Chapter 135
0135 “I did try talking to your father, James. And not just your father; I tried talking to ALL of them. Everyone in pack leadership. It did not help anything. Whether your father respects me or not, all those conversations ever did was yield strict alpha orders that prevented me from talking about things that should have been talked about. Things that NEEDED to be talked about.” I put my hands over my face. “Look, I apologize for questioning you. It… it is just a lot of information to take in.” Dr. Miller’s look softened. “I know.” Dr. Miller then looked at Joey and Jessica. “How far did you get?” “We told him about the movement, the Hoffmans, and the fire. That is about it so far,” Jessica replied. “Did you tell him about the pink squares?” Dr. Miller asked. I wrinkled my eyebrows. “Pink squares?” “I guess I will start there,” Dr. Miller responded. “After the Hoffman fire, no one else dared to move or remove Stephanie’s photographs or memorials. However, leaving them up felt like a form of betrayal towards the Hoffmans. The Movement wanted the Hoffmans to know that there were pack members who cared about them and stood behind them, even if we could not be public about it. So, someone came up with the idea of a silent protest. Small pink squares were added to the corner of Stephanie’s pictures and memorials. Nothing flashy, nothing distracting. Just a small, pink square. You should know that not everyone who has a pink square on t their memorial is a member of the movement, but everyone who has a pink square on their memorial is a supporter of it in some way.” I thought about all the memorials that I had seen. I could not remember seeing any pink squares, but I also had not been looking. “Can we go back and talk about Lily?” I asked after a beat. “I am struggling to see how she is connected to any of this, and “And you are worried,” Dr. Miller finished for me. “Yeah.” “Lily is special in more ways than one. Her wolf, Rose, is one of a kind. I did not realize just how special until Jessica here told me about the symbol on Rose’s rump, and until Jessica and I did some research.” “You met Rose?” I asked Jessica, surprised. I started to feel embarrassed that Lily was my mate, and yet I had never seen her wolf. Heck, it was only recently that I was willing to even acknowledge Lily had a wolf. “Not exactly. But I saw her once, and I will never forget her.” “Is Rose the reason that so many of the pack members feel gratitude towards Lily?” I asked, trying to put the pieces together. “No. Rose is one of the reasons that the Movement became hopeful after the Moon Goddess paired your and Lily, but members of the movement fell in love with Lily long before that,” Dr. Miller said. I could not help but notice the sense of pride in his voice. “But why? That is what I want to know. Lily would have been so young. What did she do?” “When she was 12, she agreed to let Stephanie torture her in exchange for Stephanie’s promise to leave. the other wolves alone,” Jessica replied. My heart dropped. ‘Torture? Torture how?” wwwwEND OF FLASHBACK**** I was now standing in front of the waterfall. I quietly begged my brain not to make me re-live the next parts of the meeting, in which Dr. Miller, Jessica, and Joey told me exactly what Stephanie, Sheila, and Margie had been up to, and exactly what Lily had been subjected to. I should probably clarify that not everything that was said after point that was negative; it was not. I learned a lot about Lily and Rose, and Joey, Jessica, and Dr. Miller offered many reasons to hope for a better future for everyone. However, I needed time the to process. The scars of all the bad stuff that had happened ran deep. I only heard about what happened third or fourth-hand, and yet I felt angry, murderous, and traumatized. How could Lily and the wolves who went through it first-hand survive? Clearly, they were all stronger than me. Looking around the area near the waterfall, I found a rock and sat down. I then pulled out my phone. Before I could change my mind, I sent Lily a text. Me: “I know it is late. I’just wanted to tell you that I think you are the strongest she-wolf that I have ever known. I do not know what the Moon Goddess was thinking pairing me with you. There is no way that I Me: “I love you, Lily Brogan. I do not even think I knew how much until tonight. Please do not respond yet; let me try to earn your heart before you do. Maybe we can chat by phone tomorrow? I would really love to hear your voice.” Before Lily could respond, I turned my phone off. I then buried my head in between my legs and just sat, letting the sound of the waterfall do what it could to soothe my aching soul.
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