《Rescuing His Captive Mate: Saving The Future Luna》


 Chapter 1 - Star - Running Away

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    Star


    ~~


    I could feel the night air as it whipped across my face. It was chilly but I ignored it. I needed to keep going. I had to keep running, faster and faster, or they would catch me again. The pain in my left foot and leg had my muscles screaming as it shot through me. Most likely the foot was broken, one of the bones in my leg too. I didn''t care, I had to keep going.


    I could see the forest floor with the light of the moon so it wasn''t that hard to find my way. The branches pping away at my face were nothing more than a minor annoyance as long as I could get away. I needed to be free, to escape from my family.


    I could already hear them running after me. Their footsteps were pounding the ground harder and faster than my own. My heart rate kicked into overdrive as I put on another burst of speed.


    ''Keep going Star, don''t slow down.'' I thought to myself as I pushed through the thick trees. I had never made it this far before, if I kept running I might just make it all the way.


    I saw a big pool of light ahead, there must be a clearing just beyond those trees. That would make it easier for me to run, I could move just a little faster if there were no trees hindering me.


    I nearly dove through the edge of the trees and into that clearing. I felt the limitations that had been keeping me from running all out just slip away. And almost as soon as I was beyond the line of trees I smashed right into someone.


    There had been a man walking leisurely through the clearing. He was taller than me by several inches. His inky ck hair blended almost perfectly with the darkness of the night. He was older than me but still young, and his eyes were light even though I couldn''t see the color properly in the dark.


    "Are you alright?" He asked me, concern filling his voice as he looked down at me where I hadnded in a heap. He barely seemed fazed by me having run full on into him, he didn''t even stumble as I bounced off him. He was like a brick wall or something.


    He leaned forward, a hand outstretched to help me up. My already racing heart sped up even more, beating so fast it almost seemed to hum. I had never run into anyone else on my escape attempts before. I didn''t know if he was one of those that hunted people like me or not.


    My fear took over. I couldn''t process what was going on, I just knew that I had to get up and keep running. This man could be just like my family, he could be worse than them.


    Without another look in his direction I sprang to my feet and started running again. That slight rest from sitting on the ground for thirty seconds had given my broken foot and leg time to catch up to me. I couldn''t run as fast now as I limped away from the clearing in a different direction than I had been heading before.


    Now I needed to get away from that man and my family. I was back in the trees and moving as quickly as I could.


    "Wait." He called after me. He had seemed momentarily stunned when I turned tail and started running again, but he had found his voice again. "Where are you going?" He hadn''t taken more than three steps when my pursuers caught up to me.


    The first wolf smashed into me, toppling me over and sending me sprawling on the ground for a second time. The huge, gray, panting wolf stood over me, cing his paw on my chest. Within seconds there were three more wolves spread around me through the trees. I could hear the crunching of leaves and twigs as the man was still walking toward me.


    ''Get off me Liam.'' I yelled into my head as my cousin''s face loomed above me and he continued to pin me to the ground. His wolfish face just seemed to grin manically at me as I struggled to get free. I didn''t want Uncle Howard to catch me, or be anywhere near me.


    It was only a matter of time though. Just secondster he was close enough for me to see even in the thick trees and dark night. My racing heart stopped dead at the sight of him. My breathing ceased and I felt like I should just die right there on the spot. This night was not going to end happily for me.


    "When are you going to stop trying to run away from me, you little bitch? Don''t you know better by now?" His growling, grating voice sent sickening waves through me. But I didn''t say anything in response to him, I just continued to look at him like a petrified mouse that was caught in the eyes of a predator.


    Uncle Howard just grinned at me, the look was pure evil. His yellow eyes pierced me like a set of daggers as I justid still on the ground. His light blonde hair swaying in the breeze. He was supposed to be a handsome man, that''s what everyone always told me, but he made my skin crawl every time I looked at him, or whenever he looked at me. He was only in his mid thirties, still young by all ounts, and he was strong, very strong. I always felt weak and helpless when I was around him.


    "Don''t you know that you''re supposed to be mine?" His voice made my stomach churn sickeningly. "When are you going to stop all this childishness Astraia and just ept it?"


    "What the hell is going on here?" The man from before had stormed over and seemed to be ring at the scene we were creating.


    What must we have looked like to him? Did he know what was going on? Did he know my family? Would he help them to take me back? I didn''t know the answer to any of these questions anymore than I knew who he was. Then again, I didn''t know who anyone outside my rtives were.


    "This is no concern of yours. Leave us be." Uncle Howard snapped at the young man who was standing there. I could just see him out of the corner of my eye and it looked like he was staring at me. What did he want from me? Was he someone just like Uncle Howard? My skin crawled again.


    "This doesn''t look like a very pleasant experience for her." He said pointing toward me.


    "Again, it''s none of your concern boy. Leave now before you live to regret it."


    "You''re threatening me?" He growled back, he must not know who my family was, or how powerful Uncle Howard was. If he did he most likely would not have spoken to him like that.


    Uncle Howard walked to my side, cing his boot on my chest, allowing my cousin Liam to move away from me. He and the others circling around me moved toward the man who had spoken disrespectfully toward my Uncle.


    "You can clearly see that you are outnumbered, do you really want to continue this issue, boy? I suggest you run along and leave our family business to us." My uncle''s voice held a biting edge, that sharp tone he often got when he was angry. Most of the time, it was aimed at me.


    "Hmph." The man looked at us all for a long time. His eyes lingering on me and Uncle Howard the most. "I will go, for now." His voice didn''t sound happy. Was he one of the men who often hunted pack members? One of the men I was warned to stay away from my whole life? I feel like I had run from one horrible situation into another and back again tonight.


    The man turned around and started to walk away. He only looked back over his shoulder once as he stalked off. His figure retreated quickly into the night.


    "Let''s go." Uncle Howard said as he red down at me. "And this will be thest time you try to run from me or my patience willpletely snap. I just might forget to be forgiving when I punish you next." He leaned forward and grabbed me by my long, golden brown hair.


    I felt the sharp pain of my hair being pulled as he dragged me along behind him. My deep blue eyes were most likely lightened to a softer shade as they often did when I was scared and nervous but they couldn''t see them as I had squeezed my eyes shut tightly to block the pain and the thought of what would happen when we got back home.


    I could feel the roots, branches, and rocks strewn all over the forest floor digging into my flesh the entire time I was being dragged along. I was bruised, scraped, and cut in hundreds of ces by the time we made it back to the family house, not to mention that my scalp felt like it was on fire from Uncle Howard''s firm grip as he pulled me along.


    The family house was arge estate hidden away in the woods. There was nothing more than a three mile long driveway weaving from the road and through the trees until you reached the house.


    The house itself looked beautiful. Large and spacious with lots of big windows. It was made of stone and looked almost fantasy like, at least from the few fantasy children''s books I managed to read.


    And I couldn''t tell you what most of the inside of the house looked like. I was always dragged through the backdoor and subsequently dragged down the cer stairs. This was where I was kept. This was the only part of the house I had ever seen.


    I never got to go outside, I never spent time with anyone else. I didn''t even really know how many of my extended family members lived in this house. All I had ever known was this life of imprisonment, as far back as I could remember. Ever since my mom died, or was murdered.

 Chapter 2 - Star - A Life Of Imprisonment

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    Star


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    I felt each stair, the edges digging into my body, as I was dragged down them. When Uncle Howard flung me across the room I felt my left shoulder collide with the stone wall. Something definitely cracked.


    "You keep your ass down here. Do you hear me? Don''t you fucking try to run away from me again." He had walked right up to me, putting his face right in front of mine as he growled at me. "I''m being kind enough to wait until your eighteenth birthday, but I can stop being so considerate for you, if that''s what you really want from me." His finger traced along my jaw causing a shiver of disgust to course through me. "Just over a week now." He purred. "Soon, little Astraia, soon." I shuddered at his words which was the wrong thing to do.


    In his anger, Uncle Howardshed out. His right foot flew forward, colliding with tremendous force in the center of my chest. All the air was immediately pushed out of my lungs which left me gasping for a breath as he kicked me a second time in the exact same ce.


    "Things will get better for you, if you just stop resisting me." He said as he stalked out of the room.


    The light from the top of the stairs illuminating my dark cer was thest thing I saw before I lost consciousness. The gray stone walls, the damp stone floor, the lumpy cot that they so graciously provided me. That was all there was. Onest thought passed through my mind as I slipped into oblivion. ''They probably won''te to feed me tomorrow, possibly even the day after that, so I could sleep away this pain and let my body heal.


    I slipped into a fretful, uneasy sleep. Reliving my past, my horrible memories and the few good ones I had. There wasn''t much else I could have except nightmares about what Uncle Howard nned to do to me.


    My dream started when I was two. Mom had just brought me to a new town, a rtively small one hidden in the trees. It really wasn''t much more than a scattering of houses in the forest. There were supposedly a handful of small shops where the residents could get things they needed without having to go into the city, but most people went into the city to work anyway.


    I was happy, excited really, when we moved here. I was going to have cousins around to y with, people to help us. It was supposed to be fun. Too bad mom died a month after we got here.


    The day after mom died I was moved into the basement. I cried endlessly. I didn''t understand what had happened, why I was alone all the time, why I was so cold and hungry. But no one answered my cries.


    Eventually I learned to stop crying. Out loud at least. The tears still came from time to time, less now than they used to but it still happened when I was feeling especially down.


    My extended family, Mom''s cousins, aunts, uncles, and other various rtives were no longer nice to me. Well, most of them weren''t.


    I had a couple cousins who tried to help me and treated me nicely when they could, but they were often beaten for their efforts. My Great-Uncle Thomas once beat my cousin Reed right in front of me after he was caught teaching me how to read and write.


    Reed wasn''t deterred by it though. He just continued to teach me in secret. It was him and my cousin Bailey that treated me nicely. They brought me encyclopedias to read because they were the only thing they could sneak away and give to me. Their pocket money was strictly monitored so they couldn''t buy anything new for me.


    If it wasn''t for the two of them I would have grown up to be illiterate as well as a prisoner. But they were both older than me, Bailey was ten years older and Reed was nine years older. They didn''t live at the house anymore and couldn''t oftene to help me. I missed them.


    Reed and Bailey weren''t the only ones who were beaten. I received them regrly as well. Anytime I tried to run away, anytime I was caught reading or learning something, or just anytime that Great-Uncle Thomas or Uncle Howard felt like it had been too long since myst beating.


    I had broken more bones than I could remember or count at the moment. If I didn''t heal faster than a human it would have caused me so many more problems. But I was technically a werewolf.


    I remembered the night of my first shift. I was thirteen. It all happened so fast but it was a source of great pain and fear for me now.


    I had felt the tingling and burning all over my body. Something I was not prepared for since my family hadn''t told me anything at all about being a wolf. Bailey and Reed hadn''t thought about it when they had the chance and so I was left to tremble in fear when the change started to happen.


    After the burning got to the point where I thought my skin was going to melt off I felt my body curl in on itself and then extend again in all the wrong ces. My body had exploded in a rush of fur and fear, my voiceing out on an endless scream.


    I hadn''t spoken to my family in years, except for Bailey and Reed in secret. This was the first time that they had heard my voice in a long time. The door to the cer had been flung open and light was flooding down.


    I barely noticed the light colored fur around the edges of my vision as I tore up the stairs. I knocked over my Aunt Elyria as I rushed past her. This was going to be my big chance at a real escape. I had never made it out of the house before, but I could this time.


    I thought I was big. I thought I was powerful. I thought I could take them on in this monstrous state. What I didn''t know was that they were wolves too. They immediately began to chase me down.


    I hadn''t even made it a hundred feet from the house when someone mmed into my side. It was Liam, my cousin. He was big and stupid and smelled just like I remembered him, like dirt and old socks. But now he was a dark gray wolf. The gray waspletely different from the normal shade of his dirty blonde hair. But I saw his eyes, brown yet devoid of any warmth.


    I grunted in pain as he mmed into me.


    "I knew this wasing sometime soon." Great-Uncle Thomas didn''t seem angry, he was acting like he had fully expected this all to happen. "Now you know what you are and that you''re not the only one. So don''t get any stupid ideas." He growled at me. "And just to make sure you don''t, you''ll be wearing this."


    At those words he grabbed my left front leg and pulled me toward him. I may have been a veryrge wolf but that didn''t make me less afraid of my family. I just watched on, frozen in fear as Great-Uncle Thomas wrapped something around my wolf leg, high up near the joint.


    Whatever he wrapped around me felt like it was digging into me and it started to burn like I had been thrown into a fire. I started to howl in pain, and soon my body started to shift back.


    It didn''t take long for me to be human again. I was thrashing around on the ground, screaming endlessly in pain.


    As the pain began to subside and I was able to open my eyes and look around me I saw that they were all staring at me. Uncle Howard''s eyes seem to be piercing me with a different type of look than he usually gave me. That look made my skin crawl when I realized I wasying on the groundpletely devoid of even the smallest scrap of clothing.


    Not long after that night Great-Uncle Thomas died, mysteriously, and Uncle Howard took over the family.


    I didn''t know how any of the rtions in this family were actually rted. There were a lot of people that were just considered family but weren''t actually family. Apparently one of those not really rted family members was Uncle Howard. And now that Uncle Howard was in charge, he had decided that I would be his wife when I turned eighteen.


    It has been almost five years since then now, and I spent most of my time either nning my escape or trying to actually escape. I wasn''t going to let that creep have me. I didn''t care if I had to die to stop him, I was not going to be his y thing.


    Nearly five years of running, and just as long of them catching me and dragging me back. And in all those years tonight was the first time I had seen anyone who didn''t live inside this house of hell. And, nearly five years of me trying and failing to shift back into my wolf form. That one shift was the only one I ever had. Whatever Great-Uncle Thomas did to me that night had stopped my wolf from evering out again. But sometimes, I could hear a whimpering and whininging from somewhere in the back of my head.


    I had been told stories since the night I had shifted into a wolf. I didn''t know if any of them were true or not. They told me there were people who hunted weak pack members like me. That we weren''t wanted or needed at all. I knew there were other people in the family who had been beaten for reasons not associated with me so I figured that part was true. I suppose it was this inferior thing that had caused my whole situation. And Uncle Howard was willing to marry me to protect me, or so he said. But, ugh.


    I was told to be weary of everyone, especially an Alpha because they hated the weaker wolves the most. My wolf must have been weak if it was able to be sealed away like it was.


    Given that I had never lived in the world outside this house I didn''t know anything about life at all. I had only read encyclopedias and three children''s books in my entire life. I knew things, but I wasn''t capable of anything. However, that didn''t stop me from trying to get away.


    And one day, I would seed. I would get away from them. And soon!

 Chapter 3 - Artem - Freedom By Force

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    Artem


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    "You''re going to rue the day you took this pack Artemis. I will see to that." The small man who was cowering in the corner yelled at me. "This pack ran just fine without you needing to get involved in the damn politics. Just let us go back to how things were, how they used to be."


    I just stood there, lividly staring at the man who was ranting at me. He was just slightly above a mid rank wolf. He was nothing more than one of the numerous Lambdas that filled the bottom of the upper echelon. He was short for a wolf, just barely five feet nine inches tall. And his graying hair was far from the only proof that he was approaching fifty years old, his wrinkled face made him appear older than he should have.


    It was assholes like this that made me want to be the Alpha in the first ce. My family was prominent in this pack, and I was born powerful enough to make it into the ranks of the Deltas by the time I was fifteen. My family had never bred an Alpha before, but I knew what I was capable of. That, and I refused to let this pack continue the way it had been going.


    Don''t ask me when it all started, or who even started it, but this pack was different from all the rest.


    We were remote out here in the forests of Northern California. So remote that we rarely ever came across another pack unless we traveled. I hated the way things were when I was growing up, the way my fellow pack members and even family members were treated.


    In this pack, rank was everything. If you weren''t born strong you weren''t worth anyone''s time. It was for that reason that most weaker and lower ranked pack members were treated like shit, like they were garbage, no less than garbage.


    Why did that bother me so much? Why did I feel the need to change it all and rescue those of lower ranks?Well, there were a few reasons really.


    Reason number one, who would help them if not the strong. Was it not the responsibility of the strong to look after the weak, to protect them? That''s what they teach us about morals and life and responsibility. The weak, who cannot protect themselves need the strong to survive. This is a give and take rtionship.


    Reason number two, it was immoral. Why did they feel like it was ok for them to beat, abuse, and persecute their family, their neighbors, or evenplete strangers just because their wolf wasn''t as strong as theirs? There was always someone stronger than them too, should those higher ranked wolves be subjected to the same fate as the Omegas? If they were going to keep up their shit then I thought they should be.


    Andstly, reason number three, one of my closest friends when I was a kid, Lenny, was an Omega. His family was embarrassed by him, they thought he was worthless.


    Lenny and I were only a week apart in age, he was the older one, but he was so much smaller than me. It didn''t have anything to do with ranks or strength though. No, Lenny''s parents didn''t care enough to feed him regrly, or let him outside once they knew his rank. We yed together constantly from the time we were three until we were seven, and that''s when things started to get really bad.


    I still saw him from time to time over the following year, until we were eight. When I saw him, Lenny tried to be positive about it all. He tried to stay strong and hide the bruises that they left on him. But one day Lenny just wasn''t there any more, and he never came back.


    Lenny''s uncle, a nasty, ruthless man, had beaten him to death. He imed it was the only fitting thing to do with a useless Omega like him. I didn''t care that I was only eight years old, I saw red. I could have killed that man that day and not thought twice about it.


    It was also that day that I had my first shift. I was the youngest wolf in pack history to shift that young. I couldn''t tell you about shifter history as I don''t know much about my own kind outside of my own pack and the one near where I went to college.


    When I shifted that day I actually tried to attack Lenny''s uncle, but I was held back by my father. He didn''t want me to get in trouble because that man, that murderer, was a Delta and that meant he was of a decently high rank.


    I made my decision that day. I was going to get stronger. I was going to rise up in the ranks. And I was going to take control of this pack and be the Alpha, even if I had to take it by force and kill the previous Alpha, I would do it.


    And that''s exactly what I did. The Alpha, the spineless asshole that allowed murder and abuse to happen in his pack, that actually encouraged it, was nothing more than a stepping stone to me. And now, he''s nothing more than a distant memory. He would never darken my doorstep ever again, and I could finally rescue those who were being abused.


    I had been lost in my thoughts, my memories of the past as I watched that piss ant cowering on the floor. I could still hear my Gammas tearing through the house, looking for anyone they might be trying to hide.


    I was on a mission to rescue everyone I could, I would grant them their freedom by force if I had to. If I had to beat the shit out of their family or captors myself then I would. If they still refused to free their prisoners, then I would kill the sons of bitches and still rescue them all.


    "Where are they?" I asked the man I had been ring at. "Where are you hiding your victims?"


    "What makes you think I have anyone here?" He looked smug, like he thought I wouldn''t sniff out his little secret.


    "Because you were bragging about how badly you beat the boy recently. What is he, fifteen, sixteen?"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." He had the audacity to try and lie to me, to lie to my face.


    "You know Albert, unless you or someone else in this fucking pack is strong enough to kill me, I am your Alpha now, and you will listen to me." I fixed him with an intense gaze, my eyes piercing through him and all the way to his soul, or so it seemed like. "There are only so many options you have right now. Fess up. Get the shit kicked out of you then fess up. Get the shit kicked out of you then leave this pack. Andstly, you can die. Pick one and stop wasting my time." I put that ring of authority into my voice, themand that made it so he had to listen to me or suffer. It worked.


    I watched as the cowering, trembling man before me seemed to crumple in on himself and fall to the floor. His eyes which were red and rimmed in unshed tears, also held an intense hatred for me. That was fine. I didn''t need pus like him filling my ranks or fouling the air around me.


    "They''re behind the trick wall." His voice was weak and shaking.


    "Now was that so hard?" I purred at him as I spoke, just to annoy him. "Get up." I dragged him by his cor and pulled him to his feet. He was going to open their cage himself.


    Five minutester, after having had Albert press his little magic button that slid the bookcase aside I was standing outside with my Gammas and three shivering kids. The oldest looked maybe fifteen, if I was being generous with the numbers. The youngest couldn''t have been more than five. These people were sick.


    "You''re all safe now." I told them, my voice soothing and my eyes as calm as I could make them. "You won''t have to suffer anymore."


    "Do you kids want toe back to the pack house and have some dinner? You can also get cleaned up and have a proper room to sleep in." Toby Collins, one of my two Gammas, was coaxing them out of their shells. He was always better with kids than I was.


    "Th-th-th-the p-p-pack house." The middle of the three boys stuttered, fear in his eyes. He was maybe eight years old, the same age as Lenny was when he died.


    All three of the boys looked scared now. They seemed to be frightened of the pack house. I seemed to remember hearing stories, things that they would tell the weaker wolves. They conditioned them to be afraid of Alphas. Was that why all the people I had saved so far were scared of me at first.


    "You don''t have to worry. I''m not the same Alpha that was here before. I''m here to protect you like a real Alpha should. I''ve turned the pack house into a sanctum for you. A ce where you can all feel safe. There are others there as well." I was kneeling before them, smiling gently and hoping they would believe me.


    My smile and kind words must have done its job because the youngest little boy walked to me, albeit very hesitantly. Soon, he had wrapped his tiny, too thin arms around my neck and was holding on for dear life. I could hear him quietly sobbing into my left shoulder as he shook against me.


    "Shh. Shh." I shushed him as I rubbed soothing circles into his back with myrge hand. My hand basically covered his entire back so the circles were very small.


    The second little boy, the one that reminded me of Lenny, came over to me next. He pressed his face into my other shoulder, his sobbing and tears joining those of the first one. I wrapped my arms around them and stood up effortlessly, cradling them to me while I looked at the older boy.


    I had heard that the older boy was a teenager, nearing adulthood, but he didn''t look older than ten, given his size.


    "I will protect you guys from now on, all of you." I was looking at the oldest one as I said this. "Are youing too?" I asked him. He just nodded his head but he looked a little jealous of the boys in my arms. "Want to ride on my back?" I asked him. He nodded eagerly "I will carry you all to the car, or even all the way to the pack house if you want, whatever makes you three feel the mostfortable. Which do you want?"


    "I-is the p-p-pack h-ho-house far?" The oldest boy asked.


    "A few miles, nothing I can''t manage."


    "I-I don''t w-wa-want to b-be outside that l-long." I nodded, understanding what he was saying.


    "They won''t being for you, not ever. But I will drive you to the house and then my friends and I will help you to settle in."


    "O-ok." He smiled.


    I crouched down, holding the two smaller boys in my arms still.


    "Come on, climb on." I encouraged the oldest boy. Thankfully, he didn''t hesitate. He was already starting to trust me, and Toby too.


    The drive back was quick and quiet. I had Toby drive while I sat in the back seat. The oldest boy was nestled in the middle, between my knees while the other two sat on my legs, one on each knee. I wrapped my arms around the three of them easily, offering them the firstfort they''d probably had in a long time.


    They were all asleep by the time we got back. I let Toby and Morgan, my other Gamma, carry the smaller boys and I carried therger one. They would wake up when they were ready. When they did, they would see what life could really be about.


    I had just walked out of the room we put the kids into when I saw Kent, my best friend and Beta, running toward me.


    "I found another one, Artem." He looked like he was in panic mode.


    "Let''s go to the office and talk." I whispered, not wanting to wake or scare the kids inside the room. Kent nodded and led the way.


    Once we were inside the room, he turned to start talking again. He didn''t even give me the chance to sit down before he was in full exnation mode.


    "I found someone else we need to save."


    "Where is he?" I asked him.


    "It''s not a he." He blurted out. That part made me do a double take and look at him with shock clearly written on my face.


    "Come again." I ran a hand through my light, copper brown hair then fixed him with my bright, spring green eyes. "All the weak pack members we''ve saved so far have all been boys." I didn''t know if the girls had died or if they weren''t kept prisoner at all, but I hadn''t found any yet.


    "I know that, Artem, but I came across a girl tonight that needs help."


    "What happened?" I needed to know it all, everything, if I was going to fix her situation.


    "It looked like she was running away and she ran right into me. She looked scared and about to scream but she just got up and started running again. That was when I noticed the massive bruise and swelling on her leg. I think she was running with a broken leg, and she was moving fast."


    "So she''s determined, that''s good."


    "But there were people chasing her. A man in his thirties and four others in their wolf forms."


    "Who was the man?" I needed to know.


    "I don''t know yet, but I memorized his scent, as well as the others. And I will remember his face." He looked confident in that, and I had no reason to doubt him anyway.


    "Did he say anything to you?"


    "Yeah, he basically told me to mind my own business or he was going to get rid of me."


    "Hmph." I scoffed at his words. "So he threatened you?" I justughed. Kent was strong, almost as strong as me. Chances were, he could probably take that guy down no problem.


    "Yeah, he did. Then he grabbed the girl and dragged her back by her hair."


    "Seriously?" That was fucked up, how much damage did he do to her head. "Did she have a talisman?" She probably did. All the ones we saved so far did, it''s how we sealed away wolves in this pack. A magic talisman that was taught to us long ago by a sadistic warlock named Gannon.


    "I didn''t see one, but that doesn''t mean anything."


    "That''s true." I nodded my head. "Let''s track them down, then it will be time to save her. Good work Kent."

 Chapter 4 - Star - Time Is Running Out

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    My dream seemed to stretch on forever. I just kept reliving my entire life memory after memory. Granted I didn''t have many outside this room so they blended into each other.


    It was hard for me to separate any of what I was seeing by specific things, unless I saw other people in the memories. I tried to focus on my memories of Bailey and Reed. Those memories were the only ones that brought me happiness, well most of them anyway. I missed them so much but they weren''t allowed at the house that much anymore. Uncle Howard had limited their ess to me because he thought they would try to take me away.


    When I woke up I was still lying on the ground. That meant that no one hade to move me in my sleep. That actually made me feel better.


    There were only a few times that I had woken up to find that I had been ced in my sorry excuse for a bed. It was always after I had been beaten so bad that I literally passed out on the floor from the pain or a particrly hard blow to the head. But, I hated every time that I realized I had been moved. I had a sinking suspicion that it was Uncle Howard who had moved me and I didn''t want to even think about him having touched me.


    I felt like I had been trampled by something that was big and slow. It took its time as it stomped slowly across my abused body.


    Wincing in pain I sat up as gingerly as I could. My shoulder seemed to be the worst of it right now, having been thest injury I received before cking out. My left leg and foot, which I had hurt as I broke down the door to escapest night were healing, though slowly. My hair no longer felt like I had been scalped, it had thankfully stayed attached and my head and was not burning as much anymore.


    The cuts and scrapes from the trip on my back across the forest floor had bled, but not much and they were all closed now, there were still lines here and there where the cuts had been. Those lines wouldst at most two day, based on the depth of them all.


    The worse my injuries were the longer it took to heal, that was obvious, but I didn''t know what was normal for being a werewolf and what wasn''t. All I know is the rate at which I healed most things, and that if I wasn''t able to heal fast like that I would have died a very long time ago.


    As I tried to stand up so I could at least sit on my bed I winced again and nearly cried out in pain. I bit my tongue though and managed to not make a sound. I take back what I thought earlier, my leg was the worst. Or was it my foot? I couldn''t tell the difference. The pain was just shooting through me so intensely that I wanted nothing more but to scream. Yet I wouldn''t do that. I couldn''t do that.


    I had done my very best to keep my family from ever hearing me make a sound over thest several years. I wouldn''t give them the satisfaction of hearing me cry out in pain, scream in terror, or sob from any of the numerous reasons why I would have to cry.


    No, they weren''t worth my voice. That was something I could choose to keep to myself, and dammit, I would keep it.


    It was all I could do to hobble and sit down on the bed so I wasn''t crouched on the floor.


    ''Damn, this isn''t good.'' I thought as I tried to think of a way to run when I couldn''t run. As Uncle Howard pointed outst night, I didn''t have long before I turned eighteen and then I would be nothing more than a toy, a tool, for my vile family to use as they see fit.


    Fuck that. I would rather die than let that happen. Unless I was paralyzed, or dead, I would run away. I would run, and run, and run some more. Everyday until I was free.


    I think it was mid day when I woke up and I needed to wait until tonight to make my move. Until then, I would just bide my time.


    Waiting for time to pass had gotten me really good at math. Nothing borate but it was how I had perfected my counting skills, and then addition and multiplication. I learned about them after reading dictionaries and other odd books that my cousins brought me.


    After six thousand eight hundred and thirty-two seconds of waiting, nearly two hours, I heard the tell tale sound of the door opening at the top of the stairs. Huh, that''s strange, I hadn''t expected them to feed me today. Oh well, the food would help me to heal faster.


    "Oh, look who''s finally up." I heard my Aunt Tina''s voice sneer at me when she reached the bottom of the stairs. I just ignored her as she walked closer to me, my eyes closed to block out her face. She was a vile woman in more ways than one.


    Tina was ugly, that was the only way to describe her. Her hair was so curly that it looked ratted instead of curled and it was the color of dried dirt. But it was slowly losing its color and turning the same shade of gray as the stone walls around me. And her eyes were a nasty mustard yellow.


    I hated looking at her, mostly because she hated me. I was pretty, or so Uncle Howard had told me repeatedly over thest five years, and I guess that made Tina jealous. The look that I had always seen in Tina''s eyes had seemed jealous and envious, what did she have to envy me for?


    "Here, take your food, you piece of shit." She snapped as she threw the bottle of water at me and followed that up with throwing a sandwich at my head next. It was wrapped in stic, which was all that kept it from falling apart and scattering on the floor as it flew through the air.


    I hated eating food that had fallen off the floor, but trust me, you get desperate enough to eat just about anything when you haven''t eaten anything for almost a week. So I was really d that the food was not currently spread out like a pathetic excuse for a smorgasbord.


    "You better appreciate that. Howie bought that himself." I didn''t move, I didn''t so much as flinch. I hadn''t moved a muscle since she came in, I just sat there counting off the seconds she was in the room with me.


    ''Three hundred, forty-nine. Three hundred fifty.'' My mental count helped me to deal with moments like this when I couldn''t move or defend myself in any way.


    "Why won''t you look at me, huh? You worthless omega." She threw the words at me like they were some vile curse, like I was supposed to fawn all over her for being stronger than me.


    ''Four hundred seventeen.''


    "I don''t know what Howie sees in you. We should have killed you a long time ago." She wasughing now. "Ugh, this is pointless. You probably just climbed to that bed and passed out again, you were out cold all day yesterday anyway, what''s another day of me not having to deal with you?"


    I nearly broke my cover, and I almost lost count, when she told me that I was out cold yesterday. That''s why I was getting food today, they had skipped my meal yesterday but had at least checked to see if I was alive.


    ''Great.'' I sighed into my mind. I had been so injured that I was unconscious for more than a whole day. It had been that long and my leg was still hurting this bad, I must really have broken something in it. And my shoulder was bad too, even after so long. Was my healing getting weaker? I hoped not. I needed to get myself back on track and get out of here.


    Maybe if I managed to keep this food down I can get a little strength back to heal more.


    Through my counting I was able to remain motionless and not move when Aunt Tina came back to check on me again. She seemed satisfied that I was unconscious and hurt, this time she only scoffed at me before leaving again.


    "So fucking weak." Those were the words she scoffed before she stomped back up the stairs. I had still been sitting there in the same spot, leaning back against the wall like I was the time before. Maybe she thought I was dead.


    ''Thirty-six thousand six hundred forty-five.'' I was still counting in my head. It had been several hours and I hoped it was the dead of night. There wasn''t a sounding from upstairs. No one was walking around, I hoped that meant that everyone was asleep. I needed this time to make my next big escape. I had to make this attempt as silent as possible. If I was too loud I would alert them right away, just like I had done the other night.


    Quickly, I ate the sandwich that I had left untouched all day. My empty stomach tried to reject the food rather than take sustenance from it. That often happened when I had gone so long without eating, but after a few minutes I could feel the energy spreading through me and the healing begin to work a little faster.


    It still hurt like hell to move. I could barely walk but I did my best to push past it, I wouldn''t miss a single opportunity to run away. As quietly as I could I climbed up the stairs, it was more of a crawl really since walking was a chore and I didn''t want to tire myself out too much yet.


    I don''t know exactly how I nned on getting through the door really. I was nning to try and break the lock, desperate times called for desperate measures after all. I reached for the door handle and was prepared for a long, silent fight with the lock, but the handle turned easily. How was that possible?


    I had many thoughts run through my head when the door opened. Was this a set up? Was this negligence on Tina''s part because she thought I was too weak, too hurt, to try and escape? Would I be walking right into an ambush?


    I didn''t care if it was a setup, negligence or a gift from the Gods, I was going to take my chance and run.


    I pushed the door open slowly and silently. I couldn''t smell anyone on the other side. Good. I walked gingerly, nearly dragging my left leg as I moved to escape. I wasn''t even five steps from the door when I heard a loud crashing bang and thude from the opposite side of the house.


    ''Dammit! They did set me up!'' I thought to myself. ''Oh well, I''m still running.''


    I ran now ignoring the pain. I had reached the outer door, I could almost smell the air outside. I flung the door open and smelled someone right in front of me. I couldn''t stop my trajectory though, I was moving too fast and mmed right into someone, again.


    This someone was just as hard and immovable as thest one. But where thest person had smelled like mint and calming herbs, this person''s scent was spicy, exotic, intoxicating, and frightening. It wasn''t a scent I recognized at all. Who was he? What was he? And what was he going to do to me?

 Chapter 5 - Artem - A Unexpected Complication

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The day after I rescued those three boys, cousins named Cohen, Benton, and Julian, I spent all of my time looking for the family that was holding that girl prisoner. Kent said he saw her and that was all I needed to know. I would not let more people be treated that way in my pack, or anywhere else, if I could help it.


    In the month since I took over the pack I had slowly been rescuing people every weekend. With the most recent three I was up to six. They weren''t easy to track down, and with the four of us having been away for most of thest four years there were a lot of people we weren''t that familiar with anymore.


    Four years in college anding home to take my ce in my father''s architecture firm was just another step in my path to bing an Alpha. I needed a way to support myself and my family. No man could be an Alpha without stability.


    Toby Collins, Morgan Rogers, and Kent Hall, my three best friends, had been with me every step of the way, since we were kids. We went off to school together and nned to reform this pack together. They had all lost someone they knew to this pack''s twisted ways.


    Yeah, we could have left, like a lot of people do when they became adults. There were so many newly adulted wolves who ran away from here frightened of what they would be if they never left. Me, I wouldn''t run. I was going to stop all this. That was the fundamental difference between them and me.


    I wanted to scour the forest where Kent had found the girl. I wanted to follow her scent and track them back to where they hade from. Kent had wanted to do the samest night. But that man who dragged the girl back had sent his little hench dogs to patrol the area, just in case Kent did just that. Everytime Kent tried to get close to the trail he could hear them tracking and protecting it from him.


    The first thing I noticed when I went into that clearing where the girl had run right into my Beta was her scent. Of course I would smell it, I am a wolf and an Alpha at that. That meant that my sense of smell was heightenedpared to everyone else''s. I had noticed that change in me right away.


    No, it wasn''t just that her scent was there, it was the scent itself. It smelled like a midnight breeze in the middle of summer, a breeze that had just blown through a field of wildvender. I smiled the instant it hit my nose.


    "What the hell are you smiling for?" Kent asked me, sounding as if I had gone insane. I blinked in surprise, bringing myself back to my senses.


    "Huh?" I asked him, trying to act as if I didn''t know what he was talking about."


    "You look like you''re happy. What about this situation makes you happy?" Kent was often surly when it came to these rescue missions. They reminded him of his baby brother, Nico, who was the first boy we saved when we came back home and took over the pack.


    "I''m not happy." I assured him.


    "Could''ve fooled me." He was still piercing me with a sharp re. His hazel eyes shining in the light from the moon and his ck hair nearly disappearing in the dark altogether. When he was out in the night like this he often looked more like a vampire than a werewolf. He truly was intimidating to most people when he stood there at just over six feet tall, but not to me. I was stronger, faster, and taller by two inches, plus he was my friend and I had seen him as a gangly little kid.


    "Really, I''m not happy. The smile was an involuntary reaction to something I smelled."


    "And what did you smell?"


    "Just something." How was I supposed to tell him that my wolf had grinned and was now chomping at the bit with only one word in mind. ''MATE''.


    Would Kent think I am crazy when I told him that I had scented my mate? Would he call me an idiot because I was already lusting after a girl I had never seen but had only smelled a day old scent trail? Yeah he probably would.


    "You''re not getting off that easy. I know you and something is up. What is it?"


    "It''s the girl''s scent."


    "Yeah, I smell it too Artem, what about it."


    "It''s very pleasing." I grinned.


    "If you likevender, yeah. Not my thing though." He shrugged his shoulders as if that was all he had to say about it.


    "I never thought it would be mine, but apparently it is." Kent quirked an eyebrow at that and tilted his head to the side. Clearly he was confused.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" He asked me.


    "That my wolf seems to really, really like her scent." I emphasized that for him, hoping he would understand.


    "Oh." His eyes went wide, clearly he did understand it.


    "Yeah."


    "Are you sure?" He squinted now, unsure of my sincerity.


    "Very, my wolf is practically howling the word nonstop in my head."


    "Well, that''s something. Now we just need to save her." He smirked at me. "How many men get to really be their mate''s knight in shining armor? Shining fur? Which is appropriate here?" He wasughing softly, finding humor in his own words.


    Subconsciously I growled. I wasn''t angry at Kent, or at anything or anyone near me. No, I was just intensely aware that I had to rescue my future mate and that meant that these people were now insulting me personally.


    And now, I was wondering what those assholes had done to her. What had they subjected her to all these years? That pissed me off. They touched my mate, I don''t care if I wasn''t officially mated yet or not, she was still mine, fated to be since birth. Wasn''t that how the legends and stories always put it. It was fate and they had hurt my fate.


    "Watch it there Scorch." Kent said, ring at me. "Your eyes are almost a dark hunter green now, any darker and they''d disappear in the dark."


    My eyes had this tendency to change colors based on my moods. Well, the color was always the same, green. They could go as light and crystal color as seafoam or mint, that was when I was in a really, really good mood. But when I am in a bad mood, or angry, my eyes get darker and more intense, like forest, hunter, and olive greens.


    "Let''s just get a move on, we need to know what we''re dealing with here."


    "Yeah I know." Kent was still in serious mode, all jokes aside. He wasn''t going to let anyone be abused anymore than I would.


    It was time to get down to business. The two of us made sure her scent was firmly set in our noses before we took off in search of the trail. I had a brief moment where a wave of jealousy hit me really hard. It was like I didn''t want Kent smelling her scent so much. But that was ridiculous, I had to let that go, right?


    With the scent memorized and fresh in our minds and noses we each set out on one of the paths she had taken, the one when she ran to the clearing and the one where she ran away from Kent out of it.


    "Hey Kent." I spoke softly but I knew my voice would carry enough for him to hear me.


    "Yeah?" His voice answered softly.


    "Do you think she ran away from youst night because she was scared of her family chasing her or because she saw your ugly mug?" I just had to have onest joke before he was too far away for me to talk to him.


    "Fuck you, you stupid hot head." I heard the chuckle under the words and grinned.


    "It''s a thought." I joked back before we both went silent.


