Ch. 16..20: The Luna and her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 16-20
The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 16
Jane
Staring at my ex-husband, who idly sits in his car and orders me into the back seat as if he’s some kind of king, I arch my brow. “Thank you, but no.”
“It’s hard to get a taxi around here.” Ethan argues. “There’s no need to be stubborn.”
Stubborn? Honestly, the nerve of the man. “And there’s no need for you to call me names.”
Ethan turns to say something to his driver, and the car slows to a stop. Within moments the Alpha is standing beside me on the curb. He moves too close, towering over me so that I have to tilt my head to look up at him. “Is it name-calling if it’s true?”
“You tell me?” I demand. “If I say you are a self-righteous bastard, do you think I’m being honest or rude?”
I’m not sure what I expected. In fact, I’m astonished I had the nerve to speak such brazen words, but I do know that the last thing I was prepared for is the wide, wolfish grin Ethan offers me now. “You’ve got some nerve, little wolf.”
“I would ask that you not speak to me on such familiar terms.” || bite, “It’s far from appropriate… for strangers like us.”
Ethan rakes his gaze down my body from head to toe, with tortuous intensity. “Is that what we are?”
“It is.” | confirm, internally sighing with relief when my own car pulls up beside us. If I hadn’t been in such a rush to get out of there I would have waited for the driver outside the atelier. Striding
forward and pulling open the shiny black door, I offer my former mate one last glance over my shoulder. “And it’s all we’ll ever be.”
I swear, I don’t take a breath until I’m safely in the car. Protected by the dark, tinted windows, I stare out at Ethan as we pull away. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he could see through the thick glass. His attention stays squarely on me until we are far out of sight, but no matter the distance between us, it still feels as though his possessive eyes are on my body.
It makes the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and my heart beat miles too fast. It isn’t fair that he should be able to have such an effect on me after so many years. I feel like a young girl again, the foolish creature who believed the Alpha could love me for me.
I force the thoughts from my mind almost as soon as they occur, 1 know better now. Far better. That isn’t a mistake I will make again.
Ethan
I can’t stop smiling.
Maybe I’m crazy. After all, I have proof now that my wife faked her death and hid for me for years, and yet… all I can truly process is the fact that she’s alive.
She’s so different from the Jane I knew. Confident, brave and so strong it defies all logic. There is no omega left in her, if there ever was at all. This Jane would never let me dominate her so completely, she would fight me every step of the way.
Of course, my little omega mate hadn’t been entirely without strength. She did attack Eve for trying to help my mother…. didn’t
she? At the time everything seemed so clear. My mother and Eve both told the same story, and even Jane could not explain her actions.
I can’t pretend to understand what happened that day – or what has happened since. All I know is that my mate is alive and well, and I intend to bring her home, no matter the cost. Paisley needs her mother, and if I’m right, then I may have a second daughter as well.
Whether she likes it or not, I’m going to unravel this enigmatic she wolf’s secrets if it’s the last thing I do. She is everything I’ve been missing these last few years, and everything I’ve ever wanted. Not to mention how beautiful she looked. How adorable I found her fiery spirit
Already I’m imagining taking her to bed, kissing every inch of her body and making her whimper and m**n in my arms. My wolf is growling hungrily at the mere thought, and I picture laying her out in front of me and devouring her like the feast she is.
All in good time, I tell my slobbering wolf. Because as far as I’m concerned, that’s all it is: A matter of time.
Jane
“I made something for you.” | announce to Linda, hiding a small gift wrapped box behind my back, “As a thank you for all your help with the kids this week.” And in the weeks to come, I think bitterly, remembering the clause in Ethan’s contract demanding my presence in the city for the foreseeable future.
“What – no, don’t be silly.” Linda demurs, though she holds her hand out for her present.
Laughing softly, I produce the box, and watch with pleasure as she rips the paper away. Inside is a delicate glass bottle, with her name printed across the front in a cursive flourish. “La Louve’s newest scent, in your honor.”
She sprays a bit of the amber liquid on her wrist, bringing it to her nose and breathing in the perfume. “Oh Jane, I love it. Thank you so much! I can’t believe you did this.”
“Can’t you?” | tease. “I owe you everything, Linda. “This doesn’t even come close to repaying your kindness, but it’s something.”
Her familiar arms squeeze me tightly. “Thank you so much! Where did you even find the time to do this – between dealing with Ethan and Eve.”
