âWell, Baby Girl, I think itâs time for bed rest.â Estelle sits on the stool in the exam room and writes notes into Zaraâs file. âYou have about a month left, but this little girl is getting to be not so little. You need to stay off your feet.â âEstelle, I canât go on bed rest yet. I have one more final tomorrow. There are ten solutions that need to be compounded for the sigma cure, we need more blood work from Keller, Jasper, and Sam, so I can evaluate the differences in their metabolisms, Kara training begins tomorrow, Dillon has a checkup next week, Doctor Khe is coming for an in-person visit, and the full moon is next week. I mean, I know Iâm not allowed to shift, but weâre going to the mountains since the weather is nice. Oh, and I need to finish furnishing the nursery. After that, bed rests twenty-four, seven. I promise.â Zara speaks quickly, trying to name off the exhausting list of things she needs to accomplish. She tries to sit up to plead her case to Estelle, but I have to
âGo get yourself settled, Pocket.â I lead her toward her office after she gives Dillon a kiss. âIâll bring you a snack.â âIs Zara okay?â Katie looks between us while she hitches Dillon up in her arms. âEstelle says she needs to stay off her feet. Itâs called bed rest.â I observe Zara walking toward the office. âJust to make sure the baby is safe. Donât worry, Zara will be fine, so will her pup. We just need to be careful.â âOh, thank the Goddess for that.â Katie still looks worried, but a timer goes off for Dillonâs bottle, so she hurries away. I change my clothes and take Dillon from Katie, letting her know she can go home for the rest of the day. I juggle Dillon and his bottle while I make Zara a protein shake. During my food prep multitasking, I have a heart-to-heart with my son. âDillon, Iâm not gonna lie. Iâm worried about Mommy. She pushes herself too hard and forgets to take care of herself. You know how smart she is, right? I think sheâs probably as smart as Einstein, but
âJas, keep Dillon and call my parents. They have a car seat for him.â I shove the phone in my pocket. âZaraâs in labor. Meet us at Crystal Lake. I gotta go.â âOh, shit!â His eyes grow wide. âDoesnât she have another month?â âYeah. Donât swear in front of the baby! Zara doesnât like it.â I point at him as I sprint to the door. The ten-minute drive to the health center takes forever. I rush inside to the reception desk, skidding to a halt. âHi, someone called me about Zara Wilson. Iâm her boyfriend, Keller Marshall.â âOh, Mister Marshall. The Nurse Practitioner went to the classroom building. She said Miss Wilson shouldnât move.â The woman stands and points toward Zaraâs classroom building. I suppress Rockyâs frustrated growl as I rush out of the building back to my Range Rover and drive as carefully as I can through the busy campus. âWhy didnât the professor let her just call me?â I grip the steering wheel, anxiously waiting for foot traffic to clear the road. I try to call Zaraâ
The next hour is a flurry of activity filled with nurses and Ace using words I have never heard and donât understand. They hook Zara up to tubes and monitors while I helplessly hold her hand, wipe her tears away, and try to whisper comforting words in her ear. Through the chaos, a little sound makes me sit up straight. Rocky howls with delight and Zara laughs through her tears. Our baby girl is crying for the first time. I feel frozen to the spot while I watch the nurses clean the screaming infant and give her a quick exam before they wrap her in a white blanket and hand her to Zara. By the time the blanket touches Zaraâs hands, the crying stops. The tiny little girl silently observes her mother, who is observing her in return. The nurses hurry around cleaning up and filing out of the room. The last nurse to leave lets Zara know she will be right outside the door. âCongratulations, you two. Sheâs a mostly healthy, tiny werewolf pup. Iâll give the three of you a few minutes together,
âHello Mister Marshall, my name is Ayrelles, but you can call me Les.â The lead female guard shakes my hand with a firm grip. I think her accent is Italian, but I canât be certain. She has pulled her black hair into a tight braid and her green eyes, set on olive skin, somehow look familiar. She seems to have a stern look etched on her face. I notice her ears twitch as she uses her wolf hearing to search out miniscule sounds. âWe will stand guard round the clock. We will respond to any obvious threats. If there is anything you need, please let any of us know.ââWhatâs wrong with you?â Rocky hisses. âBow to her!ââBow?â I ask, I bowing awkwardly to the guard. âSheâs just a guard.ââIs everything alright, Mister Marshall?â Les tilts her head to the side.âMy wolf seems to know you?â I look at the woman more closely. Iâve definitely never met her before.âWho is your wolf?â Her face softens slightly.âRocky. His name is Rocky.â I rub the back of my neck and puff air out of my cheeks.âOh!
