Emory
The reception feels like it’s never going to end. Feeding so many people and having to mingle with them so we’re not rude takes a lot of time and effort. It’s my first time meeting a lot of the vampire royals so I try my best to make a good first impression. Most of them seem curious about me more than hostile.
The curious looks at Michael urges me to feel protective so I tell Nettie to retire him early to the nursery. Kane feels the same way I do as he has extra
guards watching over our son that night, We both know that even with the smiles and polite chatter that there are still people that wish our son harm. They can never accept the existence of a hybrid let alone one who is going to become a king someday.
We would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to Michael’s safety
Kane leads me around the dancefloor smoothly for our first dance. I had to endure months of dance lessons for this Kane has decades of experience and he puts it to show as we glide around the room. Dancing with him is li a dream.
“Why don’t you dance with me more?” ask
“You never ask,” he replies. “And we’re both usually too busy for dancing.
“Well, we should pencil in more dancing in the future. We can make thi
He smiles and agrees, “We’ll make the time.”
People join us for the second dance and Kane smoothly directs us to the balcony for some fresh air. The cool night air feels good on my skin. This grown them wearing is exquisite butt overly warm, I place my hands on the cool, martile of the balcony railing.
There’s a full moon tonight and I look up at it, thanking the Moon Goddess for her blessing. I’ve felt her watching over me through this tumultuous year I’ve done a lot of growing up this year Agirt to a woman. A woman to an
Alpha
And through it all, I found the love of my life. The father of my children. The other half of me
We started in the most unconventional of ways but we found each other even in the most unusual of places What I thought would be the end of my He was actually the start of it if I could go back in time and tell that scared twenty year old girl how her life is about to change, I don’t think I would have believed myself. And there are somedays I can’t believe everything that I’ve experienced and survived
The Quiet After
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Life is too vast and random to ever predict.
Kane’s hand wraps loosely around my waist. I rest my head on his shoulder.
I I breathe in his familiar masculine scent. I would never get sick of how he smells and what it invokes in me desire, love, and contentment.
“Willow and Rainer are having a girl,” Kane says.
“I know.”
Willow and Rainer have asked us to the godparents to their unborn daughter. I know the two are planning on eloping soon as neither of them want the pomp and circumstance of a big wedding. It suits those two. They’re not the type to want to do things conventionally.
“I was wondering if you’d want to have our own daughter someday.”
I raise my head to look at his face. He looks unsure. His blue eyes are filled with hope and affection. I forget just how handsome he is sometimes which shouldn’t be possible.
“Are you asking me if I want more kids?”
He nods and proposes, “It would be lonely for Mikey to grow up an only child. Even as annoying as Lex was, it was nice to have a brother.”
“I feel the same way about Coit but Mikey is still breast feeding. Having another kid with our packed schedules is going to take a lot of work and prioritizing.”
“We’ll have help.”
“We’ll need a whole village.”
“We have a whole castle,” he points out. “And you know it’d be nice if they were closer in age. I’d actually like to have more than two kids.”
“Hold your horses, buddy,” I assert. “Let’s just get Mikey talking and walking first and then we can discuss giving him a baby brother or sister.”
“Deal.”
The Quiet Atteri
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“Deal,” I agree, resting my head on his shoulder again. “Best deal I’ve ever made.”
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Mates on Parade
Emory
I make my way down the stairs, trying not to trip on the hem of the green gown I’m wearing. It’s sleeveless with flowers embroidered on the bodice. I feel quite pretty, and I’m a little bit disappointed my husband won’t be able. to see me. I’ve taken extra care with my appearance, curling my hair and styling it to one side with silver clips.
The staff are busy making last minute adjustments according to my mother’s orders. She’s the general, and the staff are her obedient soldiers. My mother is dressed in a simple dark blue gown with long sleeves. She looks elegant and serene, and she’s not letting the stress of the ball she’s been planning for weeks show.
“How’s it going, Mom?” I ask.
“Our guests will be arriving in half an hour, and no one has seen your brother,” she replies, checking her watch for the time. “He’s probably off in the woods, and he still needs to shower and put on his suit. He won’t have the time if he’s not back in this house in the next five minutes.”
“He can get ready in ten minutes.” I remind her. Ah, what would it be like to be a man and just not have to bother with make–up and styling my hair?
My mom purses her lips, her eyes narrowing in annoyance. “He’s doing this to punish me.”
“He’s not.”
