Jaxon came jogging up the stairs behind Kain and Galen. “Hey!” He called out. “I was sent up here to find out what is taking you all so long. I’m starving and there’s a feast on the dining room table. Hurry up.” Everyone was now looking at Jaxon with varied expressions on their faces. This immediately had Jaxon curious. “My drama senses are tingling, what happened? Why are Alora and Serenity sitting on the floor? And why is Serenity hiding behind Alora?”
No one answered the questions right away, instead they all started looking at each other. After a while of this, Jaxon took a closer look at everyone. His eyes widened when he saw the mating marks on Darien and Serenity’s necks. “Wow, you two wasted no time at all marking each other. Hope you used protection while you were at it. Otherwise, you’ll fall victim to the Clan’s fertility curse.”
They all just looked at him silently, their eyes wide. When no one laughed or said anything in response to his words, he realized something was off. First his gaze settled on Kain and Galen. He took in their shifty eyes and their failed efforts to control their facial expressions. Catching on, he looked to Serenity next, and caught the guilty look on her face. With wide eyes, Jaxon turned to look at Darien, and caught a matching look of guilt.
Jaxon turned his head again, this time to look at Alora. Alora had a wry twist to her lips, a kind of half smile that accompanied a set of raised brows. That combined with the look in her eyes, Alora’s expression said it all. His warning had come too late. “She’s already pregnant.” Jaxon said, rolling his eyes and letting out a sigh.
This time Jaxon got a response from everyone. They all offered acknowledgement of serenity’s pregnancy in one form or another.
“Of course, she’s already pregnant.” Kain said.
“Couldn’t even wait till day three.” Galen said.
“It’s not Darien’s fault. I didn’t tell him anything before it all happened.” Serenity said.
“It’s not Serenity’s fault. I was too impatient and didn’t protect her well enough.” Darien said.
“I’m just here for the drama.” Alora said.
At Alora’s response, Jaxon involuntarily let out a short laugh. “Well, this has certainly been an interesting encounter,” he said slowly. Then he clasped his hands together in front of him, with one index finger extended. He raised his clasped hands and pointed in their direction, gesturing as he talked. “However, there is freshly cooked food downstairs waiting to be devoured,” he unclasped his hands to place them on his chest, “and I’m more than willing to devour it. So, I suggest we pack this in for now and go eat.”
It was at that point Alora felt her stomach growl, making it easy for her to agree to Jaxon’s suggestion. “I’m all for that. Time to eat.” She said as she got off the ground, Serenity got up with her.
Darien went to Serenity and put an arm around her waist, drawing her against his side. Kain and Galen looked at each other for a moment and shrugged. Jaxon was the first to start down the stairs, followed by Alora. Behind Alora was Darien and Serenity, followed by Kain and Galen.
When they all reached the ground floor, they ran into Luna Ember. Her beautiful hair was tied back into a high ponytail. Displaying a gorgeous face that looked like it belonged to someone their age. She was wearing a pair of pale blue skinny jeans with holes in both knees and on one thigh. Her shirt was a short-sleeved forest green V-neck. She stood tapping one barefoot on the floor with her arms crossed, and a frown on her lips.
“And just what took all of you so long to come down.” Ember demanded.
With that, everyone turned to look at Darien and Serenity. This immediately had Ember’s gaze settling on them. The sight of the matching matting marks had Ember gasping in shock, her eyes and mouth opening wide.
“So, this is the reason it took you all so long to come down.” Ember said excitedly. “Oh, dearie I do hope being marked so quickly was okay with you.”
Serenity blushed, touched by Luna Ember’s care. “It was.”
“Are you happy?” Ember asked.
Serenity nodded. “Yes. Very happy.”
“That’s good.” Ember gushed. “Oh! I simply have to hug you! Welcome to the family sweetie!”
Ember grabbed Serenity up and hugged her close. After a second, Ember’s body stiffened. Then she drew back and held Serenity by her upper arms. Leaning forward she sniffed Serenity and Darien started to shrink away from his mother. Ember’s head snapped in his direction.