âPocket, what are you doing with that blanket?â I ask while Zara drags the blanket from our bed to her office. Weâve only been home a couple hours and she canât seem to sit still.âI need it.â Her voice strains against the weight of the heavy quilt. âFor my beanbag chair.ââYour Still making a nest?â I take the blanket from her and hand Orli to her instead. âOrli is here now. Your done building, Zara. Now itâs time to relax and spend time with your pup.âZara stops pulling and drops her shoulders. For a second, I think sheâs going to cry, but she sniffles back her tears.âOkay, okay, Iâll take the blanket for you.â I shake my head at her. âAll you need to do is ask, Pocket. Youâre going to hurt yourself.âOnce Zara can get the quilt exactly the way she thinks it should be, she reclines with Orli and finally relaxes enough for both of them to get a nap. While she does that, I put Dillonâs bouncy seat on the kitchen counter and show him how I make omelets.âYou gotta let the peppers sof
âJas, you got this. You have learned everything there is to know about the rehab program and the housing facility. You did all the legwork for the employment programs and permits.â I fix Jasperâs tie for him and pat him on the shoulder. âJust get out there and say it to the audience. Thereâs only like⊠thirty reporters, ten investors and donors, and a few vendors and contractors. Youâve gotten up and made a complete asshole out of yourself in front of way more people than that before. Ignore the cameras and answer questions after the speech. Itâs that easy.â âHeâs right Jasper. If thereâs a question you canât answer, tell âem the Goddess Foundation rep is gonna answer it.â Marco points his thumb over his shoulder at the Luna Regent, who is getting last-minute notes from Sam, Estelle, and Dad. âThey donât need to know itâs the head of the Goddess Foundation until she comes out to the podium. They only know the Alpha is here. The only thing I need you to remember is to set up the step
âSo Mister Happy is going to have a little brother.â I laugh with Jasper on our way home. âYeah, looks like it.â He rubs the back of his neck and looks out the window. âI wish more people could see how amazing Kara is. Sheâs just shy. She canât help it.â âNo, I get it. Sheâs a sigma. It comes with the territory.â I shrug off the concern. âZara and Katie have their moments, too. Kara just had a rougher time before you met her. Zara doesnât tell me about all their conversations, but she tells me itâs clear that Kara wouldnât have lasted much longer. Katie is the more resilient of the two.â âYeah. She opens up to me sometimes. After her therapist told her itâs okay to share some of their conversations, things have gotten a lot better.â Jasperâs voice sounds far away. âBetween you and me, a couple months after Orli was born, she asked me if I want to have kids one day. Thatâs huge for her.â âWow.â I glance at him. âIs that something you want? To have kids?â âI hadnât really thought a
âZara, first, I want you to know that your parents loved you. They had no choice when they left you and they never stopped trying to find you and get you back.â Tyreeâs tone differs from what Iâve heard from him before. Itâs more apologetic and compassionate, like a father trying to make his child understand another point of view. âTyree, how could I possibly believe that?â Zara holds her hand up to stop him. âThey left me on the steps of the pack house. I wasnât even a week old. They didnât want me.â âItâs not true, Zara. I promise you itâs not true. Your fatherâs name is Scott Eklund. Your mother is Sondi. They came here because the Alpha from Emerald Mountain banished them. They were seeking asylum, and it was granted.â Tyree sits back and sighs. âFrom what I understand, your father attacked the packâs Beta, trying to defend Sondi. Your mother said she never had a problem with the Beta and barely knew him. Your father had issues with mental illness. He was paranoid and refused to
âFirst and foremost, thank you all for being here today. Iâm going to keep my portion short.â Jasper stands at the podium, now tenured in speaking in front of crowds, looking comfortable to address the room. He pulls out a notecard from his jacket pocket and glances down at it. âThere is someone very special I would like to introduce you to. Sheâs not only the lead scientist for the Sigma Project, she is the mastermind behind the medication that has made this whole thing possible.â Jasper looks into the wings and gives Zara a thumbs up. I feel her take a deep breath under my hands. âThis talented woman completed her undergraduate degree and masters in biochemistry, and sheâs almost finished with her doctorate all in just over six years. On top of that, she is now the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate ever. In chemistry and in medicine. Friends, sheâs the hardest worker in the room, by far the smartest person you will ever meet, an incredible mother, and one of my closest friends. Oh and
âHey guys, your flight was okay?â Tyree meets us at the doors of the Blood River pack house and ushers us inside. âI know the ride from the airport can be a killer.â âIt was great. Thanks, Tyree.â Jasper shakes his hand. âWe are all looking forward to this afternoon.â âUncle Tyree!â Orli runs up to her favorite person and hops to be picked up. âDillon and I went to kindergarten! I got to show the teacher that I know my alphabet.â âI heard! Did you listen to your teacher?â He holds Orli in his massive arms and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She nods with a shy smile and leans back. âLook at my dress! Daddy says today is special, so I wanted to look pretty. And tomorrow I get to wear my flower girl dress. So I got two pretty dresses to wear.â âOh, my Goddess.â He smooths down the front of her dusty blue dress. âYou are always pretty, baby girl, but this dress makes your eyes look EXTRA blue.â Orli giggles and leans her head on his shoulder, perfectly content to stay with him as lon
