YAY!!!
We’re staying in the cabin we got each other for an anniversary present last year.While still with the rogues, Cody and I would comfort each other by saying that once we got free, we’d find each other, build a cabin in the woods, and stay there together for the rest of our lives.It’s what I had been saving money for when Ivan and I found each other — so that we could have the land and the house free and clear.Admittedly, the cabin we have now—two stories, five bedrooms, a basement playroom for the kids, a pool, and a half basketball court—is a far cry from what Cody and I would have managed on our own.Still, it’s nice to get away and return to what we always dreamed of.To bring our other mate and our children here with us.We come as often as we can — for a week, for a long weekend.A little home away from home.We had the kitchen stocked and the whole place cleaned and ready, so there would be no interruptions.Which is good, because after all the teasing we did on the way here,
Checking my watch, I turn to our little girl."Do you know which one you want to wear, Lenita? Kiki and Harley are going to be here soon. And you don’t want to miss the petting zoo."My little princess is standing in front of her closet, arms crossed and her lower lip sticking out in a full pout."I wanna wear my pwincess dwess!""Chiquita (little one), we’ve already talked about this. You can’t wear it to the fair, but you can wear it later," I say, pleading with her.We’ve been at it for twenty minutes, trying to get Elena ready to go out with Kamryn and Harley before a birthday party for one of her pre-school friends later today.The party is princess-themed, hence the dress she’s insisting on wearing.Unfortunately for her—and us at this point—if she wears the dress to the fair, it’s guaranteed to end up covered in dirt and food, ripped from a skinned knee, or chewed on by a goat at the petting zoo.So, she can’t wear it.Not that she’s listening."I wanna wear my pwincess dwess,
5 years later… I wake up to an elbow in the gut. “What?” I ask, bolting upright immediately. “What’s wrong?” “It’s your turn,” Nova murmurs, her voice heavy with sleep. It’s only then that I hear one of the twins crying. Glancing at the alarm clock, I see that it’s just after 2:00 AM. Fuck. I roll out of bed, stumbling to the bedroom door and next door to the twins’ room. “Hey, buddy. It’s okay. Dada’s here,” I call, my voice rough with sleep. In the glow of the nightlight, I see Ronan standing in his crib, crying, his nose impossibly snotty. His cheeks are bright red, and drool soaks the front of his pajamas. “Da! Da!” he cries the second he sees me. “Hey, Ronan. Are those teeth bugging you, bud?” I ask, picking him up and pulling him to my shoulder. His skin is hot—he’s definitely running a low-grade fever. Both boys are teething hard right now, reacting just like human babies: colds, fevers, pain, the whole nine yards. His cries quiet the moment he’s in my arms, sniffli
“Holy shit, that was a long day,” I say, falling onto the sofa next to my mates.We’re in the first-floor common area with everyone in our leadership crew—minus Jakobi.He found his mate today. A she-wolf from a neighboring pack, second daughter of a delta. Maureen seems nice. We didn’t really get to talk to her much, though—Jakobi whisked her off, and they’ve been... indisposed in his room ever since.We might see them tomorrow.Or in a couple of days.“Fuck, yeah it was,” Jude groans. “I’m just happy to be out of that monkey suit.”“I don’t know,” Lucy murmurs, running her fingers down his jaw and pulling his attention. “I wouldn’t mind having you in it more often... and helping you out of it.”“Well, this was fun, guys, but my mate and I need to be getting to bed,” Jude says as he stands and throws Lucy over his shoulder.Lucy squeals and props herself up on his back, waving at us. “See you guys at breakfast!”“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Jude calls from the hallway.
My mates and I are standing on a large floating platform in the center of the harbor. All the boats have been cleared for today’s ceremony, and the entire pack has gathered along the shore to witness the official welcoming of their Luna and Lune. The platform is made of strong, transparent plastic, giving the illusion that we’re standing directly on the water. Flower petals and floating candles drift both on the surface and around the edges of the platform. A camera positioned at the far end captures the event and projects it onto screens placed throughout the crowd so everyone can see what’s happening. Nova looks stunning in her midnight blue ball gown, her hair swept into a messy bun. Thin straps frame her exposed matemarks, and the dress is low-cut in both the front and back, revealing creamy swaths of skin. The bodice hugs her tightly, while the skirt flows freely into a long, lacy train that shimmers in the sunlight. Cody wears fitted pants and a tailored gunmetal gray vest—no
“I really don’t want to do this,” I murmur, tugging at the hem of my skirt again.“Girl, if you don’t stop messing with that skirt, you’re going to unravel it. Stop it!” Lucy punctuates the last word by smacking my hand.I stick my tongue out at her but stop fiddling. Honestly, I think the only reason Lucy isn’t as nervous as I am is because she’s too busy managing me.At least, she doesn’t seem outwardly nervous.But I know her butterflies are causing a full-blown tornado—just like the one twisting in my own stomach.We’re heading to the Hartwood Pack, where Lucy and Cody are from. It’s been two weeks since we brought Cody home.Alpha Timothy was pissed when he realized we had “absconded with one of his most valued packmates.” He threatened to call down the Council of Alphas, press charges against our pack, and even force Ivan to step down as Alpha.All of that might have been intimidating—if it hadn’t taken him four days to even realize Cody was gone. Add in the fact that the three