EthanI’m by the marina when I catch a familiar scent, and my mind instantly transports me back to the alley where we lost track of the pups’ scent in Cité de la Nuit. My wolf howls in my head, and I immediately begin following the trail. It’s a struggle to continue hobbling along in the guise of an old man, rather than breaking into a run and chasing down my prey. Somehow I find the patience to go slowly, following the scent to a dive bar just off the pier.Peering inside, I see a few rough looking men gathered at the bar, smoking and drinking huge pints of ale. I cock my ears towards the sounds of their voices, trying to match the scent to its owner.“It’s your turn to get the tab, Griff.” One of the shifters grumbles.“I can’t. You know our job went bust.” The man in question answers bitterly. “I’ll be lucky if I get paid before we get back to the continent.”“Yeah, yeah,” the first man scoffs, “it’s always the same story with you, you roll into town every few months and mooch off
3rd PersonThe pups huddled closely together as they followed the strange girl they met in the alley, not feeling at all comfortable – especially given their past experiences meeting people in alleyways. Still, the girl was also a pup, and she seemed to understand their position better than any of the adults they’d met. She and the little boy led them into what could only be described as an underground maze – a catacomb of tunnels running beneath the town.“What is this place?” Riley whispered anxiously.“It’s the old sewers.” The girl replied, as if this was perfectly normal. “The city put in a new system a few years ago, and this was left behind.”“The sewers?” Paisley repeated. “Eewww!”“It’s not so bad.” The girl answered with a shrug, “they haven’t been used in ages. It doesn’t smell great, but no one ever comes down here either.”“What’s your name?” Parker asked, looking around at the dark, dank walls surrounding them.“I’m Sophie.” The girl tossed a smile over her shoulder, the
JaneThe security guard at the rental shop is bearing down on me, and the woman behind the counter is reaching for the phone, preparing to call the police.“No!” I exclaim, “please, I’ll leave. I’m sorry if I caused you trouble.”“I think we should let the police handle this.” The woman argues, looking to the guard for support, “he’s clearly following this woman.”“I’m not.” I tell the guard, praying he’ll take my side. “At least, not the way you think. She’s my girlfriend and I’m afraid she’s having an affair. She told me she was going away for the weekend, and I’m sure it’s to meet her lover. I just need to find out the truth, I don’t want to hurt anyone.”The guard crosses his arms over his chest, studying me closely. My only hope is that he’s the kind of overbearing man to think such actions are reasonable - if not justified, and that he’ll side with another man over a woman assuming the worst of one of his brethren.To my immense relief, his broad shoulder’s untense after a momen
3rd PersonRiley, Ryder, Parker and Paisley gazed around the dimly lit underground chambers where they now stood. Sophie had led them deep into the bowels of the old sewer system, finally stopping when they reached what could only be described as the headquarters of Alta Montaña’s unofficial orphanage.The entire space was littered with old mattresses and discarded furnishings, with more than one half-starved pup looking on at the new arrivals with open curiosity. Sophie guided them forward through the melee, seeming completely unbothered by the unpleasant sights and smells.For the quadruplets, who had only ever known comfort and safety, the sights were truly horrifying, but they knew better than to judge. Young as they were, they realized none of the children around them had chosen this life, but had been forced into it by circumstance.All four offered shy smiles to the other pups in the dank sewers, even as they descended deeper into the eerie space. The other pups however, did no
3rd PersonThe mountain village of Alta Montaña sat so deep in the rainforest that unless one was standing at its center, they might never realize it was there. It was well known throughout the kingdom for its beauty and artisan wool goods, but it wasn’t the sort of place many Southern Islanders went unless they were trading or hoping to soak up some time in nature.While tourists poured into the town from regions far and wide, the area’s raw natural beauty struggled to tempt locals – as more often than not the entire mountain was covered in clouds. Even when it wasn’t raining, it was a normal occurrence to walk out the door only to disappear into a blinding haze of white fog. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good place to lose one’s possessions, as finding them again could prove very challenging.This was part of why the city’s orphan gang proved so successful when it came to pick-pocketing and swindling. It was easy to hide among the clouds and grift money from unsuspecting tourists, fo
