Page 74

SASHA

I stood on top of the grassy knoll, looking out at my pack.

The Silverfang pack and Stoneclaw clan flanked the Hopecrest pack members, forming a formidable alliance.

The Werekind all faced us, their eyes fastened on me.

Sentinels, warriors, mothers, and children stood together, their Werekind race indistinguishable without scent.

Here in their human skin, they were just Werekind.

And two weeks ago, the Werekind had defeated a formidable foe, a Dark Lord of the Fae Realm.

I glanced to the side, staring up at Damon. I blinked, his head turning, eyes landing on me. A slow smile spread across his face. His eyes shone with pride and bottomless love for me. I swallowed past the lump of tears that threatened to well unbidden.

“Today,” Alpha Ryan spoke from my left, his voice resounding across the forest clearing.

“We celebrate a momentous occasion. Never have we had such peace with the bears of the Stoneclaw Clan.” A satisfied grin swept across his lips.

“But never have we faced such a foe as the Dark Fae—never have wolves and bears fought together.”

The crowd erupted in cheers, along with clapping and exuberant shouts. Damon and I laughed.

“We are proud to say…” I began and cleared my throat. “From this moment on, Stoneclaw clan, Hopecrest pack, and the Silverfang pack have formed a Trinity Alliance!”

More cries of joy erupted from the packs. Damon and I shared a tender glance. Alpha Ryan faced the two of us. He extended a hand to Damon..

“Here’s the start to a bright and glorious future,” he said.

Damon took his offered hand in a firm shake. “You realize the war with the fae isn’t over.”

Alpha Ryan nodded. His eyes sharpened. “It’s just begun.”

I placed a hand on either male’s shoulders. “We’ll be ready.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at a juvenile group of wolves and bears that congregated in my living room.

“I’m telling you,” one male bear said. He waved his hands. “That shit is real.”

Laughter erupted from the group. “Yeah,” a blond male wolf said, grinning. “And so is Sasquatch.”

The bear youth frowned. “We’re werewolves, for god’s sake. I think Sasquatch’s existence is debatable.”

“That may be true, but to say the Dark Fae can shift forms to look like a person is… a stretch,” said a female bear. The male beside her, a wolf, held her hand—the pair sharing intimate glances between the group’s banter.

I smiled. My skin hummed with warmth at seeing wolves and bears amiable with one another.

No, more than that—there had been romantic relationships, matings, forged between the Werekind.

Not only the Werekind. A wolf with dark hair and a mischievous smile hugged Ayana from behind in the room’s corner, giving her sweet kisses on the temple.

It was another revelation that proved how unified those under the Trinity Alliance had become.

Six months had passed since the day we founded the alliance.

And today, August third, was one of the most important days in my life.

As my gaze swept the length of the room filled with weres, I swept a hand across my belly.

The front door slammed open, my bestie Danika darting into the room. “Quick, Alpha Damon is coming!”

People scrambled, their footsteps echoing through the room, as they rushed to turn off lights and close blinds.

In the darkness, the cabin seemed to blend into the night, its silhouette barely visible against the horizon.

In a rush, I made my way across the living room and joined the group of giggling juveniles behind the couch.

Amber, Damon’s beta, fussed at the youths from behind the dining room table. “Shut your mouths before I shut them for you.”

Their mouths snapped shut. A few paled.

Then I caught a whiff of Damon’s intoxicating scent.

The aroma of cedar and spice filled my nostrils, evoking thoughts of his charming smiles and comforting hugs, making me sigh with longing.

As he approached, a sense of home washed over me.

Damon would always be home. The sound of footsteps trailing up the porch steps echoed through the front door.

Then the door opened. Someone hiding flicked the lights on. Everyone erupted into view.

“Surprise!” we shouted

Damon blinked. His posture relaxed.

“Wait,” someone whispered, looking around at the assembled crowd, perplexed. “He doesn’t look surprised.”

A trickle of worry flowed into my veins. “Damon?”

