Page 23

Imri

Four Years Later

The Haenvale I’d come to over four years before was very different from the one I lived in now. Gone were the different inhibitors. Guests to the town still wore them, but most of the residents had learned how to live in peace, thanks to Sully, Trisha, Vanessa, and Orson.

Sully, who had started this thing off so he could have me as his mate. Trisha, who had done all the research with Vanessa helping out, seeking a Haenvale which was fair, not discriminatory. Vanessa, who had also found some of the money and brokered the deal with the town. Then finally, Orson, who had a vested interest in seeing the park come to life. The same guy who had invested his own money into the project and hours upon hours of his time getting it right .

It worked. Sure, there were blips. The occasional injury from shifters who just weren’t ready for the sensory overload not having an inhibitor gave them. Having healers on staff along with magic users was a genius idea from Sully. Without having to think about it, he made it a requirement, ensuring the park could continue to open after the first accident instead of shut down for everyone’s safety.

“Dad, the plaque has arrived. Would you open it for me?” Rowan asked, on the other end of the phone. He was now the same age Sully was when I met him. Done with college, Rowan had many security companies vying for his attention. Mainly, he worked for the defense department of the government, but at home, not in New Washington. Our oldest child hated cities with a passion.

“Sure. Be there in a minute.” I put down the invention I was working on with a frown. It was a variation of the inhibitor. The idea being it would be used to soothe a prey drive. Still in the very early days, it had the potential to be helpful to many families settling in the growing town. If I could get the damn thing right.

Rowan’s home was at the other end of our backyard. He’d moved out, just hadn’t gone far, which we thought was a blessing. He got to be a part of his siblings’ lives and have his own space.

The house was a simple two story, two bedroom home with a sparse design. Rowan didn’t like a lot of fussy decorations or clutter.

He was staring at the plaque when I walked in. It was obvious what it was from the packaging. He’d clearly tried opening it himself, then gotten overwhelmed and given up.

“Do you want Poppa?” Sully was better at this stuff than me.

“No, it should be you.”

“Alright.” When Rowan was like that, it was better not to question him.

I didn’t hesitate, just ripped the paper covering the ornate plaque gifted to Rowan, Sandy, and Berry to honor their mom and the witches who were cast out.

Haenvale Remembers, it read. A symbol of our deepest sorrow over the loss of the Oaken Coven. An apology to those who we lost. A promise to do better.

The plaque held an ornate oak tree. It dominated the piece, making it beautiful.

“Do you think Mom would like it?” Rowan asked, standing next to me .

Unable to lie, I shrugged. “I think maybe some of the sentiment behind it. It’s too little too late for them, but now at least things are better. You, Sandy, and Berry have a life she could only dream of. That, I think, she would be happy about.”

Rowan leaned his head against my shoulder and wrapped an arm around me. As I suspected, he now stood a head taller than me after hitting a final growth spurt when he was almost nineteen.

“Mom would like you and Poppa. You’ve been everything she wanted for us. You’ve given us so much.”

“We love you. It’s easy.”

“Hello? Rowan? Imri?” Sully called from the porch. He was aware that sometimes Rowan worked on sensitive material, and always announced his presence before entering. Plus, there had been the occasional lover over, though Rowan didn’t have anyone at the moment, newly single after a bad break up.

“In here, Poppa.” I knew Sully loved Rowan still calling him Poppa like the younger ones did.

Berry and Sandy, now fourteen, came in first. They stopped to stare at the plaque.

“Thoughts?” I asked.

They shared a look and a smile. “Mom would have said it was a start,” Berry answered.

“Oh, that’s lovely!” Sully rounded the corner, Aspen and Hazel tussling in their dingo forms around his feet. They shifted, taking their dresses from Sully to wear.

“What is it?” they asked together.

Sully leaned down to explain it to them in terms they’d understand. Both the girls had my coloring. Same golden tan skin, dark hair and eyes, though they had Sully’s nose and mouth. His sassy attitude, too.

Looking at my family, I was grateful I’d come to Haenvale and thankful for Uncle Malik’s gift.

Sully

As a family, we’d returned to their village deeper in the woods to install the plaque together. There was a road there now, making the journey easier. The town had protected the place with spells, preserving it as a landmark of historical relevance. A sign of their shame and how they had to do better by the generations to come. We’d taken all of Agnes’ things to our house before anyone could see them, keeping her privacy.

