4. The Bet

~ GENNY ~

The next group of arrivals caught everyone's attention as they exited their vehicles, and the laughter died down. The quads turned and watched as their faithful followers emerged and waved at them with way too much enthusiasm.

Charlie and I glanced at each other before simultaneously rolling our eyes as the boys chuckled to themselves. They didn't realize that they were the only ones entertained by the display.

Mirabella ran up to Charlie and me, and her announcement made the quads snap their heads toward us. "Aunty, Mommy, I'm sleepy!"

Mom took my hand and lightly squeezed. "It's okay, sweetheart. You two should take the girls up for their nap. We'll greet the next group."

Mirabella had just given us the perfect excuse to avoid the women that used to torment Charlie and me. My mother's small gesture had shown her approval.

I nodded to Charlie and we each scooped a girl into our arms, Mirabella in mine and Aribella in Charlie's. I could feel the heat of four matching pairs of eyes on me as we made our way inside.

We weren't surprised to hear Darren's small and tired voice behind us. "Mommy, can I nap with Ari and Mira?"

"Of course you can, my darling. You're going to have a sleepover with them while we stay here," Allison replied, full of amusement.

Allison, Charlie, and myself let out soft giggles after all three children let out weak and exhausted cheers.

The east wing was reserved for the Alpha family and authorized guests. It spanned a total of three floors with a private and secure elevator.

The top three floors each held three suites, which were almost like mini-apartments with a sitting room, kitchenette, and at least one bedroom. Each floor had a shared full kitchen, lounge area, and dining table.

On the top floor, my parents had their own one-bedroom suite. I had a two-bedroom suite, the extra room occasionally used by Benedict and Gavin when they were worried about my mental health.

The third suite had three bedrooms and was set aside for my brothers and Charlotte. They turned one of the rooms into a playroom for the kids.

The floor below had always been a permanent fixture for the Ashcroft family. The layout for that floor was just like ours, with one exception. The three-bedroom suite had been converted into a four-bedroom suite when we were ten, specifically for the quads.

Whenever Darren would visit, he preferred staying in Aribella and Mirabella's room in my brothers' suite. Especially when the girls were here as well.

Thankfully as soon as my mom noticed the pattern, she had two bunk beds put in there. One of the beds was even decorated with Darren's favorite animals.

After we tucked the kids in for their nap, we went to the lounge area with drinks from the kitchen. It was mostly to wait for the nannies to watch the kids while we went to take care of our own tasks.

The three of us sat for a bit in silence until I just couldn't hold it in anymore. "So, Charlotte?"

"Uh-oh. Genny only calls you Charlotte when you're in trouble." Allison pointed an accusatory finger at Charlie.

Charlie looked between us with her arms crossed. "I didn't do shit."

Allison and I stared her down, slowly leaning closer and closer until she finally admitted defeat.

"Fine! I'm pregnant," Charlie blurted out before deflating into the sofa.

I was suddenly concerned about her reaction. "Charlie, is everything okay? I was only teasing."

"You," Charlie pointed at Allison, "are lucky you only have one mate."

"And you," she turned her pointing at me, "are lucky that you haven't gone through this yet. But mark my words, when it happens, I plan on sitting back with some popcorn and watching the show."

I looked at Allison completely confused and she stared back at me before laughing so hard she was bending over and gasping for air.

My head swiveled between the two, my face full of confusion. "I don't get it."

This just made Allison laugh even harder. Once she was able to finally catch her breath, she patted me on the head and said, "Don't worry. One day you will."

Charlie scoffed and mumbled to herself, "It'll probably be worse for you."

My head snapped toward her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Allison hissed at Charlie and gave her a glare that said, "Shut up!"

"Okay, now what?" I asked.

I don't know why, but I was getting irritated. Something was going on, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it. "Someone start talking."

They both tensed up and tried to look anywhere but at me. I just crossed my arms and leaned back. "Well?"

Allison was the first to cave, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "Fine. I'll tell you, but promise you won't get mad."

"Okay," I drawled out.

"Mabel once mentioned that when you were in school, you wrote a paper about how wolves that have multiple mates tend to be powerful. She and Charlie talked about all these historical references you gave.

"Then the topic turned to how Charlie has three mates, but you're more powerful than she is. So if the theory holds you would have more mates. And that's how the bet started," Allison stated before looking at Charlie.

So I did, too. "What bet, Charlie?"

Taking a deep breath, Charlie responded, "At first it was a bet on how many mates you would have. But then, for some reason, everyone agreed that you would have four. So naturally everyone's predictions landed on four specific wolves."

At this point, she paused to let me take it all in. When I just stared at her blankly, she whispered, "That's when the bet changed to how long until you forgive them."