“I’m a woman of many talents.” | joke. My friend knows all about what happened today. In fact we’ve already argued about it and put the matter to bed. When she heard how keen my former mate seemed to spend time with me, she insisted her must be interested in pursuing me again, and I should consider giving him a second chance now that I am so strong.
Even I have to admit I thought about it for a moment, but in the end my senses returned and I reminded her that this would never happen. I will never forgive the Alpha for what he did to me, and I could never trust a man capable of such cruelty.
By now our short-lived fight is long forgotten, and we’re getting ready to take the pups to an open house at the exclusive daycare center in the center city. It seems wild to me, but apparently even pre-kindergarten programs are so competitive here that you practically have to donate a fortune to get your children accepted.
I’m prepared to shell out a good bit of money to secure my children’s future, and I’ll even pander to the stuffed shirts who run
the daycare center. After all, we’re stuck here for the time being, and I can’t afford for Riley, Ryder and Parker to fall behind in their education – no matter how advanced they already are. What I’m no willing to do, however, is put them anywhere within Ethan’s orbit – which is why it is so incredibly inconvenient that he walks in the door of the open house with Paisley and Eve, not ten minutes after my own brood arrives.
The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 16
Jane
Staring at my ex-husband, who idly sits in his car and orders me into the back seat as if he’s some kind of king, I arch my brow. “Thank you, but no.”
“It’s hard to get a taxi around here.” Ethan argues. “There’s no need to be stubborn.”
Stubborn? Honestly, the nerve of the man. “And there’s no need for you to call me names.”
Ethan turns to say something to his driver, and the car slows to a stop. Within moments the Alpha is standing beside me on the curb. He moves too close, towering over me so that I have to tilt my head to look up at him. “Is it name-calling if it’s true?”
“You tell me?” I demand. “If I say you are a self-righteous bastard, do you think I’m being honest or rude?”
I’m not sure what I expected. In fact, I’m astonished I had the nerve to speak such brazen words, but I do know that the last thing I was prepared for is the wide, wolfish grin Ethan offers me now. “You’ve got some nerve, little wolf.”
“I would ask that you not speak to me on such familiar terms.” || bite, “It’s far from appropriate… for strangers like us.”
Ethan rakes his gaze down my body from head to toe, with tortuous intensity. “Is that what we are?”
“It is.” | confirm, internally sighing with relief when my own car pulls up beside us. If I hadn’t been in such a rush to get out of there I would have waited for the driver outside the atelier. Striding
forward and pulling open the shiny black door, I offer my former mate one last glance over my shoulder. “And it’s all we’ll ever be.”
I swear, I don’t take a breath until I’m safely in the car. Protected by the dark, tinted windows, I stare out at Ethan as we pull away. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he could see through the thick glass. His attention stays squarely on me until we are far out of sight, but no matter the distance between us, it still feels as though his possessive eyes are on my body.
It makes the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and my heart beat miles too fast. It isn’t fair that he should be able to have such an effect on me after so many years. I feel like a young girl again, the foolish creature who believed the Alpha could love me for me.
I force the thoughts from my mind almost as soon as they occur, 1 know better now. Far better. That isn’t a mistake I will make again.
Ethan
I can’t stop smiling.
Maybe I’m crazy. After all, I have proof now that my wife faked her death and hid for me for years, and yet… all I can truly process is the fact that she’s alive.
She’s so different from the Jane I knew. Confident, brave and so strong it defies all logic. There is no omega left in her, if there ever was at all. This Jane would never let me dominate her so completely, she would fight me every step of the way.
Of course, my little omega mate hadn’t been entirely without strength. She did attack Eve for trying to help my mother…. didn’t
she? At the time everything seemed so clear. My mother and Eve both told the same story, and even Jane could not explain her actions.
I can’t pretend to understand what happened that day – or what has happened since. All I know is that my mate is alive and well, and I intend to bring her home, no matter the cost. Paisley needs her mother, and if I’m right, then I may have a second daughter as well.
Whether she likes it or not, I’m going to unravel this enigmatic she wolf’s secrets if it’s the last thing I do. She is everything I’ve been missing these last few years, and everything I’ve ever wanted. Not to mention how beautiful she looked. How adorable I found her fiery spirit
Already I’m imagining taking her to bed, kissing every inch of her body and making her whimper and m**n in my arms. My wolf is growling hungrily at the mere thought, and I picture laying her out in front of me and devouring her like the feast she is.
All in good time, I tell my slobbering wolf. Because as far as I’m concerned, that’s all it is: A matter of time.
