Aliana
We ran and ran until we hit the boundary. Zira changed direction mid-sprint, and I felt every muscle at our rear adjust in a single fluid motion—haunches coiling, then releasing—before our hind legs pushed off again, paws tearing fresh grooves through the ground.
Malakh blocked our path, and when Zira tried to dodge around him, he leapt on top of us, all muscle and weight and intent.
He weighed a ton, and our legs began to give way beneath him.
Yield, he said, and we flopped down, breath heaving, the ground cool and damp against our fur.
It had been a good run for our first time.
He rolled off and began to lick our face, slow and thorough, tongue rasping warm over fur still damp with exertion.
Three daughters, I said in awe. Three true Lunas to shape the bonds back into what they used to be.
Malakh snorted in disgust.
Zira licked his disgruntled face, unbothered, affectionate despite the insult.
I understood what my mother had meant now. It had begun with me, but our progeny would continue the work—shaping the future back to how it should be. The Moon Goddess had blessed us with an abundance even I hadn’t anticipated.
We glanced at Malakh as he began to sniff our fur. Zira was receptive, right up until he reached her tail.
Wow. He really was going there, nose shoved in like a swine rooting out truffles.
Sorin and Malakh were incorrigible.
? ? ?
My ankles and knees were pressed together so tightly it reminded me of my pre-virgin days. Yet here I sat on our mattress while he paced at least twenty minutes into my lecture, the floorboards creaking under each turn. I lowered my head, hoping I looked suitably remorseful.
But also—hello? Triplets. I was still blown away by that little tidbit.
Our girls, Zira purred. No wonder he went wild.
It was difficult to hear what he was actually saying with Zira cackling uncontrollably in the background, her delight completely unhelpful to my cause.
“—you can’t just swan about with your belly full of my pups, speaking to nomad mystics.”
They were, what? Six days old. Hardly a belly full of anything.
“I knew I should have stuck to my initial plan and tied you down to our bed.”
“I just wanted to make an enquiry with Marianne,” I murmured, glancing up when the pacing finally stopped.
“The Bloodborne pack is everything to me,” he said slowly, then paused to take a deep breath, one hand dragging back through his hair. “But betrayal can come from anyone, no matter how long you’ve known them. Everyone has a weakness. A price.”
He sat beside me on our frameless mattress, the wood creaking under his weight, and placed his arm around me.
“It’s what got my parents killed,” he murmured, voice quieter than I’d ever heard it.
By the Moon Goddess.
I turned and hooked my arms around his neck, hoping he could feel my regret bleeding through the bond.
“I swear I’ll never have any clandestine meetings with anyone again,” I whispered against his throat.
He hummed, the sound low and rough, and pushed me back onto the mattress.
“Triplets,” he murmured, rubbing slow circles over my belly. “It was worth the shrivelled balls.”
I had no clue what he was on about, so I pulled him down for a smooch instead. Words wouldn’t fix this, and it was the best way to end the lecture.
Sorin moved over me, careful of my belly.
He’s going to be insufferable, Zira sighed, making me smile against his lips.
He really is, I replied.
? ? ?
“You two owe me your lives,” I murmured before taking a sip of tea. My coffee privileges had been revoked.
Talon and Rev exchanged a glance. Yeah, they knew I’d saved their asses yesterday.
“I expect repayment.”
Talon shuffled on the spot. Rev’s expression turned wary.
“I expect you to keep my mate safe at all times. Keep your ears open for dissent, and eliminate any threats before they reach us.”
Talon’s shoulders slumped in relief, and Rev’s face cleared, some of the tension draining out of him.
“Because if anything touches him, it’s your heads.”
Zira surfaced, and a low growl filled the room, vibrating through the floor beneath their boots.
They looked away at once. Only Sorin could ever hold those blood-red eyes.
“Yes, my Queen,” they said in unison, bowing low.
“Just a tip for survival. Don’t mention the triplets to him.”
Talon elbowed Rev as they turned to leave, already whispering something to each other under their breath.
I cut into the strawberry and coconut creation with my fork, uncovering the hidden layer of cream beneath, and sighed as the flavours unfolded on my tongue, rich and sweet and utterly perfect.
I ignored Zira’s snide comment about a different type of cream.