Ch. 481..490

Chapter 481

It takes a little over two hours, but finally the last of the doctors leaves, the door clicking shut behind them.

“Finally,” Roger sighs, falling back into the linens of the freshly-changed bed.

“Now we just have to get our stupid family to leave and we’ll get some sleep – ” “Excuse me,” I say, glaring over at him. “If you think you’re tired -” “Fine fine,” he sighs, turning his head to grin at me. “You’re right. What can I get you, my love? Do you want anything?” The doctor officially gave me and Jesse a clean bill of health after I delivered the placenta and Jesse had his first feeding and full check- up. It was, of course, a relief to have everything turn out right and relatively easy -especially in comparison to Ella’s experiences – but now that they’re all gone?

Honestly, it all feels very real.

Like now I have to be a mom, and Roger has to be a dadall by ourselves.

“I don’t know,” I say, laughing a little and looking between Roger and our little baby. “Honestly, it’s all kind of weird, isn’t it? All of this fuss and then they just… leave you alone with a baby. To do what you will.” “I know,” he says, looking at me with wide eyes. “I’m glad you know what to do.

I’m totally lost.” “I don’t know what to do!” I protest, laughing and shaking my head.

“What!?” he breaths, sitting up sharply.

“I’m just a doctor, Roger!” I say, laughing harder now and feeling a little hysterical as well as exhausted. “People come to me pregnant, but then I send the babies home with them! I don’t know what to do with a kid – that’s Ella’s department.” “Well then,” he says, looking anxiously towards the door. “I take back my previous words. Ella has to stay – for like, ever.” “Or at least until this kid is six -” “Can we push to seven?” Roger asks, looking at me with real anxiety that just makes me laugh harder.

There’s a little knock on the door but suddenly Roger and I are laughing too hard to answer it. It cracks open anyway and Ella again peeks her head in.

“I thought I heard the hysteria of new parents,” she says, shaking her head at us and smiling as she comes into the room. “Are you totally freaking out?” “Full meltdown,” Roger says, wiping a tear of mirth from his eyes. “What are we supposed to like…do with him?” he asks, gesturing to the baby as Sinclair comes in after Ella, shutting the door and grinning at us. Rafe fusses, starting to blink awake in Sinclair’s arms.

“You’re suppose to love him,” Ella says, coming close and reaching for the baby, which I gladly hand off to her. ” And, you know. Keep him alive.” “Loving I can do,” Roger sighs as Ella folds her legs beneath her on the bed and Sinclair pulls a chair up to the bedside, completing our little group of six. “The rest… we’re going to need some help.” “It’s not so hard,” Sinclair says kindly, smiling down at Rafe who yawns and looks around at us sleepily, a little confused. “They sleep a lot their first couple of weeks. And then, after that, they find ways to tell you what they want.” “Maybe we should trade,” Roger says, looking dubiously between Rafe and Jesse. “Yours looks…sturdier.” Ella grins suddenly and looks at me like she’s considering the idea but I just laugh and shake my head. “You can’t take my baby, Ella,” I say, crossing my arms.

“Even if Roger is inept, I still like him.” “I didn’t say I didn’t like him,” Roger murmurs, sighing and leaning against me, happy.

Rafe lets out a surprised little screech all of a sudden and all of our eyes turn to him as his own gaze fastens on his cousin, his eyes going wide like he’s noticing him for the first time.

Which, I mean, he honestly probably is.

“Do you want to see the baby, Rafe?” Ella coos, leaning forward so that Rafe can meet Jesse face-to- face for the first time.

I smile in surprise and delight when my sweet nephew really does lean forward to see Jesse, his face very curious. Rafe lets out another little squeak, more demanding this time, and reaches out his hands towards the baby.

“Oh my god,” Sinclair murmurs, looking down at his son with a fascinated and pleased expression. “He really does want to go to him!” “This is Jesse,” Ella says, laughing a little as she beams at her own baby. ” He’s your new cousin! And I think you’re going to be best friends.” “They’d better be,” Roger murmurs.” Because they’re going to be together a lot.

It’s going to be very inconvenient if they don’t like each other.” “Oh,” I scold, giving him a light smack on the chest. “They will. Besides, shut up, I want to watch this…” And the two of us lean forward as Sinclair sits Rafe on the bed, letting him lean forward and continue to reach for the baby.

“Lay them down,” Ella says softly, her voice a little awed, “next to each other -” “What?” Sinclair asks.

“Please,” Ella says, almost beyond herself, as if she’s speaking from instinct.

“Let’s just…try it…” Sinclair looks at me and Roger and I just shrug, fine with it if Ella is. I don’t see Roger’s response, but I don’t hear a protest, so I assume it’s okay.

And so Sinclair gently flips Rafe on his back and lays him out on the blankets, and Ella very gently, very tentatively places Jesse next to him, close enough for Rafe to touch.

To my shock, the usually rambunctious Rafe stays very, very still for a moment as he stares at his cousin. And then he begins to turn, and almost gently reaches for Jesse – And the moment they touch, when Rafe’s fingers brush against Jesse’s cheek, and Jesse’s little eyes flutter open – All four of us parents take a sharp intake of breath.

Because we all feel it – each and every one of us.

We look around at each other for a spilt second and then all of our eyes dart back to our kids, who are still touching, just barely, skin to skin.

Rafe babbles a little, saying hello to his new cousin, who just sighs and closes his eyes again.

“Oh…oh my god…” Ella says, her hands going to her mouth for a split second before she reaches down and gathers Jesse back up into her arms. ” Did you guys…” “Um, yeah,” Roger says, and I turn my head to see him staring wide-eyed at Ella.

“Yeah, I think it’s fair to say we all felt that.” “What was it?” I breathe, fascinated and confused but…not at all scared.

“It’s a bond,” Sinclair murmurs, pulling a now-giggling Rafe into his lap and stroking his broad hand over his son’s hair as he looks around at the rest of us.

“Can’t you all feel it?” Each of us, I think, shifts our minds inwards to that place in our hearts or our minds or our souls where our wolves live, where we access our bonds. And Dominic is right – it’s not a bond with me, not really. But the bond between me and Jesse, which shines rich and bright between us? There’s… something new there, another bond that I can sense beyond it. I can’t reach it, or touch it… But I know it’s there.

“Oh…weird,” Roger murmurs, his eyes bright now as he smiles at his brother.

“Our kids have a bond? Do…do we have a bond?” “Uhm, only the bonds of brotherhood that we forged sharing a bedroom for ten years,” Sinclair says, shooting Roger a little glare. “I mean, siblings are bonded through their parents, of course, but a bond like this? And between cousins?” He shakes his head.

“I mean,” Ella says, giving a smug little shrug. “We knew they were special.” “Just because you like them doesn’t mean they’re special,” I say, rolling my eyes at my sister and reaching out for my baby. Ella laughs and leans over to pass Jesse back to me. I smile when he’s back in my arms, dropping a kiss to his perfect, tiny little cheek.

“I like them and they’re special. What do you think it means?” We all look to Sinclair, who just gives a little shrug. “I have no idea,” he says, “why should I know?” “Because you’re the one who figured it out,” Roger says, laughing a little.

“Well,” Sinclair says on a sigh. ” That’s all I’ve got. Maybe it has something to do with being grandchildren of the goddess. Or…their gifts, or something. I have no idea.” “I wonder if any future kids will be likewise bonded,” I murmur, smiling a little as I think of that possibility. Because, honestly, even though I’m bone tired…I’m already starting to forget some of the miseries of pregnancy.

I know that I’ve only been a mom for a couple of hours now but…I already really love it. I’m starting to understand Ella’s mania for more, honestly. I smile down at my baby, thinking that if he’s this great already… Well, then I probably want like…five more. Maybe not anytime soon…I want to enjoy this one first. But yeah. Quite suddenly, I definitely want more.

“Only one way to find out,” Sinclair says, and I don’t miss the way that he smiles at Ella. I grin privately to myself, but my smile quickly turns into a yawn.

 

Chapter 482

I see a yawn stretch over Cora’s face and immediately start to get to my feet. “You’re exhausted,” I say, “we’ll let you get some rest – ”

“No,” Roger says, suddenly a little frantic again. “You guy can’t leave what if – what if the baby cries and Cora sleeps through it – I have no idea what to do ”

I laugh at my brother-in-law and shake my head at him. “We’re not going far, Roger,” I say, pressing myself to Sinclair’s side as he, too, stands up. “We’re going to sleep across the hall after we make sure Henry gets home safe. You’ll be able to shout if you need anything.”

