I asked Sierra, “What is everyone’s problem with the Resistance? We are the good guys, and I AM one of them. Hell, I started them. We wear masks to hide our identity… because I can execute plans… unlike some people.”
Sierra reasoned, “I think they believe that your grief was used against you.” I mean it was… but not by the Resistance. Just…by the Ring and Black Path. I looked around at my friends and they all sighed. What? Why would anyone think that? There was no logic in that.
Even if I had joined the Resistance because my family was killed, instead of starting it… How was it taking advantage of me? What the hell was going on here? I saw red when Tristan said he saw me get shot. He didn’t understand.
I tried to get my brother off the subject, but he kept at it. Addison linked, “Ok, let’s take deep breaths.” I scoffed, “You’re an Alpha blood who might hit him if you were me because he doesn’t understand!” Addison reasoned, “Then use your Beta words to make him understand.” I could do that.
I detailed the differences. I linked Sierra, “I’m not saying this out loud, but you know even in my dreams I still hear the bullets that hit the three of them. There is a vast difference in getting hit in the vest and hearing a bullet pierce skin. It is so insanely different.”
Sierra replied, “I know. I’ve heard the rant about it when we said it.” They understood the point faster though. I felt Xander’s sympathy and pity which I didn’t want. I just wanted them to understand. I also wanted everyone to know I wasn’t being taken advantage of.
I really hadn’t meant to scare anyone. It’s not like I took them with me to watch that all go down. I didn’t think they would see any of that. Not that I would’ve done it differently… but still. It was never my intention for them so watch it happen. Anything they’d seen me do was not my doing. Most things I did were in the shadows and they had no clue about them.
I felt bad when Tristan got upset. My brother felt bad about the decisions he’d made that led to Jason getting hurt. I knew how close to death Jason had come. If not for the watch I’d gotten him… he might be dead. ILYX’s readouts were bad.
Freya said, “Ajax is fine now but Apollo does feel bad.” I could tell. In that particular situation, I knew I could get Jason to Xander for healing…. so I knew Jason was going to be ok. I didn’t know Tristan had seen Jason’s return to the pack because I thought he was dead.
I thought I was the only family member pissed off about Jason’s situation. Addison linked, “Yeah, the second the fact we were in the Resistance came out, I threw down with Jase about that call.” I replied, “I mean… did he say why he didn’t link anyone?”
Addison answered, “He said he couldn’t, but he only knew that because Ajax told him. He wasn’t going to bring the pack to Hunter’s.” His BEST FRIEND was a Fairy who could pop in andout. Hunters were not prepared for a Fairy to show up… which was insane… but true.
I hugged Tristan and thought the conversation was over. It wasn’t. They kept insisting I was being taken advantage of. How would that even work? I’m taking advantage of myself? That didn’t make any sense. I linked Sierra, “T wants to make the Resistance pay?”
Sierra groaned, “I mean, he won’t later. He just doesn’t understand.” Well, it still stung. There was nothing to pay for. I’d saved them and the Resistance helped a lot of people. I was helping people. Addison linked me, “T just doesn’t understand.”
I replied, “They all think I’m some big bad thing like the Ring.” Addison argued, “No, Mel. They think someone recruited you and used the grief over their supposed death. It’s not really like they think the Resistance is bad.”
That honestly sounded like semantics. If you believed I was recruited out of grief… you likely believed others were too. I was the one recruiting, which means they all thought I was bad. It hurt more than I cared to admit.
Freya said, “That’s not how they mean it, but I do understand your feelings.” I appreciated that. I tried to make my point, but they were all stubbornly set against it. I saw Micah in the back of the room. At least he looked like he didn’t agree.
We had to go over guidelines. Everyone seemed stunned that the Resistance didn’t allow parents in the field. Seriously? I thought I lost my parents. I obviously wasn’t going to do that to someone else. Freya said, “It does seem quite obvious.”
They seemed to think my field actions were done for fun. I linked Sierra, “This was such an absurd conversation. At least when Caine came at me… it was never about the validity of what we do.” Sierra winced.
We got into the watches and what they do. Of course everyone’s watches had explosives… not armed, but they hadthem. Dylan practically sprinted from the room when I told him he had a watch in the lab. Jason brought the conversation back to who taught me to drive.
What was their obsessions with this topic? Who cared? Why did it matter so much? Xander’s anger started to build, and I cast him a side glance. What was wrong with him now? Freya hummed but didn’t offer any insight.
Everyone was talking to me with that that annoying tone like they are patronizing me, knowing something I don’t. Xander was pissed off that a guy taught me how to hack and drive. That was crazy. He’d trained women how to fight. This wasn’t different. Freya said, “I would argue Oden’s point, but you make a compelling argument in your head.” I knew that.
Micah came in with the save saying he’d found Yuri. I was flashing back to that night, but I quickly shoved those images from my mind. Yuri being in the Demon realm wasn’t surprising really. He had a lot of Demon friends.
I’m sure when Yuri found out what happened with me, he fled. An insane notion when you consider where he was. My mate was a Hackura Duke, and most Demons knew that. Even if they weren’t marked by Iblis, they knew that a little tip to Logan meant they’d be rewarded. Plus Masium was around a lot and would give them money for telling him where someone who hurt his family was.
Yuri couldn’t have stayed hidden there long term. Xander was going to get him, but for some reason he still wanted to know about the driving, hacking topic later. I don’t think he was going to like my response or argument I had prepared for it.
Everyone wanted me to stop talking. Again, with that annoying tone like I should know something I don’t. Xander kissed me then left to go to the Demon realm. My brothers and dad went with him. Mom said, “Ladybug, we should talk.”
I threw my hands up lamenting, “I hate that tone! That ‘you should know this you’re so cute because you don’t’ tone. Because I do want to talk to you… you’re my mom…. but that tone. It irks me. This entire conversation is sexist! That’s what I know.”
Addison choked out a laugh. Elise asked, “Huh?” I asked a leading question I knew the answer to, “Xander teaches women how to fight, right? One on one?” Elise said, “I feel like you know the answer is yes.”
I replied, “I do… I know that he trains a lot of women… not even a handful. I have a full list it’s in the hundreds. There’s even a Female Lead Warrior he spent A LOT of time training individually. How is that ANY different? I’m not mad at her for spending ALL that time with him…when I wanted to…be the person he was spending time with.”
Elise asked, “How do you know that?” I flushed. Freya laughed in my head. The answer was I’d hacked Xander’s calendar a long time ago. I brushed that off, “That’s not the point! Xander’s trained a lot of women on their Fairy powers and fighting skills… he can’t be mad that a guy taught me to do something. Neither can either of you with patronizing tones!”
I left the room, but I heard Haley chime in, “I really fucking like her and my daughter in law is not wrong.” Thank you. I slammed the door to our bedroom. Freya warned, “Heads up.” I asked, “What?” Someone cleared their throat.
