Page 203 of Beneath the Blue Moon

Yes, please.

I give him another deadly look which should surely make itclear that it wasn’t an offer.He chuckles and climbs out of bed, removing hisuniform.Just the sight of him gets me wet.Fruit be damned, the tree islooking mighty appealing right now.It’s a little difficult for me to movearound, so I’ve been on bedrest for the last month.I haven’t allowed him totouch me the entire time.Not that I don’t want to, but I’m huge and notfeeling very sexy.How would it work?Maybe I could sit in his lap… or lie onmy side with him behind me… Hmm.I watch him, extremely thankful the kids can’tread my mind.

“Yes, butIcan, Mrs.McKenzie.”He chuckles.

“Get out of my head, Sheriff.”

But why?When you’re having such deliciously naughtythoughts?

Because it’s not going to happen.

He walks over to me, stroking my cheek with his thumb.“Youwill 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.Idon’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 outhe could strip wolves of their abilities, that’s what he did to her.Heessentially turned her into the one thing she despised—human.She still turnson the full moon; she just doesn’t have the perks in human form.Some abilitieswe read about in the prophecy book, others we discovered on our own.We foundwe could read others’ minds if we touched them, and communication overdistances with our betas are now two-way, in both wolf and human form.Hisoriginal abilities quadrupled in strength.He can push without touching, and hecan control the stages of the change from man to wolf.As soon as word of ourceremony began to spread, alphas came from all over seeking alliances.Our packis 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 heremany times, but he’s never brought her with him.Their relationship has beensuffering because of what she did, but Victor can’t exactly divorce her.

My curiosity gets the better of me, and I clumsily get outof bed.The babies are chattering non-stop.I can put up a block so I don’thear them, but I love listening to them.As soon as we get close enough forthem 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 thequestion.She looks down to the floor and then back to me with a guilt-riddenexpression.

“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… andI should.I was wrong.I know I was wrong.I lost my son and now… I won’t be apart 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?