I close my eyes and relax in Bronx’s arms, letting the quiet engulf us.“Why don’t we get you upstairs and find a change of clothes?” Bronx whispers before I fall asleep. He holds the silky fabric of my lingerie in his fingers. “This probably isn’t how you should pop up at home.”“Mmm. You’re probably right.” I sigh.I try to stand up, but Bronx scoops me into his arms and carries me bridal style up the stairs. He makes it seem as effortless as when we first met.“Remember the first time we went to Paris? It was our honeymoon. I showed you the apartment before they finished construction to get your mind off of the jewelry store robbery.” He nuzzles my ear while he climbs the stairs. I can feel the smile on his lips. “It scared me to take you out of the hotel room, but you insisted you wanted to see it.”“Yeah. I remember. Can you believe it’s been eight years now?” I giggle, thinking back to the day I walked around the bare apartment in awe.“I sat on the empty bedroom floor watching
A soft chime cuts through the silence. I’m pretty sure it’s part of a dream, but it grows louder and sounds like Delilah’s laugh. Bronx stirs and pulls me tighter against his naked body.“Mon ami!” Delilah’s disembodied voice fills the air. “It’s time.”I open my eyes and push my bangs back so I can look around. We’re still in the apartment. There are no clocks here, so I don’t know how long it’s been, but it feels like hours. Maybe even all night. The light emanating from the window is dim, barely illuminating the room. Is it sunset or sunrise?“That must be our ride home.” Bronx murmurs into my hair. “Mmm.” I nestle myself further into his embrace. “Very Delilah to send a warning shot so we can get dressed. Leticia would have transported us to the dining room in the middle of breakfast.”“Yeah, that’s our girl. I’m glad Delilah is involved.” He kisses my temple and untangles his legs from mine. “You stay here. I’ll see what I can find to wear in the closet.” The space next to me m
“Three? Don’t be stupid, Tisha. We only have two-“ Bronx stops short and looks at me in disbelief. “Kas? A-are you…”“Yeah, but I didn’t know until just now. I swear.” I hold my hands up to my mouth and nod with a sob. “What are we going to do?”In a flash, I’m in his arms. He hugs me tight and whispers soothing words in my ear. I can feel how happy he is. It makes our auras glow around us. He takes a step back, but trips on the sword and tumbles backwards. He can’t let me go in time, so he breaks my fall with his body and lays back, pulling me on top of him.“We’re going to thank the Goddess. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re having another baby.” He laughs and kisses me square on the lips. “Fuck everything else, Kas. This is the best news ever.”The shock of the realization melts away when I see how happy he is. I laugh with him while he wipes my tears away. “We’re going to have another baby.”Bronx puts his nose against my neck and takes a deep breath. “One that smells like berr
“Luna, Tyree has the truck ready for you. Mrs. Khan and Mr. Rawls excused the twins and Andy from class. Marco is taking them downstairs and Diane is helping to get them all in their booster seats.” Marybeth comes into my office with a bright smile. “Clash and Ghost are going to run alongside the truck so the kids can sit in the back and you can sit in the front. The Alpha already shifted. Saint’s probably halfway up the mountain by now.”“Okay. Thank you for helping organize everything, Marybeth.” I give her a tired smile and rest my hand on my swollen belly. “You hear that, baby girl? We get to see Papa Saint today.”A hard kick makes me grimace and groan. Tavi has been so active in the past couple of weeks. Her favorite pastime is jumping on my bladder. Only two more weeks to go and she’ll finally be here. I can’t wait to meet her.At the end of September, I had to stop scrimmaging and switched to cardio and light weights to stay in shape. In October, they reduced me to light cardi
The horses skid to a halt at her command, making a plume of dust billow in the air. Selene steps off the chariot and faces Aphrodite. She raises her staff over her head and slams it to the ground. It creates a sonic boom, instantly turning day to night. The crescent moon on top of the staff catches fire, turning it into a torch with a hot white flame.The shadows created by the light obscure Aphrodite’s features, turning her into a grotesque caricature of her distinctive, beautiful self. Her smug smile fades and turns into a curled lip at the sight of my mother.“Selene, my dear, you have no business here.” She hisses.“On the contrary, Aphrodite, these are my children.” Selene stands tall. Powerful energy emanates from her. It is so thick you can almost touch it. “YOU are the one who has no business here.”Warriors and guards in wolf form silently stalk toward the women, but the power of the Moon Goddess’s energy forces them to bow to the Mother of Werewolves. Saint and the Menaes’ w
I hear myself scream. My fingers and lips turn numb. My vision turns dark on the edges. I lean back and grip my stomach tighter. I don’t know how much longer I can bear the pain.“Mama!” A little voice squeaks. It doesn’t sound like Maya or Dre.I squeeze my eyes shut and try to focus. “Octavia?”“Kas, focus!” Lex whimpers. “Tavi needs you to stay awake.”When I open my eyes, I’m on my hands and knees. Saint is in front of me. He lies down and licks my face. I grip his fur and bury my face in his chest. “Our baby! Saint, Tavi needs help!”Saint whimpers and barks. Other wolf noses press against me. When I look up, I see Lena and Jennie’s wolves, Rhapsody and Serenity, trying to soothe me.My mother doesn’t seem to notice. Her shoulders drop and looks helplessly at the spot where Aphrodite was standing. Her fingers graze the ground, picking up a dove feather. She stands up, inspecting the white remnant, and taps her staff to the ground, bringing daylight back to its correct status.Whe
