Ann cleared her throat loudly as she and Aoife made their way across to where Allen stood with his arms wrapped around Lexi protectively. Lexi moved away from Allen quickly and plastered an overly bright smile on her face as soon as she noticed Aoife at Ann's side. "Hey! I'm Lexi," She grinned broadly, much to Ann's surprise. She had been fully expecting a frosty reception from both Allen and Lexi but had planned on chalking it up to the current circumstances if Aoife had asked about it. "Yes! I know, Felix had introduced me to your father and he mentioned that we were around the same age, and wondered if we had met through school or something before." "Oh he did, did he?" Lexi asked with a raised eyebrow, "What else did my dear old papa tell you about me then?" "Nothing incriminating, I promise." Aoife giggled. "I find that hard to believe." Lexi scoffed, "With all of the many shenanigans and thoughtless tomfoolery that I've gotten up to in the past, I'm a positive rep
After meeting with Bartholomew in his office and discussing the many ways that Linus may try to spin his defense, they set off together toward the Court of the Elders. The irony wasn't lost on Ann that only a short time ago, she had been the one standing in front of them all at the bottom of that intimidating amphitheater as the accused party, and now, she would be presiding over the fate of others. The trials had pretty much come to a halt during the coronation proceedings and after the daring yet deadly escape of the convicts during their transport, the rest of the prisoners held within the Enclave were being kept in the holding cells until it was deemed safe for transport once more. But now that the celebratory period had ended, Ann knew damn well that her workload was only set to increase as new trials were added to her schedule. She made a mental note to check up on the progress of Coral's training with Eva as they pulled to a stop in front of the enormous doors. "So… h
Linus was brought in under armed escort with the sort of sleazy smirk that made Ann's skin crawl. Although his appearance gave the impression that he was slightly unhinged, Ann knew that underneath it all, his vile little mind was as sharp and depraved as ever. He shrugged the guards away angrily as they positioned him at the podium and sneered at them. "When this farce is all over, I'll take your heads… mark my words." He hissed viciously as they walked away without a backward glance to their former positions. Linus's gaze ran around the circle above before dropping and settling on Ann's face as a smirk spread across his thin lips. "Your grace," He greeted in a tone that was clearly mocking as he inclined his head and quite openly allowed his eyes to roam up and down her body as he licked his lips. "Dirty Bastard..." "Shhh!" "You shhh!" The voices of Lexi and Allen trickled down to her from above and the faint sigh of resignation that she was sure belonged to Barthol
The murmurs that came from above her meant that she had been right in thinking the majority of Elders had no idea what she was talking about. "Your grace, there has been no such law…" Ann turned to look up at the circle triumphantly. "No? Every single person's signature is on it, so that means that either you have forgotten you have signed it, or… the alternative is that you yourself, have not actually bothered to read the stacks of paperwork that come your way and have instead entrusted the signing of those documents to another person… which I should remind you is a dereliction of duty and also fraud... which I believe also carries a sentence." Ann said as she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Now, what was it… ah! Yes! The stripping of titles, and holdings, and either imprisonment or exile… purely at the current monarch's discretion of course." She smiled sweetly. The person who had spoken out cleared their throat and it was quickly followed by the familiar sound of Lexi's sn
As soon as Linus was led away, the upper circle began to clear and Ann made her way to the exit. As she reached for the handle of the door, she was unable to get a grip on it as it was pushed forward with a furious force and she stepped back just in time to avoid the doors smashing into her face. The furious figure of Cornelius stood before her, his face red with outrage as he opened and closed his mouth soundlessly. He held a shaking finger before him as he pointed at Ann. trembling with rage. "You… you..." He spluttered as Ann quickly overcame her shock and smiled innocently up at him. "Careful now Cornelius, you should really be a little more careful with your blood pressure at your age," She said with fake concern, pushing his outstretched arm down and looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "This won't stand you know..." He hissed, "You'll get your comeuppance..." "Yes, I'm well aware that many people seek to dethrone me or end my rule already purely because I'm lo
Ann had gotten herself changed quickly and was waiting for Lexi to come and let her know when she had changed so they could both go and collect Aoife for the girl's night. They had decided to hit one of the quieter bars in the Enclave the Omega's that took care of it had already excitedly announced that they would take care of the food and drink for the evening. Ann had tried to insist that they would pay for everything, but the Omega's were uncharacteristically stubborn. They had even arranged for the bar to be closed to all males for the evening so that the women could let their hair down and relax without fear of being judged. Not that any of them really cared what the elders thought, but it would be a nice change not to have to worry about any rumors originating from men that really should know better at their age. The female elders tended to be much more open-minded and so far, Ann hadn't encountered any opposition from them. They were seemingly all too eager to see a
