LOGINthird person’s POV "Silas, drop it right now!" The shout came from the patio from Aser, wearing swim trunks and a t-shirt, sprinting across the deck as he chased a giggling toddler. Silas, now one year old, was wobbling across the sand with impressive speed for someone with chubby legs and a dead crab in their mouth. "Drop the crab, Silas!" Aser commanded, using his Alpha voice, but that was lost on the boy, who only growled back at him in his adorable tiny voice that was more of a purr than a growl. The boy even clamped his jaws, which only made him more adorable. "He gets the stubbornness from you," Cassie called out from the lounge chair, where she was sipping iced tea. She looked relaxed, happy, and amused at their interactions. "He gets his eating habits from the wild." Aser grunted when he finally caught his son. He gently pried the crab from Silas’s mouth. "Yuck. No. We eat sushi, not roadkill." Silas pouted, his lower lip trembling, before spotting something else, a s
third person’s POV The weather was fully on the newlyweds' side because once the formal ceremony was done, the sun began to dip, leaving the sky in streaks of violet and burnt orange. Inside the white canopy tent, string lights glowed like captured fireflies. The atmosphere became more relaxed, too, as the guests started to loosen their ties and they started to kick off their shoes under the table. Aser sat at the head table next to Cassie. He was watching the guests devour the sushi bar, specifically, the massive bluefin tuna he had caught. "People really like the fish," Aser noted proudly. "It’s good fish, baby." Cassie said, stealing a piece of sashimi from his plate. "But enough of your boasting; it’s time for the speeches." Matthew stood up and got their attention by tapping a spoon against his champagne glass. "Thank you all for coming," Matthew started; his voice was even rougher than normal. He looked at Miriam, who seemed to glow in the candlelight. "I’m not a man of m
Matthew and Miriam pushed up their wedding from three months to a week, and now they had only three days to plan the wedding. Organizing a wedding in three days was ambitious, but organizing it for a pack's beta and the alpha's executive assistant was even harder. Since the couple had decided on a location, it was one less thing to worry about. The living room of their beach house had been transformed into the event planning center."The florist says they can't get blue hydrangeas on this notice," Miriam said, pacing with her phone pressed to her ear. "Tell them to paint white ones. I don't care. I want blue."Cassie sat on the sofa with Silas nursing under a blanket. She was managing the guest list on her tablet with one hand."We have sixty confirmed," Cassie reported. "Kael is bringing his Beta. Dominic sent a gift but declined the invite. Say what you want about the man, but he's smart. He knows this invite was only out of courtesy."Aser was standing by the window, holding a pa
Three days later, they were still trying to figure out raising and caring for a newborn. Cassie would have loved to stay in the hospital until their son was a year old if that were an option. She would have preferred to be in a place where she could be told what to do and when to do it, but unfortunately, they had to go home and figure it out themselves.Aser stood in the middle of the nursery, holding Silas, who was currently wrapped in a swaddle that looked tight enough to restrain a rogue. Aser looked at his son with so much adoration it would melt the coldest heart. It didn't help that Silas was such a beautiful baby boy."He’s vibrating," Aser whispered to Cassie. who was sitting in the nursing chair, trying to figure out a breast pump that looked like a milking machine from a milk farm."He’s purring, Aser," Cassie said; the exhaustion was obvious in her voice. "It means he’s happy.""It sounds like a growl," Aser frowned, bringing the baby closer to his ear. "Is that normal? D
No one could say no to Aser in that state, so it wasn't long before they got Cassie in a private ward and set up all the equipment to ensure a smooth delivery.The delivery room was a battlefield of beeping monitors and sterile blue light headed by Dr. Evans.Cassie was gripping the side rails of her bed so hard her knuckles were white. Her hair was matted with sweat and her face was flushed from exertion."I can't!" Cassie screamed, throwing her head back against the pillow. "I can't do it anymore! It hurts too much!""You can," Dr. Evans said calmly from the foot of the bed. "You are fully dilated, Cassie. The head is crowning. I need you to focus. On the next contraction, I need a big push."Aser stood by the head of the bed. He was wearing blue scrubs, as was normal for visitors. His eyes were wide as if he were the one in labor. Every time Cassie screamed, a low rumble vibrated in Aser’s chest out of empathy. He could feel how much pain she was in from how tightly she clutched h
Two Months LaterAser had never been this bored in his life. Not for lack of anything to do, but because there was no challenge he could look forward to. Ordinarily, he lived for the next challenge. Now, they were at peace, and it wasn't even the type of fragile peace where they had to look out for the other shoe to drop. They had defeated their greatest enemy; now everyone was wary of crossing them.A month after they moved into their beach house, they got married quietly with only Mathew, Miriam, Rayna, and their daughter as witnesses. Currently, he was on the patio handling some work for the company while Cassie sat on a sofa built specifically for her, surrounded by pillows.Her belly was now so big that she currently had a tub of ice cream balanced on it."I am a whale," Cassie announced for the tenth time that day. "A beached whale with heartburn."Aser was quickly by her side. "You are not a whale," Aser said, kissing the top of her head. "You are the most beautiful woman in
The next day was the Summit, and Cassie didn't anticipate how nervous she would feel taking a global stage. Sure, she had given dozens of speeches back home, but this was a completely different continent.The Green Room was the room the organizers had assigned to Cassie for her to get ready. Makeup
The three of them drove around in hope of finding the institute. Even when the GPS kept misleading them. Finally, they found a small townhouse that stood out because of its lack of decoration. Just a small bronze plaque that read: Icarus private consultations. They parked across the street and tri
About three hours into their trip, Cassie had fallen asleep with her head resting on her laptop, a spreadsheet reflecting on her cheek. Aser, ever the protective boyfriend, had draped a blanket over her and was currently dozing in the seat across from her. Everyone was calm and quiet. Miriam si
The adrenaline of the weekend had faded, replaced by the soulless work of cleanup. That morning, Cassie sat at the head of the table in one of the boardrooms. She was dressed down today in a soft gray sweater and cotton slacks with her hair pulled back in a messy bun. She looked tired, but her eye







