JaneI’ve only just dropped the pups off at pre-school and am on my way to the office when my phone rings. Glancing at the touchscreen display in the car’s center console, I see Linda’s name appear, and promptly accept the call over bluetooth. “Hello?”“Hey,” She greets me, sounding a bit tense. “Have you seen the news?”“No.” I sigh, already fearing the worst, “What is it now?”“You just got outed.” She explains gently, “In a very public way.”“What do you mean?” I ask nervously, thinking that it’s beyond depressing my life has reached a point where she could be talking about half a dozen secrets or lies.“It’s on the front page of the Gazette.” She replied simply, “Elise Carrington exposed - NightFang’s Luna returns from the grave.” Linda pauses, “apparently someone let it slip that your identity is fake and exposed the truth – including the fact that you faked your death.”I curse under my breath. This is the last thing I needed. “I was worried standing by Ethan’s side at the funer
3rd Person“What’d you mean, we’re moving?” Riley asked in a hushed voice.“Eric told me.” Paisley confided, looking around at her siblings faces with a deep frown. “He says Mommy’s taking us all back to da Dark Moon Pack and leaving Daddy here.”The other pups exchanged worried glances. They’d been afraid something like this would happen. Mommy always said they were only here for a few months and she hadn’t talked to them about staying longer, even when she moved them in with Ethan and Paisley. It was part of why they’d been so eager to reunite her with the Alpha; they knew they had to work fast.Poor Paisley on the other hand, hadn’t realized that Jane was only in town for a limited time. She assumed that now that their family was together, they would stay together. If Eric hadn’t told her the truth, she never would have known any differently.However, whether the news was unexpected or not, all four pups could agree that they had to find a way to stop this from happening. “We can’t
3rd Person“It didn’ work.” Riley announced sullenly, exchanging worried looks with her siblings.Though their efforts to convince Jane and Ethan not to separate the family had certainly made an impact on their parents, it hadn’t done anything to change their minds. Jane had run off crying, and Ethan had sent the pups to go have a lie down while he checked on Jane. A little while later Jane had emerged from her bedroom dry-eyed and grim-faced, and went about making dinner as if nothing had happened.Afterwards Ethan talked with the pups and told them how sorry he was that they found out this way, and helped them work through their feelings, but ultimately nothing changed.“What do we do now?” Parker questioned, feeling at a loss. The problems facing the pups were piling up so high they were becoming insurmountable. How were they supposed to help clear Jane’s good name, while also convincing her to stay in the NightFang territory with Ethan?“I dunno.” Ryder sighed, “but Mommy and Dadd
Jane“I want my phone call.” I hiss, thrashing against the officers dragging me towards the jail’s small cells as the investigator watches with a malicious grin.“Whoever said anything about a phone call?” He drawls. “We haven’t even booked you yet. If you’re good you might get a call in the morning, once we’ve had some time to talk.”“My lawyer will find out anyway!” I growl, “you might have humiliated me by arresting me in front of the cameras, but it will be all over the news by now.”“It was worth it.” He answers, “you brought this on yourself, don’t go blaming me just because you made bad decisions.”All I can do is pray Linda wasn’t so busy setting up my anniversary dinner that she missed the news broadcast. I don’t even have the energy to be frustrated she was plotting with the pups anymore, I’m only concerned with my freedom. “I didn’t kill anyone.” I announce fiercely.“The evidence begs to differ.” The detective grouses, “now are you going to cooperate with us or not?”“I’m
EthanThe day after the arrest, I wake up before dawn, striding into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and rouse my exhausted brain. It’s still dark out, but when I exit my bedroom I can see the lights are already on down the hall. When I reach the living room I find Jane curled up in the window seat, wide awake and staring out at the waking city.Frowning deeply, I move to her side, my concern growing when she doesn’t seem to detect my presence. She’s completely lost in her thoughts, and when I reach out to touch her shoulder, she jerks away from me as if she’s been electrocuted.“Easy, Jane.” I shush her softly, “It’s only me.”Her wide eyes relax slightly, a heavy sigh expelling from her lungs. However she doesn’t relax completely, her muscles are still wound tight as a spring, and my heart aches just looking at her distraught face. “Sorry,” She mutters weakly, “you startled me.”“Have you been up all night?” I question, studying the dark circles beneath her eyes.She shrugs, ave
JaneThe vineyard sprawls before Ethan and me, neat rows of grapes lining the rolling hills of the NightFang valley and painting the lush earth with verdant vines. I breathe in the fresh montane air as Ethan tucks me under his arm, sipping from my third sample glass of the day.We’ve only been here for about an hour, but I already feel more relaxed than I have in a very long time. The generous wine samples help, but more than anything else I’m just relieved to know my fears about Ethan were false.The press conference he gave yesterday finally put my tormented heart at ease, proving once and for all that he doesn’t intend to let me take the fall for Petra’s murder. I suppose Eric would say it’s another trick, another example of the Alpha trying to prove he’s on my side so that I won’t blame him when things go wrong, but this occasion is so unlike the first time.The Ethan who imprisoned me was nothing like the man who took on the pack and proclaimed my innocence while damning Eve, and
EthanEven as fury overwhelms me, my wolf can’t help but puff up with pride. My naughty little mate might not realize it, but she would never have pushed me this way unless she felt safe doing so. It actually makes the fact that she believed I might be framing her even more outrageous, because she clearly knows I won’t harm her.Then again, maybe she’s tipsy enough that she’s simply thrown caution to the wind. The scent of her obvious arousal is driving my hunger for her higher and higher, and it’s entirely possible that she’s gambling on my reaction to her provocation, hoping I won’t hurt her despite her better judgment.Either way, she’s going to get her wish.Without another word I close the distance between us, bending at the waist and hitching her up over my shoulder. Jane yelps as I unceremoniously cart her away as if she’s a sack of potatoes, her small fists pounding my back once her mouth catches up to her brain, “Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!” She orders, sounding ab
JaneMy head hurts before I even open my eyes. There’s a dull throbbing in my temples, and my stomach feels completely sour. The combination makes me afraid to move, but as terrible as I feel on the inside, I feel incredible on the outside. My body is sore in all the right places, and my bare skin is cushioned on all sides by warm muscles. Ethan is wrapped around me like a big blanket and his deep, steady breaths have a hint of a purr rumbling in his chest.I wish I could lie here forever. If it weren’t for the sun blazing through the windows and searing my poor eyes, I’d even consider it. Groaning softly, I try to remember just how much I had to drink yesterday. When Ethan and I made love in the storage room I was still just tipsy, but high on the endorphins of amazing sex, we went back to the tasting room afterwards and continued drinking. Eventually we got a couple bottles of wine and booked a room at a nearby hotel, taking our two person party up to a suite with a stunning mountai
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