Arden and Aurora stood and watched Eli play with the other children. more pack members stopped and introduced themselves. just as Aurora was about to call for Eli, Ardens father walked up to the couple. "Your boy seems to be fitting in just fine, Aurora," Aurora only nodded in response. She wasn't sure what Mason wanted. "I heard that we should be expected a visit from Doctor Collins tomorrow morning," Mason's gaze moved to Ardens. "That's correct. We had to run an errand. When we were finished, we were near the hospital, and we felt it would benefit everyone to be done with these tests," Arden said the word through gritted teeth. "This is true. However, the point of the tests is to make sure that Aurora is a good fit. It doesn't bode well that the exam was done without anyone else present or even knowing about it to begin with," Arden slowly squared up to his father. He faced him straight on as he tried to take a few calming breaths. "Let me guess, Lila wants the exam redone?"
Arden paced the waiting area of the hospital. "Our mate needs us!" Thor roared in his mind. They could both feel her pain coming from down the hall. It had been a couple of hours since Doctor Collins and the nurses had raced Aurora back. One nurse had come out to inform him that they still did not know what the issue was, but they were going to keep running their tests and working to figure it out. The nurse also informed Arden that they had her sedated, so she at least did not feel the pains now. Arden was grateful to hear that. Although he could still feel them. Arden was unable to sit down in one of the wooden chairs that lined the perimeter of the waiting room. He was the only one currently in it. The feeling was a lonely one. Arden thought back to the BBQ and what could have caused Aurora to double over in pain. She ate the same thing that he had. Melody had one cooked up the usual hot dogs and burgers. There were a few sausage links, but Aurora had stuck to a burger. Arden s
Aurora's body felt numb. She heard the sounds around her before she opened her eyes. She felt the rough blanket under her hands. The monitors of the hospital beeped around her. It wasn’t the first time that she had found herself in a hospital bed. She hoped it would be one of the last though. Aurora slowly began to blink. Her eyes felt heavy and weighed as though they were not ready to open quite yet. "Aurora," Arden breathed. He stood up from the chair that sat near her hospital bed. He moved to sit on the side of the bed. He grabbed her hand and held it close to his chest. Aurora blinked more. She worked to remove the sleep from her eyes to be able to register what was going on around her. She looked up into Arden's eyes. They held a large amount of concern. Aurora tried to speak but she could not. It felt as though someone ad rub wool over her throat. Arden leaned forward and grabbed a glass of water off the side table that sat near Aurora's hospital bed. Arden put the glass
Alpha Mason paced the room that was now office. He had willingly given up his Alpha office to Lila when she had become the Luna. Mason thought about the BBQ and Lila's reaction afterward. It was unsettling how happy Lila had seemed. Even with knowing that Aurora had been transported to the pack hospital. Mason stopped at his desk and looked down at a file that sat on top. He had never opened the file. Roger, his Beta, had given it to him after he had decided to wed Lila. Mason had not bothered to open it. It held his wife's past. Mason had not cared to look as he had thought all that mattered was their connection and love for one another. Mason took a seat at his desk and began to skim over the contents of the file. There was not much in there. Lila's parents had died at a young age. Her Aunt took custody of her, but Lila ran away at a young age. As Mason looked over her past addresses, something looked off. Each address boarded on the territory line of the Whispering Shadows Coven.
