Jane
I’m practically skipping as I move through the hospital’s crowded hallways, eager to get to Ethan and tell him our news. I haven’t seen him since he came out of surgery, and I’m also anxious to hear how everything went. They wouldn’t tell me anything beforehand, but legally married or not, I’m his mate. I’m sure they would have told me if his condition was serious.
The TV’s at the nurses stations are all playing the news on an endless loop. Headlines about King Aimon’s death were quickly followed by reports of Southern Islanders celebrating in the streets. It seems his own people hated him almost as much as we did. Details about his death indicate that Ethan and I were involved, but so far everyone is reporting that Eric is expected to take the throne. Part of me wonders if that will mean I have to say goodbye to Linda, but I’m so happy for them both.
I’m just so elated this ordeal is finally over. We’re all free to be with the ones we love at l
Jane Two months later “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Paisley, Parker, Riley and Ryder, happy birthday to you!” A jumble of singing voices, both young and old, struggle to fit all four of the pups’ names into the traditional song, and the group soon devolves into giggles. This is always how birthdays have gone with my babies, and this year the list of names is even longer now that Paisley is with us – not that they seem to mind. They’re surrounded by friends, decorations and presents, about to dig into a scrumptious cake shaped like their favorite cartoon character. The quadruplets are beaming, kneeling up on their chairs to lean over the swiftly melting candles and counting, “One, two, three!” At once they blow out the flames, waving their precious heads back and forth to make sure they get all five. Looking at them now, it’s hard to believe how much has changed in so short a time. A couple of months ago I wasn’t sure if I would ever see them a
Jane As I walk through the sterile halls of the hospital, my mind whirls with thought. Grief and despair are closing in fast, but I’m trying to hold onto my anger instead. Fury will keep me going enough to get through the difficult days ahead. If I let myself feel this – if I succumb to this agony, I might never recover. How am I going to tell the pups? I know they don’t have any idea how much things have changed between Ethan and I, but this still isn’t going to be a fun conversation. After all, I did tell them that Daddy and I would be taking them home, it’s not going to be easy to walk that back. They were upset about the idea of being separated from Ethan even before the kidnapping, and now they need as much love and stability as possible. I don’t want to break their hearts, and telling them the truth about why we’re going home alone would do exactly that. I can’t bear for them to know that Ethan doesn’t want them, especially not after everything they’ve been through. That leav
Jane “Tell us what?” Paisley asked, “Mommy where are we?” “This is my home, in the Dark Moon territory.” I explain. “Come on, let’s get upstairs to the apartment, then we can talk.” I encourage. “Our we here to gets our stuff so we can moves?” Riley chirps excitedly as we enter the building lobby. “I’ll explain everything when we’re upstairs.” I promise, praying I can put this off until we’re in the privacy of our own home. After everything we’ve been through over the last few months, the last thing I need is for my children to have a full-on public meltdown in the middle of the street. The pups continue to excitedly question me as the elevator carries us higher and higher, and I’m frankly amazed they haven’t picked up on my somber energy. Either I’m doing a better job of hiding it than I thought, or their senses are so frayed from all their recent adventures that they don’t realize how upset I am. We don’t have any luggage. The pups were taken with nothing but the clothes on th
3rd Person Linda stalked into Ethan’s brightly lit hospital room, confusion and anger warring inside her. She wasn’t sure what to think after her conversation with Jane, but she knew she had to get to the bottom of things before it was too late. She pushed through the door without knocking, finding the Alpha seated grimly in his bed, staring out the window and looking as if the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. “What the hell, Ethan?” Linda demanded. “Hello Linda.” He said blandly. “How’s Eric?” “He’s going to be fine.” She remarked curtly. “Jane on the other hand –” “I don’t want to talk about Jane.” Ethan snapped coldly. Linda blinked. She hadn’t quite believed her friend until now. She thought Jane had surely misunderstood, or that some terrible miscommunication had occurred with the Alpha, she never imagined that Ethan had truly ended things with his mate. “It’s true then?” She gaped. “You dumped her?” “You make it sound like we’re teenagers.” Ethan snipes
Ethan My family is gone. I watched the clock through the night, waiting for confirmation from my spies that Jane and the kids landed safely in the Dark Moon pack. I sent a contingent of agents to the territory as soon as I purchased the plane tickets, ensuring my people would be on the ground before my family arrived. I’ve never had permanent spies in the Dark Moon territory before, but I certainly will now. I may not be able to be near Jane and the pups, but I need to know they’re safe, I need to know how they’re doing. My spies will allow me to watch them from afar, to live vicariously through their reports. Living without them seems like an impossibility, but then again living without my mobility is never something I imagined happening either. I always assumed I might die in battle, and part of me wishes I had instead of having my wolf permanently trapped inside me. It’s not that I think losing my legs is the end of the world, but for a wolf, the ability to transform is everythi
Ethan “This is crazy, you know that?” Linda asks, watching as the doctors fit the braces onto my lower body. “Linda, if you’re not going to be supportive, you might as well as go back to your palace.” I tell her coolly. Eric was released a few days ago and the couple is slowly settling into their life as the new King and Queen. They’re planning a mating ceremony and a coronation, as well as trying to launch an emergency PR campaign to get the Kingdom up to speed on the changes in governance and conduct outreach to those citizens in need. Still, Linda visits me every day and though she’s not always the most supportive of guests, it does feel nice to have at least one person who knows what I’m going through. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be unsupportive.” She replies contritely. “I just think this plan of yours is a recipe for disaster, I mean what’s going to happen when people find out.” “If you have a better solution I’d love to hear it.” I gripe, “And they’re not going to find ou
Jane My first Christmas with all four pups should be a joyous occasion. After all, every Christmas I’ve known since becoming a mother has been tainted by Paisley’s absence. I’ve wanted nothing but the ability to bring her home where she belongs for as long as I can remember… and yet it takes all my strength just to get myself out of bed in the morning. Three weeks have passed since we returned from the Southern Isles. We had all our things shipped from the penthouse in the first couple of days we were home, and though having all their favorite toys and possessions back helped the pups adjust, they’re still furious with me for taking them from Ethan. It’s amazing how such young pups can hold a grudge for so long, but they don’t forget easily, and they wouldn’t even talk to me the first week we were here. They’ve gradually warmed up a bit – though not without a good bit of bribery on my part, offering sweets or fun activities like ice skating and sledding. It was something of a shock
Jane “Then he rejected me.” I explain, sharing our story with the child psychologist I hired to speak with the pups. They’re out in the play area of her office’s waiting room while I brief the doctor on our situation. “He told me to take the pups and go, but I didn’t want them to think he didn’t want them…” My voice is shaking now, thick with emotion as tears well on my lashes. “So I said it was me. And now they hate me.” I sob, trying to pull myself together enough to finish. “They hate me, they won’t talk to me, and I know they’re traumatized. They have nightmares every night and they jump at every loud noise. They’re not the same pups they were before they were taken.” “I’m very sorry, Jane.” The doctor consoles me, offering me a box of tissues. “I have little ones too, and I completely understand the desire to protect them from the truth.” “Do you think I was wrong? Would it have been better to tell them the truth?” I squeak, blowing my nose. “Look, I’m a big believer of being
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