“It’s because I’ve been pushing him to find his mate ever since his twenty- first birthday, and he’s going to skip out on the Ball so he’ll never meet his mate and be a bachelor for life.”
My mother has a habit of being more dramatic when she’s stressed. The weeks of party planning are finally getting to her. I put my hand on her shoulder gently, trying to comfort her. She lets out a deep breath.
“I’ll go find Coit,” I assure her. “And he’ll be here in time for the mating party.”
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“It’s the Moon Goddess Ball,” she corrects me.
“I know.”
The Moon Goddess Ball is an old tradition for wolf shifters going back centuries. It’s an event where all packs come together to celebrate the Moon Goddess. Its true purpose is to get all the young shifters in the same. room so they might find their mate. Marriages within different packs help with creating and maintaining alliances,
The event is meant to be held every few years, but due to the actions of my father, the previous Alpha of my pack, we haven’t been able to participate in the Ball for over twenty years. Bernard Moonraker attacking and trying to claim the territories of other Alphas hasn’t endeared him to anyone. I’ve had to work to gain the trust of the other packs these past few years. Finally, we’re not only invited to the Ball, but we’ve been chosen to host it this year which is the highest honor.
I make my way to the kitchen, swerving around the staff who are busy with the enormous amount of food to be served at the Ball. They look up when they see me come in, and I smile and wave them away, telling them to go back to work and not mind me. I don’t want to bother them when they’re so busy. I head to the backdoor leading to the woods.
The silver strappy heels I’m wearing dig into the grass, and I roll my green eyes before taking them off, holding them in one hand. My brother isn’t answering my mind–link messages, potentially because he doesn’t want to be found.
Coit’s scent is quite familiar to me, and I follow the trail of it in the air. I end up at the pond in the woods where we spent our childhood swimming during the summers. His clothes have been left on a nearby bush.
My brother floats in the water, his skin golden from being under the sun. His red hair looks like fire in the waning sunlight. He’s only wearing his boxers. Everyone is looking for him, and he’s out here having a leisurely swim.
“Hey, Cinderella!” I call out. “You’re going to be late for the Ball!”
Coit’s eyes open, and he lifts his head, squinting under the glare of the sun.
#
Mates on Parade
What time is it?”
1 look at the expensive watch on my wrist. It was a present from Kane for our third year wedding anniversary.
“You have less than twenty minutes to get dressed or our mother will disown you.”
“Moon Goddess be damned,” he yelps out, quickly swimming back to shore.
He grabs his clothes and shoes but doesn’t bother putting them on. “I thought I had an hour at least.”
“Maybe we should get you a watch,” I tell him, jokingly. “You’re always on the verge of running late.”
“I always make it on time.
“Barely.”
He gets out and grabs his clothes. We start walking briskly back to the house. Coit is dripping when we enter through the backdoor, gaining stares from the staff at his state of undress. My brother has never bothered with. modesty and would probably be a nudist if it wouldn’t embarrass our mother to death. Speaking of Mom, she nearly gasps when she sees Coit.
“Why are you wet?” she asks then shakes her head. “Never mind. Go upstairs and shower. You smell like you’ve been swimming in the pond.”
“I have been swimming in the pond.”
She takes in a calming breath and commands, “Go.”
Coit doesn’t need to be told twice, so he goes to the stairs to start getting ready. I’m slipping my heels back on as my mom turns to me.
“I truly hope he finds his mate tonight,” she says. “Let his wife take over worrying about him.”
I snort at the thought. “Like you’d ever stop worrying about us. You’re our mom. It’s kind of what you do.”
“Just wait till Mikey gets older and starts causing trouble! Then, you’ll see.
what I had to go through
The mention of my son makes my heart squeeze painfully. Mikey is three- years–old and back at Crimson Peak with his father. This has been the longest time I’ve been away from my son since he was born. Every few months, I’ve had to visit Moon Grove for matters I can’t handle remotely. With the Ball we’ve had to plan. I’ve been in Moon Grove for close to a month
now.
I already miss being able to hold Mikey in my arms and make him laugh. The thought of him growing up makes me want to cry. I know it’s impractical and impossible, but I want him to be small and cute forever. I’m not ready to even think about him being Coit’s age and finding a mate.
Thankfully, that’s still a long way off from now.
“Mikey is a darling. He won’t be anything like he’s Uncle Coit,” I declare.
My mother only smiles. “We’ll see.”