    Kent had taken the path that brought her from her house to the clearing, I had taken the one she ran away from him on and then was subsequently dragged away on. This trail gave me traces of what the others smelled like. It would be a lot easier to know who I was looking for if I had at least a slight idea of what they smelled like.


    The family smelled like a giant mix of filth. Was that just some sort of inherited quality with them. The things I was smelling included dirt, oldundry, mildew, stagnant water, so many things that were unpleasant and made me want to sneeze.


    The trail went on further than I thought it would. Given that Kent said it looked like her leg had been broken and she was running fast I didn''t think she would have gone nearly four miles before she ran headlong into my Beta.


    Thankfully there was still plenty of the trail left to follow. Try as they might the wolves fromst night didn''t manage to mask it. They had tried, I could tell that much. They had run all around the area in different directions trying to confuse us on which path to follow, but even with all those cris-crossing scents, two of the scents only went one way.


    When I finally reached the end of the trail I saw a veryrge, very old house. It was almost as big as the pack house. If humans had seen it they would call it a mansion. It was made mostly of brick and stone in light colors that made it shine in the light of the moon. There were lots of windows that could let in a lot of natural light. It looked like something from a movie. But given its ce, secluded and hidden in the forest, and the horrors I suspected happened in there, it was most likely a horror movie.


    I had found the house. I had found where she was being kept. And next, I would save her. But I couldn''t rush this. I may be young but I''m not stupid. If I rushed in there not knowing who lived there, how many people were likely to be there, or anything about that family in general, I could potentially be walking into a shit show.


    No, I needed to find out who these people were. I needed to know what I was up against. I woulde back for her tomorrow.


    I skirted the outside of the property, checking the house number would help to gather info. Only, there was no house number, and there was nothing at the end of the three mile long driveway. They really didn''t want anyone to know about them did they? Just who the hell were these people?

 Chapter 6 - Artem - An Unexpected Meeting

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The day after we found the house and tracked down where the girl was being kept it was time for us to find out who had her. I had learned what family owned that estate, that''s what they called their property because it wasrge and housed many buildings. The property belonged to the Peterson family. It was currently run by a man named Howard and he was in charge of all the branch families.


    Howard Peterson was originally Howard Pinnacle but when he took the position of family head he changed his legal name. There wasn''t much else that was known about Howard. The family kept to themselves and they were as vast as any of the other families in the area.


    That was something else weird about our pack here. We all had ''families'' but not in a true familial sense. An uncle might not be an uncle, he could just be someone that belonged to a branch family and got the title of uncle because of his authority and position.


    Branch families were like families that were owned by the lead family. The lead family was known for having had money for generations and acquiring loyal, or petrified, subjects or some stupid shit like that.


    The weird thing is that, as hard as I looked, there was no one that knew of a girl living with the Petersons. There were no birth records of a female that was unounted for. And they hadn''t been known to produce anything below mid rank wolves.


    So why did they have this girl trapped there? Was she not part of their family? Was she sold to them as a ve or something? That thought made my blood boil just thinking about it.


    That night the four of us were ready to make our move. We weren''t likely to find out anything more. Just that the main family house was likely to have around a dozen people inside. That wouldn''t be a problem for us.


    We divided into two groups to attack the house. Kent and Toby took the front, Morgan and I took the back. The girl''s scent was stronger around the back of the house as it was and that meant I was more likely to find her.


    I had just heard the front door crash open and something inside the house fall over when the back door that I was walking toward was thrown open. In a blur of movement that took my mind half a second to process I saw someoneing right at me. They were flying out of the back at a panicked speed.


    For a second I thought it was someone that I would need to fight, but then her scent hit me the same time that the rest of her did. She flew right into me and stopped dead, unable to move past myrge, imposing form.


    She looked beautiful, even as ragged as she was, she was still adorable. Her face was a soft, slender oval. She was pale, but that didn''t look like it was all caused from being hidden away indoors. Her hair was a beautiful golden brown and her eyes were a beautiful shade of cobalt blue shining in the moonlight. She was maybe five-foot eight, perfect for fitting against my chest protectively.


    All I wanted to do was smile and hug her as I reached out to steady her, but I had to restrain myself. Chances are that she was going to be distrusting at first. But I had dealt with that before, I could handle it.


    She looked up at me with eyes full of fear and shock. She didn''t make a sound, not a grunt when she had hit me, not a scream, not even a cute, adorable little squeal when she was surprised. All I heard was the air that rushed out of her lungs as she had smashed into me.


    "Whoa." Morgan was almost as shocked as I was to see her. "Who are you?"


    The girl didn''t answer, all she did was look between the two of us with eyes as wide as saucers. She was scared, too scared.


    "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU''RE DOING?" I heard an angry voice boom from inside the house. The three of us turned to look toward the back of the house as the voice continued to bellow from inside. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" That must have been Howard. He was trying to defend his castle it would seem.


    "Morgan, go help the others." I told him, and with a nod he ran forward and jumped through a window, one that was closed. ss shattered and flew everywhere. I had pulled the girl with me as I turned, wanting to make sure that she was not sprayed by any of the dangerous shrapnel but she flinched at the movement.


    "LIAM, LISA, NATHAN!" The man inside roared. "STOP HER!" His voice was a loud booming roar and I felt her flinch again then follow that with a gasp when she heard the man''s words. Whoever they were, they knew that we hade to rescue the girl, or that she was trying to run again, either way they wereing.


    I stepped forward in a protective stance, ready to take on the new threat. As soon as I was in position the back of the house seemed to explode. More windows burst as the wolves leapt out of them already shifted. Theirrge bodies took much of the frames out along with the ss.


    Three angry growls met me as I grinned at them. I was going to kick their asses and rescue the girl. Today I was superman. And that''s exactly when the girl standing behind me took off running. She wasn''t as fast as she could have been, I saw she was still limping really bad with every step.


    The three wolves in front of me saw her run as well. They tried to take off after her. I stopped one. Morgan came flying back out the window andnded on another, but thest one got away from us.


    I needed to go after her. I needed to protect her from that wolf. But if I didn''t stop the one currently trying to bite my arm off then she would have two of them after her.


    The wolf snapping at me was female, but she was more fierce than any male I had fought before. Damn, women were brutal.


    I didn''t care if she was female though. Treating her differently because of her gender would only get me or the girl killed, and since I was here to save her a death wouldn''t be good. No, I had to fight this woman like any other threat.


    I brought my right fist down hard on the back of the female''s head and heard a satisfying crack. When she yelped in pain, releasing my left arm from her jaws I grabbed her left nk and mmed her to the ground, head first. She let out a yelp and stopped moving.


    Good, now I could go after the girl and the other wolf.


    I took off running in the direction that she had run. I could smell her scent as I ran, avender summer breeze. I could also smell the male that ran after her, he was like dirt and sweaty socks. This family really was vile wasn''t it.


    I wasn''t going to be too far behind them was I? I wouldn''t be toote would I? I put on an extra burst of speed anyway.


    I was weaving in and out of the trees, following their scent. She wasn''t far now, I''d be there soon.


    There was another clearing up ahead. A different one than before, closer to the house and in a different direction than she was headingst time.


    What I saw in that clearing made me want to roar. The male had the girl pinned to the ground, one massive paw on her chest and his teeth bared in her face. I could already smell the scent of fresh blood as I pounded the forest floor with my feet. He had bitten her.


    I was no more than five hundred feet away from her now. I would be there to save her soon. But I wasn''t fast enough to stop her from being hurt. I hadn''t been there in time to protect her from this male. He had injured my mate. What he had done was like a challenge to me personally.


    He had bitten her and drawn blood. That was unforgivable. He would pay for that. He would pay for everything he had ever done to her. When I saw his head rear back on a howl before it whipped forward, lighting fast, I knew what he was nning. I really did roar that time as I pushed myself harder, I needed to make myself go, I needed to run even faster.

 Chapter 7 - Artem - A Fateful Rescue

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    When I broke through the trees at the edge of the clearing I roared a second time. My fury was boiling over now. I didn''t slow myself down either. I just carefully aimed my trajectory, I was going to smash right into him. He would not be pinning her down for much longer.


    With the force of a missile I smashed into him. We toppled over a few times, rolling into the dirt, but I managed tond at the advantage. I was now pinning him to the ground, though I was still in human form and he was in his massive wolf form.


    "Don''t you dare touch her again." I growled into his wolfish face, staring down his elongated snout at his eyes that held a sneer.


    ''Get off me!'' I heard his growls and grunts, the weird chuffing sounds that passed for wolf speech.


    "If I get up it will only be so I can kill your sorry ass."


    ''She belongs to us.'' He snapped at me. ''She is ours.''


    "No, she doesn''t."


    The vile piece of shit I had pinned thought he could fight dirty. He aimed a blow for my groin while simultaneously trying to bite me and swipe with his ws at the same time. At least he was worth my time to fight him.


    But he was going to need to try harder than if he was going to fight me. I didn''t win my position by being weak and unskilled. I had spent thest decade and a half training my body for this type of fight.


    I didn''t even hesitate. I shifted in an instant. My wolf had always beenrge and powerful, but since the day that I became the Alpha I had grown. I was bigger than I used to be and I would wield that added size and power to my benefit.


    I reared back gathering momentum as I prepared to m myself against his chest. I bared my teeth and set them against his throat. If he didn''t give up then it would cost him his life.


    As I waited for him to yield I heard two sets of feet running at me. One was much closer than the other.


    "Get off him." The man from before, the one who had been bellowing inside the house, spoke in a deep, angry voice.


    ''He will yield or die.'' I growled at him.


    "Shall we discuss this then?" The man was trying to talk me down. "We cane to an agreement and we can all leave here happy."


    ''I will be leaving here with the girl, and that is final.''


    "I can''t let that happen." The man snapped at me. "She is mine. She will always be mine."


    At those words I pulled my mouth away and roared, shifting back into my human self so I could stare at the asshole who had spoken.


    "She ising with me. She is not yours." I saw his face darken and his eyes narrow.


    "The girl belongs to our family. I am the leader of this family. Therefore, she belongs to me."


    "And I am telling you that that is not how things are going to happen anymore. I am taking her with me."


    Kent broke into the clearing then, having apparently left the house muchter than the man in front of me.


    "You don''t seem to understand what is going on here." I red at him "You cannot win here."


    "I think you''re the one who doesn''t understand. I am the king around here, this is my estate and you do not belong here."


    "Do you even know who I am?" I spoke through my clenched teeth, my anger ring.


    "I don''t care who you are."


    Kent was watching and waiting for the right moment to make his move. The girl who I was here to save was stillying on the ground, fear filling her eyes.


    "I think you will care, when you find you that I''m-." I never got to finish my sentence. That asshat that had bitten the girl was making a very big mistake.


    The wolf rolled to his feet and leapt at me. His intent was clear with the look in his eyes, the set of his teeth, and the ws he had pointed right at me. He wanted to hurt me, he wanted to kill me. And that wasn''t going to happen.


    I caught the wolf as he soared through the night. My hand closed around his throat with a crushing force cutting off the roaring scream that wasing from him. On instinct my hand partially shifted, bringing out my long sharp ws. My fingers tightened with one quick motion causing the lethally sharp ws to pierce straight into his jugr.


    Blood sprayed out around my fingers, drenching me and dying the clearing red. An unsettling gurgling momentarily came from his throat before his body stopped twitching.


    "What did you just do?" I could hear the anger in the man''s voice as he shook with rage.


    "I took care of a loose end."


    "You will pay for this." The rage pouring off the man was palpable, I could feel it, I could taste it. This man was still going to be an obstacle.


    Or that was what I thought. As the wolf''s limp body dropped from my grip the man put his hands up and started to back away.


    "You win, for tonight." He didn''t stop backing away until he was in the trees, his footsteps quick and steady.


    When he was gone and I was with only Kent and the girl I was finally able to calm down. I knew that Kent would keep watch and let me know if something were happening.


    "Here." Kent tossed me a rolled up piece of fabric. It was a pair of athletic shorts, that would help since I was standing here naked as could be.


    When I was dressed, sort of, I walked slowly over to the girl and knelt in front of her. She was shaking and breathing heavily.


    "He won''t being back." I assured her. "You''reing with me now." Her eyes, already wide with terror, went even wider, if that were even possible.


    I watched on as she slowly scrambled back, away from me. She was wincing in pain from the movement but she didn''t make a sound. She was hurt and needed help.


    "Stop. Don''t move." I spoke softly, trying to calm her but she froze like I had given her amand. While she sat there, still as could be, I looked over her. She had blood smearing from the right side of her neck and down the front of her dirty shirt. The wound, though small, was still oozing blood slowly and needed to be tended to.


    Slowly, I moved closer to her, my hand reaching for her neck so I could move her long hair out of the way and assess the damage.


    "My name is Artemis Cooper, but everyone calls me Artem." I was trying to make conversation, to calm her down and get her used to me. "I am the new Alpha of this pack." She gasped at my words, her tremblinging to an abrupt stop.


    At first, I thought that was a good sign. She wasn''t shaking in fear any more. But that was only until she seemed to crumple to the ground, unconscious.


    "Great, you scared your mate to death." Kentughed at me. "We need to go. She needs to see Doc."


    "I know." I snapped at him as I moved to her side.


    Picking her up was like picking up a rag doll. She was simply too small. Yeah, she wasn''t too short, but she was so thin, so tiny. Even without the added strength of being a supernatural I would have been able to carry her one handed. What had they done to her?

 Chapter 8 - Both - After The Rescue

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The Peterson estate was the most remote of the homes we had visited over thest month. Consequently, it was the furthest from the pack house. We had wanted to take them by surprise and had opted for walking there.


    It wasn''t that big of a deal for me but I didn''t think it was a good idea to have to walk back with the unconscious girl in my arms. I needed to get her back and call Doc to have him check her out.


    Doc was a friend of mine I met while I was away at school. He was, as the name suggested, a doctor. He''s a few years older than me and my crew. He had been in the first year of his residency when we met him a couple years ago. We may, or may not, have done something stupid which led a concerned citizen to semi-force us to go to the hospital. Doc is a wolf too and knew that we didn''t have to be there, but also knew that the human wouldn''t understand that.


    Doc was not from that local pack either and was considered a nomad for not having a home to go back to after his medical training so we convinced him toe back with us. We would need someone to help us with all the beaten and abused pack members and he was a kind hearted person. It was a win-win.


    While I carried the unconscious girl that I didn''t know the name of, Kent called a ride for us. Within five minutes a dark green Jeep Wrangler pulled up. It was a convertible style and the top was offpletely.


    "Why didn''t you put the top up Chay?" Iined as I climbed into the back with the girl on myp.


    "Kent told me to hurry. Did you want me to spend twenty minutes putting it back on before I left?" The girl behind the wheel snapped at me as she took a sharp u-turn to take us back to the pack house.


    "No, I guess I wouldn''t want that." I conceded. Whether I was the Alpha or not, my sister was still very annoying, but I loved her anyway.


    "So, who''s the dead chick?" She asked brashly as she drove back home. My growl must have alerted her to the fact that she had screwed up. "What''s wrong?" She eyed me in the mirror.


    "You just insulted his mate." Kent told her from his spot in the front seat.


    "What?" Three voices rang out. I hadn''t told Toby or Morgan about it yet, had I?


    "The girl is his mate. He scented her when we were in the process of tracking her down. I don''t think his wolf has settled down yet."


    "Wow!" My sister looked like she was about to burst. "I, Cesya Cooper, never thought I would see the day when my big brother found his mate. Aren''t you too busy saving the world to find love or some shit like that?"


    "I can''t pick and choose it, Chay, it just happens."


    "And your wolf told you she''s your mate?" She was actually asking it seriously this time.


    "He hasn''t stopped telling me since I smelled her." I looked down at her face, so pale, so thin, but still so beautiful. Her features were soft, and pretty, she almost looked like a china doll. So soft, so cute, so fragile. "But I think she might not ept it." I could hear the depression in those words, the sadness I felt when she looked at me with eyes so full of fear.


    "Why?" Chay wanted to know.


    "When I told her I was the Alpha, she looked like she''d rather die than go with me."


    "They probably conditioned her to be afraid of Alpha''s, Artem, just like the others were."


    "I know." I just hung my head as we drove back home.


    The girl hadn''t moved at all. When Iid her on the couch in my office she didn''t stir. When Doc came by to see her she didn''t flinch when he touched her injuries. And when he suggested I take her to his office on the second floor, where he had a fully equipped medical room, she didn''t move when I picked her back up.


    Doc examined her while she was out cold. He took x-rays of her injuries, dressed her wounds, and splinted her leg. He said if it didn''t start getting better he was going to have to re-break it to set it right. I didn''t like the sound of that. Also, I didn''t leave her side while Doc was working.


    While Doc was working, Cesya came in and helped us to clean her up. That was the only time I left her side. My sister said, mate or not, I couldn''t be there without her consent. She was right though and I wasn''t going to push it.


    When Cesya was done and allowed me toe back in, she had done her best to clean the girl''s hair and clean off as much blood and dirt as she could. She looked a million times better, which only made me fall for her more.


    There was nothing we could do about the clothes right now. If she woke up changed she might freak out. But after she was properly cared for I wanted toy her down to get some rest. Cesya vetoed my n of putting her into my room so I could keep an eye on her. So, I put her in the room across the hall from mine.


    I couldn''t wait until she woke up and I could finally learn her name.


    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I had woken up at some point when I was being carried. Or more urately, when someone wasying me down on something soft. It was way softer than my bed back in the cer, that''s for sure.


    There were two men in the room with me. They were talking about me, about my injuries and about why I hadn''t woken up yet. I was really good at pretending to be asleep.


    I heard the one man, a voice I hadn''t heard before, say something about me needing x-rays and a full examination.


    "I need to check the set of these bones, and she needs these wounds dressed." His voice was soft, gentle, and he sounded like he wasn''t all that old.


    "Fine we can go right away." The man from earlier, the one who I watched kill Liam, seemed eager to go. One of the two of them picked me up.


    There was that same scent from before. It was full of spices, but I don''t know which ones. It made me want to smile, but I resisted that urge.


    The man carried me into another room that was bright and smelled very clean. But still I didn''t flinch. This time I wasid on something else. It was softer than the bed in the cer, but harder than thest thing I was on.


    "Do what you need to do Doc." The spicy man was speaking now.


    "I will Alpha." The soft voice answered him. So was this man a doctor? Based on the things he was doing I would hope so.


    I felt the man press all around the bite mark on my neck, the one Liam had left here when he caught me from behind. The man checked me over, inspecting the shoulder that was still bruised and sore, the leg and foot that were broken, and everything else he could get to without stripping me.


    I didn''t want to move but I felt off somehow. I didn''t know why, he hadn''t done anything wrong but I didn''t know him and I didn''t trust him. So basically, I didn''t want him touching me, especially considering he had pulled the top of my cor down and lifted the hem of the shirt. He didn''t have to do much with my bottoms, I was already wearing shorts.


    There was a loud machine that made strange noises. The doctor had said he was going to look at the images so I guessed that it was an x-ray machine. Well, the bones were probably healing now so what was the point?


    Turned out there was a point. The bones weren''t straight yet and if he couldn''t fix it with a splint he would have to re-break my leg. That didn''t sound fun, but I could also hear that it didn''t sound like something he would like.


    I had to wonder if they knew what rank I was. If they did, would they still help me? Probably not.


    After the doctor was done a girl came in and kicked the two of them out. I was curious about her, since all the women in my family hated me more than the men did. But this girl seemed nice, and was very happy.


    "Don''t mind that big idiot." She was rambling on about something that I hadn''t paid enough attention to. "He''s big and stupid, but he is a great Alpha. He''s strong, the best fighter there is, and he was strong enough to kill thest Alpha."


    ''W-was she warning me? Was she telling me to steer clear of the Alpha.''


    "He could kill anyone that he needed to. He ns to use that power and strength of his to destroy-." I needed to count this bad memory away, I had to try to drown out her words before she could describe how the Alpha was going to kill me.


    I continued counting until she was done. Apparently, prisoners here couldn''t be as dirty as I had been, since she had spent that whole time while she was talking just cleaning me up. I was d that she hadn''t tried anything and neither did the other two guys, but what exactly did they want with me? What were they going to do to me?


    I was afraid to actually move, I was afraid to open my eyes and look around. This was an Alpha''s house. The Alpha was here. And Alphas hate weak wolves like me. Would I make it out of here alive, or was I just trapped in another prison?


    After the girl was done cleaning me up I heard her start to talk to the men from before. They were talking about where to put me for the time being.


    "She will be in my room." The Alpha said. I thought I was going to die right then and there.


    "Absolutely not." The girl told him. Was she his girlfriend? Wife? Did she not approve of him taking a ve to his room?


    "I think she''s right, Artem." The doctor agreed. Good, I didn''t want to be in the room with the Alpha, who knew what he was likely to do to me if I was in there.


    "Fine, then I will put her in the room across the hall from mine, so I can keep an eye on her." They knew I was the type to run away, so they were going to guard me. It will be even harder for me to escape from this ce now.


    After they had decided where I was going the Alpha picked me up again. This felt so strange to me. I had been carried before, obviously. Usually when my family carried me it was done roughly, dragging me about or tossing me away. But the Alpha was treating me like I was breakable. Maybe he wanted me for the same reason Uncle Howard did. If he wanted me to be a sex ve he might try to keep my body from bing damaged, that way I would look better and be functional sooner. If he were to beat me and break me now, he wouldn''t get much fun out of me for long.


    I refused to be someone''s ve though. I would find a way to escape this ce eventually.


    But, for now, the gentle rocking motion from the Alpha carrying me was lulling me into a peaceful sleep.


    ''No, dammit! I don''t want to sleep. I want to run.'' I screamed internally at myself but it was pointless, I was asleep in no time at all.

 Chapter 9 - Star - Waking Up In The Pack House

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Thest thing that I remembered was gently swaying as I was being carried. So, waking up in a strange bed was a really big shock to me. No, the biggest shock was actually the fact that I woke up in a veryrge, very soft bed. I was covered in arge, soft nket and my head was surrounded with soft pillows.


    I had never felt thisfortable, or this warm. I was usually cold, living in the stone cer with nothing for warmth orfort. This waspletely new to me and I didn''t know what to think about it.


    It didn''t matter howfortable it was, or what it all meant or didn''t mean, I needed to get up. I needed to get out of here, to get somewhere safe. This ce was not safe for me. Not with an Alpha here.


    I sat up, flinging the nket to the side as I went. I saw the splint on my left leg and the bandages that wrapped around my right shoulder and arm. The doctor had really taken care of me. Also the blood and dirt was mostly gone. If it weren''t for the clothes, and the private ces that were not tampered with, I would be fully clean.


    ''Man, how long has it been since I was clean?'' I asked myself as I looked around the room.


    The room made my heart pound fast. I had never seen anything like it obviously, but it was beautiful. The bed was huge, big enough to fit several people in it, there were probably other vesing to share it with me soon. There were different pieces of furniture all around, dressers I think. There were two tall ones with six drawers, all empty, there was a shorter one with two columns of four drawers, again all empty.


    There was also a table next to each side of the bed with a drawer in each of them as well, again the drawers were empty. A small table with two chairs sat by the window. Arge green, soft looking couch in a sort of sitting area. An empty trunk sat at the foot of the bed. There were three doors, the first led to a closest with empty shelves and a long empty pole. The second door went to a bathroom. I only knew it was a bathroom because of the toilet. I probably had distant memories from when I was a kid, something that helped me identify what it was, but I couldn''t for the life of me, ever remember seeing a room like this. It was big, huge really, and so clean.


    Thest door was locked, as I figured it would be. I wouldn''t be able to leave through there quietly. I would need a new n.


    Also, I could smell that spicy scent on the other side of that door, I didn''t want to go out there. Not if the Alpha was there.


    The Window!


    That''s where I could get out. I could escape through the window. This was the first time I had been in a room with a window, did they not remember that I was known to escape, or did they think that I was too hurt like my Aunt Tina had thought?


    Oh well, I was going to make my move.


    I ran to the window as fast as I could. My leg was still sore, but not as bad as it was the night before. The splint was really helping to brace the broken limb and make it easier to handle the pain.


    As soon as I got to the window I pushed therge cloth curtains aside, letting me see the crystal clear ss and the view beyond. The trees were huge, much closer than they were to the family house. There was still at least fifty feet from the window to the trees, but it was a startling sight. It was beautiful.


    Shaking my head I dislodged the distracting thought. I had to keep moving, I had to keep going.


    I slid the lock of the window to the side and pushed the window open. There was nothing else to stop me, so easy to get out. The window opened out, like two doors, and there was a small ledge at the bottom of the window frame. That would help me to climb down.


    I had just put my foot over the window frame and ced it on the edge when the door to the room opened.


    The soft sound of the lock clicking. The gentle turning of the knob. The hushed sounds as the wood of the door quickly and gently slid against the frame. All these sounds were soft, quiet, gentle, and frightening.


    ''Why couldn''t I have gotten away first?'' I questioned silently in my head.


    The door opened gently, but quickly. I hesitated for just a moment as I looked back. But soon, too soon, I saw that I was almost out of time.


    A man looked at me in shock and confusion as I straddled the window. He was tall, several inches taller than me. His hair was a shiny brown with lighter undertones. The eyes that gawked at me momentarily were a bright, shining green, but they were quickly turning darker. And he looked powerful, the muscles on his arms weren''t bulging but they were well defined.


    He was handsome. He made my heart pound just looking at him. He made my mouth both simultaneously go dry and flood with saliva at the same time. And he was the Alpha fromst night.


    Just seeing him terrified me.


    ''Shit!'' I cursed inside my head. I needed to go now.


    After that quick hesitation I was moving again. I turned back toward the window and threw my other leg over the frame. With both feet now in position I bent my knees and ced my bottom on the window ledge. I was ready to jump.


    The fall wasn''t likely to kill me. Looking down briefly I saw I was on the fifth floor of a really, really big house. It seemed to be around fifty or sixty feet up, but I would be fine, probably.


    When I turned away from him I knew that the Alpha was mad. I was trying to run from him like I had from Uncle Howard, he probably knew all about the running away. But he was stupid for leaving me in a room I could get out of.


    I smirked, thinking about how angry he would be if I got away from him after one attempt when Uncle Howerd had me trapped for years. I almostughed out loud, but I contained it inside my head. That''s when I pushed off from the ledge.


    I felt myself slide forward. The support of the window frame and ledge leaving me. There was a rush of fear, and excitement, as I leapt to my freedom. There was a split second where the wind hit my face and I felt truly free. It was exhrating.


    Then I felt a hand wrap around my waist and another across my chest.


    I hadn''t fallen more than a few feet when the Alpha caught me. He was breathing heavy, but I couldn''t see him at all with the way he was holding me. The arms I could feel wrapped around me were shaking with fury and rage. I could feel him pressed against my back, his heart pounding rapidly.


    ''He is pissed.'' The words went through my mind just before he started to pull me back through the window. He was slowly taking steps back, pulling me with him.


    He didn''t let me go when he had pulled me inside, he just kept backing up until his legs hit the couch that was across the room from the window.


    He sat down with his arms still wrapped around me, pulling me into hisp. His breathing was still fast and angry sounding. His heart hadn''t slowed at all. He was angry, so angry he couldn''t look at me. This was scaring me more. What will happen to me now?

 Chapter 10 - Artem - Heart Stopping

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had been smiling most of the morning so far, knowing I was going to see the girl soon. I had woken early and gone to shower and get changed. After I was ready I decided to get some breakfast, allowing my mate to get some more sleep. Plus, I would be calmer and less likely to rush if I was saited first.


    At about a quarter after nine I made my way to her room. It was possible that she had woken up already and was scared. I knew she was likely to run if she was scared and I didn''t want her being frightened by anyone else in the pack house so I had locked the door, hoping to get back before she noticed.


    I had just gotten the room to check on the girl we savedst night, the girl that was to be my mate. I knew thatst night hadn''t gone perfectly, but we managed to save her and bring her back here. That was enough of a win for now.


    I unlocked the door as quietly as I could. I didn''t want to wake her if she was still asleep. As soon as I had slowly pushed the door open I saw something that made my heart stop.


    My mate, the girl I had just saved, was trying to jump out the window. Her eyes looked determined, but scared, as she was sitting half out the window frame. She took one look at me and threw her other leg over, ready to jump.


    I ran. There was nothing else for me to do. If I said something it might scare her and make her jump sooner. She took a bracing, steadying breath and pushed herself off.


    ''Goddess no!'' That was all I could think.


    What was she thinking? We were on the fifth floor. Does she want to die? Is she trying to kill herself? How could she do this?


    I got to her just in time. I threw my arms out and grabbed hold of whatever I could. I had to stop her.


    My arms went all the way around her. My hand closed around her waist and the other under her arm. I pulled her toward me and held her against my chest, my eyes closed and my heart pounding.


    I could feel her heart pounding like crazy in her chest. Was it from fear? Was it from the excitement of the jump? I didn''t know and I didn''t care.


    I couldn''t take my arms off of her. I needed to hold her so I knew she was still here and so she wouldn''t try to jump again.


    I pulled her back up as I stood up straight. She had only gone like three feet below the window but that was like ten miles to my heart that had leapt into overdrive when it restarted.


    With her in my arms I backed into the room. Her feet didn''t touch the floor as I held her in my arms. I just kept her pressed to me as I backed up to the couch in the room. When the back of my knees bumped into it I copsed onto it, pulling her into myp as I went.


    I had felt like screaming. I currently felt like bawling my eyes out and sobbing about how she almost killed herself. But she still hadn''t made a sound. All I had heard since I came into the room was my heart pounding in my ears, a sudden gasp when I had grabbed her from the air, and now my frantic, panicked breathing.


    How was she not screaming when she started to plunge to her death? Her heart was still beating fast though, matching mine beat for beat. That beating let me know she was still alive.


    ''Thank the Goddess. I got there in time.''


    I took a deep breath, steadying my frayed nerves. Then, I loosened my arms and set her on her feet. I needed to look at her face, to see how she was going to react during this conversation. Plus, she didn''t know me yet so she might not befortable with this position.


    "Please don''t do that again." I said as I raised my head and simultaneously turned her to look at me. She just looked at me with wide, fear filled eyes. She wasn''t trembling, but it looked like she was not far from it. Why was she so scared?


    Then it hit me. I hadn''t gotten a chance to exin anythingst night. And to top it all off, she wasying right there on the ground during my fight with that wolf and my argument with Howard, if that really was Howard. Also, she had seen me kill that wolf.


    But, to be fair, he was trying to kill me. And he had bitten her. She should be happy that he was gone.


    Did I frighten her too much? Was I too brash and out of control? I hoped not.


    "What''s your name?" I asked her. She just stared at me with a fierce look in her eyes. What was that for? That was a normal question to ask someone.


    "Look, my name is Artemis Cooper, but people call me Artem." I smiled at her. "I am the new Alpha of the Hidden Paw Wolf Pack." The fear intensified in her eyes and the trembling that was threatening before finally started.


    "There is something I need to tell you." I tried to look as calm and nonthreatening as I could. "When we were in the process of breaking you out, I discovered something about us." I was smiling, happily, hoping that she would be happy as well. "My wolf smelled you and told me you are my mate. That we''re supposed to be together." I thought she would be happy, that she would rejoice. Don''t all wolves want to find their forever mate?


    But my hopes were dashed as she backed away from me as quickly as she could. She tripped over a bump in the rug, probably caused by me running across the room to stop her jumping. Shended on her bottom but didn''t stop moving away from me. She scooted across the floor until her back hit the wall and she just pulled her legs to her chest, tears filling her eyes.


    "Please, don''t be scared." I pleaded as I moved closer to her. "I''m not here to hurt you." When I was close enough to nearly touch her arm she flinched away from me. My heart didn''t just break at that moment, it shattered into a million pieces, so much so it was nothing more than dust that blew away on my next heavy sigh. "Please, don''t be afraid." I begged her, but she didn''t look at me.


    I needed to try a different approach. I needed to figure out how to get her to open up to me. But I also needed to make sure she didn''t try to run away again. I wanted to protect her. But I didn''t want to treat her like a prisoner, she had already been held captive once, I couldn''t let that happen again.


    "Look, I''m going to leave and send the doctor to check on you again. Then I will send someone in with some clean clothes and food. Please, don''t try to run again." She just looked at me. "Can you please promise that you wouldn''t try to run?" I didn''t know what I expected from her then, if she would agree or not, but I was happy when she nodded her head. She was probably more afraid of me now than she ever was of her family. How had this happened.


    I took her at her word, not that she had actually spoken. I stood up and backed toward the door. When I was close enough to the door I turned to leave, but not without looking back over my shoulder to look at her petrified face once more.

 Chapter 11 - Star - A New Type Of Prison

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I still didn''t know what was going on. When the Alpha, Artem, had stopped me from running away, I knew he was mad. I could feel the pounding of his heart, the ragged, panting breath of his barely contained frustration. When he set me on my feet, off hisp, and turned me to face him he actually surprised me.


    "Please don''t do that again." His eyes were a light shade of teal green when I saw them this time. That waspletely different from the dark green that I had seen when he was by the door. Did his eyes change color too? That was strange.


    "What''s your name?" His face was calm and that was almost as bad as if he had looked at me with anger. It felt like the calm before the storm. "Look, my name is Artemis Cooper, but people call me Artem. I am the new Alpha of the Hidden Paw Wolf Pack."


    He was actually telling me what his rank was. Was he trying to intimidate me? Trying to make me more afraid of him than I already was? "There is something I need to tell you. When we were in the process of breaking you out, I discovered something about us." He smiled like something good was happening. "My wolf smelled you and told me you are my mate. That we''re supposed to be together."


    I felt my heart stop beating, the constant thrum wasn''t needed to pump my blood anymore, the trembling in my body was enough to make that happen. I backed away from him then, I needed to get away before he did something to me like Uncle Howard had always wanted to. As I was backing away I tripped over a bump in the rug that I didn''t know was there. That didn''t stop me though. I just continued to back away until I hit the wall. That was when I pulled my legs into my chest and hugged them tight, fighting to hold in the tears that threatened to spill over.


    "Please, don''t be scared. I''m not here to hurt you. Please, don''t be afraid." He was inching closer to me, slowly and apprehensively. I couldn''t help my reaction, I just trembled in fear as he sighed, looking at the floor. "Look, I''m going to leave and send the doctor to check on you again. Then I will send someone in with some clean clothes and food. Please, don''t try to run again." He hesitated for a moment before looking back up at me. "Can you please promise that you wouldn''t try to run?" I wanted to do whatever would be the easiest on me. I knew that this man, Artem, was fast and strong. He killed a man with one hand right in front of me. I nodded my head to get him to not be mad at me and agreed to not try to run again, for now anyway. He left after that.


    I was still huddled against the wall when the door to the room opened again. The man that walked in was not one I had seen before, but when he spoke I recognized his voice. He was the doctor that took care of my injuries, but he didn''t know that I had heard what he said the night before.


    "Hello there." He smiled at me with kind eyes as he knelt in front of me. "My name is Jayr Ackerman, you can call me Jay or Doc. What''s your name?" I just looked at him, not speaking. He was on the Alpha''s side. "Can you talk?" He asked me, but still I just stared at him. "Can you write? I can get you something to write with." To that I nodded, I wouldn''t speak, but I could still ''talk'' to them. "Great." He smiled and stood up.


    I watched as Doc popped his head out into the hallway. He didn''t leave the room to talk to someone, which meant that there was probably someone guarding the door. If I looked out the window would there be a sentry out there too? Probably.


    A few momentster he came back in with a pen and small pad of paper. The pad of paper was held together at the top with a spiral coil so the pages would flip. Other than that, it was simple with in, unlined, white paper.


    "Here." Doc offered me the pen and paper and sat on the floor in front of me. "Can we talk a little?" He asked me. I didn''t need to write that answer, I just nodded my head. "Great, can you tell me your name?"


    [Astraia Westbrook]


    "Astraia?" He made it a question.


    [Call me Star] I wrote in response.


    "Star? Ok, it''s nice to meet you Star." He smiledfortingly. He did seem like a nice guy, but I couldn''t trust him, not yet. "So, Star, can you tell me how long the Peterson family had you locked up for?"


    [Almost sixteen years]


    "That long?" He looked shocked, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "How old are you Star?"


    [What''s the date today?] I wrote the question out for him.


    "Today is April 27th, a Tuesday."


    [Then I am 17 years 11 months and 22 days old] I did the math quickly and told him my exact age. [Sorry I don''t know what time I was born so I can''t take that calction any further]


    "No, that was amazing." He was grinning. "So, if my count is correct, you''ll be eighteen next week?" I nodded. "I am d you didn''t have to celebrate that birthday as a prisoner." He was smiling but I just looked at him.


    [I''m still a prisoner] I wrote the words, but very small. He didn''t seem to notice them at all.


    "Now, is it ok with you, Star, if I check on how your injuries are? I want to make sure you''re healing."


    [They''re already bandaged. Isn''t that good enough?]


    "It''s a start, but I want to make sure they''re not infected and that leg of yours was in bad shape, I''d really like another x-ray of it." He was trying to make sure I was fine. I understood that. But I didn''t know why?


    [Would it matter if I were to get sick? Or be permanently hurt? No one wants or cares about me anyway]


    "That''s not true Star, all of us here are here for you. I care that you''re healthy, as a fellow wolf and as a doctor. I can''t let someone suffer if I can help them, that''s just who I am."


    [It''ll all be in vain]


    "I wouldn''t care. I want to make you better, then we can get you out of here and show you the world." Heughed like it was something funny, seeing the world. He probably knew I would find it stupid for him to say that since I was a ve or prisoner or whatever else it was they wanted me for.


    [Fine] I conceded. There wasn''t much I could do to fight them at the moment. I was still injured and the door and window were guarded.


    Doc held out his hand to help me to my feet. I was hesitant at first but I took it and let him help me. It was easier than getting to my feet myself, with my leg injured and all.


    "Come on." He put an arm around my shoulder and guided me out of the room. When we were in the hallway I saw a man in his early twenties with blonde hair and orange eyes. He was tall too, shorter than Artem but still very tall, and he looked like the picture of an imp I had seen in the encyclopedia once. No exactly really, but the same mischievous look in his eyes.


    "Morning." He smiled at me.


    "Morgan, this is Star." Doc introduced me. I just nodded my head at him, remaining silent.


    "It''s good to see you awake, Star. We were all worried about you." I gave him a confused look before Doc guided me down the hallway.


    The clinic that Doc led me to was on the second floor and the opposite side of the house. The house seemed to be shaped like the letter C, with one main wing on each of the six floors and a wing leading back at each end. They called them the main, north and south wings. The clinic was in the north wing while the room I had been in was in the south wing.


    The clinic looked like some sort of fantasy room to me. I had read about things, had learned what doctors did through reading. But seeing the inside of a clinic or doctor''s office, that hadn''t happened since I was two.


    "Have a seat." Doc indicated a weird chair with paper stretched across it. "I''m going to check out that leg first, then we will check your bandages." He was still smiling, he was always smiling when talking to me.


    [Will any of this hurt?] I held the paper up for him to read before I sat down.


    "It shouldn''t. If your leg is still a little tender it might be ufortable, but I will do my best to make sure it doesn''t hurt." I nodded, hoping he was being honest, then I climbed awkwardly onto the chair thing.

