“Kas, the doctors think it’s going to be a while before you’re able to move around without help.” Reggie drums his fingers on his hip and looks up at me.
“How long is a while?” I frown at the idea of having to rely on other people to help me do basic things. “I want to take care of the twins myself.”
“Uh, let’s not put a date on it. You’re in way worse shape than you were when we first found you at Silver Moon.” Reggie drums his fingers on his hip and looks up at me. “Once you can manage it, we’ll have you go to your office or something while Bronx comes here to see the kids. We’ll make sure a nurse is here when he is. Until then, we can arrange for a couple of guards to be here when he wants to visit. You don’t have to interact with him if you don’t want to.”
“Um, okay. Thank you guys so much for not giving up on me.” I look at my friends gratefully. “I know I scared and upset so many people. That wasn’t my intention. I did what I had to do to protect my sisters.”
“We’ll have that conversation when you’re healthy, Kas.” Ashley kisses each of my babies on the forehead and stands up from the bed. “Just focus on getting better and taking care of your pups.. They grow up in a blink of an eye. Don’t miss it because you’re distracted by crap that doesn’t matter.”
“Reggie, Ashley, can you ask a nurse to come in and help me get a bath? Maybe Bronx can come see the babies while I’m doing that, if he’s around?” I twist my fingers on my lap and look around the room. “But I’d like to speak with Milo alone for a minute first.”
“Of course, Luna. We’re glad to have you back.” Ashley gives me a wink and takes Reggie’s hand. “I’ll ask the nurses to prep bottles so Bronx can feed them. He’s gonna have to learn sometime.”
Once Ashley and Reggie leave, Milo picks up Andreas and coos at him. The little baby looks so small in Milo’s large hands. “I have a little secret, Kas. If Lenora was here, she would probably smack me for telling you.”
“Oh no. What kind of secret?” I feel my face cringe. I don’t know if I can take any more today.
“Lenora told me once that you can’t have pups. You know she could never keep a secret from me. It really bothered her for some reason. She just wanted the best for you and somehow, a couple of years later, you have two. A little piece of me wants to think she had something to do with it. I’m still technically their uncle, you know. Even if Lenora isn’t here anymore.” He rocks Andreas and lets Maya grab on his finger, smiling at them. I can’t help but admire how gentle he is with his tiny niece and nephew. “I don’t know why, but it feels like they’re more important to me than my sister’s daughter. It’s kind of unbelievable. Before he met you, we all just figured Bronx would never find his mate.”
I feel a tinge of guilt grab my ribs. “I know when I got back, you told me I have nothing to apologize for, but I’m so sorry about Lenora, Milo. I-I gave Leticia and the rest of the Mavri Magea orders, but they broke them. No one was supposed to get hurt. I just needed the cursed silver from the vault. They were only supposed to create a diversion. I was too naïve. I thought I had enough control over them.”
“Kas, I told you before, Bronx ordered us to put you in the dungeon. I don’t blame you. From the minute Bronx told us you were gone and announced you were a traitor, I refused to believe it.” Milo’s eyes are glassy with tears. I can tell he’s been through a lot in the past few months just by looking at him. “Marco told us to look at your binders. You keep a shit ton of binders, by the way. You know there’s software for all that, right?”
“You know I’m not the best with technology.” I chuckle at his very “Milo” way to distract me from my mood.
“Anyway, that’s how we found out what you were really doing. That’s when I knew. When I saw you were trying to help your sisters, there was nothing that would let me believe dark magic corrupted you. That giant ass binder was proof. So I’m grateful you left them behind, but Bronx threw the one we really needed in the fireplace before we could decipher everything. As for Lenora, she died protecting her brother and her pack. I can’t think of any other way she would have wanted to go.”
“Did you know she was the first person from Blood River to notice me? Back when you guys came to Silver Moon, and they assigned me to make sure you guys had everything you wanted. She’s the one who really saved me, Milo. She’s the first person who ever showed any sort of concern for me in my entire life.” I think back to the day I met Lenora and her noticing my bruises from being punched by the pack accountant. I caught him having sex with the Luna in his office. “I thought she was going to tell Bronx I was a weak wolf and he would have me executed.”
“Yeah, I remember she knew there was a problem. She was going to talk to Bronx after that party they threw for us to see if we could open an investigation.” Milo sighs. “But, well… you remember how that went…”
“Yeah. A great first impression, huh?” I frown and watch him set Andreas down on the ‘U’ shaped pillow. “What will you do now?”