“Oh, thank god,” Roger murmurs, slumping back against the pillows and putting a weary hand over his face.

“So dramatic,” Cora says, rolling her eyes but laughing anyway. I grin at my sister and then move to her side, pressing a kiss to her cheek and blowing one to the sleeping Jesse, my new perfect nephew.

“You guys sleep tight, all right?” I say. “And really – we’re here if you need us. Or even if you want us to take the baby in the rolling bassinet – he can sleep in our room – ”

“We’ll be fine, Ella,” Cora says, rolling her eyes at me now.

“They do this all the time in hospitals, take the baby to the nursery so the mom can get some sleep! I could

“Stop trying to steal my baby,” she laughs, flapping a hand at me, “just because you miss having a newborn.”

“I do,” I sigh, again clutching my hands beneath my chin. “They’re so cute and tiny then…”

“Come and take your meatball, Ella,” Sinclair says on a laugh, holding out my perfect little Rafe to me. And I laugh too, taking Rafe in my arms and holding him tight against my chest.

“You’re perfect too, Rafe,” I say, kissing his head, “no matter how big you get.”

And then Sinclair and I call our soft goodnights over our shoulder and close the door behind us as we pass out of the room, letting my sister and her mate have a peaceful night alone with their new baby.

As soon as we’re alone in the hall, I fall back against the wall with an excited little sigh.

“What is it this time,” Sinclair says, stopping and grinning at me as I hold Rafe close to my chest.

“I’m just so excited,” I say, smiling up at him. “I get to do that again in what, six months!? I love the newborn stage! I love the first night, when you can’t sleep because you can’t bear to close your eyes and stop looking at them! I’m so excited. I’m not going to be able to sleep.”

“You really were born to be a mom, trouble,” my sweetheart mate says, stepping forward and running his hand over my hair. I grin up at him, nodding fervently. “Luckily,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me. “I do not at all mind the process of knocking you up. Not one bit.”

“Dominic!” I gasp, swatting at him a little and covering one of Rafe’s ear with my spare hand. “Not in front of the baby!”

“Ella,” Sinclair says, laughing at me as I start down the hall. “We have sex in front of the baby all the time – ”

“Yes, but that’s natural,” I say, laughing and throwing a haughty look at my mate over my shoulder, pretending to be more bothered than I am as I open the door to the guest room. “Baby Rafe doesn’t need to hear all of your lewd innuendos about what it is you enjoy.”

“It wasn’t even an inuendo,” Sinclair murmurs, stepping close to me in the dark of the room and pulling me to him, a little more roughly than he needs to, just the way I like it.

“Well, mind your manners,” I murmur, my voice low and throaty. ” Because we have competition now for best Sinclair parents. And I am not losing to those two idiots in there.”

“Not a chance,” my mate says, laughing his dark little laugh. “We’ve got them beat hands down.”

“I know, right?” I say, wrinkling my nose at him. And my mate kisses me swiftly before giving me a swat on the rump.

“You get the baby ready for bed, I’ll make sure dad gets home?” He asks, heading for the door.

“You got it,” I say, giving him a quick thumbs up and a wink. Sinclair nods to me, smiling, and heads out the door, leaving me in the dark with the baby.

“Well, Rafey,” I say, laughing as I swing the baby up over my head, making him give a a new cousin today, and a new bond! What do you think?”

Rafe burbles happily as if in reply and I smile at him as I carry him over to the little changing table I set up a few hours ago, starting to get him ready for bed.

“I’m very happy for you, Rafe,” I say sternly as I change his diaper and start to put his pajamas on. “But if you like your new cousin more than your new little sister, just because you have some weird kind of bond?” I look at him for a long moment, shaking my head. “If that happens, we’re going to have big problems. Okay?”

Rafe just grins at me, babbling as I pull up his tiny zipper.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I say, smiling as I pull him up into my arms. “And I’m holding you to it, even though you don’t even really speak English yet.”

When Sinclair comes back into the room about half an hour later, Rafe and I are cozily settled on the bed, each of us warmly wrapped up as he plays with some of his soft blocks and I lay quietly by his side, talking to him and giving him a cuddle whenever he looks for it. But I grin when my mate shuts the door behind him, smiling at us.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” he says, starting to pull off his blazer as he comes to the bed.

“Please do,” I say, sitting up a little. ” We missed you.”

My mate comes immediately to bed, pulling off his shoes and slipping into the bed fully dressed so he can be with his little family sooner. I smile when I see his eagerness, knowing he feels precisely the way that I feel: that this is our happy place, when we’re all cozy together with no great pressures or problems weighing on us.

“Are you sleepy?” he asks. “Hungry?”

“Both,” I say, giving a little shrug. ” But, we should wait until Rafe falls asleep to attend to either.”

Sinclair nods, glancing at his son before opening his arm to me, inviting me in. I accept immediately, scooting over so that I’m curled up by my mate’s side, a thrill running through me at the warmth and closeness of him.

“I’d love you anyway,” I say quietly, ” but I have to say, I really love that you’re basically a furnace of body heat that always keeps me warm.”

Sinclair laughs with both pleasure and surprise when I say this. “Glad I can be of service,” he murmurs, dropping a kiss to my cheek and pressing closer. ” What made you think of that?”

“Don’t you feel it?” I ask, turning to look at him. “It got so cold suddenly. I don’t know what happened.”

“I guess I didn’t,” he murmurs, “but, apparently I’m a furnace, so maybe it makes sense that I -”

But suddenly he stops, his jaw falling open a bit as his gaze falls on the window.

“What?” I ask, but I don’t tense because the feeling he passes down the bond is joy and wonder. Eager, I turn, trying to see what he sees

And suddenly, my eyes light on the window to. “Oh my god,” I say, my voice a little breathless. “It’s – it’s snowing

Huge, gorgeous flakes of pure white snow drift slowly down from the sky, dancing gracefully across the window pane.

I watch them for a long, fascinated moment before I frown a little. “Isn’t it …isn’t it way too early for snow?” I ask, confused.

“Well,” Sinclair says, laughing a little. “When your mom is a demigoddess who controls the weather, probably not.”

“Ohhh,” I say, finally getting it. “Oh, that is so special,” I murmur, pressing a hand to my heart, “what a wonderful way to welcome your baby to the world

“Welcome, baby Jesse,” Sinclair sighs, pulling me close against him and smiling at me as we watch the snow. Rafe crawls over to us and puts up his arms so that I will pull him into my lap, a request which I happily oblige.

“And welcome Princess Babygirl,” I murmur, smiling and laughing a little at the ridiculous placeholder of a name. Sinclair laughs along with me. “Cora doesn’t know it yet, but this is for you too. We love you so much already.”

I sigh, feeling the warmth of my mate behind me, and my sweet baby in my lap, and the new bond with my little girl growing within me -And I close my eyes, feeling totally, completely blessed.

 

Chapter 483

“What do you mean I made it snow?” Cora frowns at me as she bustles around the kitchen, making mimosas. ” That’s ridiculous – you must have imagined it.”

“It totally snowed!” I protest, laughing and shaking my head at her, turning to Sinclair at the table for support.

“It did,” he says, raising his eyebrows at Cora even as he hands Rafe another slice of apple. “”The news is completely baffled by the sudden cold-snap that immediately disappeared by morning. They’re calling it the duke’s miracle.”

“What!?” Cora gasps, spinning to stare at Sinclair wide-eyed.

“That’s so cool,” Roger says, grinning at baby Jesse in his arms, who peers up at his dad with sleepy eyes.” Mom’s magic, Jesse,” he whispers. ” It’s very cool.”

“You guys are just teasing me,” Cora sighs, leaning against the counter as I turn the knob on the stove, cutting off the fire beneath the pan of eggs, sausage, and bacon that I’ve finished frying up.

“Dominic is dead serious,” I say, nodding to Cora eagerly with raised eyebrows. “Seriously, word got to the media that the nation’s beloved duchess had her baby and that night it snowed unseasonably early – people are freaking out.” I laugh a little as I starting to portion our breakfast out onto plates.

“Oh my god,” Cora says, covering her face with her hands. “I didn’t even mean to do that – do you really think it was me?”

“You tend to affect the weather when you’re emotional,” Roger says, grinning at his magical mate with a happy shrug. “I think it makes a lot of sense.”

“Oh, that’s so weird,” Cora says with a sigh, shaking her head at Roger and then at me. “People are going to start figuring out what we can do, Ella,” she says. “We’re going to need to have some sort of story.”

“I think my secrets kind of already out,” I say, giving a little grimace. ”

And why do we have to tell anyone anything? Just let the rumors fly – it’s not anyone’s business but ours.”

