Both of Alora’s brows were raised now, and a dangerous glint entered her gaze. Then she repeated what Darien had just said, but she did it slowly. “Oops…?” Drawing out the word in a controlled voice that had Darien sweating.
Serenity looked back and forth from Alora to Darien. Serenity had a lot of older siblings, and the warning signs were glaringly obvious to her. They were practically flashing at her like giant neon signs. Acting on instinct alone, Serenity jumped in front of Darien with her arms out, shaking her hands. Alora’s sharp penetrating gaze was immediately drawn to her. Panicked, Serenity started waving her hands around faster as she spoke out in defense of Darien.
“It’s not his fault! It’s not his fault I swear!” Serenity’s panicked actions looked cute and amusing, to Alora. “The females of my Clan are incredibly fertile and usually fall pregnant within the first three days of meeting their fated mate!”
Serenity’s explanation was said in such a rush it took Alora a second to comprehend what she was just told. “You have to be pulling my tail!”
Serenity’s cheeks were bright red as she shook her head. “I’m not. Truly I’m not. There is a fable about it in my Clan and everything.” Serenity explained earnestly.
“A fable? Seriously?” Alora asked, astonished.
“Yes. I was just telling Darien about it, and a story about a cousin of mine, before his alarm for dinner went off.” Serenity told her.
Serenity’s explanation made Alora curious. She was half wolf after all and naturally nosey. It didn’t help that her vampire half seemed extremely curious as well. ‘It’s a good thing we’re not a cat. Or we would be dead by now.’ Alora thought.
“A story about a cousin of yours?” Alora asked, unable to resist the temptation to know more.
“We need to get down to dinner.” Darien reminded them both before Serenity could start telling the story to Alora.
Alora was just a tad bit irritated Darien had interrupted. So, she kicked him in the shin. He howled out in pain and started to hop up and down while holding his shin. “Ow! Ow! Ow! You vicious female! What was that for!” Darien growled.
“Because I felt you deserved it.” Alora responded, her expression and tone deadpan.
Serenity broke out in a fit of giggles she was trying to suppress behind both of her hands. Darien’s head snapped in Serenity’s direction. He looked at her with his mouth and eyes open wide in shock, still hopping up and down on one foot. This had the unfortunate effect of breaking the last thread of Serenity’s control of herself. She was now bent over double laughing. Serenity was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Alora was highly amused at this sight and started to laugh as well. Darien managed to stop hopping around and was now glaring at both of them with a look of indignation on his face. “Evil females!” He growled out. “The both of you are evil!”
His words didn’t help Alora or Serenity calm down. Serenity, who had just managed to stop laughing for two seconds, was right back to laughing. Alora was now laughing as hard as Serenity was.
“I’m...sorry.” Serenity gasped out between peals of laughter. “It’s just...your reaction....” She stopped trying and sat on the floor abruptly, holding her stomach and laughing.
Darien turned and glared at a laughing Alora. “This is all your fault.” He accused her while pointing a finger at her and huffed.
Alora was now on the floor next to serenity holding her own stomach. Tears streamed down her face, and she gasped for air between long rounds of laughter.
“What did you do that was so funny, that these two are practically dying of laughter?” Came the voice of Galen from the stairwell.
Darien whipped around to face Galen and Kain. “I didn’t do anything!” He pointed at Alora again. “It’s all her fault! That evil female kicked me and said I deserved it!”
Kain laughed. “Why did you deserve it?”
“I didn’t deser...!” Darien stopped halfway through that sentence, his mouth abruptly snapping shut.
Darien just remembered why all of this started in the first place. He was now looking at his mate’s brothers and realized that he was about to be in trouble with them any second now. They would feel that he more than deserved Alora’s kick to his shin.
Galen and Kain’s eyes narrowed as they looked at Darien’s suddenly still and silent form. “What did you do?” Galen asked slowly in a deceptively calm voice.
“Umm...” was all Darien could respond with.
