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94. Cherish
Last Updated:
2022-07-17 00:10:15
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The Beta's Prize 95. Ivan
If I felt pressure to be a good leader and make the Shadowlands safe before, knowing Cherish was bringing our child into the world only sent it skyrocketing. She had joked she wouldn’t need any rest, lots of exercise. She was unfortunately wrong as within a week of having her pregnancy confirmed she was ruthlessly ill. The remaining human elements of her body struggled with the demands of a shifter pregnancy with the severity of her nausea leaving her stuck in the packhouse. She had the company of Martha, Penelope, and Violet. Martha told us not to worry, though Cherish would be able to carry our baby it was still an extreme experience for her body to go through. Still, she looked immaculate, snuggled under the white covers as the dawning sun peeped through the curtain, a pale lilac cotton nightdress on. Sat in the crook of my arm, her fingers lazily trailed up and down my bare chest, toying with my chest hair. Every breath I took had that gorgeous hint of berries, if she wasn’t so p
Last Updated : 2022-07-17The Beta's Prize 96. Cherish
I barely recognised the copper-haired bear of a man who stumbled towards me. Then again, I imagine he didn’t expect to find me the size of a house either. When I discovered I was carrying twins I was utterly tormented. Did I write to Ivan, knowing the risk of going into labour earlier than expected or trust in the Moon Goddess and every unseen plan she had that he would have enough time to get home? Martha has been a constant source of help. Her aromatherapy, baths and oils have got me through the worst of the discomfort. With Ivan absent, Jackson and I have had to run the pack. Thankfully Jackson is the sweetest and most loyal of Ivan’s friends. I sometimes wonder with a shudder what would have happened if someone like Anders had never been uncovered. If Ivan had trusted him to stay behind how many weeks would he have waited before unveilinghis sinister nature? Thankfully, and with Jackson’s help I continued to keep building relations. When the freeze came, we created an ice ri
Last Updated : 2022-07-18The Beta's Prize 97. Cherish
Gradually I pulled him up to standing, “you need a sleep, you look like you haven’t slept properly since the day you left.” He ruffled the back of his hair, grinning, “you’re right. Why are you always right?” I raised myself unsteadily onto my tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. A gentle little kiss but the scent of apples was like a rush of adrenalin as Halo whined for more. Heading back to our suite he gasped at the changes made. Not knowing if we were having a boy, girl or any combination of both genders our room had a simple, plain white large crib. It was waiting for us at the far end of the room, new cupboards installed ready for all the clothes, bootees, toys and games we would need. I wanted the babies with us as much as possible. The packhouse wasn’t huge, for now they would be fine living with us. Deep down, without Ivan here perhaps I had been worried about safety too. Not knowing how safe the pack was, I wanted our babies where I could see them. Perhaps Ivan wasn’t
Last Updated : 2022-07-18The Beta's Prize 98. Ivan
It almost felt like the first time I saw Cherish in the Cage. The way her ocean blue eyes shone up at me, shimmering with tears and fear destroyed Kohl and me. The idea that she might not be a good mother, I didn’t dare ask how long she had felt like that. How many weeks of my snow-bound farmer-questioning had she spent trying to blindly pull wool together? Waking first in the morning I went back to the cupboard. Every colour under the rainbow was there. So many attempted items that she had pushed away in shame. Crouched on the floor I found her original instructions, handwritten, presumably by Martha, crumpled and thrown away. Smirking, I decided to give it a go. Sitting on the sofa with a ball of blue wool and knitting needles I stared at the tangled nonsense in front of me. I had this image of me cheekily placing a little pair of gloves or booties on the pillow before she woke but the twisting, threading, repetitive motion had me completely confused. As I stared down, huffing aw
Last Updated : 2022-07-19The Beta's Prize 99. Cherish
All I could think of was that Bella was meant to be here. She promised when we met that she would be here. My mind was racing as scalding hot fluid seeped from me, my waters broken and releasing more liquid everytime I tried to move. Giving birth naturally as a human was never going to be fun. Giving birth to shifting, werewolf twins meant there was a genuine risk I might die. I lay in our bathroom suite, the cool tiles soothing my overheated skin. Before all the chaos I’d had a longer rest than normal, pondering how happy I was to have Ivan return when my waters broke. As I mind-linked him I then remembered to call Martha with the bell. Ivan beat her to it, charging into the room red-faced and terrified, “Cherish is it time? Are you okay!” “There aren’t any contractions yet but my waters have broken so we have a few hours.” “Jackson!” he yelled in panic before remembering the mind-link. Then he took my hands and kissed me, guiding me to the large chair next to the bath. “I’ve
Last Updated : 2022-07-19The Beta's Prize 100. Cherish
There was no turning back now, it was go-time. No more giddy jokes, no more waking up surprised at the increased size of my bump. I was going to be a mother. The concepts left me feeling dizzy at the very moment I needed to be focused and sharp. I downed a cup of the broth offered by Martha, slurping it down greedily, as if it could take away the searing pain my exhausted muscles were in. “Okay…okay….I can do this,” I whimpered. “Ivan, come where I can see you,” as I felt the pain rising once more I did as they asked. I gripped the side of the bathtub, my feet planted on the ground as I howled in pain, my eyes fixed on Ivan’s face. He looked so proud, he wasn’t terrified by my noises, the obvious bloodshed and pain, he made me feel like a superhero. “We almost had a head then! Next one, next one they’re ready to come!” Bella shouted as I panted and braced myself. Sure enough, even faster and more blindingly intense than the first I fought and pushed until a huge wave of pressure an
