Alexander as expected became more on edge when Melody said the girls were also going to a club. But once again, Melody was sure Alexander could send a body guard to follow her in and keep her safe. Clubs were public, full of people and she was going to be with a bunch of friends.
After a very long conversation with Guillermo where Melody could only hear Alexander ask question after question until with a resigned sigh he said it seemed safe enough. Melody was bouncing on her toes as she stepped over to kiss her giant mate. Baby steps. Now that she had better idea of exactly what was the start of his anxiety she thought that the more she proved to him that she was safe, that she could go out the better it would be. She shouldn't have let him restrict her movements so much, she realized looking back that she should have tried to still have some of her own life. But she was still young even now, and had less than a year to get used to the paranormal world before she was mated and pregnant. It had been slow for shifter's everyone swore. For human's it had been breakneck speed.
Friday morning Melody packed an extra bag for herself, she was going to go with Delia, right after Alexander met her at the school to pick up Ansley. Then she would be home, not too late and regale him with stories of her very first night out dancing with girlfriends. She was so excited and so happy as she danced and hummed as she moved through their morning routine.
He was watching her, happy and full of life with the warm open smile that only bloomed on her face when she was truly happy right to the center of her heart. As he watched her he felt his own heart get lighter, and he realised with a start that he had been holding her back. He couldn't move forward when that was all Melody ever wanted. She always wanted the next thing, was always moving forward. He vowed that he would try harder, for her, because she only knew how to try hard, and deserved a mate that did the same. He mind linked the receptionist at the counsellors office and requested an appointment today if possible. Only a moment later he was told he would be welcome at ten that morning.
Alexander walked over to Melody and wrapped her in his arms, engulfing her small frame under his large ones while he lavished her face and neck all over with kisses. Their children laughing from their highchairs at the table where they were eating breakfast. Melody and children were all laughing, together, it was music in his ears. They were happy, together and safe. He was doing everything he could, he just wished he believed that it would be enough. He had a starting point for his first session at least.
He watched as Melody herded James out the door to daycare, Ansley on her hip. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled at him, Ansley's smile exactly the same as her mother's beaming at him as well, while James skipped out the door and into the hall in his new light up sneakers that made him so happy. His family was perfect, he knew it. They were safe, and he was prepared this time if the Hyena's tried anything again.
Alexander had some free time this morning, time he used to devote to hunting down any trace of a hyena. But today he used it to clean the kitchen himself, enjoying turning the chaos around him into order again. While he was finishing washing the dishes from breakfast by hand, Guillermo sent a mind link to Alexander asking him to meet him in his office. For lack of a better word that is what the tech dungeon was known as in polite company. Alexander had over an hour until his new appointment, so he went to meet Guillermo.
It had been an unused storage room, near the dry pantry and other bulk storage rooms. Now the moment you walked into the faraday caged in room and lost all cell and outside wifi signal, you were in Guillermo's domain. Wires were neatly corded and stapled along the walls, powering and managing various server banks. He had a wall of no less than eighteen screens along one wall, with a desk filled with controls, and keyboards for all of them. Alexander was both relived and alarmed when he saw a figure he recognised, a beautiful chubby baby on her hip. It was a security camera looking into the door and front windows of the campus day care where his daughter was spending her day while Melody worked towards becoming an accountant.
He watched as Ansley reached towards the familiar daycare worker with a big smile on her face, as Melody kissed her goodbye and met up with a cute, curvy dark haired girl in the hall outside. Big smiles on both their faces. It made him smile, from Melody's description he assumed that must be Delia, and again his heart warmed as he watches his mate's face light up as the two started to talk to each other, faces animated, and hands moving as they spoke.
Watching her on the screen reminded him when they had first met. How he had watched her, wanted her from the moment she arrived. How it had hurt him when no one at their small highschool was fair to her. She had been so full of love and optimism and no one had ever given her a chance. It had been three years and she still had never had a chance to make friends of her own. He got one last glimpse of her happy face as she laughed with Delia, before they turned a corner and were out of sight.
"She's happy when she's with Delia" Guillermo said. No hint of what his emotions were. That was always the tricky thing with Guillermo, you never knew just what was going on in his brilliant mind.
"I'd never seen her, seen them together" Alexander was stammering, he knew he had been watching his mate a little too long. But Guillermo didn't follow normal social rules, maybe he wasn't judging.
"There's another girl, Minnie, they eat lunch together sometimes. They all look happy. Minnie and Delia are clean, Delia doesn't even drive enough to have a parking ticket to her name." Guillermo said, offering some information without being directly asked. Alexander knew Guillermo had a soft spot for Melody, any other wolf it would have been a problem. But Guillermo only wanted to protect Melody as much as Alexander did, with no ulterior motive except that Guillermo liked to fix broken things. Over the years Alexander had watched as Guillermo nursed birds with broken wings back to health over and over again thinking no one noticed his activities.
Alexander nodded, as he kept looking at the screens, wishing Melody was still there, but knowing she would be in her class now for at least another hour. "Why did you ask to meet me?" He asked. Being direct was always best with Guillermo.
"Club Red. It's definitely safe, but" For the first time, in the entire time Alexander had known Guillermo, the other man stuttered and seemed at a loss for words before he continued, voice strained and rushed, "It's a private sex club. Melody will be safer than anywhere in the city, no violence can be committed on the property thanks to an incantation, it has door men, security, surveillance, and lots of shifters and fae patrons. If Melody was going to go out anywhere, I can't think of a safer location."
Alexander froze, he had heard a lot of reassuring things. But the only thing he could focus on was that his mate was going out with a group of what were surely beautiful women to a sex club tonight. Now he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Jealousy. Flaring, bright and dark in his heart. Guillermo noticed Alexander flex his fists, "You can watch the main feeds from the club tonight if that would make you feel better." He offered. Showing a previously unknown level of empathy.
Alexander nodded, looking at his watch, realized he had been with Guillermo longer than he intended and bid his friend a hasty goodbye to start the uncomfortable process of learning to talk through his feelings.
Melody had a great day at school, she was aceing all her classes, she enjoyed her breaks with her daughter or Delia and Minnie. Because it was Friday, Minnie's girlfriend Rena was able to join them for a lunch break. For the third time this week, Melody felt instantly like she had met a friend. The only time she had ever felt this lucky was when Alexander had first made his feelings clear to her. Before the mate and wolf thing. When he had seen her, seen what was happening and was on her side when no one else was. Melody felt the same about Delia, Minnie and Rena. She had a feeling that things would be just as easy when she met Ruby. It was perfect. All Melody had ever wanted was just a couple friends she could be close with,
Minnie was a fun free spirit and was clearly madly in love with her more serious and focused partner Rena. Rena was a life long dancer and moved with such grace that it left Melody envious and feeling extra clumsy. And Delia, who seemed to know Melody's heart just as well as Alexander did, It was almost like Delia knew what she was feeling. She was a very empathetic friend, but together they were creating the perfect group where Melody felt at home and happy in a way she never had with girlfriends before.
Melody was so happy things were working out almost as well as she had dreamed, when she first decided she wanted to try school on campus. She had no idea of what was yet to come.
YOU ARE READING
Melody
Werewolf"Mels I think we should break up" David said to her, his voice flat, no emotion, as though he wasn't blowing up her entire world with his blunt words. "What?" Melody asked, her face had gone pale, she had heard the words he said the first time but s...