Jane
“I made something for you.” | announce to Linda, hiding a small gift wrapped box behind my back, “As a thank you for all your help with the kids this week.” And in the weeks to come, I think bitterly, remembering the clause in Ethan’s contract demanding my presence in the city for the foreseeable future.
“What – no, don’t be silly.” Linda demurs, though she holds her hand out for her present.
Laughing softly, I produce the box, and watch with pleasure as she rips the paper away. Inside is a delicate glass bottle, with her name printed across the front in a cursive flourish. “La Louve’s newest scent, in your honor.”
She sprays a bit of the amber liquid on her wrist, bringing it to her nose and breathing in the perfume. “Oh Jane, I love it. Thank you so much! I can’t believe you did this.”
“Can’t you?” | tease. “I owe you everything, Linda. “This doesn’t even come close to repaying your kindness, but it’s something.”
Her familiar arms squeeze me tightly. “Thank you so much! Where did you even find the time to do this – between dealing with Ethan and Eve.”
“I’m a woman of many talents.” | joke. My friend knows all about what happened today. In fact we’ve already argued about it and put the matter to bed. When she heard how keen my former mate seemed to spend time with me, she insisted her must be interested in pursuing me again, and I should consider giving him a second chance now that I am so strong.
Even I have to admit I thought about it for a moment, but in the end my senses returned and I reminded her that this would never happen. I will never forgive the Alpha for what he did to me, and I could never trust a man capable of such cruelty.
By now our short-lived fight is long forgotten, and we’re getting ready to take the pups to an open house at the exclusive daycare center in the center city. It seems wild to me, but apparently even pre-kindergarten programs are so competitive here that you practically have to donate a fortune to get your children accepted.
I’m prepared to shell out a good bit of money to secure my children’s future, and I’ll even pander to the stuffed shirts who run
the daycare center. After all, we’re stuck here for the time being, and I can’t afford for Riley, Ryder and Parker to fall behind in their education – no matter how advanced they already are. What I’m no willing to do, however, is put them anywhere within Ethan’s orbit – which is why it is so incredibly inconvenient that he walks in the door of the open house with Paisley and Eve, not ten minutes after my own brood arrives.
The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 17
Jane
I smell him before I see him, like the crackling heat of a bonfire and wild mountain air: spicy, masculine and so intoxicating my body instantly feels drunk with desire. Stupid omega instincts. I think bitterly.
Staring across the cafeteria, I catch a glimpse of bronze skin and dark hair, the powerful form of an apex predator. He’s wearing all black, and moving through the crowd as if he owns the place. Of course… that’s not too far from the truth.
Beside him, looking so sweet I could cry, is my Paisley. My heart sinks and races at once. It was a mistake to come here. I should have considered that my former mate would also think of sending Paisley to school here. He can’t be allowed to see the other pups, he can’t know they’re mine, and Paisley can’t be allowed to see me. I can’t bear to reject her again, but I also can’t admit she’s mine.
“Linda!” I whisper frantically, grasping my friend’s arm so tightly she winces. “Ethan’s here, you have to pretend the kids are yours!”
“What, are you crazy?” She squeaks, “I can’t do that. I’ve already lied to the Alpha once, I’m playing with fire here.”
“You have to!” | insist. “Please?”
“Alright fine.” She grumbles, “But I swear you owe me another perfume line for this.”
“Deal.” | exclaim, softening my hold to something closer to affection. “Thank you. I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She mutters good-naturedly, glancing around us and frowning, “Where did the pups go anyway?”
Of course at that moment I look across the room to find them only a handful of meters from their father, making my heart stop beating all together.
Ethan
She’s here, and she looks so beautiful I could claim her right here and now. Standing in the center of the room and wearing a tightly fitted emerald dress, Jane sips a glass of red wine and whispers to her friend Linda. She’s pretending not to see me, but I know she’s sensed my presence. My wolf has locked in on her like a heat seeking missile, and I’m so distracted watching her that I almost don’t notice the set of triplets to my left.
At first they catch my eye because the same little girl I saw in the restaurant and mistook for Paisley is giggling loudly and happily as she plays with her brothers, but then the boys stop me in my tracks. They look exactly like me.
While Paisley and the other girl have Jane’s green eyes and beautiful features, the male pups could be my miniatures. Belatedly I realize the only reason Jane would be attending a pre-school open house is if she has children to potentially enroll. Can it be? Is it possible that Paisley wasn’t only a twin, but a quadruplet?