The corners of his mouth turned up into a slow smirk, hinting at his hidden delight. “You all realize that I could smell you from the wood line?”

Groans billowed throughout the room, followed by good-natured laughter.

“Fucking alpha sense of smell,” Nick, my hacker, grumbled.

I grinned, drawing close to my mate. He flashed a smile down at me and gathered me into his arms.

“Happy birthday, love.”

“Thank you, darling,” Damon said.

“Hey!” a feminine voice called.

Damon and I turned to find the pack encircling the dining room table, with a white frosted birthday cake placed in the center. The flickering candles spelled out the words ‘Happy Birthday’ in red frosting.

“Hurry and blow out the candles so we can eat!” a female, Bell, shouted.

Laughter resounded.

Damon threw his head back and snickered.

The joy radiated off his body like rays in the morning sun peeking over the horizon.

With an enormous grin plastered on my face, I watched my mate approach the table.

He blew out the candles with a forceful breath, causing a gust of wind that tousled his hair, prompting applause from the crowd.

A few males clapped Damon on the back, wishing him congratulations, while the females went about cutting the cake and serving those at the party.

A flare of joy emanated from within my abdomen, and I pressed a hand to my protruding stomach.

I smiled down at my belly, where our baby nestled in the womb growing stronger and more rambunctious each day.

You are definitely Damon’s baby; I whispered down to my little one.

My inner wolf hummed in content.

“What are you doing way over here?”

I looked up to find Damon’s Beta, Amber, approaching, a plate of birthday cake in her hands.

“Just enjoying the view,” I replied.

“It’s more fun being part of the view, isn’t it?” Amber took a bite of her cake.

I nodded. “That’s true, but don’t spoil the view for me.”

Amber giggled.

Another wave touched my mind—my baby attempting to communicate with me.

Legend has it that pregnant werewolf mothers form a special bond with their babies before they are born, hearing their faint howls in the womb.

It was a bond more strong, more palpable than that experienced by human mothers.

Small emotions flitted into the werewolf mother’s mind.

The baby’s emotions varied from joy with music to sadness when ignored, and agitation when denied food.

A deep longing for a slice of cake filled my little one’s heart.

No little one. I don’t feel like eating cake right now.

Just eyeing the diabetic-on-a-fork food was causing my stomach to roll.

Another fact of pregnancy that I was finding hard to adjust to.

That and the slight swell of my belly I had attempted to hide from my mate for weeks.

I wished to surprise him on this special day.

My teeth caught my bottom lip as I wondered if he’d realized I was carrying.

If so, he did a fabulous job of not letting on that he knew.

Another ripple of emotion from my babe, a fissure of irritation.

I giggled. “Demanding like your father, too,” I whispered.

Amber quirked her brow. “What was that?”

I gaped at her. I’d forgotten that I had listening ears nearby. “Oh! No, nothing. Just mumbling to myself.”

Amber’s eyes gleamed with suspicion, but the dominant female bear didn’t pursue the topic further. My shoulders sagged in relief. Then Damon sauntered toward me with a devilish smirk. I raised my hands, warding him off.

“Don’t you dare!” I backed up a step, but Damon advanced.

He swiped a dollop of frosting with his finger, aiming it at me, his smirk widening. I squealed in surprise, dodging and batting at his hand.

“No!” Strangled laughter bubbled from my throat. “Stop, stop it.”

“Not until I paint that delicious mouth of yours with frosting.” Damon chuckled.

A cheer arose from the pack members, every bear, latent, and wolf turning against me. And my skin tingled with delight. Damon smeared the corner of my lips. I glared at him, though a smile tugged at my lips.

Undaunted, Damon said, “You look edible with frosting on your lips.” His eyes glinted. I didn’t miss the interpretation. Heat stole across my cheeks, spanning the length of my neck.

More laughter, followed by catcalls.

“Alright, alright,” Danika called, pushing her way through the crowd to stand at my side. “She’s blushed enough. We don’t want her turning into a tomato now, do we?”