“Yeah,” Cora says, rolling her eyes at me before turning back to her previous task of adding the world’s tiniest amount of orange juice to nearly-full glasses of champagne. “Until they burn us at the stake for being witches or something.”

“We won’t let them do that,” Sinclair murmurs, smirking a little as he focuses his attention on Rafe’s breakfast.

“Plus,” Roger says, shrugging at Cora as if it’s inconsequential, “it’s not like it will work. You can just rain on the fires, Cora.”

I burst out laughing at this and Cora, despite herself, laughs too.

“Well, whatever,” she sighs, carrying a mimosa over to Roger and Sinclair first, who murmur their thanks. “I guess you’re right and it doesn’t really matter at least not until our children develop some weird gifts that end up being dangerous or something. Or make them social pariahs.”

She returns to the counter, handing me a glass of mimosa and taking one for herself, raising it to all of us in a toast. The rest of us raise our glasses as well, toasting baby Jesse and then drinking deeply

Well, they drink deeply. I fake mine, just letting the bubbles of the champagne press against my lips before putting the drink down on the counter, neatly tucked away where Cora can’t see it.

Because as much as I would usually love to toast my nephew’s birth with a festive breakfast beverage…

Well, my reasons for not drinking are so much better. Still, it’s Cora’s day, and I don’t want to steal her thunder just yet. Not that I think she’d mind, just…one happy announcement at a time.

“How did he sleep?” I ask, raising my chin towards Jesse.

“Fitfully,” Cora says, crossing her arms and frowning over at him. “But that’s normal, right?”

I nod, smiling at her a little. “He’ll find his patterns soon, don’t worry. How did you sleep?”

“About the same,” she says, giving me a little smile. “I kept waking up every time he like…moved.”

I grin at her, remembering that habit in the early days of a new baby. “You’ll get used to it too.”

“Well, some people,” Cora says, laughing already and glancing over at Roger, “are already used to it.”

“You cannot begrudge me my sleep, Cora,” Roger says, looking at her completely unashamed of himself. “It is self-care. I will not apologize for it.”

“You have a baby to care for now,” she throws at him, though she smiles. I grin, truly appreciating their teasing relationship. “You need to be a little more self-less.”

“I will care for the baby during the day,” Roger says, gesturing to the baby cradled in his arm. “At night, he’s your son.”

We all laugh again, mostly because we know he’s not serious. Roger, like Sinclair, will certainly do his share of childcare without complaint, day or night. He’ll just tease Cora about it more, mostly because he knows that it makes her laugh.

“How can you take care of the baby all day,” Sinclair asks, turning mischievous eyes on his brother, ”

while you run the military from the palace?”

“I’ll bring him with me,” Roger says, grinning down at Jesse like it’s obvious. “Never too early to get the boy used to a war room.”

I grin, picturing Roger in his admiral’s uniform with a baby asleep on his shoulder, a little barf dribbling down his back. And honestly, I don’t mind it as much as I probably should. These Sinclair dads – I don’t think they’re going to have any hesitation about incorporating their children into the day-to-day activities of their lives.

As I consider it, though, my hand passively drifts over my stomach, because I wonder quietly if the same will be true when there’s a girl in the picture. Would Roger have said the same thing – that it’s never too early for the child to get used to a war room if Jesse had been a girl and not a boy?

I sigh a little, hoping that it’s not true. Because this little girl – she’s going to grow up with two big Alpha boys who are barely a year older than her, and I’m damn well going to have a word with them if they try to cut her out of their activities just because she’s a girl.

You all right? Sinclair says, passing the words discreetly into my mind but keeping the breakfast plates that I forgot about in my musings.

Yes, I say, letting him see my light worry but also letting him know that it’s not about anything big. Just…mom thoughts.

He nods to me, giving me a little smile as I take my seat next to him.

Our breakfast is lovely, but it goes far too fast. Sooner than I’d like, Sinclair puts a hand on my knee and looks at me with a sad expression, silently letting me know that we really have to get back to the

palace. He’s a King after all and while our family comes first and we’ll always make time for them, we do have responsibilities.

“Oh no,” Cora says, pouting as she looks between us. “So soon?”

“I’m sorry,” I say with a sigh. “I mean, if you’d just take me up on my offer to move into the palace while Jesse is a baby

But she just laughs and waves a hand at me as she gets up and clears our plates, dumping them in the sink. “Not a chance – you just gave us this house, we’re not moving again just to have a free nanny.”

“A free auntie,” I say, getting up and moving around the table to say goodbye to Roger and Jesse. “Which is much better. Bye baby Jesse! See you soon!” I leaning down to kiss my baby nephew while Roger holds him safe in his arms.

“Ella,” Cora says, frowning as she holds up my undrunk mimosa, which she has found still sitting by the sink. ”

Why didn’t you drink this?”

At the same moment, just as I’m standing up straight, Roger suddenly grabs my wrist, his eyes flaring wide as he looks up at me. “Wait a second…” he says, his voice suspicious.

I go still, my eyes flicking to Cora, who looks at me in confusion, and then to Sinclair, who starts to grin at me a little bit, shaking his head as he stands with Rafe in his arms.

“Ella,” Roger says, slowly turning my wrist over and giving it a long sniff. ” Oh my god!” he gasps, staring up at me in sudden delight. “You are! You totally are! How did I miss this!?”

“Miss what?” Cora asks, her eyes flicking around at us.

“You were distracted,” Sinclair says, laughing and shrugging.

“Miss what!?” Cora demands again, standing up straight. But then her eyes go wide as she looks at the undrunk mimosa in her hand. “Oh my god!” she gasps.

“Well,” I say, turning to grin at my mate. “Secret’s out now, isn’t it?”

 

Chapter 484

It takes us longer than I know Sinclair would prefer to get out of Roger and Cora’s house that morning, mostly because Cora spent so much time freaking out, hugging me, and scolding me for not telling her immediately. But in the end they let us go, Cora wiping her eyes and Roger giving us a big smile, baby Jesse asleep in his arms.

I hold Sinclair’s hand the whole ride home, squeezing it, so happy and excited. We’re just so blessed right now, and I’m doing everything I can to bask in that glow. My mate, my baby boy, my baby girl on the way?

What more could I ask for?

When we get back into the palace, Sinclair walks me back to our suite of rooms, though I can tell his mind is already on other things.

“You can go,” I say, balancing my little meatball Rafe against my elbow while I give Sinclair a little shove on the shoulder. “You don’t have to walk me back into the rooms – I’m already inside our house!”

“Indulge me, Ella,” he says, giving me a little glancing smile as he pushes open our door and holds it open for me. “I can feel my instincts kicking in already – I’m not going to want to leave your side for the next six months.”

“Oh sure,” I say, rolling my eyes at him and carrying the baby over to his changing station. “Like overprotective pregnancy Alpha is so different from overprotective new dad Alpha.”

“It is different,” he says, smirking at me as he leans against the wall, watching me make quick work of Rafe’s dirty diaper, our little baby happily babbling as I do. “Or at least, it feels different to me.”

“Well, whatever keeps you eagerly at my side,” I say, smiling at him with a wink.

“What about you?” he asks, raising his chin towards me. “Are you feeling any different yet? I feel almost bad, honestly – you barely got finished breastfeeding. You didn’t even get to do any of the fun non-pregnant things, like shots of tequila. Or a whole lot of sushi.”

“That’s okay,” I say with a sigh, snapping Rafe’s onesie shut and lifting him back up into my arms, where he squeals and reaches for me, grabbing fistfuls of my hair. “I’ll just take a raincheck on those,” I say, stepping close to my mate and letting him wrap me in my arms. “After this next one is born and ready for solid foods, you owe me two children’s worth of debauchery.”

“Done,” he says, smirking and cupping my face in his hands, planting a little kiss on my mouth. “Except, knowing you, you’ll probably be planning baby 3.”

“We’ll see,” I say, giving a happy little sigh. “But do you know? There is one thing that I’m particularly excited about.”

“What is it?” he asks, genuinely curious.

I break into a broad smile and turn towards the bed, striding to it as Rafe gives an excited little giggle. “The re- establishment of the nest!” I say, throwing one hand in the air. Sinclair bursts into laughter as I start tugging at the blankets, arranging them into a comfortable circle that looks incredibly cozy. Honestly, I want to climb in right now.

“This is going to be the second version of the nest,” Sinclair comments, and I can tell by his happy tone that he’s pleased. “Next 2.0. Are you planning innovations? Improvements?”