The longer Zara takes the sigma serum, the more I notice differences. She isnât taller or stronger, but some days it seems like it. She handles stress better and doesnât shy away when she has to speak with people sheâs not familiar with like she would have in the past. She almost never has a flight or fight response anymore. Itâs refreshing to see her handle life with more confidence and less anxiety and fear. Katie is also doing much better with the new version of the serum than the first one. Instead of putting her on medications, they increase her therapy to once a week. Besides learning how to read with ease, Katie also observes things she never had before. Traffic patterns, the way birds fly together in the sky, the layout of the grocery store, things most people take for granted. She seems to see for the first time. As with all things, with the good comes the bad. Zara starts to have more bad days. A lot more bad days. Mom and Dad take shifts to monitor her while Estelle and
âYouâre sure you feel okay?â Zara is already sitting on my lap, but I take her face in my hands and look her in the eye. I look her over and give her a quick peck on the cheek. âYou donât feel warm or anything?â âI feel fine, Keller. I just took the serum fifteen minutes ago.â She covers my hands with hers. âIt takes a couple hours for it to get into my system. Right now Iâm just exhausted. We intentionally added a light sedative to this version, and it was a later night than I was expecting. If I had known you planned to stay at a hotel instead of going home, I would have packed a bag.â âIâll know better for next time.â I nuzzle her cheek and settle into the recliner. âYou tell me if you feel weird at all. Even a little bit.â âI will, sweetheart.â She leans her head against my shoulder and places her hand on my chest. I slide my hand over hers and interlock our fingers. It makes me smile to feel the ring on her finger. I look at Jasper, who has Katie in his lap as well. He has
âKeller, itâs safe now. Itâs taken a few months, but itâs perfect. Estelle and I are sure of it.â Zara hands Orli a piece of banana while she tries to convince me itâs time for her to take what she now calls the sigma serum one point one six. âZara, I donât know how many times I can tell you. Iâm not okay with it.â I adjust the position of Dillonâs little fork and help him scoop macaroni and cheese onto it. I look up at Zara to see if sheâs paying attention. She takes a sip from her glass of juice and sets it down, then places her hands on the counter and drums her fingers impatiently. âKeller-â âZara.â I feel my mood darken as I glare at her. âKeller, I feel like a broken record. I would be a hypocrite if I said itâs fine for other sigmas, but too dangerous for me.â She wipes Orliâs mouth with a bib and hands her a sippy cup. âWe know the women who have met their mates have different body chemistry now. Weâve made adjustments to the sigma serum accordingly. Itâs just another leve
I thought it was going to be difficult to get Zara to pull out of the study, but it wasnât. She was more worried about what could have happened to Orli and Dillon and everyone else she loves and cares about. Two days after the incident, she goes to the lab to speak to the other volunteers to let them know why she has pulled out, but promises them they will still get to see her all the time because she is going to be working directly with Estelle. Katie, on the other hand, wonât be deterred. Even after we explain that she and Zara could have died, she insists she wants to keep going. Jasper is miserable, but puts on a brave face for her. He spends lunch with her every day and comes home to mope. Zara and I try to cheer him up and even help him take care of Mister Happy and Midnight. Mom takes over nanny duty while Katie is away. âZara, itâs only been a month. Are you sure taking all nine girls all the way to Cozy Up is a good idea?â Jasper stops her from leaving the lab to let the gi
My body feels heavy and Zaraâs weight gets pulled off of me, forcing me awake. âWhat happened? Is she okay?â Someone drained the water out of the tub. Mom has Zara wrapped in a towel, holding her like a baby in her arms. Estelle is next to her, checking Zaraâs temperature. âItâs fine, Honey. Her temperature has been normal for an hour. Weâre going to put her in bed. I brought you a change of clothes. Come out when youâre dressed.â âAce is on his way to check on our baby girl.â Estelle lets Mom take Zara out of the room and sits on the edge of the tub. She unfolds a towel and hands it to me. âAre you okay?â âI will be once I know she is.â I wipe my face and chest. âBefore she passed out, she said more carrots and less love. Lavender was relaying the message.â Estelle purses her lips and nods. âYeah. We had talked about that before the study but went with the more potent formulation. Iâm going to get a batch of the other one started as soon as I get back to the lab.â âIf sheâs okay
âKeller will grab Zara. Iâll grab Katieâs top half, just grab her legs. Stop her from kicking if you can.â Les motions how Jasper should try to hold on to Katie. âWeâll take her to the nursery bathroom.â âHow do we know who will come out first?â Jasper looks at me and back at Les. Les gives Jasper a sweet smile. âOh, darling, so innocent. Wolf mentality.â âWolf mentality?â He looks at me for help. âWait, how do we know they didnât turn into wolves? Shift. How do we know they havenât shifted?â âTheir wolves have an advantage to use their senses but stay in human form right now.â Les tugs at her braided ponytail. âThey can open doors, push elevator buttons, call for help, things like that.â âZara is freaking out because her pup is gone. Katie is going to protect Zara to give her a chance to find her baby.â I put my ear to the door. âKatie will make sure danger is out of the way.â âKatie sees Zara as more dominant than she is in the pecking order of your family dynamic. So yes, she