Healing Cathy

by Kasey Belle

  “Yay! Uncle Paul! Look Jay and Luke, it’s Uncle Paul.” Emma Grace pointed excitedly, jumped down from her seat, and ran over to the large wolf. Cathy watched as the little girl who barely came up to Paul’s shoulder, hug him around the neck. Wolf Paul licked Emma Grace’s cheek making her giggle.

  “Eww, Uncle Paul. Will you ride me back over to the table?”

  Paul laid down on his belly and Emma Grace climbed on to his back. Her joyous giggles were infectious. Paul sat back on his haunches after Emma Grace climbed off and into her chair. He sat beside Luke, close enough for her son to touch him, but not enough to crowd him. Cathy walked slowly over to Luke.

  Cathy asked cautiously, “Paul? Is that really you?”

  He nodded and gave her a doggie smile.

  Luke looked up at her. “Can I pet him, Mom?”

  Cathy shrugged. “Ask, Mr. Paul.”

  “Can I pet you?”

  Paul edged closer and laid his head on Luke’s thigh. Cathy watched her son bury his fingers in the scruff of Paul’s neck. Paul chuffed and doggie moaned in pleasure as Luke scratched and rubbed behind his ears.

  “He’s so soft, Mom. Feel.”

  Cathy knelt next to Luke and tentatively ran her hand over Paul’s furry head. “Luke’s right, you are soft. Can you understand everything we say?”

  Paul snorted as if to say “Of, course.”

  Maddie walked over and stared down at Paul with a scowl on her face and fists on her hips. “Paul, what did I say about wolves in the kitchen.”

  He whined and hung his head, making Cathy laugh. Paul picked his head up and licked her cheek.

  “Ew, stop that.” Cathy pushed him away.

  “Paul, I am serious, show off your wolf on your own time. Out. No dog hair in my kitchen.”

  Paul made a disgruntled noise, rubbed against Luke and Cathy, grumbled at Maddie, and did as he was told.

  Chapter 13

  Paul sat on his cousin’s sofa, with his feet on the coffee table, watching an old Bruce Willis action flick. On the outside, he appeared to be the poster child for relaxation, but on the inside he was teeming with impatience, need, and perhaps just a bit of worry. Yesterday, shortly after Paul showed his mate and cub his wolf, he was pulled away, by work and a four car accident. The accident kept him busy well into the evening.

  Unfortunately for him, Cathy was already gone by the time he showed up this morning. She was at Amelia’s with the rest of the woman. He wanted to know they were talking about, especially what they were telling his mate about him.

  Luke trotted into the family room and plopped down on the other end of the sofa. “Hey, Mr. Paul.”

  “Hey, Mr. Luke.” Paul looked towards the door. “Where’s Jay?”

  “He had to go into town with his dad. They invited me, but I didn’t feel like goin’.”

  That was odd. Luke, Jay, and Emma Grace were practically joined at the hip. Something was wrong. Paul sniffed the air. He didn’t scent any distress coming from his cub. Paul reached over the grab the remote to the Blu-ray player and paused the movie. He wasn’t sure his mate would want Luke watching the violent movie.

  “Mom’s still over at Ms. Amelia’s, huh?”

  “She is.”

  “Women talk a lot.”

  Paul snickered. “They can. They don’t like it when you accuse them of it though. So, I would keep that to myself, if I were you.”

  “Yeah, Mom’s said that before.” Luke turned his body towards Paul and sat with his back against the arm of the sofa. “When Mom and Ms. Laura, she lives next door to our house, get together, they can talk for hours.” Luke rolled his eyes. “I usually play in my room when that happens. Emma Grace talks a lot, but I don’t mind when she does it. Jay says it’s because she belongs to us and nothing she does will ever annoy us. Do you think that’s true?”

  He did not want to have the wolves and bees talk with his cub. Paul didn’t think Luke was old enough. Plus, his mate would probably appreciate it, if he consulted her first. She should be here for this. What was taking her so long?

  “He’s not asking how cubs are made. Keep it G rated, like our parents did for us, at that age.”

