3rd Person Ryder, Parker and Riley kneeled in the back of the swan shaped boat carrying them down the lazy river winding through the dark tunnel, giggling in excitement as they spied on Ethan and Jane. Despite the pitch black surrounding them, their sharp wolf eyes could make out their parent’s bodies through the gloom, and saw that Ethan was about to kiss Jane. This is exactly the opportunity they’d been waiting for. “Riley, you’re a genius.” Parker whispered. “Thank you.” His sister smiled widely. She didn’t know why these silly rides existed, but she was certainly glad they did. It was so romantic, with the cozy boats and soft love songs blaring through the overhead speakers. At this very moment some pop star was singing about how she’d died every day waiting for her lover, and the pup couldn’t help but think Mommy had been waiting a very long time for their Daddy - at least as long as they’d been alive, if not longer! Unfortunately Ethan and Jane’s lips had barely brushed toget
JaneThe expression on Ethan’s face terrifies me.When he answered the phone all color drained from his cheeks, and his jaw went absolutely rigid. His eyes clenched shut as if he was in pain when the person on the other end of the line spoke, and the next thing I knew he was urgently telling me we had to go.“What’s wrong?” I ask, leaping to my feet.“It’s Paisley.” He answers, his voice like gravel.The room begins to spin as dread ties my stomach into knots, “Is she okay?” I gasp, reaching for the counter to suddenly swaying body.“They’ve rushed her into emergency surgery.” Ethan explains, moving for the door. “I don’t know any details yet.”Glancing helplessly at Linda, I find my friend already pushing my purse into my hands, “Go, I’ll take care of the pups.”“Thank you.” I mouth, following Ethan. “I’ll take you.” I announce, “You shouldn’t drive with a head injury.”He guides me through the door with a hand at my waist and closes it behind us, pulling the keys from my hand, “Of c
Ethan“What did you just say?” I demand, certain I’ve misheard the man.“Well, when we got into the operating room, we discovered that Paisley wasn’t actually in cardiac arrest.” Dr Hastings shares. “Her system was shutting down, but there were no signs of severe stress on the organ itself. We ran a few tests, and it appears someone administered a lethal dose of a drug called digitalis to Paisley mere minutes before we went into surgery.”“What’s that?” Jane asks, her little hand clutching my arm.“Well it’s actually used to treat heart conditions in small doses,” He explains, “but in the quantity Paisley received it can be deadly, and it’s not one of her prescribed medications. Whoever did this, did it on purpose.”“You’re sure?” I press.“Quite.” He nods, “the drug wouldn’t be tested for in a normal autopsy, we only checked because we could see that something was very wrong. Paisley was poisoned, and whoever did it probably assumed it would happen too quickly for us to save her. Luc
3rd PersonRyder, Riley and Parker were beside themselves. All the adults were in an uproar, running around and whispering behind closed doors, trying to keep the truth a secret. But they knew - they always knew. They were wide awake when their Mommy ran out with the Alpha the night before, they knew their sister was in trouble and they could feel the grown ups’ fear as if it was their own. They’d stayed up as long as they were able to keep their eyes open, but it hadn’t done any good. There was no more news while they were awake, and when they got up this morning, Mommy was nowhere to be found. Now Jane had finally called Linda for an update, so they huddled outside her bedroom door with their keen ears pressed to the wood, listening intently.“Hey honey, how’s it going?” Linda was asking, sounding as if she was preparing herself to hear the worst.Their Mommy’s voice was very faint on the other end of the line, but they could hear her exhaustion clearly. “She’s alright.” Jane answ
3rd PersonEthan was driving Jane straight up the wall. She’d never known anyone who could push her buttons like he did, and what’s more - he truly seemed to enjoy riling her up. She actually wondered how much of his current ploy was actually about power, and how much was simply to tease her.Jane glanced at Paisley, sleeping so sweetly in her bed, and felt her determination to defy Ethan waiver. He really did need to take a break, and she desperately needed some time alone to figure out what to do about their situation anyway. She couldn’t think when he was in the same room, watching her and turning her on with his mere presence alone.“Please.” Jane murmured, so quietly she wasn’t certain Ethan would actually hear her. Ethan flashed her a wolfish grin, “good girl.” Her eyes narrowed to slits, and her mouth opened to offer him a saucy retort, but he pressed a finger to her lips, “ah-ah, don’t make me change my mind.”Jane bit her tongue until he left the room, but the moment he disa
JaneSpinning to face Paisley, I find her sitting up in bed, her green eyes wide but still glazed with the remnants of sleep. This is the first time since the surgery that she’s seemed truly lucid, and I have to fight every protective instinct in my body to immediately begin interrogating her about who visited her before she went under. “Hello my love.” I greet her, crossing the room to sit at the edge of her bed. “How are you feeling?”“Funny.” Paisley answers with a yawn. “Why were you swearing, Mommy?”Brushing her hair back from her face, I offer her a lopsided smile. “I was just feeling a little out of sorts.” I confess, “But I shouldn’t have said those things.”Paisley leans forward, raising her hand to her mouth and secretively whispering “I’s heard Daddy say some of dose words too sometimes.” She grins sheepishly, “but he says dey’re bad words and only bad Daddies say dem in front of pups.”“And what do you think?” I ask her, overjoyed that she’s up and talking,She thinks fo
EthanAgitation consumes me so quickly it steals my breath. Where could they have gone? I think manically. Paisley’s not allowed off the ward, and Jane wouldn’t ever risk taking her out of her doctor’s reach this soon after surgery - would she? Did somebody get to them? Have they been taken? Surely Jane wouldn’t have run off with Paisley… the idea is almost too terrible to bear, though she had pushed awfully hard to convince me to go home.My wolf is in an uproar, clawing at the surface and begging to be let out so he can begin tracking my mate and pup. I’m on the verge of letting him, of tearing the hospital apart to find my she-wolves when the elevator dings and their scents hit me. Charging out of the room, I watch the silver doors open and see Jane wheeling Paisley out in a wheelchair, surprise coloring both of their faces when they realize I’m there. Of course the difference is that where Paisley’s face lights up, Jane’s falls. All at once my terror wanes, though my frustration
JaneI can’t recall ever wanting to strangle anyone as much as I want to strangle Ethan right now. The truth is that I’m not sure I can make it three months working alongside him every day, but I’m equally afraid of the romantic schemes he might try to pull if I agree to date him. Three dates a week is simply too many, and the word date is a minefield all on its own. Yet when he calls me that damned fake name and basically accuses me of being a chicken, I can’t help but rise to the challenge. “Define date?” I huff. “You and I, spending quality time together in the evening or on weekends.” He shrugs, eyes twinkling with mirth. “Surely you’ve been on a date before?”Rolling my eyes heavenward, I waver back and forth. Five boring days a week for three months, or a few heated hours? In the end I feel much more confident in my ability to rebuff him for a short period than day in and day out, and I know the sly wolf will take every advantage he can, working or not. Finally I suggest, “T
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