 Chapter 12 - Star - A New Type Of Prison Part 2

    Doc worked quickly. He took the splint off my leg and felt the bone with his fingers. My leg was thin and he could feel them well enough without needing to do much. After he was content with feeling the bones and muscles he put my leg under this weird machine that he pointed right at the bones. After he left and pressed a button it made a loud noise.


    A little whileter he came in with a t ck thing in his hand. When he tapped it the thing lit up and showed different pictures.


    "Here, look at the tablet and I will show you your leg." Heughed, still finding all this funny.


    [What''s that?] I asked him, pointing at the thing in his hand.


    "This, it''s a tablet. It''s like a cellphone or aputer, it''s connected to the inte and helps us see things electronically." I just tilted my head in confusion and wrote one word.


    [Huh] He looked shocked at the word so I added more. [I''ve read aboutputers and phones, but I don''t know how they work. But that thing is new to me.]


    "Yeah, if you were two when you were locked away you wouldn''t know about this stuff." He ran a hand through his hair. "How did you learn to read and write?" He asked me, wonder written in his eyes.


    [I had some cousins who weren''t like the others]


    "That''s good, I hope they made things better for you." I nodded, they really had. "Ok, well, this tablet can work like a TV, it will show us the pictures I just took of your leg." I nodded looking with him. "Here is the bone." He pointed to the bright white part of the picture, it sure looked like a bone alright. "This line here shows where the break is. Thankfully the bones are mending properly. If you stay off it for a day or two it will heal faster with no damage."


    [I had no choice but to run on it] I lowered my head in shame, wondering if I made things worse.


    "Oh I know. We needed to get you out of there. I understand why you wanted to run from that house. But you''re safe now and you can rest here and get better." I didn''t really believe that, but I figured I would be safer for a little while.


    Doc flipped through the images and showed me the x-ray of my foot next. He then pointed out the two bones that were broken and said as long as I kept it all splinted and wrapped up I should be fine.


    Next, he checked my neck, and the bite mark I had received when Liam grabbed me from behind to stop me from running. The wound hadn''t been overly deep, but it was bad enough. And I don''t even want to think about the germs that were in his nasty mouth.


    "This is healing good, no need to worry." He grinned at me. "I know that they''re taking clean clothes to your room so you can shower and get dressed. I will redress this wound with a waterproof bandage, but I will still need to change it after you''re cleaned up. Alright?" I nodded, understanding what he was telling me.


    After the bandages and splints were in ce I was taken back to the room. The guard, Morgan, was still outside the door. Doc didn''te in with me, he just led me to the room and opened the door for me.


    When I went inside there was a girl sitting at the table with a pile of clothes and a smile on her face.


    "Hi there." She grinned at me. "I hear your name is Star." I nodded at her. I recognized her voice, she was the girl fromst night. "It''s nice to meet you Star, my name is Cesya, but everyone calls me Chay cause it''s easier to pronounce." She was giggling now. I took out my pen and wrote:


    [My name is Astraia Westbrook but I go by Star]


    "That''s quite the nickname, how did you get it?"


    [Astraia means Star]


    "Oh, your mom was one of those types, huh?" I tilted my head at her. "Ceysa is Latin, and it means goddess of the moon and defender of the people. My mom liked names that fit a theme." I smiled at her words, it sounded like our moms would have gotten along.


    [I guess my mom was that type too]


    "You''ll fit right in with my brother too."


    [Who''s your brother?] I asked her, curious.


    "Artemis, the Alpha." I gulped and stepped away from her. "What''s wrong?" I didn''t know how to respond. She was the Alpha''s sister. That meant she probably hated weak wolves like me just as much as he did.


    "Star, are you alright?" She took a step toward me, concern showing all over her face. "Everything is alright, there''s no need to worry." Her voice was soothing and her face was calm. "Come on, here take these clothes and go take a shower, it will make you feel better. Or would you prefer a bath?" I hadn''t had either in so long I didn''t remember how.


    [I don''t know how to] I admitted reluctantly.


    "What do you mean?"


    [I''ve been locked away since I was 2]


    "How old are you Star?" She asked me the same question as the doctor.


    [I will be 18 next week]


    "Well, then we got you just in time." She grinned. "I turned eighteen seven months ago, in October." She was the same age as me but we didn''t act anything alike, but it was no wonder. "Ok, so you don''t know how to get the water started?" She asked me, I shook my head no. "Then I will show you. If you need me to, I can wash you too." I shook my head again, violently.


    [NO] Sheughed at that.


    "No need to panic, it was just an offer."


    Chay went into the bathroom and turned the knob at a big, tiled square that was raised and sitting in the middle of the floor.


    "Let''s have a lesson while this fills up. This is the tub, these here are the hot and cold tabs, and press this to get a soothing whirlpool that makes the muscles feel so rxed.


    She showed me how to work the shower, which taps were which for the tub, shower, and sink. There was a hand soap in the bathroom, in a pump bottle, that smelled like pink grapefruit, ording to the bottle. It was nice. There was another small closet in the bathroom I hadn''t noticed, it was filled with soft, fluffy, white towels, washcloths, and extra soap.


    "I brought you some body wash and shampoo and conditioner. I don''t know what scents you like, but you probably don''t have a preference do you?" I shook my head. I didn''t know what kinds there were. "Use the shampoo on your hair first, then the conditioner. You''ll be fine, call me if you need help." She giggled and left the room, but not before turning the water off.


    This ce was nice, different. But it was still just a new kind of prison for me. Still, I wanted to take a bath.


    I spent so much time soaking in the water, cleaning and rxing for the first time in, ever, that the water started to get cold. Reluctantly, I rinsed and got out.


    As I stood there, naked, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. The bandage hade loose over my shoulder and I took it off a while ago. I had set the splint for my leg aside too, so it was just my body draped with a towel.


    In my eyes I looked small,pared to Chay and my aunts and cousins. They were all a couple inches taller than me. Uncle Howard told me I was five feet seven inches tall. He measured. My waist was narrow, my legs and arms were thin. My chest wasn''t veryrge, I had noticed that Chay''s was bigger, she was bigger everywhere: breasts, hips, arms, everything.


    But aside from my appearance that made me think I was too small for my own good, there were the injuries. The fading bruise from my leg that was yellowed around the edges and purple in the middle. There were the puncture wounds around my neck and shoulder. There was still a massive bruise in the middle of my chest where Uncle Howard had kicked me. The worst of the cuts and scrapes from the other night had be nothing more than thin lines that were fading quickly.


    My face was oval, soft looking even though it was thin. My eyes still looked scared and my face was pale. My hair looked darker than I thought it should be, probably because it was wet. And right now, as I wasn''t scared of something happening right this minute, my eyes were a bright shining blue.


    There was nothing remarkable about me. Why did Uncle Howard want me so bad? Why did the Alpha want me? Couldn''t they find wives somewhere else?


    I dressed in the clothes that Chay had brought for me after I was dried off. When I went back to the bedroom, Chay was there again.


    "I had them bring you some lunch. Did you have a good bath?" I nodded, not having the paper in hand yet. "It''s over there." She pointed to the table where I could see the pad, pen, and tes of food. My stomach growled loudly when I smelled it all. "Come on, let''s eat." Chay took my hand and led me to the table.


    She had them prepare a bunch of food, more than I had ever eaten in an entire month.


    I don''t know what any of it was, but it all tasted good. I ate a little bit of it all, feeling full and sick when I was done. I didn''t care, I knew this was all going to end soon and I needed the food to help me heal.


    "Better?" Chay asked as she looked at me. I nodded. "Can we talk?" That didn''t sound pleasant.

 Chapter 13 - Star - A Chat With Chay

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Chay was sitting in the other chair across from me at the table. She was looking at me with a serious look in her eyes, all the fun and joking she had been doing earlier nowhere in sight.


    "Don''t be so nervous." She cracked a smile, breaking her serious facade. "I just want to get to know you, talk to you, and understand you."


    [Why]


    "Because we''re the only two girls in this testosterone infected house." She giggled. "And we''re the same age. There aren''t many people in this town that I call a friend and I would like to consider you one of them."


    [But why would you be a friend to someone like me]


    "What are you trying to say?"


    [I''m a prisoner. I always have been and I always will be]


    "You''re not a prisoner here." She tried to assure me but it wouldn''t work.


    [The door was locked when I got up. There''s a guard at the door and at the window]


    "There''s one at the window?" She didn''t seem to know that.


    [Probably. Since I tried to run away again]


    "You tried to run?" Her titled head and confused expression definitely indicated that the Alpha hadn''t told her what I had done.


    [I tried to escape out the window and made the Alpha really mad]


    "I doubt he was mad. Worried, or scared maybe, but not mad."


    [Why would he be worried, does he want me to be his ve that badly?]


    "Star, you''re not here to be a ve." Chay was trying so hard to convince me. "No one wants anything from you. We just want you safe and healthy, and happy."


    [Why?] I was confused as I showed her this word, then I added more. [It makes no sense. I''m a weak wolf]


    "What does that matter? The old ways are being forced out. My brother took the pack to stop weak wolves from being beaten. Didn''t he tell you that." I shook my head to tell her no.


    [All he said is that he wanted the same thing from me that Uncle Howard wanted]


    "What?" She screamed. "What did your Uncle want from you?"


    [For me to be his wife]


    "That''s just wrong." She screeched.


    [He wasn''t really my Uncle]


    "That doesn''t matter at all. It''s wrong."


    [He was going to take me on my birthday]


    "Then I am d we got you out in time." Chay looked relieved. "Wait a minute. You said Artem told you he wanted that from you too?" I nodded. "What exactly did he say?"


    [He said his wolf smelled me and wanted me. That we were mates and were supposed to be together] I sighed then added another line. [I''m just here to be his wife the same as I was with Uncle Howard]


    "Sweety, that''s not what he meant." She stood up and came to stand behind me, her hand on my shoulder. "Don''t you know what it means to be a wolf?"


    [No]


    "You are a wolf though, aren''t you?" She was the first one to even ask me this.


    [I used to have one. But they took it away]


    "They put a talisman on you?" I shrugged at her question not knowing if it were true or not. "What did they tell you about being a werewolf?"


    [Nothing. I didn''t even know about it until I shifted]


    "Wait, how is that possible?"


    [They locked me away after my mother died. No one ever told me anything.]


    "Oh, Star, that must have been so scary for you. To shift like that with no warning. I''m so sorry." She had tears in her eyes and a sad expression on her face as she leaned forward to hug me tightly.


    I hadn''t been hugged in so long. Not since Reed and Bailey hadst visited me. The feeling was foreign, strange, and wonderful. I wasn''t used to being touched gently and kindly by people and I admit that I was enjoying that hug. But she pulled back and stood up soon.


    "I will tell you everything you need to know. I will teach you what it means to be a she-wolf. I will teach you about the world and how to be a part of it."


    [I appreciate the thought, but why?]


    "Why not? Do you want to never leave the house or something? You need to know if I''m going to take you to the city."


    [I can''t leave here]


    "Why not? Have you fallen in love with this ce?" Sheughed.


    [I''m not allowed to leave]


    "Baby girl, you can go anywhere you damn well please." She said it firmly, like it was a deration, not cating words. I shrugged, I knew it wasn''t true but I would humor her.


    Chay took my hand then, pulling me out of my chair.


    "Come on, let''s talk on the couch, it''s morefortable." She dragged me over to where the Alpha had sat earlier, pushing me onto the seat. She set herself down on the seat at the other end.


    "So, I''m going to have to show you everything huh? Music, movies, TV shows, food, everything?"


    [I don''t know any of it. I know what they are, but I don''t know what there is]


    "What did those assholes feed you?" She seemed angry as she referred to my family.


    [Scraps mostly. Stuff that was not good enough for them. The asional store bought sandwich that Uncle Howard would get special for me, or so they said]


    "No offense, well actually full fucking offense, but Howard sounds like a disgusting creep."


    [You''re not wrong] That made Chayugh.


    "You will see soon, that life away from them will be great."


    [I tried running constantly since I was 13]


    "They always stopped you?" She looked sad now.


    [And they would beat me when they did]


    "There is no excuse for what they did to you." She looked repentant, like it was her fault.


    [You didn''t cause it]


    "No, but there is no reason they should have done it in the first ce. That''s what Artem is trying to stop."


    [Why]


    "Why? Why not? He doesn''t like to see people suffer, and it''s wrong."


    [This goes against everything I know]


    "Yeah, the previous Alpha hated weak wolves. It''s been something bred into our pack for generations. But that doesn''t mean that everyone is like that."


    [I had some people who cared for me once] I felt the tears beginning to sting my eyes as I tried not to remember how long it''s been since I had seen Reed and Bailey.


    "Who were they?"


    [Cousins]


    "What happened to them?"


    [They were almost banished from the house. They can onlye on special asions, and they were kept far away from me]


    "Was your family afraid that they would help you escape?" My nodding head was answer enough. "Do you want me to find them? Let them know you''re out of there?"


    [I don''t know where they are anymore]


    "Honey that won''t be an issue. I will look for them and I will bring them here." She was smiling at me. "What are their names?"


    [Reed and Bailey]


    "Last names?"


    [I don''t know]


    "No worries, I will track them down." She giggled at something that I didn''t get. "What do you want to do for the rest of today?" She asked me, like I had options. I just looked at her confused. "Where do you want to go."


    [I can''t] I told her again.


    "You really feel that way?" She didn''t seem to be asking me for real so I didn''t answer, I just looked at her. "I''m going to go talk to my brother. How about you watch some TV. I''ll put on one of my favorite shows."


    Chay stood then and walked over to arge ck rectangle that was hanging on the wall in front of us. She grabbed a small ck rectangle from the table that was sitting under it. This small one had lots of differently colored buttons on it. After she pressed one of the buttons therge thing on the wall lit up and soon sound wasing from it.


    "Have you ever watched TV before? You had to have when you were a kid, right?"


    [I have a few shes of memories of something like this]


    "Really, what do you remember?"


    [Something with a blue dog. Another with a girl in a jungle with a talking backpack. And something about a bear with different animal friends. That''s all I can see when I think about it really hard] Chay giggled when she saw what I wrote.


    "So you remember Blue, Dora, and Little Bear. Understandable, you were only two after all."


    [I don''t know their names]


    "Hey, one more question." I tilted my head to let her know that she could continue. "Can you speak? Or did they do something to make it so you couldn''t?" I hadn''t expected that question. I should have, but I hadn''t.


    [I can]


    "Then why don''t you?"


    [Talking is the one thing I could control]


    "What do you mean?"


    [For years I have not cried, screamed, or spoken in front of my family. My voice is the one thing I could control. They weren''t worthy of it]


    "I can understand that. But why not talk to me?" I just looked down, no sure how to answer. "I think I get it. You don''t trust me yet. And that''s fine, I understand that. You can talk when you''re ready, I will wait." She was smiling brightly at me, she hadn''t acted mean or hurtful toward me at all. I wanted to trust her so badly, I just didn''t know how to.


    After that Chay put something on the TV and left the room. I sat there on the couch thinking about what my life was going to be like now.

 Chapter 14 - Artem - So Stupid

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was in my office, just wrapping up a video conference call, when Chay came storming in. She looked pretty mad at me but I was too busy to pay her any attention yet. The deal my dad had made when I came back to take over the pack was that I had to actually work at thepany, sometimes at least.


    The four of us, Toby, Kent, Morgan, and me, we all came back from school and started this whole process. We managed to take control of the pack near the middle of March of this year. That means it took me about nine months to settle into thepany and make my move on the Alpha. It was a longer process than I wanted, but it was done now and that was all that mattered. It didn''t help that we stayed in the city at first to get settled into work.


    "Artem, are you certain you don''t want your father to handle this?" The man on the line was older than my dad, and therefore much older than me. He was human, and for some reason stuck on this idea that I was ipetent because of my age.


    "George, I graduated at the top of my ss, and I have been groomed to take over thispany from a young age, no I do not want my father to handle this. If you''re reconsidering your loyalty to ourpany we can always find a different distributor." My words were to the point and my voice was firm. I saw the man''s face nche and the light leave his eyes.


    "No, Mr. Cooper, I am sorry. You''re right. Aries wouldn''t let you take over if you weren''t ready."


    "To be fair, George, I am not in charge yet. But that will happen before the year is over. Now, just remember to treat me with the same respect that I treat you with and we won''t have any problems."


    "Yes, I understand." The others had remained silent while I reprimanded the old man.


    "Alright gentlemen, I willpile the information you gave me and go over the proposal. I''ll be in touch soon."


    I ended the call and looked over at my sister where she stood across the room. She was leaning back against the bookcase, her hands behind her back.


    "What''s up Chay? You know you should knock before youe in when I am working." She didn''t answer me, she just rocked forward so she was leaning toward me and started to walk, slowly. She was really mad.


    "You MORON!" She finally spoke just to scream those words at me.


    I saw her hand swing out and just had time to register the book she had thrown at me. I dodge it just at thest second. Good thing too, it was one of the two, veryrge, volumes of the Spanish Dictionary that our Aunt Criztie sent us when we started studying Spanish.


    "Watch out Chay, that could have hurt."


    "There''s a difference between could have hurt and actually hurts." She snapped at me, now just three feet from me. I was confused by her words which caused me to be slow to react as she swung her other hand. This one held the other volume of the dictionary, which smacked me right across the side of my head.


    "Ouch!" I yelled. "That fucking hurt."


    "See, could have hurt, and does hurt. There''s a difference you stupid fucking, moronic, stupid, crazy, idiotic, asshole, GRUH!" She screamed in frustration, clearly unable to vent how stupid I was and how mad she was at the same time.


    "What the hell Ceysa?" I was getting angry at her for attacking me out of nowhere. "What the hell did I do to piss you off?"


    "You want to know, Artemis? You really, really want to know?" I was afraid to answer that question. Sometimes, my sister really scared me.


    "Yes, you psycho, I really want to know." I finally decided to answer her, though I was apprehensive.


    "You scared the shit out of Star." She screamed at me.


    "Who is Star?" I was confused.


    "You don''t even know your own mates name." She turned away from me and started to pace the room.


    "What?" I was shocked. "That''s her name?" I smiled, it was such a cute name too.


    "Well it''s actually Astraia Westbrook, but her nickname is Star cause Astraia means star."


    "Really? That''s amazing."


    "Yeah, well Jay got her to talk, sort of."


    "What do you mean by sort of?"


    "She''s only writing out her words."


    "Did they do something to her? Can she not talk at all?" I felt the concern and worry for her welling up inside me.


    "No, she''s just too scared to talk. She says her voice is the only thing she can control. So she will not talk until she isfortable with us. She said she hasn''t talked to her family either."


    "That''s sad, but understandable. She''s defiant and strong at least."


    "Yeah. She also told me she hasn''t cried or screamed in front of them either. No matter what they did to her."


    "She was strong enough to do that?"


    "Yes." Chay was nodding her head as she answered. "Wait, that''s not why I''m here." She snapped at me as she paused her pacing. She was close enough to reach out and smack me.


    "Ow!" I rubbed my arm where she had hit me. "Stop hitting me you little savage." I growled at her.


    "No you asshole. Why the hell did you have to go and scare the shit out of her?"


    "I don''t know what you are even talking about. How did I scare her?"


    "You went and made her think she is just going to be your sex ve."


    "How the fuck did I do that?" I was appalled by her words. "I never said anything like that at all."


    "You told her she was your mate and she was meant to be with you."


    "Yeah, I thought it would make her feel safer, knowing she found her mate."


    "You idiot!" Chay screamed at me louder than she had at any of the other times before. The panes in the window shook as her voice rose in volume.


    I took an apprehensive look around the room, making sure she hadn''t broken something with that yell. Nope, the floor to ceiling window was intact, therge cherry finished desk was still standing as was myrge imposing leather chair behind it. Unless the circuits were fried from the frequency then myputer, cellphone, tablet and TV were just fine. The books on the shelves on either side of the desk didn''t spontaneouslybust. The guest chairs were fine as were the soft couch and armchairs near the firece. And I didn''t hear any of the porcin in the attached bathroom shatter. I was actually shocked she hadn''t damaged anything other than my ear drums. Huh, that was good.


    "Look. I thought I was doing what was best. I thought if she knew why I wanted her here it would make her feel better." I hung my head in shame.


    "You should have tried talking to her first, moron. Then you would have known that that fucking asshole uncle of hers was nning to take her as his wife when she turned eighteen, which is next week by the way."


    "What?" I felt my jaw drop. "That was what Howard wanted her for? That''s why he would be willing to fight for her?" I was bbergasted. "I will kill him."


    "Cool it Scorch, I don''t think he did anything to her, yet."


    "I don''t care. I''m going to fucking kill that asshole."


    "You''re an asshole too, cause now she sees you as another Howard and thinks she''s a prisoner here."


    "That''s not what I wanted." I sank into my chair. "How can I fix this?" I looked at her pleadingly.


    "It''s going to take time. But you need to be honest with her and give her space and freedom. Don''t make her feel trapped."


    "I don''t want her to feel trapped." I felt the tears start to sting the back of my eyes. "Help me Chay, please help me." I begged my sister. She sighed when she saw the pathetic sight before her.


    "I know you''re a good guy, Artem, and she will know it soon too. But don''t try to rush anything, alright."


    "I won''t, Chay, I promise I won''t." I felt marginally hopeful knowing that my sister was going to help me.


    "Just, don''t get in my way of pulling her out of that armor she has herself wrapped in. And do what I tell you to. Got it." I nodded furiously at her words. This was going to be a long, tough road, but I was willing to do whatever it took to make Star know I was not like that asshole Howard.


    Oh, and what a beautiful name she had. My little Star.

 Chapter 15 - Artem - The Truth About The Talismans

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was starting to get lost in thought. Thinking about the things I needed to do, things I needed to say to get my mate to ept me. That was when my sister cleared her throat.


    "I thought you were leaving." I told her as I came out of my head to talk to her.


    "I was about to, but there was still more that I needed to tell you."


    "What?" I didn''t think my heart could take any more of her revtions.


    "She doesn''t know anything about being a wolf."


    "What are you saying? How is that possible?"


    "She is a wolf, she had a shift, but they never told her anything. When she had her first shift, she didn''t even know she was a werewolf."


    "That''s insane. How could they not tell her?"


    "She has been locked up since she was two."


    "TWO?!" I shouted the word, shock and confusion reverberating through me so hard that I thought I would fall to the floor with a wave of its aftershock.


    "Yeah, since she was two." Chay was nodding her head with an angry look.


    "But, they couldn''t know what rank she was unless she was at least five. This makes no sense, what the hell is going on here?"


    "I don''t know. But I doubt her mother or father were an Omega, and I don''t think she is either. I think this goes deeper than that."


    "I think you''re right. And I think I need to get to the bottom of this and figure out what happened to her." I felt a fresh wave of rage wash over me. I was going to destroy Howard and the rest of that family.


    "I think we need to see her wolf, and get her rank checked." Chay looked determined, and nearly as mad as I was.


    "We need to tread carefully with her though. If the wolf is too strong when we undo the binding, it will drive her human mind insane with the force of its release."


    "That''s why we need to know her rank."


    "Hey, Chay?" I''d had a sudden thought.


    "Yeah?"


    "Do you think the talisman stops her from feeling our bond?" It could exin why she was so afraid of me.


    "I don''t know, but most likely. It''s the wolf that notices it, not our human minds. If her wolf is bound and trapped then it can''t sense your wolf."


    "Then what I did really was wrong. Since she can''t feel the same way about me as I do about her."


    "Oh, Artem, don''t beat yourself up about it too much. You didn''t know her story and we don''t know the full extent of bound wolves."


    "Still, she may never ept me now, because of my stupid idea."


    "We just need to work clearing up the misunderstandings, that''s all." She was smiling, like that was all that would be needed.


    "I hope you''re right." I felt myself wanting to believe the words, but my heart wouldn''t let me. This was going to be my biggest and longest rescue mission yet.


    After Chay finally left I went to go see Doc. He was the one who got Star to talk initially and he was the one who knew how injured she had been. I wanted to know if he had any idea of the extent of the damage they had done to her really was. And if he knew how to discover a wolf''s ranking while they were wearing a talisman.


    If we didn''t know the power of her wolf and we released it before she was mentally or physically ready to take on the beast inside of her, Star may be lost to us forever. We needed to tread carefully in that regard. But I wouldn''t be able to convince her of my true intentions if her wolf was trapped and she couldn''t feel the bond between us. This was a catch twenty-two for me. I didn''t know how I was going to resolve all of this.


    Sometimes, being the Alpha sucked more than anything else. But I wouldn''t change what I''ve done for anything. I would just need to buckle down and try harder.


    Doc was in his clinic, where I expected him to be. When I came in and shut the door behind me he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.


    "Got a problem you need my help with there, Alpha?" He was joking, but his words were more true than he knew.


    "What did you learn about Star?"


    "Oh, so she told you her name?" He smiled at me. "That''s good progress for you isn''t it?"


    "She talked to Chay. She hasn''t talked to me yet."


    "To be fair, she didn''t actually talk to me either, she just wrote her thoughts on paper."


    "That''s what she did with Chay too."


    "Are you concerned she can''t speak?" Doc looked contemtive.


    "No, I know she can. She told Chay that she controls her voice and will only speak when she wants to." Docughed at that like I had made a really hrious joke. "What?"


    "She''s stubborn, isn''t she?"


    "I don''t really know, but I would guess so."


    "She''s got to be, to take that approach. But she isn''t wrong. If everything has been taken from you and the only thing you control is your body, your voice is something that you can choose to share or not. Keeping it to herself is another way of protecting herself."


    "She told Chay she hadn''t made a sound with her family for years. Not even when hurt."


    "That''s some true strength. If that''s true, if she didn''t cry out when they hurt her they might have been more brutal, or tried even harder to get her to crack."


    "Those are the kind of thoughts that piss me off. What do you think they did to her?"


    "In all honesty?" Doc looked at me like he was skeptical. Like I didn''t want the real answer from him or something.


    "No, Einstein, I want you to give me all the flowery bull crap that will make me feel better so I don''t know how bad it all really was. Please give me the cupcakes and rainbows version, pretty please." My anger seeped out in waves of sarcasm. Doc just leveled a nce at me, clearly not amused.


    "When I did the x-rays of her leg and foot I saw several healed fractures and breaks. She''s definitely malnourished, that''s clear from her size, and I can tell she''s got a serious vitamin-d deficiency even without checking her levels with a blood test. I''m certain if we did a full body scan we''d see evidence of dozens, if not hundred of breaks that have healed over the years. I''m actually surprised shested sixteen years in that state."


    "What does the length of time have to do with it?"


    "The body gets weaker the longer it goes without proper care. And add to that the talisman they most definitely put on her and that makes the rest of the time even more surprising."


    "She got her talisman when she was thirteen." I told him, d I could give some input.


    "That''s another amazing feat. Most of the kids we rescued had their talismans for two years max. That''s why there weren''t many older kids."


    "I don''t understand." I really didn''t. I wanted to change the way this pack was run, but I didn''t fully know the ways of its particr brand of evil.


    "Those talismans that the boys all had on them were not just for suppressing their wolf, it was for killing it. I don''t know if anyone in this pack ever really knew that, or if they just didn''t care."


    "You''re serious?" The news he had just given me was enough to make my mind explode.


    "Yes. From the research I''ve done on them over thest month. Studying the effect they had on the different boys we''ve saved, it''s safe to say that their wolves were dying. It''s why so many of the Omegas died before reaching adulthood. The talisman was draining the life from their wolf."


    "Where was that life going?"


    "I don''t know yet, but I intend to find out. It''s possible it was being sent to the warlock that gave the pack the talismans in the first ce. Maybe it''s how he stayed young. Or maybe it was given to the leader of their family, as a way to strengthen them. The possibilities are too vast and the variables too unknown for me to venture even a haphazard theory on it just yet."


    "What does it mean that she has had her talisman for five years?"


    "I would say that either her wolf is stronger than the others, or her talisman is different than the others. Possibly both."


    "What exactly do the talismans do to them?" I could hear the uneasiness filling my voice. The more I learned the more I wanted to avenge my mate and all the others that had suffered because of the previous Alphas.


    "Like I said, it drains their life, it makes the inner wolf weaker. If left on too long they won''t be able to heal their injuries anymore, they basically be human. And when it drains enough of their life essence, they die."


    "She''s going to die?" I leapt to my feet. I didn''t even remember having sat down on the chair across from him but the moment he said those words I felt my heart give out. I nearly fell over with how lightheaded I was without a heartbeat.


    "If we''re not careful, then it''s a possibility. She''s already healing at a slower rate. But being properly nourished will help her to live longer. Part of the reason their life drains so easily is because they''re not properly cared for. We still have time, and she''s clearly stronger than the others, but that doesn''t mean we don''t have to hurry."


    "And just taking the talisman of right away won''t work?"


    "You know what happened when we tried that the first time." Doc warned me.


    I did remember what had happened. Nico, Kent''s little brother, was the first boy we rescued. Their grandfather had dered him unfit for the family and locked him away. He was sixteen when we got him out a few weeks ago. The first thing that Kent did when he saved his brother was remove the talisman that had caused the boy so much pain and misery. The problem was, the wolf inside Nico had grown feral and was driven insane within the couple years that it had been locked away.


    The moment that Kent pulled the talisman away from Nico, the wolf sprang forth. The change was too fast, too sudden for the fragile boy. The fear, the pain, the ferocity of it all, Nico couldn''t handle it. When the wolf had taken over it had gone on a rampage, and when we finally got it settled down and guided it back inside so the boy coulde back out, it was toote. Nico was gone forever.


    The body was still alive, and the wolf was still in there. But that was all. Nico''s body became nothing more than a shell to hold the wolf. The whole thing had nearly broken Kent, it was why he feltpelled to save the others but also angered by them as well. He wanted to save them like he couldn''t save his brother, but he was also mad they got to live when his brother couldn''t.


    I could never imagine what he was going through. And I just hoped I wouldn''t have to go through it with my mate as well.

 Chapter 16 - Star - The Alpha Visits Again

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I sat there in the room, sitting on the couch with the noiseing from the TV. I may have watched it absently from time to time. It was some show with kids in college and it was pretty funny, I don''t really know what it was really about but it helped to pass the time.


    I was used to sitting in ce in the cer all day with nothing to do but plot my escape so this wasn''t that bad of a trade off. At least when I had to use the bathroom I was able to get up and go in there when I wanted to. That was the height of luxury for me all things considered. It was a massive step up from a bucket in the corner.


    Plus sitting there in a clean room in clean clothes was like heaven. I didn''t want to be a ve or a prisoner to anyone, but at least this ce would be a step up until I managed to escape from it.


    As I was thinking thoughts like this there was a knock on the door.


    "Hello Star, can Ie in?" I heard the Alpha''s voice from the otherside. I didn''t move, or say anything, I wouldn''t be able to tell him no anyway. After a few moments the door opened like I knew it would.


    I was sitting on the couch when he had knocked, and before he opened the door I pulled my legs up onto the soft cushions, drawing my knees into my chest and clutching them tightly.


    I hated being so scared of him. I hated feeling so helpless and weak. But there was nothing I could do to fight the Alpha, and there was nothing that could save me but getting out of here. That was my only option.


    When the Alpha came in he was carrying a tray in his hands. He didn''t look at me or stop at the door. He just went straight to the table near the window and set the tray down. It wasn''t until the tray was set down that he turned and looked at me.


    "I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some dinner." He smiled at me but I didn''t know how he wanted me to respond to him. He looked upset, he was probably still frustrated with me for trying to run away. After a sigh he came over to sit down on the couch with me, taking the same ce Chay had sat in earlier.


    "Listen, I was hoping we could talk a little. Try to clear up some misunderstandings." He was looking at me with pleading eyes. Why would a guy as handsome as him need to force someone to be his wife? "I know you''re not speaking to us yet, but you''re still talking in a way, will you talk to me?" He asked as he looked at the pad of paper that was sitting on the small table nearby. I leaned forward and picked it up along with the pen.


    [Alright] I wrote the one word and showed it to him, I didn''t think it would make him smile as much as it did.


    "That''s great." It seemed like he wasn''t as mad as he was before. I guess that was good at least. I could ''talk'' to him to make him less angry with me. Maybe he wouldn''t beat me like Uncle Howard had.


    I watched as he turned his body to face me, an expectant look in his eyes. I just hoped he didn''t expect much from me. I wasn''t going to trust him, ever. He was an Alpha and one strong enough to kill a man with his bare hands.


    "I want you to know that you''re not a prisoner here." My eyes went wide. What was he saying to me?


    [Then why was I brought here?] I wrote the question quickly, making it a little messy.


    "Well, you were unconscious. I wouldn''t have left you out there."


    [Why did you attack the others?]


    "To save you." His answer was quick and to the point.


    [How did you know about me?]


    "You ran into my Beta, Kent, the other night. He said you seemed to be in danger."


    [How did you find me? Do you know who my family is?]


    "I have been doing research on them, but there isn''t that much that we know about them yet. Apparently, they like to keep to themselves."


    [They''re powerful] He grinned at that note.


    "So am I." The glint in his eyes wasn''t exactly friendly and it sent a shiver down my spine. It didn''t scare me really, but it wasn''t a happy feeling either.


    The Alpha seemed to have noticed the shiver and his face fell. I thought for sure that he was going to get angry at me. That he was going to yell orsh out like Uncle Howard would have done.


    "I''m sorry. I scared you again, didn''t I?" He looked sad and repentant, like he was at fault. I shook my head no, because he hadn''t scared me, not really. "You''re being nice to me about it." I shook my head again.


    [Not scared] was all I wrote.


    "Really?" He looked hopeful and smiled at me as I nodded. "I''m d I didn''t frighten you this time. I''m sorry about earlier." He looked ashamed now. "I didn''t know your story, I didn''t even know your name and I told you something like that. It was wrong of me."


    [Why do you want me as your wife]


    "Not wife, mate." He corrected me.


    [Is there a difference?]


    "There is, and one you would know about if those assholes who called themselves your family had exined our culture to you."


    [I don''t understand why it matters]


    "A wife is just someone you choose to be with. A mate is someone fate chooses for you."


    [So you have no choice or say in the matter?]


    "It''s not like that. It''s like fate tells you who is the right person."


    [So you have no choice or say in the matter?] I pointed to the question again, emphasizing my point.


    "No, not really. It''s a bond that is forged between two people at birth. It''s meant to be wonderful, to make you feel happy."


    [If I have no say in it like I had no say in marrying Uncle Howard, what difference is it from my previous life?] His face seemed to fall at that question. I thought this would be the moment when he got mad andshed out.


    "I''m sorry I said what I did. I shouldn''t have said it at all. Will you please forgive me?"


    [Will it make a difference?]


    "Probably not, but I would like it if we could move past it."


    [Fine, I forgive you] I gave him what he wanted before I continued. [But you still intend to marry me don''t you?]


    "Not until you agree to it. I will never force it on you. If you never agree then it will never happen." He seemed firm and I didn''t think he was lying to me, but then again I had seen how easily my family was able to look innocent while they hurt me.


    [What is going to happen to me now?]


    "What do you mean?" He looked confused as he looked at me.


    [Where am I going to go now? I''m not staying here am I? Where will I be put?]


    "I would love it if you stayed here. But if you''re notfortable we can find another room for you."


    [I figured you would put me in a room with no windows, or bars on the windows]


    "You''re not a prisoner Star, you cane and go as you please. But I do ask that you take someone with you when you go. I don''t want to chance your family getting a hold of you again. I don''t think you want them taking you back either."


    [I''m not a prisoner, but I can''t leave alone? How is that freedom?]


    "I''m just trying to keep you safe. Please understand that. I will do anything to save you, Star. Anything to protect you. Please, you have to trust me." He had a look of desperation in his eyes, like he thought I was going to run away right this minute and he was determined to stop me.


    [I won''t run. If I did you would bring me back here anyway so don''t worry]


    "Please don''t think like that. I want you to feel safe, secure, and happy. That''s what I want for you the most."


    [Why] I just didn''t understand him.


    "Because I want to take care of you." He smiled at me gently. "But even if all I can ever do is watch over and protect you, then I will be happy."


    [Why do you want me? Why protect me? I just don''t understand.]


    "Because I don''t care about wolf power or status."


    [You''re an Alpha?]


    "What does that matter? We''re all just people."


    [You confuse me] I rubbed my head like it hurt. [This is not what I have been taught]


    "Not everyone is like them." He told me, leaning forward. "Not everyone is cruel and evil. And it''s about time someone told you what it means to be a wolf."


    [I can''t process that right now] I rubbed my head again.


    "Are you alright?" He looked worried as he stared at me. I was so lost, so confused, so in awe of what I had heard. It all went against what I knew and it was making my head hurt.


    I swayed, just for a minute. I was dizzy and unsteady as I sat there.


    "You must be hungry, it''s been a while since you ate." He sounded worried as he reached out to steady me.


    [I go days on one small meal] I wrote the words sloppily.


    "Not anymore you don''t." He sounded firm and stern. "You will be eating three meals a day, plus desserts and snacks." His words sounded yful but his tone firm.


    [Desserts? Snacks?] I wrote the words and tilted my head.


    "You''ve never had them have you? At least not since you were two. Well you''ll love them. And we need to figure out your preferences." He was smiling now. He seemed to know everything I had talked to the others about. Did they all tell him everything? Was anything I told them going to be private? I doubted it.


    After that, he led me over to the table and showed me the food.


    "Here, some fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, and some pudding for dessert. I brought you some lemonade to drink, is that alright?"


    [I''ve never had any of this stuff before] I informed him and the look in his eyes was sad.


    "Well, you get lots of food now." He grinned. "Want me to stay while you eat?" I shook my head no, I was tired and needed to think. "Alright. I will be backter." He didn''t touch me, but he did look at my eyes for a few minutes before he left.


    I was d to have some peace now, I needed to think.


    The food he brought was delicious. All of it. I ate everything there was and felt a little sick afterwards. But I had never had food like it before. It was more delicious than the foods Chay had brought me earlier.


    By the time I was done eating I was tired. I crawled back into the bed I had woken up in this morning and thought about everything I had heard today. Were they telling me the truth? Was I not a prisoner here? I guess only time would tell.

 Chapter 17 - Star - A Lesson In Being A Wolf

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I was still groggy when the sun woke me the next morning. It was early since I had gone to sleep early. But I was not used to the sun being able to wake me when it rose for the day. I hadn''t seen the sun this much in my entire life. It was kind of unsettling for me really.


    I didn''t have much to do when I got up. I went into the bathroom to relieve myself, wash my hands and face, just doing those things made me feel like I was living some kind of dream.


    I saw that my face was looking brighter and clearer than it had yesterday. Was that what eating more than once or twice a week would do for me? My hair looked beautiful too. It was long, and clean for once. The golden brown tresses swaying with soft, gentle, barely there curls. Today my eyes were a bright, shining, sapphire blue.


    I had heard my eyes described to me many times. Reed and Bailey used to tell me how pretty they were, and that was nice to hear. But when Uncle Howard had described my eyes, or anything else about me, it alway made my skin crawl and brought bile to the back of my throat. I think the difference was with their intentions when they described what they saw.


    I could see some of the bruises beginning to fade around the edges now. Having had some decent food in my system for once, some nutrients that my body could draw on for energy, it finally kick started my healing process that I had feared was slowing down. I was just more injured than I had realized.


