Page 131 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Casey***

One year later

I shoot Ethan a murderous glare as he walks into the

bedroom. He stops in his tracks, eyes wide in surprise.

Whoa… what did I do?

Your children have been driving me crazy all day.

Oh, now they’re my children?

Of course. My children are angels. When they act like

this, they’re yours.

He joins me on the bed, placing his palm on my humongous

belly. “What’s going on?”

“EJ and Luke have been fighting all day about who your

favorite is. EJ insists it’s him because he has your name, and Luke thinks it’s

Katie because she’s the only girl.”

This is the way it’s been for the last three months. The

moment I found out I was pregnant, I started talking to them. At the latter

part of my sixth month, they started talking back. Actually, I think I’m just

reading their minds, and they’re reading each others. Ethan talks to them every

day, too. By touching my belly, he’s able to read their minds also. I’m just

glad they can’t read ours. We’ve had to be very careful with our language and

have been using our telepathic abilities more often than not.

“On top of that, I think EJ pushed Luke,” I add.

“You mean… pushed?”

“Yes. He told him to shut up, and Luke’s been quiet ever

since. He hasn’t even answered me when I’ve spoken to him.”

He moves his hand to the bottom-left side of my belly and

leans in close.

“Luke, talk to me.”

Yes, Daddy?

“Oh, thank God. Don’t you ever scare Mommy like that again.”

I’m sorry, Mommy. I tried to answer, but I couldn’t.

Ethan slides his hand across to the right side.

“EJ, that was not nice,” he says. “I don’t think you

understand what you did, but try not to do it again, okay?”

Yes, Daddy.

“Now… what about the other two?”

“They’ve been pretty quiet. Observing their brothers, I

guess.” I shrug.

He moves a little farther up my right side.

“Kyle?”

Hi, Daddy! Did you catch any bad guys today?

“Not today, son. Maybe tomorrow.”

Daddy, Daddy!

With a smile, he slides his hand across to the left side.

“How’s my baby girl?”

These boys are driving me crazy!

“I know, baby, but it will all be over soon.”

Not soon enough, Sheriff! Let me tell you, after this, this

baby factory is closed for production.

What do you mean? Four is a good start.

Good start? You and your super sperm aren’t coming

anywhere near my ovaries again.

Hey, if you don’t want the fruit, stay away from the tree.

Wipe that smirk off your face! I don’t recall the tree

ever staying away from me.

He nuzzles my neck, trailing soft kisses down to my

shoulder. My body shivers and I almost forget I’m angry.

That’s because you’re irresistible, my love.

Sure. I’m the size of an elephant.

A very irresistible elephant.

Ugh! Go away!

Hey, I warned you about those winter months. You’re the

one who shouted for me to come inside you.

He’s right. I remember that night like it was yesterday. This

being in heat shit is no joke. When we were at home, we made love in every room

and on every surface. When we were at work, I would go crazy until I went to

his office or begged him to come to the bar. His deputies would smell me coming

and disappear, or we’d go out into his truck. When he came to the bar, Sandy

would just wink at me and turn up the music.

Screw you, McKenzie.

Yes, please.

I give him another deadly look which should surely make it

clear that it wasn’t an offer. He chuckles and climbs out of bed, removing his

uniform. Just the sight of him gets me wet. Fruit be damned, the tree is

looking mighty appealing right now. It’s a little difficult for me to move

around, so I’ve been on bedrest for the last month. I haven’t allowed him to

touch me the entire time. Not that I don’t want to, but I’m huge and not

feeling very sexy. How would it work? Maybe I could sit in his lap… or lie on

my side with him behind me… Hmm. I watch him, extremely thankful the kids can’t

read my mind.

“Yes, but I can, Mrs. McKenzie.” He chuckles.

“Get out of my head, Sheriff.”

But why? When you’re having such deliciously naughty

thoughts?

Because it’s not going to happen.

He walks over to me, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “You

will never be anything less than beautiful in my eyes.”