Bronx’s POV“You did amazing, Kas. I’m so proud of you.” I nestle beside her in the hospital bed and watch her with our baby. I don’t even have words to describe how grateful I am that the Moon Goddess told us I could be with Kas for Tavi’s birth. She was in labor for about four hours before Tavi was born. The doctors said even though she was two weeks early, Tavi is already ten pounds, which is pretty close to normal for a werewolf pup.Kas is feeding Tavi even though they both look exhausted. It’s one of the few things I can’t help with this time around. They are both healthy, so Kas will feed Tavi with her own milk. After the nurses made sure Tavi was eating like she’s supposed to, they left the room to give us a few minutes alone with her.I lightly stroke my daughter’s dark, wispy hair. It feels like silk. I can’t get over her gigantic eyes. One is green, and the other is muddy gray. The doctors say it could change and become blue or maybe even violet as she gets older. The one t
“Alpha?” Carly peeks into my office.“Yeah, Carly. Come in.” I wave to her. “I’m more… just… hiding out.”“I understand. Um, still no word on Marco or Andy.” She comes in and sits in the guest chair across from my desk. “The Luna’s flight is in the air. She and Tyree be landing in nine hours. Lady Camille says they secured Tavi in the coven’s manor home and the Menae are all ready to leave as soon as they get the word. Oh, and Sondi asked me to tell you again, thank you for letting her stay in the packhouse while Tyree has been away.”“Okay, well, that’s very sweet of her. Uh, from my end, Delilah confirmed she and Pan are ready to go, too. Psyche, Arrow, Hedone, and the Erotes have their marching orders too. Heph just needs to make sure Lex fits into the harness he made for her.” I rub my hands over my face. “Milo and Reggie are following protocol. So, I have no fucking clue if they are ready to go or not.”“May I speak candidly, Alpha?” Carly looks at me sympathetically. “Of course
TWO YEARS LATER “There’s no way this is it, Lex.” I stare at the ancient temple. “This is what we’ve been looking for, for almost two years, and it’s abandoned. Leticia must have had the wrong coordinates.” “Well, Zeus doesn’t like people looking for them.” She huffs at me. “If you want their help, have faith and believe that you’ll find them. I recommend closing your eyes and fixing your damned mindset, Kas. That’s the only way we are going to get home.” Leticia was released from the Waiting Room about six months after she and Aphrodite were sent there. After a while, she realized she didn’t need to use dark magic against the Goddess of Love. When her thirty days were up, she got to leave, but Aphrodite is still trapped there. The Menae have tried to counsel her on what she needs to do to escape, but she refuses to comply. We used Leticia’s informants and connections to find out where The Fates reside in hopes of helping change Bianca Beryl’s thread. It’s an outside chance, but M
“Hey Little Sister, I got a little somethin’ for ya.” Milo’s hand pushes past the door of my office with a plate containing an omelet, sausage, toast, and a pastry. “Can I come in?” “Of course you can.” I lean back in my seat and smile, secretly grateful for the interruption. “Mrs. Miller is worried that you’re not eating enough.” He sets the plate and silverware rolled in a napkin on my desk followed by a cup of coffee. “Are you doing okay?” “I won’t lie to you, Milo, so…” I press my lips together and look around the office. “No, I’m not okay. It’s been almost three weeks and still no word from Bronx. I have no clue when he’ll be back and there’s literally nothing I can do about it. Maya and Dre keep asking about him. The last time they saw him he was fighting the Minotaur, then he disappeared into a portal wearing his boxers and your tac vest. I can tell Tavi misses him, too. I’ve been letting her sleep with one of his shirts, so at least she has his scent with her, but… do you k
“Kas, pacing a hole in the floor won’t help.” Lex jumps in front of me, blocking my way. “You heard Mother. We need to be patient. Why don’t you sit down and eat something?”“Is food all you think about, Lex?” I drop my shoulders and try to step around her, but she side steps, to stay in front of me. “It’s been hours. What if Zeus put Bronx in Tartarus or something?”“Kas, I love you, but you’re driving me nuts.” She pulls on the edge of my nightgown to the small table. “No news is good news. Now sit. Eat.”The table has a delicious spread of breakfast foods and pastries. None of it looks like it will take the knot out of my stomach. I settle for a cup of tea with a pleasant Jasmine aroma and look out the window. The enormous white horses buck and play in the field with no cares in the world. My mind wanders. I wonder what is happening to our pack right now. Who is watching our children? Does Lady Camille still have Tavi in the coven’s realm, or was she able to bring her home? Are Co
