Stronger by Ang Chris

Stronger Chapter 24 “Mother | know you think I'm being cruel but this is the-" “If you think I, as your mother will buy into that you're an imbecile,” | shut him down.

“Mama, | have to protect our people,” “You are protecting yourself, don’t lie,” | crossed my arms. “I know what drives you, the fear that has crawled up into your lungs,” “Annette is going to be my Luna I-” | held up my hand. “Annette is going to be your wife, you are destroying her,” | walked up to him and tilted his face to mine. “Your father cut you off, he walked away. Annette has seen the ugliest side of you, the side | thought you were better than and she’s stayed,” | nodded to him.

“But if you continue this | will send her to Georgia myself and | will sit beside her at her binding to a good man,” | knew that he would not like this but he needed to see.

He stood up pushing over his and growled “you will not take her away!” “Ohhh!” | laughed. “Look at that you care!” “Mom | am trying,” He slumped his shoulders.

“You are guarding yourself! | did not raise a coward!” | walk towards him. “Make the effort for her and you might be surprised by the acceptance you get in return,” “She is not something | understand how to approach,” he confessed.

“So instead you neglect her the way you were?” I close i x “Try Grayson and she will show you how,” | left my son to ponder the challenge | gave him, he was no coward with his life but his heart, he couldn't let a single soul inside.

“I cannot believe he was jealous of Matt!” Charlotte squealed at me.

“If Matt had a partner of his own I'm sure Grayson would not worry,” | rolled my eyes and continued twisting the barbed wire for the fence.

“Many women would kill for Matt how Grayson would think that you his soulmate would be one of them is clinically insane,” She huffed and nailed the wire to the fence in one big swing.

“Are you one of those women?” | teased her elbowing her side.

“Never!” she snorted.

“What you don’t want to be Mrs. O'Connell?” | kept poking.

“No, no | don’t think I could be with a wolf from our pack. | know them all too well | want someone who | would have to learn,” She toldblushing a little.

“Well I don’t know if you know but a bunch of single men tried to marryso | know a couple of guys,” | winked.

“No thank you!” she shook her head many times.

“Well, whoever you end up with will be the luckiest,” | smiled at her.

“Anna? Do you think you'll stay here?” Charlotte suddenly turned serious.

| stopped.

Should 1? He's givenno reason to trust he’ll change. | have always wanted a romance, and he is so distrusting.

“I don’t know...” If I left he would have no issue finding someone else. She could k*ss him, hold him, he would probably let her because he wouldn't love her.

“Luna!” Charlotte screeched, “Huh?” | looked down and | had squeezed the barbed wire thinking of him with another woman. My glove was now growing redder by the second.

“I'll go get the side by side and we'll go to delta Aarron right away,” she hopes up onto her feet and ran to our ride.

| didn’t even feel it. | got so angry at the thought of him with another woman | hurt myself.

2/7 *The pull for him is inevitable. | am desperate for his b*dy. | would kill for his smiles. All | am is for him.

How do | live knowing he can resist a sensation this strong all due to fear. How do | stand by him when this is where I'm 1. at.

.. Charlotte hurried over and snapped the wire from the spool her mouth emoting a tiny whine the entire time.

“Anna, con!” Charlotte helpedstand as my mind still whirled with her question.

“She doesn’t know this will be healed in matter of days.

104 *He has all the sabilities | do and he looks atso differently. You would think the soulmate bond would givea pardon into his life but it madeguilty before | had a chance to defend myself. * “It won't start to heal until we take it out,” she likes over at my hand as she drove. “Luna are you alright?” *| don’t think | am. * I'm standing on the edge and | can either fall knowing | will get hurt or pull back and save myself.

*Do | fall and be beside a known risk or do | pull away and never know? * “Was it a mistake to come? Should | leave? Should | stay? Could he overcthis fear and grow? “Con,” she opened my door forand usheredinto the clinic.

* “Luna, how did this happen?” Aarron met us at the door, guiding us to a private room through the prying eyes of the clinic.

“She got a flash of anger on her face | may have asked an insensitive question,” Charlotte looked atguiltily.

“No it’s not your fault,” | mumbled.

“Luna are you okay?” Aarron hadlay down and put my arm on a small exam table.

“I'm just...thinking,” | still felt far away hopeless in thought.

