Oh no!
After Xander called to tell me he wouldn’t be able to come join me for lunch, I was disappointed, but I focused on work. People are still flocking to my shop and after yesterday, I’m on alert for any real witches that may come in to seek the assistance of the Guardians. It’s later in the afternoon when I begin to feel antsy, uncomfortable, like something is wrong. “Maeve? What is it?” Jesse asks. I look at him. “I’m not sure. I feel off.” He frowns, looking at me more closely. “You feel off, of something feels off?” he asks, getting clarification. “Well,” I think for a moment, “something feels off. I feel fine, I think. It’s weird.” Jesse pulls out his phone, hitting speed dial. When no one answers, he disconnects and tries again. Nothing. He looks at me before dialing again. “Alpha, have you heard anything from Alpha Xander or Alpha Cayd?” He watches me as he talks to my father-in-law. “Maeve is feeling off and I’ve tried both of them. They aren’t answering their phones.” “T
“What’s wrong with her?” I ask, moving toward Maeve as Cayd catches her. I feel slow, sluggish. I should have reached her before he did. I stand up, wobbly and unsteady on my feet. It’s an uncomfortable feeling for someone who is used to being very strong. “Let me take a look at her,” my mother says, striding into the room. “Move that blanket,” she directs. “NO!” Avery and Amir say at the same time. “Only Maeve can remove it. And to answer your question, Alpha, you don’t battle death without it taking a toll on you,” Amir says. “I’ve got you,” I hear Jesse say and I turn just in time to see him catch Meadow. “Dad!” I say, just as Tate begins wobbling on his feet. “Take them upstairs,” I say and my mother comes to wrap her arm around my waist, helping me to stand. “Let’s get them back to the penthouse, they’ll be more comfortable there and this group needs to get settled," my mom says, taking charge. “I can walk Mom, get the pups,” I say, seeing Lynn’s kids huddled in a corner
Before Xander and his team went back out, I made them a protection spell. This time, Tate stayed behind, and Amir and Avery went with them. It took two weeks, but they finally collected the rest of the witches and warlocks that Levana was hunting. Most of them were thankful and agreed to working for Xander’s company. It took some time for them to be okay with the wolves, but once they realized that everything they’ve been told about wolves from Levana was a lie, that were happy to have a way to start a new life and still use their magic. I had to burn the blanket with the death spell inside of it. As the others said, only I could do it, but Meadow and Tate helped me. Once again, it was something I had never done, something that takes a significant amount of magic, but I was able to do it fairly easily. Because so many more witches are in the area now and are working with Holstin Enterprises, the requests for me and my little shop have grown and very quickly we have outgrown the spac
Maeve’s shop is close enough to the office that I can keep a low-level connection between us during the day. She may not be able to feel it, but it helps Einar and I stay calm knowing we can always feel her, even if we can’t always hear her. That will change once she’s moved in to the new shop downstairs. Then, I’ll be able to hear her thoughts and feel her emotions easily. I was working with my father when I felt the first bit of unease. I had waited and when it didn’t go away, I had tugged on the bond. When I felt her relax, I was about ready to return to work and then, her anxiety went through the roof. I was terrified that something had happened to her and I raced to find her. Once I realized that my mate thinks she’s pregnant with our pup, and after confirming that she isn’t feeling anxious because she’s not ready for a pup, my anxiety went through the roof. My mate is human, she’s showing signs of a werewolf pregnancy, a pregnancy that lasts 5 months, not 9 months. Human bodies
I was released from the hospital the next day but Dr. Teresa wants to see me every week and if anything happens or I feel off, I’m to come back right away. We stay the weekend in the pack, and I get to see my sprite friends again. Apparently, the news that ‘Sir Alpha Xander and Lady Maeve’ are having a baby has spread. It’s also the weekend that Emlyn has decided to have Cayd’s going away party. I know Tate is sad to see his friend go, but it will be good for Cayd. Like Xander, he needs to get the education that will help him to take over as CFO of the family’s company. As I walk through my ‘witchy garden’ at the back of the packhouse, several sprites come rushing up to me, including Daphne. “Lady Maeve! Lady Maeve!” “Is it true?” “Are you pregnant?” “With Sir Alpha Xander’s baby?” “Hello ladies,” I say. “Yes, we saw the doctor yesterday and it’s true. Xander and I are going to have a baby,” I tell them. “Ohhhh!” “Is it a boy?” “Or is it a girl?” “Is it a witch?” “Or a wolf
Over the next month, we get into a routine. Lynn and Avery watch the shop on the weekends, and Friday evening after work, Maeve and I head to the pack lands, have Maeve checked by Dr. Teresa and then spend the weekend with the pack and our family. So far, Maeve’s pregnancy has been easy. She gets stomach cramps sometimes, since her stomach is stretching faster than it would with a human pregnancy, but Lynn has been helping her with some witchy salve that she rubs on her stomach every morning and every night to help her skin stretch more easily. I don’t like the stuff. For at least an hour after she puts it on, it overpowers her strawberry scent, even now that it’s stronger with our daughter. But, it makes her more comfortable, so I suffer with the scent. As Dr. Teresa predicted, as soon as the machines were turned off and Einar tuned in, we could hear our pup’s heartbeat. Now, four weeks later, I’m able to hear my little girl’s heartbeat all the time. It’s not enough that I can hear