Last Updated : 2022-07-20The Beta's Prize 101. Ivan
So I’m a father now. A week in and every time those little cries start up it hits me over the head. I’m sure the realisation will sink in soon. Cherish is fantastic, of course. I thank the Moon Goddess every day that I was home in time for her to confess her fears to me, before her labour started. It would appear labour can vanish from the minds of women very quickly. Cherish even jokes about having another, as if the bloody carnage that revealed itself never happened. For me it is burnt into my memories. Coupled with the joy of the babies safe delivery was the terror at seeing how her body was pushed to it’s limits. Deep down there was some guilt, her wolf gave so much of its strength to me in order to pull me through that final attack. There was a deep-seated fear that somehow, I was responsible for her pain and suffering. However the little ones were just amazing. Genevieve and Cillian. Their blue eyes peeping in wonder, fascinated by the world around them. Not only am I a fath
Last Updated : 2022-07-20The Beta's Prize 102. Ivan
We settled into a blissful domestic routine over the next three months. I spent the morning working in the office, holding meetings and discussions about the pack. Spring was fast approaching and each member of the Battalion was undergoing intensive training about the farming techniques we had learnt. Then I intended to send them to each district to pass on their new techniques. It sounds boring but I had decided I was going to be a hands-on Alpha. Why shouldn’t I get involved in learning about fertiliser, I’m not above digging in and never will be. Especially now I probably cannot go directly into battle again. Both Kohl and Halo have been through so much. It feels like tempting Fate to risk our happiness.The Shadowlands had resources capable of supplying every pack in the nation, there was no reason such fertile, available land couldn’t make the people of this place wealthy and secure. Now was our time. The mood in the town was buoyant. Cherish descended more frequently from our
Last Updated : 2022-07-21
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The Beta's Prize Epilogue 6: White Forest Ball (Cillian)
Without thinking I shouted “Stop!” causing the cloaked person to sprint. “GUARDS!” I screeched, unable to mind-link members outside of my pack. Why was the entire fucking castle asleep! Sprinting after the cloaked figure I saw nobody else, no guards, not even a servant to help me catch the stranger. Arriving at the huge foyer of the castle, surrounded by flickering torches, hanging tapestries and miserable grey stone walls I had nothing to follow. They had vanished into thin air. All I knew from the build around the cloak was that they were a man, a man wearing long black trousers. Giving up the chase, I headed back to my room, flights of stairs, leading me to nothing but duplicating corridors of arched doorways, presumably student accommodation. The door to my parents’ suite remained open. “Papa?” I knocked softly to no answer. /Cillian, I am so sorry/ Vez said, realising before I did that my world had been knocked from its axis, shattered like porcelain. On the double bed, wrappe
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 5: White Forest Ball (Cillian)
I understood immediately why Papa never took us to many of these charades. Standing there in a pompous white shirt, on display like a prize pig at a fair I was happy to escape with Genevieve into the masses. I wasn’t so happy about Nikolai. We had only met briefly during a few childhood meetings but as a man he oozed anger and resentment. What for, I have no idea, but my sister and her wide eyes clearly thought it was the hottest thing she had ever seen. Silently, from my chosen distance, I watched his charisma overwhelm her, my own heckles rising. /She asked you to let her be an adult, to make her own choices/ Vez urged. Ever since first shifting and Vez came into my world it has been like having two fathers, both eager for me to prosper as Alpha. Our wolf fur was as red and fiery as my hair. I cringed, remembering how Jackson had laughingly called me the Infant Inferno, leaving me furious. Vez however, despite our fiery colour was sage, calming and fair. My papa tried to downpl
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 4: White Forest Ball (Genevieve)
Having to walk in behind my parents I felt like a child amongst women. Despite the stunning dress, the styled hair and jewels I’d been given, the ballroom had a strange feel about it. I felt watched ,studied, but not in the usual way, like at home in Cragstone when crowds gathered. One person’s gaze had me flustered. The smell of burning spice made my eyes widen in fear, urgently seeking out the owner. As though we were in danger of attack, then I saw Nikolai Romanov. He headed up towards our little royal enclosure furtively, as though he was breaking in. He was just as entitled to be there as the rest of us and yet his fearsomely dark eyes were stuck on me. He offered no greetings to anyone else, not even his parents. My heart flipped, what do you do when someone looks so blatantly at you? He wasn’t undressing me with his eyes or anything crude like the silly Kharkov boys. Instead, he was seriously, steadily looking at me as a person. Almost the same age as me, already nineteen and
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 3: White Forest Ball (Ivan)