Returning my gaze to Jane, I try to make sense of all this. It seems like the more time that passes, the crazier this situation gets. I want to charge over and demand answers from her this moment, but as I watch another wolf approaches her, a handsome nobleman I know to be a single father.
I can tell from the way he’s looking at my mate that he has no interest in being friends, and my already agitated wolf goes half insane with jealousy. Suddenly the need to storm across the room and throw her over my shoulder like a caveman is so great that I’m actually stepping forward, but then Eve begins hanging on my arm and whining in my ear. “Ethan, I don’t feel so good.” She m***s, glancing at Jane. “I think the champagne is making me dizzy.”
“If you can’t handle your liquor, go sit down.” | remark brusquely, gently pushing her into a chair. I don’t buy her act for one moment. I can see from the way she’s eyeing Jane that she’s simply jealous and trying to call my attention back to her. Unfortunately her plan works, when I look back towards Jane she’s gone, and Linda is approaching the children I’m certain belong to me.
“There you are!” She exclaims, loudly enough for me to hear. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Why au-” One of the boys begins, only to be cut off.
“Because you should know better than to walk away from your Mommy in such a big crowd.” She scolds kindly, “even if these are mostly other parents.”
The she-wolf glances over her shoulder, catching me in her sights. “Ah, Alpha, I see we had the same bright idea to bring our pups here.”
She steps away from the children and closes the distance between us, turning to keep the still-frolicking bunch in her sights.
“Those are your pups?” | clarify, raising my brow.
“But of course.” She laughs, “Who else would they belong to?”
Shrugging I say, “It’s curious, you didn’t have any photos of them in your office when I visited.”
She leans her head towards me, as if taking me into her confidence. “It’s hard enough to be taken seriously as a woman in law without advertising my family. I didn’t want my bosses to think I’m not fully committed to the firm.”
“A reasonable explanation.” | agree, “And where are the children’s father?”
Linda rolls her eyes, “My ex lives in another territory. Unfortunately he doesn’t see the need to be close to his children.”
A low rumble rolls through my ch3st, and the woman eyes me nervously. “Have you noticed how similar our daughters look?”
Linda looks around us as if searching for the girls to see if she agrees, but instead of acting surprised to find we have identical pups, she simply furrows her brow. “I’m sorry Alpha, but where is your daughter?”
For the first time I realize that Jane and Linda have pulled my attention away so completely, that I haven’t been paying attention to Paisley. Following Linda’s gaze, I search the crowd around us only to realize that she’s right. Paisley isn’t anywhere to be found.
Jane
I’m immensely grateful for the handsome wolf who approached me with a fresh glass of wine while Linda deals with Ethan. He’s been keeping me occupied so that my stress doesn’t completely bury me, and I can’t remember ever being so thankful that a school event provided adult refreshments for the parents. I desperately need help calming my nerves tonight.
“I’d love to take you for coffee sometime.” The man, who introduced himself as Mark, offers.
“Thank you, that’s very kind, but I’m only going to be in town a few months.”
“Then we should go soon!” He suggests, smiling so widely I can’t help but return the expression.
Just then a pair of tiny arms wrap around my th!gh, squeezing tightly. I don’t need to look to know it’s one of my pups, I’d recognize their affection anywhere. At first I think it’s Riley, especially when I hear her sweet voice. “Mommy! I caught you!”
Only afterwards, when I smell how strongly Ethan has rubbed off on the pup, and glance down to see her wearing a dress Riley does not own, do I realize my mistake. It isn’t Riley after all, it’s Paisley.
The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 18
Looking around nervously to ensure no one is watching, I lean down and scoop my daughter up. Mark will never know the difference between her and Riley, and as long as Ethan cannot see me, it should be safe for me to steal a moment with the beloved pup.
Excusing myself, I retreat to one of the classrooms down the hall. A few minutes ago I told myself I would turn her away again if we ran into each other, but now that she’s in front of me I can’t help myself. She looks so pale, so tired.
Her final surgery is next week and while there will be a long recovery before we can be reunited, it seems the procedure itself is coming just in time. I can’t bear to waste this chance to cuddle her when she’s facing such risk.
“Hello little one.” | greet Paisley once we’re alone.
My little girl doesn’t beat around the bush. “Mommy, why’ve you been hiding from Daddy?”
“Paisley my love, you can’t call me Mommy. I’m so sorry.” I breathe, hating the horrible words on my tongue.
