Amanda sighed as she rolled her eyes at Hudson.
“Look, I’m serious. When you are shifting for the first time, you will want your family to be there to help you.”
She knew he had a point. But there was something that was holding her back from talking to Ruby about her birth parents and that she was her aunt.
“I know, you’re right. I need to have a talk with Ruby.”
“Well, I’m glad you said that ’cause look where we just happened to be coming up to,” Hudson told her.
Amanda looked up and saw that Ruby’s cafe Just a Sip was right in front of us. Amanda looked around, how did they? How did they get here so quickly?
“Hudson? How did we get…” She started to ask as she was trying to stop herself from walking closer to the cafe door.
Traitors. She thought to herself.
Hudson got in front of her and lifted her chin so she was looking at him in the eyes.
“Listen, there are a lot of things that you are still trying to figure out, don’t you think this might be an easier one to knock out and might make you feel a lot better?”
Amanda could feel the tears burning her eyes.
“I don’t know if… I can’t….” she couldn’t get the right words out to explain how she was feeling.
“Hey, I’m right here. I’m not letting you do this alone. I’ll be right there with you the whole time. You don’t have to do this by yourself.”
A wave of relief flew right through her.
“Really?”
Hudson smiled and then kissed his mate on the forehead.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Ruby was wiping the front counter when she heard the door chime, and she looked up to see Tabitha and Marco walk into her cafe.
“Hey guys, how’s it going ?” She started to ask, but as they walked closer, she could see the scratches and dirt that were on them.
“What happened to you guys?” She asked.
Tabitha and Marco both looked at each other and then back at Ruby.
“It’s a long story. Can we get something to eat and drink? We’re starving.” Tabitha asked her.
Ruby nodded quickly as she got back around the counter and started pulling different items out from behind the display.
“What would you like to drink?”
“A chai tea sounds good,” Tabitha answered.
“Marco?”
“A water for me is all, thank you.”
Ruby nodded as she turned and started to make the chai tea and then grabbed a bottle of water for Marco.
“Why don’t you two find a place to sit, and I will bring everything over to you.” She told them as she continued to get their items ready.
She heard the door ring again.
“I’m sorry, dear, but we are closing early tonight.” She said while she had her back turned to the customer.
“Even for me?” Amanda asked her.
Ruby turned around quickly when she heard the voice she had wanted to hear for weeks now.
Amanda and Hudson stood quietly at the door to the cafe. Hudson turned the lock on the door and spun the sign to close for any new customers. He squeezed Amanda’s hand before he walked over to where Tabitha and Marco were seated.
Amanda nodded.
She knew he wasn’t leaving her to deal with this by herself. He was just giving her the space she needed to talk with Ruby.
“Hi,” Amanda said in a soft tone.
“Amanda, you look hurt. Are you okay?” Ruby asked as she walked around the counter and toward her niece.
“There was an incident. Someone had tried to run us off the road, and we ended up going down a ravine.” She explained as she continued to stand at the door.
Ruby covered her mouth as she continued to walk slowly toward Amanda.
“We’re all okay, my wolf was able to protect us from the crash.” She said sullenly.
“I’m glad she was able to help protect you all.”
Amanda could feel the tears start to threaten to fall.
“It’s just hard, you know? After learning that my parents weren’t my real parents and that I was actually born part wolf and part witch. Which I guess is unheard of in the world we all live in. I’m just so confused, and I don’t have my real parents here to help me with any of this. I’m just so scared,” she choked out.
Ruby quickly pulled Amanda into her arms and hugged her.
“You have me, I’m here for you.”
Amanda let the tears fall as she held onto Ruby.
“Promise?”
Ruby pulled her back and cupped Amanda’s face in her hands.
“I promise. I’ll do my best to find the answers you need. And I’m sure Zachary or Vita will help us with any questions you have about your magic,” Ruby told her.
Amanda smiled as she nodded her head. She wiped her face trying to rid the last bit of tears that had fallen. Tabitha walked up to them at that moment.
“Hey, why don’t we go into the bathroom and get you freshened up,” she offered.
Tabitha linked her arm to Amanda’s and pulled her into the restroom.
Hudson walked up to the counter to help grab the order.
“Hudson, thank you,” Ruby said to him as she handed him a drink.
He looked up at Ruby and shrugged.
“I didn’t do much. This was the closest place from where we had been walking to get something to eat and drink.”
Ruby lifted an eyebrow as she continued to stare at him.
Hudson chuckled.
“Besides, it was time that you two needed to talk. She’s going to need you when the full moon comes.”
“She hasn’t shifted yet?” Ruby asked with an eyebrow raised.
Hudson shook his head.
Ruby let out a sigh.
“Do you think it’s her magical side that stops her from her wolf being able to shift?”
Hudson just shrugged.
“She doesn’t remember killing the Lycan King. she only gets flashbacks in her dreams and then wakes up screaming.”
“She’s having trouble connecting with her wolf,” Ruby said softly as she thought out loud. “I mean, it does take time to build a relationship with your wolf when you’re younger. I guess I just assumed since she was eighteen and the way her wolf took over to save you and everyone else, I thought maybe the bond would grow quicker.”
“As did I, but the fact that she blacks out completely when her wolf takes over, it just doesn’t make sense,” he confided.
Ruby continued to ponder on the subject.
“I’ll talk with Zachary and see if he can find anything about this. We are in unchartered territory with this. Have you talked with your parents at all about researching any other hybrids in the packs?”
Hudson nodded.
“So far, they’ve found nothing,” he said with a sigh.
Hudson ran his hand through his hair. He wanted to help his mate; he just didn’t know how.
He could feel the frustration slowly build inside him.
Mated to my Bully