EMMA He glared at me and held up two fingers. I rolled my eyes, and his face broke out in a smile that actually met his eyes. “Pleasure doing business with you, sweets.” He laughed, finally letting himself realize that I was truly okay. He hugged me, and I stiffened in his arms the moment that he touched my back. He pulled away and apologized. “Ethan, shut up. I stiffened because of your aftershave, not because of anything else.” He smirked even though he saw right through it. “Why didn’t Phoenix heal you, love?” Xander asked, rubbing his hand over my arm. I relaxed into him further let the sparks work their wonder. I turned to Rachel and explained who Phoenix was and that we would fill her in on everything in a bit. It was a lot for someone to be introduced to, so I did not want to introduce everything to her at this exact moment because it should be about her reunion right now and nothing else. “Because she wasn’t supposed to be here yet. I should be fine for training in the
EMMA I woke up still on top of Xander, but he was wide awake and watching me sleep. I groaned and buried my head in his neck, inhaling his scent. I let it wash through me, waking me up and filling me with good vibes. “How long have you been up?” I mumbled against his neck. “Not long.” He chuckled which then vibrated through me since I was laying on his chest. It caused me to smile. I was glad to see him in this type of mood after the fucked-up night he had. “I highly doubt that,” I said, rolling my eyes. The amusement in his eyes told me that I was right. Waking up next to my mate was the most incredible feeling. Starting your day next to the most important person in your life and ending your day next to the most important person in your life was enough to erase the stress and worry from last night. I untangled my body from his and got out of bed, stretching away the soreness in my limbs. I was not in so much pain anymore, but I felt like I went two rounds with a bear-shifter and
EMMA Ethan came in and smiled widely at the food. He always looked at food as if he had been stranded on a deserted island for years without proper food. “There’s no way you had time to cook, sweets.” I pointed my finger towards Ezra and winked. “He’s talented in the kitchen. Perhaps we will now have some variety.” I ate the last bit of the stuffed French toast from my plate. French toast was my favorite breakfast food, so this was the perfect start to a promising day. I was not sure what he stuffed it with, but it was delicious. I needed this recipe. Perhaps we could bond over cooking. I would like to get to know him better, but I also wanted to get to know Rachel better as well. They were going to be in our lives from now on, so I wanted to develop a foundation with them. “This is great,” Ethan agreed, eating his entire plate quickly. He turned to me and motioned with his finger for me to turn around. He pulled up the back of my shirt and whistled. “Well fuck. Those are nice sca
EMMA The rest of training went off without a hitch. I was high on the satisfaction I got during my fight with Devon. I did not kill him, but I did beat the shit out of him and wounded his pride. Now, he had to live with the fact that a ‘wolf-less girl’ kicked his ass. We did not see him again afterwards. He hightailed it out of there for some reason. Good riddance. I sagged onto the couch with my head on Xander’s lap once we got back to the packhouse. My body was still recovering from last night, and it was exhausted. Ethan picked my feet up and sat down with them on his lap. “Whatever happened to the jealousy and possessiveness of an Alpha,” I asked, looking up at Xander. Xander and Kai allowed Ethan to be closer to me and show me more affection that most mates allowed in the same regard. I was not complaining or anything. I was just honestly curious about it. I saw Ezra run up the stairs to find Rachel, and I smiled because they finally had one another again, were safe, and had
EMMA “The name is Phoenix,” she said with a bow. I looked at her closely, surprised that she was standing next to me. She had been inside of my head since I was born apparently. Now, she was standing right next to me in her own body. I reached my hand out to her, and she watched patiently as I touched her to make sure she was real. She reminded me so much of Bellamy. Xander’s eyes widened in shock, as he took her in from head to toe. I did not feel jealous because it was Phoenix, and he was understandably curious. Hell, so was I. “Phoenix, how are you here?” Xander asked, his brows scrunching together. He was trying to think up some plausible explanations, but he would never guess this one. She nodded to Kai and said, “the smug bastard over there said he could handle my party tricks. So, I had to accept the challenge. This is not exactly a party trick per se. It is an old form of blood magic that has been passed down through the years.” Xander eyed Kai again before turning his at
EMMA This was all news to me. Did he hate me because we apparently were not fated? Did he resent our bond? I knew that something was bound to make him tuck tail and run. This was that icing on the cake that destroyed the entire cake. Phoenix looked at him, pointing a single finger directly at his face. “Yes, you oaf, she chose you. Out of every single person on this planet, in all of time, she chose you and Kai.” Great. Now, he was going to hate Phoenix and me both. Xander closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he looked back at me, his eyes were blazing with emotion and breaking through his normally controlled mask. The same emotions flooded the bond. I was slammed with pride, admiration, love, and unwavering faith in us. “You’re not mad,” I breathed out with a shaky breath. He did not hate me. He played me, but he did not hate me. I gave his thigh a firm squeeze, making sure that I missed his very obvious cock. His lips tipped into a delicious smirk, enjoying my surprise.
EMMA Both Kai and Xander had their arms around me, taking a few last moments to just be together. I wished we could always be like this. Do not get me wrong. I was appreciative for my boys in any way that I could have them, but I wished for this even though it was not possible. At least, I did not think that it was. Then again, all of this was making me realize that many things were indeed possible. Kai got up to get a washcloth and cleaned me up. His touch was so gentle, as if he was revering me. Goddess, I loved him. He could destroy his enemies with ease, but he always touched me with a gentleness that was completely different. He leaned over and kissed my lips softly before kissing my forehead. I went to the closet to grab a shirt for me and boxers for them. A smile graced my lips as I looked at them both. It was hard for me to wrap my head around that these two were mine for life. I would always be beside them and them beside me. “You’re bleeding,” Kai said smugly as he pulle
EMMA A loud knock on the door woke us up not much later than we fell asleep. I groaned and snuggled further into Xander’s side. I was exhausted. The emotional rollercoaster from the information we learned, the very intense sexual activities, and utilizing the fire really drained me. I peeked at the clock which said that it was only 3:00 A.M. The knocking continued, and I growled. The world better be burning or else I would kill whoever was at the door. “What?” I yelled. Ethan peeked in the room and looked around shocked. I followed his gaze and realized what he meant. There were dents, things thrown across the room, and even the smell of blood was heavy. Perhaps we got a little carried away. Ha, even the smell of sex hung like a thick cloud. Ah, that sex was really great. No way I would ever forget a single moment of it. “What the fuck happened in here?” he asked, his mouth wide open. “This is the wicked side I knew you couldn’t handle.” I shrugged and snuggled back into Xander’
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