Page 71 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“I still think you need to get back to your art. We can figure out how to sell it, and you can do something you say you love.”

Oscar sighed. “I wish. I just…there’s bills.”

I nodded. “I understand that too. I’ve been informed about the bills and how money works here. We will be all right. And besides, there are two of us now.”

I had always envisioned that my mate would stay home and raise our children. At least until they went off to school. But that didn’t mean I would be an absent father. I had that growing up, and I’d always wanted something better than that for my own kids. And now my two youngest siblings.

“I just don’t know, Monroe. I’ve been on my own for a while now, and it’s kind of hard to rely on someone else, to trust them,” Oscar said. He immediately held up his hands and shook his head. “I do trust you, for the most part.” His eyes widened again, and I started chuckling when he covered his face with his hands.

“I get it. I do. It will take time, and I’m willing to take that time to earn your trust. It’s expected, and I’m not offended in any way.”

“I’m sorry,” Oscar said after dropping his hands to his lap.

“Don’t be. I do understand. Trust takes time, and that is to be expected. We have really been thrown together all of a sudden, and I think that if you weren’t responsible for your two siblings and I wasn’t responsible for mine, we would be looking at everything much differently.” Oscar seemed to agree with me on that but still looked uncertain.

“I don’t get it,” he said after a moment of silence.

“What?”

“How you’re so calm and easygoing about all of this. You came from an entirely different realm, and everything has been thrown upside down and inside out for you, and yet, you’re just chill. You have a positive outlook about everything.”

I bit my lower lip because it was immensely difficult to not laugh at the thought of me being positive about everything.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” I told him. “I used to be incredibly selfish. I’ve already admitted to that.”

Oscar shrugged. “Yeah, but we all did, and I can understand wanting out of where you were. I’ve been there before too. But now, you’re in a completely new world, and yet, you’re happy, excited, positive, and you’re all…it’ll be all right, and we’ll make everything work.” Oscar sighed. “I just wish I had that positive outlook on everything. My life has been…” Oscar seemed to think for a moment. “I would say I’ve been in reaction mode and doing damage control for a while now. Since school started and Hailey met her new friends.”

When Oscar said friends, he did the air quotes gesture, which told me they weren’t really friends.

“Can maybe her brother—I’m sorry, I don’t remember his name.”

“Joseph.”

“Can he maybe help watch out for her? Maybe put her on a better path?”

Oscar was shaking his head. “No. She insisted on going to the human school.” Oscar groaned. “I apologize now. She’s going to be really pissed when she comes back because I’ve already pulled her, and she’s going to be going to the shifter school on pack lands now. I did it last week when she threw her plate of food at me. The plate broke against my head, and the mess hit the floor.” Oscar rubbed his head absently. “I told her to clean it up, and she refused. It was there for two days before she finally cleaned it up.”

I was trying to keep an open mind about his sister. She was obviously going through something; I just didn’t know what, but we would definitely be getting to the bottom of whatever it was. There would be no more throwing of plates or food, and I absolutely would not tolerate her hurting my mate.

“Does the pack know?”

Oscar shook his head.

“You need to tell them.”

“I didn’t want to involve anyone. I think that Joseph might have mentioned it to someone because he goes to the shifter school. He wanted to be around other shifters, which I thought was great. For whatever reason, Hailey didn’t. That was my first mistake because it only took a few weeks for her to fall in with the wrong friends and start acting out. The hate is always directed at me though, so I just take it.”

Not anymore, he wouldn’t. I was not going to allow it to happen. “We’ll fix it. Whatever is going on, we’ll figure it out, but she’s not going to act like that anymore. All right?”

Oscar nodded and looked hopeful.

“Good. I won’t let her throw things at you any longer. We’ll figure something out, and if we have to get others involved, we will. But no, even I know that’s not how things are supposed to be.”

“I know, and I should have reached out when she first started showing signs, but I thought it would even out. If I get her the things she wants, she’s better, for a bit. But it’s never-ending.”

Nope, we weren’t going to be doing that any longer. I had Mason and Maelie to think about, and she would not be acting out in any way. They were little, and there was no way I was going to allow them to get caught in the crossfire or for Oscar’s sister to hurt him ever again.

“What about you?”