The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 101: Chapter 101

Maverick Point was the only place Pamela had ever lived, and it was the only place she wanted to live. Being asked to go to the ball to represent the Pride was like a dream. Her inner she-Tiger chuffed in agreement.
Her relationship with her she-Cat had grown stronger with her self-healing and the work she’d been doing to repair the damage Blake had done to her psyche. She was doing well now.
It seemed Blake’s treatment of her had hurt parts of her, making her feel like an outsider in her own Pride. Pamela wanted to belong, for her sake and Paulie’s. She did, and now she finally knew it, and that was what mattered.
“Nice of Jess? My ass!” Elissa said aloud, disrupting Pam’s train of thought.
Christmas carols and the sounds of folks talking and children laughing rang out from all over the Pride House. Jessica was Elissa’s sister-in-law and something of a sass-master, so she understood her comment.
Pamela liked Jess, sass, and all. She followed behind Liss, who was chatting about the heavily pregnant redhead, and the gift she and Hunter were giving her for the baby, as they walked through the hallway. Elissa sure was funny, but Pamela hid her smile behind the baby in her arms.
“She’s big as a house and cranky as hell, waiting for that Bear cub of hers to come popping out.”
“Could be a Tiger,” Pamela said, and it was true. No one knew which Shifter genes would be dominant when two different species had young together.
“For her sake, I hope it’s a boy, cause she is already bigger than I was with two,” she grinned wickedly. “And her temper has been way off balance. Lucky beyotch. Only a man can do that to a woman,” Elissa said, nodding sagely. “Even little men in utero.”
Pamela snorted. It was true, Jessica had been behaving a teensy weensy—okay, a whole freaking lot—like her Black Bear mate. Especially since she hit her third trimester. It was so cute watching Brayden, their big, burly Beta go to pieces when he came in the other day holding an image of the latest ultrasound image. It was a weird grainy blob, but he acted like he was looking at the Mona Lisa.
To him, he was, she supposed. Jess was stretched to the max, cried at the drop of a hat, went into a murderous rage if anyone ate the cookie dough before she got to it, and her ankles were so swollen she no longer wore shoes, but Pam envied her. She envied all of them—but with only the best intentions, of course.
Heck, it seemed everyone was either pregnant or taking care of new cubs just lately. It was enough to give a gal baby fever.
Sigh.
Chuff.
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Lucky for Pamela, she’d had her cub young, and he was the best of the best—in her not so humble opinion. A smile spread across her face as she thought about her baby boy. Paulie was already in the middle of kindergarten, but he would always be her sweet cub.
He was still into cuddles and kisses, thank goodness, but she missed him being a baby. She was a different person then, and the joy and pleasure of being a mother had been muted in her need for secrecy.
It had taken a lot of effort to keep his birth a secret, always hiding him away from the rest of the Pride. Blake hadn’t wanted a cub. And she sure as hell did not want anyone to know she was its mother. Like a dirty secret, he’d pushed her aside, denied Paulie’s existence, but still she stayed.
Her esteem had taken such a beating, Pamela did not believe she deserved any better. She’d been little more than a thrall—a lovesick, mindless servant where the evil ex-Beta was concerned.
Shame welled inside of her at what she’d allowed from that creep. The things she had put up with. The humiliating treatment she’d been subjected to. It always amazed her how the smallest hint of pride or pleasure from him had made her esteem soar, but the slightest snarl or disapproval used to send her spiraling.
Too many good people allowed others to dictate how they felt, and that was not okay. Her work with the support group focused on self-love and healthy self-images. It was important work—necessary work for someone like her.
Pamela was different now. She was not a love-starved girl looking for a father figure to make her whole anymore. She was a Tiger. A fierce, powerful woman who did not need a man to be complete.
She was a single mother who loved her cub and had an important role in her Pride. A she-Cat who took pleasure in contributing to the good of her community. She was not the Pamela Brown she used to be. She was better now—stronger, too. Pam just had to remember that and keep on going.
“Elissa,” Hunter stalked towards them and greeted his mate with a kiss on the lips that made Pamela blush.
It was so intimate and loving. The connection between the Neta and Nari was so strong it was almost tangible. Pamela certainly felt it in the Pride bonds, and it gave her a sense of peace, something her inner animal longed for. Their commitment to each other was a force to be reckoned with.
“Hunter,” the Nari returned, and smiled up at her mate.
Pamela figured they’d need a moment alone, so she stepped forward and handed the cub she’d been holding to Hunter’s outstretched arms. He was as good a father as he was a leader, and she was glad that he had found happiness.
“Excuse me, I have to go tend to my duties,” she said with a silly curtsey in her Elf costume. “Oh, and Elissa, I would be proud to represent our Pride at the ball,” Pamela added before leaving the Alpha family alone.
The bells on her shoes jingled as she headed over to where Brayden was sitting in a large, velvet lined chair dressed like Santa Claus. The Bear Shifter did not look happy, but in her honest opinion, he was the best possible choice for Santa. No one else was quite as big, though he did have to stuff his jacket with a pillow, or so she thought. The beard was definitely fake—but the tummy, who knew?
“No fat jokes,” Brayden grumbled, and Pamela laughed as a couple of dozen unruly cubs came running into the room where they were still setting up.
“Hey everyone,” Pierce, another of the Neta’s guards, called out. “We are going to take our pictures in just a minute, but Santa needs all of you to be good little cubs, so listen to his helper, Miss Elf, while you wait your turn and maybe you’ll get a present for your efforts!” Pierce grinned widely and winked at Pamela, who curtsied to the children.
She started the music—a fun sing-along track with carols the kids all knew. Next, she organized the cubs into a line. They were so adorable, dressed up in their holiday best and jumping up and down excitedly while she handed out candy canes and little gifts to keep the energetic cuties occupied.
Pierce was acting as the photographer, and another Honor guard, Lance, was there to lend a hand as well. They had just under thirty of the Pride’s children present, and she knew she was in for a long day. Paulie waved at her from his spot in line next to his two best friends, and her heart squeezed. He was so precious to her, and this was the first Christmas she had ever seen him so excited.
“Hi Mama—I mean Miss Elf,” he said, giggling wildly.
“Hello to you, have you all been good cubs?” she asked him and his friends, letting them pick from her bag of treats.
“Okay, boys and girls, let’s sing Hark the Herald!”