  “Good point.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, there isn’t much a person who belongs to you, can do that will make you angry or annoyed.”

  “That’s good to know. I like Emma Grace and Jay. Do you think we’ll marry Emma Grace like Jay says?”

  Son of a bitch. “Before I answer that. Have you spoken with your mom about this?”

  “Not that. She explained some things to me last night, but she doesn’t know a whole lot about it. Cuz we just found out about werewolves and stuff.”

  Paul mumbled, “Shape-shifters.”

  “She wouldn’t know the answer. That’s why I wanted to ask you, cuz you’re a wolf.”

  Paul felt a bit of pride at the fact that when his cub needed to talk, he chose Paul.

  “Besides, I don’t think she wants to think, about me gettin’ married.”

  “Yeah, moms are funny that way. Did you and your mom talk about mates?”

  Luke shook his head. “Jay did. He says Emma Grace is our friend right now because we don’t like girls like that, and it’s the way it should be.”

  “He’s right, that is way it should be. You shouldn’t rush growing up. One day when you are old enough and everyone agrees, you will marry Emma Grace.”

  Luke’s smile showed off his missing tooth. “That’s good. I like that idea. Emma Grace is nice. She makes me feel happy.” Luke looked at the television, studying the still frame on the screen. “Is this Tears of the Sun?”

  “You’ve seen it before?”

  Luke nodded. “Yeah, it’s one of Mom’s favorites. We own it. She let me watch it the last time she did. So, you don’t have to turn it off.”

  Paul narrowed his eyes. He didn’t sense any dishonesty in his cub. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Mom said this movie has a great message. She told me one of the reasons she likes it so much, is the quote in the beginning. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing. She said, the movie stays true to the message. Mom says everyone should live by that motto, even if they are afraid.”

  “I would agree with her. Your mom’s pretty smart.”

  “Yeah, she is. I’m glad you think so, too. I’m not sure I believe it though. Sometimes you can’t do anything, because you are just one person. Sometimes you need help, but don’t have any.”

  Paul knew where this conversation was headed. He also knew, he had to tread carefully, on any subject concerning his cub’s sperm donor. “True, some people don’t have help, but I think most people do. Only they don’t realize there are people who will help them. Some people think they are alone in the world because that’s what others made them believe.”

  “You really think that’s true?”

  “I do.”

  “I think Mom is one of those people who believed that. She doesn’t say it, but I think she blames herself for what Bud did and for letting us live with him for so long. It’s not her fault. He was horrible. He hurt her really bad. She thinks I don’t remember, but I do.”

  “She isn’t to blame. Your mom did what she had to and got out when she could.”

  “I know, but she thinks bad of herself, anyway. Bud made her like that. He used to call her names.”

  “You heard him do that?”

  “Yeah, I heard him do lots of stuff. Mom would make me hide when he got mad or was being really mean. See, Mom didn’t stand by and do nothing. She protected me from him. I’d hide in my closet or under my bed, but I could still hear him. He called her fat, lazy, stupid, and a whore. I looked that last one up after Tommy Burgess told me how to spell it. That’s a horrible word. He called her other stuff and said other things, but according to Mom, I’m not old enough to say them. He’d yell and scream at her, then he’d hurt her. He hit her, a
lot. Thing is, no matter what he said or did, she wouldn’t cry. Mom never cries.”

  “Never? Not even now?”

  Luke shook his head. “I think she’s afraid I’ll see her.”

  Paul didn’t like that fact. His mate would never heal if she didn’t purge herself of all anguish, fear, and helplessness, she felt at the hands of her ex.

  “Did you know I’m gifted?”

  The non sequitur was unexpected. The kid changed subjects faster than most people blinked. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “I am. My teachers keep telling Mom, she should put me in the gifted program at school. They wanted me to skip kindergarten and go straight to first grade. They tried again at the beginning of this year to get me to skip a grade and join the program. Do you know what my mom said?”

  “I’m assuming she said, no.”

  “Yep. Do you know why?”

  Paul shook his head. He couldn’t imagine why. It sounded like a great thing for Luke to be involved in. The kid was not only smart, but mature beyond his years.