    Looking at me though, I could still tell I was too small, too thin. There wasn''t an ounce of fat on my body. Yet, despite my ''unconventional'' lifestyle I still had a small amount of muscle definition along my arms, legs, and small ripples on my abdomen. Was that part of what it meant to be a werewolf? Was some sort of physical prowess a must among the species?


    My hips and waist were narrow. My cor bones were very visible. The thin bones in my wrist were also prominent. I could tell that my body stillcked for either more tone or more weight.


    While I was inspecting myself in the mirror I heard a knock at the door followed by the click of it opening almost immediately. Nervously, I walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to see who wasing into the room. It wasn''t my ce so I couldn''t stop them froming in.


    "Morning, Star." Chay called out. "See what I did there?" Sheughed. "I basically called you an angel." I quirked an eyebrow, my eyes squinted in confusion, it was definitely a ''huh?'' type of look.


    Chayughed at my expression, clearly she thought I looked funny.


    "Oh, don''t give me that look. It was just a joke. But I guess you wouldn''t know who the Morningstar is." I shook my head, still confused, as I walked over to the table where the notepad from the day before was sitting.


    [Good morning] I wrote to her in the pad as she walked over to me.


    "How are you this morning?"


    [I''m Ok]


    "Do you want to go get breakfast with me?" I shook my head. I was still nervous about leaving the room. I didn''t know if it was all just a test to try to get me to leave the room.


    [No] I added it to the paper.


    "I wish you would." She sighed. "But oh well, I can have breakfast brought up here." She smiled now. "I just want to eat breakfast with you."


    [Why?] I was confused by this. Didn''t she have somewhere else to eat her meals? And other people to eat them with?


    "Because we''re friends." She smiled at me. "Or I want us to be." I just hung my head, guilt washing over me.


    I didn''t know how to be a friend, or if I could even do it at all. I just wanted a life free of pain, worry, and fear. I wanted to be free, through and through. When would I get that.


    "Come on, let''s eat then I will take you shopping." She grinned and reached for my hand, but I immediately pulled away, shaking my head.


    [No!] I was panicking now. [I can''t go shopping!] Fear was coursing through my heart so fast that I thought my heart would take flight with it''s rapid beat.


    "Why not?" Chay looked saddened. "You''re allowed to go Star, you know that right?"


    [Even if I am I would be too scared]


    "Why are you scared?"


    [I''ve never been before. It''s too soon.]


    "Oh, so you''re not ready." She was smiling like she understood it now. My head was just shaking side to side as I showed another note.


    [Not ready]


    "Don''t worry. I just wanted to buy you some clothes. We can wait until you''re ready though. I will lend you some of mine and I will go buy a few things for youter. That way you have something that is all yours and you don''t need to wait until I bring you more clothes." Chay''s smile was bright and happy at that moment. "How does that sound?" I just nodded, silently giving my approval.


    After a few minutes, when my heart had settled and we were eating our breakfast, I decided there was something I wanted to ask Chay. Something I needed to know.


    [Can you tell me what it means to be a wolf?]


    "I was nning on doing that anyway." She smiled at me. "We''ve all gotta stick together, and all of us here are going to help you." I just watched her as I continued eating the food that was brought to me. She said it was just fried eggs with bacon and toast, but it was amazing. I loved it. I never knew food was so good.


    After we ate, Chay started to exin what it meant to be a wolf. All the things I was never told as I was growing up.


    She gave me quite the extensive run down on our wolf culture. And to be honest, by the time it was done my head was spinning and throbbing. I felt confused and lost.


    Chay didn''t know how far back werewolves went in history, but she was certain it went back several generations. The wolves of the world used to be united, but at some point they separated and formed packs.


    Our pack, the Hidden Paw, was secluded and hidden away from other packs. For generations, the Alphas of this pack had despised and looked down upon weak wolves.


    It was even believed that in the past, the Alphas would sell the weaker wolves to an evil warlock. It was the same warlock that had taught our pack how to make the talismans. Those had been dark times, even darker than they currently are. After the Omegas stopped getting sold they were isted and imprisoned.


    It was only after the selling stopped and the imprisoning started that the new brand of evil entered the pack. That was when the beatings started. That was when the deaths started. It was the start of a whole new dark age, and the Alphas encouraged it.


    But apparently, things were supposed to be changing.


    Now, about being a wolf. As long as you have one parent that is a wolf, then you will be a wolf, most of the time. It''s rare for the wolf not to appear for someone who is half wolf. And there are many different ranks among the wolves. And, of course, the Omega was the weakest.


    The rank of a wolf was not usually determined until someone was an adolescent. This was another process taught to us by warlocks. There was a way to see what power your wolf would have when it finally emerged.


    Though, apparently, that ranking wasn''t set in stone. So it made no sense to me that they would persecute those people when they could have raised their ranks. What kind of sick, twisted, mental games had someone yed on the former leaders of this pack to make them, and everyone else, be so twisted?


    Being a werewolf meant that you would, of course, turn into a wolf when you reached a certain age and had your first shift. It wasn''t something that only happened monthly or with the full moon but at will when you could control it. Or when you were extremely angry, that could also bring out the wolf.


    Things that were better for werewolves, more enhanced, were the vision, sense of smell, speed, and strength. Not to mention the faster healing. There was also a sort of second sense we have that let us know when something is in our way oring. That was definitely not something I had, if I did, I wouldn''t get caught when escaping.


    She told me a few more other odds and ends, but by then my head was spinning and I sort of stopped listening. I had spent that whole day talking with Chay in the room and eating the different foods that they brought to the room for us. I was so tired when it was all done and over with that I basically copsed into the bed while Chay was still in the room. She covered me with the nket and left quietly as I fell right to sleep.

 Chapter 18 - Artem - Stocking Up

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The house was always busy now, I liked that. When I first took over the pack and we all moved into the pack house it was quiet and lonely here. Sure I had my friends, and my sister, but the ce was so big that it was like we were alone in the house.


    Now, though, we had brought the others toe stay with us and it was always busy. I didn''t have a staff so we all usually divided the chores ourselves. I probably should start looking for some people to help around the house.


    As it was, I was in charge of meals. I usually just made a lot at once that could be eaten when people were ready. Breakfast was the hardest because of needing to make the eggs specific to most people, but other than that I had kept it all simple.


    Until yesterday that is. I had wanted to prove to Star that she wasn''t a prisoner, that she was special. Thesest two days I have been making the meals extra special. Though, I was smart enough to know that she most likely hadn''t had any of these foods before and I didn''t want to overwhelm her.


    One day, I hoped she would open up to me, maybe I could make her something really special when that time finally came. Maybe one day we could cook together, me teaching her while she smiles happily. I couldn''t help it, that image was currently stuck in my mind.


    I had just set aside my te, having eaten my dinnerter than everyone else, when Chay came into my office. I had been workingte into the night after stopping to cook dinner for them all.


    I knew she had spent the day with Star and I immediately flinched and cringed for just a moment when I remembered thest time that she hade storming into my office after spending the day with Star. How could I forget, it was just yesterday after all.


    "Hey Chay." I called out to her, hoping she wasn''t mad this time.


    "Artem." She looked at me with sad, red rimmed eyes that were fighting to hold back the unshed tears.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked her as I stood from my desk. I wanted to walk to her and put my arm around her shoulders. She was my baby sister and I cared about her, loved her, even though she could scare the shit out of me sometimes.


    "I want that family of hers to pay." Her words stopped me in my tracks, bringing me to a stop as I stared at her in confusion.


    "What happened?" I knew that she probably found out something when she was with Star today, something that had upset her.


    "The way they treated her, the way they kept her in the dark. Artem, it''s not right." She was so far beyond angry that she was ready to cry, she was hurt on Star''s behalf. "They didn''t tell her about what she was and let her first shift traumatize her. Goddess save her, Artem, how could they do that to her?"


    "I don''t know, and none of it makes any sense to me at all." I shook my head and started walking again, this time toward the couch near the firece. "They locked her up when she was two. How could they have known that her wolf would be weak when she was only two."


    "What do you think they did? Why did they do it?" I could hear Chay''s voice crack as she slumped onto the couch next to me.


    "I don''t know Chay, but I intend to find out."


    We sat there for a few more minutes, letting the silence reim the tears that my sister was shedding. When she had her emotions under control, she spoke again.


    "I asked her toe to the store with me, I wanted to take her shopping because she has nothing to call her own. She''s borrowing my clothes for now, and that''s fine. I don''t mind. She can borrow them forever. But the thing is, she was too scared to go to the store. She''s afraid of me, afraid of you, and afraid of the world." Chay''s eyes were filled with tears again but she did her best to hold them back. "But she was still constantly trying to run, with nowhere to go and no idea of how to live in the world."


    "She wanted to get away, Chay, and she did. That''s what matters. And now she has us, we will protect her."


    "I want to do something for her. I want to get her something that''s all hers. I don''t think she remembers what it''s like to have something for herself. She was too young, you know."


    "Get something like what?" I was confused by what it was she wanted.


    "Clothes, shoes, books, just things that she might need, want, like, anything. I''m gonna go out to the store now and pick her up a few things."


    "I''lle with you." I rose to my feet, nearly jumping in my rush to leave."


    "You don''t have to." Chay wasughing at me.


    "I want to. Now let''s go." I was already walking toward the door, not bothering to wait for her.


    I was out of the house and waiting next to my car when she came running to catch up to me.


    "Slow down. You''re not going without me." Sheined.


    "You hurry up. It''s already gettingte as it is."


    "Ugh, impatient jerk." Sheined jokingly.


    Half an hourter we had reached the edge of the city and another ten minutester we were pulling in the parking of a twenty-four hour store. We could buy a lot of different kinds of things at a box store like this, and I nned to get Star anything and everything she could ever want or need. Even if I had to shop with my sister to do it.


    "Do you think she would like this one?" I asked as we walked through the different racks of clothes.


    "I don''t know her preferences yet. I think we should just get a bunch of different things and let her pick which ones she likes tomorrow."


    "Good idea." I told her as I added three of that item to the cart.


    "Why are you getting so many?"


    "I don''t know her exact size, I just know she''s tiny. So this way if I have the size wrong with two of them the third should fit."


    "That''s actually sound logicing from you."


    "There''s no reason to be a brat about it." I growled at her. "Here what about these? And this? Ooh, and this one too?"


    "You''re like a child." Chay was giggling at me.


    "I just want to make Star happy, that''s all." I felt embarrassed as she continued to giggle at me. "Just shut it, I can''t do anything for her until she trusts me, just let me do what I can for now."


    "I know, and it''s cute you know, watching you being all sweet and caring when she doesn''t even know about it."


    "Just shut it." I snapped at her again. Don''t tell her I''m the one making her food or that I did this. She might think that I am up to something. All I want is for her to be cared for and happy. Until her wolf returns that''s all I can do for her."


    "You''ve got it bad don''t you?" Chay asked me.


    "I didn''t expect the bond to be so strong. It''s so intense, so powerful, all I want to do is protect her and avenge her. She''s my mate, and even though I barely know her, I already feel myself falling for her."


    "That''s sweet, Artem. When she learns to trust you, she''s going to be one lucky girl." I felt myself blush then. I couldn''t help it.


    We ended up shopping for a while, and we bought a lot of stuff. Different styles and sizes of clothes and shoes. We got her toiletries and personal care items. I wanted to walk through the books and find something that she might like too. I knew she hadn''t watched TV growing up and she probably didn''t feelfortable with it yet, but a few books of different genres might do the trick.


    The total when it was done would probably make most men flinch, but I didn''t bat an eysh. I had the money and it was for a good cause, plus I could return the clothes that were too big or too small. All that mattered to me was making Star feelfortable.

 Chapter 19 - Star - Surprise Gifts

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    When I woke up the next morning it was to the sun shining brightly into the room once more. I didn''t know if I was ever going to get used to that. Seeing the light of the sun every day. It was definitely new and I liked it, but how long would all thisst?


    I was going to get out of the bed and clean myself up, it was wonderful being clean and I never wanted to be dirty again. But, there was a knock at the door.


    "Star, it''s me." I heard Chay''s voice from the other side of the door. "I''m noting in this time unless you open the door for me. That''s your room and you get to decide whoes in there."


    Chay''s words threw me through a loop. I got to decide who came in here? I could not let them in if I didn''t want to? That was news to me.


    But I liked Chay. She was one of the first females that ever treated me nicely, I hoped it wasn''t all a trick of some kind. Regardless, I walked over to the door and opened it, after having grabbed the notebook and pen.


    When I pulled the door open and stared at Chay, I noticed that she was surrounded by severalrge bags.


    "Good morning." She smiled at me. "How did you sleep?"


    [Good] I wrote the word for her to read then followed it up with more. [What''s all this stuff?]


    "This is just some stuff that we got you so you can feel morefortable and at home."


    I felt my eyes go wide at her words. Stuff for me? Why? What was going on here?


    [Why did you buy me stuff?]


    "Because I''m your friend and I want to make you happy." She smiled prettily at me with a sweet look in her eyes. "Can I bring it in? I have Morgan going to get your breakfast since he''s no longer guarding your door."


    [He''s not?] This day was starting to be quite shocking for me.


    "Nope, and there is no one at your window either. Like we said, you''re not a prisoner here. We just didn''t want you trying to hurt yourself. I can''t believe you tried to jump out the window." She was ring at me, like she was upset with what I had done. "What were you thinking Star? You could have killed yourself." I hung my head in shame as I wrote my answer to her worried question.


    [I was scared and thought I would be in just as much danger here as I was there]


    "I know you''re scared." She leaned forward and rubbed my arm. "I just hope you stop being scared of us soon."


    [I''m sorry]


    "Girl, don''t be sorry. After hearing what you''ve been through it''s no wonder you''re scared. You''ll trust us when you''re ready and we all know that. Don''t ever be sorry for worrying about and protecting yourself. Just know that you''ve got a lot more people worrying about you now, and we''re all willing to protect you.


    [Really?]


    "Yes, really." She wrapped her arms around me then, hugging me tight.


    When Chay pulled away from the hug she was smiling, her eyes kind and her touch gentle. Maybe I could trust her.


    "So, do you mind helping me with some of these bags so I can show you your loot?" Despite myself I actually smiled at her as I nodded my head. She was being so nice to me that I couldn''t help it.


    Just after we were in the room with the bags there was another at the knock.


    "That''s probably Morgan with your breakfast, want me to get it?" I nodded to her as I stayed sitting at the table. "Hey Morgan." She said as she pulled the door open.


    "Hey Chay." I could hear happiness in his voice, it sounded like he was probably smiling.


    A momentter Morgan came walking into the room carrying a tray. He was indeed smiling.


    "Good morning Star." He grinned at me. "For today Ar-."


    "That''s enough." Chay cut him off causing Morgan to look at her confused.


    "What?"


    "It''s nothing, sorry." Chay looked at him sternly. "For today''s breakfast, Star, we have pancakes. They''re delicious." She was smiling while she spoke but I gave her a confused, almost distrustful look.


    Morgan sat the tray down and looked at Chay for a moment before a look of realization hit him. That''s when he nodded and smiled knowingly. He didn''t say anything else, he just left the room with a wave of his hand.


    [What''s wrong?] I asked her.


    "Nothing." She smiled sweetly. "Morgan just likes to talk for a while, if I let him get started he would never stop. And I have lots of stuff to show you."


    [OK] Her answer seemed to be honest enough, but I was still skeptical.


    I settled into the chair some more while I started eating. The food was indeed delicious. I was having so many more foods now that I had never seen before. They were delicious and wonderful, and I hoped I would never be locked away again so that I could have this life forever.


    "Good?" Chay asked as I put another bite into my mouth. My nod had to be answer enough for her. "Great. You keep eating, I''ll show you the goods." She was grinning like she was happy about something. Like she was getting gifts. I still didn''t know what I did to deserve all this.


    Chay went through the bags one by one. The first had a new hairbrush, toothbrush, soaps, and a bunch of other things that were meant for the bathroom. She told me what they were for and why I needed them. That alone would make me happy. To know that the next time that I bled I didn''t have to let the blood run all over me while crouched in the cer was aforting thought.


    The next several bags had a bunch of clothes. There were three of each piece of clothing, and I just had to ask why. We had moved to the couch near the window after I was done eating so I just grabbed the notepad and wrote.


    [Why so many?]


    "Oh, well we didn''t know what size would actually fit you so we got a bunch. Whatever doesn''t fit we can just take back." She tilted her head with a smile on her face. "You''ve been wearing my clothes but they''re so big on you that I didn''t know what size to get."


    [I don''t know my size either] I said as I pinched the clothes I was wearing. [But I feel like I am already getting bigger] I added after looking at the clothes.


    "That''s good. Your body needed the nutrients, the food, to build some muscle mass and what not. You really were nothing more than skin and bones when you got here."


    [What if the clothes fit now but then are too small?] No I shouldn''t ask that. That''s assuming I will keep eating like this. [Nevermind] I added hastily as I shook my head frantically.


    "I know what you''re thinking." She seemed sad now, her eyes downcast as she sat close to me on the couch. "I know exactly what just went through your head. You got scared after asking that and it''s because you thought it was wrong and presumptuous of you to assume you''d be eating this much food from now on. Isn''t that what you thought?"


    I couldn''t deny her words. She had seen right through me and knew what I had thought. I nodded my head, feeling sorry for ever having that thought.


    "Stop worrying about that, Star. Because you are going to be eating this much and this type of food. You could eat more if you wanted. You can have anything that you want. Do you hear me? Do you understand me? You''re not going to get in trouble for thinking you get to eat your food. So yeah, you''re right, the clothes might not fit in a month or so. So why don''t we keep everything that fits now and the next size up, so that way you still have clothes you like when those ones are too small."


    I was shaking my head furiously.


    [No! That''s too much] I wrote the words sloppily in my frantic haste to stop her.


    "Toote, it''s already decided. Really, we don''t have to return any of it. We could just donate it all to people in need. That''s a good way to make this situation right." She was shocked to see my raised eyebrow. "We''re nice people here, Star, we help people." She wasughing at me as she said this. "Now,e on, let me show you the rest of the clothes."


    She continued going through all the bags. There were some really nice clothes, and some not so nice things. I didn''t want toin so I didn''t express my distaste in them. She might get angry at me if I did. But, knowing Chay, as little as I did, I didn''t think she would really get upset.


    After the clothes came an abundance of shoes. There were tennis shoes, as Chay called them, and sandals that barely covered the feet. All the shoes were amazing to me. Yes, I had seen my family wear them, but I had never worn any over thest sixteen years. This was going to be new to me.


    "Try this on." Chay insisted as she handed me an outfit and shoes. The clothes scared me because I had only even worn pants and shorts that slipped on, and shirts that I pulled on over my head. All of these things that she had handed me had buttons and zippers and ties that I didn''t know how to manage.


    I sat there, my head hanging low in shame. I was fighting hard not to cry. I had managed to not cry when my family hurt me. I had not cried yet since I had been here. But now, seeing how stupid I really was, that made me want to cry. And when the thoughts wouldn''t stop coursing through my head the dam broke and the tears started.


    "Star? What''s wrong?" Chay came to sit next to me on the couch, her arm curledfortingly around me as the tears continued to stream down my face.


    I couldn''t reach my notepad or my pen. I wouldn''t be able to see well enough to write with how blurry the tears were making my eyes.


    "Star, are you ok?" Chay seemed sad, like my mood was affecting her.


    "I-I-I-." My long unused voice was being uncooperative in my depressed state, but I just cleared my throat and tried again. "I don''t know what to do." I told her, raising my head and staring at her with my eyes filled with tears.


    "Star!" She gasped my name as she looked at me then hugged me tight. "Show me. Show me what the problem is and I will tell you how to fix it." She pulled back, smiling happily.


    "I''ve never used buttons, zippers, and ties before." I exined.


    "Star?" She seemed sad again. "I will show you how. Don''t worry. You''ve never had a chance to learn so now is your time. Don''t worry."


    "I''m so stupid." I sobbed as I buried my face in my hands.


    "No, you''re not." Chay''s voice was firm and angry. "That group of assholes never taught you anything, that''s not the same as being stupid. Never call yourself stupid again. Everyone had to learn, that''s all it is."


    "I''m sorry." I sobbed again.


    "Never apologize for what they did to you." She was holding me so tight that it kind of hurt, but it also feltforting to be that close.


    After I settled down Chay helped me to get dressed. I blushed through the whole thing but she acted like it was nothing. Once she had shown me how to work the intricacies of the new clothes and shoes, I would be able to do it all myself.


    The outfit she chose for me to wear was pretty yet simple. It consisted of a pair of soft, dark blue jeans, something I had seen but never worn, a dark green tank top, and ck three quarter sleeve jacket. There was a pair of ck and gray tennis shoes as well. Not to mention the undergarments that Chay had made sure to buy and help me put on. The bra was definitely a first for me and would take some getting used to, but the socks and panties werefortable enough.


    After I was dressed Chay helped me decide where to put all my new stuff. Even the books that she hadn''t gotten around to showing me. I nearly cried again when I saw them. I would really enjoy reading a book right about now.

 Chapter 20 - Star - Adventure Through The House

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    It had been a couple hours now since Chay had showed me everything that she had bought me and then helped me to put it all away. Chay also wanted to help me get the room perfect, however I wanted it, so we had spent some time rearranging the room as well. She had called Morgan and Toby to help. Toby was the other Gamma for the Alpha.


    With the help of the two strong men we moved the furniture around the room so that it was more pleasing to me. My main thing was that I wanted the bed to not get blinded by the light in the morning, and have the couch closer to the window for more natural light. I thought it would be good to sit there when I started to read those wonderful books Chay brought me.


    The problem, however, was after the room had been reorganized it had to be cleaned.


    "Go on, time to get out of here." Chay was ushering me out of the room. "It''s my job to clean this right now so you go explore. There is a library on the second floor, I think you will like it in there." She shoved something into my hand and shut the door.


    She had given me my notepad and pen before shutting me out. Probably because I had talked to her but not the guys when they came into the room to help. What was I supposed to do now? I didn''t know my way around here.


    I sighed heavily then started walking down the hallway. I remember when I had gone to the clinic with Doc, he had taken me to the stairs and down to the second floor.


    ''Ok, I can do this.'' I thought to myself as I walked along. I didn''t meet anyone in the hall on my way down. But when I got to the second floor I didn''t know which was to go. Where was the library anyway?


    I was standing there, at a loss, when someone came up behind me, havinge from a higher floor than the second.


    "Hi there." His voice was calm, soothing even, but it still made me jump. I gasped and spun around. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you." When I looked at him, actually took the time to smell him, I noticed he was the man that I had run into the night I tried to run away thatst time, the night I broke my leg.


    [I''m sorry] I wrote the words carefully and showed them to him.


    "What are you sorry for? I should be sorry. I scared you."


    [Many things] But he didn''t seem to understand and just looked at me with confusion, so I had to add more. [Running into you the other night. Running away from you Being afraid of you Being in your way now]


    "You''re not in my way. And I can understand why you ran that night. You didn''t know who you could trust." He smiled at me gently. "My name is Kent, I''m Artem''s Beta."


    [Beta?] I asked, confused about the ranks. [Second?]


    "Yes, that makes me second inmand." There must have been fear that shone brightly in my eyes because he seemed to be very apologetic and afraid at the same time. "No, please don''t be scared. We''re not bad like they told you. Not all packs think like this one and not everyone in the pack thinks like that either. Artem and I only want to help everyone. My brother was treated the same way by my grandfather. He was locked up and abused and I wanted to save him. I never want you or the others to be afraid of us." He looked at me pleadingly, like he was desperate.


    [The others?] I asked him, confused.


    "The others that we''ve saved. There are some boys of varying ages, would you like to meet them?"


    I contemted his words for a moment then nodded my head.


    [Yes] I wrote just to confirm it even more.


    "Great, follow me, I''ll take you to them, they''re in the library." I guess I was still going to the library after all. I smiled at him and nodded as he led me down the hall, to the right from the stairs.


    It didn''t take us long to reach the library. It was about halfway down the hall, and I would definitely remember how to get there. I wanted to get a chance to read the books hidden in the library.


    When Kent opened the door I saw that there were about eight people in the room, maybe ten. There were a couple really young boys in the room, as well as some that were closer to my age. The boys were at different tables based on age it seemed and there was an adult at each table.


    [What''s this?] I wrote my question out for Kent to read.


    "The boys we''ve saved are not well educated. We''re teaching them to read and write so we can get them educated and help them to enter society."


    [They were like me?] My heart broke looking at them.


    "Yes, they were held captive like you, they were beaten and abused by their families just like you. And like you, our Alpha, Artem, saved them."


    [Why is he saving them?] I was shocked and perplexed by his words and what I saw before me.


    "I think I will let Artemis tell you his true story, but he''s not like the Alpha''s that have run this pack in the past. He took this pack by force to change things."


    [Force?] The word scared me.


    "Yes, he took over the pack, he didn''t inherit it, he usurped it."


    [How?] I saw the apprehension in Kent''s eyes.


    "He killed the previous Alpha so that he could rescue people like you." I felt my heart stop then begin to beat again at double time. I knew my eyes had to be wide with shock and fear.


    [He killed him?]


    "The former Alpha was not a nice person, but Artem gave him the chance to step down. When he refused Artem had no choice."


    [Does life have to be so hard?]


    "I don''t know what to tell you. But Artem is trying to save you all." I just nodded at his words, barely listening now as I stared at the boys in the room. "Do you want to meet them? They can tell you what their life was like, maybe you can help each other to heal."


    Kent''s words had merit. It would be nice to learn what they had been through. To let them know they weren''t alone and to know that I wasn''t alone.


    I let Kent lead me into the room and to an empty table. I sat down while he looked around the room.


    "Hey everyone." He greeted them and the boys all looked over at him with a smile. They stayed in their seats and didn''t get up but they were happy to see him. "How are you guys doing today?" He had a smile on his face when he asked them this question.


    "Good."


    "Great."


    "We''re good." A chorus of cheery responses answered him.


    "That''s good. I''m d you''re all doing good." The look in Kent''s eyes was a mixed one. It held both happiness and joy but also sadness and heartache. "I have someone new here to meet you all. This is Star, and she was just like you guys. We saved her the other day."


    The boys all rose to their feet and hurried over, their chairs scraping the floor and almost toppling over in their rush to get to me. I admit, it frightened me a little, causing me to flinch.


    "Hi Star, I''m Cohen." A little boy who looked so small and so young ran to me first. "I''m seven."


    "Hello Star, I am Leslie, I''m twelve."


    "I''m Julian, fifteen, nice to meet you."


    "I''m Dalton, and I''m six."


    "Flint, thirteen."


    "I''m Benton and I''m eight."


    All the boys introduced themselves after rushing over to me. I waved at them and wrote on my notepad.


    [I''m Star] I showed them the message with a smile.


    "I can read that." Benton said happily. "How old are you, Star?"


    [17]


    "Seventeen? You''re the oldest of all of us. They haven''t saved someone that had been there for that long before. You''re lucky." Julian, one of the oldest, told me this information.


    "Did they hurt you too?" Cohen, one of the youngest boys asked me. I nodded to answer him as I wrote one word.


    [Yes]


    "I''m sorry." Dalton grabbed my hand. "We will all get better together, Star. You''re one of us. Will youe to y with us too?"


    [y?]


    "What''s that say?" Dalton asked.


    "She''s asking how you y, Dalton. She''s new here, remember."


    "Oh." Daltonughed. "We learn how to read and write and lots of other fun things. We y games and sing and dance. It''s really fun. Will youe with us?"


    [I know a lot of that stuff already but I wille spend time with you]


    "I can''t read that yet." Dalton hung his head.


    "You''re still learning buddy, don''t worry. I''ll read it for you." Kent smiled at him. "She says she knows a lot of that stuff, but she will stille spend time with you all."


    "She knows how to read and write even though she was like us?" Flint didn''t seem to understand that.


    [I had some cousins who helped me learn]


    "She had some family that wasn''t like the others, they helped." Kent ryed the message.


    I spent most of the afternoon with the boys. It was fun seeing them and I was starting to like it here in this house. I was still uneasy, but I was starting to see that things weren''t how I thought they were.

 Chapter 21 - Artem - Dinner

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was on my way back to my office after cooking dinner when I ran into Kent. He had apparently just left the library.


    "What are you doing over here?" I asked him, surprised to see him since I had given him his orders earlier.


    "I was visiting with the kids." He looked back toward the door. With one quick draw I could smell the other scent.


    "Star is in there." My wolf was already on high alert after having smelt her scent.


    "Yes, she was trying to find her way around and I took her to the library to meet the others. I think it helped her a lot."


    "Really?" My heart soared after hearing this. Could she be warming up to us soon?


    "She seemed to be smiling while she was with the kids, I think they will help her to heal a little, and she will help them too."


    "She was smiling?" I admit, I was jealous that he had gotten to see her smile before I did.


    "Yes, she seemed to be happy when she was spending time with the kids. I don''t think she''s ever been around kids before, but she was a natural with them."


    "That''s good news, man, it really is. I am d that she is starting to feel weed and not like a prisoner."


    "She''s still scared though. I don''t know what all they did to her Artem, but she has a lot to work through. Don''t push her too hard."


    "I won''t."


    "Good." He was looking at me firmly. "By the way, I told her she could have dinner in the dining hall with everyone else."


    "Really?" My ears perked up and my heart sped up a little when I heard his words. "What did she say?"


    "The kids begged her until she agreed to eat with everyone. I imagine she will be nervous and will want Chay near her. But it''s an opportunity for you to spend time with her as well."


    "You''re a good friend, man." I grinned at him as I resisted the urge to pull him into a hug. "Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it." He was grinning now too. "And you owe me. Also try not to blow it."


    "Never, I will make sure things go smoothly. I am going to go throw together a quick dessert to go with dinner."


    I was already running down the hall when I heard him yell onest thing.


    "Calm down Scorch, you''re getting too excited." I didn''t care if I was too excited or not. This was my first time seeing my mate outside of her room and she should be in a more rxed state. I wouldn''t miss this opportunity.


    I was in the kitchen, putting thest touches onto dessert when everyone started showing up for dinner. There were a dozen people at the table, counting myself, and the desserts were made individually so they were easy to prepare. It was a variation on apple pie that was much quicker to make and I hoped she would like it.


    We were eating a dinner that consisted of a tossed sd, spaghetti with meat sauce, and garlic bread. It was good, and the boys loved it. But Star seemed a little confused. She had once again not eaten this type of food before and the noodles were falling all over the ce when she was trying to eat it.


    I had gotten an idea, something that I hoped she didn''t reject. Slowly, I walked over to her and knelt beside her chair. She had been sitting on the end so this was easy to do.


    "Here, this is how you do it." I said as I sat my te down next to hers. I took a fork and a spoon and used them in tandem. I started spinning the pasta around the fork while the spoon held it in ce. Once the pasta was wrapped around enough I brought the bite to my mouth, making a lot less of a mess than I could have.


    I saw her already reaching for her notepad.


    [Thank you] She wrote the words quickly and then followed my example. When she put the bite of food in her mouth she smiled.


    I had finally seen her smile. It was like the clouds opened up after a very long rainstorm. The beauty and radiance of that smile made my heart sing. I felt like I would float away with happiness if I looked at that smile long enough.


    "Good?" I asked her after a moment. She didn''t write the words this time, she just nodded her head vigorously. "That''s good, I''m d you like it." I smiled as I took my te and sat at the closest open spot to her, which happened to be on the other side of the table right at the edge. In a way, we were sitting next to each other.


    I spent the entire meal more focused on her and the expressions she was making than on my own food. Just seeing her, how much better she was doing, it was enough to fill me up. I hadn''t smiled this much in a long time, just seeing her brought me that much joy.


    When the kids were done eating their dinner they immediately wanted their dessert.


    "Do we get sweets today?" Dalton asked, causing all the boys to call out for them.


    "Yeah, sweets, sweets." I saw Star grin at the boys who were smiling happily as they begged for their dessert.


    "Yes, you get some." I smiled as I nodded to them.


    "I''ll get them." Kent offered as he rose from his chair. He grinned at me as he stood as if knowing that I didn''t really want to leave the table just yet.


    A few momentster Kent came back in with tworge trays covered in the apple pie bombs that I had made. They were quick and easy to make but also really good, especially when fresh and crispy like they were. Chay, seeing what was for dessert dashed from the room and came back with a carton of vani ice cream.


    After a few minutes everyone had a pie and a scoop of the ice cream and they were ready to dig in. There was a chorus of satisfied groans that came from everyone as they started to eat.


    "So good" Chay moaned almost obscenely, causing me to roll my eyes at her.


    "The food is always great here." Julianmented.


    "Yeah, the Alpha is amazing." Flint added.


    That was when I saw Star tilt her head and give Flint a curious look. She wrote a quick message on the notepad and showed it to the boy, but I couldn''t see it from my angle.


    "Yeah, the Alpha made these." Flint added after looking at the message.


    "The Alpha does all the cooking. He''s the best." Cohen said smiling before shovelling arge bite into his mouth.


    After hearing those words Star turned her head to stare at me. Her eyes were a question like she didn''t know what to think.


    [You cooked my food for me?]


    "Yeah, I do all the cooking around here right now." I didn''t know why, but I was scared for her to know this. I didn''t want her to think I was making her food to gain her trust.


    [Why would you cook for me?]


    "Why wouldn''t I?" I knew she would take it the wrong way.


    [You are an Alpha aren''t you?]


    "Yeah, but that doesn''t mean that I have to ignore other people."


    [But I''m not worthy of food made by an Alpha] She was looking at her te after she wrote those words, like she thought I was going to be mad that she ate it at all. I was d that none of the others could see what she had written.


    "Star, can we talk for just a moment? Please?" I indicated the next room over. She looked scared but she nodded her head and followed me easily.

 Chapter 22 - Star - The Alpha’s Explanation

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    When I had learned that all the food I had been eatingtely was made by the Alpha I felt like my stomach had dropped and my throat had frozen over at the same time. Why was the Alpha cooking meals for weak wolves like me? Was he doing it so that we would owe him? But that made no sense at all. He was doing so much for us already, why make our food on top of it?


    "Star, can we talk for just a moment? Please?" His question was gentle and calm. It was clear that he was not trying to intimidate me, that he was giving me the chance to say no if I was not up to it. But that also confused me. He was the Alpha wasn''t he? Couldn''t he just demand that I meet with him? Why was everything so different from what I was told to expect?


    I nodded my head. There were a lot of people nearby so I didn''t think he would do anything to hurt me. It seemed like they were trying really hard not to scare the boys that they had brought here.


    Those boys also confused me. I thought about them as I followed the Alpha out of the room and into the one adjacent to it.


    There were six boys. Seven if you count what Kent had said about his brother. None of the boys I had met had seemed like his brother to me so maybe he was staying somewhere else.


    But the boys themselves seemed to adore Kent and the Alpha. Were they really not as bad as I thought they were? Were they not like the people that my family told me would kill me if they ever found out who I was? Just what was going on in my life anymore?


    I noticed that the Alpha had taken us to a sitting room of sorts. There was a firece but its grates were empty and cold. The only light in the room hade from the smallmp the Alpha had turned on as he walked past it.


    The Alpha ignored all the furniture in the room and walked over to the extrarge bay window and sat down on the bench that was level with the window. The window itself was actually a seat with soft, green cushions lining the wall near the window as well as the t of the bench.


    I bypassed the furniture and went to stand by the window with him. He had sat down and was facing away from me. He stayed in that position for a few moments without saying a word. But soon he heaved a sigh and turned to look at me.


    "Come on, sit down if you want to." He was patting the bench next to him.


    I hesitated for a moment. It would put me close to him, closer than I had been to a lot of people. But I had been that close to him before. Closer even.


    After just a little bit of hesitation I moved closer and sat at the very edge of the bench. I was close to him, but I was only barely sitting there. We weren''t exactly close, really. He could reach out and touch me, but just barely.


    "Star." He called my name, trying to get my attention. He didn''t realize that I was already paying very close attention to him and where he was at the moment. "I''m sorry I scared you the other day." He was hanging his head in shame when I finally turned my head to look at him.


    [Why are you apologizing?] I asked him with my notepad.


    "Because what I said, what I did, it wasn''t right of me." He heaved another sigh.


    [It''s what you believe isn''t it? It''s what you want]


    "That still doesn''t make it right. You weren''t ready, and you may never be ready. I need to understand that and let you be the one that controls things between us."


    [Why not just take what you want?] It wasn''t like I wanted him to do that, but he was bigger and stronger than me.


    "Star?" He seemed appalled but my words. "I would never do that to anyone, especially you."


    [What makes me so special?]


    "I know you''re special to Chay because she needed a new friend and she hates to see people get hurt. She has a strong sense of duty and so she wants to protect you. For Kent, he is willing toy down his life for anyone who has ever been treated that poorly. He wasn''t able to stop his family growing up so he is working extra hard now." He trailed off then, looking out the window again.


    [And you?] I asked him, since he had not mentioned why he wanted me here, what he wanted from me.


    "For me? When I see you, it''s like I''m finally awake. It''s like for thest fifteen years of my life I have been stuck in a rut. And now, it''s like I have my eyes open for the first time and I can see everything around me. And you''re the one shining like a beacon in the middle of it all."


    I had just sat there listening to his words as they stunned me more and more. I was already not talking so it''s not like he stunned me into silence, but I was unable to move momentarily from how shocked I was. I was just looking at him, wondering what it was he was actually thinking.


    After a few moments, however, I started to recover and I could finally respond to him, in my own way.


    [How is that possible? What makes you see me like that?]


    "There are a million different answers I could give you. A millions different excuses or exnations that just won''t do it justice. The simplest way, the most honest answer I can give, is that I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. I knew I would love you before I saw you, when I first smelled your scent. To me it spoke of my one true love. And when I saw you my heart stopped, stuttered back to life, and started beating at double time. I know you can''t understand it just yet, because you can''t feel the mate bond like I can. But just knowing you''re safe, knowing that you will continue to be safe because those monsters don''t have you anymore, that alone brings me joy. And as long as you''re happy I will be content. If I never get to love you, or have you love me, the way I would like that''s fine. Because what matters most is that you''re out of there and you can live your life now."


    He was telling me he loved me. Those were words I had never heard from anyone really. Except for Reed and Bailey, they had loved me and they had tried to help me. I didn''t trust the Alpha yet. No, Artem. But I didn''t hate him either. He was not out to hurt me like I had been led to believe. And whether he was a slightly different version of Uncle Howard yet remains to be seen. But something I did know was that Artem was a kind man who took care of others.


    [All the stuff that Chay brought me today?] I intentionally left the question open so he could fill in the nk part for himself.


    "I went with her to buy it all. I helped to pick it all out. I picked out what you have on now. That tank top and jacket. And I think even the shoes. The jeans were a pick by Chay though."


    I looked down at his words, at the clothes I was wearing. He had picked them out and bought them for me.


    [And the other things?]


    "You mean the personal items, I bought them too."


    [No] I was shaking my head as he read my answer.


    "Then what?" He was confused.


    [The books]


    "Oh, those." He ran a hand through his hair, nervous and afraid for some reason. "Yeah, I picked those out too. I hope I got at least one thing that you want to read."


    [I want to read them all] I was grinning at him before I thought to add more. [I have not read a book in so long]


    "I''m d I could make you smile." He was looking at me like I had made him happy instead of the other way around.


    [Thank you] I added to the note and then, for reasons even I don''t even know, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him quickly.