3rd PersonThe pups started to race towards the sound of Jane’s voice, but at the last moment Fabian appeared in front of them, blocking their paths. “Where do you think you’re going?” He demanded.The pups looked around in confusion, not sure where the older boy had come from or how he’d found them in the fog. “It’s our parents!” Ryder told him excitedly, trying to run around the shifter so he could find Jane and Ethan.However Fabian lashed out quick as a snake, snatching up Ryder and Parker and nodding to Sophie, “get the girls.”“But Fabian, if it’s their pa–” Sophie tried to object.“As said get them.” He repeated harshly, interrupting her.Sophie reluctantly took hold of Riley and Paisley, but unlike Fabian she didn’t think to cover their mouths. Riley immediately screamed at the top of her lungs, “Mommy!”“Shut her up!” Fabian scolded, struggling to subdue the boys. “We can’t afford to lose four earners.” Together they dragged the struggling pups into the sewers, where they kne
3rd Person“Where’s who?” The scrawny pup squeaked, her scent becoming completely overpowered by fear.“My pups.” Ethan growled. “Riley, Parker, Paisley and Ryder.”The child’s eyes widened, and Ethan called over his shoulder, hoping the others could still hear him. “I got one!”Running footsteps soon sounded at his back, and Jane pulled up short beside him. “Ethan, you’re scaring her.”“Smell her.” He instructed, “She’s been with the pups – recently.”Jane leaned forward and sniffed the child, barely able to decipher the children’s scent amidst all the dirt and grime. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, but still she encouraged her mate to return the frightened urchin’s feet to solid ground. “It’s okay, little one.” She promised, “What’s your name?”The girl glanced nervously back and forth between Jane and Ethan, as baffled by their outfits as Thomas and Mary had been. She pursed her lips tightly together, cowering when Linda, Mary and Thomas appeared beside them as well. She was
3rd Person“It can’t be locked!” Riley insisted. “We just got ins!”“Maybe it locked aut-auto… you knows, on its own.” Paisley guessed, unable to navigate her tongue around the big word.“Maybe,” Riley agreed. “But eithers way, we’re definitely moving.” The trunk was rocking back and forth, and they could hear footsteps outside.“I thinks we’re being carried?” Paisley whispered nervously.“Do you thinks the boys are moving too?” Riley wondered.“I dunno.” Paisley frowned, distracted when the trunk stilled with a sudden jolt, and a strange rumbling filled the air. “Wha’s that noise?”Riley leaned up to the keyhole in the wooden siding, trying to peer through. “I sees the other trunk!” She shared excitedly. “But we’re not in the street anymore.”Even as she spoke, they jerked forward again, banging their slight shoulders into the walls of their wooden enclosures. “Where are we then?” Paisley whimpered.“You’re not going to like it.” Riley told her, gazing around the dimly lit space outs
JaneFour Months LaterEthan ushers the pups into my hospital room with a finger pressed to his lips. “Quietly now, Mommy’s very tired.”I’d gone into labor in the early hours of the morning, and the experience couldn’t have been more different than it had been with the quadruplets. Instead of suffering through the first contractions alone and afraid, I’d had my mate by my side, rubbing my back and crooning sympathetically as I gritted my teeth against the pain. After a few hours of pacing and fruitlessly trying to find a comfortable position, my water broke and we left for the hospital, leaving the pups with a sitter.I made it through fifteen hours of labor before caving and asking for an epidural, taking Ethan’s encouragement to save my strength for pushing when the time came. He never left my side the entire time, only stepping out of the room a couple of times to check in on the pups at my request. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthing partner – he lavished me with praise a
JaneWhen Ethan and I arrive back at the penthouse we find Devon and Nina sitting on the sofa while the pups zoom around the living room in front of them. Devon has an arm slung over Nina’s shoulder, which surprises me, but I can’t focus on them because the moment we walk through the door four little bodies come hurtling at our legs. “Mommy! Daddy!” The pups cry excitedly.Parker is the tallest and fastest, so he reaches us first, leaping up into Ethan’s waiting arms while I intercept Riley, whose small size lets her bound weightlessly across the room. “Hello my love puddles.” I greet them happily, kneeling so I can also hug Ryder, while Ethan effortlessly scoops up Paisley, even though his arms are already full with her brother. “What have you been up to? Were you good for Devon and Nina?” I ask, marveling at Ethan’s strength despite his recent recovery.“We were sooo good.” Riley confirms. “Nina was sad so we cuddled her.”“And then Devon told us we could get ice cream if we promi
