JaneFour Months LaterEthan ushers the pups into my hospital room with a finger pressed to his lips. “Quietly now, Mommy’s very tired.”I’d gone into labor in the early hours of the morning, and the experience couldn’t have been more different than it had been with the quadruplets. Instead of suffering through the first contractions alone and afraid, I’d had my mate by my side, rubbing my back and crooning sympathetically as I gritted my teeth against the pain. After a few hours of pacing and fruitlessly trying to find a comfortable position, my water broke and we left for the hospital, leaving the pups with a sitter.I made it through fifteen hours of labor before caving and asking for an epidural, taking Ethan’s encouragement to save my strength for pushing when the time came. He never left my side the entire time, only stepping out of the room a couple of times to check in on the pups at my request. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthing partner – he lavished me with praise a
Jane“Focus.” Ethan’s harsh voice pierces the haze of my thoughts, drawing my attention back to his face.“If I wanted to rut a wooden board, I would.” Ethan snaps, gripping my hair so tightly I’m afraid he’ll rip it out of my head. “What’s wrong, Jane, can you not feel me inside you?” He demands, slamming his hips into mine so forcefully I feel sure he’ll leave a bruise. “Am I not fucking you hard enough?”Still I don’t respond. All I can do is imagine him with Eve, kissing and making love to her, giving her all the affection he used to give me. I can see their writhing bodies in my minds eye, naked and moaning, tangling the sheets of the Alpha’s bed. It makes me feel sick to my stomach to know my husband was inside the other woman mere hours ago; is his libido really so profound that one she-wolf is not enough for him? How does he even have the energy to use me this way when Eve was pleasuring him all night long?The only blessing is that he must have showered in between trysts, bec
JaneLooking at my husband now, whose eyes glow and claws extend as he fights to keep his own wolf in check… I think he just might.Ethan is gulping in livid breaths of air, his chest rapidly rising and falling as he glares at me with abject fury. His rage is so palpable that undiluted fear rushes through my veins and I find myself paralyzed, frozen in place like a startled rabbit. If I move will he attack? My inner wolf is cowering with her tail tucked between her legs, our every submissive instinct triggered by my husband’s threatening demeanor.However, instead of lunging towards me or shifting, Ethan simply slams the document onto the dresser and slashes a pen across it, savagely signing the papers without another word. He throws them towards me, then turns on his heel without another word, storming from the room.A wave of relief floods over me, and for the first time since I said those horrible, thoughtless words, I’m able to breathe. My heart is still pounding in my chest, but
JaneI thought I knew grief.When my husband turned me into a slave and fell for another woman, I imagined nothing could be more painful. Then my mother died. I lost all the money I won in the divorce trying to save her, and still it wasn’t enough. I was alone and heartbroken, barely able to put one foot in front of the other.My babies and hopes for the future got me through the worst of my mourning, they were a balm for my twice broken heart - becoming my entire world after the one I knew crumbled beneath my feet. I had one brief flash of joy when my children were born, filled with a light so radiant and all-consuming I thought I might burst.Then I discovered what grief truly is. It turns out I didn’t even know what love was until I became a mother myself.My daughter is slipping away before I’ve even gotten the chance to know her, to show her all the love I feel. My wolf is howling mournfully in my head as I rock back and forth, cradling the fragile bundle against my breast. She c
JaneGazing at my sons, who share their father’s bronze skin, dark hair and eyes, I assess. “It’s going to be difficult to keep our presence here a secret.” This is an understatement. My boys look so much like Ethan it’s actually laughable. We’re going to have to be very careful.“You said it.” My friend quips lightheartedly.Glancing at Linda out of the corner of my eye, I hedge, “Have you seen…?”“Yes.” Linda answers immediately, needing no explanation. “She’s perfect, Jane. Healthy and beautiful, your perfect miniature.”“And Ethan?” I ask, hating myself for asking.“Still with Eve.” Linda relates, “But he dotes on Paisley like she’s the sun, moon and all the stars. Whatever else has happened between you, he’s a wonderful father.”“Good.” I breathe, comforted to hear my other daughter is in such good hands, yet longing to see her with my own eyes. “You think he’ll give her up, when the time comes?”Linda’s face falls, “Jane, she’s his entire world. I don’t know what you’re planning
Jane“You’re lying!” The sales woman immediately argues. “Elise Carrington is one of the wealthiest women in the world. She would never set a foot outside in such drab clothes.”Glancing down at my jeans and fitted black top, I press my hand to my cheek in faux shock, “How strange!” I exclaim, “I was sure I’d worn my ball gown today. I always try to be as uncomfortable as possible when I fly.”The women’s faces scrunch up in confusion. Clearly they don’t understand sarcasm. “I was traveling today.” I drawl derisively, “I’m rich, not crazy.”“What you are, is a liar!” The indignant she-wolf accuses, turning towards her colleague with the phone. “Call security right now.”“As I said, I know what my perfumes smell like, and this is a fake - as is the one you’re wearing.” I add calmly"That's not possible!” She objects swiftly. “My boyfriend bought this for me last year, and he spent thousands of dollars." She eagerly called the security guard over, "Get this liar out of here!""Suit your
Riley doesn’t own a dress like that, and even if she did, she’s with Linda and her brothers across town. It can only mean one thing. Paisley. Paisley is every bit as perfect as I always imagined. Linda has helped me keep up with everything happening in my daughter’s life over the years, sending plenty of photos illustrating how much she’s grown, but nothing compares to seeing her in the flesh. I can scarcely believe this is real. Only, Paisley doesn’t look quite like she did in the last pictures I received. She’s pale and thin, her heart condition is clearly costing her dearly, sapping her strength and energy. My heart aches for my young daughter, and my pain deepens when Paisley gazes up at me with wide eyes, her plump lower lip quivering. “I can’t find my Daddy.” Kneeling down to her eye level, I graze my knuckles across her soft cheek. “Don’t worry, little one. We’ll find your Daddy.” My daughter leans forward and wraps her tiny arms around my neck without hesitation, hugging
Ethan All the air in my lungs leaves in a great whoosh. “What did you say?” Paisley looks up at me with wide, green eyes the exact shade of her mother’s. My daughter inherited my bronze skin and dark hair, but she’s Jane’s perfect miniature in every other way. Sometimes the resemblance is so great it actually hurts to look at her. Maybe that’s why I imagined she said she was with her Mommy. I was thinking about Jane, so I conjured the words in my head. Except when Paisley answers me, she repeats the same impossible phrase. “I met Mommy today. She found me and bought me pancakes. She shrugs innocently. “And then she gave me to Ms Linda to bring home.” Linda. I think, the name ringing a bell in the back of my mind. Wasn’t that the name of Jane’s maid of honor at our wedding? When I don’t answer, Paisley slides her hand into my pocket, retrieving my wallet. She flips the leather pouch open, pointing to the picture in the main photo slot. Jane’s beautiful face smiles up at us from the