Tish POV
Seven Years Later
The pack house is bustling with excitement. Macy turns ten today, and everyone is here to celebrate. Raven made the long trip from up North to be here for the week, and she brought her family with her.
I am trying to put the finishing touches on the cake while the men watch the children out back. Raven is well on her way to getting drunk on wine, but I am too nervous to drink. Macy constantly has me on edge. Before the party this morning, we had a long talk about her not talking to Nyx when people are around because it can make them uncomfortable.
She doesn't understand why I want her to keep Nyx a secret, and the conversation ended up in a fight. Kaden and Kai had to drag Macy out of the room while I sat crying on the couch. The older she gets, the harder she becomes to handle, and I dread the teenage years. She already has a sassy ancient wolf in her head telling her what to do, and she doesn't think she needs any more guidance than that.
The sound of shouting in the backyard catches my attention, and I peek out of the window. There is a crowd of children circling another child. As I squint through the glass, I see Macy standing in the center of the circle with her fists balled up at her sides. She is clearly upset, and I don't understand why the men aren't breaking it up.
"What are you looking at?" Raven slurs from the other side of the kitchen, but I am not paying attention to her.
My feet are moving faster than my mind. I rush out of the kitchen and down the hill to where the children are gathered in front of the bouncy castle. They are chanting, "Crazy Macy, Crazy Macy, Crazy Macy."
Tears are streaming down Macy's face, and she presses her hands to her temples and screams for them to stop. But children are cruel, and they only taunt her more.
"Enough," I shout, and all of the children turn to look at me.
Before I can scold them all, they scatter. All but Raven's twins are left standing near Macy. At the sight of the children running away, the men finally turn their attention to us.
The twins have a smirk on their faces that makes me want to smack them, but I have to remind myself that they are royalty. I gently push them out of the way and kneel down in front of Macy. "What happened?"
She shakes her head from side to side, refusing to speak. Edward starts to giggle behind me.
"Would you like to explain?" I snap at him.
"It's not our fault she is crazy," he laughs.
"Edward!" Leo's voice booms from behind me, and I notice that Edward doesn't even flinch.
"What?" He replies with a prepubescent attitude. "She is crazy. Either that or she is a liar."
"I am not a liar," Macy screams back at him.
"Then you are just crazy," Winston laughs.
I choke back all of the anger that is building in my chest, and I grind my teeth together. I swing around and glare at the men that are now crowding me. "Where the fuck were you all when they ganged up on Macy?"
"We looked away for a moment," Kaden tries to defend himself.
"I will deal with you two later," I hiss at my mates.
Kai physically cringes at my words, and he tries to take my hand, but I push him away. I hold my hand out for Macy, and she curls her little hand in mine. I lead her away from the men and the royal twins and head back to the pack house.
Raven is making her way outside, and when she sees Macy's tears, she groans. "What happened?"
"Deal with your sons," I growl at her.
Raven looks taken aback, but she doesn't say anything else to me. Instead, she heads straight for her mates and sons.
By the time we reach Macy's room, she has stopped crying, and her face looks as if it were carved out of stone. She marches into her bedroom and starts talking to Nyx. She is speaking so low that I can't understand what she is saying, but she is running her fingers through the air as if she is petting her.
"I won't forgive them," she suddenly screams. "Not ever."
Grabbing her by the shoulders, I force her to give me her attention. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," she growls.
"What is Nyx telling you?" I ask curiously.
"Nyx is gross, and I am mad at her," she stomps her foot in anger.
A stray tear drips down her cheek. "You don't mean that," I say quietly.
"Can I just be alone?" She mutters.
I don't know how to be a good mom. I didn't have a good role model. In fact, I didn't have any role model at all. But if Macy needs her space, then I will give it to her. I place a kiss on her forehead, which she promptly wipes away, and I fight back the tears in my eyes.
As I close the door, I can hear her fighting with Nyx again. When I turn to walk back down to the now ruined party, Raven meets me at the top of the stairs with her sons. "They want to apologize," Raven says through gritted teeth.
"No, we don't," Edward rolls his eyes. "You are making us apologize."
"For once, can you just do as you are told," Raven snaps at him.
"I think it would be best if Macy didn't see the boys right now," I tell her.
The royal twins take it as their cue to rush back down the stairs. Raven pinches the bridge of her nose, and I can see tears in her eyes.
"I don't know how to handle them," Raven groans. "I thought visiting Macy often would tame them, but it seems to be driving a wedge between them. The boys seem to be insistent on teasing her at every turn."
"This was more than teasing, Raven," I snap at her. "They ruined her birthday and got all of the children at the party to call her Crazy Macy. It was intentional and cruel."
"What are you saying?" Raven acts offended.
"I don't think the boys should come back for a while," I tell her honestly. "Not until this blows over."
Raven lowers her voice and leans in close to me. "They are mates. They will have to learn to tolerate each other eventually."
"They are TEN!" I shout at her. "And your boys are cruel."
"So, that is how you really feel," Raven replies, clearly wounded. "That my boys are too cruel to be around your daughter?"
"It is," I say, standing my ground.
Oliver climbs the stairs behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. "I think Tish is right," he surprisingly takes my side. "Perhaps we are pushing them together too soon."
Raven looks like she wants to argue but Leo comes up the stairs and shakes his head curtly. She sighs loudly knowing that even though she is the Luna Queen she is outnumbered.
"I will pack our things," Raven whimpers.
She walks away, and I know she is crying, but I will protect my daughter at all costs. "Thank you for backing me up," I tell Oliver.
"It was the right call for Macy," he admits. "I just hope the same for my boys."
Just like that, the royal twins walked out of our lives, and if I have my way, they won't return. I don't give a shit about some stupid prophecy anyway.