I sigh in resignation. “I know.”

“I—”

He inclines his head to the door, listening intently. I

don’t hear anything, but I sense someone—no, two wolves—approaching.

“Who are they?” I ask.

“Dad and… his wife.”

Helena. I haven’t seen her in months. Once Ethan figured out

he could strip wolves of their abilities, that’s what he did to her. He

essentially turned her into the one thing she despised—human. She still turns

on the full moon; she just doesn’t have the perks in human form. Some abilities

we read about in the prophecy book, others we discovered on our own. We found

we could read others’ minds if we touched them, and communication over

distances with our betas are now two-way, in both wolf and human form. His

original abilities quadrupled in strength. He can push without touching, and he

can control the stages of the change from man to wolf. As soon as word of our

ceremony began to spread, alphas came from all over seeking alliances. Our pack

is currently aligned with other packs, purebred and half-breed, from the U.S.

to China.

“I’ll see what’s going on.”

What in the world could Helena possibly want? Victor’s been here

many times, but he’s never brought her with him. Their relationship has been

suffering because of what she did, but Victor can’t exactly divorce her.

My curiosity gets the better of me, and I clumsily get out

of bed. The babies are chattering non-stop. I can put up a block so I don’t

hear them, but I love listening to them. As soon as we get close enough for

them to hear the voices, they start asking who the new lady is.

“Shh.”

They quiet down, but everyone turns toward me at the sound.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Ethan demands.

“I want to know what’s going on.”

“She wants to talk to you.”

“About what?”

I look directly at Helena then, wanting her to answer the

question. She looks down to the floor and then back to me with a guilt-ridden

expression.

“I came to apologize.”

“An apology? How is that supposed to help me?”

“I guess it won’t. I continue to suffer for what I’ve done… and

I should. I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I lost my son and now… I won’t be a

part of my grandchildren’s lives, either.”

“And the first two, they weren’t your grandchildren?”

“It’s different now.”

“Why? Because we’re married, or because I’m your alpha?”

Mommy, who’s the mean lady who’s upsetting you?

Tell her to go away.

EJ and Luke. I’m touched, but right now I need to deal with

Helena. “Shh!”

Ethan moves forward and helps me into the couch. He places

his hand on my belly, but they’ve gone quiet.

“What is it?” he asks.

“They want to know who the mean lady is.”

We both turn to Helena, and I know Ethan is about to ask her

to leave.

“What does she mean? They who?” Helena asks.

That’s right; we haven’t told anyone about being able to

read the babies’ minds. I turn to Helena, summoning every ounce of dominance

I’ve managed to learn from Ethan, adding a little of my own.

“My children. I can read their minds, and they want me to

send you away.”

“Ethan, do you really believe—”

“I can read their minds, too.” He cuts her off.

She stares back in shock and confusion. I look up at Ethan

and motion toward her.

“Show her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He clenches his jaw and beckons her forward, taking her hand

and placing his free one on my belly. He can extend his mind-reading ability to

others through touch, so she will be able to hear everything we hear.

“Children, roll call.”

They begin to move around restlessly because, for some

reason, they love to do this. Ethan does it with them almost every day.

Ethan Matthew McKenzie Jr!

Luke Victor McKenzie!

Kyle Bryan McKenzie!”

Katherine Fiona McKenzie!

Petrified, Helena tugs her hand from Ethan’s grip. She takes

a few steps back, gawking at me like she’s seen a ghost. Without a word, she

falls to her knees, weeping. Now that, I didn’t expect.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I was wrong.”

I look down at her, and my heart softens just a little. This

Helena seems far removed from the one I know. I know what it’s like to lose a

child. She lost Kyle, and Ethan has no contact with her at all, so it’s like

he’s gone, too. I also know what it’s like to lose a mother. They may not have

been close, but it can’t be as easy as he makes it seem. I don’t see myself

ever being close to her, but the least I can do is be civil… and Ethan, too. He

looks over at me in disbelief as he reads my mind.

