All Chapters of Runaway To My Alpha Brother-In-Law: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

[--Kaiser Volkov--]Esmarie’s face lit up when I told her about the Darkwood pack’s shutdown. The relief was mutual, like a weight we’d both carried was finally lifted. To be fair, I’m starting to learn that besides my past I have other things to worry about. I’m looking into the mole who told Elias about my deal with the vampires. But I’m trying to celebrate the little wins. The Darkwood pack will be gone. Right now Elias is having the people kicked out.That place held the worst memories for us both—memories I tried not to think about, memories that often haunted my nights. Knowing it would soon be no more brought a strange sense of closure, a flicker of happiness. But it was only a flicker, dimmed by the exhaustion that clung to me like a second skin.I hadn’t slept properly in days. I’d tried to make up for it by working late in my office, but even there, I was restless. Sleeplessness wore at my nerves, fraying them, and I knew I was reaching my limit. Today, I’d made the decision

[--Esmarie Cruz--]“Say mama?”Elijah spat out a bubble of saliva and chuckled before attempting to rub it all over himself. Kaiser took us to a doctor for a check-up when I discovered that my less than three-month-old baby was teething, and they’d added ten pounds. Which is healthy for them, but so fast. God, they’re growing at a tough speed.The doctor said I should expect them to be fully developed at the age of one. But he told me after that they’d start growing normally. This was common for alpha babies to jump from one week old to look like they’re three years old when they’re only one. Sometimes only seven months.It’s scary. They won’t be babies for much longer than five months, heck that’s if I’m lucky. I’m feeling scared.Kaiser has stuck to a plan of teaching me how to fight with a knife and without one. He’s also trying to get my omega to loosen up and shift. I got some tests done, my system is fine so my omega should be normal soon enough.Water splashes on my face, bring

[--Esmarie Cruz--]We lingered on the rooftop a while longer, letting the quiet of the night sink in, a silence that seemed to speak louder than any conversation we might’ve had. Kaiser leaned back, eyes drifting over the stars, and then, breaking the stillness, he turned to me and asked, “What do you want to do with your life?”The question hung in the air, simple yet profound, as I stared up at the half-moon and the countless stars scattered across the sky. I hadn’t really thought about it in a long time. Sure, I was raising my twins and doing my best to keep everything together day by day. But dreams? Ambitions? I wasn’t sure I had any left, at least not in the way people usually talked about them. I mean, here I was, approaching thirty, with two little ones counting on me. Was there even space in my life for something like a dream? And if there was, what would it look like?I felt the weight of my thoughts pressing down as I considered his question. College had never been a path I

[--Esmarie Cruz--]There’s something surprisingly grounding about sleeping on the floor, though I can’t really put into words what exactly makes it good. It’s probably not the ache in my back or the stiffness in my neck, both of which feel like they’re screaming. Honestly, my body is in hell. Every joint is telling me this was a terrible idea. I’m far from comfortable. But there’s something almost… honest about being here on the floor, a certain clarity that you can’t get when you’re cushioned by mattresses or layers of blankets.Still, clarity doesn’t make it any easier when I hear this persistent, irritating sound in the distance—like an incessant mosquito buzzing in my ear. It’s a voice, actually, calling my name in a way that’s somehow both grating and familiar. As I force my eyes open, I see exactly who I expected: Kaiser. Of course, it’s him. Who else would be so annoyingly chipper and persistent this early in the morning? Okay, perhaps not him seeing as he’s the grumpiest man I

[--Esmarie Cruz--]Sam stared at me for what felt like hours before her eyes shifted to the stroller where my children were. I snapped my fingers immediately.“Don’t look at them.”She raised her eyebrow at me. “Where is Martha?”“Call her and find out.”Her lips twitched. “I’m not here to be mean. I nearly got kicked from this pack, and I don’t want any beef with Kaiser’s girl.”My heart thumped, and my omega filled me with something close to pride. Which was ridiculous. I’m Kaiser’s nothing. There’s no reason to be proud here. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I also don’t want problems. I just don’t have a good reason to trust you.”She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. The girl was still pretty. Blonde hair short, and messy. Her blue jean shorts were unbuttoned so you could see hints of her black underwear, her white t-shirt was tied at the front and her cowgirl boots seemed to finish the whole look. It was interesting to see the way she dressed.When I wore something it eit