“Why not?” Her head c***s to the side, “Is it cause of playing hide ‘n’ seek?”
The gears in my mind slowly turn over, trying to make sense of her words. “What?”
“Daddy says you playing hide ‘n’ seek with him. Is that why I can’t call you Mommy?” She reasons, looking only slightly hurt.
“Yes angel.” | agree. “That’s also why you can’t tell him you saw me, or I’ll lose the game.”
She thinks about this for a moment, her lovely face scrunching up in thought. “But if you lose the game, will you come home?”
My throat tickles as I shake my head and I fight back tears. “No. I can only be your Mommy if I win.”
“But why?” She presses, in the way all young pup do when they don’t understand a problem.
“That’s just the way it is.” I explain softly. “One day I’ll tell you everything – when you’re older.”
“You pwomise?” Paisley inquires, looking at me sternly.
For the first time since we met, I’m finally free to speak the truth. “I. promise.”
Eve
My life just seems to get worse and worse.
After Ethan found Paisley at the open house, wandering towards us with a cookie she snagged from the snack table and looking far too pleased with herself, we finally left. I can’t believe what just happened.
I wasn’t sure before, but I am now. Those pups Linda claimed as her own are undoubtedly Ethan’s, and that means that Elise Carrington truly is Jane in disguise. I thought it would be easy to get rid of Paisley, what with her upcoming surgery, but this is going to be a problem.
I’ve got to get Jane and her other brats out of the territory, without undermining my own business interests or letting Ethan know about my plans, and then I’ve still got to find a way to get rid of Paisley.
Of course, I suppose it doesn’t have to be in that order. The best opportunity to deal with brat number one will still be her surgery.
Anything could go wrong for such a young pup going under the knife… anything at all. Naturally, the surgeon Ethan is paying so highly would never dream of crossing the Alpha, but I have plenty of friends in low places. I can easily get my hands on a poison that won’t take hold of her until she goes under the knife, I merely have to time things right.
It’s really all too simple. After a few brief inquiries I obtain the drug I seek, making sure it couldn’t be detected in an autopsy before handing over the cash. Now all I have to do is sit back and wait.
The day before Paisley’s surgery finally arrives, and I join Ethan at the hospital, keeping the wretched pup company while the Alpha completes her admission paperwork. She’s been asleep almost all afternoon, and I’m just starting to lose my patience when she blinks her ugly little eyes open.
“Hello, princess.” | croon, adopting the sort of sickly sweet voice | often hear people use with young children. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m thirsty.” She m0ans, stretching.
“Oh you poor thing!” | exclaim, “let me get you some water.” Inside my heart soars, this is exactly what I hoped would happen. Turning my back to the bed, I pour a glass of water from the sink and pull the small vial of clear liquid from my pocket.
Dumping the contents into the glass, I say a quick prayer to the Goddess. My contact assured me that it would take a full twenty four hours to kick in, which means it should kill the little monster towards the end of her procedure. Of course the doctors would try to save her but not knowing poison was causing the crash, they would probably never think of giving her an antidote.
I turn back to Paisley with a big, fake smile. Naturally she’s too young to see through my act, and I offer her the glass. “Here you
are, honey.”
Just then I see movement in my periphery, and to my shock Jane’s sons charge into the room, their tiny forms tackling my legs and knocking me to the ground. Screeching in outrage as I crash onto the tiles, the water glass falls from my hands and spills all over the floor.
“You little bastards!” | exclaim, “what do you think you’re doing!”
“You put something in her glass!” One of the boys cried, “We saw you!”
“What are you even doing here?” I demand, apoplectic with rage.
“Our sister got sick.” The second boy says, his voice more quiet than the first.
“Well obviously!” I growl, gesturing towards Paisley fiercely.
“No.” They reply in unison, “Our other sister.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I hiss, “you’ve ruined everything.” At the moment I feel like I’m the one who’s been drugged. I’m more furious than I can ever remember being. I’m soaking wet, my head is splitting open with pain from my fall, and my plans for Paisley are in serious jeopardy. Not to mention these little devils can’t be here when Ethan returns. “Get out, right now!” || order.
The boys exchange a glance, and cross their arms over their ch3sts. “No.”
Raising my hand in threat, I prepare to slap the shit out of the little monsters – first one, then the other. However before I can land a single blow they fall to the ground as one, wailing at the top of
their lungs and clutching imaginary injuries. “Owwww!!!” They sob “She hit me!”