  “After she told the principal and teachers, no, they got mad. They said some not nice things about my mom as a parent.”

  “You heard them?”

  Luke scoffed and rolled his eyes as only a child could. “I was sitting right there. I think they forgot that part. Anyway, they told Mom that she was wrong. She wasn’t doing what a supportive parent should do. They said, they might need to call someone, and I got scared about that. Mom got real mad. I’ve never seen my mom get mad. Even when I broke the lamp because I was running in the house. She got in their faces and told them, I had a lifetime to be gifted, but only a short amount of time to be a kid. She wouldn’t take that away from me. She said if they tried to call anyone, she would,” Luke looked around then leaned in and whispered. “sue their ass. See, she’s always protecting me. Do you like my mom?”

  “I do. It’s hard to not like your mom.”

  “No, I mean like her, like her.”

  Damn it! He should have just turned the movie back on. Where was his mate?

  “Keep it simple, stupid,” his wolf ordered.

  “Yes, I like her, like her. Is that alright with you?”

  “Yes, I’m glad. I like you, Mr. Paul. You’re nice to me and my mom and you’re honest. You don’t make me nervous.”

  Paul didn’t know whether to be happy about that or pissed that his cub knew the difference. “I’m glad. I don’t want you to feel nervous or scared around me. I would never do anything to hurt you or your mom.”

  Luke looked him square in the eyes, serious beyond his years. “You promise?”

  “I do. Real men, men with integrity, do not intentionally harm those around them, neither physically nor emotionally, especially women and children.”

  “I believe you. My mom needs someone to protect her and take care of her, like she does me. I’m not old enough or big enough to do it, but you are.”

  “It would be my honor to be that person for your mom, and for you.”

  Luke graced him with a smile much like his mother’s. “I’d like that. You’re going to have to convince Mom though. She’s afraid of men, because of Bud. She doesn’t date. The only men she talks to are Steve, he’s the manager at my mom’s work, Mr. Ben from next door, he’s married to Ms. Laura, and Uncle Jamie. She avoids everyone else.”

  “I bet she doesn’t realize you notice that either.”

  “Nope.”

  Paul chuckled when Luke’s little chest puffed up with pride. “I’ll see what I can do to convince her. I may need your help though.”

  “You got it.” Luke turned his body towards the television. “I think we should watch Bruce Willis kick some bad guy butt, now.”

  Paul couldn’t agree more. He used the remote to restart the movie and handed the bowl of popcorn to Luke. “I’ve got an extra bottled water here if you want it.”

  Paul struggled not to laugh when Luke said nothing, only held out his hand, his eyes never leaving the screen. Typical boy. He didn’t want to miss a single bit of the action.

  Chapter 14

  Cathy sat next to Fiona, on the sofa, in Amelia’s living room, as the women in the room explained the inner workings of the pack. She knew some of the information. Cathy blushed. The reason, for her knowledge, were the hundreds of steamy paranormal erotic romance books that took up half the space on her Kindle. She was shocked that there was quite a bit of truth in those books. Cathy wondered if any of those authors were shifters.

  “Paul told me that any children we had would be shifters, because of the way the gene passes, from one generation to the next.”

  Shelly answered, from the rocking chair where she lulled little six-month-old Lily Rose to sleep. “Yes. Lily is a lion shifter like Max. Does that bother you?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t think it will. If, I decide to accept Paul, that is.”

  Fiona and Shelly shared a look and giggled.

  Shelly continued, “When, I found out I was pregnant with Lily, all I pictured was giving birth to a litter of kittens. Even though, Max told me she wouldn’t shift until puberty; I still had nightmares about waking up and finding a lion cub in the crib, instead of a human baby. I had this constant recurring nightmare, where I walked in the room, all the bedding was shredded, the crib chewed to bits, and little Lily Cub climbing the drapes.”

  Cathy laughed at the picture Shelly’s words created. “It’s nice to know I won’t give birth to a litter of puppies.”

  Amelia rolled her eyes. “Shifter babies are just like human babies. We don’t have our first shift until puberty, ever, no exceptions.”