    As soon as I realized what I was doing I pulled away, a look of fear and embarrassment on my face. I was frozen in shock as I looked at him and waited for his angry outburst. But all I saw was a man who looked happier than anyone and anything.


    [I''m sorry] I wrote the words out on the notepad quickly and sloppily.


    "Don''t be. I''m happy to hug you anytime you need it." He grinned at me sheepishly, like he was embarrassed that he had just said those words.


    We both looked away in embarrassment for a few minutes, but after a little while, Artem started to talk again.


    "Anyway, I called you in here to exin something. Yes, I am the one who has been cooking your meals for you. I''ve made all of the meals that were brought to you so far. But I didn''t do it to get anything back from you or to make you feel like you owe me. I don''t have a staff yet and we divide chores, I cook for the whole house. But I did make thest few days extra special because you haven''t had real food in so long. I just wanted to spoil you, make you happy. I thought you deserved it."


    As I watched him run his hand through his hair I thought again about how handsome he was.


    "Also, I didn''t buy you the clothes and other things to make you feel obliged or indebted either. I just wanted you to have something of your own. A room that''s yours filled with stuff that is yours. You deserve that at least."


    [Thank you] I didn''t know what else I could say, I couldn''t express it all properly. But I needed to thank him at least, didn''t I?


    After Artem gave his exnations it seemed that we would be parting ways. It had started off ufortable, but by the time we were leaving I was d that I had talked to him. I hoped things would continue in this way so I could learn to trust them all and feel morefortable around them.

 Chapter 23 - Star - Exploring The Pack House Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Dinner with the Alpha, no Artem I must call him Artem, dinner with Artem and the others was not what I thought it would be. I was expecting it to be tense and nerve wracking, but the food so delicious that it just rxed me instantly. That was, until I found out that Artem had made the food.


    That had really surprised me. I didn''t suspect that someone like Artem, an Alpha, would be cooking food for weak wolves like me and those boys. Why would he do something so beneath him?


    For that matter, I was still shocked and perplexed by the fact that Artem was doing so much for us all. He was cooking for us. He was giving us a safe ce to stay. And he had bought all that stuff for me. I''m sure he had bought things for the others as well since they needed clothes and other personal items too.


    That told me that the Alpha, Artem, has a lot of money. If he could afford to buy so much for so many people then he was a wealthy and generous man.


    Then there was the conversation we had had. What did he mean when he had said that he loved me? I had only ever been loved by my cousins. What was love like with a man like Artem?


    What did he want from me? I didn''t think he wanted me for the same reasons that Uncle Howard did. I wasn''t even really sure what it was that Uncle Howard wanted from me. I just knew that the way he looked at me, the way I felt around him, it creeped me out. Uncle Howard always had, and always would, make my skin crawl. But I had never once felt like that when Artem looked at me. That was a plus wasn''t it.


    I didn''t totally hate being in this house either. I felt safe.I feltfortable. And best of all, I didn''t have to worry about my family. I liked being here, even if I was still a little afraid of them all.


    I wanted to start trying new things. I wanted to start moving around the house more to get to know everything and everyone. I didn''t want to iste myself and turn myself into a prisoner now that I was free.


    So, the next morning, I got up, showered and dressed in the new clothes that I had been given. After I was clean and dressed I left my room and went down to breakfast. I remembered the way to the dining hall that I had been to the night before and I was d to be independent for once.


    Once there I noticed that I was the only one in the room. Apparently, I had sleptter than the others and they had all eaten already. I was embarrassed by that at first, until Artem came out of the kitchen carrying my te of food.


    "What''s the matter?" He asked me with a look of concern in his eyes.


    [I feel embarrassed]


    "Why?" He sat next to me as he set the te on the table.


    [I''m still so different from everyone]


    "You''ve spent more time locked up than any of the others, and none of the rest of us have ever been through what you''ve been through. You''re bound to behave differently than the rest of us here, but that''s no reason to be upset. We''ve all had to adjust to different things in life. There''s nothing wrong with the way you''re doing things." He was smiling at me encouragingly. "Not to mention, you were injured when we brought you here, your body needs time to heal, that''s probably why you''ve been sleeping so much. You''re safe, for the first time in so long, so it''s natural to let your guard down and sleep more soundly. I''m actually happy that you''refortable enough to sleep so much."


    [Really?] I was still embarrassed, but now I wasn''t certain if it was the same reason as it was before.


    "Yes, so just be yourself, whoever that may end up being. Use this time to figure who it is you truly are, who you want to be, and what it is you want to do in life. I will be here to support you the whole way." His grin looked so simr to the sun I had seen rising as it woke me up the other day. So bright, so full of life and potential, so beautiful. Could a man like him be considered beautiful?


    [I''ll try and thank you again Artem] I returned his smile when I showed him those words. To think that I could learn to be myself, whoever I may end up truly being.


    "You enjoy your breakfast, alright. I made bacon, sausage, fried biscuits, sweet rice, and poached eggs. There''s some jam for you to put on the biscuits too. It''s a lot, I know, but hey, I like a variety. Eat whatever you can, and don''t be afraid to tell me what you like and don''t like. I don''t want you to have to eat foods you don''t like."


    [I''ve liked it all so far] I told him, another smile on my face.


    "Anything you liked more than the others?" He tilted his head and grinned at me, an expectant look on his face.


    [The pancakes were nice, and so was the fried chicken]


    "I''ll make them for you again soon." He seemed happy. "Would you like to learn how to cook too? I can show you."


    [Really?] I was excited to hear his offer, learning to cook would give me a skill, something I never knew how to do and never thought I would ever be capable of doing.


    "Yeah, it''ll be fun. Just let me know when you want to." I nodded my head, agreeing to his terms. "Well, I have a conference call starting soon, I will let you eat in peace. I will see youter, Star." He left with a smile on his face and a wave of his hand to tell me goodbye. This was the mostfortable I had felt around him so far. I hoped this would never end.


    The food was delicious. The eggs that he made me were better than the ones I had the other day. And I really liked bacon. The sausage was good, but not as good as the bacon. The biscuits were good, especially after I had put the jam on them. I actually had put the jam on them and then wrapped the biscuit around the piece of sausage, that had turned out really good. The rice had seemed odd at first, with a little scoop of butter and some brown seasoning on top, but after I mixed it all together it was really, really good.


    I was happy that I hade down to breakfast and eaten somewhere else than my room. Getting out, seeing the rest of the house, that was something I needed to do. Not to mention it had gotten me some more insight into the Alpha. Ugh, why do I have so much trouble calling him by his name? I was able to get a better idea of what Artem was like.


    I wanted to walk around the house, to learn about it and where things were. I was on the first floor, where the dining room was, when I started to explore. Though soon after leaving the room I ran into Morgan, the man who had guarded my door, and Toby, the other Gamma who had helped with my room.


    "Hey Star, how are you?" Morgan asked me.


    "Good morning, Luna." Toby smiled at me.


    [Good morning to you as well Toby, and you Morgan] I smiled at them before I added another line. [What''s a Luna?]


    "Oh, I''m sorry, I should have realized that you didn''t know what that was." Toby smacked himself on his head, his warm, brown eyes closing in frustration.


    "The Luna is the head female of the pack." Morgan filled me in.


    [I can''t be the head female] I protested as I took a step back and shook my head.


    "More urately it means that you''re who fate has chosen to lead alongside the Alpha. Don''t worry. You don''t need to be the Luna if you don''t want to." Morgan exined further.


    [I can''t! I''m too weak]


    "That''s fine. I''m sorry to worry you." Toby seemed sad, like he was upset by what I had said or how I had acted. "What brings you down here today?"


    [I wanted to get to know the house]


    "Really?" Toby looked excited to read those words.


    [Is that alright?] I thought I should ask permission before continuing.


    "Oh, most definitely." Morgan answered for me.


    [Is there anywhere I am not allowed to go?]


    "Not really, it might be a little impolite to go into bedrooms that aren''t yours, but they''re allbeled with who lives in them. Just look for the nametes on the doors and you will be good." Toby was smiling as he exined this part to me.


    [Thank you for letting me know]


    "Anytime. Do you want one of us to go with you?" Morgan offered their services.


    [I want to try to be independent, but thank you]


    "No problem. We will be down here on the first floor if you need anythinge and get one of us." I nodded my head, an apprehensive smile on my face, was there something that could happen while I explored the house?

 Chapter 24 - Star - Exploring The Pack House Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    We departed then, they went in one direction and I went in another. It was now time to explore the house I had been staying in for thest few days.


    I hadn''t seen much of the house, just Doc''s clinic and the library on the second floor, my room on the fifth floor, and the dining room on the first floor and all the stairs and hallways leading to them.


    To say that the house was huge would have been an understatement. It was massive and seemed to almost go on forever. I quickly found the door at the front of the house and looked out therge ss window panes set in the wood. It looked so peaceful and serene outside but I was still scared of going out there alone. I didn''t want my family to find me when I was alone and vulnerable.


    The main wing of the first floor had the dining room that we had eaten in which I had thought wasrge, but it was nothingpared to the other dining room I found. This room, filled with several tables and even more chairs, could seat at least two hundred people easily. There was also a room that had a beautifully unique decor. There was arge, ornate chandelier in the center of the ceiling with smaller simrly designed chandeliers stationed at symmetrical intervals. The floor was a beautiful, polished wooden surface that reflected the room around it. There were more tables and chairs in here all lining the edges of the room, there were decorative arches built into the wall with different statues standing under each of them. I wouldn''t have known it was a ballroom if it wasn''t for the que on the door that indicated what it was.


    The north wing seemed to house several differently sized meeting rooms and offices. The south wing was full of storage and utility rooms. There were stairs that led up at three different points on each floor, in the middle of the main wing and the start of each of the side wings. When I went up to the second floor I found some recovery rooms, as they werebeled, that were near the clinic. There was a music room near the library that was filled with so many instruments that I had read about but had never seen before. I was fascinated with them and the idea of music. There were also some more empty rooms that looked a lot like ssrooms. I had to force myself to stay out of the library though because I knew if I went in there I would never want to leave and I wanted to finish exploring for right now.


    The third floor was divided with different offices, including the Alpha''s, some meeting rooms, and bedrooms. It seemed that the third floor was where the bedrooms had started. I found all the rescued boy''s names on the doors on the third floor. The fourth and fifth floors seemed to be entirely made up of bedrooms. It seemed that the pack house was meant to house a lot of different people but most of the rooms were unused. I wondered if they would ever be filled up.


    I also saw that my room was indeed right across from the Alpha''s. Artem, Kent, Toby, Morgan, Chay, and me, those were the only upied rooms on the fifth floor.


    The sixth floor had a few bedrooms, but not as many as I was expecting. It seemed that most of the space up there was used for storage as well. There was a lot of extra furniture, things that could rece any broken bedroom, dining room, office, and sitting room furniture at any time. Did they break a lot of stuff around here?


    There was one room that made me nervous before I even got to it. I was getting evil vibes from the room, something very angry and animalistic wasing from in there. I nervously approached the room and grabbed the handle, slowly turning the knob in my hand.


    "Wait." I heard someone''s hurried and panicked voice. I jumped and turned to see Kent running toward me. "I''m sorry, please don''t be scared." He apologized as he hurried over to me. "I just didn''t want you getting scared or hurt." He was next to me now and had put his hand on top of my hand, holding the door shut.


    I tilted my head and knitted my brows together, effectively asking him what it was he had meant.


    "I''m sorry Star, we should have warned you." He hung his head and heaved a sigh. "Do you remember me telling you about my brother?" He looked up at me, his eyes sad. I nodded my head telling him that I did. I couldn''t write my answer as he was still holding my hand in ce. "Well, my brother was the first boy we had gotten out of captivity. I can''t say we saved him, as much as I would have liked to." I heard tears forming in his voice, the sadness was so thick.


    When he looked at me next his eyes were red and brimming with tears. I felt my heart ache for him when I saw the raw emotion in them.


    "My brother had a talisman ced on him when he was seven years old. He would be almost seventeen now. But, when we brought him here, got him to his new home, the first thing I did was attempt to break the talisman off of him. That was when we learned that we had to heal the children bit by bit first. My brother''s wolf took over as soon as the talisman was removed. It had been locked away most of his life, had never gotten the chance to shift. And that imprisonment had driven his wolf mad. It took control of his body, destroying his mind. My brother was lost to me forever that day. Even if he were to shift back to his human self he would just be an empty shell. But still, I can''t part with him yet."


    The tears had started to fall from his eyes now, his heart was broken and seeing him like that was breaking my heart too.


    "My brother is in there. And his wolf is feral. I take care of him so the others don''t have to, he is my responsibility after all. But I don''t want him to hurt you. That''s why I stopped you. I''m sorry for scaring you." I was about to cry, my emotions overflowing for the hurt he must be feeling right then. I still couldn''t write my words out but I needed to tell him what I was thinking.


    "I''m sorry, Kent." My rarely used voice was weak and thick with unshed tears. "I''m sorry to hear about your brother. But thank you for telling me."


    "Star? You''re talking" He was shocked, his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide. I grinned and blushed in embarrassment, looking to the side, just now remembering that he had been holding my hand for thest few minutes.


    "I always could, but I can''t write right now, even if I wanted to." I looked at his hand covering mine.


    "Oh." He looked away from me as he snatched his hand back. "I''m sorry."


    "It''s ok, you did it to protect me, right?"


    "Yeah." He still seemed flustered, like he didn''t know what to do.


    "Can I see him, since you''re here to protect me?"


    "You want to see my brother?" This seemed to surprise him.


    "Yes. I want to see what could have be of me. If it weren''t for the rest of you that is."


    "Alright, but it might be scary."


    "I''ve lived my whole life being afraid. I need to start being more brave."


    "Ok." He nodded his head as he put his hand on the now vacant door knob. "Stay behind me, if he charges I will m the door shut. And feel free to hide behind me if you get too scared."


    "Alright." I agreed with what he had to say.


    "By the way, you have a pretty voice, you should talk more." He smiled at me quickly before turning toward the door.


    When he opened the door I was able to smell that malevolent scent more strongly. It was pouring off the giant wolf that was in the room like they were visible waves. The look in the animal''s eyes was one of pure anger and hatred. The beast in the room snarled quickly before running straight toward us.


    Kent mmed the door shut quickly, holding it firmly in ce when somethingrge and heavy mmed into it from the other side.


    "I''m sorry." He apologized again.


    "How can people do this to us? How could they cause this to happen and feel nothing?"


    "I wish I knew." The answer was filled with anger and sadness. "I wish I had an answer for you, but I don''t."


    "I wish they would all get some sort of payback." The anger in my voice surprised even me as I said those words, and they caused Kent to look at me with curiosity.

 Chapter 25 - Star - The Alpha With The Boys

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I was feeling somewhat dazed and out of sorts after my encounter with Kent and his brother. Now I knew why they had only counted six rescued boys when they had taken seven from captivity. Kent exined that they didn''t count Nico, his brother, as having been saved. I couldn''t argue with him. Nico hadn''t been saved, he had just been trapped in a different kind of prison. And now I understood the sadness in his eyes when he looked at the other boys who had been saved, and why he took saving everyone so seriously.


    I didn''t want to go back to my room yet, and it wasn''t time for us to eat lunch, so I was trying to figure out what to do. It didn''t take me long to settle on going to the library. I figured the boys would be there and it had been fun spending time with them yesterday. Plus I could get a look at some of the books in there. I wanted to start reading the books Artem had bought me as well. Things were actually starting to be fun for me.


    When I got to the library I found that the door was already open and there was a lot of noiseing from inside as well. Yesterday, things had been quiet in there while the kids were doing their lessons, but when Kent had gone to see them they had gotten a little more rowdy.


    I wondered for a moment if Kent hade down here after leaving me in the hall, but then I smelled Artem''s scent and heard his voice from inside the room.


    "Who''s next?" He was asking with augh in his voice.


    Slowly, I peeked around the edge of the door to see what was going on in the room. The kids, especially the younger ones, were all circling Artem. Everyone, Artem included, had big grins on their faces.


    "Me, me, me." Cohen was jumping up and down. He was an adorable little boy who looked just like his cousins, Benton and Julian. They could have passed for brothers instead. They had dark blonde hair and bright yellow eyes, not like Liam''s yellow or Aunt Tina''s, but a golden yellow that was soft and beautiful. They were all small and skinny and they were the newest additions aside from me. Dalton was adorable too, him and his brother Flint had been here longer than any of them. Their dark, mochaplexion, warm hazel eyes, and dark brown hair made them seem so sweet and gentle, so did their kind behavior. Leslie was unique as well, he had an oliveplexion to his skin, and ck eyes that seemed to analyze the world. He was curious and sweet with his slightly longer brown hair that fell into his eyes. All the boys were thinner, shorter, just smaller in general than they should have been. And they all looked even smaller standing next to the veryrge Artem.


    "Ok, ok,e on Cohen." I watched as Artem bent to pick the boy up with his hands under his arms. Artem stood up quickly and raised his arms. In that one motion Artem threw the boy into the air.


    "Haha haha, whee!" Cohen wasughing and squealing in delight as the othersughed around him as well. "This is fun." He said as Artem caught him and threw him back into the air. "Yay." He continued tough and cry out in excitement as Artem threw him a total of ten times into the air. He went about six feet above Artem''s head each time before he dropped and was caught.


    I watched on as Artem did this for all the boys, even the older ones. They all seemed to be enjoying themselve, having fun. It surprised me at first how childish the older boys were, but I couldn''t me them. All of the boys had spent their life in captivity like I had, they had not gotten the chance to grow up. I actually envied their ability to enjoy themselves like this, how they could still be kids. I had a feeling that the specific dynamics of my family situation made me mature at a rate that these boys never had to deal with.


    Seeing Artem with those boys, the happiness he brought them, it made my heart swell with joy. I didn''t really understand the feelings that were filling my heart at the moment, but as I looked on at the sweet scene before me I just felt like smiling. He was being so sweet and kind and I was finally able to see that he was not the mean type of Alpha that I had been expecting.


    I honestly couldn''t wait until I could see more sides of Artem and more good things happening around here. I had a feeling it would be nice to see everything this ce would have to offer me.


    I decided not to go into the library. I didn''t want to interrupt their fun. But still, I left the second floor with a smile on my face as I made my way back to my room.


    I stayed in my room, reading one of the books that Artem had gotten me. I was engrossed in the bookter that day when Chay came to get me. I hadn''t noticed that it was getting dark out until I looked up from the pages to go answer the door.


    "Hey Star, what''re you up to?" Chay asked when the door opened.


    "Reading." I answered her, holding up the book.


    "Whoa, you''re talking to me again." She grinned.


    "Well, I did it once so why stop now?" I smiled at her.


    "I''m just happy. It makes me feel like you trust me now."


    "I do, in a way." I grinned at her. "Yes, I''m still nervous about a few things, but I feel better than I used to, especially around you. I trust you."


    "That makes me so happy." She leaned forward and hugged me tightly.


    "What did you need?" I asked her embarrassedly as she pulled away.


    "Oh, well you missed lunch and it''s almost time for dinner. I didn''t want you to miss that too."


    "What?" I said just now realizing how hungry I was when my stomach responded to the words lunch and dinner.


    "You must have been caught up in your book." Sheughed.


    "Yeah, I was. It was really good." I smiled. "But I am hungry now."


    "Good, thene on." She grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room.


    We went down to dinner together, a grin on both of our faces. This was starting to be a very pleasant routine and I couldn''t have been happier with it. The only difference to this from the night before, was Artem''s absence. He apparently had an errand to run and had gone out.


    Still, the dinner that Artem had made today was just as good as all the other meals. He had made a meal with spicy breaded pork chops that were then covered in a sweet garlic sauce. They were so delicious and I liked them a lot. There was also something called macaroni and cheese and some steamed vegetables. The dinner was amazing just as I had been expecting. Artem was an amazing cook.

 Chapter 26 - Artem - Searching

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Things had been going great with Startely and I couldn''t have been happier. But there was something I wanted to do for her. Something that I thought would make her really happy.


    Chay and Doc had both told me that Star had mentioned her cousins. The ones that had tried to help her, the ones who had taught her to read and write.


    Supposedly, the cousins weren''t allowed back in the housetely. No doubt that sick freak, Uncle Howard, had banned the cousins because he believed they would have helped Star to escape from him. And I truly hoped that''s how the cousins were.


    That''s why, ever since they had both mentioned them to me I had been looking for them. It wasn''t that hard, I had their family registry with their names on it to help me. The only true hard part was tracking down where they lived now since all of their information was unlisted.


    This wouldn''t stop me though. There was always a way to find someone, even when they wanted to stay hidden. After just three and a half days of searching, I had managed to narrow down their location. I just hoped they were willing toe back with us.


    After I cooked dinner I left the house. I wished I could stay and eat dinner with Star for a second night in a row, but I had a lot more nights ahead of me that we could spend eating together, missing this one didn''t seem so significant when I thought of it like that, plus I was doing this for her.


    The cousins were living in a small town about two hours away. Close enough to head back home if needed, but far enough away that they were out of their family''s reach most of the time. They were living together with a third member of their family. A female named E, I didn''t even know if Star knew who she was or not.


    I arrived at their small house just before nine that night. The lights were on and I saw cars in the driveway, plus I could sense three people inside with distinct yet familiar scents. The rest of Star''s family had smelled like scum, but these three smelled like a summer breeze, each with a different undertone. They were definitely rted.


    They had apparently sensed me as I came up their driveway. I hade alone so as not to intimidate them at all, I just hoped this all went well.


    Before I could even knock, the front door had been pulled open. There were two men ring at me and a woman standing behind them. None of them looked happy to see me.


    "Who are you?" One of the men said. He was about my height with light brown hair and eyes so dark blue they looked like the night sky, and he was built like a fighter.


    "Why do I smell my cousin on you?" The other man asked. He looked a lot like the other man, only shorter by an inch and his hair was two shades lighter. They were definitely brothers.


    "Hello, you must be Reed and Bailey. And thedy back there is E, correct?"


    "Who''s asking?" The taller brother asked me.


    "My name is Artemis Cooper, Artem to my friends." I grinned at them then continued. "I am the new Alpha of the Hidden Paw Wolf Pack. And I happen to be Star''s mate." I saw the shock register on their faces as they gasped at me in surprise.


    "How could you be her mate." The shorter brother asked. I really wish I knew which one was which.


    "My Beta came across Star on one of her escape attempts, that was when we became aware of her. After that I was determined to save her no matter what."


    "Why?" The woman standing behind them demanded.


    "It''s what I do. I don''t like the way things were run." I answered quickly.


    "What happened to thest Alpha?" She asked me, skepticism thick in her voice.


    "I killed him when he refused to step down." I said this while grinning, and I noted the surprise and smiles they all three gave me. "I didn''t like the abuse that the Alpha let happen, I have been nning to take over for fifteen years, ever since a friend of mine was killed by his family."


    "So, you know what happened to Star?" The taller brother asked.


    "Yes, I do. And I happened to have the instant mate connection as soon as I scented her. But don''t worry, I will never pressure her into anything."


    "Why are you here exactly?" The woman asked me.


    "I think it will make Star very happy if she could see you again. She has mentioned her cousins who had tried to help her."


    "She has?"


    "We''ve missed her so much." The brothers both lowered their heads as they answered.


    "Will youe back toGem Creek? Will you return to the Hidden Paw for Star''s sake?"


    "Yes, yes we will." The taller brother spoke. "I''m sorry, we haven''t properly introduced ourselves. I am Bailey, and this is my brother Reed. Back there is our sister E. The three of us hated the way things were run in our family and needed to get away. But it hurt us so much to leave Star behind."


    "E was just a kid when Star was locked away so she didn''t understand what was happening. She was only five at the time. And when we left home, when we were basically forced to leave or to suffer for our different way of thinking, we took E with us. She has a big heart and cried over the abuse that was happening around her."


    "She was only thirteen when we left."


    "Thanks for giving him my life story." E sneered at them. "Want to keep rambling on to him?" Sheughed that time.


    "It''s nice to meet you all, it really is. And I am sure Star will be happy to meet E too. She doesn''t have any family and few friends right now. She''s only been away from them for a few days now."


    "Only a few days?" Reed seemed shocked.


    "Goddess, I had hoped you were going to tell us you saved her a while ago." Bailey lowered his head in shame. "I wanted to go back for her, I wanted to save her."


    "Don''t me yourselves. I saw what kind of power they kept at the house. It would have been hard for the two of you to save her on your own." I was doing my best to console them.


    "No, we should have done more. We should have saved her."


    "It''s not your fault." E told them sternly. "How many times have I told you that? They would have continued to beat you both. The two of you almost died thest time you tried to help her." E put one of her hands on one of each of their shoulders and squeezedfortingly. "Don''t beat yourselves up anymore. Things worked out. You''re safe, I''m safe, and now Star is too. What more could we have asked for?"


    "That it didn''t take this long." Reed still looked upset.


    "Please,e back to the house with me and see her, I know it will make not only her feel better, but also all of you."


    "Yeah, that sounds great." Bailey was smiling now.


    "I want you guys to stay at the pack house, if that is alright? You will be closer to Star there, and you won''t have to worry about your family finding you."


    "Yeah, I think that would be for the best." Reed agreed.


    "Great, will youe tonight? Right now?"


    "I think we should pack up first, and head over first thing in the morning. We can prepare to stay for a while." Bailey spoke in almost a questioning tone as he looked over at his brother.


    "Yeah, we will settle things here and head there as soon as the sunes up. I don''t want to leave any loose ends here." Reed was grinning now.


    "This is wonderful." E was smiling as she looked at her brothers. "I haven''t seen them this happy in a long time. Thank you Artemis." She was smiling at me now.


    "Please, call me Artem."


    I left them shortly after that, knowing they would be at the pack house as soon as they could the next morning, and with ns to stay for a while too. This was going to make Star so happy. I couldn''t wait to see the joy on her face when she saw them. That was such a wonderful thought

 Chapter 27 - Artem - Surprise Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Apparently, Star''s cousins hadn''t been lying when they said they would head over at first light. I don''t think they slept at all. I think they spent the entire night packing their stuff and making arrangements. They got to the pack house just after eight in the morning. When they had arrived I was just heading to go make breakfast for everyone. Kent and I were both on the first floor when they knocked on the door.


    I walked to the door first, knowing who it was going to be based on the time and the slight hint of their scenting through the door.


    "Good morning." I told them as soon as the door was open.


    "Morning Artem." E was in the lead and came bounding into the room as soon as I opened the door.


    Kent who had been walking up behind me gasped in shock, as did E as soon as she was in the hallway. The two of them just stared at each other with a matching dumbfounded look on their faces for a moment.


    "Beautiful." Kent finally managed to force the one word out but it seemed to have taken a lot of effort.


    "So handsome." E said at nearly the exact same time.


    "What''s going on?" Reed whispered to me as he came into the hallway, standing close to me.


    "I think they mated." Bailey answered him in my stead.


    "Really?" Reed whispered. "Lucky. We''re older than she is and still haven''t found our mates."


    "It''ll happen." Bailey assured him with aforting hand on his shoulder. "For now, just be supportive of your little sister."


    "Yeah, yeah, I know." Reed slumped his shoulders for just a moment before he raised his head again, a determined look on his face. "Maybe this trip will prove to be eventful for us all."


    "Don''t hold your breath." Baileyughed at him. "Just be happy for her for now. Our time wille soon enough."


    "I know." It was clear that Reed was younger not just in age, but it was funny to see them interacting with each other.


    "What''s your name?" E was asking Kent as she walked slowly over to him. "Who are you?"


    "My name is Kent, I''m Artem''s Beta." They were grinning at each other. "You have such a lovely voice. What''s your name?" Kent was acting so different than he usually did. And I couldn''t help but be jealous. He would be able to have a true mate with her. I loved Star but was afraid she would never ept me.


    The three of us just stood there and watched as Kent and E stared at each other and asked simple questions. It really was like watching love at first sight form between the two of them. After a few minutes though I heard angry footsteps stomping toward us.


    "What the hell, Artem, you asked me to help you today then you never sh-." Chay was in the middle of scolding me when she paused at the doorway.


    That was when I heard another double gasp. Chay and Bailey both gasped at the same time, their eyes locked onto each other.


    "Come on." Reedined as the two of them seemed to gravitate toward each other, just like E and Kent had seemed to do.


    "Don''t worry, Reed, I''ll bring some more of my cousins hereter, maybe you will mate with them." I had meant it, but I couldn''t keep the slightugh from entering my voice as I said the words.


    "Well, you seem to be the match maker for my family, so I should take you up on that offer." Heughed right on back at me as we watched the two new mated pairs staring deeply into each other''s eyes.


    We watched as there was another introduction between my little sister and Star''s cousin. I was a protective big brother and this was kind of rubbing me the wrong way, especially considering that Bailey was older than I am. But I also knew that he had to be a good guy if he took beatings just to help his cousin and age didn''t matter as long as they were adults and willing. We were wolves and had a slightly longer lifespan than humans anyway so once we got to a certain age we slowed down a bit.


    I actually quite enjoyed seeing so much love and mating going on around me. Maybe it was a good sign for me and my future with Star. Maybe this was a sign of good things toe.


    After the pairs seemed content with how things were going and their impromptu introductions to each other they seemed toe back to their senses. Chay looked at me with a big grin on her face.


    "I can''t help you anymore. Star will being down soon and I am not going to miss the look on her face when she sees them."


    "Come on, I want to be there too." I pleaded.


    "Sorry big brother, but cooking is your job. I will tell you how it all goes downter." She was grinning at Bailey as she spoke, I had a feeling Star''s reaction was only part of the reason she was bailing on me. She was bailing for Bailey, now isn''t that funny?


    We all headed off after that. The group of them went to the dining room together, most of themughing and smiling. Only Reed seemed to be grumbling in a bad mood as he followed behind them. I was in just as much of a bad mood as I continued over to the kitchen.


    "Why do they get to have all the fun today?" I grumbled.


    I really did want to know how Star reacted to seeing her cousins, the only family that she had ever feltfortable and safe around. I wanted to be there when she heard it was me who had found them and asked them toe and stay with her. This wasn''t fair.


    I was pouting, I knew that but I didn''t care. This was supposed to be my time to shine with her but I had to miss it all.


    I would just have to make a really quick breakfast, that''s all. Then I could be there sooner and maybe see how excited she was. Yeah, that''s how it had to be. That''s what I was going to do.


    I smiled then as I hurried into the kitchen. I had to make a quick breakfast for everyone, but I still wouldn''t skimp on quality, I would never do that to my Star.

 Chapter 28 - Star - Surprise Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I woke early the next morning, the one after I had experienced so much in the halls of the house. I started on my new daily routine of showering, brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, and getting dressed. This feeling of being clean and properly dressed everyday was amazing. It was something that I never wanted to go without ever again.


    Feeling clean and refreshed I decided to leave the room and head down to breakfast. The entire walk from my room on the fifth floor down to the dining room on the first floor I felt like something was off. Something was different.


    I couldn''t pinpoint what it was. I couldn''t tell if I was seeing something differently or if I was smelling something different. But whatever it was, I could tell that something was different about the house today than it had been thest couple times I hade down here.


    But what could it have been?


    This was going to drive me nuts. I swear that I could sense something different, but I just couldn''t figure it out. So the entire time that I was walking down the beautifully decorated hallway to the stairs, down the elegant stairs to the first floor, down the hall to the dining room I was thinking about this different feeling, this newness that I couldn''t figure out.


    I had been so lost in thought that I didn''t pay attention when I first went into the dining room. I just had my head down like I was used to doing and was going to go to the same spot I had sat in thest few times.


    I''m sure you can imagine, then, what kind of shock I had when I heard the sound of two sharp intakes of breath like some people were either scared, shocked, or surprised. I looked up at the sound and froze.


    I thought for sure I was seeing ghosts. That there were two ghosts standing in the Alpha''s pack house. There was no way I was truly seeing what I thought I was seeing.


    Did my family track down my cousins and kill them because I had escaped? Were these their ghosts that hade here to check up on me before they departed and left for the afterlife? What was I truly seeing here?


    "Astraia, my little star." I saw my cousin Bailey smile, tears of joy and happiness filling his eyes.


    "Starry!" Reed called out in his chipper voice.


    The two of them held their arms out toward me like they were expecting a hug, like they were really there.


    "We''ve missed you so much, Star." Bailey was speaking again. His voice seemed so real, so close to me as they took a few steps toward me.


    "B-B-Bailey? R-R-Reed?" I spoked their names as if they were questions, wondering if they were really there.


    "It''s us, Little Star, we''re here. Goddess, but you''ve gotten so much older now." Bailey''s words were filled with love and sadness but also joy. He couldn''t stop smiling even as the tears started to stream down his face.


    "We love you, Starry, we love you so much. And we''re sorry we left you."


    "Y-yo-you''re here? You''re really here?" I had to ask, to make sure that I wasn''t seeing things.


    "They''re really here." Chay smiled at me from across the room. "I told you we would find them.


    "Bailey!" I felt the tears begin then, the tears I hadn''t even known that I had been holding back this whole time. "Reed!"


    After saying their names onest time I started running toward them, my arms held out just like theirs. The running was made more difficult with the brace that I put on again after my shower. The bones were healing, but Doc hadn''t said I could leave it off yet. But I didn''t care, I would run as awkwardly and as goofily as I had to just so I could get to them.


    "Star."


    "Starry." They called out to me when I reached them.


    I wrapped one arm around each of them, around their necks, holding them close to me. They in turn wrapped their arms around me, their long, strong arms making me feel safe and secure just like they had done when I was still young.


    "I missed you." I cried as I began to sob into the space between their shoulders. "I missed you so much."


    "I''m sorry." Bailey cried, his face pressed against my right shoulder.


    "Forgive us, Starry, please. We''re so sorry." Reed added, his voice muffled against my left shoulder.


    "We wanted toe back for you, we wanted to help you." Bailey was continuing, fluidly following his brother when he spoke.


    "We wanted to take you away with us when we left, but we couldn''t get to you." Reed was crying now, sobbing into my neck and shoulder like he was finally letting out years worth of emotions.


    We stayed like that for a long time. The three of us holding each other close and crying not so silently into each other''s shoulders. They were there to catch my tears and I was there to catch theirs. For once I was able to be there for them, to provide them with some semnce of support.


    After several minutes, the exact number of which I was not quite sure of, we finally separated. I saw joy filled smiles and loving eyes looking back at me from two familiar faces. They seemed to be so overjoyed to see me, but they had no idea how happy I was to finally see them again.


    "How did you get here? When?"


    "Artem came to see usst night, and we just got here a little bit before you came into the room. Goddess but I am d to see you." Reed was staring at me like he couldn''t quite believe his eyes.


    "You''re all grown up now, Little Star. I can''t believe it." Bailey was grinning so much that it looked like his face should hurt, but he wasn''t stopping.


    "Hello." There was a timid female voice that interrupted our reunion. I jerked, surprised by the sound.


    "Oh, sorry E." Bailey grinned as he pulled away from me, Reed followed suit.


    The two of them, my long lost cousins, were each holding an arm out toward the female who had interrupted us, beckoning her closer.


    "Star, we never got to introduce you to E before we left." Bailey was smiling as he looked from the girl then to me and back again.


    "Starry, this is our little sister, E. She was too young toe see you when you were younger, but we took her with us when we left."


    "She''s known about you the whole time, and she wanted to save you as much as we did." My cousins were telling me that this was their sister, the one they had told me about years ago. I had always wanted to meet her, but they hadn''t said much about her at the time.


    "Hello Star." She smiled sweetly at me. "I''m E, and I am so d to meet you."


    "Hi E." I grinned. I was getting another family member that was probably going to treat me nicely. This was looking like it was going to be one of the best days of my life. I was so happy and overjoyed.

 Chapter 29 - Artem - A Ruined Meal

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was on my way to the dining room, trays of food in hand, when I heard something that I never thought I would hear before.


    There was the sound of the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. It was full of bittersweet emotions, but it was the sound of the voice, the tones and notes themselves that made my wolf grin and my whole body respond with happiness and joy.


    "That''s Star''s voice." I whispered to myself as my arms and hands lost all feeling along with the rest of my body. The sound had literally made me go numb.


    Just a moment after hearing that glorious sound I heard the sound of crashing dishes as everything in my hands went cascading to the floor.


    "What the hell?" I heard Kent yell from the other side of the door. "You guys stay here." His voice was calm and soothing, I hoped I hadn''t scared Star with themotion.


    A few secondster Kent and Chay came striding through the swinging door that led to the kitchen.


    "What the hell, Artem?" Kent yelled in a whispered voice as he looked at the floor and at my dazed look.


    "What the fuck dumbass." Chay scolded and yelled in a simr whisper.


    "That...that...that was Star''s voice." I felt like I was in a trance as I started to step over the broken dished and ruined food. "That''s what her voice sounds like, isn''t it? That was her."


    "Yes, it was her, but calm down Artem."


    "You''ll scare her if you rush out there like this." Chay added.


    "No, I won''t scare her. I''m not going to do anything." I pleaded as I tried to walk forward, but Kent put his hands on my shoulders as Chay put her hands on my chest, together the two of them managed to stop me for a moment.


    "You look crazed right now, buddy, you need to calm down. Get a hold of yourself."


    "I know you just want to see her, but give her a minute and take one for yourself too."


    "Why is this so hard?" I asked them, my pleading eyes full of pain.


    "What the hell are we going to do for breakfast now?" Chay sounded angry. "This stuff''s ruined and dumbass here doesn''t look like he is capable of opening a lid let alone making a whole new meal."


    "Couldn''t someone else cook?" Kent asked her.


    "Do you know anyone else in this house that can cook?" She red at him. "Seriously, why don''t you men ever use the brain above your shoulders instead of the one being boiled alive in your pants?"


    "That was uncalled for Chay." I scolded her.


    "No, uncalled for is what you call dropping all our breakfast on the floor."


    "I was surprised, that''s all." I red at her, matching the look she was giving me. "I seem to remember just recently that you had a simr look of shock and awe when you saw her cousin." She blushed at my words, embarrassment rolling off her in waves.


    "That..that''s different." She spat the words at me. "Just shut up."


    "Both of you stop it." Kent sounded exasperated. "We need to figure this out. If no one else can cook, perhaps we can go out to breakfast. We can go into the city."


    "Will Star go though?" Chay looked worried. "She hasn''t left the house yet."


    "She might, with her family with her, her cousins might make her feel safe enough to go." Kent was being reasonable and logical about it all.


    "We can try. This will be like her first time out ever." Chay sounded worried.


    "Well I say we clean this all up and then go in there to ask them." I smiled.


    "Clean it up yourself." Chat scoffed at me.


    "Chay." I put the ring of authority in my voice.


    "Ugh, fine, you big bully." She conceded and bent to help me and Kent clean the mess I had made.


    Five minutester the three of us were walking into the dining room where Star and her cousins were.


    "What was the problem?" Reed asked curiously.


    "The tray I was carrying breakfast on broke." It wasn''t technically a lie, it broke in the fall. "Unfortunately all of the food for breakfast wound up on the floor." I hung my head then, feeling the shame from having ruined the meal for them all.


    "We have decided that we should head out to get breakfast, if you''re all ok with that." Kent added to take the me off of me a little.


    "I''m fine with that." E smiled.


    "Sounds good to me." Reed nodded.


    "That would be great." Bailey gave his consent as well.


    However, at the mention of leaving the house, Star tense up and took two shaking steps away from them all. Her head swinging side to side in a vehement no.


