*Delilah*“Come on, let’s go,” Kendra pressured, waving her hand at me impatiently. “Where are we going?” I asked, suspicious of Kendra and her intentions.“We are sisters, basically. I can’t take you out for a day?” Kendra put her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at me. She had a playful expression on her face but I could tell it was forced. “No?” I questioned and Kendra rolled her eyes. “Andrew thought it would be good for us to spend some time together,” Kendra said with a sigh. She clearly wasn’t as thrilled as she had initially claimed to be which made me even more suspicious.“Why? Why would he want that?” I continued to question her and she heaved another big sigh, annoyed that I wasn’t giving in right away.“I don’t know, Delilah. Maybe because we’re sisters and while you were gone I helped out around the house. Andrew noticed that I was putting in the effort to get to know his kids–”“Our kids,” I corrected and Kendra stopped an eye roll before continui
*Delilah*“I’m really not that tired,” Cody said but his big yawn proved otherwise. Flora was fighting her sleepiness off too but Kyle had eagerly climbed into bed. They were all up way past their bedtime but it was a special night and I wanted all three of them by my side. Andrew stood beside me as I put the kids to bed. Cody reluctantly let me tuck him into bed and then he was out like a light, faster than his siblings. It made me chuckle. Andrew kissed each child on the forehead and Flora made him give her a big hug.“Thank you for the amazing party for Mommy,” Flora said in her tiny, sleepy voice. The words melted my heart and seemed to have the same effect on Andrew. He held her close and kissed her once more before releasing her and tucking her back into bed. Then he stood and faced me. He offered me his hand and I accepted and let him lead me out of the room. “Goodnight, my loves,” I whispered into the dark room. I heard a quiet little mumble and knew Kyle was tr
*Kendra*Spending the day with Delilah wasn’t as unpleasant as I thought it would be, I even started to like her a little, but not enough to be friends and give up on my dreams. Her pleasantness had almost made me feel bad that I had plans to take her place in this pack. Andrew was meant to be my mate. The revelation that Andrew and I weren’t growing as close as I thought we were was a shot to the heart. The revelation came when we got to the party. Especially when I saw Andrew’s reaction to her arrival at the surprise party. That immediately dampened my mood. He was so excited to show her what he had done for her and show her off to all his friends and family and the whole pack. The rest of the night, he wouldn’t leave her side at all. I had zero chance to talk to him and I wanted to tell him how well our day together had gone, I’m sure that would have made him pleased with me. I also wanted more of an opportunity to just spend time with him. But instead, he spent all of his t
*Delilah*I woke up with Andrew’s arm wrapped around me, his gentle breathing told me he was still asleep. I slowly slid out from under him and walked silently to the bathroom, closing the door softly. I started the water, turning it to basically boiling and letting the steam build before I stripped my overlarge T-shirt off and climbed into the water. The hot water rolled over my body, soaking my hair through. It felt amazing and I stayed in longer than I meant to. I heard the door crack open as I shut the water off and saw Andrew standing there, staring at me unabashedly with desire in his eyes. I chuckled and wrapped a towel around my body as I walked toward him. “Like what you see?”“More than I can express,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. I blushed. I still wasn’t used to the way he wanted me, and the way I wanted him. Our bond was strong. I couldn’t deny it and I didn’t want to. But everything between us was all still so new. I’d been alone for so long
*Andrew*It had been two days since Delilah’s birthday and things between us were great. I really felt like we had started to turn a corner in our relationship. I played with the ring in my pocket under the table, anxious to give it to her.I was at the pack house for the day, working on negotiations with the Gallaway pack. We were discussing the best trade routes and I couldn’t keep my focus on our conversation. I already had arrangements made for tonight. I arranged for the park to be closed down for the night starting around dusk. A chef was going to set up an outdoor kitchen to serve us as well. I hoped it would be a romantic night for us both. I wanted her to have the world and I was going to show that to her with how I treated her tonight. Being Alpha had its perks. Our meeting finally came to an end and I tried not to sigh in relief. This tedious work was hard to focus on when I had a ring burning a hole in my pocket. I looked at my watch seeing it was time to head
*Delilah*I walked quickly down the path and kicked off my heels, holding them as I left the park and walked back toward Andrew’s house. My hands were shaking and I let out a pent-up breath as I walked, rolling my shoulders.Andrew was about to propose to me! The dinner was so romantic and the appetizer was to die for but I couldn’t stay. I just knew what was coming and I saw him reaching for his suit jacket I felt my heart leap into my throat. I hated the look on his face as I walked away but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know if I was ready to be married. Yes, he was my mate and I felt drawn to him, extremely drawn to him. He had looked fantastic in his suit tonight and his scent was intoxicating. But was I really ready to take on a Luna role in this pack? Being with him was so much more than just being with him. It was committing to staying with the pack and making it my home. And beyond all that, I didn’t know if I even wanted that. Yes, we’d grown close and I did love