“Well, it’s a Queen’s nest now,” I say, sinking happily down onto my bed, taking Rafe with me. “And it has to accommodate a Prince as well as a growing Princess,” I say, grinning at my son. “So yeah, I’m going to need some funds,” I continue with a sigh, looking seriously up at my mate. “Like, five to ten thousand dollars?”

“For pillows?” he protests, laughing.

“Oh no,” I say, grinning. “That’s just the blanket budget, and the snacks. The pillows are going to be extra.”

He shakes his head at me, still laughing, but comes over and again takes my face in his hands. “Whatever you want,” he says, smiling.

“Exactly what I like to hear. Do you have to go?” I ask, a little mournful. I mean, I just made this nest, and it does look so cozy…

“Yes,” he murmurs, leaning down to press another kiss to my mouth. “But I’ll be back to help you christen the nest later.” He sighs and steps away, handing me a tablet off the bedside table. “Order whatever you want, but please, Ella, try not to bankrupt us.”

“No promises!” I sing, leaning back against the pillows and settling Rafe in next to me as Sinclair laughs and heads for the door. “Come on, baby,” I sigh as I start to click through the tablet, Rafe starting to crawl around in the blankets next to me. “Let’s start by ordering you and Sissy some matching outfits…we’ll get some for baby Jesse too…”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates…

Two Weeks Later

“Cora!” I call into our little closet. “Is he ready!? Let’s go!”

“It’s my party, Ella!” Cora calls back, though I can hear her laughter.

“I knowww,” I whine, a tuxedoed Rafe sitting calmly on my hip. He also looking curiously towards the closet where Cora and getting Jesse dressed in his own little tuxedo. Jesse’s two weeks old now, and

just the cutest baby in the world – Rafe excepted, of course – and I can’t wait to see how he looks in the matching tuxedo I got him.

“You know it’s ridiculous, Ella,” Cora says, coming out of the closet finally with her happy little boy, who is all smiles pretty much all the time. I squeal when I see him, just barely able to hold his little bald head up. “He’s just going to barf all over it, plus he’s only going to wear it for an hour! He has to be naked when you present him to mom.”

“It will be the most elegant barf!” I laugh, hurrying close and tickling Jesse’s fancy little belly. “And I don’t care if he wears it for an hour or a minute, it was too cute to resist.” I laugh, completely undone by the sight of Cora’s and Jesse, all dressed up. Rafe babbles happily and reaches forward, trying to touch Jesse, which he always does. I grin when I see it, as I always do these little boys, they really do have a bond already. Rafe gets so excited whenever Jesse comes into a room.

Jesse, even though I don’t think he really understands what’s going on, smiles when he hears Rafe and gives a happy laugh.

“Your guests are gathered,” Roger calls from the door to the living room, raising an eyebrow in our direction. ” Are you going to come out here, or just hide in here with the kids all night?”

“We’re coming,” Cora calls, rolling her eyes at him and pretending to be exasperated even though I know she’s not. “Sorry you had to entertain guests for like, ten seconds alone, Roger.”

“It was absolute torture,” he says, crossing the room to us, a half-drunk glass of champagne in his hand. “Why do you think I came in here? I missed my buddies.”

Rafe gurgles and waves to Roger, which makes me burst into a happy, proud smile. He hasn’t said any words yet, but he’s getting there.

“Ohhh, you’re looking very dapper,” Roger says, bending down to peer at his son. “The Goddess will be very impressed, I’m sure.”

“How could she not be,” Cora says, smoothing down the very little bit of hair that Jesse has on his head. “He’s very perfect.”

“Yes, he is,” I say, laughing a little as Roger slips an arm around Cora’s waist and we together head for the door. ” And very excited for his baptism, I know.”

“We all are,” Cora says, grinning at me. And in this moment I know she’s remembering Rafe’s baptism, and her own experiences there.

But this time? It’s my turn. Because I’m the godmother, and I’m the one who gets treated to a little insight into baby Jesse’s future world.

And I absolutely can’t wait to see what’s in store for him.

 

Chapter 485

A few hours later our entire party is gathered in the forest close to midnight, sipping champagne and mingling quietly as we wait for the hour to be right for Jesse’s baptism. We have a priestess here as well, of course, though this one is much more thoroughly vetted than the last.

I’m in incredibly good spirits as I look around at our party of loved-ones, truly enjoying my night, but when my eyes fall on Cora I see that she’s gnawing her lip a bit with anxiety.

“Oh, Cors,” I sigh, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder. I glance over at where Roger is standing a few feet away next to Henry with the baby in his arms, both of them talking with Sinclair, who has a sleeping Rafe held tight against his shoulder. “It will be all right!”

“I know it will,” she sighs, twisting her hands together and speaking softly to me. “And that even if it’s not, it’s not like I can change anything, you know?”

“I know,” I say, remembering how anxious I was at Rafe’s baptism. “But mom she can’t have anything really bad in store for him. It’s going to be all good things!”

“Oh, come on, Ella,” Cora says, shooting me a little glare. “It’s not like mom gave us the easy road just because we’re her daughters. We grew up in an orphanage. We had dark priests stalking us our whole lives.”

“But we had each other!”

“I just want my baby to have a good life,” she sighs, looking anxiously up at the sky, almost as if she can bully our mom into giving her baby a blessing if she glares at the moon enough. “It tortures me to think that he’s going to have to go through…half of what we did.”

“He’s going to have ups and downs, like the rest of us,” I say, wrapping my arms around my sister. “You can’t spare him from that.”

“Yes, I can,” she growls. “I’ll just… lock him in a very comfortable little basement. Very safe, very cozy.”

I laugh and shake my head at her. ” Your baby is going to have a big life, Cora,” I say, giving her a squeeze.

“Yeah well, we’ll see how cheerful you are six months from now,” she says, reaching out to trail a little finger down my baby bump. I grin as I look down at it, tapping on my little bond with babygirl to say hello. But she’s sleeping or something at the moment and doesn’t reply, which is fine. I’m distracted anyway, and I like to give her my full attention when she nudges the bond.

“I know,” I sigh, happy but knowing that Cora’s right. “I’ll be a mess then, I’m sure.”

My pregnancy thus far has gone really well. In many ways it’s not that different from my first two weeks with Rafe, except with significantly less drama in my personal life. And while I treasured every single moment I was pregnant with Rafe, this pregnancy? Well, it’s kind of been a dream – the kind of pregnancy I used to fantasize about. Safe, comfortable, sharing the experience with my little family?

I’m so grateful to have gotten here.

But still, tonight is about Jesse – and as much as I could gush about my pregnancy for days, I want to focus on him.

“The hour grows close!” the priestess calls an old woman this time, dressed in the silvery-white robes of the goddess. She gives us a warm, motherly smile and holds out her hands.

“Go time,” I say, slipping my arm to Cora’s waist and walking forward with her. Our mates meet us there in front of the goddess, and Henry draws close as well. Our guests gather around, everyone quieting

now so they can hear the words.

Cora reaches to take Jesse from Roger’s arms and Roger hands him over readily. I dip my head and give Rafe a little kiss on his sleeping cheek before Sinclair hands our baby over to Henry for safekeeping while we’re in the forest.

“I’ll keep him warm and safe,” Henry says, giving us a wink. “Enjoy yourselves.”

“We will,” Sinclair assures him, running a hand over Rafe’s dark head before turning back to the priestess.

“I can’t believe you’re going to take my little baby into the forest without me,” Cora whispers, her voice breaking a little. “I haven’t been away from him in…ever…”

“It’ll be fifteen minutes,” I say, laughing and touching my sister gently on the cheek, even though I remember precisely what she’s feeling. I feel emotion stirring in me as well, the product of the special day combined with my memories, combined with my love for our growing little family.

I take a deep breath and sniff, turning towards the priestess.

“You can’t start crying already,” Sinclair murmurs, his hand warm on my back.

“I can do whatever I want,” I mumble back, laughing a little. “I’m a Queen.”

He laughs with me, but we turn our attention to the priestess, who reaches out her arms for Jesse. Cora gives a half -hearted little sigh, but passes him over, making many of our gathered friends laugh a little in understanding.

The priestess smiles down at the wide- awake little Jesse, who looks like he peers back at her curiously, seeming to understand, somehow, that it’s an important day.

“Who presents this child for dedication?” the priestess says, smiling at the four of us.

“We do,” Roger replies, his voice steady and more serious than it usually is. “His mother and I.”

The priestess nods, and I smile, recognizing the words and the process from Rafe’s ceremony. “And who will carry him to meet the Goddess?”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates…

“We will,” Sinclair answers, nodding down at me. “Ella and Dominic Sinclair, his godparents.”

