Read Online Morgan by Ashley Malkin - Free Book Online

“We’ve found each other now. The past doesn’t matter. We have the rest of our lives to be together now.”
    Morgan sniffed back her tears and held Bethany to her. The empty space that had always dwelled inside of her felt smaller now, like Bethany had always meant to be a part of her life. “This sounds ridiculous, because I only found out this morning that you even existed, but I feel as though I’ve been missing you my whole life.”
    “Now that I have you here, I feel the same,” Bethany said. She pulled back and looked at Morgan, her eyes roaming over her face. “I love you already. You can’t ever leave me again. We need to be together.”
    “That’s exactly the sensation I’m experiencing,” Morgan said. “It’s crazy, though. You have a life here. A husband and a baby on the way. You don’t need me hanging around.”
    “Husbands,” Melanie said softly. “Come and let’s have a cup of tea. Shana has made you one of her special brews.”
    “That I have, Alpha mate.”
    Morgan turned and looked at the older woman. She must have conveyed her puzzlement as the older woman just waved her hand dismissively and gestured to the kitchen table.
    “Soon, soon, Morgan. It will all make sense in a minute.”
    Morgan let Bethany lead her to a chair and she sat down, unsure of what was happening. “This special brew. I t doesn ’t have any booze in it, does it?” Morgan asked. She reacted badly to alcohol and had become violently ill from just one beer in her senior year of high school. She shuddered. “Alcohol and I don’t play well together.”
    “I would not give you anything harmful when you are already injured, young one,” Shana said. She smiled and placed a steaming mug in front of her before moving to take the seat across the table from her. “It contains nothing but healing herbs.”
    “It tastes like shit, but it will make you feel better,” Melanie said.
    “I can hear you, Melanie.” A loud voice boomed from the other room.
    Melanie smiled and sat down next to Shana. “Of course you can, Finn,” she said. “It’s because you have such big ears.” Melanie and Bethany both laughed, but Shana frowned at them until they stopped.
    Morgan picked up the mug with the fingers of both hands. It made the broken bones in her wrists throb a little, but nothing like the pain she’d felt before they’d been plastered. Sipping the warm brew, she found it to be a little bitter, but she was thirsty so she kept drinking.
    “Have you had a good life?” Bethany asked. “I know it’s too much to tell me all at once, but did you have parents who loved you?”
    “I did,” Morgan said, setting the mug down and reaching for Bethany’s hand. “My Mom died six months ago from cancer, and my dad is still really sad, but they always loved and cared for me. How about you?”
    “I was in a few foster homes over the years, but was placed in a psychiatric hospital when I was sixteen and was there for six years. I met my husbands only a few weeks after escaping.” Bethany released her hand and softly wiped a tear from Morgan’s face. “I’m happy now, that’s all that matters.”
    “You were all alone.” Morgan’s heart hurt for the loneliness she’d sensed when her sister spoke of her life. Morgan had been happy, had a family, a life. Bethany had had nothing.
    “You have nothing to feel guilty about, Morgan. You have found Bethany now, and you can see she is happy. You will be just as happy with your men,” Shana said.
    “ But I do feel guilty. ” Bethany wiped away another of her tears as Morgan turned to look at Shana. “Who are ‘my men’? And how did you know I felt guilty?”
    “She smelled it on you,” Melanie said. “Bethany probably did, too. And you know very well who ‘ your men ’ are.”
    Morgan opened her mouth to object to Melanie’s taunt, but found she couldn’t deny it. She did know exactly who her men were. “ But I don ’t even know them.”
    “That’s why