*Andrew*Delilah’s swift departure from our lovely dinner had left me confused but I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Delilah so if she needed space, I would give it to her.“Andrew,” Kendra said from the doorway of my office. I paused before I looked up at her. I wasn’t interested in dealing with her today. “I just spoke with Delilah,” Kendra said, not elaborating so I sighed and gestured for her to come into my office. She came in and sat down across the desk from me. She settled in like it was her home and the comfortability annoyed me and set me on edge. “What is it then?” I asked, wanting this conversation to be over soon. “We talked about what happened the other night,” Kendra said, continuing with her short and frustrating sentences. “Okay? I didn’t know you two were close,” I commented, looking back down at the paperwork in front of me. If she was going to take her sweet time then I had other things I could be doing. “Yep, super close now
*Delilah*With Flora and Kyle happily playing in the living room and Cody running around the house entertaining himself, I walked into the kitchen to fix myself a snack. I had to do so while they were distracted or else they would want something too. I didn’t mind making them a snack normally but it was so close to dinner, I couldn’t risk spoiling their appetites. Plus, I wanted a little treat for myself, something that they weren’t allowed to have. My feet pattered against the tile floor as I walked into the kitchen. I went to the cabinet to get a glass and my hidden stash of chocolates. When I closed the cabinet door, it groaned louder than I had expected. I paused to listen, just in case any of the kids had heard me. Thankfully, after a few seconds, no one came running so I knew I was in the clear. I grabbed an already-opened bottle of wine and filled the class a third of the way and took a sip before popping a delicious chocolate into my mouth. The flavors together were del
Months Later*Andrew*The gardens looked perfect. The gazebo was decorated with fairy lights and had flowers scattered around the edge of it. I paced the gardens, double-checking everything to make sure everything was in order. Flora had corralled the boys and sent them to work on finalizing touches. Kyle and Cody argued a bit, but Flora kept them in line. I watched them work with a smile on my face. I was so grateful that they had been able to participate, and I know that all three of them were thrilled by today’s event.“Okay, everything looks perfect,” my dad said with a slap to my back. He had a grin on his face as he looked around at the work we had put in. Dad’s grin grew as he watched my mom work with Flora, Kyle, and Cody. “Do you think she’ll like it?” I asked, worried as my nerves started setting in.“I think she will love it,” Mom said, coming to join us. “Now, come on. We are going to go have dinner at our house and we will be back before you propose. I will t
*Delilah*“Mom, Zach told me today that we are basically heroes now,” Flora said as we walked inside together. I smiled, making sure not to laugh and discourage her. “Did he really? I mean, you guys kind of are.” Andrew shut the door after he and the boys walked in behind me and Flora. “Yeah, I mean how many kids can say they could get away from a full-grown wolf?” Andrew asked. I looked over my shoulder at him adoringly and he winked at me as he quirked the corner of his mouth up in a smile. We had been spending as much time together as a family as we could lately and tonight was no different. We had plans to have a movie night and watch the kids' favorite animated movie. I took them outside to run off some energy before dinner. They managed to pull me and Andrew into a game of hide-and-seek. I was able to find him every time but nobody could manage to find me anytime I hid. Kids were never great at hiding or seeking and I could only help so much. I stepped away
*Delilah*“Mom, we’re fine. You and Daddy beat all the bad guys.” Flora looked at me with irritation in her gaze. “I just want to make sure you guys are ready for this. You have all been through a lot and–”“Mom, we want to go back to school,” Kyle said in a serious tone. I glanced at him through the rearview mirror and saw that they all looked eager, excited even. I sighed and nodded, smiling to myself. “Okay, okay.” We pulled up to the front of the school and they all unbuckled and grabbed their bags in seconds. They all told me bye as they flew out of the car, happy to be back with their friends. I watched them go into the school before I drove off. It was so hard to watch them walking away, even if I knew they would be safe. “Mom … moooooom?”Cody’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts and back to the moment. “Sorry, babe. What’d you say?”“I asked if we could have a feast for dinner?”I chuckled. His version of a feast was just having multiple pl