“Well, now I raise Codi.” Milo screws up his face. “We’ve got into a routine without Lenora around. It’s weird knowing she’s going to be a Guardian to the Menae. One day, she’s going to go do her own thing and be amazing at whatever she does. For now, though, I need to convince her she’s not allowed to have a kitten in a packhouse full of wolves and that she can’t help the gardeners plant flowers in the wintertime.”
“Will you look for another mate? A chosen mate? One day when you’re ready, I mean. Not right now, unless you’re ready, obviously.” I tilt my head and give him a sympathetic look.
“For now, I’m fine just being a dad and pack Beta.” He sighs and slumps his shoulders. “I’ve been having to cover a lot of Bronx’s responsibilities lately too. So, I don’t really have time to look for another mate.”
“You’re basically my big brother, Milo. How am I supposed to look you in the eye everyday knowing I’m the reason your mate is dead? How do I make it up to you?”
“Aw, Kas, don’t think like that. Just being here for our pack is how you make it up to me. Let Reggie and Ashley and I take care of our Luna.” Milo picks me up and pulls me onto his lap to give me a hug. Feeling his arms around me makes me feel safer than I have in a long time. “I don’t know if I will look for another mate. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll get a second chance mate, but honestly I can’t imagine anyone being more perfect for me than Lenora. I’m cool with being a lone wolf. Besides, between work and Codi and helping keep you and Bronx out of trouble, and taste testing your crazy flavored cookies, I don’t have time for a mate. Who else is going to tell you there’s too much nutmeg in your snickerdoodles?”
I sit back and chuckle at him. “Is that all I’m good for? Baked goods?”
“Well, you said all your abilities are gone, so yeah. What else is there, Little Sister?” He gives me a lopsided grin and pats my cheek. “Let me get the nurse to get you in the tub. No offense, but we can’t have the Luna of Blood River smelling like a rogue wolf.”
Behind Milo, the door to the suite opens quietly. I look over Milo’s shoulder as a nurse escorts Bronx into the room. “I’ll get the bottles prepared right away. It’s almost time for them to eat, Alpha.”
As they come inside, they stop short.
“Oh, crap.” My jaw drops when he makes eye contact. I push against Milo to get him to let me go.
“Fuck.” Milo holds me closer, protectively, trying to keep me out of sight, but it’s too late. He doesn’t need to look at the door to know this doesn’t look good.
Bronx looks at me, then looks at Milo and growls. “I should have fucking known.”
Bronx’s POV I let the door of Kas’s suite slam behind me and go back to my office. First she killed my sister, then she somehow cheated death… again… now she’s fucking my Beta? I hear the door open behind me and Milo’s footsteps come running toward me. Saint bristles in my mind. “If you’re not going to listen to him, then get rid of him. I can’t stand to listen to you make a fool out of yourself anymore.” “Bronx, stop!” Milo chases me down. “It’s not what it looks like.” He’s got to be fucking kidding me. I turn around and glare at him, stopping him in his tracks. “Really Milo? Because it looked like you were holding Kas in your lap.” “I… okay… yeah. I was… but not it’s not like that, bro. I was just giving her a hug.” Milo follows me while I keep walking back to my office. “Bronx, she’s been through a lot. She apologized for what happened to Lenora and I was telling her I forgive her. We were just talking.” “Whatever, Milo. She’s not my mate anymore. You can have her.” I flick
I turn and walk back to my office without looking back at my Beta and shut the door. The physical separation between me and the rest of the world brings an instant sense of comfort. I take in a deep breath, grateful for the privacy, and look around. Shouldn’t I want to be with my pack? A few months ago, sure, but when I rejected Kas, Saint told me it was the end of our spirits’ journey. What’s the point of trying to put up a good front if it doesn’t fucking matter? Since then, I’ve been more and more content being alone. Maybe the connection between Kas and me was only because of the mate bond. It was supposed to be forever. What if it was never really love? I’ve spent months thinking about it and I’m still not sure. Sometimes I wonder if she meant all the things she told me when we were alone. I thought I meant the promises I made to her. I was a fool.The moment Kas died in my arms in that cell in the dungeon, I thought I felt guilty. I thought it was my fault that she died. I was
“He’s our miracle baby.” Shelly strokes Andy’s white blonde wispy hair to the side after I explain how Kas’s father died. “Dave’s mother told us she had never heard of a werebear being able to have a hybrid baby. We just assumed we were on our own and we were okay with it. Half the time, Dave’s out wandering the woods anyway, but he’s gotten better about staying close to home these days.” “Yeah, things used to be quiet around here. Shelly woke up one morning with crazy morning sickness. I thought something was really wrong with her.” Dave pulls her close and kisses her forehead. She smiles and scrunches her nose while she almost disappears into his arms. “We found a werebear shaman who confirmed she was pregnant. He was able to treat her throughout the pregnancy. Unfortunately, they don’t stay in one place very long. The day Andy was born, he said our cub was healthy, gave him a blessing, and wandered off. Haven’t seen him since. Last I heard, he was in Alberta. We’ve been lucky. And
