?”

“I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care. He needs help, so I’m helping him. When I know he’s okay, I’ll try to figure all the rest out.”

He wasn’t talking me out of this. There was no way. I’d do anything for the people I loved, even stand against the love of my life if I needed to.

“If he does anything to hurt you, if he even looks at you wrong, I’ll kill him, Morgan. I won’t think twice about it.”

“That won’t happen. So, if you’re coming, let’s go. He’s probably starving.”

We stopped by the kitchen and grabbed the huge tray of food and a first aid kit. Kade was nice enough to carry the tray down the stairs while I followed behind, rummaging through the kit to make sure it had everything I needed. When I finally reached the cell, my hand flew to my mouth, and I couldn’t help the tears that fell.

He looked terrible. There were sickly looking yellow and purple bruises, and everything was swollen and puffy. It reminded me of all the times I would replace Taylor after Drew would flip out on her. I was so sick of seeing the people I cared about being hurt because of that f**k.

“Hey, Mo. I must really look like s**t if I made you cry. But don’t worry, I’ll be back to being pretty again in a day or two.”

He tried to laugh but quickly bent over and grabbed his side.

“Please open the cell, Kade. I need to help him.”

Kade looked at Tyson for a few moments before he set the tray down and unlocked the door. I rushed in to him and helped him sit on the bed, then went to work cleaning him up.

“You’re pretty good at this. I thought it was sunshine who was the pre-med student,” Tyson joked.

“She is, but unfortunately, I have far too much experience in this department.”

Tyson stared at the wall, but I could see the fury in his eyes. “You would fix her up afterwards?”

“Of course I would. Most of the time, she refused to go to the hospital because she knew they would call the police. She thought that she could help him, or that she could fix whatever it was she was doing wrong. The bones had already been broken many times over before I finally convinced her that she wasn’t the one in the wrong, and it was time to go.”

“I didn’t know, Morgan. I swear if I had known that he touched my sunshine like that, I would have never taken the job.”

“I know, Tyson. Now sit up,” I said as I began to tightly wrap his ribs to stabilize them.

“s**t, Mo! That’s too f*****g tight!” he yelled.

“Hey, watch your tone with her,” Kade warned.

“It’s alright, babe. Tyson’s always been a whiner. Haven’t you, cuz?”

I tied the end of the wrap in a sharp knot, making him roar at the sensation. Kade looked like he was ready to draw b***d, so I jumped in front of him.

“Calm down. Everything is fine, okay?”

“He needs to be calm, not me. Him!”

I spun back to Tyson, who was holding his ribs and trying to catch his breath. “Tyson, are you done having your tantrum now?”

“K**s my a*s, Mo. That s**t hurt like hell, and it doesn’t help matters that your little friend back there probably broke a few more ribs when he punched me a while ago.”

“You hit him?”

“My hand slipped while taking off his chains. He’s a prisoner of Blue Moon first, and your cousin second,” Kade said as he walked out and got the tray of food. A few seconds later, he brought it in the cell and sat it on the table before turning to Tyson.

“I hope you enjoy it. We made this special for you.”

“f**k you, mutt.”

Kade laughed as he walked away. “No, thanks. Morgan already does that very, very well.”

Men were such idiots. “Okay, get out, Kade. Either go back upstairs or go sit at the end of the hall or something. Please.”

“Remember what I told you, sugar. I’ll be down the hall.”

When he finally left, I grabbed the food and brought it over to the bed. “I promise you no one did anything to the food. Kade was just being Kade.”

He lifted the dome and smiled at seeing the huge medium rare steak sitting next to loaded mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

“So, what’s the deal with you and him? Please tell me that it’s just a fling.”

“Taylor had me make a birthday cake for him, and as soon as he saw me, he knew I was his. It took a little more convincing on my part, but now I know that he was 100% right.”

He just shoved a piece of meat in his mouth and stared at me.