Rowan, Sandy and Berry would always grieve their mother, but Agnes had raised them well, giving them all the tools they needed to survive with only Uncle Malik to help them. I felt like she would be proud of the people they’d become and hopefully approved of us as parents. Imri and I loved them so damn much!

Installing the plaque took no time at all. Rowan placed some spells on it to keep the elements off it. He struggled with his mom’s loss more than the others. Therapy was helping.

We had a nice dinner together, talking over memories they had of the village before the little ones got too tired. It ended off an emotional day well.

The girls were in bed, Sandy and Berry were doing their own thing. They’d finally moved into their own rooms once Rowan had moved out, but they were always pretty considerate of the girls’ bedtime. It was just me and Imri doing the endless chores around the house.

No one had ever prepared me for how much laundry kids could create , I thought to myself ruefully as I folded the second load of the day.

“I know that look,” I teased when I looked up to find him watching me, heat in his expression.

“What look?” Imri attempted to act innocent while he helped me fold. It was all a ploy.

“Imri, honey, I know you. Spit it out.”

“Your heat is coming up…” The man kept a better record of my heats than I did. I had them roughly every sixty days, but they could be a little unpredictable. They’d taken a few months to return after Aspen and Hazel were born, mainly because I was breastfeeding them, which helped as a contraceptive.

“And?” I teased.

“I was wondering if you felt ready for another baby.” He looked so hopeful.

Though I’d suspected he was getting broody for another baby, I wasn’t sure he was going to ask this time around.

Was I ready?

Our lives were busy and full of love. I adored each of our children, adopted and biological, exactly the same. Every one of them was a wonder with something special about them .

Then there was Imri. My mate cherished me with a love I’d never thought possible. We went on dates regularly. We tried things in the bedroom, our chemistry still as combustible as the day we met.

My career had taken off. I had employees, only two of them, but I still had to hire more staff. We had an office of our own, having outgrown Trisha’s shared one. Things were great.

Would another baby fit into our busy lives?

“You’re not ready, are you?” A momentary look of disappointment flashed over his face. He shook it off. “It was selfish of me to ask. You’ve got your company and everything. We’ve got time.”

Imri wrapped his arms around me. I sank into the feeling of his love surrounding me. The bond showed me his pang of hurt, yet also his love and trust in me.

“Are you sure?” If it was something he really wanted, I’d give it some more thought.

“I’m sure. Just… can we re-visit another baby? Maybe in a year or two?”

That I could do. He always looked on the bright side. Was always problem solving or finding a compromise. It was one of his best qualities.

“Absolutely. I think it would be better once Aspen and Hazel are in school, especially if we split the week like we did when they were younger.”

The youngest went to a daycare during the week for a few hours, giving Imri time to work without interruptions at home. I was splitting my time between the office and home and limiting my working week to thirty hours maximum, so we could have a decent work/life balance.

“Yeah, you’re right. We can still have your heat, can’t we?”

“Oh, yeah. We’ll grab some contraception potions and get my parents to babysit for a couple days. Have some time alone as a couple. What do you think?”

“I think you have all the best ideas.” Imri nuzzled my neck.

“Why don’t I ditch this and we can go practice?”

“Yeah, my mate has the very best ideas.”

Imri scooped me into his arms and raced up the stairs to our bedroom. As we passed Sandy’s room, he caught sight of us, sighed and put his headphones on. “Night, Dad and Poppa!”

“Night!”

He dropped me onto the bed and in a flash, my mate was on me, his mouth covering mine. His tongue pushed my lips apart.

Surrendering, I kissed him back, my arms coming around him. I’d never get tired of being with Imri. His touch always set me alight.

Soon we were naked and Imri’s thick cock was stretching me in the best ways. We knew each other’s bodies better now, knowing exactly which buttons to push. When we both came, we lay there, wrapped around each other, all sweaty but sated.

After we cleaned up, I rested my head on his chest, ready to go to sleep. Imri whispered words of love to me and held me close just as sleep claimed me.

I’d gone into those woods almost five years ago to find proof of the dingo I’d seen in there, only to find my fated mate. To the town, I was still dingo boy, but now it was a point of pride because I’d been right to follow my curiosity. It had given me the life of my dreams and more love than I’d ever hoped for.