The sound sends nurses running, and the next thing I know I’ve been caught red handed, my palm still raised in threat, and two little fakers on the ground screaming their heads off with false accusations. The nurses look at me in horror. “What’s wrong with you?!” The head nurse exclaims, “How dare you raise your hand to innocent pups?”
“I didn’t!”I cry, “They’re lying!”
“We just wanted to say hello!” One of the boys weeps pitifully, “We re sorry!”
“No no,” another nurse soothes them, hugging them close, “You didn’t do anything wrong!”
The next thing I know security is dragging me from the room, and the little brats are grinning at me through their fake tears over the nurses’ shoulder.
The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 19
Jane
When Linda calls me at work, telling me Riley has a fever of 103 degrees fahrenheit and they’re on the way to the hospital, I drop everything.
Worry consumes me completely. I was already dealing with the stress of coping with Paisley’s imminent surgery, I can’t bear to have another pup on the verge of death. It’s not as if my kids have never had high fevers before, but a mother’s mind never rests, and no matter how hard I try to stay calm, my protective instincts are thrown into instant overdrive.
I race to the hospital as fast as I can, literally running into the emergency ward and crashing head first into the very last person | wanted to see.
Ethan catches me just before our bodies collide, “Elise!” He murmurs urgently, taking my face in his hands “What’s wrong?”
Abruptly shaking off his touch, I gasp, “What are you doing here.” Of course I already know the answer to this question, but I have to keep up the act.
Ethan looks as if he’s already guessed this much, “My daughter is having surgery tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry.” I reply stiffly, “I hope she does well and has a fast recovery, but I really have to be going.” If I have to talk about Paisley for another moment I’ll begin to cry, and I’m still petrified for Riley
“Are you ill?” Ethan asks anxiously, looking me over in far too much
detail, turning me back and forth in his hands as if he’s expecting to find a bleeding gash somewhere on my form.
“I’m fine. Just visiting.” I explain, pushing him away for the second time. It doesn’t escape my notice that he keeps reaching towards my hair, and somehow I instinctively understand that he might be thinking of stealing a DNA sample to test my relationship to Paisley. I know how suspicious he is of my identity, and we may be divorced, but there is still a bond between us. I know how Ethan thinks, I understand how he does business.
Pulling away from him for the third time, a wave of pure relief washes over me when a nurse walks up behind him with a stack of papers in hand. “Alpha?” She says loudly, calling his attention.
When Ethan turns to face her, I dart away towards the room number Linda texted me on the drive over, careening into the room and finding my little girl sleeping peacefully on the bed. “What happened?” | inquire, not pausing to greet my friend.
Lind stands on the opposite side of her bed, “The doctors are treating her for the flu and dehydration.” She says, “apparently it’s not unusual for the sickness to come on so fast, but they want to keep her here for observation.”
“Thank goodness,” I breathe, looking around for the first time, “Where are the boys?”
Ryder and Parker stand on either side of Paisley’s bed, causing her attention to bounce back and forth between them like a ping pong ball. “What was that all about?” The sleepy little girl asks.
“We’re here with our sister. The doctor’s kicked us out so they could talk to auntie Linda, but the nurse they had babysitting us got ‘stracted, so we came ‘sploring.” Parker explains.
“I’m Ryder.” His brother introduces himself, “And this is Parker.”
“I’m Paisley.” The girl in the bed shares shyly, “You guys look familiar.”
Parker grins, “We should. You already met our sister, Riley.”
“The girl who looks like me?!” Paisley chirps excitedly.
“Uh-huh!” Ryder confirms, “we’re triplets, least we thought we were… we think you’re our sister too.”
“You mean it?!” Paisley clarifies.
“Of course.” Parker replies confidently. “We can bring her by to say hi when she feels better. Why’re you here?”
“My heart doesn’ work like it should.” Paisley explains softly. “Does this mean you know my Mommy?”
The boys nod vigorously, “And you know our Daddy! Riley told us she met him too.”
“Parrently they’re playing hide ‘n’ seek.” Paisley confides, “Daddy’s it right now. Mommy told me she could only be my Mommy if she wins.”
“What does that mean?” Parker wonders aloud, “Does that mean Mommy and Daddy will get back t’gether?”
| “I dunno.” Paisley shrugs, sorting through her memory. “But she
didn’t say she’d come home, she just said she couldn’t be my Mommy.” All three pups exchange worried looks, those sounded like two very different things.
“I want them to be together.” Ryder decides. “I wanna be a family. All of us!”
