We'll meet the littles ones next.
EMMA I went into labor during the middle of the night, and it scared the living shit out of my mates. It was adorable while also being a little comical. Most soon-to-be fathers were like that. We had everything ready because we knew it was possible to go into labor a little earlier than expected because of having twins. Oddly enough, this pregnancy had no true complications. Most shifters who had multiples typically had complications. However, I was thankful that everything had gone as smoothly as possible. The sigils truly helped with the pain of the delivery because it would have been torture otherwise. I felt horrible that I did not already have these on hand for when Bellamy was born. “You have this, Emma. One more push and your baby boy will be here,” Tilly said. It had been ten very long hours of labor, but it would be worth it in the end. Kai was sitting behind me, lending me strength during this time. He had a hold of one leg while Xander had a hold of the other. The thre
ETHAN Three hours. I spent the past three hours with Blacktree’s pack doctor. It was damn near impossible to keep my mouth shut during the entire meeting because every few words truly showed his incompetence. Pack doctors were tasked with ensuring their pack remained healthy and physically taken care of. They needed a certain level of intelligence, and he sure as fuck failed to hit the mark. I was not sure how he became the pack doctor at all. I was fairly certain that I could do his job better than him even though I had no formal medical training. Shifters did not often get sick, but pack doctors still needed to be knowledgeable enough to handle that as well as care for the injured. Our own, Dr. Goldman, attended an ivy league school among the humans while also keeping up-to-date with shifter combat medicine. Our physiology was close enough to humans that knowledge of both worlds was crucial to ensure we were properly taken care of. I had to meet with Blacktree’s doctor, Dr.
ETHAN Her comment made me wonder if she also got feelings like I did. I had yet to meet someone who had the same type of intuition. Trust me, I looked, but came up empty handed each and every time. The intuition could be a blessing or a curse depending on the situation. It took me a while to learn just to follow them once I got them. Sometimes it led to some unpleasant circumstances, but many times it also kept us safe. I was six when I got my first one. It led me to a swimming hole near our packhouse. There was a girl swimming in the water, but she suddenly went under the water and did not come back up. I dove in and was able to save her just in time. Diana became a close friend of ours growing up, and one of the few people that was allowed to put us in our places without having a limb of our choosing detached. My feelings were not nearly as strong then as they were now. Xander and I posited that it could have been that they were intensified by the war. Gifts from the Goddess were
ETHAN I quickly made my way back to the car as I thought over what the hell just happened. Emma had been a pleasant encounter. She was certainly unique. The mix between her quick wit and brilliant mind was enough to keep me entertained. She also happened to be hot, so that was another plus. I still had not figured out the pull to her, but it would become clear in time. I just needed to be patient and keep my eyes and ears open. Without a doubt, I knew that I was supposed to meet her. Now, I just had to figure out what my intuition was telling me. Unfortunately, it was a confusing thing at times. My phone rang through the Bluetooth the moment I slid into the driver’s seat of my black Camaro. Xander’s name flashed across the console. My money was on him being hangry like usual. “Where’s the food?” he asked. He obviously did not like that I had not responded to his earlier text. Too bad. I became a tad busy. Leave it to Xander to always get straight to the point. For someone with su
ETHAN I woke up a bit early the next morning and stretched. I had a great night’s sleep which was not always possible, so I welcomed it with arms wide open. It was common to be pulled out of our sleep because of one issue or another. Having a large pack did that to you. I would not change it for anything though. We had all shed blood and soul for what we had and would never stop. The stress and craziness were worth it. I tossed on some jeans and a grey tee before heading downstairs to grab some much-needed coffee. My tastebuds were already watering with the smells coming from the kitchen by the time my feet hit the bottom landing. Mrs. Tyson, the amazing woman that she was, was already dishing up some breakfast casserole that she made. An amazing night’s sleep and her cooking. Winning already. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the island. Her cooking was the best, as was her personality. Everyone in the pack absolutely loved her. “Good morning, Beta,” Mrs. Tyson said pleasantl
ETHAN Emma’s eyes were bright, like she was enjoying the opportunity to share her knowledge. We would get along quite well then. “It’s common knowledge that rogues are shifters who do not belong to a pack. Most end up going feral because our kind is hardwired to pack life and following an Alpha. There are certain rumors that have circulated around from pack to pack that some rogues banded together and appointed an Alpha. They effectively became their own pack. They are no longer rogues at that point though. The two cases that I know of for certain occurred in Washington state and another in Wyoming. Therefore, it’s possible. However, for rogues to survive outside of a pack, they have to be very strong mentally in order to fight the urge to become feral.” Her knowledge was impressive. Perhaps the urge to get her help was for a good reason. Emma found a passage in the book and read it aloud. “Rogues rely on the animalistic instincts of the shifter for survival. The beast takes over a