The priestess smiles at us and bids us to take the baby, giving us instructions that are more ceremonial than anything else. After all, Sinclair and I know what to do, even if we haven’t done it before. Together we step forward, and Sinclair takes baby Jesse in his arms. I loop my arm through his elbow, take one last look over my shoulder at Cora, and then together my mate and I carry our nephew into the darkness of the forest.

We walk for what feels like…too long.

“Is it supposed to be this far?” I ask, peering into the darkness for the pool that’s supposed to appear ahead.

“I don’t know,” Sinclair says, his voice perfectly calm. “It’s a magical forest, Ella. Maybe it takes everyone a different amount of time to get to the pool.”

“What!?” I hiss, looking around suddenly. “I thought it was just…the woods!”

He laughs, giving me a glance before turning his eyes back to Jesse, shifting the baby in his arms so that he can look around. “Look how interested Jesse is,” he laughs. “Maybe it’s taking a while because

Jesse’s having a good time. Maybe he wants it to take longer.”

“Well, hurry it up, little baby,” I say, giving Jesse a little poke in the belly that makes him smile. “Auntie’s wearing heels, and her feet hurt in this rough terrain.” Jesse’s just wrapped in a little swaddling blanket now, but Sinclair is right – he’s very cheerful and interested, though I don’t think his eyes can actually see much.

Almost as if on cue, a light suddenly appears ahead of us in the forest pretty silver haze. a

“Looks like it worked,” Sinclair murmurs, reaching out to take my hand. I press my palm to his, giving it a squeeze.

“Good job, baby,” I say, smiling and Jesse. And then the three of us together move forward, ready to introduce him to his grandmother and get a little hint about his fate.

 

Chapter 486

The Goddess’ Light Ella The pool we approach is wide and expansive – more of a large pond, or even a lake, really, shining below the open sky. I tilt my head curiously at I look at it, remembering Cora describing the pool as small and well tucked away in the forest. This one… Well. Maybe it’s different every time, for every child, every pair of godparents. I look up at the moon and smile, thinking fondly of my mother and all the blessings she’s given us. And also how she can sometimes be…a little bit tricky.

“Ready?” Sinclair murmurs.

“Almost,” I quip, stepping close to him and lifting myself up on my toes, tilting my chin up for a kiss. He smiles and bends his head, pressing his mouth briefly to mine.

“Ready now,” I say, grinning at him.

Sinclair takes a moment to look at me in the moonlight, running a hand over the length of my lose hair, and then we step forward to the edge of the pool.

“Goddess,” he murmurs, not bothering to raise his voice – he knows she can hear him. “We bring to you, tonight, this child our nephew Jesse. So that he may begin to know you.” “We wish to show him your light,” I say, repeating the words that Henry taught me as part of the ritual, a little shiver running down my spine as I do. ” And in doing so, let you see him and bring him into the spirit of your grace.” I smile as the light reflecting off the pool grows brighter, insubstantially at first but bolder as the moments pass. Mom – she’s here, and she’s ready to meet Jesse.

“Here you go, baby,” Sinclair murmurs, holding Jesse out so that I can reach over and quickly untuck his swaddling. Then, with the baby safe in my mate’s broad hands, Sinclair and I step forward to hold Jesse out over the pool, basking in the light of the moon.

I smile as I look down at Jesse, as the moonlight pools over him. He kicks his little feet and fusses for a moment, frowning a bit up at the sky before giving a little laugh. I can’t keep myself from laughing a

little bit too, smiling down at my spunky little nephew, loving him so much already.

“He is called Jesse Sinclair,” my mate says, his voice a little choked. I glance up to see him gazing at the baby too, his first nephew, the child of his brother and best friend. “His parents, Cora and Roger, have asked us to bring him here to dedicate him to you. We do so in their name.” I grin, tucking myself close to my mate’s side, a thrill running through me. How many babies have been dedicated to the Goddess with these words, been welcomed into wolf culture? How many more will we, my little family, get to bring into the fold?

But there’s no time to ponder these questions, because as I gaze at the baby something begins to stir in the air beyond him.

“Oh,” I breathe, my eyes going wide. And then I take a deep breath, and am swept away in the vision that my mother gives us, the hint of the fate that she’s built for him.

My heart seizes as the first images fly by – a happy childhood, a handsome little boy, full of laughter and pranks. And by his side at almost every moment is another little boy – dark haired, always a little taller, always laughing and shouting at his cousin’s side. Rafe – Rafe! Happy, and healthy, and Jesse’s best friend, as I always dreamed they’d be.

The urge grows in me to reach out and seize each of the moments as they fly past a camping trip, gathered around the fire with Roger and Sinclair, slightly older but so happy – a birthday party with Jesse’s face brightly lit by eight candles I want to grab each moment of the vision, to study them each independently, to get the details in full But tears slip down my cheeks as I give in to the experience, knowing that this – like life – will fly by, and if I spend my time trying to hold onto the pieces I’ll miss it completely.

And so I watch, and my joy deepens when I start to realize that next to Jesse and Rafe, in every vision as they grow older, there’s a little girl too.

A little girl with a heart-shaped face and rose gold hair – between her brother and her cousin at all times, laughing with them, fully engaged with their games and antics – And then a vision comes of the three of them, draped over the pillows of a couch, fully exhausted with their arms and legs thrown over each other like exhausted puppies, sleeping wherever they landed And though there’s no real proof of it, I know she’s mine – the little baby growing in my stomach right now. She’s there, and she’s every bit as much a part of their little group as I hoped she’d be – Jesse – he has a rich friendship with his cousins, and the three of them… they’re a matched set.

I wipe at my face, hardly able to see through the blurr of my tears but eager to do so because there’s more The three – they’re older now, much older, in their early twenties, all dressed in black and gathered around a fire somewhere, in a room with stone walls that looks out over a dark landscape. They’re chatting and laughing, their cheeks ruddy and healthy, tired but happy. Jesse – he’s so tall and he looks just like Roger, with Cora’s warm brown eyes. He laughs easily, tossing a cashew at Rafe who God, I almost sob to see it – but who looks like Sinclair’s double And our little girl! She’s there too! I shake my head at…at how much she looks like me The three, they’re a team, and wherever they are, they’re there together. I shake my head, not understanding, because they certainly don’t look like they’re at college, not dressed like that. But wherever they are …well, they’re happy, and they’re together, and it’s more than I could ask for.

The vision fades, replaced by the next, and Jesse is alone. The laughter is gone from his face, replaced with determination. He moves through a darkness flecked with stars – a darkness which feels…palpable, and as I watch, I see him grab the darkness, shifting it, moving through it like…like he’s pushing silk in water… And then, when he steps out?

I gasp, because…it’s…god, it looks for all things like a different world, a world wrapped in darkness. He looks up into the sky and I blink to see that there is no moon. Not merely a night without a moon but… an…an absence there that I can feel. He bares his teeth, and pulls a dagger from his hip, and storms forward I blink then, because – because – The vision fades. There’s nothing else.

“That can’t be it,” I breathe, my voice frantic. I whip my head up to my mate, whose face is likewise pale. “That can’t be it! He – we need to know! He has to come back!” Sinclair looks at me and shakes his head – he just doesn’t know, it’s a mystery – “That can’t be it!” I shout, suddenly livid, and I stumble forward, my feet sinking into the pool as I spin and glare up at the moon.

“Ella!” Sinclair shouts, reaching for me.

“You can’t leave it like that!” I shout up at the moon. “You can’t send me back to my sister with that as your final image! I won’t go!” “Ella please,” Sinclair shouts, seeing me stumble and almost lose my balance as my shoes sink into the mud at the bottom of the silver pool.

“I’m not going!” I shout, waving a hand at Sinclair but not taking my eyes off the moon! “You owe us more than this!” And as I glare up into the sky, soft words float to my ears – barely audible words, kissed by starlight.

 

Chapter 487

“Ella, you can’t just demand But I glare at Sinclair, slicing my hand through the air and shaking my head as I realize that he can’t hear what I’m hearing.

And the first thing that comes to my ears… Is a laugh.

“All right, little daughter,” a soft voice says, and I instantly recognize it as my mother. “I stopped there for a reason, but if you get out of my pool, I’ll give you one more.” I narrow my eyes at the moon but do as the Goddess bids, stepping out of the pool.

“I ended there because I do not know the outcome,” she says, her voice sorrowful. “His mission will be…his own. But, I do know this…” And I reach out and put a hand on Sinclair’s arm, very tense. I gasp a little as a new vision forms very fleeting, very brief – But in it, Jesse is an old, old man wrinkles crinkle around his eyes as he smiles down at a child in his arms His grandchild, or maybe his great- grandchild or maybe not a child of his blood at all, but certainly one he loves very, very much – It’s gone as soon as it comes, but it’s enough.