Surely you don’t expect me to—

Fix it, Ethan. I’m going back upstairs.

I take one last look at her, sobbing on the floor. All her regality

has disappeared. Now she just looks pathetic.

“Get up, Helena. I can’t promise anything but… I’ll try.”

She raises her head, tears glistening in her eyes. Behind

them, I see hope.

“Thank you, Casey. That’s all I can ask for.”

As I head for the stairs, the children become particularly

restless. I place my hand on my belly, rubbing it in a circular motion. Luke

kicks and EJ follows quickly. I grab the banister and Ethan rushes to my side,

holding me up. I’m now being kicked from every angle.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know,” I answer.

He helps me sit on the stairs, and I lift my top. I gasp as

eight little feet push at my stomach. They’ve never kicked like this before,

all at once. There’s a popping sensation and then warm liquid trickling down my

legs. I squeeze Ethan’s hand, and his eyes widen in surprise. He jumps to his

feet, pacing nervously. Where’s my alpha husband? I expected him to take charge

of the situation, not become a Nervous Nelly. He has a million thoughts running

through his mind, and I can’t keep up.

I’m not a Nervous Nelly.

Yeah? Tell that to someone else.

“What is it, son?” Victor asks.

He turns to his dad with a blank expression. “The babies, they’re

coming.”

“Okay, just take her upstairs and I’ll call Clara. Calm

down. By the end of the night, you’ll be holding your children in your arms.”

That seems to calm him down. He scoops me up in his arms and

takes me back to the bedroom. The kicking intensifies, and by the time he

places me on the bed, I’m in agony. I grab his hand and feel my nails pierce

his skin. He doesn’t even flinch.

“Is it supposed to be this bad this quickly?” I ask.

“No. It’s not.”

I jerk my head toward Helena in surprise. I didn’t hear or

smell her approaching. She walks in with a confidence I saw no trace of

earlier.

“Get some pillows behind her. We need to make her as

comfortable as possible. And get her out of those wet clothes.”

Ethan is stunned, staring at his mother like she just

sprouted another head. Just as he’s about to kick her out, I stop him.

“It’s okay. Just do it.”

He shifts his attention to me and begins piling pillows

behind me. The pain is getting so intense I’d shake hands with the Devil right

now if that would help me. The kids’ thoughts are moving at a mile per second,

and I can’t pin down a coherent word. I cry out as I feel them all pushing

against my stomach. It’s like they’re trying to fight their way out.

“Baby?” Ethan says, his voice laced with worry.

I scream and grab his arm as I feel my ribs cracking one by

one. My wolf is fighting for control. Falling back on the pillows, I allow her

to take over. Vaguely, I hear Ethan shouting my name. Before the world goes

dark, I see Clara rushing into the room.

***

I open my eyes and find my gorgeous husband smiling down at

me. As the fog in my brain clears, I feel the pulling sensation on my chest. I

realize I’m in wolf form, and there are four tiny, perfect pups suckling at my

breasts. All the boys are brown like their father, and little Katie got my red

fur. They are absolutely beautiful.

“Yes they are,” Ethan says.

Clara, Helena, and Victor excuse themselves, giving us some

privacy. I close my eyes as exhaustion gets the better of me. I listen to the

children as they feed away, expressing how glad they are to be able to move

around but how cold it is. When they start to cry, I open my eyes. I’m back in

human form, and so are they. Ethan quickly wraps them in their blankets and

covers me with a sheet. I manage to sit up, and he places Luke in my arms. I

adjust him to make room and then accept Kyle. As I stare down at them,

everything clicks into place. Everything I need is in this room with me. I glance

at Ethan as he settles next to me with EJ and Katie. The way he’s looking at

them makes the pain and discomfort of the last nine months dissipate. I’d

have a million more just to see that expression on his face. He turns to me

with a smirk.

No problem, Mrs. McKenzie. I’m ready to start right now.

I could pretend to be outraged, but the fact of the matter

is… so am I.

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