Ann blinked at Lexi in confusion. "Wait, I don't understand. What are you saying? Are you related then? And… wait... why would I feel that she's familiar?" Lexi stopped and turned to Ann, sighing slightly. "Because, Papa said that before she died, my mama and yours were good friends. She tried to help her fight against whatever it was that was smothering her soul but… well... you know the rest." Lexi explained seriously, all humor gone from her face as she suddenly seemed almost melancholy, "So it turns out, both of us have been around the type of energy that Aoife carries with her. Papa thinks she's a witch too, not like Narcissa or Ada though, the ones that were hunted to extinction around the time that mama… well... you know." Lexi trailed off sadly. "But, wait… I thought there were no other witches left. Did they escape then?" Ann asked eagerly. This information was monumental. Adam's family had close ties with a so called 'good' witch who had helped them with the charm
The night was going exactly as Ann had hoped it would. Lexi had been correct in her initial assessment of Aoife, she really was a dark horse. The Bellevue alcohol barely seemed to touch her and as the omega's brought across the third bottle of the evening, the mood was high. "Honestly though, I think there's a lot of people who would kill to be in your position," Aoife gushed as Lexi snorted in disagreement. "Then they can have them, seriously. Having one guy watch your every move and try to tell you what you can and can't do was unbearable enough, but now I'm supposed to have two? Well, that's just plain rude." She moaned as she scowled at her glass. Aoife laughed. "I'm sure it will get easier. You just need the grumpy, stiff one to accept that it is what it is, then everything will work out, you'll see." "Grumpy and stiff...? Allen? No… he's already…" Lexi frowned in confusion as Ann and Aoife burst out laughing. "No! Greyson! He's completely the brooding type. Allen
As their convoy of cars and moving vans rolled up the driveway, Ann's stomach twisted uncomfortably as her anxiety set in. Regardless of what her babies were doing to her insides, the effects that her heightened emotions were having on her far eclipsed any discomfort that her pups were causing. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm the anxiety that knotted her insides and made her heart ache painfully. As far as she knew, her father was still living within the palace and she still wasn't sure that she could forgive him for everything that she had been put through because of his choices. In the worst-case scenario, she could always extend the palace to encompass two main living areas so that she wouldn't have to deal with tolerating his presence. She didn't even want to think about how she would explain to her children that they couldn't ever meet the incredible woman that her mother was because her father had an affair, broke the mating bond, and allowed his mistress and
"Right, I think that's the last of them," Adam grinned as he jogged through the huge doors of the Enclave's entrance hall to where Ann was pacing restlessly and Bartholomew was watching with mild amusement. "Finally," Ann sighed as she rubbed her belly with a grimace, "At this point, all I want to do is get my home back to what it used to be." Adam leaned forward and planted a kiss on Ann's forehead. "Are they making things difficult for you?" He asked gently, rubbing her back. Ann reached for his hand with a scowl and placed it palm down on top of her belly and grimaced as another flurry of movement rippled under her skin and Adam blinked in surprise. "Are they fighting in there?!" He asked in shock. "With two stubborn Alpha's for parents, I wouldn't put it past them." Bartholomew chuckled as he made his way over to them, smiling kindly. Ann lifted her gaze and her face softened as she looked at the kindly face of the old man that had been there for them through so muc
When Coral had returned with the Omega that worked as a nanny to the nobles, the baby boy was handed over to her and she waddled off happily, cooing at the baby in her arms as it gurgled happily back up at her. Coral began to work through updating the schedule for Ann as she dictated, adding additional notes that she shared with Allen's device. He would see to their schedule tomorrow as he had several days worth of reports to hear from Adam as to what had happened within the businesses and the Dark Moon Pack while he was away. Lexi made her way back to her room with both Allen and Greyson following behind her. She paused outside her door and turned to them both with a smile. "Sorry to disappoint boys, but I don't feel like getting frisky right now. Quite honestly, I just want to soak all of this crap off me." They nodded at her as she looked at them thoughtfully. "We really should sit down and have a discussion about how this is going to work between us all, you know." she