*Delilah*I fixed the back of my earring and sighed as I looked in the mirror. My injuries from the various fights I’d been in were finally healed but I couldn’t say the same for my mind. Today was the day we all said goodbye to Kendra. Despite what she’d done, I still mourned for her. She was like my blood and at one time, I’d loved her dearly. I remember being a child and being so excited to have a younger sister. I thought we’d be best friends and that I’d always have someone there for me. And someone I could be there for. Our lives hadn’t ended up that way, but for a while there I thought we were finally getting close to that. I still had a hard time believing that she had been so nice to me and to the kids all while planning to have them kidnapped. Andrew said that the only reason they attacked was to be a decoy for Kendra to get the kids, and then eventually me. One of the prisoners had easily given up the information after the battle was over. The Carter pack wasn’t e
*Delilah*After the fight ended, I stayed huddled with my children, fingers linked together. I vowed never to let go of them, at least for the rest of the week. I knew I would have to let them be away from me for school and pack activities but I wasn’t ready to let go of them any time soon.“Delilah,” Andrew whispered, “Delilah, it’s over. It is all over. Everything is alright.”I didn’t respond, knowing it wasn’t alright but scared to face the reality of what happened. So instead, I buried my head into the bundle of children. They smelled so delicious; like shampoo, sweat, dirt, and soap. I couldn't imagine if I had lost them. They still smelled like babies to me, so I inhaled deeply. Andrew approached us and wrapped his large arms around all four of us. I felt a sense of calm fall over me. The safety of his arms was powerful and I knew our children could feel it too. They had all stopped shaking and crying and we all silently held each other. “What about Kendra?” I asked
*Delilah*I quickly whirled around, scooping the kids with my back leg and tail and flinging them as gently as I could behind me. My attacker pulled up quickly, snapping her jaws shut short of my neck as I bit down. Shock coursed through my veins like ice as I took in the sight of the snarling wolf that was my sister. I crouched low and growled, gnashing my teeth at her. She backed up and shifted into her human form. “Why did you have to come back?” she all but screeched at me, desperation filling her eyes.I shifted as well and looked at her with wide eyes as I threw my hands in the air. “Why are you doing this, Kendra? Was tormenting me in high school not enough for you, you had to try to hurt my children?” I roared at her. I was done being nice to her, done trying to reason with her. She’d gone too far and I would make sure that after this day, she never thought about even looking at my children again. I chanced a glance at them and she took that opportunity to sh
*Delilah*I fled away from the fighting as fast as I could. I smelled the children in the forest that bordered our lands. What on earth were they doing there? I picked up another familiar scent as I ran but I ignored it. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was my kids.I sprinted, leaping into the air as a wolf tried to attack me and landing on his back, sprinting away as another member of the Blackwell pack came up and finished off the wolf.My nightmare had prepared me for this happening and it at least had managed to help me remain calm. This was the second or third kidnapping attempt on my children in less than a year. I couldn’t imagine what they must be feeling at that moment. The thought spurred me on and I increased my speed as I cleared the battlefield and darted down a trail. As I ran the kids’ scents got stronger and stronger and I knew I was on the right path. Whoever was trying to take my children better have an army because I was ready to run like a
*Andrew*I focused on the wolves around me. The Carter pack wasn’t small, and it seemed like they’d brought a large force with them. I had to admit I was impressed by their determination to defeat us. But it wouldn’t grant any of them mercy. I didn’t care why they were here, only that they learned that they would pay for daring to invade my territory. I didn’t know how many wolves I’d downed at that point, but it wasn’t a small number. I whipped around as a wolf tried to attack my hind leg. I jumped, pinning his back with my front paws as I leaned down and snapped his neck in my jaws. I dropped the wolf to the ground and looked around, snarling. My wolves were doing well, and it looked like we had very few casualties. Some wolves were dragged away from the battle by others and healers were quick to attend to their injuries. It seemed like the Carter pack might have been retreating. I was slowly but surely moving toward the leader, making sure to take out whoever came into my
*Flora*Walking through the woods, following Aunt Kendra, had grown tiring. I wanted to go home to sleep. She had woken us “Flora.” Kyle nudged me. He had been the quietest during our journey through the woods but I don’t think he was playing the same game Cody way. “Flora.” Kyle nudged me again and I shot him a look before glancing back at Aunt Kendra.“Shh, Kyle,” I said to him. I wanted Aunt Kendra to like me and if she was trying to help keep us safe then I needed to listen to her and keep quiet. “Flora, listen to me,” Kyle insisted with a harsh whisper. I grumbled but let him pull me back, slowing our pace to distance us from Cody and Aunt Kendra. When we were far enough away from them, Kyle leaned toward me and I leaned into him. “I don’t know how to explain it,” Kyle started.“Just try, Kyle,” I encouraged, smiling at my brother. “Aunt Kendra,” Kyle paused again, thinking about how to phrase it for me. “Aunt Kendra, well, her colors are off.”“What do y