Saint’s POVEven seeing Endymion in person didn’t convince Bronx that he’s wrong about our mate. Wait until that cute little kid grows up and finds out what Bronx did to his baby girl. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see the demigod grandson of the Titan Perses go one-on-one with the first Alpha. Place your bets now, folks. It’s gonna be a grisly one.I probably won’t get to see it, though. Knowing Bronx, tonight’s my last night of freedom before he blocks me. It’s a shitty way to end my spirit’s journey. Hopefully, the Moon Goddess has answers for me before she lets me rest.The dark sky reminds me of my mate, Elexis. Lex has silky black fur and beautiful violet eyes. We’ve been in love forever. I wish she was here. I guess I’ll never see her again.Whatever her reason for letting Lenora die, it had to be worth risking everything. Hopefully, Milo and Reggie have an answer that will convince Bronx to clear her name. She still won’t be our mate, but at least she’ll be able
Bronx’s POVI push against what feels like black walls made of tar that don’t actually exist. The more I push, the less I feel the outside world. It’s almost like I’m being suffocated from the inside out. He fucking blocked me? Over my dead body. This fuzzy white prick thinks he’s going to block me from having any control and get away with it. As soon as I can feel something, I force my way forward and grab at anything I can. A slight violet aura surrounds my consciousness, giving me more strength to fight against the confinement. At least having some of Kas’s power rubbed off on me has proven useful. When I get a firm grip on him, and yank Saint back so I can shift.“Fuck off, Bronx.” Saint sneers as he lets himself fall back. Between how hard I pulled on him and how little he fought back, I feel myself shift too quickly.I tumble forward from a height onto the floor with a hard thud. When I look up, I’m in my office with Milo and Reggie looking at me suspiciously. It looks like I f
All I want to do is close my eyes when Milo and Reggie get me back to my bed, but they have other plans. They spread out dozens of photos and stacks of papers, only giving me enough room to sit at the edge. Reggie explains what they are before I can protest. “So she made a Goddess rehab facility… using magic?” I look at the photographs of the beautiful mansion in awe and confusion. It doesn’t make sense. How could she pull this off? “Kas knows how to build cakes, not houses.” “It wasn’t just magic. She literally used her own essence, and the energy siphoned off of other creatures and beings to make it. Bronx, Kas has been planning this for centuries. She knew the Leaders needed to be stopped. Cora was kind of… collateral damage… but she loves Kas so much and believed in the cause enough that she sacrificed herself.” “Kas ordered Cora to be murdered too?” My mind immediately goes to my baby in the suite next door. Is she safe in the suite with Kas there? I feel myself getting angry,
Milo and Reggie leave the papers and photos for me to look through more carefully when I feel better. I pick up a picture of the front of a binder. There is a sticker on the front in Kas’s neat, loopy handwriting that says ‘Menae Notes’. The next few photos show snapshots of the contents. Cut outs from home decorating magazines, information about new appliances, upholstery samples, and furniture. The more photos I look at, the older the contents of the binder look. Old scraps of paper that show names and abilities associated with each. Diagrams on how to connect spells. Notes about elements that don’t exist on the periodic table. The last couple show pieces of scrolls written in ancient languages with unusual symbols and charts. This must be the binder I threw in the fireplace before they could scan everything in. I fall back on the bed and cover my face with my hands. Milo was right. If Kas would have told me she wanted to go on a suicide mission, I would have stopped her or made h
“Alright, now for Andreas, yeah?” She reaches out to take Maya from me. I reluctantly pass her the baby and wait impatiently to meet my son. I already miss Maya’s scent and the weight of her in my arms. I look at my hands, wishing she was back in them. The nurse comes back with a light green blanket. “Alpha, I know they warned you already, but the first glance at him may be a little… unsettling. I assure you, the doctors have run every test they can think of. He’s little, but he’s as healthy as he can be under the circumstances. We are feeding him a formula with extra vitamins and protein. He’s gained almost a pound since he was born. Which is a pretty big deal.” “Alright.” I nod and puff air out of my lips, preparing myself for the worst. As she approaches, the scent of pine needles grows much stronger. She places the blanket in my arms, but I can barely feel any weight when she removes her hands. I feel an instant connection to the baby bundled up inside. My heart pounds as the