LINDEN
I sat in the corner of our room, watching Marcy as she slept. The slow rise and fall of her chest was all the assurance I needed that I was doing what needed to be done. I needed to fix this world for her, for the children she would give me one day.
I wanted to lay her on my chest and feel every thump of her heart beating against me, but if she woke up in my arms she would be angrier at me than she was when she fell asleep. Her tear-stained cheeks were tearing a part of my heart out, but Marcy would understand one day, just like Alice, that she was my whole world, my reason for living, and somehow, I would make things right between us.
Marcy was sensitive. Growing up in a coven shielded her from everything, adjusting to the violence that surrounded Wolves was hard enough for her, but she used to have
LINDEN "Did you just fucking die again?" I growled out, gripping Nixon's face and peeling it back from mine so I could look at him. I've watched him shift plenty, usually, the only time he's covered in ash is when he rebirths. "Didn't have time to strip," he rolled his eyes, "burnt my clothes like I'm twelve all over again." "Well, you certainly look twelve still," I glanced down quickly and back up in time to catch his smile. "I'm a grower, not a show'er," he ran his hands through his own hair, preening until he was satisfied. "Found a nest, but it was a fair distance away, and I’m quite sure what’s left of them has moved on." "Why can't you ever just recon without making yourself known," Declan grumble
LINDEN"There what is?" I tried to remain impassive, but I already knew I hit a nerve with her.“Sorry I’m such a disappointment for a mate," Marcy spat out at me, pain ripping through my chest as every word she spoke sliced through her, "someone who can’t even defend her children.” She turned from me and went to walk out again when she stopped in the doorway and spoke softly with her back still facing me, “I never asked to be moved from my coven, I never asked to be ‘Luna,’ I can’t help that I’m not the type of witch that can manipulate the world around me. All I’ve ever asked was for you to love me… for me… but all I’ve gotten is you trying to change me into someone worthy of your love.”I sat there trying to control my anger, trying to count down from twenty, trying to imagine my calm place, but moments later the table flew into the wall
NIXONI pressed my face into the bed, yelling into it until I was struggling for air. Fuck Declan, fuck the Vamps, fuck, fuck, fuck.I rolled over just as Onyx was ready to start destroying things, but the photo-filled ceiling stopped me in my tracks. I needed to get rid of this anger. Onyx was building an inferno inside of me because he wanted to see her.That girl I rescued was NOT Alice.I would support Linden no matter what, but I didn't always agree with how we were going about making the prophecy come true, except at that moment. At that moment, I wanted to watch every single bloodsucker burn alive.Alice is safe in Berkton.Alice is safe.Alice is always safe.I started to repeat sentences over and over again in my head hoping to lull both of us, but all it did was make me think more about how she's also impulsive and quick to temper.No.
NIXON Onyx wanted to fly, but he knew as well as I did that there was no hiding a Phoenix in the city, and that was something we could never chance, especially if someone followed us and it led them to Alice. My super speed though, that I could use. It took me a bit to get to the edge of the city but I flashed through the city pretty easily, hidden by the darkness. Maybe it was because I was getting closer to her, maybe it was triplet intuition, but the closer I got to Alice, the more desperate I became to see her. It was like something was drawing me to her with urgency, some silent plea she was putting out for me. Maybe it was just Onyx being crazy, that was a solid option. It was the early hours of the morning, she wouldn’t object to waking up and seein
ALICE I woke up listening to Nixon's heartbeat, taking in every ounce of his scent that I could, including the small part of him that must have been close to Linden. Linden's light caramel scent blended with Nixon’s sweet smokiness and I missed them both so much that every time he showed up here like this, all I wanted and all Amara could think about was going home. It was a trap set by my heartstrings, but I knew that giving in meant living the life of an heir. We were always watched, always judged when we stepped outside of Shadow Forest and the games that the Alpha’s liked to play, I wanted no part in. Nope. No thank you. The only regret I ever have is that I’m missing time with them, with the other people who made me whole and our other siblings. "I almost got stabbed last night for you," Nixon chuckled,
ALICE "He's not the same without you," Nixon paused and brushed some of my hair behind my ear, "We both want you to have the life you want Alice, but Linden misses you. You need to come home more, find a better balance, WE need you, and the pack gets restless without you there to ground them." "They have Marcy." "You’re their Alpha,” he levelled me with an impassive look that I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at. "I'll come home soon," I relented, "but I have things here I have to tend to-" {Like a mate} Just the mention of him made me stutter my words, feeling the creep of heat onto my face as my senses flooded with the caramel notes of Ian's scent. It
ALICE “I’m sure you look hot as hell,” I yelled through the bathroom door, “get out here and let me see.” “I look ridiculous,” Cynthia slumped her shoulders as she tried to cover her sports bra with her hands, “could you imagine running into someone that I have to deal with regularly?” She made a half-shocked and wide-eyed face as she looked around for something to cover up with. “You look amazing,” I winked and hurried into my room in search of a sweater, “Brock’s gonna want to forgo the gym,” I came back out grinning, “or take you into his office… but here,” I tossed it her way and she immediately slipped it on. It was a bit oversized and I’d cut the hem off a bit so it should have been crop length, but her workout leggings were high-waisted, so they met together nicely leaving no skin.