Kas’s POVThe scent of honeysuckle pulls at the edges of my mind. It reminds me of my mother. I open my eyes. Where I could be. It’s an airy room, but there are no defined walls. I see low backed, ornately decorated chairs surrounding a small table with a teapot and fine china cups. There is a wide window on my left. The window is open, letting the honeysuckle scent in on a gentle breeze. Outside, there is a meadow with a few olive trees and large white horses grazing. Coffee and dark chocolate overtake the honeysuckle, making me smile. I roll on my side in the silky white sheets. Bronx is sitting on the floor with his back against the bed. He is pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. A lit cigarette rests between his fingers. I watch a fine stream of smoke rise from the tip. It leaves the burnt tobacco aroma I thought he left behind years ago.“Please don’t be mad, Baby. I just needed this one.” He whispers without looking at me before he takes a long drag from the ci
When I don’t go for an immediate attack, Ares gives me a stupid smile and rolls his shoulders. “Ready to submit, Child of Perses?” “Yeah, I don’t go down that easily, you stupid fuck.” I give him a dry laugh and swing the sword around, letting its weight settle into my hand. I don’t care how desperate things may seem. He won’t get the reaction he wants out of me. I’ll go down fighting.This time Ares half runs, half hobbles at me. I roll to the side to protect my injured shoulder, but he lunges and grabs me by the armpit, digging his thumb deep into the open wound and squeezes hard.I use a jiu jitsu throw Kas has successfully used on me by planting my foot and throwing him over my hip. His ass hits the ground, shaking the throne room. Glass shards shower us from the ceiling, slicing into my skin.Ignore the pain. Ignore the pain.I let my body weight drop into a roll, giving us enough momentum for me to land on top of him. It’s a short-lived achievement. He throws his elbow out and
Ares is standing between me and Kas. I listen long enough to make sure her heart is still beating while I assess the room. Not that it matters. I’m going to destroy him, whether she’s breathing or not. His mouth is full of blood, and the inside of his knee is deeply bruised. I don’t know what Kas did to his mouth or how she could reach that high, but she was trying to take his leg out. He doesn’t seem in a hurry to come to me, so he must be in pain. That’s my girl.“Bingo.” Saint hisses at the realization that our target is already injured. He pushes forward, heightening all my senses. “Are you ready to break a kneecap?”“Give me a second.” I continue looking around. “He’s got at least seventy pounds on us. He’s definitely injured or he would have already attacked first, but I still need to check the room.”The Menae’s barrier is still in place - Ares can’t escape. Broken marble - potential weapons. A section of Aphrodite’s whip - another potential weapon. Puddles of dark blood - sli
The beast’s roar pierces my ears. My muscles strain to keep the door closed while it pushes from the outside. Saint extends his claws from my toes to dig into the floor still slippery with Sondi’s blood. “Saint, I need all your strength.” I grit my teeth and brace myself as the Minotaur slams its body weight against the door.“YOU ALREADY HAVE IT!” He growls. “You think I want that thing getting in here?!”The growling and howls from the other two cells remind me I’m not just fighting for my life and the lives of our packs pups. I’m fighting for our whole pack. “HOLD THE LINE!” I scream out loud. No one answers, but I don’t need them to. I just need them to know that I’m still with them.“Bronx, we’re through the portal.” Milo finally comes through. “We’re on the way.”“We’re under attack!” I pull my head back as the Minotaur tries to push his horns through the cell door. “The entire pack is here. MOVE!”“Get some kids to pull their trackers off.” Reggie sounds out of breath. “It wi
“Aphrodite, let them go.” I growl at the screen. “This is your last warning.”Aphrodite throws her head back and laughs. The sound pierces my ears like nails on a chalkboard. “You’re in no position to give me warnings, Demigod.” She snarls at the screen.There is a flicker and glitch in the feed that makes her pause. Her face darkens at the interruption. She looks beyond the screen then back into the camera, making hand motions I have seen Delilah, Leticia, and Kas use in the past. She’s using magic. Just like Kas said, she must be bad at it.“She’s using magic.” I mutter under my breath. My mind tries to connect with why it’s important, but the screaming coming from Ashley’s cell is distracting me.The feed stabilizes, and Aphrodite regains her composure. “I have control here. Iokaste and I had a deal, and she broke her promise. Now, I will destroy ALL aspects of her life and you will be participants. I’ve already sent a fun surprise to one cell. Don’t worry. There are two more surp
“Marco, I need your help.” I send him a mindlink. “Once we have the kids settled, you can get back to your pups.”“What’s up, Alpha?” He comes over and squats next to me.“We need to get the kids organized and as quiet as possible.” I lower my eyes and concentrate. “Uh, let’s see. Kids wearing a shirt under their uniform sweaters need to take the sweaters off. Figure out how many babies are here. Get them all wrapped in sweaters to keep them warm. Assign the oldest kids to take care of babies. Oldest gets the youngest until you pair everyone up. If there is an odd number, Andy is with you.”“Okay. We can do that.” He stands up to complete the assignment.“Marco, we need them to be quiet. The door opens inward. If anything in that hallway hears them, we’re sitting ducks. Tell them there’s a damn reward for the quietest or some shit.”“Got it, Alpha.” He claps my shoulder. “You help Sondi.”I watch him walk away, clapping quietly to get the children’s attention, then turn back to Sondi.