I slapped a palm to my brow, feeling the rush of heat on my face. “You’re just making it worse, Danika.”

“Don’t you just love me?” She winked.

I shook my head, enjoying the good-natured fun.

As chatter lingered throughout the group, a cozy ambiance settled over the cabin.

Before making my way through the front door, I cast one more fleeting look at the energetic partygoers.

I stepped onto the porch and leaned on the railing, feeling the cool, smooth surface against my skin.

I looked up and saw the vast expanse of star-filled heavens above.

I couldn’t shake off the curious feeling that grazed my mind. I smiled, feeling a warm connection forming between myself and the babe.

It’s okay, little one. Mama is just out here reminiscing.

A swell of contentment replaced curiosity, the baby settling in.

I blinked in wonder at the knowledge that I was pregnant with Damon’s child.

If someone had told me eight months ago that I would end up mated to a bear and pregnant, I would have reacted with extreme hostility, ready to attack them.

I shook my head. Time sure could bring about the strangest—yet wonderful—changes in one’s life.

The creak of the front door opening behind me met my ears.

The door slid shut and footsteps resounded.

Cedar and campfire spice wafted into my nostrils.

I sighed in fulfillment as Damon wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind.

He placed a sweet kiss on my neck and I purred, pressing my body back into his.

“What are you doing out here?” He angled his head to gaze down at me, watching my expression.

I gave him a secretive smile. “Just thinking.”

Daman gave me another kiss, this time on my shoulders. “Thinking about what?”

“Life, and how crazy it can be.”

“Example?” His brows lifted.

“How you and I met. Who discovers their mate is the enemy, huh?” I turned, gazing at him.

As Damon dropped his head, his face displayed a mixture of guilt and regret. “That… that was something all right.”

I nodded. “Yeah, you straddled me, intent on ripping my throat out.”

Damon winced. “But I couldn’t. You know, your soul just called to me… and I knew.”

I blinked at him. “Knew what?”

“That now that I’d found you, my life would never be the same.

” Damon pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I didn’t know how our lives would intertwine…

where we would end up. The thought of a future together seemed impossible.

My rage against werewolves murdering my father was still a gaping hole in my heart.

” He swallowed hard, moisture gathering in his eyes.

I placed a hand over his heart, felt the muscle beating beneath my palm. “Honey…”

He shook his head, his hand coming up to grasp mine. “I’m okay now. Because of you. You’ve given my life meaning, darling. And I would endure every hardship we faced once more, just to have the chance to be by your side in the end.” I watched love brimming in the depths of his cobalt blue gaze.

It’s time, I thought.

I flipped my hand over, melding my palm with his. “I have a present for you.”

The solemness dissolved from his features. He chuckled. “The surprise birthday party wasn’t enough?”

I shrugged. “Well, I think you’ll love this surprise even better.”

Damon flashed his teeth in an open-mouthed grin. “Well, where is it?”

I shook my head. “It’s not here, yet. You’ll have to wait a little longer to see it.”

“Do I even get a hint?”

“Well…” I winked. “It will either be pups or cubs.”

Damon stilled. His eyes rounded in disbelief. A look of awe swept across his face. “Are… are you serious?” He gripped my arms and glanced down at my midsection.

I allowed a slow smile to creep across my mouth. “Yes.”

“I’m going to be a… a… father .”

I nodded with excitement. As I drew his hand down, I pressed it against my belly, allowing him to feel the gentle swell beneath his fingertips.

Damon gasped, his fingers caressing my belly—the evidence of our child.

Boisterous laughter emerged from his chest. Pure joy welled up in his eyes, causing them to glisten with moisture. His hands came up to cup my face.

“I love you, Sasha.”

I softened in his hold. “I love you more.”

Damon dipped his head, his lips claiming mine. And I knew whatever the future held for the Werekind regarding the Dark Fae, it didn’t matter. Mine and Damon’s future would be glorious.