ETHAN Her back was to us, so she had not sensed us yet. Her long blonde was up in a messy bun on the top of her head. Surprisingly, all of her hair fit. No idea how though. Perhaps she was a magician. She looked completely at ease. If I had been a rogue, she would be dead by now. That irritated me because she apparently did not take my warning seriously earlier. Did she really have no sense of self-preservation inside her? Blaze quietly stalked up to Emma, who still had not moved. He and went to pounce, but she dodged out of the way seconds before Blaze could land. Well then, she had actually been paying attention and noticed us approach. She laid her trap for us. Nice. She stood up tall, as if unaffected with seeing a strange wolf at all. It was either a power play or the she-wolf had completely lost her damn mind. Her head tilted to the side, studying Blaze. The way her eyes moved lazily over his form without showing an ounce of concern was another point in the interesting colu
ETHAN “Who was Mr. Wolfs-a-lot?” she asked, smirking at me over her shoulder. I let out a deep laugh at her description of Johnson. I heard a lot of different names for him over the years, but never had I heard that one. Perhaps his ego would be bruised from her like mine had been yesterday. Oh, and Luxor could join in Blaze’s sulking. ‘Not sulking, asshole. Just. Shut up,’ he growled. “He’s one of the most brutal warriors we have.” I tsked her, shaking my head. Her smirk only deepened. This chick was so fucking strange but in a very good way. She truly was not intimidated by us. ‘See if Kai is so humored next time,’ Blaze snorted. Oh goddess, that would be priceless. Now, we just had to get them all together. Kai was a complete brutal beast. Downright the scariest fucking wolf anyone had ever met. I bet that Emma would not be intimidated in the least. “He was on patrol and closest to here. He’s also one of my friends, so I’ll have to tell him of your description. He’ll be posi
EMMA I went into labor during the middle of the night, and it scared the living shit out of my mates. It was adorable while also being a little comical. Most soon-to-be fathers were like that. We had everything ready because we knew it was possible to go into labor a little earlier than expected because of having twins. Oddly enough, this pregnancy had no true complications. Most shifters who had multiples typically had complications. However, I was thankful that everything had gone as smoothly as possible. The sigils truly helped with the pain of the delivery because it would have been torture otherwise. I felt horrible that I did not already have these on hand for when Bellamy was born. “You have this, Emma. One more push and your baby boy will be here,” Tilly said. It had been ten very long hours of labor, but it would be worth it in the end. Kai was sitting behind me, lending me strength during this time. He had a hold of one leg while Xander had a hold of the other. The thre
EMMA It was still very surreal to think that I had been in Tylaphina’s realm for six entire months. However, I was able to bring back messages to Papa and Leonidas from our family. They were amazed as I told them about spending time with everyone. Their parents wanted me to tell them how incredibly proud they were of them both. They were proud of Papa for being the King that our people needed. They watched as he transitioned to the ruler of Aedrul and were thankful for how he protected everyone that he could from Selene until she could be taken care of permanently. They were proud of Leonidas for everything he did to help Papa rune Aedrul. His strength and perseverance made the entire Venscothi line puff out their chests in appreciation and admiration. My mates and I wasted no time in completing our bond in wolf form as well as completing the Goddess of Fate ceremony. It was very intimate and quite pleasurable. It was interesting to say the least because we watched as our souls mom
EMMA The pain from Asry’s shards slicing through me disappeared. Had I died? Nae did not say that was a possibility, but even she could not see every outcome. “No, you are not dead,” a melodic voice said. I opened my eyes and was in a beautiful field that was adorned with flowers of every color. My body was bathed in incredible warmth from the sun overhead. It was so peaceful, and my heart felt whole. It was a nice change from it feeling ripped apart, so there was that at least. There were wolves of all sizes sitting around, curiously watching me. It was a little creepy, but they looked happy. A beautiful woman stood between two of the larger wolves who looked as big as Krosthani. She was easily seven feet tall and had an ethereal glow around her. Her light brown hair cascaded in waves all the way to her waist, and her eyes were the most vibrant honey color which complemented her light bronze skin tone. “My name is Tylaphina, and it is because of you that I am free now. I was the
