Chapter 109** Mason’s POV **Josie’s nervous about something, I can feel it. It's very similar to how my empath gift works except I've not worked out how to block it yet. Not that I'd block Josie right now. I want to feel her every emotion, it is all I have of her. I could do without Axel’s constant self-loathing though. I already have enough of that of my own. “Fucking Mason!” I swear I hear Josie cursing me as my heart rate picks up and another rush of mixed emotions comes from her. I glance around, half convinced I’ll see her standing behind me.“Josie?” I say when I don’t see her. I'm positive I heard her. Maybe this is it. My mind has finally broken.“Mace, I think you need to take another break,” Theo says softly, his eyes glancing around us and I feel his concern growing. I think he's right.“Mason, shit, can you hear me?” I hear Josie’s voice clearer this time and I spin quickly. “Yes, where are you?” I say. Theo takes my arm and tries to lead me towards the tent but I shak
Chapter 110** Josie’s POV **I try to reconnect with Mason but no matter how much I shout there's no response. I wish I knew how it worked. Right now I feel like we are surfing radio channels on a walkie-talkie and hoping we both land on the same frequency at the same time. A rush of love pulses from Luke and I know he must be with Mason and Theo now.I’m happy that I connected with Mason when I did, he might not know it but he was there the moment I confirmed I was carrying his child. If anyone should have been there then it was him. It makes me feel a little less guilty for keeping this hidden. I had wanted so desperately to tell him I loved him, but I'm pretty sure it would have made him uncomfortable. Plus when I do tell him, I want to be looking into his eyes. I eat breakfast with D and Freya in stunned silence. There's just so much to process. “You know I’ve got you, right? I’m going to be the best auntie to that little bean, and no matter what happens you are not alone in thi
Chapter 111** Deacon’s POV **The mind link with our bond group is extraordinary. It is truly a blessing for every situation we might find ourselves in. I will need to research into it more when we return to Greys realm. It's also an indication that as a group we are incredibly more powerful than I'd first thought. “For those of us who aren't experienced porters and haven't had the training, could you make this simple?” Theo asks. I think for a moment of a way to explain this in a way they might all understand.“Imagine a huge room with a corridor that runs the entire length through the middle, separating it into two rooms. The corridor has multiple doors that line each side so you can walk through one door to a door directly opposite that leads to the other room. The corridor is very dark and it is easy to become lost inside but if you walk straight from one door to the other it's not a problem. Now you are in one room and we are in the other, and all the doors on your side have bee
Chapter 112** Josie’s POV **Deacon leaves and I try not to fret about it. I don’t want to scare him by being too clingy. I know he said he'd never leave me for long but he's spent so much time alone that I worry having a needy bond might be too much for him. I grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge and chug half of it down before flopping back down on the bed. “Right Axel, I’m coming for you, you better be ready for me,” I say out loud into the empty room. Closing my eyes I focus on my breathing, keeping it slow and steady whilst I examine my connection to each bond. Mason is barely there, he's already figured out how to shield himself, no surprises from my guarded bond. I condense all my attention onto my connection with Axel and suck in a breath at his whirling emotions. “Axel,” I call to him and wait. I feel a slight recognition from him. A shift to confusion for a split second before anger takes over. “Axel, can you hear me?” I call out again. “Fuck off,” he snarls.“Ouc
Chapter 113** Josie’s POV **After I know Axel is safely back with the others I go to Freya’s room but she's not there. Maybe she went to the bookshop? I really need to get myself a phone, living in a modern world with no modern possessions sucks. I pass the next few hours by showering and reading one of the books Frank had given me until I fall asleep. I wake sometime later to warm arms wrapping around me.“Hey,” I say through a yawn.“Hey. Sorry for waking you,” Deacon says softly.“It’s okay, I dont want to waste the whole day sleeping,” I snuggle against him, content in his arms whilst I check in on the rest of my bonds. They all seem to be sleeping.“Good job with Axel, he is much more settled,” “He is, I think he just needed to have a task to focus on. He needs to feel like he's doing something to help me,” “That makes sense. His abilities are more focused around strength and combat, without a clear target to fight he probably felt useless. Once he starts to explore his new gi
Chapter 114**Josie’s POV **I grip my wrist to help the nausea pass and warm air touches my skin. I take in our surroundings and my jaw drops at what I see. It's dark here, and the city beneath us is lit up with a stunning display of Christmas lights. Usually, I'm opposed to Christmas decorations in November but this gets a free pass because… wow.“Where are we?” I ask in awe.“Dubai, I have a friend here that's pulled some strings for us,” he smiles down at me and then turns me towards a lone dining table that's been set up on the rooftop. The table is draped in white linen with a candle that flickers in the middle. There are two place settings set out and a single red rose lies across one of the settings. Warm lights hand from a wooden pergola above the table and soft music plays from somewhere nearby. “This is beautiful,” I say, my eyes welling with tears. I've never seen anything so romantic and thoughtful.“Not as beautiful as you,” he breathes. He guides me to the table and pul
