The Pregnant Mate

18: Over It!

***Maggie***

I can't take this anymore! Pushing my plate away I look across the table at Mr. Hunt and Tom. "Mr. Hunt, I seem to have lost my appetite. Could you help me back to my room?" He picked me up like a child and never said a word.

"I think I'll join you two," Mrs. Hunt said following us. Mr. Hunt put me on the bed while Mrs. Hunt began looking through the drawers. "What do you want to wear dear?"

"I just want to be comfortable," I say holding Lilly's coat tightly to my chest. 

Placing a stack of clothing on the bed she said, "Darling, I am going to help Maggie get dressed for the day."

"I'll be outside if you need me," Mr. Hunt said sliding out the door.

"Which do you want to put on first?" Mrs. Hunt asked holding up a large t-shirt and a pair of leggings.

"Shirt," I say pointing. Holding my arms up Mrs. Hunt removed the grey tee. She helped me with the sports bra and black shirt that smelled like Tom. She was very professional for such an intimate task.

Grabbing the leggings she held her hands out to me and said, "Up." Pulling me up to a standing position she knelt in front of me pulling down the sweat pants and helping me into the soft leggings with blue stairs burst pattern. "Is there anything else dear?" she asked when I didn't sit down. 

"I want to wear my coat," I say.

"Uh... Okay," she said before helping me into the beautiful blue coat. It fell to mid-calf and fit perfectly except for my overly large stomach.  "It's beautiful on you."

"Is it?" I don't care how it looks I just want the protection that this coat offers. In a way, it's like getting a hug from my family. Sitting down I feel a knot at the back of my thought as tiers sting my eyes. 

"Dear, what's wrong?" Mrs. Hunt asked sitting by me rubbing my back.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"What do you mean?" 

"It's like I'm a toy that they are fighting over," I said. "I just want to go home and forget that this happened." Where is home? My dorm room? Maybe? My stepdad's place? Defiantly not. Maybe at my grandparent's house? "I'm alone now and maybe that's how it has to be. My family doesn't want me and when I join a family they don't want me, they want this thing," I say fighting the tears while rubbing my belly. 

"Oh, sweety, I want you," Mrs. Hunt said wrapping her arms around me pulling me down to the bed. "I want to get to know you. Please understand that my husband and I have just met you and we might have issues with your family but we want to know you." 

"Can we come in?" Tom called from the hall.

"We have something to discuss with Maggie," Charlotte called. I bearly shook my head no. I didn't think Mrs. Hunt would notice.

"She doesn't want to talk," Mrs. Hunt called out for me.

"Okay," Tom said. "Just let her know that I love her and I'm sorry that we hurt her."

"We'll talk later..." Charlotte called out. "If she wants to."

"You don't like them right now," Mrs. Hunt said. It wasn't even a question, just a statement. I just shake my head no. "That's fine. They have been a right pair of asses to you, haven't they?" I nod my head yes. "Well, you have ten minutes to wallow, then you need to move on."

"Why only ten minutes?" I ask confused. 

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody's ever told me that I had a time limit on my emotions before, so why only ten minutes?"

"It's not you, it's us, kinda," Mrs. Hunt said.

"What do you mean?"

"Um, you know we are wolves, right?"

"Yeah, that's why you can change into wolves," I say.

"Well, there is another aspect of our 'wolf' that we don't like to talk about. Our ability to change comes with enhanced hearing, sense of smell, the ability to speak with family within our minds and an intense emotional core that some would call primal."

"What do you mean by 'primal'?" I asked confused.

"Well we, my kind, feel more powerfully than other others. Like you feel sad, we feel depressed; you feel joy, we feel elation; you feel mad, we feel enraged; you feel love, we feel the mate bond. Do you understand?" she asked.

"I think so, your emotions are so strong that they can control you?" I ask unsure if that was right.

"Yes," she said smiling at me. "So having emotional maturity is important for our kind. Something that my pups seem to be laking right now. A good ten, twenty, or thirty-minute indulgence in that emotion allows us to feel without becoming... overwhelmed."

"Oh, okay, but..."

"But, what?"

"I don't think I need that ten minutes now."

"I did distract you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but it's good, I've cried way too much recently."

"What do you want to do today?"

"It's not something that I want to do but I need to do," I say.

"What's that?"

"My school work."

"You're still in school? What are you studying?" She asked curiously.

"Business. It's not very interesting but I figured a Business degree would serve me no matter what I decide to do." I say shrugging off the question. "I have a report that's due soon, so I'll work on that." 

"Okay, do you want to work in the dining room? I could keep an eye on you there and make sure you have everything you need," Mrs. Hunt offered.

"That would be great," I say.

"What do you need?" 

"My laptop and that stack of books," I say pointing to the stack in the corner. "Maybe my phone and headphones?"

"Alex and I will get your things together and get you set up in a minute." She gives me a splendid smile. "I should check that those two cleaned up there mess first."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hunt." 

"Call me Joan, we are family now after all."