“And sunshine? Is it the same for her?”

“Yes, it’s the same for Taylor. Matt fixed her heart when it was shattered. He made her smile and laugh and become human again.”

“She shouldn’t be with a wolf. Neither of you should be. You need to be with your own kind, Mo, and Taylor belongs with me.”

“I didn’t know I had ‘my own kind’ until a couple of days ago. And you, my own family, refused to show me what being a bear even meant. Taylor’s right where she belongs. Let her go, Tyson.”

“Can you let the a*****e down the hall go? No, you can’t. So how can you expect me to just give up Taylor?”

“He’s my mate! Not just some guy I’m sleeping with; my mate! There’s no one on this earth who will ever be better for me than he is. That’s why I won’t give him up. You are not Taylor’s mate, Matt is.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Morgan. You don’t know how bears replace their partners; you never learned. But I’ll tell you this. I’ve known since the first day I met her that she was meant to be mine. I feel it, and I was drawn to her. It was magnetic, and she was forever engraved in my heart. She’s it for me.”

I felt bad for him. He wanted something that he would never have, and I hated it because I wanted him to be happy. But I needed to put a stop to his fantasy now before things went too far.

“She’s pregnant, Tyson. She’s pregnant, she’s engaged, and she’s a wolf. Matt turned her before they left for Italy. Then they got engaged and found out about the baby while they were there. She’s happy, so just let her be happy … please.”

Tyson’s head began to shake, and his eyes began to glow, setting off alarm bells in my mind. I stood up and took a few steps towards the cell door.

“That mutt turned my partner into a werewolf? And now she’s carrying his child?! She’s supposed to be mine; she is mine. The Mother Spirit told me so all those years ago. What the f**k is going on?!”

When he roared, it was loud enough that I had to slam my hands over my ears to protect my eardrums. Kade was by my side almost immediately, scooping me up and rushing out of the cell, locking it behind him.

Tyson was up and pacing back and forth, hands clenched in tight fists, breathing erratic, with eyes that looked like pure fire.

“What the hell happened, Morgan?”

I had never been more terrified in my life. Tyson roared again, even louder than the first time, and I just knew that this was it. I could feel Kade tensing and knew he was close to shifting. When Xander and Matt rushed down the stairs, a third and more painful roar burst from his chest.

Xander shifted as soon as he saw Tyson losing control, and I stood frozen in place. I was going to watch my cousin die all because I had broken his heart.

“Morgan, what happened?!” Matt asked.

Before I could respond, Kade shifted as well, making the tears fall uncontrollably.

“I told him the truth! He says that some Mother Spirit told him that Taylor was his partner. I told him that you were her mate, that she was pregnant, engaged, and a wolf. Then he lost it!”

Almost as if he was sensing his presence, Tyson whirled around and set his crazed gaze on Matt. “Tyson, you need to calm the hell down before someone gets hurt. You don’t want to do this,” Matt said, attempting to deescalate the situation.

It wasn’t working.

“What I want is you dead and what I was promised to me by my side.”

“You already knew she was mine, so what exactly is your f*****g problem?”

“You! You turned her!”

Tyson charged the cell doors, and it sounded like a truck hitting a brick wall. None of the guys even flinched, but I thought my heart was going to explode it was beating so hard. Kade sent me an urgent mindlink, and I turned to Morgan to pass it on.

“Morgan, Kade wants you to leave. Go upstairs and wait for him in your room. You shouldn’t see what’s about to happen.”

“I can’t leave him. Either of them,” I whispered.

“Don’t you f*****g talk to her. Don’t even look at her!”

Tyson charged the door again, even harder. When he backed up to do it a third time, I moved without thinking.

I launched myself at the bars as both he and Kade were rushing towards them. The impact was nothing I had ever experienced before and was too much for me or my body to handle. I slipped deep into unconsciousness, hoping that the men I loved hadn’t killed each other, or me.