Chapter 115** Deacon’s POV **Josie is truly a remarkable woman, and I find myself captivated by not only her beauty but her every action. Watching her responses to the world around her brings me so much joy. The way her eyes lit up when she first saw the lights of Dubai was simply enchanting and a memory I will cherish forever. I will take this woman to every corner of every realm to see her light up the way she did. And when she gasped in delight at the jewellery we chose for her, it touched my heart in a way I never expected. I can't help but want to fill her life with beautiful experiences and shower her with gifts, simply to witness her happiness and share in those precious moments with her. My only regret is that the rest of our group wasn't there to witness it. I wish I could have recorded the whole thing for them. I do have pictures for them, but until they can repair the receivers in Greys realm I can't send the photos to them. I take Josie’s hand and guide her to the bedroo
Chapter 116**Josie’s POV **The next morning comes too quickly. I’m not ready to go back to reality. I’m happy here, in this bed with Deacon’s safe arms around me and my bonds whispering in my head. If I dont open my eyes I can trick myself that we are all here together but my bladder has other ideas as it screams at me for relief. I force myself up with a groan, hating my body right now. “What’s wrong?” Deacon asks, suddenly alert.“Need to pee,” I mumble as I take in my surroundings with a squint. I'd not had a chance to explore this place last night, too caught up in the incredible attention of my bonds and then the aftermath.“The bathroom is the next door directly opposite,” he says, flopping back down in the bed and if I wasn't desperate for the toilet I'd jump on him. How is this man mine? Mr Freaking Collins is naked and waiting in bed for me! I still can't quite wrap my head around it. I dash out to find the bathroom, eager to get back to him. When I return he's no longer i
Chapter 171**Mason’s POV**As the hours pass I feel calmer. Soft music plays in the room and Josie is so relaxed. Even through her pain, she smiles and there's excitement in the room. This beautiful, amazing and strong woman is bringing our daughter into the world and as I rub her back I am filled with pride that she is mine. Then with a groan and a sudden call for help, the room shifts into chaos. Dot and Art had been waiting outside in the hall to let us have this moment alone but now they are bursting in with urgency.“Get her on the bed,” Dot says. I pick Josie up without much thought and place her on the bed, stepping back to let Dot and Art get to her. Dot is pressing something to Josie's stomach before saying something about the heart rate. I can barely make sense of what is happening as my ears begin to ring. Josie is fighting for breath and I stand there, utterly frozen in fear, because I knew something was going to go wrong and this is my fault. I did this to her. Cash ha
Chapter 170** Josie’s POV **I sit forward in the bath, ready to get out and curl up in bed with my guys, but as I move I feel an odd pop in my lower back. It takes me a second to realise what it is as a sudden gush of warm water moves between my legs. “I think my waters just broke,” I tell the guys.The room falls deadly still and silent for a second before everyone moves at once. Mason lifts me from the water and carries me into the bedroom with Theo running ahead of us to pull back the bed sheets.“Everyone stay calm, no one panic,” Theo calls, sounding anything but calm. “Someone call Dot and Art,” Mason says as he lays me on the bed with such tenderness that I want to cry again. Axel rushes in with a towel, getting to work on drying me off whilst I hear Deacon on the phone talking. I’m a little dazed and shocked that this is happening, and the guys are all in a frenzied state of panic. Luke comes in with a towel wrapped around his waist and puts on the calming labour playlist
**Axel’s POV**The gender reveal had been a huge success. Seeing everyone that my bond group cares about all come together to celebrate our baby was something that will stay with me forever. I hadn't even felt my family's absence because with my bond group and their loved ones, I've found a better, even more supportive family. I don’t need anyone else to feel complete, well, apart from more children. Josie is coming to the end of her pregnancy, and I'm going to miss seeing her like this. Even with her swollen ankles and sickness, she is still the most beautiful thing I've ever laid my eyes on. She seems to glow with an otherworldly beauty that grows brighter every day and keeping my hand off of her is becoming more and more difficult. If I could, I'd pick her up and carry her with me everywhere. As I watch her now my fingers twitch with a need to touch her, to scoop her up and hear the contented little hum she always lets out when I wrap her in my arms. I’m addicted to that sound. I
Chapter 168** Josie’s POV **“Babe, calm down, it's going to be perfect,” Theo says as I attempt to rearrange the tables by the pool again.“What if everyone hates it and never wants to go to a gender reveal party ever again?” I ask, covering my face with my hands in an attempt to calm myself. “Why would they hate it? Everyone will be here because they love us and our baby and they're excited to find out the gender. I don’t think they care if the table layout is up to standard,” Luke says.“You're right,” I nod. “I just feel this pressure to make it perfect, I need to prove to your families I'm capable of doing this, I want to prove I'm worthy of being in this bond group and that I'll be a good mother to their grandchildren,” I admit. “They already know that, and more importantly, we know that. You have nothing to prove, Babe. This is supposed to be a fun day for us all to be together with everyone we care about, so relax and enjoy it,” Theo pulls me to him and Luke steps up to my b