“Me too!” Parkey and Paisley agree.
“So let’s make it happen.” Ryder suggests. “We can get dem back t’gether!”
“But how?” Paisley asks.
For a moment the pups think through their options, all wearing the same pensive expression their mother gets when she’s faced with a difficult problem. Finally Parker raises his head. “Paisley, the nest time your Daddy comes to visit, call room 100.” He instructs, “That’ s Riley’s room. We just have to figure out when Mommy and Daddy are both here, then send them to the same place. Then they’ll have to meet!”
“You’re a genius!” Ryder exclaims, “But will meeting be enough?”
“Hmmm,” Paisley thinks, eyeing the spilled water on her floor. “Maybe if you spill something on the floor, then Mommy will slip and Daddy can catch her.”
“What is he doesn’t?” Ryder worries.
Paisley frowns, “Trust me, I know Daddy. He’ll catch her.”
A few hours later the plan is in action. Everything happened exactly as the pups planned and the next thing they knew, Ryder and Parker were hiding around a corner watching Ethan and Jane run into each other for the second time that day.
Ethan
It seems like I’m finally catching a break. For once I see Jane before she sees me. Paisley asked me to bring her a snack from the vending machine, and it’s just my luck that my mate it standing right in front of the glass case when I arrive.
She wipes around when she catches my scent, her beautiful green eyes going wide and to my delight, she even attempts to run. Of course, I’m after her in an instant, her flighty movement triggering my prey drive before I can process what’s happening. The next thing I know she’s slipping and skidding along a pool of water, before falling directly into my arms.
I take the excuse to hold her close, cuddling her to my ch3st and inhaling her delicious scent like a starving man. “Hello little wolf.” | greet her huskily.
Trying to shake me off, Jane frowns, “I thought I made my feelings about that moniker clear, Mr. Blackwell.”
“You did.” | agree rakishly, “but I never made any promises.”
Her eyes narrow. “So you’re going to ignore my wishes?”
“You know, if you’re so concerned about propriety, I would think you might have thanked me by now.” | tease. “I did just save your life.”
Shooting me a scathing look, Jane replies, “I’d hardly call slipping on a bit of water life threatening… especially with doctors surrounding us at every turn.”
“Then you and I disagree.” I insist, “Still, for safety’s sake I should really walk you back. Remind me, what room are you visiting?”
“I’ll tell you what.” Jane offers silkily, “I’ll go back to my room, and you go back to your daughter’s. I’m sure she needs you more than I do.”
Her words strike a cord in my heart, and for once I concede. Though this is absolutely not a defeat. I may be surrendering the battle, but I’m certainly not losing the war. After all, her near-fall allowed me to finally collect the evidence I needed to confirm she s Paisley’s mother. In my palm rests a strand of her long hair. By this time tomorrow, I’ll have all the proof I need to confront my naughty little mate. We’ll see if she’s still so defiant then.
The Luna And Her Quadruplet Pups Chapter 20
How is this possible? Ethan thought desperately. I was so sure Elise Carrington was Jane. I was so sure the beautiful she-wolf I met in Eve’s Atelier was my long lost mate. I know she smells different, but she’s a perfume designer, it would be only too easy for her to fake the scent change.
Still, there was no denying the DNA report in his palm, which stated in no uncertain terms that the two samples he submitted were not a match. Elise Carrington was not Jane Blackwell, no matter how alike the two women looked… no matter that she appeared to be mother to three other children who looked so like him, and no matter how many lies she spun. It didn’t make any sense, if she wasn’t Jane, then what explanation was there for her actions? How could this be?
Ethan was so distraught he stumbled straight into a bar and began downing drink after drink, drowning his sorrows and contemplating this strange turn of fate.
Meanwhile Jane took advantage of Ethan’s absence from the hospital to visit sweet Paisley. An emergency surgery arose just before Paisley was scheduled to go under, so her procedure was delayed a few days until the next opening could be booked. They were keeping her under observation until then just to be safe, and Jane couldn’t stand the idea of not seeing her baby one more time before the big day.
Ethan scarcely even left Paisley’s side, but her forged DNA results seemed to have done the trick. In that way the fraudulent document killed two birds with one stone, giving her a precious moment with her daughter, all the while protecting her true identity.
“Are you scared?” She asked Paisley, using all her willpower not to climb into bed with the pup.
“No.” Paisley shook her head, “I’ve had lots of surgeries afore.”
