Chapter 80
LILYS POV
As soon as we were in our room, I tugged Dimitris face down to mine, kissing him lovingly. I don’t remember how we ended up in bed, and I didn’t care. I was making up for lost time with my mate. The sun was peeking over the horizon when I rolled over and gently caressed his face. Goddess, I loved this man.
A sharp movement in my torso had me shooting up the next minute. Instantly, Dimitri was awake, looking around the room.
“What is it?”
My hands were placed on my stomach, waiting. I held up a finger, telling him to wait. A few seconds later, I felt another kick.
“Oh my Goddess!” I squealed.
“What?!”
“Feel!”
I placed his hand on my stomach, right where I’d felt one of our babies. I watched his face as one of our pups kicked kicked quickly three times into his palm. The smile that spread over his lips left me breathless. Slowly, Dimitri placed his face against my skin, over the buldge that appeared there.
“Hello, whichever one you are. I’m your daddy.”
I was sure both pups heard him, because at his words I felt movement on either side on my stomach. I laughed joyfully, basking in the amazing sensation. A jolt spread down between my thighs with the next kick and I sighed in amusment.
“Now I have to pee.” I laughed. Dimitri smiled and moved to let me up. When I came back, Dimitri was ready to place his hands on my skin again, eager to feel our children.
“I’m so happy the first time is here, with you.” I said.
“Me too. This is amazing. You are amazing.” He kissed my stomach tenderly.
Our moment of happiness was interrupted by a random thought. My random thought. But important nonetheless. I sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling the blanket around me before speaking it aloud.
“Dimitri… what happened to Jennine?” I looked at him.
His forehead creased. “Did she really leave the island then?”
“Huh?”
He explained about the phone call she’d made to him on the plane. Worry coursed through me, strongly.
“I-I didn’t know she left.” I whispered. My eyes wandered around the room as I thought. “She wasn’t among the rogues? For sure?”
“No.”
Worry quickly turned to fear as I craddled my baby bump now. Jennine was still out there. Out there, somewhere, and intent on revenge. And now she had magic on her side. Dimitri picked me up and placed me on his lap, taking my hands in his.
“I promise, no I swear to you, I will not let her come near you. I will not let her hurt you. You, or our children.”
I searched his eyes; The sincerity and promise in them calmed my nerves. I kissed him fiercly, letting him know without words that I trusted him, heart and soul.
“I love you.” I whispered.
“I love you too.”
********************************** TEN YEARS LATER ***********************************
“Violet! Garret! It’s time!” I called to my children.
They rushed over to me, followed by their friends. I smiled at the enthusiam, the happiness on their faces. Who would have thought the twins tenth birthday would come so fast? It seemed like yesterday I was gazing into their tiny faces, all wrapped up and sleeping on my chest in the delivery room. All the while their Dad, big bad Alpha Dimitri Varlos, was sitting on a chair some feet away puking into a waste basket. I laughed quietly at the memory.
“Can we open presents now Mom?” Garret asked me.
“Not until you blow out the candles.”
“I want cake first!” Violet declared.
“Don’t you want to see what Isabelle got you?” Garret asked her. Violet thought about it for a minute before shaking her head, her black hair swinging around around her face.
“Cake first!” She demanded.
I felt arms go around my waist as Dimitri laughed. “Patience you two. Your Mom went to a lot of trouble to plan this, so we go by her schedule.”
“Yes Dad.”
“Okay Daddy.”
They gave him their most innocent smiles. Violets blue-green eyes shone like the clearest of oceans. Somehow, she ended up with a mix of mine and my moms eyes. They were exquisite, and only stood out more from the black hair she’d inherited from Dimitri. Garret on the other hand, got all of my red hair, and his Dads strong features. I was positive there would be a lot of broken hearts the day he found his mate.
Often I found myself watching my kids, wondering which of them had gotten Jennines wolf. They were both strong individuals, and together, they schemed like nothing I’d ever seen. More sweets had disappeared from the kitchen since they’d come along then one would care to admit, with one always the diversion while the other did the thieving. Violet seemed to have inherited my sassyness, while Garret was a rather quiet boy, focused and attentive. Plus, he could negotiate better than his Dad. My parents had become official ‘spoilers’, unable to say no to him even when they wanted to. But they were still the best grandparents I could have ever asked for.
Yet, thinking about Nia only made me think about Jennine. Ten years, and nothing. No threats, no attempts. It was as if she’d fallen on the face of the Earth, but I knew she hadn’t. Deep down, I knew she was out there, waiting for the opportune moment. Jennine was a threat that was distant, but never forgotten. Many times over the years, we’d get a lead here or there, and Dimitri always sent someone to follow it. And we were always just a little too late.
Mostly, I tried to focus on the happiness my children brought to my life. I never imagined I would feel more fulfilled than I did, being a mother. The feeling was indescribable, and everyday was a new adventure. Clara and I had become extremely close, especially after Ben and her got married. Finally! Isabelle and Violet were attached at the h*p, and sometimes I wondered how I ended up with triplets instead of twins. Even Clara joked about it.
“You okay?” Dimitri whispered in my ear as the kids blew out the candles on the gigantic cake Greta had made. I clapped with everyone else, joining in a round of ‘Happy Birthday’.