“Darien Shadowfire Moonstar!” Ember yelled. “I know I taught you what a condom was. I taught both you and your brother! Being a Doctor I have made sure you two were *well* aware of how pups are made and how to protect your partner! How could you be so reckless and not protect your mate?! You beast!”
“I already apologized for being an inconsiderate ass!” Darein pleaded with his mother.
“Don’t you swear at me!” Ember yelled at him. Leaving Serenity to smack Darien on the shoulder. Gaining an “Ow!” from him as he raised his arms to protect himself. “You were inconsiderate! An inconsiderate beast of a son! How could you?” she smacked him on his shoulder again.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! I’m an inconsiderate beast of a son!” Darien cried out running from his mom to hide behind Alora.
“Hey! Don’t drag me into this!” Alora said. Then to fan the flames, because she was finding all this hilarious, she said, “I’m not the one who got my mate pregnant, and within hours of meeting her too.”
“Darien Shadowfire Moonstar! Come here and take your beating like a grown Werewolf!” Ember said, thoroughly incensed now.
“Seriously?!” Darien looked down at Alora with a betrayed look. This caused Alora to break out into a fit of laughter. Then Alora stepped away from him, giving his mother clear access to him. “You suck!” He told her just before receiving another smack from his mother. “Ow! Mom, I’m sorry! Please stop! Think about your grandpup!”
It was the, ‘Think about your grandpup,’ that got Ember to calm down. Ember took a deep breath in before slowly letting it out. With a shake and a tug on the end of her shirt, she returned to a calm matronly demeanor. Then she turned to fawn over Serenity, completely abandoning her son as she took his mate to the dining room. Alora was still laughing, and had been joined by Jaxon, Kain and Galen.
With a growl at them, Darien turned around to jog after his mother who had absconded with his mate. Serenity was his mate. HIS. Darien used to be his mother’s little darling. Now she had obviously found something she liked better than him. Not that he minded his mother being more interested in his impending pup than in him. But did she have to take off with his mate?
Alora finally managed to stop laughing. Wiping tears off her face she turned to Jaxon, Kain and Galen. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”
****
**In the Basement of Bettina and Allister Northmountain’s home.**
Sarah was chained tightly to a metal chair unable to move. Her mouth was covered in several layers of duct tape. They didn’t cut it and slap it over her mouth, they had gone around her head, over her mouth, multiple times. It was going to rip out hair when it was removed.
In front of Sarah hung her parents, each with their arms chained above their heads. In a corner of the room on a wooden table set a sound system. It was connected to speakers that were installed all around the basement. They would turn it on whenever they were torturing Alora. Ironically, Alphas Frost and Northmountain had turned it on, tuning on the radio and tuning it to a rock station.
The radio DJ was announcing a new song. “Now playing ‘Better Run’ by Zahna.”
Sarah’s screams and sobs were muffled by the duct tape. She kept trying to get out of the chair, but the chains never budged. Bettina and Allister’s backs ran red with blood. Drops of it would fly into the air with each strike of the whips. The Enforcers of the Alphas had ripped open the backs of Allister and Bettina’s tops before they started whipping them.
Their blood saturated the rest of their clothes. Bettina’s once perfectly done updo was long gone. Her hair now hung lankly in front of her face. Drenched in sweat and splattered by drops of her blood flying into the air. Allister's condition wasn’t any better than Bettina’s. Both looked at death’s door. They just hung limply, their eyes open, staring lifelessly at nothing.
Alphas Frost and Northmountain were sitting calmly in a set of wooden chairs off to the side. They signaled to their Enforcers to stop. Sarah continued to sob, but now that she had stopped screaming, she could hear the lyrics of the song playing on the radio. The lyrics made her think of Alora. Then she felt like this had to be some kind of sick joke for this song to be playing at a time like this.
“This will be enough for now.” Alpha Frost said, his tone cold. “After all. There are several events coming up shortly where your attendance will be required.”
“It wouldn’t do, to show up crippled. We have already drawn enough attention, thanks to you two.” Alpha Northmountain said in an equally cold tone.