Jesse – he lives. And it’s enough.

“”Thank you,” I breathe, my eyes turned up now towards the sky, the tension falling from my shoulders. ” Thank you.” “Trust them,” the Goddess says, her words even fainter now than they were before. “Even if you don’t trust this world, or me, trust them.” And I nod, understanding, committing to it.

And suddenly, whatever magic was here lifts, and she’s gone.

The light from the pool fades until it’s just…a lake, or a pond again.

“What…what just happened?” Sinclair asks, staring down at me with wide eyes.

“Did you see?” I ask, desperate to know.

“See what?” he asks, shaking his head at me. “See you plunge into the pond yelling at the sky like a literal lunatic!?” “See the last vision!” I explain, and when he continues to stare at me I let out a deep breath. “Okay. Guess that one was just for me.” “She showed you more!?” I nod slowly. “She knew I was upset when the vision ended with Jesse in darkness. So, she showed me him as an old man, holding a tiny child.” My mate scowls at me and then glances up at the moon, as if he wants to get mad now but he’s a little too scared of her for blasphemy. “Well, that hardly seems fair,” he murmurs. ” Why do you get extra visions?” “Well, you,” I say, pointing down at his shoes, “have warm dry feet. So. Fair trade.” He laughs at me almost despite himself, shaking his head as he wraps Jesse up tightly in his blanket. The baby’s face is peaceful now, his eyes starting to drift shut. “Leave it to you, trouble,” he murmurs, “to bully the Goddess into showing you extra magical visions.” “I’m his godmother,” I say, grinning and taking the baby from Sinclair’s arms when he offers him to me, probably knowing that I’m upset and want to hold the baby close. “If I’m not going to bully a diety for him, who is?” “I’ll leave it to you,” Sinclair sighs, wrapping a warm arm around my shoulders.

“Come on. Let’s go get you into some warm socks.” About an hour later, Sinclair makes good on his promise and comes out of Cora and Roger’s closet, tossing a pair of fluffy socks onto my lap.

“All right, Ella,” Cora says, frowning down at me with her baby in her arms, ” spill.” “I told you,” I say on a sigh, “it’s not bad.” But, of course, she doesn’t believe me. Cora took one look at the wet hem of my gown, my ruined shoes, and Sinclair’s pale face when we came out of the forest and went totally still. We tried to put on a good show, ensuring the group of all the wonderful things we saw which is true! – but Cora didn’t say much at all, ushering everyone into the waiting vans so that we could all get back to the house as fast as possible.

She’s a polite hostess of course, and she made sure that everyone was happily settled in the house with food and drink so Jesse’s celebration could continue, but I could tell: the entire time, she just wanted to get us alone so that she could get the full details.

Roger is just as worried, though he’s doing a bit better playing it off.

“They said it’s all right, Cora,” he says, putting a hand on her shoulders. ” They wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true.” He looks between us now, a desperate hope in his eyes.

“We wouldn’t,” Sinclair assures him.

“They would,” Cora snaps, glaring at Sinclair and me. “They would say whatever polite nonsense they could until they got us alone and then they would break the news to us! So!” she’s almost shaking with her anxiety now as I finish pulling the warm socks over my feet. “Spill! Please!” “Cora,” I murmur, reaching for her, and my sister lets me pull her down onto the bed. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and she bursts into tears. “No, Cora, really – it’s all right!” “Is it?” she gasps. “Then why are you all wet – why did Dominic look like that when he came out of the forest!? What went wrong?” “I’ll tell you everything,” I murmur, rocking my sister back and forth. “But first I need you to tell me how much you want to know.” “What?” she gasps, pulling back and looking at me.

“It’s the same choice you gave me,” I say quietly, looking between her and Roger, “at Rafe’s baptism. You said there were some details that perhaps a mother shouldn’t know – but that it all turned out right. Well, the same thing is true here – it really does all turn out right, Cora. The Goddess – she showed me a vision of Jesse very old, very happy – he lives a long life.” Cora lets out a long, shaking breath, and then her shoulders begin to tremble as she tucks her head down against her baby and starts to cry tears of relief.

“Cora,” Roger says, his voice breaking on her name. I take my arms from around her shoulders so Roger can take my place, and he sits next to her on the bed, pulling her and the baby into his lap and holding them tight against him.

Sinclair comes and stands next to me and I lean against his side, resting my head against his muscled stomach. Very suddenly I want to be holding Rafe but he’s downstairs with Henry, because I knew Cora would need my whole attention for this.

I sigh, denying myself the impulse to run down and get him. My sister needs me more.

We stay like this for a long few moments while Cora catches herself. Then, when she’s ready, she lifts her head and looks into Roger’s eyes. He nods steadily to her.

“Whatever you want, Cora,” he murmurs.

Cora turns her eyes to me and nods, finally ready to know.

 

Chapter 488

Cora wipes at her face with the palms of her hands. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I just…I kind of flipped out.”

“The vision wasn’t bad,” I say, “I promise it wasn’t. And we get it – if you came out of the baptism ceremony looking like you’d jumped into the pool? I’d have freaked out too!”

“Yeah, well,” she murmurs, glancing down at my stomach, “maybe I’ll just do that out of spite in six months, see how you like it.”

I laugh then, the noise surprising me, and Cora’s face breaks into a tentative smile.

“There’s my girl,” Roger murmurs, lifting a hand to wipe at the last of her tears.

“I think we need to hear all of it,” Cora says, nodding to Sinclair and then to me. “Please. Just…maybe just for this baby, our first.”

“Okay,” I whisper, nodding. And then Sinclair and I tell her all of it – of all the wonderful things we saw for Rafe as he grows up, and his happiness with his cousins. And then we tell of the darkness we saw, and the incredible way he moved through it – of the challenge clearly laid out for him in his future.

“Wow,” Roger says, a little baffled as he looks down at his baby. “I have…I have no way of really comprehending what any of that means,” he murmurs.

“It was difficult to know what we were seeing,” Sinclair replies, looking down at me for confirmation. I nod. “Then, Ella got really pissed. That’s when she jumped into the pool.”

“What?!” Cora gasps.

I give a shrug. “I wasn’t going to let her end the vision there. So…we kind of got into a fight, and then she gave me the last image – of Jesse old and happy, so that I’d go away.”

Cora bursts into laughter then, looking down at her little baby. “We chose the right godmother for you, baby,” she sighs. “Always getting her money’s worth.”

“Damn straight,” I say looking up at Sinclair with a very clear told-you-so expression on my face. “Only the full baptism experience for my baby nephew.”

“So, what do you think it means?” Roger asks, looking between us.

“I don’t know,” I reply, resting my hand on my chin and gazing at the baby, wondering about his very strange and very interesting future. “He’s going to be very close with Rafe and with the new baby girl. And the way he handled a dagger, and the way he was dressed – I think he’s going to be a warrior.”

“That fits,” Cora sighs, looking up at me with a little guilt in her eyes. “We saw Rafe was going to be a warrior too. So, at least they’ll have each other.”

A little anxiety turns in me at that, but I just nod, tucking the information away. I mean, considering who his dad is? I can’t say that I’m surprised. But I can think about how I feel about it another day.

“I think it’s more than that, though,” I murmur. “Something mom said

“Wait, what?” Sinclair says, breaking in and stepping away from me a little, looking down at me. “She spoke?”

“Oh yeah,” I say, giving a little apologetic laugh and a shrug. “I forgot you didn’t hear her. My bad.”

“Your bad!?” he says, appalled.

“Yes, my bad!” I return, rolling my eyes and brushing a hand through the air at him, dismissive. I turn my eyes back to Cora. “Mom said that Jesse’s mission will be his own and that she doesn’t know the outcome. But honestly, Cora, he seemed…very capable. And very powerful.”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates…

I look up at Sinclair, wondering if he felt the same. He sighs as he looks at me and then turns to nod to his brother and my sister. “That was the impression that I got too. That whatever gift the Goddess gave to him… it’s a powerful one.”

Cora and Roger are quiet for a long moment, shifting their gaze to their little boy. Sinclair and I sit quietly, letting them process their thoughts.

“You know,” Roger says quietly, thoughtful. “If you’d asked me before he was born if I wanted him to have a weird, cool, powerful gift, I’d have said hell yeah. But now that he’s here? And he’s so…tiny?” Roger takes a deep breath that breaks my heart a little bit, shaking his head as he stares at his son. “I wish his gift was something stupid, like…being really, really good at bowling. Or just being magically kickass at Scrabble.”