    "Is something wrong Star?" Bailey asked her as he stepped closer, putting a hand on her shoulder. She immediately grabbed her pen and started writing.


    [I can''t leave] Her writing was sloppy as she was shaking so bad.


    "Why aren''t you talking?" Reed wondered with a confused look on his face.


    "She uses the pen and pad when she is nervous, scared, or talking around someone she is notfortable with yet." I answered for him, letting her know in my own way that I wasn''t ming her at all.


    "Oh." That was all we got in response, from all three of her cousins.


    "Are you afraid to leave the house?" Bailey asked her in a soothing tone. Her only response was wide eyes and one tense nod of her head.


    "We will be with you." Reed offered as he moved closer, putting a hand on one of her shoulders as well.


    "We will protect you." E smiled at her as she, too, moved closer.


    "You don''t need to be afraid." Bailey smiled confidently at her.


    "That''s right, with all of us there, no one will dare try to hurt you or take you back." Reed''s words made a little bit of the tension drain from her body.


    "You never have to worry, Star, you''ll never have to go back to them again. I promise." I smiled at her looking as reassuring as I could.


    After a deep breath she nodded and started writing on her notepad again.


    [OK] I simple word, two little letters, and with that I felt the joy in me swell almost beyond capacity. This was a breakthrough for her, she was going to get out and see the world, sort of.


    With the ns for breakfast settled, we all got ready to leave then. Piling into two different vehicles because we didn''t have one big enough for all of us yet, but this made it so that Star was riding with Chay and her cousins while I followed them with Kent. I wasn''t very happy about that situation. ording to Chay, Star had spent the entire drive into the city looking at the floor of the Jeep, too scared to look up at all.


    When we pulled into the parking lot of the Apple Peddler diner we all piled out and headed inside. They didn''t have many booths that could hold all seven of us, especially considering that four of us were veryrge men, but we all managed to fit in the corner booth somehow.


    The diner was a nice little home cooking type of ce. It was the type of ce where you can get the really good hash browns fried nice and golden brown, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and pancakes, and all of it would be in one meal. It was great, and just what I needed to fill my stomach right now.


    Star was still nervous when we started, and while she didn''t talk at all, she did start looking morefortable by the time we were done eating. We had spent the meal listening to her cousins recap what their lives had been like since they left home, effectively kidnapping E when they had gone.


    Apparently, E was still in school, but she was willing to work remotely or take a semester or two off right now, most likely due to Kent. But as for Bailey and Reed, they were both teachers. Having failed to save one child while growing up, they had dedicated their lives to helping other children. They would be useful for helping us to teach the boys we had saved, and they seemed to be OK with the idea as well. We now had some more allies that could help with the once lost boys.


    We had a good time, everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, even Star. I spent most of my time silently watching how much Star wasing out of her shell as I ate my food. Just being around her, especially when she was happy, really was a good feeling.


    This all seemed to be going really, really well.

 Chapter 30 - Star - An Outing With Artem

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I never thought it was possible to be this happy. I never expected to see my cousins ever again. And I never expected to meet an Alpha who was so dedicated to making other people happy. But just the feeling of it all, the knowledge of it, made me want to smile. And it made me want to trust Artem even more. I was starting to, slowly.


    I spent all day on Saturday with my cousins. I didn''t talk while Artem was around, and they asked me about itter. I told them it was because he was an Alpha and I was still scared.


    That seemed to have surprised them for some reason. Apparently, they thought I was Artem''s mate as well. They told me that mate bonds were special, and really good. They had just found out that day, at least Bailey and E did as they had mated with Chay and Kent.


    I was kind of happy to hear that my family was joining Artem and Chay''s. They were good people and I didn''t want to leave them at all. I feltfortable here, safe here. This was the first ce I had ever felt safe in my entire life.


    But I didn''t think it couldst forever, not really. I couldn''t stay here because no matter what they thought, I wasn''t Artem''s mate. I couldn''t be. I didn''t feel anything like what they said they felt. Maybe Artem only said I was his mate so he could protect me.


    That was the more likely situation. He needed to have an excuse for why he saved me. If he told them I was his mate then that gave him a reason. I just hoped nothing bad would happen when people find out he lied about it all.


    Sunday, my cousins were taking the time to settle in. Not to mention that Bailey and E wanted to get to know their new mates. They had spent all of the first day with me after all, and if the mate bond was that strong, then I could understand their desire to be with their other half.


    But, this left Reed and me with nothing to do. That is, until Artem knocked on my door and asked toe into my room.


    I walked over to my door, slowly, and opened it apprehensively. Standing next to Artem was Reed, both were looking happy.


    "Hi Star." Artem grinned at me.


    "Hey Starry." Reedughed as he grinned at me.


    [Hi] I wrote the word again.


    "I wanted to ask you toe into the city with me." I felt the shock hit me and I know my face was reflecting it.


    "Don''t worry." Reed cut in. "I''m going too." His words didn''t make me stop worrying though.


    [Where are we going?] I asked them on my note pad, agreeing to go even though I was scared stiff.


    "I want to go to a bakery. I want to pick out a cake to celebrate the new mated pairs and just your cousins being here." Artem was grinning happily because I had agreed to go. "I am bringing Morgan and Toby as well. We will have lots of people to protect you."


    I couldn''t help but smile at his words. He was doing his best to make me feelfortable and safe. He really was a great guy.


    It didn''t take long for us to reach the city. It had felt longer before, when we went to eat, probably because I had spent the entire ride staring at my feet. But this time, I was looking out the window. It was also the first time that I was able to pinpoint where in the world I was.


    As we drove into the city I saw the sign that read CRESCENT CITY CALIFORNIA. So, that helped me to know a little bit about my surroundings, not that I knew anything about the area, but knowing where I was actually helped me to feel a little better.


    I had looked out the window on the way home yesterday, and so I had seen the wee sign for the vige, just barely. It was hidden behind an overgrown bush and it was like no one wanted people to see it. Also, the main road didn''t seem to go into town, you had to turn off the major street and go onto the narrower roads that wound through the trees. It looked like a confusing ce to live.


    The name of this little vige of ours was Gem Creek, and it had a poption of less than five hundred people, ording to the sign. Four hundred and sixty-two to be exact. But who really knew how many, if they didn''t count the persecuted and abused omegas.


    Crescent City (now I understood why they just said the city all the time) was the only actual city in the county, ording to Toby who was being friendly and chatting with me on the way to the shop. There were a lot of people who went to the city to work and to buy just about everything. It''s a good thing it was only about a half an hour away.


    "Hey Starry, why don''t you talk to Artem?" Reed asked me as I stared out the window. I looked at the back of the man in question''s head nervously before I wrote out my answer.


    [I probably will soon, but it''s kind of cute to watch him pout over me not talking to him]


    "That''s cold, and funny." He chuckled as he read the note. "Don''t make him wait too long." He instructed before we fell back into silence.


    I tried to pay attention to the roads that Artem was taking, but he was maneuvering so fast that I just couldn''t pay enough attention. Before I knew it, he wasing to a stop in front of a cute little store.


    The front of the store was blue with pink shutters and yellow awnings over the windows. There werecy curtains in the windows and a little bell over the door. It was really cute, and super girly. The name of the shop was The Three Tiers.


    Artem was the first one inside, followed by me. The first thing I saw inside was a small sitting area with little white tables and chairs. Next, I saw a counter filled with yummy looking cakes and desserts. Andst, I saw three women who all looked simr yet different.


    All three women were about the same height, I''d say five-foot nine maybe, just a little taller than me. They all had the same crystal green eyes that looked to be shining in the light from the shop. They all had a slim build with slightly strong looking arms and a small waist. They all had the same creamyplexion. But where they differed was the hair color, one was a bright blonde, the other a medium brown, and thest a coppery red. Another difference was the style they seemed to dress in. The blonde was a little more sporty and less feminine, the brte was kind ofid back, and the red head was super feminine. They had to be sisters.


    "Artem!" They all three called out when they saw him. They all dropped what they were doing in an instant and started running toward him. However, they stopped when the bell rang and the next three people walked in.


    "Huh?" The collective gasp of six people was kind of unsettling.


    It appeared that all three women were now staring excitedly at the three men who had juste inside. Reed, Toby, and Morgan. The three men, likewise, were gaping at the women. Here were three men not rted at all but they looked identical in that moment.


    "SERIOUSLY?" I heard Artemughing as he said that one word. I just looked at them all, confused. The three girls who had been running toward the Alpha were now slowly moving toward the men as they, too, walked slowly forward.


    Toby came to a stop in front of theid back brte, a grin on both of their faces. Morgan was standing with the red head. And Reed, my cousin, was grinning like a fool with the blonde.


    "Well, I guess I need to make introductions again." Artem was stillughing. "Toby, that is my cousin Criztie, she was named after my aunt who bought me the dangerous books. Morgan, that is my cousin Dakotah. And Reed, that is my cousin Sydney. They are the Tiernan triplets, and they own this bakery."


    I was still confused so I looked up at Artem with a question in my eyes. Heughed again and smiled at me, putting his hand lightly on my shoulder.


    "They''ve mated." He was happy, I could tell. "And I think it''s because of you. You''ve brought so much love into our group."


    [I didn''t do anything] I was perplexed by his words.


    "You didn''t have to. Just you being there brought love and joy into our house. We''re all happy that you''re with us." I blushed at his words.


    [No one has ever been happy to have me around before] I felt the tears begin to sting my eyes.


    "I''m happy you''re here, all of us are." He wrapped his arms around me then, hugging me gently. I didn''t hate the feeling. Actually his hug was nicer than Chay''s, it made me feel safe and warm, not to mention protected. What was this feeling I was having from that hug though? It was confusing.

 Chapter 31 - Artem - Rejoice

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    My arms were currently wrapped loosely around Star. The feeling of her pressed gently against my body made my heart sing. I felt like my world had just be nothing but the joy of cloud nine, that feeling was never going to leave me.


    I didn''t want to scare her, or push her too far, so I pulled back after about a minute. I was happy to have what I did for the time being and knowing that she didn''t try to push me away, that was even better.


    The look in her eyes when I pulled away from her was not fear, it was of course confused, but it was also happy. She had seemed to enjoy, and appreciate, the hug. This was the best progress so far.


    It seemed that things around the house were going to get busy, and if only I could get my mate to ept me like the ones around me did, then we could all be living the best life possible. For now though, Star and I had to wait through more of those awkward introductions that I had seen yesterday morning.


    Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think that my Beta, both my Gammas, and my three cousins would all find mates so close to each other. And aside from my Gammas, all the other halves of the matings came from my mate''s family. Literally every mating was paired with someone from my family or hers. This literally made all of us family now in one way or another. What could be better than that?


    This was turning out to be a good day, albeit a long one. The three new pairs were chatting it up while Star and I walked around the shop and inspected the dessert.


    "Is there anything that looks good to you?" I asked her, wondering what I should get her.


    This day actually had another purpose than what I had told her. Two really. I wanted to buy her a special treat just to spoil her, and I wanted to find a cake for her birthday. I wanted to get an idea of what she liked so I could order the cake that would suit her the best.


    [I don''t know] She seemed nervous.


    "I will get you anything you want. If you want to try them all then I can do that, if you see something that interests you we can focus on that." The look in her eyes said just how hard this was on her. She hadn''t been shopping like this before and she most definitely wasn''t used to getting things she wanted, but I wanted to change that.


    "Do you want me to pick for you?" I asked her to take some of the pressure off of her. The answer I received was a grateful smile and slight nod of her head. She was nervous, but happy nheless. I was happy to see her finally smiling so frequently.


    I finally managed to pull my cousins away from the guys in the room long enough to get some desserts. I wanted to get cakes, pies, cookies, pastries, a little bit of everything. I had to admit the girls were good at their work so it would all be amazing. I also wanted to n some sort of cake for my mate that would make her feel special and loved. I didn''t think she had any parties since she had moved into her captor''s home all those years ago.


    After managing to separate everyone and getting them all back to work, I was able to get Criztie to help me with a design while Dakotah and Sydney gushed over Star. They were happy to meet the girl that had finally captured me and so had sat her in one of the white chairs so they could bring her a little bit of everything.


    "You''re too skinny." Sydney had said the first time she had seen her up close. We need to make sure you''re eating from here everyday."


    "Yup, that''s right, we will help to get you up to a normal size soon." Dakotah added.


    "Hey, don''t have all the fun without me." Criztie scolded them. "I''m older than both of you so I am the boss around here."


    "Fifteen minutes, big whoop." Sydney joked back.


    "Yeah, and since you''re the oldest, doesn''t that mean you have to do all the most important stuff?" Dakotah added.


    "I hate you two." Criztie joked. "I want to have fun with my new cousin too." The bickering and whining was normal with them, but I really wanted to get this done.


    "Can we focus, Criz? Please."


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I will make what you want. But you really should have given me more than three days notice." Her voice was hushed so that Star wouldn''t hear her, and despite the words themselves, she looked and sounded excited. "Are we invited to that little soiree?" She looked excited, ncing over my shoulder at her new mate as she spoke.


    "Yes, and he will be there too, don''t worry."


    "YAY!" She squealed thest part loud enough that everyone in the shop had heard her. "Oops." She pped a hand over her mouth after her outburst. "My bad." She wasughing now. She was such a pain sometimes, good thing she was family and I loved her.


    With the design settled and the dessert bought, it was time for us to head home. But I was really d to see that Star wasn''t acting as shy as she had been before this weekend. She was still using her notepad with the girls and me, but I knew it was only a matter of time before she talked to me. Maybe I would go see her again soon and we could talk things out. Maybe she would talk to me after that.


    Hey, a man could hope couldn''t he? I would do my best to be the best mate she could ever hope for. And one day, she will see that, wolf or no wolf. I wanted to make her fall in love with me regardless. Actually, that sounded even better, knowing the person fated to love you forever actually loved you for you before they could feel the mate bond. Perhaps that was what I was meant to do.


    I was going to make that my new mission. I was going to make Star fall in love with me for me, for who I truly was. And then, when the talisman is removed and she feels the bond pulling us together, she wouldn''t have to question the feelings that it makes her feel.

 Chapter 32 - Both - Getting More Comfortable By The Day

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    That trip with Artem and the others was fun. I got to meet new people, more women, who didn''t hate my very existence. I got to try some wonderful new foods that were simply amazing, though all that sugar kind of made me feel a little sick to my stomach. I definitely wasn''t used to that much dessert, but I loved it just the same. And I liked that Sydney, Criztie, and Dakotah all thought I was a good person. They seemed to want to keep talking forever, but Artem said we needed to get back so they could finish work for the day. All in all it was perfect, in my eyes at least.


    I wasn''t hungry for lunch when we got back home, so I decided to just go to my room and read. I didn''t expect that shortly after I got to my room there would be another knock on the door. When I pulled the door open I nearly gasped, but I stopped myself.


    "Hello Star, may Ie in?" Artem looked so polite and calm as he spoke, but I saw the nerves in his eyes. I nodded and stepped away from the door.


    I didn''t know what it was he had wanted, but I knew he wasn''t here for anything bad. Still, the sight of him always made my heart race and my stomach feel weird, like it was jumping up and down or spinning around nonstop. It wasn''t a bad feeling necessarily, in fact it felt like I was excited to see him. Why would I feel this way?


    I watched as Artem came inside and shut the door. He had a couple different boxes in his hands and had used his foot to shut the door. After he was fully inside he looked at me with a gentle expression and spoke again.


    "Should we sit at the couch or the table?" He was letting me choose? That was new to me still.


    [Couch] I answered with the note pad. I saw the slight sadness in his eyes when he had to read my response, but he didn''t say anything about it.


    "Sounds good, it will be morefortable there anyway." He smiled and led the way to the couch. He set the boxes on the small coffee table (I had learned what it was from Chay), then he sat on the couch with a sigh of relief.


    "Thank you for letting mee in." He looked happy and genuinely didn''t seem angry with me at all.


    [Why wouldn''t I?] I asked him in writing but I was still giving him a confused look.


    "Because you don''t have to if you''re just not up to it or you''re feeling overwhelmed, or anything really. You''re not a guest in this house or a prisoner. I want you to think of this as your new home, a ce to feel safe, protected, and at ease. So we will never force you to do anything you''re notfortable with."


    [Really?] I almost felt like crying, I could feel the stinging of the tears in my eyes.


    "Really." He smiled at me with such a handsome face that it made my heart speed up even more than it already was.


    There were a couple different boxes that Artem had brought with him, the first of which was some more of the desserts from earlier, in case I wanted more, but then there were photo albums and books that had to do with his family and the pack in general.


    "I thought you might like to know about who we all are, on a deeper level." I nodded my head, indicating that it was indeed a good thing and that I did want to know.


    I didn''t know what was causing the change in me to happen so drastically, but I was starting to feel morefortable with every day that passed. Artem was not how I had expected him to be, Chay was amazing, Kent was one of the nicest people I had ever met, and now they had brought me my cousins that I had missed so much. How could I not like it here? How could I not feel everything it was that Artem wanted me to feel? Why was it I was actually hoping Artem woulde to see me even more?


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Star looked so happy all throughout the day that I just couldn''t help myself. I wanted to spend more time with her. I wanted her to get to know me and all of us here in the house. I wanted her to know everything, if that''s what she had wanted too. I wanted this to be perfect for us all.


    I took the remaining desserts to her room, so she could have more if she wanted them, before the ravenous horde of fiends called our friends and family could devour them. I also took photo albums and records that pertained to my family and the pack. I was going to make sure she wasn''t confused or questioning about anything at all. I was going to, literally, be an open book with her.


    We spent the next couple of hours talking about what life was like in the pack growing up, and my childhood.


    "This here is a picture of me and my closest friends when I was seven years old. That''s me." I pointed to the tallest of the boys in the group. "That is Morgan, Toby, Kent, and Lenny."


    [Where is Lenny now?] I knew she was going to want to know that, all of my friends were still with me except for him. [Did you stop being friends?] She added to her note.


    "No, we never stopped being friends, and there hasn''t been a day that I haven''t thought about him since I was eight years old." The look in her eyes told me she could see the pain and heartache in my eyes.


    I could tell that she wanted to ask about Lenny, about what had happened, but she didn''t. I had a feeling that she didn''t want to seem invasive. Well, if she wanted to know then I would tell her.


    "Lenny was an Omega. When he turned six his parents and the rest of his family found out his rank. After that they didn''t love or care for him anymore. But the worst of them all was his uncle."


    [Like mine?] She seemed to already find her connection with the little boy who was lost so long ago.


    "Yes, just like yours. His uncle hated him, him and anyone like him. He endured beatings, starvation, imprisonment. Lenny was just a little boy, but he was my best friend. Our families were close, and we spent a lot of time together as kids. The problem was, his family bought into the bull shit about the weak wolves being useless. My family was never like that, my family believed that strength was rtive and could always be changed. Without training you could get weaker, with training you could always get stronger." I felt the emotions that I had been repressing for fifteen years start to surface again.


    I was feeling the anger, the rage, the sadness, the depression. Everything that I had been hiding for a long time was pouring out of me.


    "Lenny was let out less and less over the year from when he turned seven until he was eight. He woulde see us when he could but it was never frequent. But one day he just stoppeding to see us. I never saw him again." I felt the tears begin then.


    Star looked at me withpassionate eyes. I could see the sympathetic tears building in her eyes.


    "Lenny''s uncle was one of the worst men I had met, until your uncle that is. Lenny never had a chance at life, he was born into the wrong family. It was Lenny that inspired me to take over the pack, it was when I found out what had happened to him that I made that promise to myself. It was also then that I shifted for the first time. I was the youngest person to ever shift in our pack. And all I could think about when I shifted that day was that I wanted to kill Lenny''s uncle, I wanted to kill the man who had stolen the life of an innocent child. I''ve known from that day that I would never stop, never change my mind, and I didn''t care who stood in my way. I was going to take over this pack, and I was going to free all the Omegas that I could."


    Star seemed to have reached her limit. The tears she had been fighting to hold back finally spilled from her eyes. She was crying, and it was all my fault.


    But in the next second, before I could apologize she wrapped her arms around me. We had been sitting side by side on the couch, not too close but still close enough that our knees asionally bumped when we were looking over the pictures. She had just leaned in though, and snaked her arms around my neck.


    She pulled me down to her, pulling me in and resting my head on her shoulder. When her hands started to rub soothingly on my back I knew what she was doing. She wasforting me. She was trying to make me feel better, to calm my broken heart. And in that moment my love for her only grew.

 Chapter 33 - Both - Healing What’s Broken

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I didn''t really understand why, but when Artem was talking, when he was describing to me what had happened to his friend, I was just so overwhelmed with emotions. I knew he was hurting. I knew he had been hurting for a long time, and no one had been able to heal that broken heart of his.


    If I could, I would heal him. Artem was working so hard on helping me to heal, helping me to feel safe, secure, and special. The least I could do was return that favor.


    All I could think to do in that moment, though, was to hug him. The hugs I had gotten since being here, the ones from Chay and Artem, they had made me feel so calm, like nothing was bad enough to get to me anymore. I just wanted to give Artem some of that feeling.


    I had leaned in close to him, sliding my arms up his and then around his neck. I pulled him to me, pulling him down so he could rest his head on my shoulder. His upper body was leaning against me. The heat of him, the feeling of his muscr body, it was allforting to me in ways I didn''t really want to think about at the moment.


    I was holding him against me, rubbing his back gently, when the shock seemed to finally wear off for him. He wrapped his arms around me in return, holding me tight.


    There were no words in that moment, he didn''t have anything to say. He had felt tense, stiff and uncertain, when I had pulled him into my arms, but as time went on he seemed to be rxing bit by bit.


    His hands, resting in the small of my back, seemed so big, so strong, and so warm. He was so much bigger than me, so much stronger than me, that for a moment I found it strange that he was this vulnerable. But I guess physical strength and emotional strength are really very different if you think about it. I may not be a strong person, but I never gave up, I never let the bad things take over me and ruin my life. I''m certain that Artem was the same way too.


    After a few minutes I felt Artem pull away from me. He kept his arms on my shoulders as he leaned back, looking down into my eyes. There was a tenderness in his eyes that made my heart sing and nearly hum as it started to beat so fast.


    "Thank you, Star." He smiled softly and gently as he gazed lovingly down at me. I could see it now, I could see that he really did care for me, but I didn''t know what I felt for him yet. It was too soon, too chaotic in my head and heart, for me to know what I was thinking or feeling when it came to Artem.


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    When Star had pulled me in for the hug I lost all ability to think for a moment. Just feeling her hands on my back, her body pressed against mine, it was enough to let the primal part of my mind think for a moment.


    My wolf was busy purring like a cat inside my head, the damn beast didn''t even seem to remember what he was anymore. I couldn''t think of a way to stop him though, all I could think about was how lovely it felt to have her arms, body, and face pressing against me.


    Her cheek was resting against the side of my head, her hair was right there by my nose where it seemed to rest at the bend from neck to shoulder. That was where I would nt my mate mark on her when she epted me, when we finally mated with each other beyond just scenting. The intensity of her scent there, where it pooled so thickly, it was almost enough to drive me insane, mad with lust and desire.


    I had to wrap my arms around her as well, to hold her to me. I had my hands resting in the small of her back where they seemed to be catching fire. There was a ze somewhere, that was for sure.


    Still, though, I was reluctant to break the hug. I wanted to keep feeling her close to me. I wanted to feel herforting me while Iforted her right back. Together we would heal each other''s wounds, mend our broken hearts.


    After a while, I knew I needed to pull away from her. If I didn''t I might turn her innocent hug into something more, something she was not ready for. I needed to get myself under control right now, I needed to think about Star.


    With my love for her swelling within my heart, I pulled back from the hug. I ced my hands on her shoulders, reluctant to let her gopletely. I could feel my heart swelling, the aching subsiding. Her warm, caring nature had done its job, it had helped me to think of my memories of Lenny with a calm heart. I think with her around, I might one day let myself fully heal, to fully let go of my past now that I have aplished my goal.


    When I looked down at her, down at the love filled eyes she was looking at me with, I knew then that I hadn''t lost all hope, that things could definitely move forward with us eventually.


    "Thank you, Star." I didn''t know if I was thanking her for the hug or for the healing, or were they the same thing. Whatever you wanted to call it I would never forget what she had just done for me.


    Once my heart had finally settled down from that escapade, the two of us got back to looking over the books I had brought. I felt like this whole thing brought us closer together, tore down walls so to speak. All in all, I think it was a great night, and the two of us were working on ways to heal what had been broken.

 Chapter 34 - Star - A Day With Chay Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I hadn''t expected for yesterday to be so nice. I didn''t know what to expect at first, but it soon became a day that I was happy to have lived. I never thought that I would learn so much about the pack, about the people in this house, or about Artem.


    I wanted to continue getting to know them, gettingfortable around them, and being here with them all together. I was finally starting to be happy, I was finally starting to let myself stop being afraid.


    I went down to breakfast with everyone, again, and was happy to see everyone happily sitting around the table. I went to sit in my usual seat on the end and was happy to see that Reed and Bailey were nearby as well.


    When Artem and Chay brought the food in together Artem sat in his usual spot just around the corner of the table from me. I had been nervous the first time he had sat there. At that time I had still been quite intimidated by them all. But now, I knew what nice people they all were and how kind Artem truly was. Though I did still seem to feel nervous with him sitting there, it was just a different kind of nervousness. One that was a little pleasant and very confusing.


    The conversation was positive for the most part, but subdued as everyone was either too tired or too focused on their food to talk. But when we were almost done eating, Chay called out to me.


    "Hey, Star, do you want to go shopping with me today?" I felt my eyes pop and the gasp try to be audible, but it was blocked by the food that was still in my mouth. Gasping with food in your mouth is not rmended, since when I did it I began to choke on the food I was eating. The yolk of the fried eggs went down my windpipe first, then it was quickly followed by the egg whites.


    I was coughing and gasping for air around the food, trying to get my head and body to start functioning properly again.


    "Chay, what are you doing." Artem scolded her as he leaned across the table. I felt hisrge, strong hand begin to beat gently against my back. His hand would pat, pat, pat, three times then rub in three small circles. This pattern continued until I could breath. "Don''t surprise people when they''re putting food in their mouth." He added as he looked at her angrily.


    "I didn''t mean to surprise her. How was I supposed to know that she would almost choke to death from a simple question." Despite the words themselves she was actually smiling andughing at the odd predicament that had found myself in.


    I took one long, though slightly shaky, breath and was able topose myself somewhat. I grabbed my pen and wrote a quick note to Artem.


    [I''m fine now, thank you]


    "Are you sure?" He looked worried after he read the note but I just nodded my head and reaffirmed that I was better now.


    After that I turned to Chay and wrote a note to her.


    [Shopping? Where?]


    "The mall in the city." She was smiling happily at me when she said this. "I want to look for something special for you."


    [Why?]


    "For your birthday of course." I seemed to have done something funny because Chay wasughing at me with a gleeful face.


    "I don''t know if it''s safe for you guys to go out alone. There should be someone else with you at least." Artem seemed worried, more worried than I thought he would be. "Do you want to go Star?" He asked me as he looked down to see my reaction. I nodded my head. I was surprised by it at first, yes, but I was still happy to be getting out and about.


    "Alright, if you want her to have more man power with us, then youe along." Chay was looking pointedly at Atem when she made this deration to him. "Who better to protect her than you?" She seemed to be having fun goading him intoing with us, but for some reason, Artem didn''t look affected by her words.


    "Fine, then I wille along." He was grinning.


    "Only condition is, you have to hang back and let us have some girl time. We will yell for you if we need you." I watched as his face fell then, she had cut him down at the knees and he was unable to ovee that condition. Things were not looking up for him, but I couldn''t help myself, Iughed. I didn''t hold it in this time, I actuallyughed at the look on his face.


    Every face in the room turned to stare at me with a surprised expression in their eyes. I had immediately pped a hand over my mouth, embarrassed by my quick outburst.


    "Oh my Goddess, youughed." Chay was staring at me.


    "It''s a miracle." Morgan grinned.


    "I can''t believe it." Reed added with a hint ofughter.


    "I''ve never heard youugh before." Bailey looked like he was going to cry.


    "Beautiful." Artem''s word was whispered so even I barely heard it, but he was smiling so happily when I looked into his face.


    Everyone was ready to go just a few minutester. Chay hurried through her meal and ran upstairs to get her purse. I didn''t have a purse and it was nice weather outside so I didn''t need to wear a jacket, I was already ready to go.


    Artem yed chauffeur for us as he drove into the city, Chay and I sitting in the back and talking. Well, she was talking, I was writing. We talked about nothing really, just chit chatting about random things. That is, until she asked me the same thing my cousin did yesterday.


    "Are you ever going to talk to Artem?" She whispered into my ear so quietly that I knew Artem didn''t hear the question.


    [Eventually] I grinned at her.


    "Why are you still waiting?" She whispered again.


    [He looks kind of cute when he has to read my notes, I can''t help it] I smiled broadly as I thought about it.


    "Cute? My brother? As if." Sheughed quietly, shaking from the effort to hold it all in.


    [I don''t know, I think it''s cute] I was looking at the side of Artem''s face as she read those words.


    "You like him don''t you?" She was staring at me intently, no joking in her tone now. "Like, you don''t really know how to feel about him but you want him around. He makes your heart race and your stomach do crazy things?" I gasped but nodded at her words.


    [How do you know?]


    "It means you like him." She was ginning at me.


    I didn''t know what to think about all this, she had given me a lot to think about. But I had to put it out of my mind, because we had finally reached our destination.


    The three of us got out of the Jeep that I learned was Chay''s, it wasn''t the same car we had driven in yesterday but I remembered this one from the other day. When we had arrived, I hadn''t needed to open my door, Artem moved quickly and opened it for me, taking my hand and helping me down from the seat.


    I just grinned, thinking about what Chay had been saying. Did I like him? I''m not an idiot, I know about love and feelings, but I had never experienced it before so I didn''t know what to feel. But I knew I liked being around Artem, and I liked the way he made me feel.

 Chapter 35 - Star - A Day With Chay Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    When we entered the mall there was a huge fountain right in the center, it was really pretty and I found it hard to want to leave there. But, soon enough Chay came forward and wrapped her arm around mine, hanging on like I had seen people do in that TV show she had turned on for me before.


    "You, sit here and wait for us." Chay gave him a long stare before dragging me away. "Bye bye." She wiggled her fingers at him as we left. I looked over my shoulder and waved sheepishly.


    Chay was looking all around the building, at the shops, with a smile on her face. I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed and unsure. There were so many people here and so many stores. I was simply at a loss.


    "Where to start first?" Chay questioned out loud. "Is there anything you want?" She looked at me eagerly.


    [I don''t know] I answered honestly.


    "What, I thought with Artem not right with us you would talk."


    [Too many people] I was feeling nervous already, but I also wanted to get used to real life. This was so hard.


    "Yeah, I guess there are quite a few. Good thing we didn''te on the weekend though, then it would be packed." She wasughing about that. I was d that it wasn''t ''packed'' because then I could just imagine how many people would be here.


    "Well,e on, let''s go look around. We will see if anything catches your eye."


    Chay pulled me along then, taking me to different stores one after the other. There were a lot of different things I was not used to, and things I was interested in. There was a wall full of purses in one of the stores, and most of them looked cute. I will admit that there were some that made me wonder what they had been thinking when they had made them, but I don''t understand fashion that much so it was probably just me.


    There was a purse I really liked, and I kept looking at it. It was the color that had caught my attention. It was a deep forest green but it was made out of some type of color changing material, because when the light hit it just right it would look lighter. It made me think of Artem''s eyes.


    "Do you like that one?" Chay asked me, noticing the attention I was paying to it. The purse was much simpler than the others around it. It had two small pockets on the front and two zippers on the top under a p to ess the inside. The strap was long and a little wider than that of the others, but not by too much. The zippers were ck as was the trim around the edges. There was also one lone ck paw print of the p. It really was cute. I nodded my head to tell her I did like that purse.


    "Do you want me to buy it for you?" She asked me, smiling. I shook my head no, shocked she would even offer. "Why are we here if not to buy you something.


    [I don''t really want anything, but if I am going to get something I want it to be perfect]


    "What do you mean?" She was confused, the look in her eyes and the tilt of her head was more than indicative of that.


    [I don''t want to get the first thing that I like. What if I find something betterter?]


    "Then I will get you both. I will buy you whatever you want."


    "NO!" I said the word this time instead of writing it.


    "Why not?" She almost sounded like she was whining.


    "I don''t want you feeling the need to get me something. You don''t have to." I didn''t know how to tell her that it made me feel bad to have her buy it for me. I was mooching off them, taking advantage of them. I couldn''t let them buy me everything I wanted.


    "I think I understand." She was smiling at me, happily. "Don''t worry, we will find the perfect thing for you to get." That made me happy, she was finally getting what I meant.


    Chay took my arm again and we continued to walk around. But she had a small rectangle in her hand that kept lighting up as we walked.


    "What''s that?" I asked in a hushed voice so those around me couldn''t hear me.


    "This is my phone." She seemed shocked at first that I had asked then seemed to think better of it. "Of course you''ve probably never used one." She had a look on her face that was clearly saying ''Geez Chay, you''re an idiot''. Iughed at her then, and of course the look she was giving herself.


    "No, I haven''t." I was shaking my head. "But I''ve seen them on the shows you had me watch, and I''ve read about them. They help you talk to people that aren''t around you."


    "Yeah, and you can send messages that are typed out, written, so they can read them."


    "That''s pretty nice, it would have been easier than writing all my messages." Iughed again, thinking about how much faster that would have been. But, in reality, it probably wouldn''t have been, since I didn''t know how to use that thing.


    "I will show you how to use it when we get home." She smiled, seemingly having picked up on my inner thoughts.


    "Ok." I nodded as well, agreeing fully.


    The next store she took me to had dresses. There were dresses of many different types and colors. I had never seen so much color in one ce before and it was kind of a shock to the eyes.


    "Oh, I think this one will suit you so well." She was grinning at me as she held a dress up to me. The dress in question was a light silver color, just a few shades off from white really. It was sleeveless and fastened behind the neck, the top was low cut and the front of the dress came down to what looked to be the knees, at least that''s where I guessed it would end, the back, was a little longer, just enough to start trailing on the floor. It really did look pretty, but I didn''t know about it being good for me.


    "Come on, try it on, please?" Chay begged, giving me puppy dog eyes and a pleading look.


    "Ok." I agreed, I didn''t want to disappoint her.


    I took the dress and was led over to a changing room. I took the clothes I was wearing off and folded them neatly on the little bench that was in the stall like room. Once I was undressed I stepped into the dress from the top. Slowly, I pulled it up my body and did my best to fasten it behind my head by myself, the fact that I did it after a minute or two was actually a miracle.


    "How does it look?" Chay''s voice came through the door.


    After her question I finally looked at myself in the mirror that hung on the door. The color of the dress made my naturally paleplexion stand out a little more, and my eyes, a bright blue, seemed to look a little bright and a little more luminescent with me wearing the dress. It showed how thin I was, but it didn''t look bad. And even the low cut front wasn''t too bad, it didn''t show anything.


    "Come on, Star, let me see." Chay encouraged me, so I opened the door and let her see the dress on me herself. "Oh my Goddess, Star. That dress is amazing. Just like I thought, it suits you perfectly. You look like a real shining star, zing through the night sky. You''re beautiful."


    "Th-thank y-you." I stuttered, embarrassed and pleased at the same time.


    "We are so getting that for you."


    "But what if I find something else?" I was pleading now.


    "I don''t care, you''ll get both, but you are definitely getting that dress." She seemed determined and set on getting it for me, and I couldn''t fight her off.


    Once the dress was off and I was in my other clothes again, we went straight to the counter and Chay bought that dress for me. I didn''t even know what I was going to use the dress for.


    "Now, we need to buy you a pair of shoes to go with this." Chay grabbed my hand and left the shop excitedly.

 Chapter 36 - Star - A Day With Chay Part 3

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The shoes Chay wanted to get me were ck and had a long skinny heel. But I had never worn anything like them before. I would most definitely have killed myself if I tried walking in them. So, she settled for a pair of ck sandals thatces up my shin a little. The sandals were still ck and there was a slight lift in the back of the shoe that would still make me a little taller.


    I admit, the shoes were cute and I was actually happy she had bought me them and the dress for me. But I couldn''t let her get me anything else.


    When we were in the clothing store, I made sure not to tell her which things I thought looked cute. When we were buying those sandals, I didn''t tell her which pair of slip-on sneakers (what she had called them) that I had liked. I didn''t tell her which jewelry I liked. I didn''t tell her anything that I liked because she had done enough already.


    Regardless though, I was having a lot of fun. This day was better than I had ever thought possible, and I was talking to Chay more and more with less anxiety about it all.


    We were currently waiting at a ce near the food court, a ce where you could get something called a soft pretzel. Chay told me that the pretzel was good, especially when dipped in the cheese. I was going to take her word for it and try it for myself so she had gone to get the food and some drinks. We had been walking so long that we worked up quite the appetite.


    I could see Chay where she was standing in line. She had told me to sit at the table and wait for her, which I was happy to do since I was so tired.


    I hadn''t been at the table for more than a minute when there was arge group of people that cut through the dining area, blocking my view of Chay. This didn''t feel right. Something was off. I didn''t like that I couldn''t see Chay, because that meant she couldn''t see me either.


    I felt my pulse start to quicken as my heart thumped against my chest. I did my best to sit still and stay calm, this wouldn''tst long.


    No sooner had I thought that though than someone grabbed me from behind.


    A hand was ced over my mouth to silence the scream they thought I was going to let out. And they were right, I was getting more and more used to using my voice and I fully intended to scream.


    Just after the hand was over my mouth they started to pull me out of my seat. And then their scent hit my nose. Mildew and muddy water. That''s what she smelled like. I knew exactly who it was. It was Lisa, my cousin. And I saw out of the corner of my eye that she had pulled me back against her in a vice like grip.


    "Howie is going to be so happy that I''ve brought you home, and in time for your birthday no less." She was speaking in a disgusting tone, something between a sneer and fawning over that disgusting man.


    "Leph mee go." I tried to scream the words through her hand, but they came out muffled and distorted.


    "Let you go? No, I don''t think so. You caused us all too much trouble. And it''s because of you that my brother is dead you bitch." She was backing away from the food court, away from Chay. I didn''t know what else to do, I needed to get away.


    She was pinning my arms to my sides as she carried me, my toes dragging on the floor. I kicked and thrashed around to the best of my abilities but she just wouldn''t let go.


    I needed a weapon, something to fight her off of me with. But I had nothing. All I had was my notepad and pen. AND MY PEN! That would work. I just needed to get my hand into my pocket to grab the long thin piece of stic and metal from my jeans.


    I was d it didn''t take me long to grab a hold of the pen, we were only about a hundred feet from the ce where I had been sitting. I gripped the pen in my left hand, the one that could move just a little more than the other. I took a deep, steadying breath, closed my eyes, and swung up with the pen in hand.


    "AAAAHHHHHH! OOWWWWWW!" I heard Lisa screaming in pain when I felt the pen break through the flesh of her face. Instantly the blood that was pouring out of the wound started to drench the top of my head, soaking into my hair. On reflex, she put her left hand to her face to stem the blood flow and also to cradle her injured cheek.


    "You little bitch." She growled into my face, spit and blood flying from her mouth and flecking my face in the spray.