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that." Ann said a little breathlessly as she looked between Lexi, Allen and Greyson. Adam shared the same concerned expression as she did at the revelations that Eromaug would clearly stop at nothing to get his hands on Lexi. "You're absolutely sure that your father is willing to ally himself with us?" Ann asked as the baby in her arms began to stir and protest at the noise and unfamiliar surroundings it had found itself in. Lexi snorted loudly. "Of course he is. How could he not when his daughter is your right hand woman?" She winked. "We should put it to the council first." Adam said somberly as Lexi groaned loudly. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled at the opportunity," She muttered sarcastically as Ann laughed. "I think we should get hold of Bartholomew so that he can help us find a way to ‘tell' the council of our alliance, rather than ask for their permission." Ann mused thoughtfully, "He's pretty knowledgeable about who supports us,
Ann and Adam stood on the front steps of the Enclave, eagerly waiting for the return of both of their Beta's. Adam chuckled as Ann fidgeted with her hands and struggled to stand still, her gaze fixed on the curve of the driveway. "They'll be here soon, don't worry." He soothed, wrapping his arm around her as she nibbled on her bottom lip. "What if something happened though?" She worried as she rubbed her little bump in an act of self soothing. Adam's eyes glazed over slightly as he linked with Allen and then grinned down at his anxious wife. "Allen said stop worrying, it's not good for the baby. They'll be here in seconds." "But…" As promised, the front end of the transport pulled around the corner of the driveway and Ann let out a sigh of relief. "See, my Queen? Nothing to worry about." Adam chuckled as he watched them pull to a stop in front of them. As soon as the door opened and Lexi's head emerged, Ann broke away from Adam and bolted down the steps towards her.
Lexi knew that she was still conscious, but the pressure that engulfed her head, and the rigidity of her body teamed with the almost distant voices of protest from Allen and Greyson let her know that she had no control over what was happening right now. The initial black curtain that had descended was suddenly filled with hundreds upon hundreds of memories from her childhood, all played out in glorious technicolor and accompanied by sounds and smells that made her heart ache with familiarity and her breath catch in her chest. There was no way that she could catch each and every memory at once, but she could see it clearly. The bond that both she and Eromaug had shared at an early stage was filled with love and an intensity that she had known only with Allen and Greyson. By the time the images had begun to fade in her mind's eye and her vision returned, she was overwhelmed with emotions. As she sat there trembling, clasping her hands together tightly so that she wouldn't cry wit
Lord Brarthroroz guided Lexi over to one of the chairs around the table and gestured towards the flap of the tent. "Make sure no one enters for the time being, Steve." He said with an air of resignation to his voice as he took a seat next to his daughter. Steve nodded expressionlessly as he moved to the open flap, released the material to close it and ducked through to stand outside. "You two should sit as well," Lord Brathroroz advised as he gestured to the seats across from Lexi, "This isn't easy for me to talk about." He continued with a grunt. Greyson and Allen moved to comply and took their seats next to each other, both of them focused on Lexi. Lord Brarthroroz sighed as he turned back to his daughter and cupped her face fondly. "Before I start, I want you to understand that before your mother and I had you, neither of us realized just how deeply we could love and the desire to protect you from harm eclipsed everything else in our lives completely." He said gently a
It hadn't taken their force long to clear the halls and clean up the bodies that were left behind. The losses had been minimal on their part and considering the forces that they had thought they would be up against, their plans had meant that they had been far better equipped than the coven itself. The Coven had left very few prisoners alive, and the ones that were still breathing were in pretty bad shape. Lexi and the other healers and medics had done what they could but there was no growing back limbs…no matter how proficient of a shifter you were. Lord Brarthroroz had stationed huge numbers of his daemons within the winding passageways and caverns that the coven had previously inhabited and returned to the surface with his portalmancer Steve at his side. He strode angrily across the makeshift camp to the command tent and paused at the entrance, glancing across at the medical tent where Lexi had been working. Currently, she was cleaning her hands off as her mates watched
She stood and with one last look at the lifeless body below her, turned her attention to the chaos at the other side of the room. Narcissa had no problems keeping the attacks of the wolves at bay and Lexi could feel the emotions of the past few minutes bubbling wildly inside of her as she stormed towards her, her eyes blazing furiously. Her father was still making little headway against Eromaug, but she wasn't concerned about his survival, he was more than capable of taking care of himself against his bastard of a brother. Narcissa on the other hand…she had a lot to fucking answer for. Lexi strode through the fighters battling the twisted Daemons that had emerged from the shadows, throwing her magick lazily towards the monstrosities as she passed, a sneer curling at her lips as the shifters watched her in terrified awe. It wasn't long until Narcissa noticed her approach and her face split into a sneer that matched Lexi's as she swept her arm in front of her, knocking the ma