*“Another less than stellar response. Great job.”* Axel said to Darien caustically. *“It’s seriously embarrassing to be your wolf right now. You’re usually more intelligent than this.”*
Darien’s expression became black as he listened to his wolf berate him. *“Yes, well...we have never had a mate before. A mate that we marked and knocked up within hours of our first meeting as fated mates. I doubt our mate's two protective older brothers are going to be too happy about that. Do you?”* Darien snarled at his wolf.
Axel was silent for a moment. *“Well…When you put it that way...”*
Serenity had immediately sobered up the second she spotted her brothers. Alora felt the change and sobered up quickly. Spotting the reason for the sudden change, a small wave of sympathy swept through Alora.
Kain and Galen looked at Serenity with narrowed eyes. Then they took in the mark on her neck. Serenity saw where their eyes were looking and hastily slapped a hand over her neck.
“What’s the use of hiding it now that we have already seen it?!” Kain snarled the question.
“Hiding behind Alora won’t help you either!” Galen snarled.
Darien turned to look at Serenity and Alora who were still sitting on the floor. Serenity had ducked behind a slightly startled Alora. With her hands on Alora’s shoulders, Serenity peeked out enough, her guilt filled eyes were visible.
Darien turned back to Kain and Galen, glaring at them. “Will you two stop snarling at Serenity. She may be your sister, but she is MY mate now.”
Kain and Galen looked at Darien with raised eyebrows and amused expressions. “So, you’ll protect Serenity, even from her own family?” Kain asked amusedly.
“It was just a light scolding, why are you being so protective?” Galen teased.
“Serenity is my fated mate. As her mate it’s my privilege and responsibility to protect her, even from her family if need be.” Darien stated passionately.
“You’re just newly mated, calm down.” Kain said. “Besides, it was just a little harmless scolding from her older siblings. No need to get your panties in a twist.”
“It’s not like she’s a delicate little flower.” Galen commented dryly.
Darien growled. “Whether she is a delicate little flower or not, she is my treasure. I expect her to be treated with care and respect.”
“Awww. My heart is melting. He looks so handsome defending my honor.” Serenity said in a low voice to Alora.
Alora looked over her shoulder at the completely smitten expression on Serenity’s face. Alora couldn’t help but be amused as Serenity stared at Darien, her eyes sparkling with adoration. Alora turned back to look at Darien, only to catch him staring back at his mate with a lovestruck expression.
Alora felt her face twitch. *“These two are so obviously gone on each other. I don’t know whether I should feel sick at this display of affection…or happy for the obvious love they have for each other.”* She told Xena and Selena.
*“Both.”* Xena and Selena responded together in matching dry tones.
“Jeez!” Kain said with an exasperated tone. “If you’re like this now, I hate to imagine how you’ll be when she gets pregnant.”
Darien, Serenity, and Alora all went utterly still. Their expressions were all carefully blank as they stared at the twins with wide eyes.
Galen grabbed Kain by the shoulder, after seeing their reaction to Kain’s comment. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he took a closer look at his sister. Serenity had a guilty look in her eyes. Galen sniffed the air, casting for his sister’s scent, Kain caught on and did the same. Suddenly they were looking at each other with their eyes wide in surprise.
“We’re never going to escape that damned Clan fertility curse.” Kain complained.
“At least we’ll have three months with our mates before the fertility curse comes for us.” Galen said.
Then Kain turned to Serenity with narrowed eyes. “Did you even tell him about the curse before you guys did anything?” Kain asked.
“Or did you leave the poor fool completely unaware of what he was getting into?” Galen’s question immediately followed.
Serenity let out a weak and guilty sounding laugh. “We uh…were uhm…uhm… busy?”
“Seriously!” Kain and Galen snarled in unison. Alora burst out laughing, highly amused at the drama unfolding in front of her.
Darien snarled at Kain and Galen. “I’ve already told you two once already to quit snarling at my mate!”
Kain and Galen took two steps back from Darien, raising their hands in surrender. Knowing their sister was pregnant put things into a different perspective. Regardless of familial ties, you didn’t mess with a male’s pregnant female… EVER. You wound up with lost limbs or some horrendous scarring that way.