This blithe statement cracked Jane’s heart right open. “Brave girl.” She crooned. “Is there anything you want or need, anything I can do for you?”
Paisley flushes, staring at her lap and clearly withholding some request she felt to shy to share.
“What is it, little one?” Jane pressed sincerely.
“Can I sit in your lap?” The pup requested so quietly her mother almost didn’t hear.
“Of course darling.”Jane agreed, gathering up the precious being in her arms and settling her in her arms.
Paisley cuddled closer, clutching the silky fabric of Jane’s top and breathing in her comforting scent. “Will you sing to me?”
“I’d love to.” Jane confirmed, beginning at a hum and slowly raising her voice to the low volume of a lullaby. Together Paisley and Jane drifted along with the gentle tune, mother and daughter finally sharing that which had been missing from both their lives since being separated. Paisley slowly dosed off to sleep, and Jane tucked her into bed with a tender k!ss before quitting the hospital.
She cried the entire way home, barely getting herself together enough to go inside and face Linda. She knew her friend would never judge her heightened emotions, but she felt like she’d already leaned on her friend so much that it wouldn’t be fair to tax her further.
However Jane never made it that far. Instead she found Ethan staggering in the hallway outside Linda’s apartment, reeking of alcohol and looking at her with unbridled l**t. He’s barely coherent, so overwhelmed with drink that his words are slurred as he greets her. “I really thought you were her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jane lied, as if it hadn’t cost her a small fortuned to pay of the lab tech responsible for running the DNA test.
“I loved her more than anything, you know that?” Ethan rumbles, moving towards Jane in a zig-zag. “You look so much like her… and those pups… I really wanted Paisley to have her mother back… I’m not enough for her.”
His words made no sense to Jane. They contradicted everything she believed she knew about their relationship, and she couldn’t allow herself to dwell on them. Maybe this was just another one of Ethan’s ploys to control her, or maybe it was genuine, either way it would only result in pain for her. Ethan might imagine he’d loved her, but if that were true then his way of showing love was enslavement.
“You’re drunk.” Jane informed him coolly, “You need to go home. Your daughter is having surgery tomorrow, she needs you in one piece.”
One of Ethan’s massive hands shot out to capture Jane’s arms. “How do you know that?”
“We met in the hospital.” She reminded him, “You told me about Paisley then.”
“I never told you her name.” He growled. “And her surgery was postponed. As far as you should know, she already had it.”
His dark eyes bored into Jane, full of questions and accusations. “You’ve clearly downed enough spirits to tranquilize an elephant.”
Jane argued, “Can you really trust your memory right now?”
“Tell me the truth!” He demanded, pure Alpha authority bleeding into his deep voice, “tell me what’s going on.”
Jane assumed he wanted an answer, but before she could open her mouth to reply, his l!ps were descending on hers. They collided with devastating force, erasing all thought from her mind. Instantly her instincts took over, and before she could stop herself, Jane was wrapping her arms around Ethan’s neck and parting her l!ps for his questing tongue.
Ethan gr0aned into the k!ss, slanting his mouth hungrily over his mate’s and delving deep. Her feet left the ground, wrapping around his wa!st as her back flattened against the wall. Pure desire consumed her, taking over all her senses and erasing all her fears and concerns. No matter what had happened between them in the past, this felt so incredibly right, it would take a far stronger woman than her to resist such powerful feelings.
Ethan claimed her inside and out, rocking his hardness against her already sodden center and drawing soft m0ans from her l!ps. In that instant it seemed as if no time had passed at all, as if they had no fears and concerns, as if the world was as simple as it had been when they were sixteen and head over heels in love.
If the Alpha had his way they would have continued like this all night, but the soft nip of his teeth on her neck jolted Jane back to reality. She remembered that they were not hormonal teenagers anymore. They weren’t in love, they weren’t matęs. They were an Alpha and his former slave, and if she let this continue, she would pay the price, and lose her pups in the process..
Reaching out for the decorative vase positioned on the hall table outside of Linda’s apartment, she smashed it over Ethan’s head without a second thought, watching the powerful wolf collapse at her feet, and sobbing her pain and relief into the cool night air. What she did not and could not know, is that on the other side of
the door her pups watched with confusion and disbelief as the events unfolded. The boys stood balanced on a chair in front of
the peephole, taking in every second of the passionate exchange and sudden attack with confusion and sadness. Exchanging a glance as the sound of their mother’s tears carried through the thin wooden panel, they both knew that something had to be done.