JaneWhen I open my eyes, Ethan and I are still in the thermal pool. I can feel the water lapping and bubbling around me, but he’s no longer inside me, and when I look up it’s to find his dark gaze watching me intently. Gradually I realize he’s moved to the shallow end of the spring so he can sit on the submerged ledge and hold me in his lap. He rests one hand on my round belly, and our baby flutters inside me as if the tiny bean knows its father is near.“How long was I out?” I inquire softly, stretching and reveling in the delicious ache of my muscles. I’m filled with the lazy contentment of a well-loved mate, utterly drugged with pleasure that is only deepened by the sting of my claiming mark. I can feel the evidence of Ethan’s dominance in the swollen flesh between my legs, the bite marks on my breasts and faint bruises on my back and thighs. And right now I can’t imagine anything better than this… exc
3rd PersonNina’s heart sunk as she watched Ethan and Jane race out the door as their wolves, and she stepped forward to close the door out of mere reflex. When the panel clicked shut she found herself staring blankly at the dark wood, momentarily frozen in time. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t feel, she could only stand there and exist as this latest slight reverberated through her body.Only the sound of a small voice saying her name woke her from her miserable reverie, “Nina?”Slowly, as if in a trance, she turned. Blinking, her expression detached, she saw the pups watching her. Tiny feet padded over the floor in a miniature stampede, and then the four children were gathered around her, looking up at her with wrinkled brows. “Hmm?” She finally responded, unsure if they’d asked her a question or simply stopped at her name.“Are you okay?” Paisley inquired softly, genuine concern in h
Jane“Not want you?” Ethan snarls furiously, seeming angrier about that suggestion than my words about Devon. “Not want you? That has never been the problem!”His hands are so fierce on my body, and I can see a wild sort of desperation in his handsome features. His eyes are glowing and his fangs extended – I know his wolf is right on the edge.“Then show me.” I demand. Sliding my hand down between our flush bodies. “Let me feel your desire, Ethan.”“Why are you doing this?” He groans, burying his head in my neck.“Because you’re punishing yourself for something that isn’t your fault.” I murmur in reply, my lips brushing against his ear as I speak. “And it’s gone on long enough.”“But it is my fault, Janey. Everything I do backfires, every time I try to do the right thing for you, I fuck up.” He confesses, sounding so vulnerable I ache.“Then maybe you should stop trying to figure out the answer for me, and start working with me. Ask me what I want and give it to me, don’t try to do it
JaneEthan and I run through the quiet streets of the city as our wolves, not minding one bit that we’re on pavement and not in the forest. We bound around shopkeepers and early morning commuters without a care in the world, oblivious to the curious looks we’re drawing.I’ve always preferred running at night, but I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to convince Ethan to stop being so stubborn. When I saw him in his wolf form with our pups climbing all over him this morning, pure joy washed over me. I might not have known how Ethan has been
Ethan“You’re letting them stay?” Nina demands, glaring at me as she wears a hole in the floor, pacing back and forth with the indignant energy of a she-wolf scorned. Unsurprisingly, she was less than amused to learn I decided to allow Jane and the pups to stay with us – though in truth it hadn’t been much of a choice. My mischievous mate forced me between a rock and a hard place, and I wasn’t about to drag her out of the penthouse kicking and screaming.“I can’t just throw them out.&
JaneMy plan to sneak-move into the penthouse is working better than I imagined. Granted, I keep catching my pups practicing their maniacal laughs in the mirror, but in the grand scheme of things, encouraging their talents for mastermining dastardly plots isn’t the worst idea. After all, I want to encourage their ambition in whatever they do… even if it is taking over the world.Regardless of the burgeoning tricksters under my roof, everything else has gone fairly smoothly. I was able to hire last minute movers to pack up and bring everything from our apartment in the Dark Moon territory and transport it here. The only real challenge was maki
JaneEthan winces, then kisses me again, long and deep. When he pulls away, I feel tears in my eyes. I already know he hasn’t been swayed by my pleading. “I know it hurts right now, Jane.” He acknowledges, looking truly aggrieved. “It hurts me too. But one day you’ll see that I’m right.” His thumb brushes a stray tear from my cheek. “You were so much better off without me. You built a fragrance empire and raised three amazing pups all by yourself. But a few months with me and you were on my floor, begging to be a slave again.”“That wasn’t because I was with you, it was because I wasn&rsquo