Cora, A Sidelines Story from Clayton

Midlife Crisis vs Midwife Crisis

The Characters of Clayton, Rya, Kennedy, Dallas, and the Valentines belong to Rachelle. The character of Cora is expanded on with Permission from Rachelle, and is written for the pleasure of the International Wildflower Pack, the WhiskeyQueenn fandom. #WildflowersUnited #iwp     

::Thank you Rachelle for letting us trespass in your world::

Midlife Crisis vs Midwife Crisis

I felt like I was having a midlife crisis, I was questioning everything I believed about myself, about my duty, about the Moon Goddess. Why would she pair me with a mate who was incapable of understanding who I was? A mate that I could barely understand? 

He hated the idea of duty to other wolves while I lived for it. I loved him and he hated me, or at least that is all I felt through the bond. He confused me and worse, he confused me about who I was, he made me doubt myself. I hated it.

Charlie and Alexa drove me home the next day. We had eaten a late dinner with Max, it was a welcome distraction. Max was laughing as he recounted all the times over the past several months Alexa and Charlie had tried to hide they were mates. He had known for 6 months because a certain little sister may or may not have called and discussed it with him because he already knew. We had a good laugh at their reactions. I even got a picture to show their offspring. Charlie told me he hated me, then hugged me. Max offered to kick Mark's ass since I was pregnant, I laughed and declined. It was late when they dropped me off and headed to Vanguard. I was alone in my house, staring at the dishes in the sink. The whole house was mussed, compulsively I began to clean it.

As I did dishes the phone rang, Miles was calling to check on me. He was very upset with his brother. I could hear angry voices in the background. I didn't need to ask to know one was Mark. I could feel his rage, burning like lava through the bond, even through the great distance between us. The next morning Matthew called to check on me and Corina. Evidently Matthias had ordered Mark to return to me and he had refused, demanding I be forced to come there. They had fought and Mark was now being punished for defying the Alpha, aka his father's wolf, and it had dragged Mark in his wolf out into the wilderness by the scruff. His wolf would return to us in a heartbeat, it was his skin that was the problem. Matt promised that whatever I needed I would get, they understood my reasons for staying in Adams, especially with Rya's pending return. Matthew would be a good Alpha, he understood duty to other wolves.

That afternoon, I returned to work and finished preparing the kitchen's for my leave. Luna Catherine stopped to tell me that they were bringing Rya back. There were no midwives available from our allies, since most of them had relied on Gretchen to midwife for them at great cost to them and benefit to us. Rya would return to a half dozen pregnant wolves, 2 of whom belonged to the Smith pack, we had gone to school with them. At home alone, with two weeks left until her return, I found I couldn't be still. My nursery den was mostly ready, so I cleaned out Gretchen's home in preparation for Rya's arrival. 

At night I couldn't sleep, I longed for my mate the way I imagine a drug addict longs for a fix. Mark had taken all of his clothing with him, except the things he left at Coraline's and the shirt I kept in a ziplock bag in my desk drawer. Every night I sat in his recliner and covered myself with his scent and talked on the phone to one of his brothers or mine. Matt or Miles would call and talk to me for hours late at night. I learned more about the workings and history of Big Sky than in all my time with Mark. I knew that they hoped someday I would come there and be their Luna, but Mark did not want to be Alpha... ever.