ALICE "I think you owe my girl some gratitude," his deep voice sent Amara into a lovesick puppy coma as she rolled around on the floor like a cat overdosing on catnip. Of all the places, he had to be here. I would think he was following me if I hadn't decided on this outing last minute. Does Brock know what he is? I refused to turn around. Logically, I needed to in order to get myself out of this room that his huge ass was now blocking, but I refused. "I didn't know you were seeing someone yet," Cynthia leaned in and whispered to me thinking she was being discreet. We were in a small room full of people, never mind that he could hear someone whispering a mile away. Her eyes were dancing between me
ALICE **6 months later** Sebastian held me from behind, sitting up on the bed with his hands carefully tucked under mine, holding Tiernan up to feed as I slept against his chest. It always woke me, but it was adorable that he tried to let me sleep through the feedings. His lips lazily grazed my shoulder and neck, sensing I was awake, as Rian’s stronger scent announced his arrival with the sweet notes of fruit. 'Always scanning my thoughts for movements,' I teased, and when I opened one eye slightly to look at him, he was standing there with a smug smile on his face, not caring in the least. I looked down at our little greedy bundle of love and with each look, somehow the pain of the longest pregnancy in life subsided.
NIXON **6 months later** Rest in peace, Ian. You had a nice life. A fine life. One you clearly don't value too much when you're trying to argue with the woman carrying your offspring and my mate. A strong shiver crept up my spine at the thought. Nope. Even I'm not that crazy. "She does what she wants," Bridget announced, the rose notes in her scent rising as if to remind you that in her beauty is also thorns. My mate was correct, even in her oddly robotic
NIXON Alice's hand was tucked into mine, her other arm reaching across her body as she pressed into my side and lazily stroked my arm. This was the conversation I'd been waiting for since my parents left. Linden was standing on my other side, his arm pressed up against me as he showed his version of support. He wasn't as outwardly affectionate as Alice, and while he hardly initiated contact, he also wouldn't stop me if I reached for his hand right now. Their mates had given us this moment alone, Mountain and Ian were learning to give Alice some space the more they were here, but they never went far, always hovering in the background like she'd disappear if they took their eyes off of her. Well, she might. But it was drawi
LINDEN I still can’t believe the giant monster curled up casually outside of the house. Alice has been home for over two weeks, which was also so unheard of that I was beginning to wonder if I was dreaming. The blue scales on his body rippled as his lungs expanded, the horns coming back from his face shaking a bit as he seemingly got comfy and pups crawled all over him. They were sliding down his tail, where Sebastian and Nixon were on watch in case they needed to flash to catch anyone who fell off. Patient, yes his beast was that. Careful, cautious, really any kind of safe, he was not. ‘I don’t think I ever want to leave,’ Alice leant her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my hand around her as we watched them and she ate some… kale? She’s always eat
ALICE Rian's knot was nestled into me, the feeling of just how much it stretched me out being accentuated by the way my body was stretched up, slightly tugging at my entrance. My hands were tied together with a soft silky type of fabric that looped through a ring on the ceiling as Sebastian circled around me. He flashed to deliver little nips of his fangs all over my body, while Rian laid back and watched us like we were his entertainment. Sebastian loved knot time almost as much as I did... this was his time to take my submission that he craved freely. Rian let me play with Sebastian alongside him once, and oh was his perfect ass red, but I preferred handing the control over to them. He continued to edge me until I was a vibrating mess, begging him to let me find my
LINDEN Later that day, after a well-deserved nap, I came back out to check on Nixon but found Alice’s mates sitting in front of his fire with her. She was sitting backwards on Rian’s lap as he sat cross-legged on the ground and sideways to the fire. Her cheek was resting on his shoulder and her face pointed in the direction of the fire, although it didn't surprise me that she would be keeping an eye on Nixon. What did surprise me was when I rounded her and her eyes were closed. Was little volcano finally sleeping? She hardly ever slept when Nixon rebirthed, only admitting defeat after several days if his episodes lasted long enough. Al was always afraid that she would miss something, that he would wake without her and she wanted us to be the first thing he saw when he did.
LINDEN Terran confirmed his support of the two coupling and offered to help build Nixon a nest, but it had to be me and Alice, no one else ever has, or ever should, although we did allow him to construct a platform the nest would go on top of for us to be able to carry it easier. Once Ayana was let go, she left with Cato and Terran to solidify the truce with the other Fae bloodline holder, Baylin. Alice's mates were getting increasingly handsy, but her attention was solely on Nixon. She always had the natural ability to manage people without them feeling managed, Goddess knows she's managed us our whole lives, and she knew what her mates needed in order for her attention to be elsewhere soon. As I started to collect the bigger logs Alice began weaving some smaller bra
ALICE My chest began to heave up and down as I stared at Sebastian, the pain of him leaving me in the middle of the night flooding back to me. “Why didn’t you come back to get us so that we could have done this together? You let me think you left me? That you’d betray me?” Sebastian’s eyebrows scrunched together, his jaw flexing with tension, “I had to get us close enough with minimal risk, I was working on a way to get you here alone-” “Nixon is dead,” I interrupted him, cocking my head as I took a step towards him, “Terran could have died… Linden could have died… again!”
ALICE Jasper looked to Sebastian behind me, but his cruel red hues narrowed like he didn’t find what they were looking for. His anger turned to surprise and a slow ember type of light started to shine through his veins, turning the skin above, and then around them, to ash as he fell to his knees. My blood, and anywhere it touched, was burning him alive. The few screams of agony that he let out were like ecstasy wrapped in more ecstasy, drawing the attention of the very bloodied and probably broken prince’s. Linden’s eyes started to bulge not because of what was happening with Jasper, but because of the water that was filling his lungs. Panic filled me as my body tried to leap into action but Sebastian’s hold hadn’t let go of me yet and his voice boomed out