“Fine. Just thinking.” I whispered back when the song ended.
“About?”
I watched my daughter took over distributing pieces of cake to the other kids. “Jennine.”
Dimitri tensed behind me. “The pack is well guarded. Even better, with Killians pack. Don’t worry.”
“I know.”
Killian had maintaned a permenant location outside B***d Moon. We were practically one pack, with them being only a thirty minute run outside the border. Still, the nagging feeling in my gut wouldn’t go away. I distracted myself by helping Luke, or Uncle Luke now, roll out the table with gifts for the twins. Cake abandonded, they seated themselves at the end of the table, huge grins of excitment adorning their faces.
We all gathered around to watch, laughing when Violet squealed upon opening Isabelles gift; Her first make-up kit. Dimitri wasn’t very impressed, but I shrugged it off. It’s not like I’d let her leave the house made up like a prostitute. Garret recieved a couple new games for his playstation, and a couple new books from us. Mom and Dad got the kids tickets to some concert for a band they liked, which we would thankfully not have to go to. All in all, everyone was very happy.
“Mom! This one is for you!”
“Huh?”
I turned my attention to my son, who was pointing to a rather large box in front of him, wrapped with red paper. My Dad reached around him, flipping over the tag.
“He’s right. It says ‘to Lily’.”
My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Why would someone send me a gift on my kids birthday? Unless it was from the twins; I could see them doing something like this. I walked over to the box, eyeing Violet and Garret.
“Did you two do this?” I asked.
“No.” They shook their heads, their faces showing nothing but honesty.
Pulling the box towards me, I read the tag. I didn’t recognize the handwriting, but the nagging feeling in my stomach had now turned into a pit of dread. Quickly, I tore of the bright red paper; I stared down at the plain white box, suddenly very nervous about opening it. My hands paused above the lid, and I glanced at Dimitri. He looked just as confused as everyone else. In my head, Aya whined quietly. Slowly, I lifted the lid and peered inside.
Every ounce of b***d drained from my face; The lid of the box dropped from my hands and onto the floor. Memories invaded my mind and, unconsiously, I sent out a surge of power around the room. Everyone present gasped as they felt my emotions as if they were their own, and in turn, I was bombarded with a wave of their emotions. I grit my teeth, riegning in my emotions, and erasing the cloud of my powers over them. Dimitri was at my side, looking over my shoulder.
“Clara, Hazel, take the kids outside.” He said in a hushed tone.
“Come on kids, let’s go play in the bouncy castle hmm?” Hazel ushered the twins from their seats, motioning them towards the door.
“But I want to see what Mom got!”
“Me too!”
“Later. Come on, everyone outside!” Clara called.
The door swung closed and Dimitri gently moved me to the side. My eyes hadn’t moved from the object in the box once. Carefully, he picked it up and turned around. Gasps surrounded us.
“Isn’t that-” Luke started.
“No f*****g way.” Ben finished.
“I’m going to inform the patrols.” Killiam stated. Thara left with him while I was still too stunned to speak or move. Nobody said anything as Dimitri set the metal claw on the table. Finally, I broke the silence.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
“Why now?” I whispered.
“I don’t know. But we knew she would send a message some time.” Dimitri answered.
I stared at the claw, rusted and coated with old, dried b***d. The exact tool used to kill Paige all those years ago. I closed my eyes, hoping it would disappear when I opened them, and I would be enjoying my childrens birthday, just as I was ten minutes ago. Sadly, the gruesome thing was still there when I opened them. Fear englufed me, strong and unavoidable.
“Get the twins back in here.” I said. Dimitri looked at me in silence. “Now, Dimitri! I want them back in here, now!”
His eyes glazed over momentarily. I turned and ran out the door, down the hall. I reached the foyer just as Hazel and Clara were ushering the kids back inside. Grabbing my children, I wrapped them in my arms, Aya going crazy protective in my head.
“What’s going on?”
“Are we being attacked?”
They looked up at me with worry but I shook my head.
“No, nothing like that. I’m sorry guys, but I think the party needs to continue inside. Okay?”
“But what about the bouncy castle?” Violet pouted.
“And I wanted to go swimming.” Garret said.
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you okay? I promise. But I really, really need you guys to stay inside.”
Neither of them looked happy, and I felt terrible. This wasn’t how I wanted to celebrate their birthday. Thankfully, Hazel came to my rescue.
“How about a water gun tournament? Come on everyone!”
The kids cheered and I shot her a grateful look. Dimitri patted the twins heads as they passed, before coming to my side.
“I want her found Dimitri. If I have to go myself-“
“You won’t. We will take care of this. She will never touch them Lily.”
The worry in his eyes was distant, but I saw it. I looked at my Dad.
“Do a locator spell.”
“Lily…”
“Don’t argue with me Dad!”
Clara stepped forward, rubbing my arm in what was suppose to be a soothing gesture.
“Lily, it’s not going to work. We’ve tried a dozen times.” She said gently.
“Try again!”
A stray tear slipped from the corner of my eye as she hugged me. And just like that, the floodgates opened. Somewhere in the middle of Dimitri taking me back and helping me up the stairs, anger settled in.
“We’re going to find her. And when we do…” I thought
“She’ll wish she had never crossed us.” Aya finished.
The second book will be attached to this book…….