KAI “Why would you do that?” I screamed at her. There was only one explanation of how I was unharmed when she was not. She used Nata’s magic on me when I did not even realize it. She saved me instead of herself. I had never been more furious with her than I was in this moment. Macario and Tilly needed me to move away from her, but I could not do it. I could not let her go. “We have to let them take care of her. She needs them. Come on,” Xander said. I could hear the same anguish in his voice that I felt. I placed a kiss to her lips before setting her back on the ground and standing up. He pulled me a little further away to where Zane was. We watched as they assessed her. They spoke lowly to one another, but none of us could hear it. ‘She used Nata’s magic to protect me,’ I told Xander. I collapsed to the ground under the weight of it all. It was me that should be there and not her. She always took every fucking risk, putting everyone else before herself, when she should have pro
EMMA The success of tonight depended on my ability to play my part perfectly. Thankfully, that was one thing I excelled at no matter in which life or situation it was necessary. I steeled my shoulders and turned around slowly to see Asry’s smug face smirking at me as if he was the one in charge right now. As if he was the one who fooled me. Oh, how the mighty would fall. “Can’t say that I’m surprised that you’re here with mother bitch,” I said dismissively. “Ungrateful brat. Who do you think you are?” she hissed at me. I looked at Asry imploringly who just laughed and waved me on. He did not care about Lenora one damn bit. He probably was not wanting me to kill her, but I still would. This was something that I thought about extensively since we put this plan together. I needed to make him believe that I would consider being on his side. Then I would kill her so that she was out of our hair while also ensuring that his vessel was no more. This would solve one of the issues tonigh
EMMA Couples danced around the room, twirling, and dipping their partners. There was a string quartet playing on the balcony that oversaw the room. Acoustics amplified the music throughout the room as if it was right beside each of us. Despite the mission of the night, it was great to be in my Handsome’s arms once again. I loved sharing moments like this with my amazing mates. They were near and dear to my heart. No matter how much time we spent together in life, it would never be enough. Kai’s copper and silver eyes peered into mine while a handsome smirk pulled at his lip because he was thinking the same thing. We learned how to read one another better than any mindlink ever could. ‘Anything?’ I linked out. One of the sigils ensured that there was no evidence of a mindlink between any of us. That was the only way that we could pull this off. It also kept an open line of communication among everyone while in this room. It was a bit awkward right about now because there were many
EMMA The stress about tonight faded away the moment that my eyes locked onto my mates. I was never able to comprehend what I did right in life to have them willing to stand next to me no matter how crazy or bizarre the situation was. They were beside me every step of the way from that night at Olly’s until this moment as they pulled me between them. “You are absolutely stunning, love,” Xander said. He and Kai stalked around me to get the full view of my look. The matching low rumbles from their chests showed me that they certainly approved. “Doll…” He could not even finish his thought because his eyes flashed with an intense desire. “You get even more gorgeous every time my eyes look at you,” he said, caressing my cheek with his thumb. My body instantly flushed in response to his words. It was not certain that I would ever get used to everything they made me feel. I felt cherished, complete, immensely happy, and I felt loved most of all. All of those emotions flooded through my bo
EMMA We all ate a late breakfast together. It was not a joyous occasion, but we tried to make it as lighthearted as possible. The mission tonight was weighing heavily on everyone’s mind. It was not something that we discussed or alluded to, but it was the gigantic elephant in the room. I was really trying to keep my emotions under control because my mates would feel them and worry. We could not change what would happen tonight because we all knew the truth. Asry was too dangerous to let live. He would never stop coming for me or my family. We had to take him out of the equation to ensure our safety. I had a feeling in my gut that Nae’s vision of me being in a coma-like state was going to happen. This was the one thing I had to keep from my mates because they would call all of this off right here and now. They already felt guilty enough about me being in harms way, but there was nothing that we could do about it. I would just bury that thought as deeply as possible so that it did not
EMMA I woke up between my sleeping mates and smiled at them. They gave me the best ending to our night yesterday. That bath was perfect and incredibly relaxing. Today was going to be difficult on all of us but more so on them because they would be fighting against their instincts to protect me at all costs. Was I terrified to face Asry today? Absolutely. I would be a damned fool to feel giddy about facing an ultimate evil that wanted to enslave me as his Queen. However, that terror would solve absolutely nothing. For the time being, I would just shove that terror down as far as I could. Everyone needed to remain focused for today because our futures could finally begin once he was gone. A mischievous grin tipped my lips up as I looked between the two of them. Eenie…meenie… My gaze landed on Xander, so I carefully maneuvered myself until I was eyelevel with his glorious cock. I remembered the first time I saw it and how excited it made me. It still did to this day. I would never get