Chapter 2 - Housewarming

The weather was fine, although the sky was cloudy. The worst of winter had passed, and the wonderful spring was arriving. Birds from the south had returned and sang their beautiful symphony. The wicked snow was gone, replaced by a vast carpet of grass. Flowers of many kinds had blossomed and filled the air with their fragrance. This was the best time of the year to have a housewarming.

It was an intimate party with Rick and Lenora's family. We had also invited Emma, Damon, the pack Betas and some close friends. Aunt Flora was away on one of her impromptu trips. We already had a pack run and the barbecue party with the whole pack the previous evening.

Kids played in the garden while I relaxed with Emma and other ladies on the patio overlooking the river. I gazed at Emma and other girls fussing over their babies and older kids. Even Katherine had Namara to look after. I knew what I had to do. Have Lucian's babies. I picked up my piña colada and smiled absentmindedly.

"Are you even listening to me?" Emma broke my reverie.

"Sorry what?" 

I replied, trying to catch the gist of the conversation flying around me. For a change, I had closed my mental link with Lucian. I didn't want him listening to our girl talk.

"I was narrating how annoyingly possessive Bobby was during the early stages of my pregnancy. So, I had to attend this essential lecture. I had to fight with Bobby to let me attend it. Medical school is not easy, after all. I was standing by the car, talking to some of my classmates. Bobby didn't like that, he came flying through his car, grabbed me and hauled me behind him. He growled low in his throat, and said 'MINE'. Turns out he didn't like the group of guys standing too close to me. I have never seen a gang of grown men run away that fast, Bobby can be just a bit intimidating," Emma said with a laugh.

"Was he always this possessive?" I asked shocked.

"No, but he became more possessive once I was with his pup."

Linda and Rain, who had been listening, quietly giggled. Everyone knew how possessive males were, but they go over the top when their mates are with pups. Since pregnant females cannot shift, their protective instinct kicks in.

"Our mate will be very protective," my wolf Lana said appreciatively. She had gone into motherhood mode once I decided to have a baby.

"Alphas are worse when it comes to possessiveness." Linda looked at me pointedly.

"Really? Did Rick give you a hard time?" 

"Why else do you think I had to quit working?"

"That's terrible! How could he force you to quit? Rick doesn't seem like that?" I looked at the garden, there the men were playing with the older pups. Keeping them busy. Rick seemed happy and relaxed.

"He didn't ask me to quit, and it was my decision. I wanted a break. But he wouldn't leave me alone for even a minute. He wanted to escort me to and fro to my work. He was so clingy it I decided it was better this way."

"Damm! I hope Lucian doesn't turn into a control freak," I was worried. After several issues and arguments, we had finally arrived at a delicate balance of power. I preferred not to jeopardize it.

Lenora looked at her daughter and baby Matthew and said quietly, "If you have any questions, we will answer anything that you ask. But foremost, let me make this clear. Motherhood is a wonderful gift, especially for us. You know, we go into heat only twice a year. Even during that, chances of conception are slim. Were don't get pregnant easily. So, don't freak out, everything works out in the end. Unlike humans, our mate bond is stronger and at a spiritual level. Plus we have a long life, we have ample time to get back to our careers, speaking of careers. I am going back to business school this fall." Linda grinned happily.

"Oh wow! Congrats Linda, I am sure you will rock it." 

"I hope so. Starting college again at 30 isn't easy." She replied.

"You don't look a day over 22, one of the perks of being a werewolf." I laughed.

"Yeah, that's one of the reasons, I agreed to transform, and I was madly in love with Rick" Linda glanced fondly at Rick, who returned the look. 

"Awwwwww, that's so sweet," Rain gushed. "It reminded me of how Damon and I met."

"How did you meet? You never told me your love story." I smiled at the Rain.

She looked sheepish and Kathrine snorted.

"It was rather embarrassing." Rain mumbled.

"Really? Now I am curious. " I kept my drink on the table and straightened up.

"Come on, don't force me to use my Alpha command. Spill it out." I said laughing.

Katherine interjected. "I will narrate, before meeting Damon, Rain had a rather distinguished career of being a punk and a petty thief."

My mouth fell open in surprise, while Rain looked sheepish. That explained her bright orange hair and colourful clothes, but a thief! I had no idea.

"Don't judge her, she had a rather rough childhood, having grown up in foster care, she fell into bad company. To cut the long story short. Damon caught her when she was trying to break into Lucian's car. Damon was instantly smitten, and he begged Lucian to not punish her. Lucian understood and allowed him to keep Rain as his mate."

"That's very romantic, I wasn't aware of your past, Rain. Glad to know you met Damon and ended up here." I said.

"I am not very proud of my past. I was young and stupid." Rain replied, she was still embarrassed.

"You are part of the family now, nobody's going to judge you, I am happy for you," I reassured Rain.

I wondered if Lucian was going to be as possessive and decided that I would have to talk to him about it, since I had outside interests that I would continue to pursue, such as my work. Occasional girls outings which I attended, and I had tons of work in the pack. I wanted him to understand that I understood his need to be possessive, but I would continue to have a life of my own, not just as his mate.

"So when are you going in the heat?" Emma asked.

"Next week," I replied.

"Wow, should I expect fireworks?" Emma teased.

"Maybe," I grinned.

Lucian and I were going on a trip to a seaside cabin. He had explained that was supposed to be our honeymoon. We never had any peace since we l were mated. This was a perfect opportunity for us to enjoy some solitude. I hoped this peaceful period would stay forever, but things were not so easy in the werewolf world.

"Hope you have beautiful and healthy pups," Katherine said, smiling. Katherine never failed to remind me of the need for the Alpha's pups.

"Hello, ladies, who are having pups?" Lucian arrived happily swinging his niece Sherry in his arm. The little girl was squealing.

"Alice," Rain replied, making me choke on my drink. She was a loudmouth. Always blurting out wrong things at the wrong time.

Lucian looked at me dumbfounded. "What?" 

"Ignore her, rain is just being Rain. Did you eat something? Kids must be hungry." I said trying to change the topic. 

By the end of the day, everyone was a little tired, but happy. I thought about how fortunate I was to have these people, my family, with me to enjoy such a time. I thought about how many times we could have done things together, but life always seemed to get in the way; there was always work, pack issues, danger, and betrayals.

There was always something to be done, always someplace to go. None of it seemed important now; the only thing that mattered was these people, this singular second in the infinity of time. I was with people who loved me, with people I loved. The man I loved and who loved me back. Everything else didn't seem significant.