I really didn't know how to respond. I think I just blinked at her a few times before she finally blurted out, "But I didn't tell them about the blood oath you guys made! I swear!"

I didn't hesitate to launch myself at her and slap my hand over her mouth. Allison looked at us with her brows pinched together, a face of pure confusion. "What blood oath?"

Charlie and I looked at her, then looked at each other.

That's when I felt it: a mind-link from Dad. "Hey, sweetheart. Can you come down to my office? Marcus is here and we need to talk about those cracks in the barrier you found."

My response was instant. "On my way!"

I shot out of my seat and announced a little too loudly, "Dad needs me in his office," bolting for the staircase and shouting "Byee!" as I ran. I didn't want to have to wait for the elevator and end up cornered.

* * *

As I strolled toward my father's office, I heard multiple shrill voices and practiced giggles coming from the common room. Glancing in that direction, sure enough there they were.

Crystal, April, Sally, and Estelle. The four girls that made my life hell. Each one hung off her chosen Ashcroft quad as if she owned him. What they were talking about, I didn't know nor care.

I paused only when I realized that all four of the guys had noticed me and looked up. The girls, sensing that they were distracted, halted their conversation and looked over at me.

The girls glanced at me and smirked, each lifting her chin in triumph as if she had won something special.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes before shaking my head. As I continued walking toward the office, I briefly noticed that each of the guys looked away in shame.

I sent Charlie a quick mind-link to let her know about the group in the common room in case she wanted to avoid them.

Knowing they were expecting me, I scanned my hand on the reader and waved at the overhead camera when I reached my father's office and then walked right in.

"Hi, Dad! Hi, Marcus!" I called as I made my way toward the antique mahogany desk.

With a bright smile, Marcus spread his arms out, gave me his best bear hug, and whispered into my hair. "Hi, princess. How was your trip?"

"It was okay. The Spellbound Crumb was closed this morning so I didn't get my coffee," I pouted.

He chuckled softly as he ruffled my hair.

"Hey! Do you know how hard it is to keep hair like this looking salon fresh?"

"Knowing you, kid, you barely dried it and walked out," he smirked.

The buzz announcing a visitor at the office caught our attention, and I turned to look at my father with a raised eyebrow. "Dad, are you expecting someone?"

He looked at the monitor to confirm who was at the door, nodded, and pressed the button to release the lock. "Yes. I asked Emmett and Arthur to join us. I hope you don't mind."

Because of the room's security measures, including its soundproofing, it was easier to use technology to control access. You couldn't exactly expect someone to hear you say "come in" from a soundproof room. It also prevents anyone from barging in uninvited.

I gave him a shrug and turned toward the door as it opened. I smiled as Emmett entered, gave me a fist bump, and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Uncle Arthur pulled me into a side hug, resting his hand on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his midsection, not ready for him to let go, but I knew I had to as soon as Marcus started unrolling a map of our territory onto the table.

"All right, Genny. The Alpha said you found some cracks in the barrier. Can you point them out for me?" Marcus asked, ready to get to work. My father's Beta didn't mess around with pack security.

I walked over to the table and grabbed a red marker. "So, these are the areas I'm most concerned about," I said as I marked the areas I spotted before continuing. "The cracks here look large enough for a midsize wolf or the average she-wolf in human form to pass through."

Then I grabbed a blue marker. "These areas here had smaller cracks, but a small child could pass through. That means a fox shifter or even a small fae could get through.

"All of the other cracks were only large enough for insects to get through. I've already sealed them all and reinforced the barrier. I also wove the veil into the barrier for the upcoming festivities."

When I looked up, my father and Marcus were studying the areas I marked. But Uncle Arthur and Emmett were looking at each other, and I noticed their eyes glaze over, a clear indication that they were entering a mind-link.

I watched them as Marcus began arranging for units to investigate the areas. He wanted to make sure no one took advantage of the vulnerability.

As soon as Emmett's eyes cleared, he asked, "Genny, do you know how long the cracks have been there?"

"Mom said that the barrier was stable and there weren't any cracks when she checked two days ago."

"So that means they had two days to break through and infiltrate one of the strongest magical barriers in the world." Emmett let his statement hang as everyone processed it.

"Marcus, make sure each team has extra trackers and investigates the areas thoroughly," my father commanded.

"Yes, Alpha."

Before my father could say anything further, I interrupted with a question of my own. "Emmett, why do you assume that the barrier was infiltrated?"

He looked at each of us, his gaze finally landing on his father, who nodded. Then Emmett fixed his sea-green eyes on mine and said with conviction, "Stonehaven has a traitor."