“He’s going to get that from me anyway,” Cora murmurs, smirking a little, and I bite my lip to see the humor returning to these two. Because if they’re joking about it…I think it means that they’re strong enough to get through it.

“The last thing mom said to me,” I say quietly, and Cora’s eyes flash up to me with a little bit of dread in them – like she doesn’t want any more information tonight –

I laugh and shake my head. “No, it’s good!” I say, putting up a hand. “She said to trust them,” I continue, nodding. “Trust our kids. And it felt very true – I mean, we’re all aware that we’re not bringing kids into an easy life. They’re born into responsibilities. We have to raise them to be strong, and then when they’re grown? We have to trust them to handle themselves in the world.”

Sinclair nods slowly, agreeing with me. “And I don’t think the Goddess would have given Jesse a powerful gift if she didn’t think he could handle it,” he says softly, putting a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t think she’s in the business of screwing over her grandkids.”

Cora sighs, nodding too. “Just giving her daughters extreme anxiety,” she mutters, sighing and running a hand over Jesse’s sleeping heads.

“I think that’s probably all moms,” I say, standing up and leaning against my mate, who pulls me tight against him. “But…I mean, I think it’s going to turn out okay.”

“Why do you say that?” Cora asks, looking up at me again, I think hoping for another little hint from mom, who of course knows more than we do.

“I just have faith,” I say, letting my lips turn up into a smile. “These kids – they’re going to be good eggs and we’re going to love them a lot. If they end up with the fate of the world in their hands?” I look up at my mate and shrug. “Then I think the world’s got a pretty good shot.”

Sinclair smiles at me, leaning down to give me a little kiss before we turn back to Cora and Roger.

“You guys coming downstairs?” I ask, nodding towards the door, eager to get to Rafe and give him a snuggle and whisper to him how loved he is if he can’t hear me. even

“In a minute,” Cora replies, giving me a tentative smile that has a great deal of warmth behind it. Because even if she is still spooked a bit – I know she agrees with me. Our kids are going to be great – we just have to have faith in them.

“We’ll be waiting,” Sinclair says, giving them a steady nod, and together we let the new parents have a minute alone with their son.

 

Chapter 489

“Kinda wish I knew what Rafe’s power is going to be now,” I murmur as we lift Rafe’s carrier out of the car early the next morning.

Cora and Roger stayed up in their room for a few more minutes, but they came downstairs much more cheerful and ready to celebrate. I watched them carefully a long time, checking to see if they were just putting on good faces for their guests – but honestly? From everything I could see, they really decided to embrace the good news the Goddess gave them.

It was a wonderful night and a brilliant morning.

But now? Now I want to go to sleep.

“I already know what his gift is,” Sinclair says, slinging an arm around my shoulders as we start into the palace.

“You do?” I gasp, looking up into his face. But then I scowl when I see his smirk and realize that he’s kidding. ” Oh, you liar.”

“No really,” he says, raising his eyebrows at me. “His goddess-given power is just…handsome.”

“What!?” I squeak, a little aghast, my mouth falling open at this ridiculous idea.

“Come on!” Sinclair says, laughing and grinning down at me. “Look how good looking this kid is!” he continues, gesturing down at our son in his carrier, who is sleeping with a little bit of drool dribbling out the side of his mouth.

“Oh my god,” I groan, speeding up my steps and attempting to move ahead of my ridiculous mate.

“I’m serious!” Sinclair pushes, laughing, easily catching up to me with his long legs. “Didn’t you see him in that vision, all grown up? He is a handsome guy – it’s got to be his power.”

“Stop flattering yourself, Dominic,” I mutter, stepping into our elevator and jabbing the up button with my thumb. ” He looked just like you.”

“Precisely my point!” Sinclair says, wrapping my arm around my waist and tugging me close against his side as the elevator begins to raise, “he’s going to bring nations to their knees with just his smoldering gaze – ”

“Cover your ears, baby!” I call to Rafe, rolling my eyes at Sinclair. “Your dad is going to raise you to be vain and overly pleased with yourself -”

“I want the child to know the full extent of his power! He has to be prepared! He, too, is going to have demigoddesses just falling all over him

I can’t help it at this – I burst out laughing. “Stop it!” I gasp, smacking Sinclair on the chest. “We’re trying to raise a nice boy – not an egomaniac!”

“But you’re not saying that I’m wrong,” my mate says, smirking and cupping my face in his gigantic hand.

“Well, I don’t think it’s his gift,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him as the doors open. I bite my lip though. “But he really was handsome, wasn’t he? In the vision.”

“I’m telling you, Ella,” Sinclair says, grinning at me as we step into our hall. “If it’s not a gift it’s a curse. He’s going to have to keep a fly swatter at his side all the time to keep the girls off him – ”

I burst out laughing again at the mental image, leaning hard against my mate as my cheeks and my side begin to ache. We pass a few staff in the hallway who smile happily at us as we make our way

down the hall to our door. Sinclair opens it, pressing a warm hand to my back as I head inside.

“Honestly,” I say with a happy sigh, looking down at our kid, “I think maybe his Goddess gift is… sleeping soundly. Through everything.”

“He’s just used to his loud mom,” Sinclair sighs, dropping a kiss on my cheek before I crouch down to lift the baby out of his carrier.

“Don’t you listen to anything daddy says,” I murmur to my sweet, floppy little baby as I gather him up in my arms. “He is a big ugly liar tonight -”

“I’m not ugly!” he calls from the closet, because of course his alpha hearing caught my private conversation with my son.

“He is,” I whisper, grinning at Rafe as I tuck him against my shoulder and stand to carry him into the closet, intent on getting him changed into some pajamas. “And whatever he says, you get your good looks from me.”

“Well, that I won’t contest,” Sinclair says, grabbing me to his half-naked body the moment I step through the door.

“Wise man,” I say, lifting myself on my toes for a kiss. Sinclair gives it to me a long, lingering one, and then he pats me on the ass before reaching for some pajama pants.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates…

There’s a happy little silence in the closet then as we all get ready for bed even though its about seven in the morning. These baptisms – they’re exhausting, but there’s something nice about having an entire day of rest afterwards. Like the baby’s big day gives us all a little respite to sit back and think about our world, our lives.

When we’re all ready, Sinclair and I give Rafe a kiss and then tuck him into his little crib. I sigh after I put him down, crossing my arms over my chest. “Maybe we should take him into the nest tonight,” I murmur. “Keep him close while we can.”

“You can’t sleep with them every night,” Sinclair says softly, leaning in to kiss me on the side of my head, just above my ear.

“You just try to stop me,” I growl. ” Maybe I’ll gather all the children with us in bed until they’re sixty – ”

“That’s a bad idea,” my mate says, wrapping his arms around me and walking backwards towards the bed, tugging me with him so that we both fall back onto the mattress together.” You’ll traumatize them.”

“Fine,” I sigh, curling up with my mate in my fresh, cozy nest. “Just until they’re twenty, then.”

“Okay,” he agrees, tucking his head down against my shoulder and playing with my hair with one hand, the other moving down my side to caress my little baby bump. “How’s this one doing?”

“I think she’s okay,” I say, sighing happily. And then I bite my lip, turning mind fully to my daughter for the first real time tonight. “It was amazing to see her too, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” he murmurs. “What a gift it was to be Jesse’s godparent.”

“She’s so pretty,” I whisper, my voice squeaking a little in excitement.

“She looks just like you,” Sinclair whispers, laughing.

“I know,” I say, giggling. “Just think she’ll have Kings falling at her feet, nations collapsing under the weight of her smolder – ”

“Girls don’t smolder,” he murmurs, laughing along with me.

“This one will,” I sigh, putting my hand on top of his on my stomach. “I think she’s going to be really special, Dominic,” I whisper.

“I think so too,” he whispers back. And I smile, and snuggle up against my mate, and wrapped up warm in each other’s arms we fall asleep.

I’m my wolf in my dreams this morning, running breathless through the forest, the wind rippling through my hair. I toss my head back, sprinting for the joy of it. Sinclair is by my side, his own gigantic wolf keeping easy pace with me, and I nip at his side, teasing him, urging him faster.

He snaps his teeth at me playfully and obeys, speeding up to pass me, and at his heels is a little brown pup – yipping his joy as he chases his father’s tail. I laugh inwardly, joy racing through my heart, watching Rafe and Sinclair go.

But I don’t chase after them, because pressed close to my own side is my little charge. She’s just barely there half visible, half substantial in the morning light that filters through the trees. But I can feel her – in my heart and down my bond. My own little twin, a little rose-gold pup, who raises her snout to the sky and howls for joy.

