Her Brother, Her Mate

“Wake up and pay attention to me,” I demand of Carli, who just grumbles and turns her face to the other side, pulling a pillow over her head. “Nope. Quit moping. I am blessing you with my presence. Wake up,” I poke her side, making her back arch as it tickles.

“Go away,” she grumbles. I can hear the roughness in her voice, indicating she’s been crying. I suck down the urge to coddle and baby her since I know that’s not what she needs and poke her sides again.

“I came here all excited to tell you my good news, allowing you to be the first to tell me congrats,” I won’t tell her Parker did just that, “and you won’t even open your eyes.”

“Where’s Parker?” she asks, head still buried in the pillow that I’m guessing belongs to Parker.

“Showering and work. Do not ask for him when this is my time. I’m offering you the gift of my face being the first thing you see when you open your eyes today so accept it and wake up.”

“Goddess, you’re so f*****g annoying,” she growls. That’s it. She’s getting spanked.

I lift my hand and bring it down hard on her a*s, causing her to yelp, then growl as she snaps up to sneer at me.

“That hurt!”

“Now you know how it feels,” I blow a k**s at her, “Good morning, beautiful.”

“No, it is not. Go away,” she tries to bury her face back in the pillow but I pull it out from under her faster than she expects. She grasps her hands awkwardly in the air as I chuck the pillow across the room then scowls at me.

When I know she’s getting ready to snap, seeing the glint in her eyes that means she’s about to step up to a challenge, I hold my left hand up, showing her my engagement ring. Her eyes go from an intense death stare to elation in a matter of seconds.

“Is that….?”

“It is!”

She squeals and wraps her arms around my neck, “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks. I’m happy for me too,” I chuckle smugly. After a few seconds of hugging, I feel a shift in Carli’s mood. Gone is the momentary excitement radiating off her as her mood shifts to something cold, like sadness and sorrow. Her arms cling tighter around my neck and I feel a shuttering sob shiver up her body.

“Carli?” I try to pull away from her to study her face, but she’s got her arms in a vice around me. “Carli? What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head against my shoulder, then moisture starts spilling from her, soaking into my shirt. Her body shudders against mine as I hold her in my arms, rubbing her back and trying to help hold together the strongest woman that I know.

“Carli! Carli, what happened? Talk to me,” I try to encourage her. I’ve never seen her like this. Even after all of the times when her mother abused her, when she thought Parker abandoned her, when she heard Alpha Jared wouldn’t allow her to put her name in for the running of the gamma position, through all the s**t she has been through I have never seen her break down like this. Usually, she goes numb when she’s upset, tuning out the world and focusing inward, and breaking herself down on the inside. She doesn’t show how hurt and broken she feels on the outside. Seeing her do it now scares me.

“Parker, I don’t know what to do,” I call for him, feeling my own emotions running haywire as I try to figure out how to help my best friend. When Parker told me she was in a depressive episode, I expected the numb Carli. I could always joke and tease the numb Carli until she broke out of that shell. I don’t know how to help this version of Carli. This is a Carli I haven’t seen before. Her body is shaking violently as her grief and sobs consume her. What do I do?

Parker doesn’t reply, but I know he heard me. I sensed his brief panic in the link, and moments later he comes back into their bedroom, soaking wet and wearing the basketball shorts he was wearing before. Water is still beaded on his body and his hair looks like there’s shampoo still in most of it.

He takes one look at Carli breaking down and sobbing in my arms then rushes to the bed, crawling in behind her. He wraps his arms around both of us, and I feel his soothing alpha aura encase us, letting us both know he is there and we are safe with him.

Carli’s sobbing becomes less violent and all-consuming and she quickly gets her breathing back to normal. I can still feel my shirt growing damper and damper, but the hysterics seem to be gone now. One last shuddering breath travels her body before the girl wipes her snotty nose across my shoulder and lifts her head. I try to ignore it and not let it gross me out, but I’m borrowing a shirt from her the second she is calm and under control.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Simone. I’m happy for you. I’m just….”

“I know, sweetie. Don’t apologize to me.”

“Baby,” Parker rubs the back of her neck with his hand, turning her head towards him. She whimpers slightly, then crawls into his lap, burying her face in his neck. A tear escapes my eye watching her like this. I could kill that b***h, Mary. I don’t know what exactly she said, but she is the last person who should be talking s**t about anyone’s parenting skills. Look at how much she hurts her own daughter.

Carli clings to Parker, Parker rocking back and forth with her in his arms as he purrs lightly in his chest, comforting her as much as he can.

“Is this normal? Was she like this before too?”

Parker shakes his head slightly, “Not this bad. She would break down when she thought no one was looking. Never in front of anyone. Not even me.”

“What are we going to do?” I ask worried for Carli.

Parker sighs in the link, “I think it’s time to take her to the doctor. They gave her medicine before that helped. Maybe we need to discuss a long-term treatment. I don’t think this is just post-partum depression anymore. It feels deeper. Like it’s more than just the new baby causing her to have these episodes.”

“Will she be willing to go?”

“She was last time. Kind of. She went back for a 6-month check-up and I may have mentioned to the doctor about her bouts of crying and her erratic behavior. I thought she was going to get herself killed on that damn bike of hers.”

“Is that why you put the tracker in her earrings?” That makes more sense to me now. Parker is protective, but he’s usually good at balancing his protective tendencies with his rationality. The earring thing kind of threw me when I found out.

“Yeah. I couldn’t force her to stay home. That was the only thing I could think of at the time. I got to think of some other way to keep her off the thing now.”

I think for several seconds before a thought comes to mind, “Did Casey get a pack car or anything yet to use? You could tell her he needs it until he goes back home. Give him her keys and hide the extra set. I can even have Casey ask her to borrow it himself so it doesn’t seem like you’re trying to control her or anything like that.”

“That’s a great idea. Thanks.”

“No problem.” I smile at him before hopping off the bed. I pull my phone from my pocket and go into the closet to find a shirt of Carli’s to change into.

My respect for Parker shot up even more watching the way he is dealing and taking care of Carli and everything else going on at the moment. I don’t think we could have a better alpha and I know Carli couldn’t possibly have a better mate.

I text Casey, and he responds right away. He must be awake because he agrees to let me come see him. This situation and the bike thing need to be explained to him in person so I’m heading down there after I change.

I grab a fitted shirt, dump my tear and snot stained one in her laundry basket and tug hers over my head before walking back out into the bedroom.

“I’m going to grab Casey. I’ll be right back,” I whisper softly. Parker nods, but if Carli heard me it doesn’t show. It almost looks like she’s asleep in Parker’s arms, but I know it’s just her going numb, trying to internalize all her issues. My poor friend. She is so strong and fierce, but this is one thing she can’t fight physically. I hope the doctor can help her figure out something to help her mentally. After years of abuse and neglect, she was bound to have some scars from her past. Not all scars are external, though. The internal ones may be more damaging than the ones on the outside.

While I’m staying here, I’m going to make it my mission to help her in any way I can. She would kill and kick a*s for me any day and for any reason. I’m not a fighter and I’m not strong physically, but maybe this is one thing I can help her through.

I walk back down to the Beta floor. Casey is staying in one of the smaller suites on this floor. I knock on his door, and several seconds later he opens it, rubbing his eyes with a lazy grin on his scruffy face.

“Mornin’ sis. What’s up?”