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 He slipped the earbuds from my ears and leaned patiently against the wall. The anger radiating through him told me that he saw my memories. I had not intended on that, but I could not change it now. Hearing about a few things and seeing what he just witnessed were two very different things. He clung to me like I was his life preserve, and I clung to him because he was mine. I did not know how long we stayed like that. Eventually, my tears subsided. Neither of us spoke for a little while after that. We just allowed one another’s presence to soothe us. He pulled my forehead to his and looked into my eyes. There was a sheen in his copper orbs, and it made my heart hurt that it was there at all. “Love, I wish that you could see how important you are to us and to this pack. You strengthen our pack already. Kai and I are better Alphas and better people in general because of you. You love us despite our faults, our ghosts, and our responsibilities. You have every right to want to tuc
EMMA “Don’t be such a baby, Brian,” a young voice taunted. Multiple voices all laughed with his taunting. “You can’t be a werewolf because of your stupid arm. You’d be picked off in a second.” I picked up my pace and saw a group of kids standing in a circle. A boy on the ground came into view as I got closer. He looked so small with his body curved to protect itself. It was a position I knew all too well. My heart started beating quickly, and it broke for this young boy. The boy standing over him had his foot pulled back to kick the one on the ground. “Oh, there you are, Brian,” I said loudly. My voice startled the group of kids. They all turned around and looked like they got caught doing something they should not be doing. Well, they really did. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” I said, smiling widely even though I was seething inside. How dare those kids bully him. I had to remind myself that they were children, and I could not just rip their heads off their shoulders.
EMMA “His father did what?” I asked, seething yet again. What was up with such fucking dickhead parents? I understood my mother’s actions better than what his father did. How could he do that to his son? Xander looked at me, understanding my anger. He knew how I felt about it. I knew how he felt about it. It was inexcusable. “He was killed during the war. I can’t say that anyone mourned his death, not even Kristi. He was an absolute piece of shit. I think it’s great that you’re going to train him. He’ll be a badass in no time,” he smiled encouragingly. Ah, well that was great to know that he supported it because I needed to drop a small bomb on him now. “I’m glad you think so because she didn’t realize who I was. So, I sort of lied and told her that it was your idea for them to come to supper.” I peered up at him with the most innocent expression I could muster. His arms locked around my torso, holding me to him. His eyes stared down at me with a hard look while a single brow wa
KAI “Doll, you really need to stop fussing,” I told her for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. We were waiting on the wolves from Alpha Carlos’ pack to arrive. Doll, being the nervous and nurturing type that she was, had been cooking up a storm for the past three hours. I told her that we could just order something in, but she shot down that idea because they had been traveling for days and deserved actual food as she put it. I knew that she was also just worried about meeting them for two reasons. First, they were one of the last ties that she had to her father. Even though Phoenix said that he was still alive, Doll would not allow herself to hope until she saw him again. Second, their arrival brought a finality to everything. It meant that there was a true reason to be concerned about Ezekiel and a true reason to be concerned about her destiny. She sighed and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her head buried itself into my chest, so I just held her. She certainly put up
EMMA ‘Waking up without you in bed isn’t my idea of fun, love.’ Even through the mindlink, I could tell he was pouting. The Alpha Xander that I got was just for me. Everyone else got the disciplined, tough, and unyielding Alpha. I was not complaining though because I loved both sides of him, but I coveted the one that was just for me. It was the same way that I got the sweet and gentle side of Alpha Kai. Likewise, they got the unfiltered and vulnerable me. We never had to hide from one another, and we were the only ones who got to truly see each other without barriers. ‘It’s not mine either,’ I replied honestly. I hated to do it, but I woke up with a nagging feeling, so I followed it. ‘I’m in the War Room. Why don’t you bring Ethan in right quick?’ I focused back on my task. I had been at this for an hour and found a lot of shit in that time. Bellamy mentioned that there were traitors in our pack. We found Devon, but he used plural instead of singular form. Phoenix agreed with my
EMMA Now, I sort of regretted that we put off the ceremony. There were bound to be others like Ashley that doubted who I was or if it was my rightful place. I did not owe them anything, but it would have made this a little easier. Or at least I thought it might have. ‘You must keep to the story you told Devon about how you knew you were mates before your birthday. Any of Ezekiel’s spies may be here. Also, you must protect against people saying you are not fated,’ Phoenix said. Well shit. Hopefully, I sounded convincing because this could go badly. I could not believe that I had to lie to my pack. I relayed Phoenix’s comment to my mates and Ethan. That way they would also be aware in case they had to talk about it. Johnson led a pissed off Ashley towards a single chair that was placed on the other side of the squad and far from me. Her wrists were bound by handcuffs. She said something too low for me to catch, causing Johnson to all but shove her into the chair. It had me curious ab
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