The next afternoon, Meadow and I are in the shop with Jesse, who is now a permanent fixture in my life. I hear the bell on the door ring and Reagan walks in holding up a credit card. “Look what I got from Xander! Time to shop for our trip, Meadow!” she sings as she walks in the door. A moment later, Penny walks in behind her, frowning. I hear Jesse snarl and faster than I can see, he’s got Penny pinned against the wall. “JESSE!” I yell and I see Meadow’s hands light up with magic. Reagan turns to see what is happening, and she puts her hand up to us, telling us to wait. “Mate,” Penny says, looking at Jesse the way Xander looks at me, her eyes full of love. “Mine!” Jesse snarls, before his mouth latches onto Penny’s. Reagan quickly looks around, making sure the shop is empty of humans. For once, it is. “Oi! Jesse, take her to your place!” Reagan says, and I feel the pressure of her Guardian aura coming out. Jesse steps back, shaking his head as if coming out of a dream. “Oh, I
All of the wolves were distracted by the scent of magic. Balls of magic were coming down on us like rain. But once Avery and Amir put the magical umbrella up, and we began racing inside. One we got past the scent of magic, we could smell their sickly sweet scent. It burns into our noses. ‘Vampires!’ Einar says to me a moment before snarling. The rest of the group begins shifting immediately. If the witches are attacking, the vampires will too and with so many humans, we can’t wait and risk their lives. I want to race into the castle with everyone else, but my mate and my pup are here, so Einar moves in front of her, guiding her into the castle. ‘Do NOT leave our side,” Einar and I say as one to Maeve. As we run, I feel her grab onto Einar’s tail. ‘I need to look for Laris Bevan, but I don’t know what he looks like,” she says, just as a ball of purple light comes hurtling at us. Maeve slams her magic into the light and I hear a witch scream somewhere close by. ‘Why are they with
Two Years Later “No, Einar is the strongest!” my daughter adamantly yells at Leander, standing in front of Einar who is playing with the kids. “No, Finley is the strongest!” Leander says back, both kids arguing that their fathers’ wolves are the strongest. Briella is riding on Finley’s back. Cyran growls low, coming to stand between them. Both Leander and Felicity look at Cyran then back at each other. “Grandpa Cyran is the strongest!” they both yell. “Get him!” Leander says and the two of them go chasing after Cyran while Finley teaches Briella how to stay on him when he’s running and Einar is just trying to keep his fur while Gale and our third child, Mena, tug on it. She was given a name meaning love, as my love for my mate continues to grow year after year and I know his for me continues to grow too. I stand on Angel and Liam’s back porch watching as the fathers and grandfather play with the kids. Angel comes out, carrying Emlyn and Rich’s third child, another boy that they na
One Year Later If you had asked me a couple of years ago if I was a family man, I would have told you, ‘One day, but not today.’ If you had told me that I would trade in a college campus and no responsibilities for a mate, a job and a family, I would have laughed in your face. And yet, all it took was me meeting my mate, a little slip of a witch, to prove me wrong. I finished my education, getting my degree and officially becoming Chief Executive Officer of Holstin Enterprises, Inc. We have expanded our operations into search and rescue because of the witches. So, now we have three arms of to the company. It not only works well for our company, but it also works for Maeve’s shop. She’s busier than ever and that doesn’t include the humans that come in to buy their witchy toys so they can pretend that they are witches. Word got around very quickly that, as the oldest Cross, Maeve was the true High Priestess of the Night Garden coven, so more and more witches having been coming to find
I’m up several times with my baby girl throughout the night, but every time I come back to bed, Xander pulls me to him, curling up around me and helping me fall back to sleep. In the morning, I wake up groggy, but Xander gets up and makes coffee while I drag myself to the shower. I bathe and there's a mug of steaming coffee waiting for me on the counter when I get out. I walk out of the bathroom in my bathrobe, drinking my coffee and I see Xander waiting for me. “Come sit,” he says, patting his leg. I look at him a moment, before walking toward him. “What happened?” I ask as I reach him, and he pulls me into his lap. He brushes my damp hair out of my face. “We found Levana.” “Where?” I ask, my mind instantly awake. “In your uncle’s castle.” I start to stand, but he holds me in place. “And she has a new coven, or maybe it’s some of the old coven, I’m not sure.” “How many?” I ask. “I don’t know the answer to that. She found the cameras and blew them out. One of the security te