I know exactly why she is nervous. It’s not ideal and we’ve put it off for so long that it’s brought the formal gold bordered letter from Alexander to force our attendance. They are so young, the twins are barely even adults. If they find their mates tonight there it is more complicated than they realise. For Kharkov’s girls, or Lyon’s boys, when they make their match it will be a simple case of falling in love and finding a place to live and be happy together. Our children, should it be from a rival pack, will see alliances drawn up, decisions taken out of their hands as their parents become a tangle of wants and wishes. Should my beautiful, delicate little Genevieve be drawn in with that dark-haired lout Nikolai, what then? He is the future Alpha of White Forest, as Freya is to live in Rising Star. I would lose my darling girl. I know it is just the mindset of a scared father. I am a proud, happy man, terrified of nothing the world can throw at me. Except for damaging my family'
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 2: White Forest Ball (Cherish)
I gasped at the sight of our intruder. Cillian, my beautiful boy, had somehow transformed into a powerful, charismatic man, his white shirt open at the top showing the sculpted chest he inherited from his father. His coppery red hair had an even fierier tone than Ivan’s, almost sheer red, whilst his eyes had eventually turned blue like my own, despite starting green. He had a strong, masculine jaw and his figure had developed over the past year. He had trained like a beast with Kharkov and Jackson, as if preparing for his mate by getting into perfect shape. “Are we ready to do this parade then?” he grumbled, fiddling with his cufflink, the rasping depth of his manly voice still making me wistful even after years of it breaking. “How has a white shirt made you look this grown up,” I said softly, adjusting the collar of his shirt whilst he towered over me and his father. The squidgy faced little boy who hid behind my skirts clutching stacks of buns he had stolen from Martha was no m
The Beta's Prize Epilogue 1: White Forest Ball (Cherish)
** TWENTY YEARS LATER ** “I cannot believe it has truly been so long since we were last at White Forest,” I murmured, standing in the same suite we had used so many years ago. Back when I shouted at Helena and suggested she had failed Ivan. The four-poster bed and stained glass windows were unchanged. As if we had simply stepped back in time. The sight of the balcony, where I had once stood in only a black cloak for Ivan to devour under the pale blue moonlight made me smile and Halo purr in remembrance. “You are as amazing now as you were then,” Ivan murmured, approaching me with a grin. In his late forties he was getting somehow even more handsome with age. His hair remained the stunning copper beacon I looked for first in every room whilst his frame remained strong, tall and muscular. Although my heart had two other beacons to contend with in Genevieve and Cillian, Ivan’s strength was the tree which my roots had grown around. They had turned eighteen last winter, Ivan insiste
The Beta's Prize 106. Cherish
Although Ivan’s silly trick with the balcony made me laugh, we were soon back in the same glum mood we had left the dinner party with last night. The stone walls around us swirled with confusion, the footsteps of unknown servants constantly pattering by made me feel watched, edgy. At home, in Cragstone we knew exactly who roamed our smaller world. “We should just ask Helena outright,” I snapped in frustration, “they’re discussing us and our babies so why shouldn’t we know.” Ultimately we had the matter taken out of our hands. A small, elderly male servant summoned us for breakfast with Alpha Brandon and Luna Hollie down in the dining hall. Kissing the babies and leaving them with Kharkov and Penelope we made our way for attempt Day Two of the so-called Conference. As expected the four of them were already there. Brandon raised his hand as soon as he saw us enter and saw Ivan assessing the situation. Alpha Alexander for once looked distressed. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes wer
The Beta's Prize 105. Ivan
My worst fears were confirmed. This wasn’t a proper conference, there was no respect for our attendance as the leaders of the Shadowlands pack, it was some ridiculous notion by Helena to try and fix her own ego. Kissing Cherish softly as she tended to the babies with Penelope I informed Kharkov I was heading for a stroll, he could stay with the women and enjoy some breakfast. His face lit up at the prospect, whether it was breakfast or the company of the women I could not tell which thrilled him more. I loved the fact he had such a bond with Cherish. Having someone in your corner like that, it’s how I used to see myself and Helena. Different but the same. /If everything had stayed the same, we would have been dead in a ditch long ago. Some things have to change/ Kohl murmured sagely. I agreed with him, but I still regretted my lost friendship. Heading out of the huge double doored stone archway I found myself looking down upon a splendid view of the surrounding forest. It was so
The Beta's Prize 104. Cherish
When the servant brought us into the dining hall it was just as grand as I expected. Huge golden candelabras and chandeliers lit up a picture perfect room. The usual tapestries and war scenes I had grown used to seeing at White Forest were not present here. Rising Star was a gallery of landscapes. The valleys, lakes and forests depicted everywhere gave the castle a softer feeling than I had expected this pile of stones to provide. Even the soft rugs were welcomely eyed by Halo, my feet still not fully healed made me want to jump to the nearest chair. I preferred this castle to White Forest, though as Halo warned me, that may just be because I had lingering reservations about Luna Helena and her knowledge of Fate. Ivan, bless him, knew my feet were not fully healed yet and made sure to have me seated comfortably before anything else. Alpha Brandon and Luna Hollie were kind and gracious hosts. They clearly adored Helena and Alexander, a cosy coupling that we were on the outside of.