“What would you give for Grayson?” | turned to one of the men who knew my mate the best.

“I don’t. Did she hit her head?” he looked over at Charlotte.

“No!” Charlotte looked as though she was going to burst into tears and she paced and nipped at her nails. “1 don’t think,” “Would you give your life for him?” | continued.

“Luna? 1..1 would give my life for him even if he wasn’t my alpha,” he shook his head and pokedwith a needle. “You're gonna wanna be numbed,” “Thank you Aarron,” | looked up at the ceiling.

“What happened,” Elizabeth rushed into the room. “Luna are you alright? Charlotte | thought you were with her,” “We were just talking. | swear, | was with her and she just squeezed the wire | brought her here immediately,” she bit her finger and pleaded her case.

“She did nothing wrong. | lost a bit of control for a second,” | calmed Elizabeth down.

“Luna the alpha will not be happy,” Elizabeth cover to look at my hand as her husband detached the metal from my muscle.

“No he won't. She's fractured her pointer finger with the wire,” Aarron muttered.

“I will tell him what happened no one will be in trouble,” | assured them as | continued my blank stare at the ceiling.

“Luna he will not be happy with you,” Elizabeth corrected me.

“We have to talk anyways,” “Luna....what’s wrong?” Elizabeth cto my shoulder.

“Do you think Grayson is a good person? Not alpha, person,” “Luna,” She gave a warning tone. “I know he’s been difficult and he is not an easy person-" “But is he good?” The worry they all had now shone on her face as well. “He is | swear by the goddess,” she gaveher word.

“So I've been told,” | told myself.

4/7 “They all swore he was good, they would give their lives for him, the would fight for him. And here I sit bloody and frustrated.

“You won't need to set my finger it will be healed in a day or two,” | absentmindedly told Aarron.

“Yes Luna,” he nodded.

“Annette!” The door burst open and Grayson filled up the space with his presence.

“Alpha,” the two women spoke in unison and bowed their heads.

“Tellhow this happened,” his voice was low and sharp, but still not directed at me.

“I lost control and grabbed the wire,” | said aloud.

“Annette | find that very hard to believe,” “It’s not like I've been in a stable place,” | openly demolished him.

“Alpha | have to give her two stitches it’s very deep if you would refrain from arguing until I'm done,” Aarron spoke up as he grabbed the stitching and pliers.

| looked over as he pulled my skin and muscle back together avoiding looking at Grayson mulling over my choice in my head.

It was two stitches and it didn’t hurt at all. | didn’t think I'd need them but | think Aarron was trying to buy his alpha stime.

“All done, we will get out of your hair,” Aarron took off his gloves. “You cannot just leave Luna, | have sinstructions for you,” He nodded to me.

They all soundlessly shuffled out of the room an awkward air hanging around the group.

“Annette, you need to be careful this shouldn't have happened,” He started laying in on me.

“Everyone here would die for you,” | ignored his lecture. “They all tellyou're a good man, a strong alpha,” “Why does that not apply to me?” | looked over at him. My eyes glistened.

“An” “I know it’s not easy for you. Your mother toldhow your father had neglected you and then picked up and left,” | looked over at his face so set like stone trying to appear unfazed.

“You try so hard to be a strong man and protect everyone,” | shake my head at his facade.

“I don’t think I've handled this the best....” | sat up resting my hands on my lap.

“No,” He finally talked.

“Letfinish,” | calmly stated.

“I've been asking you to be what | want and to be fair you haven't been remotely kind. | don’t think I'm going to try and force this anymore...” “I'll do better, just don’t leave,” he stepped forward to me.

“I'm not leaving Grayson,” | looked up at him. “I'm not going anywhere ever.” “I don’t- I. Why?” He gawked, dropping his arms to his sides.

“I'm your soulmate. I'm yours, all of you, even the parts that aggravateendlessly and challenge my whole being,” | laugh. “I will stay forever,” He stood there stunned at my declaration. It felt like weeks passed by before he spoke.

“I don’t deserve you....” He knelt down in front of me. “.....I will try everyday to open up. I'm not saying | can give everything now-b-but | need to try. You deserve a mate who tries,” he shook his head.

“If we do this I'm giving you my heart, you have to protect it,” | reminded him.

He grabbed my hands slowly looking atas if to ask if it was okay.

“I vow to the goddess | will protect you, | will try,”