Chapter 167** Josie’s POV **Once both my men are gloriously naked I watch them for a while as they explore each other's mouths. It’s clear Mason is letting Theo take the lead here, which confirms what I thought Mason needed from us. “Take charge of him, Theo, he needs it,” I say into the mind link. Theo breaks the kiss and looks over at me with a subtle nod.“Our girl is looking lonely on that bed, don't you think?” he asks. Mason turns his head and his eyes land on me before he nods.“Get on the bed and crawl to her, Mace,” Theo whispers.Mason steps up to the bottom of the bed and casts a glance at Theo behind him before getting on the bed and crawling up to kneel between my legs. I sit up to meet him and pull his head towards mine kissing him briefly before I lie back. Theo comes to kneel on the bed beside us and his hand moves straight to my sex. “Look how wet she is for you,” Theo hums, spreading me for Mason to see just how much I want him, before plunging two fingers insi
Chapter 166** Josie’s POV **It had taken almost a week to fully recover from the psychic attack from Cornelius. I had spent most of that time in bed with Mason. We watched movies and slept a lot for the first few days. On day three Mason felt back to normal, but due to my pregnancy and that I had depleted my energy to fuel the rest of my bonds I'd needed longer. The rest of my bonds have been navigating the aftermath and keeping me and Mason informed. We recently learned that Cornelius was confirmed as spark bonded, which adds another layer of betrayal to his entire scheme. When Cornelius died, one of the females captured by Raff’s team became distraught, screaming in anguish over her loss. Three other males tried to console her in the holding cell, revealing their identities in the process. I chose not to find out what happened to them afterwards. I can’t imagine the depth of her pain in losing one of her bonds, even if he had committed terrible acts. The thought of her dealing wit
Chapter 165** Theo’s POV **I move to intercept a wolf running towards Josie. I step in its path just in time for the little shit to launch up and latch painfully onto my arm, dragging me down with it. The wolf suddenly disappears from on top of me, seconds before it was about to chomp down on my face. I sit up and look around in confusion. Josie lets out a pained cry from behind me and I jump to my feet, turning just in time to see her drop to her knees. I rush forward with a burst of energy, catching her before she falls forward and she goes limp in my arms. I look at Mason in a panic, which only increases when I see he is on the floor, twitching and groaning. Luke is nowhere to be seen.“What the fuck is going on? I need help here!” I scream into the mind link. I lay Josie down next to Mason, ready to protect them both when Luke appears.“I’ll get them out of here. Go help Deacon and Axel,” Luke says before leaning down and touching Josie and Mason before porting out with them.
Chapter 164** Josie’s POV **Cornelius stands in the centre, dressed in black and wearing a bulletproof vest. He looks as arrogant as hell whilst he laps up the attention of his worshipers. People cheer and clap, drowning out the booing from outside the park fence. I look around at all the people, there are a full range from babies to elderly and I hate that they have no idea who this guy is and that they are just unwitting pawns in a game they never chose. We have to free them, we are their last line of defence. We swore we would save this realm and we are about to prove it, no matter the cost.I spot Mason and Theo moving into position and I glance over to where I know Axel and Luke should be. Once we see them we begin to move too, weaving our way through the crowd. I recognise a few of the faces along the way and feel a little more at ease when I see them shadowing the more vulnerable members of the audience, ready to protect them. When I am happy with my position I stop, letting m
Chapter 163** Josie’s POV **Deacon and I port into an empty apartment in a building that overlooks the park, whilst Luke, Axe, Mason and Theo port to a disused train line in the underground station across the street. Some of Raff’s team are already here and some have even managed to compel themselves onto the security team. We know Cornelius will have informed his team to be on the lookout for bonded groups so it’s important that as a female I am only seen with one male, otherwise we may draw suspicion. This theory is confirmed when a single female with a group of three males is stopped at the gate and pulled to one side. We can't see what is done to them from here as they are led into a large white tent. I hold my breath as we wait, only releasing it when they exit the tent unharmed.“Probably using compulsion to question them. If we get pulled in, remember to draw on Axel’s blocking gift and make your gaze look vacant. Imagine you are in a daydream and answer their questions quic