    With her grip on me lessened I was able to break myself free from her, removing her hand from my mouth. She instantly tried to grab me back but I was already filling my lungs, preparing for a scream.


    "ARTEM!" I screamed his name as loud as I could. Lisa had dragged me down a side hallway, something that looked like it was used by staff members only.


    "Shut up." She growled again, ignoring the pain in her face to grab me again.


    Lisa''s left hand curled its fingers into my hair. She yanked hard, pulling my head back and eliciting a whimper of pain from me.


    "Huh, looks like you do feel the pain after all." She joked as she raised her fist.


    I knew what was about to happen. She was going to strike me in the side of the head, and hard. Lisa had been one of the ones who enjoyed beating me the most. She would put a lot of power and thought into each blow she dealt me.


    I braced for the blow, for her fist to strike my face or the side of my head. But before she could hit me, there was a loud, menacing growl.

 Chapter 37 - Artem - A Day With Chay Part 4

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was d I was going with Star and Chay, but when Chay set her condition that I was to watch from afar it kind of irked me. But then, not ten minutes after getting to the mall I got a text message from Chay.


    :C: Just like I expected, she doesn''t want me to spend money on her, so you are going to go and buy everything that I tell you to.


    :A: Seriously? Why won''t she let you buy them?


    :C: Think about it genius, she thinks she doesn''t deserve them. And so I won''t buy them like I promised. But I never told her that you wouldn''t buy them.


    :A: That''s sneaky, but I''m totally in. What am I buying first?


    :C: I will send you pictures of what she is most interested in.


    :A: Got it.


    The first thing that Chay sent a picture of was Star looking at a little green purse along with the store name it was at. I knew that I was going to have my work cut out for me. That''s when I called Kent and asked him for his help. I might not be able to carry all this myself.


    I had bought the purse as instructed and was waiting for more messages toe my way when Kent joined me.


    "So, you''re on a treasure hunt for your mate today, huh?" He smiled.


    "She won''t let Chay buy her anything. But Chay is sending me info on what it is she wants and I can get it for her."


    "How much are you going to get?"


    "As much as she wants." I grinned at him, thinking of how happy Star was going to be.


    After a few more minutes I got a message from Chay that actually had Star wearing this really pretty silver dress. I felt my heart pound, my jaw drop, and butterflies take flight in my stomach. She looked so beautiful, so glorious, so perfect.


    "Whoooooo. Now that''s a nice look for her." Kent was looking over my shoulder and whistled when he saw the picture. Instantly I saw red and growled, but I got myself under control. This is my best friend, my beta, not to mention he has his own mate too.


    "She does look beautiful doesn''t she."


    I expected to get a message that said I needed to go buy that dress, but it turned out that Chay forced Star to get the dress and then they were off to get some shoes to go with it.


    From there I was sent to get a specific pair of shoes, a shirt, some sunsses, a watch and a ne, so many different things at so many different stores. The bags were piling up but I was looking forward to making my Star shine with a massive smile on her face.


    Kent didn''t seem to be having the best time, since he was holding onto all of the stuff that I was buying for Star. He would stay outside the store while I ran in and found the item. It was an efficient routine.


    After a couple hours I got a message that they were getting something to eat. I thought it was the right time for us to take a break as well. I knew they were at the pretzel stand so I decided to sit on the opposite side, near the pizza ce. Kent was content with that, he loved pizza more than I did.


    For some reason, I just felt off. There were a lot of people in the food court, but they were just walking around, they weren''t buying anything at all, just milling about. Whatever was going on, it was making me feel uneasy.


    "Does something feel off to you?" I asked Kent just as he was about to shove a piece of pizza into his mouth.


    "Not really. I mean there are more people in this area than I expected, but nothing that really feels off. Why?"


    "I don''t know. I just get this feeling that something is wrong. Like something is about to happen."


    "Like what?" He was confused now, his pizzapletely abandoned.


    "Something to do with Star and Chay."


    "Do you want to go check on them?" I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to be able to say that it was all just my imagination. I wanted to just ignore it and just say it''s me being paranoid and over protective. But I couldn''t do that, something wouldn''t let me.


    "Yeah, I think we should. I think I need to go see what is going on with them right now. I need to see them, both of them, to make sure that they''re safe."


    "Alright. Do you want me to go with you or stay here?"


    "Stay here, if Star sees you or me carrying everything then she will know what we did."


    "Good point, then you go check on your mate and your sister and I will guard your things." Heughed lightheartedly, trying to tell me I was blowing it all out of proportion, but I knew that I wasn''t.


    I rose to my feet slowly, moving with fluid yet alert steps. I was monitoring all of the surroundings the best that I could. I was looking for people who looked off, people that smelled off, and people that felt off to me. This was going to be a tense few moments.


    While I was walking toward the ce I knew the girls were supposed to be I caught a whiff of something stale and disgusting. It smelled like the people from Star''s family. Seriously, how could they all smell so horrible?


    That scent made me go into panic mode. Did they know Star was here? Were they trying to get her? Would I be in time to save her? I had to find her, and quickly.


    I looked at the tables and the line near the pretzel stand. I saw Chay standing in line, but I didn''t see Star at all. Star should have been with her, or sitting somewhere close to her. Where was she? Where did she go? Did they have her?


    As soon as those thoughts flitted through my mind I heard a howling scream of pain quickly followed by a curse and someone yelling.


    "ARTEM!"

 Chapter 38 - Artem - A Day With Chay Part 5

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I heard Star yell out to me. She had called my name.


    "ARTEM!" She had called me for help, she had made certain that I could hear her voice this time and she called out to me.


    I took off running then. Following the quickly fading echoes and the faint traces of her scent. That nasty smelling rtive of hers was wrapped around her as they had tried to take her away.


    I heard the sound of a scuffle. Someone was trying to get her again.


    "Shut up!" A woman''s voice answered Star''s yell for me. Following that shout I heard something that made my wolf furious. I heard Star''s voice issue a sound of pain.


    It was only a whimper, but that meant they were already hurting her.


    "Huh, looks like you do feel the pain after all." There wasughter in the woman''s voice as she said those words.


    I had rounded the corner of the maintenance hallway then, catching sight of the two of them. A tall, strong looking woman with nasty pale yellow hair and yellow eyes had her hand fisted in Star''s beautiful hair. With that grip the woman had pulled Star''s head back very far, painfully far.


    It was clear the woman was intending to hit Star, she was aiming to hurt my mate. I would never let that happen, not again. She was going to stop and she was going to pay.


    I saw the intent in the woman''s eyes as she red down at Star. She was too focused on her task that she didn''t notice meing at her. When I growled, low and menacingly, it caught herpletely by surprise.


    The ugly woman snapped her head up to look at me, anger filling her gaze as she narrowed her eyes at me.


    "Who the fuck are you?" She snapped at me.


    "Your whole family needs to socialize more. Or, better yet, do us all a favor and don''t. But to answer your question, I am the Alpha of the Hidden Paw."


    "Fuck you, the Alpha of this pack is not some piece of shit like you, he''s a strong and fierce man."


    "A strong and fierce man that I killed. Now, kindly take your hands off that girl, or I will take your hands off you." She didn''t seem toprehend what I was saying, she just stared at me with confusion and disdain.


    "You did not kill Jesiah, you couldn''t have."


    I was tired of her words, and I was more tired of her touching my mate. I reached forward, gripping the wrist of the hand that was twisted in Star''s hair. I gripped that wrist hard, with a deadly amount of strength. I heard and felt the bones snapping immediately. Her howl of pain was not needed to confirm that I had just crushed every bone in her wrist.


    I heard the sound of pounding footstepsing up behind me, the scent told me it was Kent. He was actually less than a minute behind when I had arrived, but it had felt like a lot longer. But I was d he was here, I needed him to watch over this piece of filth while I looked over my girl.


    After having her wrist crushed, the putrid piece of scum that tried to im a familial bond with my mate had let go of Star''s hair. Her hand no longer had any feeling left in it to maintain a grip like that.


    There were tears in the woman''s eyes and a grimace on her face, still though, I could see the anger and hatred burning inside of her.


    "You''ll pay for this." She growled at me.


    "No, bitch, you''re the one that''s going to pay. You are going to pay for touching what''s mine." I saw the shock register in her eyes then, the genuine surprise that was caused by me referring to Star as mine.


    "You''re lying."


    "Haven''t we been over this already you imbecile, I''m not lying to you. I have not reason to lie to you."


    "This can''t be. When my Howard finds out he is going-."


    "I don''t fucking care what you think he is going to do. He won''t have her, ever."


    "She belongs to him. You will see. She is his and no one else can have her. Just you wait. You''ll see."


    I was beyond done listening to her inane babble. I struck out, hard and fast, with my right hand, hitting her with such tremendous force that she fell straight to the floor.


    "Kent, take her back to the house for me."


    "Inside?" He asked me and I knew exactly what he had meant. He was asking if I wanted her locked up inside or outside. This was going to get messy and I didn''t want to clean afterwards.


    "Outside." I grinned down at her, thinking of how she was going to pay for what she had done.


    Kent fisted his hand in her hair, just like she had done to Star. When his grip was set he started dragging the woman down that hallway. He would be taking care of her really well until I got there. He hated people like her just as much as I did.


    We could still hear the sound of the struggle, the woman kicking, but thankfully not screaming, as she was dragged from the side entrance of the mall. Kent would make sure that no one saw the two of them as he stuffed her in the back of his car, but not before knocking her unconscious.


    I didn''t care about them anymore though. It was time for me to check on Star, to see if she was ok.


    The whole ordeal onlysted a few minutes, but still, I knew it could be devastating to the progress Star had been making.


    During the struggle Star had been knocked to her knees and she was looking up at me with scared, tear filled eyes. I moved slowly as I went toward her.


    "Are you alright?" I asked her, worry and sorrow filling my voice.


    As soon as I was close enough Star threw her arms around my neck.


    "Artem." She cried my name as she buried her face against my chest. I could feel the tears soaking through almost immediately.


    "Shh. Shh. Shh." I was rubbing soothing circles onto her back as I shushed her. She was shaking as I held her, as she cried against me.


    I sat then, all the way down on the floor, pulling her into myp as I did so. I rocked side to side, still making calming noises for a few moments.


    "It''s OK, Star, it''s OK. I''m here, I will always be there for you. I promised you didn''t I? You will never have to go back to them ever again.


    "I was so scared, Artem. I thought I was going to go back to my family, back to Uncle Howard."


    "I won''t let that happen. I promise I will alwayse to save you." I was hugging her tight, holding her close, helping her to calm down just as much as myself. "You''re safe now, you''re safe."


    "I''m sorry, Artem, I''m so sorry."


    "What do you have to be sorry for?" I was confused now.


    "For being weak, for needing you to save me again."


    "I will save you ten million times if I have to. That''s what you mean to me. I will alwayse for you."


    "Really?" She seemed to need another confirmation and I would dly give it.


    "Really. I will save you forever, and even beyond that. I love you Star."


    "Artem." She cried my name then, but it didn''t sound like a bad cry. She sounded relieved to hear what I had said.


    "Come on." I said as I stood with her in my arms. "Let''s go home."


    "What about Chay?" She was still worried about others.


    "I will have her meet us at the car."


    "OK."


    "I will take you out the side door over here, so people don''t see me carrying you." I knew that would most likely embarrass her and make her feel worse.


    "Thank you."


    "Think nothing of it Star."


    I carried her out the door and to the car. Chay was already waiting there in the driver''s seat. Kent must have contacted her already.


    "Get in and let''s go." She yelled out the window.


    I wasn''t feeling up to arguing with her at all, and there was no reason to anyway. I simply opened the back door of the Jeep and sat with Star on myp.


    "Let''s go." I told her firmly.


    "No need to tell me, I was already going." With those words spoken she shifted the car into gear and off we went.

 Chapter 39 - Star- Safe And Sound

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I had not moved or said anything since Artem had picked me up to carry me out of the mall. I didn''t try to get off hisp when he sat with me in the back of Chay''s car. I think I was in some sort of shock, afraid to move or speak because that would just lead to me screaming or crying, or both.


    What was I going to do? How could I live my life if my family kept trying to get me whenever I left the house? What kind of life was that for me?


    Yeah, I may be free of them, free to roam around the pack house and free to do as I pleased. But if I couldn''t leave the house, if my family still made me a prisoner in a different type of cell, then how could I really count myself as free?


    No, I wouldn''t let them rob me of my freedom. I wouldn''t let them hold me down any longer. Yes I was scared by this episode. Yes, I felt like I was nearly traumatized and wanted to hide away, but I wouldn''t. I was going to be stronger than that. I was going to be the one in control here. It was time for the real me to rise up.


    After a few steadying breaths, and once the mall was starting to recede in the distance, I raised my head and looked around me. Momentarily avoiding Artem''s eyes and his worried look. After a few moments though, I looked into his eyes and felt how much he cared for me with the look he was giving me.


    "Are you alright?" He asked me. He knew I wasn''t truly injured, he had looked me over briefly before carrying me away. So that must mean he was asking about my emotional state.


    "I''m alright." I gave him my answer in a calm and steady voice, something I didn''t think I would have managed.


    "It''s OK to be scared or nervous." I heard Chay call back to me from the front seat. "What happened to you just now would scare just about anyone."


    "I know. And I am scared, but I''m also OK. I know I should be falling apart, but I''m not going to. I want to be stronger than that. I want to be stronger than them." There was a smile on Artem''s face, something that spoke of pride.


    "Is there something I can do to help you?" He was looking at me so intently, with a warm soothing look. "Anything." He added, emphasizing his willingness to help me.


    "Just be prepared for me to stumble a few times. Pick me up if I fall."


    "Always." He grinned. "I will be there for you whenever you need me, I will pick you up when you fall. But I am going to believe in you too. I am going to believe that you can do this."


    "Thank you, Artem." I smiled as I felt the blush spread across my face. I had never really felt like this before. I felt embarrassed but happy as well.


    "I should be thanking you." He was still smiling, still looking at me with one of the happiest and most content looks I had ever seen.


    "Why?" I wondered as I tilted my head to the side while staring at his handsome face.


    "Because you''re talking to me." That''s when it hit me, I really had thrown all caution to the wind and had started talking to him.


    "Oh." I think I was blushing again, I was very embarrassed now. "W-well, to be fair, I was ready to talk to you for a few days now."


    "Why didn''t you?" He looked hurt, heartbroken.


    "Your reactions to me writing out my responses were kind of cute." I don''t know why but I answered him honestly.


    "Really?" He didn''t look upset anymore, quite the opposite actually, he looked really happy as he beamed down at me. I couldn''t think of what to say so I just nodded at him.


    "Then I will forgive you, because you''re so very cute yourself." Ok, now I knew what he felt when I called him cute just now. I felt like my heart was going to beat a hole right through my chest since it was pounding so hard. What was wrong with me?


    I suddenly realized I was still sitting on Artem''sp with his arms wrapped protectively around me. That just about made my heart stop altogether, the shock of it felt like it was lethal.


    "Uh, um, I uh, I think I-I should s-sit in the seat now."


    "We''re almost home now, you might as well stay." Artem smirked, the look heated with something that I couldn''t figure out just yet.


    "B-but-." I trailed off after that since he had tightened his hold around me, making my heart start beating again, at a super sonic pace.


    "I really don''t want to let you go just yet. Is that alright? I will set you down when we get home, but will you stay with me for now?" How could I refuse him when he asked so sweetly? How could I refuse him when he looked at me with such a heartbroken expression? Once again I just nodded to answer him. "Thank you." He beamed at me with a look that could chase away any and all negative feelings.


    Artem was right though, we got back to the house after just another five minutes or so. It was indeed just a little while longer that I rode on hisp. When the car came to a stop I felt his arms tighten for just a moment before he opened the door. He slid from the car with me and ced me on my feet all in the same motion. He had lived up to what he had promised me.


    "I love you." His words were so quiet that I almost didn''t hear them but they warmed my heart nheless. I hoped this was real, because I think Chay was right, I like Artem, a lot.

 Chapter 40 - Star - A Long Talk Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Once I was on my feet and Artem pulled away from me, Chay grabbed my hand and began to pull me away.


    "Come on, let''s get you inside. We need to talk." She sounded so intent when she spoke, like there was still something wrong and she had to protect me. I didn''t know what the issue was but I let her pull me along. Just before I was pulled into the house I looked over my shoulder and gave a small wave to Artem. Telling him bye was the least I could do, right?


    I didn''t miss the smile on his face when I waved at him either.


    Chay didn''t stop pulling me along behind her until we were back in my room. She kept her hand wrapped firmly around mine as she stomped silently through the house. When we were back in my room she pulled me all the way over to the couch and sat me down. With a sigh she flopped down on the couch next to me.


    "Chay? Is something wrong?"She looked really upset when I saw her face, something I hadn''t noticed when she was pulling me along behind her.


    "Is-." She looked like she was having trouble for a moment before she took a deep breath and tried again. "Is something wrong, she asks me. Is something wrong?"


    Chay threw her hands in the air like she was frustrated. I had a feeling she was angry about something. And I was pretty sure I knew what it was.


    "I''m sorry Chay." I lowered my head in shame and fear.


    "Sorry?" I had made it worse apparently since she seemed to shout that one word. I flinched reflexively at the volume and intensity of it. "What are you sorry for?"


    "For causing problems. For ruining the day you had nned. For making things getplicated."


    "Are you serious?" She looked at me like I was some kind of pest, anger and frustration practically dripped off of her.


    "I''ve cause so many problems." I felt my eyes stinging now, like I was going to cry at any moment.


    "Star!" She snapped at me, saying my name in a firm tone. I flinched again, unable to stop myself. "You have nothing to be sorry for. What have we told you before?" She was breathing heavily, like she was angry, but she was looking at me with sorrow in her eyes.


    The tears I was fighting to hold back finally broke through my tenuous control. I didn''t know exactly why I was crying, this whole situation was my fault after all.


    "Star." She said my name again, but softly this time. "Sweety I am sorry."


    That was when Chay wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me against her, cradling my head against her chest. I felt Chay''s hands rubbing soothingly against my back as she rocked ever so slightly from side to side, so slightly that it was almost imperceptible.


    "I''m sorry I sounded so angry." Her voice was calm, soothing, as she held me against her. "I am not mad at you, Star. And you have nothing to be sorry for."


    I still didn''t know how to act in a world outside of the cer. I still didn''t know how to act properly around people. I thought I had been doing so much better, but I guess I was wrong.


    "Star, the only people at fault today is that bitch who tried to take you away and me."


    Chay''s words surprised me so much that I jumped and pulled away from her.


    "You?" I asked her, knowing that my face must have mirrored the question that I was asking with the amount of confusion I was feeling. "What are you talking about Chay? This was all my fault."


    "That''s what I don''t get." She looked at me sternly. "How can you me yourself for what others have done to you?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "You''re ming yourself because that psycho ass twat waffle tried to kidnap you. How is that in any way your fault?"


    "Well, I ran away from them, it only makes sense that they would try to get me back. And because I ran away from them I have done nothing but cause problems for all of you."


    "In case you have forgotten, remember that Artem was there that night to rescue you."


    "Only because I had tried running away before that night and ran into Kent."


    "Oh my Goddess, how the hell can you keep doing this? Stop. Stop it all. You are not at fault. The pieces of shit that call themselves your family are the ones at fault here. Them and me because I knew it was dangerous and I still left you alone. I still let you sit there with the chance of all of this happening."


    "But you could see me and I could see you, you had made certain of that."


    "Yes, but I never ounted for you being hidden from me by arge group of people. So I am still at fault and I will own up to that."


    "But-."


    "No buts. ept it. I am partially at fault but that cara de pa?al is most at fault here." Chay still looked angry but her tone was much softer and gentler now. "There is something you need to learn to ept Star." She was looking at me with determination but also something a lot softer.


    "And what is that?"


    "To stop ming yourself. You were not the reason why those people treated you so badly. You were not the reason that your life was a living hell. You were not the reason your mother died. And you were not at fault for today. Nothing that we have done since you''ve been here is your fault either. You didn''t make us do anything, or not do anything. We all made our choices, and like pendejos we made decisions for you too." She looked repentant now as she was lecturing me.

 Chapter 41 - Star - A Long Talk Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    "That''s three times now you''ve said something I don''t quite understand. But aside from that, you are right, I do me myself a lot. But, I think I am just conditioned to do that. Every time someone came to see me when I was with my family, it seemed like they were always ming something on me so it''s just habit."


    "Yeah, well, I will break you of that habit." She grinned. "How about I pinch you if you me yourself unnecessarily." She had a mischievous look in her eyes when she said that.


    "Um, n-no thank you." I stammered a little as I tried to answer that.


    "Fine, I will find another way. But as long as you understand that today was not your fault."


    "Yeah, but-."


    "No buts." She cut me off again. "Today. Was. Not. Your. Fault." She was ring at me, though it looked more yful than mean. "Say it."


    "But."


    "Say it." She insisted again.


    "Fine." I sighed. "Today was not my fault." I could barely force the words out.


    "Good girl, now say it again."


    "Today was not my fault." It was easier to say it this time.


    "See. It''s getting easier for you to believe that isn''t?" She looked at me with a smile that lit up her face. "As far as I can tell, Star, you''ve never done anything wrong, ever."


    "Well, I stabbed Lisa." I hung my head in shame.


    "Is that the bitch from today?" I nodded to answer her. "Then that isn''t considered bad at all. You did that to save your life."


    "I still hurt someone. It was wrong of me."


    "And what would she have done to you if she had gotten you all the way back to your uncle''s house?" I shuddered at her words, just at the idea of what she was telling me. Then, as I thought about it more I shuddered again, just for good measure. "You see what I mean. That perra doesn''t need you to feel sorry for her, she''s sorry for her own existence."


    "Now it''s four." I wasughing now when I said this. Chay was really trying to make me stop ming myself and to make me feel better.


    "What''s four?" She looked confused.


    "Four things you said that I don''t understand." I was still smiling but I answered her anyway.


    "What were they?"


    "Para or something like that. Pen something, car something and-."


    "Yeah I can guess thest one." She wasughing. "Most of what I said was just Spanish, I learned it because of my aunt. Plus I had a new appreciation for thenguage recently when I threw what my brother now calls the doom book at his head." She wasughing as she remembered something fondly. "And thest one, which was twat waffle I am guessing, it''s just a really funny insult to call someone, but it''s very crude."


    "Oh." I didn''t understand half of what she said. "What''s a doom book?"


    "The Spanish dictionary that I threw at Artem when he went and acted like a moron the other day." She wasughing even harder now, that must have been a good memory for her.


    "I hope you didn''t hurt him." I was worried about Artem now, even though it had been a while since she had hit him.


    "He''s fine, if anything I smartened his ass up."


    "By hitting him." I was still shocked.


    "You really do like him don''t you?" I blushed then, so fiercely that I felt like my face was going to catch on fire.


    "I, it''s not, I just, he''s really, I just want, yeah." I stuttered and stammered through many starts and stops to that sentence until Inded on the truth.


    "That''s good, he will be happy."


    "Don''t tell him." I begged her but not really knowing why.


    "Why not?"


    "I don''t know. I just don''t think that I should tell him yet. Not after what happened."


    "Alright, I won''t tell him." She smiled and looked like she was content, she didn''t seem like she was going to tell him, which made me happy.


    "Thank you."


    "No prob, what''re friends for? But I think you should tell him before too long."


    "I-I will."


    "Good." She stood then. "I am going to go find out about some food, I''m hungry."


    "Ok."


    After Chay closed the door I realized that I didn''t really want to leave the room yet because I had way too much to think about. Not to mention that I needed to get myself cleaned up. I could feel the blood from Lisa stiffening in my hair.


    I walked to my bathroom and started the shower with very hot water. I stripped away the clothes I was wearing and threw them directly into the trash. I didn''t want the clothes anymore after she had touched them and bled on them.


    When I was finally standing there naked I opened the shower door and stepped inside. I would have preferred the bath but I didn''t want the water to be tainted by the blood. But still, the hot water was already helping to settle my nerves and to warm me up.


    I hadn''t realized how cold I was until I stepped into the water and felt myself shudder from the difference in the temperature of the water and my skin.


    For a while I just stood there, letting the hot water almost scald me as it rinsed away the blood and the fear that hade along with it. With this shower I would wash away not only Lisa''s blood, but my fear of my family. From this moment on I would do my best to try and be brave at all times.


    Cleaned, rinsed, dried, and dressed. I had gone through all those motions as I thought about how I wanted my future to be. I tried to think about what I wanted for me, for those around me, for Artem.


    The conclusion that I came to, was that I wanted to stay here with the people who made me feel safe and happy. I wanted to help Artem with the kids. I wanted to spend time with Bailey and Reed, and their sister E. I wanted to get to know more about Chay, Kent, Toby, Morgan, and of course Artem. And I think I was falling in love with Artem, so I wanted to see what that meant, if we were truly fated mates like the others had found. There was so much that I wanted that I didn''t know what to do about it all. Hopefully they would all help me in that aspect as well.


    Ugh, I felt so needy at times like this.

 Chapter 42 - Artem - Dealing With The Trash Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had just sat my mate down on her feet after having her ride the entire trip home on myp. I was riding high with happiness from that alone. But I still had work to do, so I needed to let her go. Just before I slipped my arms away from her I whispered in a quiet voice, one I hoped was too quiet for her to notice.


    "I love you."


    Star didn''t say anything in response to my whispered words so I was pretty confident that she hadn''t heard me at all. But then I had to stand there and watch as my sister dragged her away like they couldn''t get away from me fast enough.


    But, there was something that had made my heart soar. Right before they disappeared into the house, Star turned around and waved at me so sweetly with a big smile on her face. That alone had my heart swelling so much that I thought it was going to make me explode.


    Then there was the fact that she had called me cute. She wasing around to me slowly but surely. I don''t think it would be too long now until we can be together. Maybe not in ''that way'', but we could spend a lot of time together at least.


    "Why the hell are you grinning like an idiot?" Kent came walking over to me from the direction of the trees at the back of the house.


    "I didn''t even realize I was." I looked at him, aware that I was far too happy for the events that had happened today.


    "Well stop it, you''re creeping me out."


    "I can''t help it man. I just heard something that made me really happy."


    "And what is that?" He looked like he was fighting backughter at the moment.


    "Star thinks I''m cute." I grinned even wider. "She thinks I''m cute, she thinks I''m cute!" I jumped in a circle a few times just to emphasize the joy I was feeling."


    "Dude, you look like Rudolph right now." Kent wasughing hysterically.


    "I don''t care. If I was a fucking reindeer I would be flying right now."


    "Well keep that up and I will take a picture of you, then your face can glow as red as Rudolph''s nose does." His words made me stop and caused me to re at him out of my embarrassment. "I knew that would make you stop." He wasughing still, but at least he could stand up straight, unlike a few moments ago when it looked like he was going to fall to the ground.


    Once Kent''sughter had finally died down, and my embarrassment was settling, he finally spoke again. Thankfully there was no trace ofughter or mirth in his voice at all.


    "So, what''s the n? What are we going to do with her?"


    "I have some ideas. But I want to change first." I red at the line of trees that he had walked out of."


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I think I will go and change too, no need to ruin good clothes." He grinned at me as we both started walking toward the house.


    I was still riding high on emotions, both good and bad, so my head was a little muddled while I went through the motions of getting dressed. I was torn. I wanted to go straight to Star, to spend time with her and make sure she was going to keep talking to me. But I also wanted to go straight to the woods and rip that bitch''s head off. How dare anyone touch my mate like that. I would make her pay. And if I knew anything about Kent, which I did, then I knew he wouldn''t let me go easy on her.


    That bitch, that piece of trash had been just like Kent''s family and he hated people like that. He hadpletely estranged himself from his family and would never again have anything to do with them. If he were to see a member of his family again he would probably either kick their ass or kill them on the spot. There was no love left on his side.


    If I were to let Kent do as he pleased, he would probably torture her. She deserved it, but that''s not something he should do. Despite everything, Kent was a good guy and shouldn''t have to bear that responsibility.


    Me on the other hand? Well, I was ready to murder someone when I was eight years old. And I have killed to get to where I am now. I could shoulder that burden, but I didn''t need to put that on my best friend.


    When I left my room, I saw Chaying out of Star''s room. She looked a little calmer than she did before so I guess talking with my mate had helped her out a lot.


    Before Chay could close the door I saw my mate curled up in the corner of the couch looking very contemtive. The sight of her warmed my heart.


    "Hey." I called out to my sister before she could walk off.


    "Hey, I was just going to go see you." The look on her face shifted from calm to pissed off in an instant.


    "What''s up?"


    "I wanted to know what you were going to do to Lisa."


    "Who the hell is Lisa."


    "That piece of trash you had Kent bring home."


    "Oh, so that''s her name." I smirked. "Well, I could have taken care of it without her name, but now I can let her know that we know who she is. It might strike some more fear into her." I knew I was grinning evilly.


    "Yeah, well, she deserves to die if you ask me. She was going to take Star back to her uncle so that he could do Goddess knows what to her." I growled at that.


    "I already knew that. That''s why I am not going to let it slide at all. She will pay, Chay, don''t you worry about that."


    "Good."

 Chapter 43 - Artem - Dealing With The Trash Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I let Chay go back to her room then as I started toward the stairs. When I got downstairs I saw that Kent was already waiting for me. He was wearing a pair of worn out jeans and an old t-shirt. He and I almost matched in that aspect.


    "Took you long enough." He looked at me with an impatient set to his face and body.


    "I ran into Chay on my way down."


    "And?" He actually looked curious about what my sister had said.


    "I found out the trashy bitch''s name."


    "What unfortunate name did they give her? Broomhilda, ugly stepsister one, Freakshow?" I couldn''t help butugh at his words.


    "Oddly enough they gave her a normal name. She''s such a shame to Lisa''s everywhere."


    "Seriously, her name is Lisa? Nothing to do with trash, unwanted things, nothing?"


    "Nope. It''s crazy isn''t it."


    "I can''t believe someone with such a normal name was able to stink up my car like that. Seriously, I might need to burn the damn thing for insurance money if that stench doesn''te out of the trunk." I chuckled again.


    Kent was a funny guy. He used jokes in a variety of situations. When he was in a good mood, when he was in a bad mood, when he felt vulnerable. They were his go to thing. He would crack a joke and make others smile so that they were happy like him or to hide what it was he was actually feeling. They were both his weapon and his shield. Sometimes it made it hard to know what Kent was really thinking, but I like to think I know him well enough that I could see through his mechanisms.


    Right now, Kent was nervous. He had not taken a life, but he had helped me rescue the kids that had been held prisoner and so that meant he had hurt people. The thing is, hurting someone and killing someone were twopletely different things and he knew it.


    "Come on, let''s go." I told him as I walked toward the door. I knew full well that I was nning to do all the dirty work so that I could spare my friend''s psyche. Normally he wasn''t so delicate, but he was still mourning his brother so I could understand the way he was feeling.


    We walked silently as we made our way toward where Kent had secured our prisoner. With every step I took that brought me closer to that piece of trash I felt my nose wrinkle a little more. Her scent was so strong and so putrid that I honestly couldn''t believe it. What the hell was wrong with those people? The only added benefit was that I could tell when they were near.


    As I walked closer to her, moving silently through the trees I took the time to look around at my surroundings, at the trees, the grass, the shrubbery of the forest. How was it that the disgusting smell of her didn''t affect the area around her. I half expected the grass that she touched to have turned ck, the leaves to fall from the trees, or at least poisonous mushrooms to pop up in her wake that would decimate the local animal poption. Seriously, she had to have some sort of effect on the world with how vile she was.


    "Oh look, it''s the would be ALPHA!" The trash sneered at me, practically yelling thest part. Just looking at her turned my stomach, her usual appearance wasn''t pleasant and she now also had a bloody hole in her face where Star had stabbed her. I was d that my mate had fought back, it made me proud.


    "Come to yell at me before you send me off on my merry way." Sheughed then, acting like she wasn''t afraid of us. Oh, I was going to have fun bringing out the fear in her.


    "What makes you think you will be leaving here at all, Lisa?" I sneered as well, particrly on her name. That seemed to make her flinch. Was it from the words themselves or the way I said it? Guess I will never know in all honesty.


    "So, you know my name, big deal." She was trying to sound tough, unbothered, by my words.


    "I could have done this without knowing anything about you except that you were one of the ones who had tormented my Star."


    "She''s not your Star, she''s Howie''s!" The trash was yelling at me now, and she was trying to deny me what was mine.


    "No, bitch, she doesn''t belong to him, she is mine and always will be." I watched at the anger and fear warred across her face, fighting for which emotion would be dominant in her eyes. Right now it looked like the anger was winning out over the fear. She really was pissed at me.


    The thing is, was she so mad because I had stopped her earlier, because we had her tied up out here in the woods, or because we had made it clear that Star was never going back to their fucking house of sick freaking horrors? No matter what the reason was, I would soon see the fear take the lead once more and it would stay there until there was nothing left in those eyes.


    "Howie is the head of our family! Howie gets to decide what happens to her because she belongs to us!" Her voice was full of loathsome rage as she screamed these words at me at the top of her lungs, spittle flying from her lips as she pped those putrid lips of hers. "She will only ever belong to Howie because that is what he wants. I don''t want her with him anymore than you do but it''s what he wants so it''s what he will get." Oh look, a new emotion was taking anger''s ce, jealousy.


    "You love that putrid piece of fucking pond scum, don''t you?"


    "Don''t you dare call him that. He is a great man, a wonderful man. He is handsome and strong and perfect and just the best man there ever was."


    "Goddess, you two fucking deserve each other." Kent almost sounded like he was going to gag after having to listen to that nonsense. "If you love that fucking piece of trash so much why didn''t you be his fucking bitch? Huh?"


    "You think I didn''t try?!" She screamed at Kent, her eyes and cheeks both turning red, one out of embarrassment the other with unshed tears. "When that fucking piece of shit Omega first turned she unted it for everyone to see. When she turned back she was lying there, sprawled on the ground for the world to see her goods. Howie fell for her then and has vowed to have her ever since."


    "That''s fucking disgusting. She was fucking thirteen when she shifted, and how old was your Howie then, huh, twenty five, thirty? He''s a sick fucking freak." I felt my stomach recoil when I heard her tell me that he was nning to have my Star since she was thirteen.


    "You love her now too, though, don''t you?"


    "There''s one difference here for me though, I am not twice her fucking age. I am only five years older than her, and I am waiting for her to love me back before I do anything with my mate. Your precious Howie, wouldn''t have given her a fraction of that love and care."


    "He wouldn''t have had to, she would have wanted him, she will want him, when she turns eighteen."


    "Shut up." I snapped at her, losing my patience at her continued support of that monster.

 Chapter 44 - Artem - Dealing With The Trash Part 3

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    In my anger and frustration Ished out. My foot, unconsciously, left the ground and found its way to somehow being nted firmly in her gut. I heard her scream of pain along with all the air rushing from her lungs.


    When I withdrew my foot that piece of trash began to cough and splutter, trying to catch her breath and curse me at the same time. But she just managed to look pathetic where she was, sitting there on the ground with her arms out beside her and chains holding her to the tree.


    She might have been able to break them, had they not been the enchanted chains that the previous Alpha liked to use on the people he would punish. Even one arm chained to the tree would have made it next to impossible for her to escape if we had used these chains. I guess there was some use to his old things after all.


    I focused on the chains as I stood there, trying to let my anger settle. There was no need to let my anger get the best of me before I could find out some sort of information from this piece of garbage.


    "You-you son of-of a bi-bitch." She stuttered and stammered as she caught her breath, still acting like she didn''t need to respect me."


    "Watch your fucking tone." I heard Kent snarl at her as he bent forward, ring at her and just barely holding back his own frustration. "He is your Alpha now, and you will respect him."


    "I don''t care who the fuck he-." That''s when Kent lost it. Hested longer than me but he eventuallyshed out as well.


    Kent struck her across the face, a loud crack ringing through the air when his hand smacked across her face. Lisa''s head, I''m sorry, Trashy''s head snapped back and to the side with such force that had she''d been a human, she would have had whish from the blow. Who knows, she might still have it.


    She looked dazed and confused now, unable to focus for a minute as she shook her head from side to side.


    "You will treat my friend and your Alpha with respect, understood." Kent''s voice held a venom within it that sounded lethal as he spoke to her in a slow and forcefully steady voice.


    "Yeah, I got it." She sneered at him as she looked up into his eyes. There was a thin line of blood trailing down from her lip as she answered him.


    "Good, I''m d you could finally understand."


    Kent stood then, stepping away from her and moving to stand back by my side. I was proud to call someone like him a friend, and would have hated to have been anyone on the receiving end of his temper. He was vicious when he needed to be.


    "Now, Lisa, why don''t you try to exin to me exactly what it was you and your family did to my mate when she was growing up." I wanted to know, needed to know, but I was never going to make Star exin it all to me herself. I was d I found someone I could get it out of, even if I had to beat it out of her.


    "She''s not your mate." She snapped at me, though she didn''t yell that time so I guess that was a plus.


    "Do you want to try and tell my wolf that?" I growled at her. "My wolf hasn''t stopped howling for her since the moment I caught her scent. Trust me when I say that she is my mate. And when we unlock her wolf and free it from it''s cage you''ve put it into then she will feel the bond as much as I do."


    For some reason that I couldn''t fathom that made herugh. She was sitting there, chained to the tree, but she was stillughing hysterically.


    "You really think she can be yours? That''s so pathetic. She is fated to be with my Howie. There is magic at y that will make her his and there is nothing you can do about it."


    "Then I guess I will just have to find a way to break that spell, because my mate will be with me until she wants to leave. But under no circumstances will she ever, EVER, go back to your hell house."


    "We will see about that."


    "Yeah, I guess we will." I answered her even though she didn''t warrant a response.


    It also looked like I was not going to get an answer out of her. I would need to ask someone else what had happened to Star when she was growing up. Out of courtesy I had refrained from asking her cousins, Reed and Bailey, but I think they might be my only options.


    I felt like I could not help her to move on and live a peaceful life if I didn''t understand her trauma. I felt like if I was going to help her heal I needed to know what she had been through. And I would do anything to make sure she never had to suffer from that type of pain and abuse ever again.


    I know they beat her, I know they starved her, and I know they tormented her mentally and emotionally. But I needed to know to what severity. There was no way for me to help her heal if I didn''t know how bad it was, right?


    But even if I never know, I would still do my best to help her. I would make sure that the rest of her life was happy and peaceful.


    Turning my head back to look at Trashy as she sat there on the ground I had to ept that we hade to the end of our discussion. I guess it was time for us, specifically me, to get down to business. I wonder if she is going to wish that she had talked when she sees what''sing. She will probably wish that she had sung like a canary, spilling the entire family''s secrets.


    Too bad, she will have to take them with her to the grave now. It was time for her to pay.

 Chapter 45 - Artem - Dealing With The Trash Part 4

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    "That''s it, I''m done talking to you." I stood and stepped away from her. "Your breath is killing me as it is."


    "Fine, then unchain me and I will be on my way." She smirked, like she thought this was all over already.


    "Like I said, what makes you think you''re going anywhere, huh?" I''m sure she could see the evil glint filling my eyes at the moment.


    "Oh, that''s right, you need to rough me up a little right. Send me a message. And you hope I will pass it along to my family." She was smiling and nodding her head. "Go ahead, do your worst, I can take it."