After Felicity is born, we stay in the packhouse for another week, giving the family a chance to spend time with her but also giving Maeve and I a few days to adjust before taking her home. When we get home, it’s a very similar situation to being in the pack. Avery, Lynn and Penny all come by to say hi and hold Felicity, cooing over her and talking babies with Maeve. “You know, Xander, we should build a nursery in the building." Maeve says to me that night. "Penny and Avery are pregnant, we have Felicity, and Lynn has her two little ones. I’m sure there will be other babies as the wolves find their mates and the witches find their pairings. I’d feel better about leaving Felicity here while I’m working and I know Lynn would feel better about it too,” she tells me. So, I talked to my father and a week later, I bring her to the 12th floor, where the Holstin Enterprise offices are. There, we can hear loud music and banging in the offices on the other side of the floor from ours. “What’
Oh, how my life has changed in the year since I met Xander. I went from fearing for my life, struggling to keep my family together and still run a business to having a thriving business, an incredible mate, a family that is safe, and I now belong to a werewolf pack. It’s not official yet, Xander wanted to wait until our daughter was born. But Meadow and Tate both agreed and became official members of the Shadow Falls pack. Both of the were excited to have a low level ability to mind link, at least with the ranked members, and Rich's family. Today, I’m sitting on the back porch with Emlyn as she rocks her newborn. Rich and Xander put additional rocking chairs out here so super-pregnant women like me and young mothers like Emlyn could be comfortable and still be outside enjoying the fresh air. “How can I be so large, and uncomfortable but watching my mate sparring still gets me all worked up?” I ask her as we watch Xander and Rich spar each other. Xander is battling hard against his Ri
Before we leave the castle, we search the house, making sure that there is no one else there and that Levana isn’t hiding somewhere, unbeknownst to Laris. Once we find it empty, I have my team set up cameras and security, so we can watch and see if she returns. As soon as we’re back to the pack lands, I take Maeve in to see Dr. Teresa. She used a lot of energy and a lot of magic in that fight, not to mention getting stressed out about Laris Bevan calling the werewolves filty and blights on society. Secretly, I loved that my mate is acting so possessive. As a wolf, possessiveness is how we show that someone is ours, that we want them, claim them. So she basically told the entire room of supernaturals that I was hers. And while I was worried about her getting herself all worked up, it made me feel special. ‘You are special,’ Maeve says in my mind. My heads whips to hers where she’s lying on the hospital bed waiting to see Dr. Teresa. “You can hear my thoughts?” I ask her out loud.
Avery walks into the room as I’m digesting what Laris Bevan said. He’s my uncle and he hates my family. “What’s with all the dust?” Avery asks. “Vampire dust,” Leana says, looking around to make sure they are all dead. “And the witches?” she asks, looking at the dead bodies of witches scattered on the floor. “Maeve,” Leana answers her. Xander comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. ‘Are you okay, my little witch?’ he asks in the mind link. “For now. No guarantees later,” I tell him. ‘Einar and I are here for you, whenever, whatever and however you need us. Let’s deal with your piece of shit uncle and get home. Do you want me to interview him?’ ‘Would you do that?’ I ask him, so thankful for his understanding. I’m feeling overwhelmed, not only with the number of deaths that I just caused but also with learning that he’s my uncle and most likely at least partially responsible for the death of my parents. Xander kisses the side of my head and moves to crouch down in fro
All of the wolves were distracted by the scent of magic. Balls of magic were coming down on us like rain. But once Avery and Amir put the magical umbrella up, and we began racing inside. One we got past the scent of magic, we could smell their sickly sweet scent. It burns into our noses. ‘Vampires!’ Einar says to me a moment before snarling. The rest of the group begins shifting immediately. If the witches are attacking, the vampires will too and with so many humans, we can’t wait and risk their lives. I want to race into the castle with everyone else, but my mate and my pup are here, so Einar moves in front of her, guiding her into the castle. ‘Do NOT leave our side,” Einar and I say as one to Maeve. As we run, I feel her grab onto Einar’s tail. ‘I need to look for Laris Bevan, but I don’t know what he looks like,” she says, just as a ball of purple light comes hurtling at us. Maeve slams her magic into the light and I hear a witch scream somewhere close by. ‘Why are they with
The next afternoon, Meadow and I are in the shop with Jesse, who is now a permanent fixture in my life. I hear the bell on the door ring and Reagan walks in holding up a credit card. “Look what I got from Xander! Time to shop for our trip, Meadow!” she sings as she walks in the door. A moment later, Penny walks in behind her, frowning. I hear Jesse snarl and faster than I can see, he’s got Penny pinned against the wall. “JESSE!” I yell and I see Meadow’s hands light up with magic. Reagan turns to see what is happening, and she puts her hand up to us, telling us to wait. “Mate,” Penny says, looking at Jesse the way Xander looks at me, her eyes full of love. “Mine!” Jesse snarls, before his mouth latches onto Penny’s. Reagan quickly looks around, making sure the shop is empty of humans. For once, it is. “Oi! Jesse, take her to your place!” Reagan says, and I feel the pressure of her Guardian aura coming out. Jesse steps back, shaking his head as if coming out of a dream. “Oh, I