  “Paul said that shifters weren’t always born, but he wouldn’t explain any further.”

  Fiona emitted an exasperated sigh. “Men. They leave out some of the most important shit in the name of protection. I had to practically threaten Kell with castration, to get him to tell me the whole story.”

  “Mm, hmm,” Shelly interjected from the rocker, “Max was the same way.”

  Cathy looked around at the other women. Amelia and Kelly shifted in their seats, they looked uncomfortable as hell.

  “Before I tell you that, did Paul explain about werewolves?”

  “He did. He said they exist because they are infected with a virus.”

  “That’s it?”

  Cathy nodded.

  Fiona threw up her hands. “Ugh! He left out all the interesting stuff.” Fiona explained, “According to Kell, and my men finally confirmed, there are a few ways to create a werewolf. When a shifter is seriously injured, or they are poisoned by a high dose of silver, in order to survive, the lycan gene can and often does mutate. The mutation kills the human genes causing the “person” to become more beast than man. Werewolves that exist from mutated genes, not pure blood, can’t control their shifts and “go rogue”. More often than not, they are put down to protect others, humans and shifters, alike.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “I know, right? There’s also what I like to call Creation by Crap Shoot.”

  “Fee.” Amelia whined, turning her sister-in-law’s name into a long drawn out four syllable word.

  “What?” Fiona blinked innocently and waved her hand dismissal. “She should know these things. A shifter can turn a human into a wolf by, basically, causing the human to OD on the mutated gene. It’s brutal to say the least and unpredictable. Their saliva contains a low dose of the gene. The shifter bites into the extremities of the human several times, as well as, tears into the vital organs, introducing the gene directly into the blood. The human could turn out fine and become a shifter. The problem is, the human wasn’t born a shifter, so the gene doesn’t develop over time and learn to coexist with the human DNA. More often than not, the gene mutates, attacks the human DNA, and kills it, causing the human to become a rogue werewolf. This rarely happens because the process alone usually kills the human before the gene has a chance to manipulate their DNA.”

  “What the fuck? Why would a
shifter do that?” Cathy shuddered.

  “A shifter will do anything to save their mate’s life. You don’t need to panic, Cathy. They don’t make a habit of turning humans into shifters. It’s not exactly forbidden, but it is, kind of, frowned upon. Something like that draws too much attention.”

  “Do any of you know anyone that’s happened to?”

  All the women nodded their heads. Cathy didn’t want to know, but asked anyway, “What happened to her, this human mate? Did she die? Did she become a crazed rogue werewolf?”

  Fiona snickered. “The she was a he and no, he didn’t become a crazed rogue werewolf. He lived. His mate turned him to save his life. I met them just before Christmas at an inter-pack meeting. They have a little boy about Emma Grace’s age.”

  Cathy had no idea what to say. At least now, she knew why Paul didn’t want to tell her.

  “Now that Fiona got that out of the way.” Shelly rolled her eyes and started ticking off bullet points using her fingers. “So, no litters, hairballs, chewed cribs, shredded sheets, and the possibility of becoming a werewolf is nil. What are your other concerns?”

  Cathy addressed her next question to Kelly. “How do you feel about all this? I mean, I know I’m shocked about yesterday’s revelation. It’s not every day you find out that your seven-year-old son has a mate and a mating partner. God, that sounds so weird.”

  “Tell me about it.” Fiona mumbled.

  Kelly scowled at their feisty friend. “You know, you’d think, you wouldn’t be so weird about it, considering you are in a ménage mating yourself, My Queen.” Kelly raised a haughty eyebrow and the other’s snickered.

  Fiona balled her fists up, in her lap, and glared at Kelly. “You know I hate it when you call me that, be-otch. Don’t make me hunt down my voodoo doll.”

  “Oh, I’m so scared. Whatever shall I do?” Kelly pretended to bite her nails and shiver in fear, then proceeded to laugh, at her own joke. Kelly turned her attention back to Cathy. “It’s an empty threat, she’s never actually done it.”

  “First time for everything.”

  “Yeah, whatever.”