I dip my snout, and give her a quick lick across the head, and she peers up at me with eyes so happy they squint.

And then I run, with my daughter by my side, all morning long.

 

 

Chapter 490

There’s a strange atmosphere in the palace today and I admit that I don’t quite no how to feel, because everything is half dread and half excited anticipation.

At least, that’s how it is for everyone else.

For me? For me it’s just a great deal of discomfort.

“Ella,” Cora scolds as I try to bend over and pick up one of Rafe’s socks from the floor. “Let me do that – ”

“I can do it!” I gasp, reaching for it –

But then I stumble and almost fall over, and Cora catches me by the shoulders.

“Enough!” she snaps, shaking her head at me. “Back to the nest! Stop getting out of it! You’re six full months pregnant, Ella – full term! For heaven’s sake, if you fall over I’m scared you’ll split like a watermelon and just spill the baby out.”

“That might be better,” I mutter, glaring at the errant sock and doing as my sister says, heading back for my bed. “This baby is big, and I’m not precisely looking forward to pushing her out.”

“Well, what did you expect,” Cora says, flipping the sock into a hamper and walking behind me to the bed. ” You decided to have babies with the most gigantic man I’ve ever seen.”

“First,” I say, holding up one finger as I sink down on to my bed and start to tuck my legs under the covers, “I did not choose to have children with that gigantic man, I chose a nice slim sperm donor for

my first child -”

“Yeah well, you chose to have the second baby,” Cora reminds me, raising an eyebrow at me as she sits down on the edge of the bed.

“And second,” I say, choosing to ignore her logic, “Rafe was a little baby. It’s not my fault that this one is very content to stay in for as long as she possibly can.” I sigh, resting my head back against my pillows and putting my hands on either side of my belly.

“Poor sister,” Cora coos, reaching out to stroke my stomach as well. “She’ll be here soon enough.”

What Cora says is true I’ve been in pre-labor for a couple of hours now. I’m having mild, irregular contractions which Cora says is unlikely to be Braxton Hicks at this late stage. So, baby girl is coming soon, even if she’s taking her time about this as well.

“Remember how crazy it was?” I say softly, my mind turning to the past. ” When Rafe was born?”

“I do,” she replies. “Do you miss it?”

I peek through my eyelids at her, smirking a bit. “Do I miss almost dying and fearing for my life, having to stop and give birth in a strange palace because the roads to the hospital were blocked?”

She shrugs. “Well, do you?”

“Maybe a little,” I murmur, and then I laugh, shaking my head. “It was all very exciting. Poor baby girl needs a fuss too.”

“We’ll give her plenty of fuss,” Cora says, running her hand comfortingly across my stomach. “Besides, two months from now we get to have her baptism, and then it’s Aunt Cora’s revenge.”

“Cora,” I groan. “Honestly, it wasn’t so bad -”

“I’m going to come back from it soaked,” she says, grinning at me, ” covered in mud, with an insane story about your daughter’s future – ”

“You know,” I say, sitting up on my elbows and glaring at her, “you don’t have to be her godmother – ”

“Oh whatever, Ella,” Cora says, rolling her eyes and laughing. “Like you have any other friends.”

“I have plenty of friends – -“I protest, my mouth falling open, but our completely unserious fight ends abruptly when the door opens and our mates come in, our sons in their arms.

Rafe turns in Sinclair’s arms and gives a happy little cry when he sees me. ” Mama!” he calls, raising his hands above his head and then leaning over, reaching for me.

“Whoa, kid,” Sinclair says, laughing and catching Rafe before he hurl himself to the floor in his eagerness to get to me. When they’re about halfway across the room, Sinclair puts Rafe on his feet and he totters over to the bed, absolutely breaking my heart with how cute he is.

“Hey, Rafey!” I call, reaching out for him. He bangs into the side of the bed and giggles, reaching for me, and Cora obliges him by lifting him up so that he can crawl over to me and cuddle up in my arms.

“God, when did he get so big?” Cora murmurs, shaking her head at Rafe.

“Don’t remind me,” I say with a sigh, tugging my little boy close and giving him a big kiss on the head. He’s one now. I cried the entire day of his birthday. Sinclair was honestly a little freaked out.

“He’s a show off,” Roger says, his voice a little bitter as he sits down next to Cora with Jesse in his lap. Sinclair moves to the other side of the bed so he can sit in his spot next to me.

“Roger’s just jealous,” he says, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. ” Because Rafe is faster than Jesse.”

“Jesse’s six months old,” Cora says, rolling her eyes at the dads.

“He could be faster for six months,” Sinclair says dryly, trying to hold his smirk.

“Don’t worry, Jesse,” Roger says fondly to his son, softly petting the silky brown hair that’s started growing on his head. “You’ll beat that meatball someday – you’re lighter and quicker –

I burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of my family, shaking my head at all of them. “I can’t believe you’re debating which kid is going to win a footrace,” I say, “when I’m laying here, in agony – ”

“She’s not in agony,” Cora says, waving a dismissive hand, “not yet at least – ”

“In agony,” I insist, reaching forward to smack her on the arm.

“Sorry, my Queen,” Sinclair sighs, wrapping his arms around me. “But the good news is that everything’s wrapped up for now Roger and I have cleared our calendars, so now there’s nothing to do but concentrate on you.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates…

“Yeah, so you’d better make it fun,” Roger quips. “When Cora was in labor, there were drinks – you’ve got to live up to this, Ella.”

Cora laughs and smacks her mate, shaking her head at him. He flinches and then falls back on the mattress in pretend agony, taking Jesse with him and making the baby laugh, muttering something about an abusive wife and mother.

I laugh at them but turn to put my head on Sinclair’s shoulder. “How’s it going out there?” I ask. “Everything okay?”

“Nothing for you to worry about,” he murmurs.

“I know that,” I say quietly, watching him closely. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to know. It’s my nation too.”

Sinclair gives me a sad little smile and presses his forehead to mine. Then he passes a bunch of information down our bond at once, letting me see and feel that the Atalaxians have been pressing their advantage. They’re aware that our military is rapidly getting itself together and the Atalaxians losing the leverage they had. It means that everything is going according to plan, but it also means an increase in actual fighting along the front.

“I’m sorry, Dominic,” I murmur, putting a hand on his cheek. “I know it’s not easy to send people to war.”

“Nothing for us to worry about today,” he sighs, turning his head and pressing a kiss to my palm. “Today is about you, and the baby.”

I nod, agreeing, letting us turn to that better thought instead. It’s been harder than I thought it would be, to separate our happy personal life from the trials of war when you’re the King and Queen…in so many ways, the two bleed into each other.

But we’ve been pretty good about celebrating our happy moments when we get them. It’s pretty much all we can do.

“I can’t believe you haven’t named the baby yet,” Roger says, interrupting us with a frown. “Didn’t you have Rafe named like, from the get-go?”

“We did,” I say quietly, running my hand over my stomach. “But he was easy – he told us what he liked.”

“With this one, we’ve got names we like picked out,” Sinclair says. “But we’ve said them to her, like you did with Jesse, and she didn’t indicate any standouts.”

“So, we’re waiting to see what she looks like when she’s born. See if something clicks.”

“I think that’s sweet,” Cora says, smiling at me softly. “Very old-school, very human, when so much about these wolf kids is already known before they’re born.”

“I know,” I say, smiling down at my stomach. “I think it’s kind of cool that she’s so different.”

“Next one we have,” Roger says, laying Jesse out flat on his stomach so that Jesse can practice lifting his head with some tummy time, “we’re just picking the name out of a hat. Keeping it spicy.”

Cora lowers her eyelids a little and shakes her head at me, making me laugh.

But the laughter very quickly ends when another contraction starts. I exhale a long breath, pressing my eyes shut as my body tightens somewhere low within me. It’s not precisely painful yet – but it is intense.

“Time to get the stopwatch ready, daddy,” Cora says, nodding to Sinclair. “I think these are close enough together to start timing them.”

“I’m on it,” Sinclair says, pressing a kiss to my cheek as he hops out of bed. ” And in between, we can put the boys on the floor and use the stopwatch on them, see which one really is faster – ”

“Oh my god,” I mutter, breathing through the pain.

Cora laughs. “We’re not racing the babies while we wait for Ella to go into delivery!” she says, shouting after my mate as he ducks into the closet to find the stopwatch he uses in the gym.

“Oh, baby,” Roger says, sitting up with Jesse in his arms, patting Cora consolingly on the knee. “Yes… yes we are.”