Arden helped Aurora from the car. They had pulled up to a modern home with a two-car garage. It sat in the center of a small cul-de-sac surrounded by homes that resembled the others. Arden helped Aurora through the front door. The home was already furnished. Eli came running from the living room that sat off to the left of the front entry way. "Momma!" Eli ran up but stopped short. He noticed that Arden was helping Aurora. Aurora smiled at her son and touched his face. Eli gently wrapped his hands around her waist and held her. "I am alright, E," Aurora said as she hugged Eli to herself. She welcomed his warmth and love. Eli moved to Aurora's others side and helped her into the living room and to the couch that sat on one side of the room. Faith stood up from a pair of chairs across from the couch. Faith smiled at her daughter. Worry clearly written among the lines around her forehead and mouth. Aurora tried to smile at her mother reassuringly. However, her pain was still a const
Rather than say anything, Rich only nodded in answer. Edith drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "You must know that I never meant for the drink to hurt the future Luna," Edith said quietly. "What happened?" Rich asked gently. He did not want to scare the girl. At least not yet. "I was in the kitchen, cleaning up some of the food from outside. I found Luna Lila in the kitchen. She was making Shirley temples for the children. It was the sweetest thing I think I have ever seen her do." "And then?" Rich tried to coax out of her. "She handed me the try and asked for me to hand them out. She did not think anyone would care for them if she was the one passing them out, I guess. She instructed one of them to have alcohol in it for the future Luna," Edith dropped her head once more. She should have none something was amiss. "What happened next?" Rich asked. Edith thought for a moment. "I had asked if she wanted me to at least let them know they were from her, but she said no. I
Arden looked back at the house before stepping from the front porch. He walked to his car and opened the driving side door. He watched the house for a moment. He had made sure to link Jack before leaving. Arden did not want any of one of them alone. Arden's hands gripped the steering wheel. He heard something inside of it crack and it made him loosen his grip instantly. He wanted Lila to answer for the wrong that she had done him and Aurora. He had decided to give his father the respect before going to the counsel. Arden hoped that he wasn’t making a mistake by doing so.Arden turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the driveway. As he drove down the street, he saw Jack's silhouette in the darkness. Jack waved the Arden and continued to the house that held what was more precious to him. As Arden drove the short distance to the pack house, he thought about Eli. As soon as they could, they needed to get him checked out by Doctor Collins and research his father's pack. As it s
Aurora woke the next morning, but Arden had not returned to the house. Aurora began to worry that Mason might have done something to detain him. Just as she was going to rise for the bed, the door to the bedroom opened slowly. Arden smiled tiredly at Aurora when he saw her sitting up in bed. Aurora returned his smile. "You are returning late," she commented. Arden slowly nodded as he walked over to the bed. He kicked off his shoes before letting his exhausted body fall into the bed beside his mate. "How did the meeting go?" Aurora asked. She had tried to bug Jack to link with Arden to find out, but Jack just shook his head and kept saying he did not want to get in trouble. Aurora had become annoyed and finally decided to head to bed after a while. "My father believes us," Arden said. He was face down on the mattress. His voice muffled into the pillow. "Did you say he believes us? That is great," Aurora said. Arden slowly lifted himself onto his arm and looked at Aurora. He did
Eli's wolf, Hermes, ran through the forest at top speed. Eli had just received his wolf. The full moon sat high in the sky. Arden had asked if Eli wanted him to run with him, but Eli had kindly rejected the offer. Eli wanted to get to know his wolf on his own. He was currently sixteen years old and was doing well in school. Eli trained everyday with Arden in order to make sure that he was in the best shape before getting his wolf. Hermes’ voice had run through Eli's mind as soon as the clock had struck twelve. Aurora smiled as her son waved to his mother and father before running into the woods to shift for the first time. His father had been right. It hurt like a son of bitch, but it ended quickly, and Eli’s wolf stood tall and howled deeply. Alerting Arden that everything was alright. "Have a good run son," Arden mind linked with Eli. Eli laughed and let his wolf run free. As Hermes rounded the bend in the trees, he suddenly caught a scent. It was the tastiest scent ever. Almost
Charles Brown stood at the front door of the pack house once again. He knocked lightly and when the door opened her was met by Eli. A broad smile appeared on his face. "Charlie Brown!" he exclaimed as he hugged Charles around the waist. Charles had been surprised at the child's actions but patted his back none the less. "Hello, Elijah. It is nice to see you again. Where are your parents?" Charles asked the boy. Eli stepped back and pointed upstairs. Charles's brows knitted together as he walked through the foyer of the pack house. "Hello, Charles. I will see you to the Alpha office while we wait for the Alpha and Luna," Rich, Arden's Beta said as he extended his hand in the direction of the Alpha office. Charles nodded and followed the Beta. As soon as Charles sat down in the large chair on the other side of the desk, the door opened, and Arden and Aurora walked through the doorway. "Apologies for the delay, Charles," Arden said. He glanced back at Aurora quickly and then back at
Aurora walked back into the pack house. She never imagined that she would be able to have another child again after what Lila had done to her. Aurora walked through the pack house in a daze until she got to Eli's room where Arden and Eli were currently playing with Eli's action figures. Arden noticed Aurora's demeanor and stood up. "Are you alright?" Arden asked concerned. Aurora finally looked up at him. A smile spread across her face and tears began to cascade down her face. Arden was unsure how to proceed. Was she okay, was she in denial, what had happened out there with the witches? "Sweetheart, are you okay?" Arden asked again. "I am better than okay. I am wonderful. The witches, they helped us. They said that it was a show of good faith between their coven and our pack and to show how grateful they were for letting them into our territory and taking care of Veronica," Aurora said. "What was?" Arden asked. "They gave me back the ability to have children," Aurora said qui
Aurora woke the next morning. Eli was cuddled to her side. They had fallen asleep to the movie that Eli had put on after they had eaten their dinner. Aurora's hand fell behind her, but Arden was not in bed with them. He must have already woken for the day. Aurora assumed that he had several things to do after yesterday. Aurora's mind went to Lila once more. What a turn of events? Aurora looked down at Eli. His breathing was still even. She slowly and gently pulled her arm out from under his head. She quietly tiptoed towards the bathroom to do her morning rituals. When she opened the door to the bedroom was more, she smiled when she saw that Eli was still sound asleep. She grabbed her long robe and went to the door. She was sure that he would be up soon enough. She would let him stay home from school today, she would be lying if she said it was just so he could rest. She wanted him around as well. Aurora made her way down to the kitchen. It looked as though breakfast had just ended.