Coit
I hate wearing suits. I’ve always found them stifling, and ties feel like they’re trying to choke me. My mom and sister insist I look my best for this damn Ball so I put on the suit and tie and hope this event ends soon. I know what everyone is expecting to happen for me, and I am sick of it already.
Music plays in the background as I make my way down to the ballroom. Several guests have already arrived. I take a deep breath and go over to where my mother is standing next to Emory. Immediately, every Alpha in attendance begins to introduce their daughters, granddaughters, and nieces to me. They’re all presented to me like prized cattle–tall, short, slim, curvy. I try to be polite and smile.
Every time, we make eye contact, and I wait for that magical awakening inside me to tell me that she’s my mate–blue, green, brown, gray eyes–but nothing happens. The girl knows it too, and she looks disappointed. The Alphas can never hide how visibly disappointed they are too, and then they shuffle away to give space for the next candidate.
After nearly a dozen failed attempts, I beg for a break. Emory and I stand in the corner and drink wine as she tells me about her son. My nephew Mikey is an adorable little boy, and my sister misses him terribly. Emory has decided that her son is too young for a Ball so he couldn’t come with her.
“Why is Kane not with you?” I ask.
“We talked about it, but this Ball is for shifters. His presence tends to attract too much attention.”
That makes sense. Not everyone was thrilled when my sister married him. The animosity between our species has lessened over the last few years, but it’ll take time before we could be considered friendly. The Alphas have been tolerating Kane’s presence in Moon Grove, but they’ve made it clear that it’s Emory they trust and not him. What loyalty he can get from them is an extension of their loyalty to Emory.
“It’s not fair,” I point out. “Everyone gets to bring their mate except you.”
“Maybe I can bring him to the next one,” Emory says with a shrug. “Baby steps.”
If there’s anything I’ve learned helping my sister with her Alpha duties is that diplomacy is a delicate balance that requires a lot of careful finessing. When you’re dealing with powerful people that command armies, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Alpha Gerald’s booming laugh makes me turn to where he’s talking to a few people. I know he’s been mostly blessed with sons and grandsons, so he’s not going to be part of the parade of mating prospects. From the corner of my eye, I see a figure entering the room. A petite blonde in a pink dress makes her away across the room to where he stands.
The tall man lets out a delighted sound and pulls her into a bear hug.
“Em?” I cock my head towards the group. “Who’s that with Alpha Gerald?”
Emory looks over and replies, “Oh, that’s his granddaughter.”
“I thought he only had grandsons.”
+25 DON
“She’s the only girl. The youngest, I think.”
“Have you met her?”
“Not really, but I think Mom has mentioned her. She’s training to be a healer.‘
I’m looking around for my mom so I can ask more about what she knows. I don’t know why, but my curiosity is piqued. Emory stares at me
questioningly. Her green eyes search my face. “Coit, are you…?”
I don’t have the chance to answer her open–ended question as Alpha Gerald is coming over with the blonde’s arm tucked around his. His wife Constance is with them, and I can see the resemblance with the younger woman. They both have the same golden hair.
“Alpha Emory, Coit,” Alpha Gerard says, practically beaming with pride. “I present to you my granddaughter, Lydia. She’s studying to be a pack healer.” A pack healer–one of the most important members of the pack. Being a man, I can’t help but glance down at how that pink dress shows off her glorious cleavage. A future pack healer with great breasts.
Emory nudges me with her elbow. “It’s nice to meet you, Lydia. Right, Coit?”
I look up and finally look at her face. She has a beautiful heart–shaped face with big blue eyes, Full lips with a pronounced cupid’s bow made for kissing, and all that golden hair. She’s gorgeous, and my heart is practically beating out of my chest.
I stare into her blue eyes and realize they’re a shade between blue and gray. There’s no jolt of electricity. My sense of gravity doesn’t shift. It’s all rather anticlimactic compared to what I have been expecting, but something in me whispers, “This one. This is your mate.”
“Lydia,” I say her name as if I can somehow convey what I’m feeling in one word.
She smiles, having all the same realizations at me but handling it with more grace. “Coit.”
I nod, dumbly. “That’s me.”
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Lydia offers her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I lift her hand to my lips, unable to look away from her beautiful face. “Nice to meet you too.”
Emory snorts beside me. She’s never going to let me forget this. Alpha Gerald and his wife are smiling like they’ve won the lottery. I ignore them all.
“Do you want to go get some air?” I ask, already moving to guide her away from our audience.
“I would love some air.”
I haven’t let go of Lydia’s hand. I don’t really want to. Her touch feels right. I never want to let her go.