Lila woke to a lovely aroma coming from Mason's kitchen. She sat up and let the blanket fall to her waist. She remembered that Mason had offered to let her sleep on the couch. After teleporting so much her body was screaming for rest and Mason must have noticed. She sniffed the air again and followed the smell into the kitchen where she saw Mason standing at the stove cooking dinner. Mason had heard her moving around in the living room. He knew that she would not stay asleep much longer without eating. "Rested?" Mason asked without turning around to look at her. "Yes, thank you," Lila said. She felt unsure what to do with herself. Mason did not exactly make her feel welcomed, but he was not kicking her out either. "Dinner is almost ready if you would like to take a seat," Mason said as if reading her conflicted mind. Lila walked over to the small table and noticed that it as set. "Since when did you cook?" Lila asked Mason to make conversation. "There is actually quite a bit you
Lila had seen Arden take Aurora upstairs. She wasted no time teleporting back to Mason's cabin. She did not want to be around Rich and Roger more than was necessary. As Lila appeared in the center of the room, Mason had a question look on his face, but he also remembered his grandson sitting on the couch next to him. Mason refrained from asking. Lila bent down and looked at Eli. What she saw surprised her. His eyes shone brightly like a wolf. Lila looked up at Mason who did not seem to notice it. Lila looked back and just as clearly, she could see hiseyes, they were back to their usual color. Lila thought maybe she had imagined it. She thought about the curse that had been lifted from him with the death of Veronica. Perhaps that is what she had just witnessed. Suddenly a large man barged through the cabin door. Jack gave Mason an apologetic look, "Sorry but the Alpha would like me to get Eli home," he tried to explain. Mason shook his head and stood up from the couch. "Understoo
Lila teleported Arden and Aurora back to the pack house. She landed them in the center of the foyer. Rich and Roger both looked at each other when they saw the trio. It was time to move. Rich called out to the warriors that he knew he could trust. Seven men all walked forward and stood at attention. "I hope this is enough," Lila said under her breath. She looked out at the seven men including Arden, Rich and Roger. Lila looked at Aurora then. "Would it be safer if you stayed here as well?" Lila asked. Aurora was surprised that it was not dripping with mockery. Aurora noticed that Lila actually looked genuine in her question. "I only ask because it will cause Arden ti be distracted when dealing with the witch," Lila explained. Again, Aurora was shocked by her actions and how she was talking with Aurora. "I go where my mate goes," Aurora said. Lila did not argue with her but instead looked back at the group of men. "We are ready," Rich said to Arden. Arden nodded his head and turne
Lila was in the living room and standing at a pitcher of lemonade. She had asked the maid if she was able to leave the guest room that she was currently occupying. The maid had smiled and said of course. However, as they left the room, Lila noticed that the maid was never more than three steps behind her. Lila scoffed quietly to herself. Lila walked around the house until finally coming to the living room area. Veronica had already been away for a couple of hours. Lila wondered when she would return. Lila turned towards the maid. "I am sorry to ask but would it be too much trouble to get a pitcher of lemonade? Pregnancy cravings," Lila shrugged her shoulders in apology. The maid smiled and shook her head. "No trouble at all. I will see what the kitchen can come up with. Be right back," with that the maid took off down a hall. Lila sat down heavily on the couch and looked around the gothic room. It was dark with not a lot of sunlight coming through. Lila noticed the large firepla
Aurora was sitting on the back patio and looking up at the stars. She had just put Eli to bed but sleep was evading her. Especially after finding out the shadow was still visiting Eli during the night. It made it hard for her to sleep when all she wanted to do was sit outside of his door and wait for the thing to show up so she could take action. Arden and Rich had been in the office most of the evening. They were going over their plans to take out Veronica was they arrived at her home and any issues they might run into. Aurora had grown tired of listening and had made her way outside. From behind her the leaves of the trees moved. The noise caused Aurora to look over her shoulder. As she did so, a movement caught her eye. Auror stood up quickly. She thought she had seen a girl. Not just any girl, but the one who had given her the vile for Veronica. Aurora looked back at the pack house. She knew that she should call someone. Arden and Rich were busy, and Aurora did not know wher