    "Oh, I know you can take a hit. I found that outst week when I fought you at your uncle''s house." I reminded her. She might be nose blind after having to sniff that family every day of her miserable life, but I sure wasn''t. My nose remembered what she smelled life from when she threw herself at me and bit my arm.


    "Oh, so that was you?" She grinned. "Your blood tasted so sweet." She was looking at me with longing now. "I wanted to get another taste. Sorry I didn''t remember your face, I was a little preupied that night." She was trying to straighten up, trying to look, of all things, seductive. "Why don''t you drop that slut, Star, and run away with me instead?"


    "Hard pass." I managed to say before I could dry heave, just the thought of it made me gag.


    "Damn you''re a real piece of work." Kent snapped at her. "You literally just professed your love for your precious Howie, now you want the Alpha. You''re fucking sick."


    "Fuck you." She yelled at him. "I''m a woman and I like me a strong, yummy man." She didn''t even have the decency to look embarrassed after having said that. As for me, I was appalled, at just having to hear it.


    "Keep fucking dreaming, Trashy, because I will never run with you."


    "Your loss, big boy." She continued to try and sound seductive. "Just rough me up like you''re nning and then let me go. I will never darken your doorstep ever again."


    "No, you see, there you go again." I could hear the anger in my voice, my frustration wasing out again.


    I backed away a step, I needed to collect myself for a second.


    "You can''t honestly think you''re going to kill me and there will be no consequences." She definitely sounded scared now, that fear that she was throwing away earlier like it was nothing, it was finallying back. "No, fuck you, fuck the both of you. You can''t do this. You can''t kill me. I''m not a weak wolf. I''m not an Omega like that bitch you like. I''m not someone you can just throw away." She was panicking now, trying to get away, trying to break the chains, but they wouldn''t budge.


    "Stop trying to talk your way out of this, it will only make things harder for you." I heard Kent''s calm and steady voice as he stopped her angry tirade.


    "No, you can''t do this. I''m strong, I''m beautiful, I''m not worthless."


    "Ha." Iughed mirthlessly at her. "You''re ugly inside and out. You''re a horrible, worthless person and you will answer for your crimes."


    "No, no, no." She was nearly screaming the word over and over again.


    "You would have killed Star if it wasn''t for Howard. You would have killed her and you would not even have batted an eysh. You want to talk about who does and doesn''t deserve what." My pulse was quickening and my ears were burning with the rage that was flowing through me. "Do you really think Star deserved what you people did to her? Do you really think that it was OK to do that kind of thing to someone?"


    "It''s the way things are." She was crying now, ugly nasty blubbering as she tried to beg for her life. "It''s the way it has always been. You can''t me me, I was just born into it."


    "We were born into it as well, but neither of us would allow corruption like that into our heart, into our souls. You''re a bad person to begin with, Trashy, and bad people need to be taken care of."


    I stalked closer to her, my right hand partially shifted so that my fingers were tipped with long, lethal ws.


    "I had nned to kill you slowly, to make you pay. But I want to get back to my mate and check up on her, and frankly, you''re not worth that much of my time."


    "No, no, please, no. Stop, don''t do this, please."


    "How many times did Star beg you all to stop when she was younger? How many times did you ignore her pleas and her tears?"


    She continued to scream and wail as I moved closer to her. With smooth, deliberate motions I ced my hand on her throat, pressing the tips of my fingers into the soft flesh. Almost immediately, my ws broke the barrier of her skin and Kent and I were showered in a spray of her vile blood.


    In no time at all, her pathetic screams were cut off and her body stopped thrashing against her bindings. Within seconds, she had finally stopped moving. She was dead.


    "Take care of this." I told Kent as I pulled my hand free of her bloodied and broken throat. "Burn it or bury it, I don''t care which one it you decide to do, but just get rid of it. I don''t want Star to know what happened here today."


    "You think she wouldn''t be able to handle it?" He asked me with a soft voice, now that the deed was done our collective anger was fading.


    "I don''t know, but she doesn''t need to know about this anyway. What she needs is to heal." With that I turned and walked away, leaving the mess to my Beta to clean up.

 Chapter 46 - Artem - Comforting My Star Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was feeling a little out of it as I made my way back to my room. I needed a shower, bad, but all I could think about was my mate and the horrible people she had been surrounded by when she was so young. The things they had done to her, the things they nned to do to her, I would kill them all for it.


    I hadn''t even paid attention to what I was doing and before I even knew it I was standing there in my room with nothing but a towel wrapped around me and a nk look on my face as I stared at my closet.


    When I finally came to my senses I hurriedly dried off the rest of the way and absently grabbed a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue button up shirt. I needed to get my head clear and go to see my Star, I wanted to know how she was doing. But I didn''t want to seem like I didn''t have a reason to be there.


    Suddenly, I had a burst of inspiration. I could take her dinner, she was probably getting pretty hungry. But what should I make for her?


    With that question rolling around in my head I walked down the stairs and toward the kitchen. However, before I could make it to that room in particr I was distracted by a scenting from the dining room.


    "Mmmm, that smells good." I followed my nose into the dining room and toward the delicious smell.


    In the dining room was just about everyone in the house. And on the table was about a dozenrge, yet thin, white boxes. Pizza.


    "Who ordered all this?" I wondered as my mouth started to water.


    "I did. I didn''t think you would feel up to cooking." Chay answered immediately.


    "Sometimes you''re the best, Chay." I hugged her quickly from the side and moved to grab a box.


    "Sometimes?" She seemed offended as she scoffed at me. "Only sometimes? Boy, you know I am the best sister in the world and you better acknowledge that fact." She was being yful, I knew it, but she wasn''t wrong either.


    "Fine, you''re the best sister there ever has been or ever will be." I grinned at her, pretending to be exasperated with her.


    "That''s much better." She grinned at me. "Now take that pizza up to my future sister, and for Goddess''s sake don''t screw anything up."


    "Like I would?" Iughed. She just red at me, perhaps reminding me of the incident with the doom books in my office. Why did I have the desire to rub the side of my head just then? Specifically right at the spot where the book had hit me that day.


    I left the dining room then, a little pep in my step as I walked. I was always happy when I was going to see Star. How could I not be, she was my mate after all.


    I knocked on her door and waited for her to answer it, I was pleasantly surprised when she called out to me instead.


    "Come in." I don''t know if she knew it was me or not, but I was going to assume she did.


    When I opened the door I saw that Star was kneeling in front of the couch, a wet washcloth in hand.


    "Hey, Star, what''re you doing?" It looked like she was cleaning something but I didn''t know what it was, but she seemed to be distressed about something. I walked over to the table and put the box down before walking over to where she was.


    "I''m trying to clean this off." There were tears in her eyes when she looked at me.


    "Clean what off?" I was confused about what could have been wrong. That was when I stepped closer and saw that she was trying to clean blood off the back of the couch.


    "Lisa''s blood got on me when I stabbed her with my pen and then I sat on the couch with Chay. I am so sorry. I didn''t mean to ruin it."


    She looked like she was afraid. Like she thought I would be mad at her or something. I wanted nothing more than to make all of her worries go away.


    "There is nothing to be sorry for. You didn''t do anything wrong and it''s just a couch."


    "But it''s ruined."


    "So, don''t worry about it. I will have it reced. I can have it removed right now if you want." I was smiling softly at her to emphasize the fact that I was not mad at all. "We have a lot of other furniture in storage around here, so don''t worry about any of that stuff."


    "Isn''t that wasteful?" She still looked upset.


    "No, it''s not. The blood on that couch, whether it is removed or not, would be a constant reminder for you, wouldn''t it? I don''t want you to feel ufortable in your own room. So I will take it out of here."


    "I''m so sorry, Artem." She still looked sad and repentant so I walked to her side and knelt next to her.


    "Don''t be." I spoke softly as I took the cleaning cloth from her hands and set it aside. "Star." I said her name as I ced a hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at me. "There is nothing that you did wrong. Please, stop ming yourself." Surprisingly, she smiled then as she subconsciously, or possibly consciously, pushed her cheek more firmly against my palm.


    "You and Chay both tell me the same thing." She was looking at me so sweetly as she gazed up at me from between her long, dark eyshes.


    "Really, and what''s that?" I asked her, slightly mesmerized.


    "To stop ming myself." She sounded so sweet, so innocent as she spoke, but she looked so beautiful and alluring. The contrast in the images I kept getting of her made me feel like I was in a whirlwind, whipping to and fro. But it wasn''t an entirely unpleasant feeling.


    "Well, you need to." I smiled at her, a look I know held love and heat in it. "Come on, I brought you some dinner." I took my hand away from her face and grabbed her hand instead. It felt like my palm was on fire from all the contact it had had with her, but I was happy about that too.


    I pulled her to her feet and led her over to the table where she sat in a chair and looked at the box with confusion. Before I sat I shot a quick text to Chay and Kent, asking them to prepare another couch for her room and toe and get the one from in here.


    Once I was seated next to her I opened the box and showed her what the meal was. It was just a in pepperoni pizza, but her eyes went wide when she saw it.


    "What is that?" She asked as she smelled the delicious aroma.


    "This is dinner." I smiled at her.


    "But what is it?"


    "It''s called pizza. It''s made from dough, tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and of course garlic." I smirked at her. "Not to mention it ispletely greasy and unhealthy and so therefore so good."


    "Unhealthy is good?" She quirked an eyebrow up and tilted her head, clearly confused.


    "When ites to pizza, definitely." I chuckled then,ughing at my own silliness. "Come on, have some."


    I demonstrated what to do since I didn''t exactly remember tes, at least I brought napkins. I picked up arge slice that was covered in gooey melted cheese and greasy pieces of pepperoni. I used both hands to hold it, one at the crust the other on the bottom to stop the cheese from all falling off as I curled the slice in my grip.


    "Here just grab a piece and hold it like this." Then I took a big bite of the food. It tasted like artery clogging, heart stopping heaven.


    "I''m used to eating all my food with my hands, but this looks messy." She looked apprehensive.


    "Is there a problem?"


    "I just don''t want to be dirty anymore." There was an undertone in her voice that broke my heart.


    "Don''t worry, I brought napkins so you can wipe your hands, sorry I forgot the tes."


    "It''s OK, you brought dinner without having to do it in the first ce." Finally, she looked genuinely happy.


    "I want to take care of you, Star. Of course I will bring you dinner if I thought you weren''t feeling up to going down for dinner.


    "You''re so sweet Artem." How can something as innocent as being called sweet make me so happy? But the way she said it, the way it made me feel, it was like something truly amazing.


    With my heart racing and a grin on my face, I continued eating my dinner.


    When Star took the first bite her eyes went wide again.


    "Oh." She said through a mouth full of food.


    "What?"


    "It''s so good." She looked relieved, like she hadn''t believed it would taste good at all. "Really good." With that she took another big bite.


    Star ended up eating three slices altogether, a satisfied look on her face when she was done.

 Chapter 47 - Artem - Comforting My Star Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    "Do you feel better now?" I asked her once we were done eating.


    "Yes, I hadn''t realized how hungry I was. Thank you so much." The smile she gave me melted me into a puddle right there on the floor. She was just so beautiful,


    Just then there was a knock on the door and Chay called out to us.


    "Delivery." Her voice was yful and I could smell Toby and Kent on the other side of the door.


    "Come on in." Star smiled as she called out toward the door. Had she smiled like that when she told me toe in? Considering she had been tearfully scrubbing the couch I''m going to assume not.


    Chay opened the door and then stood to the side to let the others inside ahead of her. When she came bounding into Star''s space she went right to her side.


    "So what did my brother do to your couch?" She questioned with a curious smirk.


    "No, he didn''t, it was my, no." Star was nervous again.


    "It was no one''s fault." I assured her. "There was just some of Lisa''s blood on it from earlier."


    "What?" Chay seemed to be very confused about what she had heard. "How the hell did you get her blood on the couch?" She knew that I had taken a shower after having killed the female wolf so I shouldn''t have had any blood left on me when I came to Star''s room.


    "It was on me when we sat there earlier." Star hung her head as she answered Chay''s question, her voice sheepish and quiet.


    "Oh." Realization finally hit my sister like a ton of bricks. She raised her left hand and smacked herself in the forehead, hard, when she finally figured it all out. "I''m so sorry, Star. I should have paid more attention when I came in earlier."


    Star smiled at Chay''s apology, I think it was because Chay was taking the me and that made her feel a little better.


    "It''s fine." She smiled at me. "Artem said we can rece it. And I am trying my best to stop ming myself."


    "GOOD!" Chay''s exuberant response made us both jump in surprise, but we also bothughed afterwards. "I am d you''re finally realizing that absolutely nothing was your fault."


    "I''m trying." Star blushed then at Chay''s intense smile and crazy attitude.


    While we were talking Kent and Toby switched the couch out without saying a word. Kent waved to me before the two of them silently left the room. And it all happened without Star even realizing that they had done anything. That was evident by her surprise at them having already left.


    "Where did they go?" She wondered with a start.


    "They already left." Chay answered her. "Didn''t you see them carrying the old couch out of here?"


    "I guess not." Star giggled then, a soft chiming sound. "I guess I was too caught up with the two of you."


    "That means you werefortable with us." Chay smiled.


    "I guess I was." She may have been responding to Chay, but her attention was all focused on me. The look in her eyes, to me, spoke of love and longing. What was she starting to feel for me?


    "Well, I''m off." Chay didn''t wait for a response, she just snuck away while Star and I stared at each other.


    I knew I wanted to talk to Star all night, to make her feel better about today, but that also meant talking about today. I hoped she didn''t think I was intentionally trying to bring her down.


    "Hey, Star, are you doing OK?" I wondered aloud after a few moments.


    "I''m fine." She answered immediately, but she also hung her head a little like she was trying to hide something.


    "Are you sure? You can tell me anything you know."


    "I know." She put her hand on top of mine then. She had just reached across the table andid her tiny hand over my muchrger one. "And I am really d that I can talk to you about things like this." The smile that she finished with was the prettiest one I had ever seen.


    "So you''re certain that you''re OK?"


    I think I am. I''m pretty sure that I am really. At first all I wanted to do was to hide away, to never leave this house, no this room, again."


    "What changed?"


    "Honestly?" She looked a little shy now as she pulled her hand back and squirmed in her chair. "To be fully honest I would say it was you, and Chay too, but mostly you."


    Was that a chorus of angels singing just now? Did I just have every dreame true, every birthday wish granted, and every prayer answered all at the same time? It felt like it.


    Here sat my mate, staring at me so contentedly, telling me that she was oveing a traumatic experience just because she had me. What was this about? I didn''t know, but I hoped I could be there for her in more ways.


    "How did I help?" I had to ask, I had to know.


    "You saved me, again. You stopped Lisa from taking me away. You stopped her from hitting me. And most of all, you stopped me from having to go back to Uncle Howard. For all of that I will be forever grateful to you." Her soft, kind eyes were crinkled into a look that matched the smile that she was giving me.


    "I will save you anytime you need me. From the smallest nuisance to the biggest enemy. I will always be there for you Star." I sounded like I was giving some made up wedding vows, but I didn''t care, I only cared about her and her happiness.


    "I know. And that''s because you love me, right?"


    "That''s right. I love you, more than anything."


    "That makes me happy." She hadn''t said it back, but she hadn''t tried telling me that I was wrong and that alone was progress.


    I just stared into her eyes for a few moments. The color of blue seemed to shift, almost like my eyes did with green. Right now, her eyes were a very light shade of sapphire blue. To me, those eyes and that coloring looked really happy.


    Subconsciously I reached my hand across the table and took hers. I only realized what I was doing when I felt her hand squeeze around my fingers as she held my hand back.


    Star had been looking at me so lovingly as we held hands. The room had been silent and nothing seemed like it could ruin the moment. But then she seemed to think of something that brought some of her fear back.


    "Wait, Artem, won''t Lisa tell my Uncle where I am? Won''t they know where toe and find me?"


    It was like she had been trying so hard to be brave, to not let her family win, but then the thought of theming here for her made that progress immediatelye crashing down.


    "No, they won''t know where you are, that I promise you." I didn''t want to tell her what I did, and I hoped I would never have to.


    "How can you be so sure though? Won''t she tell them who you are? Or who Chay is? Or Kent, since he is the one who took her out of the mall? What will happen when she goes home?"


    "Don''t worry, Star, no one is going toe here looking for you. And even if they did, all of us here would do anything and everything we can to protect you. You don''t have to worry, Star, you''re safe with us. I promise."


    "Promise?" She smiled when she heard that word.


    "Yeah, I promise."


    "I''ve never really had anyone promise to protect me like that. No one except you."


    "You will never need anyone''s promise except for mine. I will never leave you."


    "I hope not." That brought a blush to her face, I saw the redness start down near her chin until it spread across both her cheeks and her forehead. Look, even her ears were pink. That was the sweetest thing I had ever seen.


    "Hey, Artem?"


    "Yeah Star?" She had broken the silence while looking at the floor in embarrassment.


    "Did you kill Lisa?" She didn''t beat around the bush did she?


    "Do you want me to be honest with you?" I didn''t want to lie to her, ever, but was she ready for this answer?


    "Yes, I can handle it."


    "Then yes, I did. She would havee after you again. And she would have brought the others. I can protect you from them, but I want to spare you from even having to see them again."


    "You really do care for me don''t you?"


    "I love you."


    "I-I-." She stuttered for a second then swallowed hard. "I don''t know if I love you, but I think I like you, a lot."


    Nope, this beat the glory of just a little bit ago. This one was almost enough to let me die a happy man right now. My mate was starting to like me, a lot.

 Chapter 48 - Star - They’re Acting Strange

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Artem and I talked for a long timest night. I don''t even remember when I went to bed. But I have the feeling that Artem carried me to the bed, because I probably fell asleep talking to him. If I tried really hard I could actually feel the way his arms were wrapped around me. But that could have been the memory of how he had carried me earlier in the day. I was just so confused right now that I couldn''t figure it out at all.


    But still, I decided to just get ready for the day. I was used to my routine now, having been here just over a week now. I showered and freshened up, got dressed, and went down to breakfast.


    Some of the best things about being here, about being away from my family, was that I could be clean every day and I got to eat more than five or six times a week at max. I was actually putting on a little bit of weight, which was good. And it was a good thing that Artem had bought multiple sizes of clothes, because the smallest size that he got was starting to get just a little snug on me. But I didn''t think that I was getting fat. Actually I was starting to look healthier now.


    I smelled the food as I neared the end of the stairs. Artem always made such delicious meals. I was really d that I was able to be here with him and the others.


    When I went into the dining room I was d that, for once, I was not thest to arrive. Actually it looked like I was the first aside from Artem. I wondered offhandedly, how early must he get up to make everyone''s food.


    "Hey Star." He called out to me when he saw mee in. "I was just bringing everything in, want to help?"


    "Sure." I was happy that I was actually able to do something. I really was stupid when it came to the world, I didn''t know how to do anything at all.


    "Come on." He sat down a few jugs of juice and milk before he beckoned me into the kitchen.


    When I went into the kitchen, a room I had not explored on my previous expedition through the house, I saw that it was way bigger than I had thought. And of course I didn''t recognize anything that was in there.


    There was a lot of shiny metal, white walls, a tiled floor, and lots of cabs. There were shiny metal tools, pots, pans, and a bunch of electronic devices that I didn''t know what to call. It was all neat and organized and besides all the tes waiting on the trays I wouldn''t have thought that someone had just been cooking in here.


    "Here, Star, will you take these?" Artem was in a good mood apparently, because he hadn''t stopped smiling since I had seen him. What he had handed me was tworge tters piled high with bacon and sausage, I knew those were good and I was d we were having them for breakfast.


    I started toward the dining room while Artem grabbed tworge serving trays that were topped with pancakes, that rice stuff we had had a few days ago, biscuits, a pile of poached eggs, and various jars of jellies and syrup.


    "You went all out today, didn''t you?" I smiled at him. "All of these are really good." I was smiling at him as we walked into the other room together.


    There were several people at the table when we walked in, waiting for the food. Chay was pouring herself a cup of coffee when we came in and she gave me a smirk when she saw me. For some reason, that look made me feel really embarrassed.


    While we ate, I wanted to chat with everyone, find out what their ns were for the day, but everyone seemed to have really halfhearted answers for me.


    "So, Artem, I don''t really know what to do today, but I don''t want to stay cooped up. Do you have any suggestions?" I had asked him first because I really wanted to know what he did all day and he was sitting the closest to me.


    "Oh, well, I uh, I have a lot of work to do today." He looked nervous for a moment as he rubbed his head, but then heughed and broke out into a smile. "I''ve kind of let it build up until thest minute and now I have to get it done right away."


    "Oh." I was a little sad, I don''t really know why, but I was. "What about you Chay?" I perked up a little, thinking maybe we could spend the day together.


    "Sorry Starry." She frowned at me even after giving me the same nickname that Reed had always used for me. "I have some ces I need to go, but I will let you know when I am done."


    "Oh, no worries. I understand you''re busy." And I did, I really did understand that they had lives and that meant ces to go and things to do. The sad thing was, I didn''t have a life so I had nowhere to go and nothing to do.


    "We''ve got work too." Kent answered before I could ask him, he had seen me look his way and knew it wasing. "We all work with Artem and our work is piling up as well.


    "Is it piling up because of me? Is it because you''ve had to take time off to help me?" I hoped I wasn''t affecting their personal lives.


    "Goddess no." Kent answered me immediately. "No, we just left a few things that we should have done sooner but we were stupid and didn''t think about it."


    "Oh, ok." I was at a loss now. "Well, since Reed and Bailey will be with the kids in the library, maybe I will just read a book." I put on a smile as best as I could.


    "You cane with us, you know that." Bailey smiled at me. "You can help us get the kids caught up, and if there is anything you don''t know then we can help you there too."


    "Really?" I perked up, helping out and learning would definitely give me something to do.


    "Yeah, Starry, you know you''re wee toe with us." Reed answered me.


    "Maybe we can get you caught up enough that you can take the high school equivalency exam and you can go to college if that is what you would want." Bailey was always so calming and soothing. I was really d that he was here with me, him and Reed.


    "Alright." I smiled as I nodded at him.


    It was a little strange that the others were acting so weird but I was just d to actually have something to do. And helping the boys with their lessons would make me feel like I had an actual purpose in life.


    Following breakfast I followed Reed, Bailey, and the very tired looking boys to the library. They all knew where they were supposed to go and went to their tables right away. Reed and Bailey were both school teachers, and by the way they were exining things to the boys they were good ones.


    The boys seemed to understand everything with ease and were flying through their lessons. Worksheets, books, and physical activities. All the boys made it through everything with ease.


    Around noon we went down to the dining room to have lunch and then the boys yed outside. Lunch was simple, just sandwiches, since Artem was busy with work. Actually it seemed that there was no one else in the house except those of us that had been in the library all day.


    After lunch we took the kids outside to y. Reed and Bailey set them in two groups and they were ying some strange game where they ran around the yard chasing red rubber balls.


    As I watched them all y I couldn''t help but think about the differences in me and those kids. I had been locked away at a much younger age than they had, yet we had all suffered abuse at the hands of our families while locked away. I had saviors of sorts that taught me to read and write, but some of them had actually been to school and had friends. And despite my having been in the dark, locked away longer, I was not as small as them.


    I was small, that was for sure. I looked sickly thin when I was rescued by Artem and the others, though I was still strong enough to kick down a door. These kids though, they were all much shorter and frail looking than me. Why was there such a difference between us? Why was I not as malnourished looking as them, or more so even? Why was it that I had been able to learn so much more than them, despite theck of proper instruction? Why was it that I was stronger than them?


    Did these differences have to do with my being a female and they weren''t? Could it have been my determination that I would not be subjected to the abuse if I could escape? Could it have been because I was constantly fighting and struggling to get away?


    I don''t think I will ever find out the reason why. Regardless, I would always look older and probably act older, than the boys, even though one of them was just a little over two years younger than me.


    After the kids yed they went back to the library for more lessons. I found it all interesting and I did my best to help them.


    Dinner was a quiet affair, most of the others were still working, though Artem hade in to cook then left again. I was starting to get a little sad that I wasn''t seeing them at all today.

 Chapter 49 - Star - Surprise Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The next day I was prepared for it to be just the same as the day before. But oddly enough, there was a knock on my door when I was done getting dressed. When I walked over to answer it I saw Artem waiting there for me.


    Almost instantly upon seeing him I felt something inside of me just click, like something was pulling me toward him. I could barely stop myself from reaching out and touching him for no reason at all.


    "G-good morning Artem." I smiled and greeted him while feeling a little offpared to usual.


    "Good morning, Star." He grinned at me.


    "Is there something I can help you with?"


    "I want to walk you down to breakfast." He looked calm and sweet as he spoke.


    "Oh. Ok."


    Artem reached his hand out and offered it to me. I could tell he wanted me to hold his hand, and I knew I wasn''t really ready or used to holding hands all the time, but for some reason I feltpelled to hold his hand in mine. So, for some reason beyond my control I reached out and held his hand.


    Artem squeezed my hand tightly in his when I slid my smaller hand into hisrger one. The smile that apanied that squeeze of his was enough to make it all worth it, even if I was still trying to figure out why I had taken his hand in the first ce.


    While I contemted what was going on with my head Artem pulled me from the room and into the hall, shutting my door for me. He then walked with me, hand in hand, all the way to the dining room.


    Once Artem had pulled me into the room I heard a loud shout from several people.


    "SURPRISE!" There were strange noisesing from some sort of thing in their mouths and brightly colored paper was falling on us as they threw handfuls of it into the air.


    "What''s this?" I asked, confused and nervous.


    "It''s part one of your birthday." Chay winked at me.


    "My birthday." I tilted my head. "Yeah it''s my birthday, but what does this have to do with anything?"


    "We''re celebrating your birthday Starry." Reed was grinning.


    "This is one of the things that people do to celebrate for someone''s birthday." Bailey added.


    "Really?" I was not certain about what they were telling me.


    "I remember myst birthday party." Dalton smiled. "It was before my family turned mean. But it was really fun. We got cake and my family and friends were all there." He hung his head then as he thought about what he was saying. "My family doesn''t like me anymore, and all those friends aren''t my friends anymore either."


    "It''s ok, Dalton, we''re your friends." Cohen leaned over and hugged him, making him feel better.


    "Have you really never had a birthday party before?" Flint asked me. I felt the tears stinging the back of my eyes then as I shook my head no. "I''m so sorry. All of us have had some, before our families knew we were Omegas."


    "It''s ok." I spoke through the thick emotions in my voice as I wiped the tears away.


    "I''m sorry Star, I didn''t mean to make you cry." Artem, still holding my right hand in his, reached over and wiped a stray tear that I had missed as it trailed down my cheek.


    "No, don''t be sorry." I tried to smile. "I''m happy, really I am. I have never had a party before, most of the time I never knew when it was my birthday because I didn''t always know the date. But I am so happy that you all thought of me, that you did this for me."


    "Star." I heard Artem''s voice as it filled with sorrow.


    It looked like Artem was going to reach for me and hold me then, like he wanted to wrap me in his arms and hold me close. And I was willing to let him, even though a part of me was screaming at me to stop.


    ''No, this isn''t what you want. Stop it, don''t listen to that.'' But before Artem could get to me Chay had crossed over to us first.


    Chay threw her arms around my neck and pulled me in close to her, holding me tight.


    "Star." She seemed to wail my name, like she was crying harder than I was. "I am sorry. I am so sorry that you missed so much. Please let us be there for you while you experience everything that you missed."


    "Chay?" I was shocked by her actions and her words. "You don''t have to. If I didn''t experience them already, then I was never meant to." I tried to smile but she was squeezing me harder as she shook her head fiercely from side to side.


    "No, no, no. You deserve it, you deserve it all. We will fill all those holes for you."


    While Chay was hugging me Reed and Bailey came over and hugged me too, each of them, putting their head on the side of mine. Following them E and Kent came to add their hug to the growing pile.


    I could just barely see through the gap in them all that Artem looked sad, a little upset really. And before I knew it Morgan and Toby joined the hug as well. Thest to join were the boys, and standing there watching on with jealousy was Artem.


    When the hug finally broke, and they all returned to where they were or close to it, Artem looked at me with a possessive gaze.


    "It''s my turn now. And I will not share my hug." He smirked as he came over to me and wrapped his arms around me. I slid my arms around his chest, holding him gently as he held me firmly. I could still hear the voice in my head telling me that I was not ready for this level of intimacy. I had epted the hug from the others because it had happened so fast, but I could have stopped Artem. However, for some reason, I didn''t.


    Was I just starting to like him even more? Was this because he loved me and I knew it? Was I letting him be more familiar than before because of that? And if so, why was there something telling me that I wasn''t choosing this?


    "Come on, let''s have breakfast." Artem said when he pulled away, which he only did after Chay cleared her throat. Even adding all the others to the hug, Artem''s was longer and made me feel a little strange on the inside.


    We sat at the table in our usual seats. When I looked at the food that was there I saw that some of the things from yesterday were present, but the rest was different.


    We once again had bacon and sausage which were some of my favorites, there was also a stack of pancakes and the jellies and syrup. The new stuff consisted of hash browns, toast, and omelettes.


    I had had an omelet when we went to the diner and it was really good. I was happy that Artem had remembered that. And everyone''s omelet had its own special blend. The boys, most of which had simple tastes, only had cheese in theirs. Kent, Artem, Toby, and Morgan, seemed to have a whole pig''s worth of meat to go with the cheese in theirs, bacon, sausage, and ham. Chay had the meat of the guys but also some green peppers, like it was healthier with the green in it. My cousins, all three of them, had ham and cheese which seemed to be a popr favorite for most people. I seemed to be the only odd ball. I had randomly ordered my omelet at the diner with mushrooms and onions, getting weird looks from the others, but it was really good and I had eaten it all. Artem, remembering that day, made me my omelet today with mushrooms and onions in it. He is so sweet and considerate.


    Breakfast was a feast that had left me stuffed when it was done. I hadn''t expected the celebration for my birthday, but it had made me really happy. Now that it was over though, I was expecting to have a peaceful, quiet day.

 Chapter 50 - Star - Surprise Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I once again went with Reed and Bailey to help teach the boys. They were keyed up though and therefore weren''t in the mood for much learning. Thankfully, my skillful cousins knew what to do, turn learning into a game.


    The boys got really into the different games that they were ying,petitive natures and all. They were shouting andughing and having a grand old time.


    When it came time for us to go to lunch, we were surprised by Toby bringing in arge tray covered in tes.


    "We''re doing some work on the house so do you mind eating in here today?" Toby smiled sweetly as he set the food down. "Just text me if you need anything and someone will bring it up."


    "No problem." Bailey agreed easily. I didn''t understand what was going on, but they didn''t seem perturbed by it so I let it all slide.


    Lunch passed and we had recess in the library as well. I was starting to get suspicious about something being up.


    "Reed, is something going on?" I asked him while looking out the window. There was no one in the yard, and I hadn''t heard anyone moving around. If there was something going on downstairs that was keeping us in here shouldn''t I at least be able to hear it or see something from outside?


    "No, nothing, why?" I didn''t believe his answer, he seemed like he was hiding something.


    "I''m going to go see what is going on downstairs. This all just seems so strange."


    "They''re just working on stuff, it''s no big deal." For some reason, that was making me nervous, Reed seemed nervous. "Just stay in here and help us while they do what they need to do."


    "No, something just feels off." I was suspicious not of just the others now but of him as well.


    I started to make my way toward the door but before I could even reach it it opened from the other side. Chay was smiling as she came into the room, looking as if nothing was wrong at all.


    "Hey Star."


    "Oh, hi Chay." I had been slightly startled by her appearance.


    "Come here, I want to do something." She grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room. It reminded me of how she had pulled me along behind her the other day.


    Once again Chay didn''t stop until she had pulled me all the way into my room. There was a table with a mirror and a matching chair in here that had never been there before.


    "What''s this?" I asked her, confused by what was happening.


    "This is a vanity table. I want to do a makeover on you." She was grinning as she beamed at me.


    "What''s a makeover?"


    "This is why you need me to teach you how to be a girl." She sounded exasperated with me.


    "I don''t get it."


    "A makeover is when I give you a new hairstyle and new makeup style. Since you don''t do anything for either it''s not exactly changing it as giving you a style that suits you."


    "I''ve never worn makeup before." I guess I really didn''t know how to be a girl.


    "I figured as much, and that is why for your birthday I got you all this stuff. And noining!" She snapped at me at the end causing me to jump. "I wanted to do this and there are no take backs or give backs allowed. I''m giving you this vanity and all the makeup and hair supplies that go with it. And, ites with lessons on what to do." She looked so happy as she was telling me all this. How could I refuse when she was clearly so happy. And, if I learned to be a proper girl, maybe I can look cute for Artem.


    ''WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?'' I screamed inside my head. ''I so don''t need to be thinking that.''


    "Thank you Chay, this is really nice of you." I did my best to look calm and appreciative at the same time.


    "What else are friends for?" She smiled as she hugged me tightly. "Nowe on, sit down."


    I had showered this morning, like I do every morning, so she didn''t need me to go do that, or that was what she had said. Instead she sat me in the chair and had me face away from the mirror. That made me nervous because I couldn''t see what she was doing.


    For a long time I sat there while she put lotions and creams on my face and neck. Then she started putting something on my face with a soft sponge.


    I was nervous, and scared, about everything she was doing, but I just sat there and did as she asked me to do. The entire time she was doing whatever it is she was doing she had a big smile on her face.


    Eventually, Chay moved on to putting things on to my eyes. She used a soft brush and applied whatever it was to my eyelids. It actually felt really nice to have her do that part. The gentle strokes of the soft brush didn''t hurt or tickle, it just felt really soothing.


    The part about the eyes that gave me pause though, was when she had taken a pencil and told me to look up. She then started drawing directly onto my skin right below my eye. It didn''t hurt, but I was nervous that she was going to somehow poke me in the eye on ident. Thankfully, she didn''t slip at all and my eyes were fine.


    The next thing for my eyes was this weird wand thing. The wand had these weird bristles on it and it came out of a tube covered in ck stuff. Chay used it to brush my eyshes. I had to keep my eyes open and blink several times. And when she was done I was told not to blink too much right away, to let her use a tissue to wipe away the water from my eyes, and absolutely not to touch or rub my eyes in anyway. It made me think that the stuff that she had just put on me would burn if it touched my skin or something. That was making me even more nervous.


    After my eyes were finally done, Chay moved on to brushing something gently over my cheeks. That didn''t take long at all.


    Next she had me open my mouth into an O shape as she used some weird looking crayon in a tube to color on my lips. It felt weird, to have something like that put on my lips but it wasn''t unpleasant really, so I didn''t mind too much.


    I thought when she had stopped working on my face she would let me see myself, but I was wrong. She kept me facing away from the mirror as she started on my hair.


    First, Chay took a can of something from the table and pushed a button on the top which caused some sort of foaming white stuff toe out of the can. She rubbed her hands together and proceeded to put it all into my hair, moving her hands between the strands to get it all over my head.


    Once that stuff was mixed inpletely she started to brush my hair and separate it at the top of my head. I had never had anyone do my hair and I had to admit that it felt nice having someone massage my head and y with my hair. It was so rxing that I thought I was going to fall asleep for a moment.


    I didn''t sleep though. Instead I tried to pay attention to what was going on with my hair. Chay had started to part andb through my hair with her fingers. It felt like she was pulling and twisting my hair, but it didn''t hurt.


    Chay worked on my hair for what felt like an hour and a half at least. She worked on one side, then the other, and finally she worked on the back of my head. After she had twisted the hair on the sides she had taken this long thin tool that was metal and very hot. She used that to twist my hair up and hold it for a little while.


    When she was finally done she pped her hands together in joy before saying anything at all.


    "You look amazing." She was beaming so brightly at me. "Oh Star, you''re gorgeous."


    "Really?" I asked her, skeptically.


    "Yes, really,e on, turn around and look." She took my hand then and pulled me out of the chair so I could turn to look at my reflection.


    What I saw then was apletely different person. My eyes were stunning, popping out with a mix of ck and silver highlighting the contours of my eyelids and theshes. My cheeks had a slight peachy glow to them, and my lips seemed to be a lot brighter than usual.


    My hair, that waspletely different than I was used to. She had twisted my hair into an borate rope like section on each side, but there were long strands that seemed to hang down out of the twisted sections. The hair that hung down was somehow curled and springypared to how they usually were.


    The two ropes of hair met in the back somehow and the hair at the back of my head was curled like the pieces on the side. It all looked so different than what I was used to seeing. And looking at myself I thought I really did look like a woman.


    "I wonder if Artem will like this." I had meant to only think those words in my head but when I heard Chay''s giggle I realized I had said it out loud.


    "I think he is going to love it." She was still giggling when she answered me.

 Chapter 51 - Star - Surprise Part 3

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I had meant to turn to look at her, but the clock on the side table near the bed caught my eye first, it was already almost six o''clock. We had been in here for almost four hours.


    "Chay, look howte it is." I nearly yelled but held myself back at thest minute.


    "Well, yeah, we''ve been in here a while." She didn''t look surprised by the time at all. "Come on let''s finish getting you ready so we can go down to dinner."


    "What do you mean, getting me ready?"


    "Well, you need something to wear that goes with your new look." She was smiling at me as she said that.


    "Like what?" I couldn''t think of anything that would go with this look at all.


    "Your new dress, silly." She was grinning so much that I suddenly felt like this was all a big set up.


    "Did you n all of this?"


    "What, me?" She put on a look that was so falsely innocent that it was beyond obvious. "Of course I did." She grinned, not even denying it.


    "Why?" I didn''t know why, but I felt like she was still nning something.


    "Because it''s your birthday and you deserve to look amazing today. You''re eighteen now."


    "Is that all?"


    "What else would there be?" I didn''t know what to say to that. Did I think she was trying to do something bad? No, that wasn''t it, but I just felt like something was going to happen. "Come on, go get dressed, and don''t forget the sandals."


    "Alright." I resigned myself to my fate and went to get dressed.


    The closet I had put the clothes in was veryrge, and even came equipped with a bench seat for putting shoes on, so I just got dressed in there. I slipped my clothes off gently, so as not to mess up my hair and makeup. I then stepped into the dress and pulled it up and over me. With the dress in ce I stepped into the shoes andced them up the way that Chay had shown me at the mall the other day.


    When I was fully dressed I stood and faced the mirror. The differences in my hair and makeup had made me feelpletely different from what I felt I looked like. But now, adding this dress, I thought I looked like someone normal. I looked like someone who hadn''t spent their life being imprisoned. I looked like someone who had grown up just like everyone else.


    The sight made me smile, and brought tears to my eyes, but I fought hard not to let them flow though, so I didn''t mess up the makeup that Chay had worked so hard on.


    If I continued on this path, in the direction that I was going, would I be able to be a normal person for real? Not just look like one but actually act like one too? Would I be able to have real friends, people that cared about me and people that I cared about. Would I be able to have a rtionship with Artem?


    What kind of rtionship did I actually want with him anyway? Did I want to just be his friend, did I want him to just be there for me like the others, someone I could rely on? Or did I want to be with him, like Chay was with Bailey, like E was with Kent, like all those around me had been with their matestely?


    I have read books, dictionaries and encyclopedias mostly, so I wasn''t stupid. And while I may not know what it all entails, I know what it means for two people to be together. I would have to learn it over time, of course, but I knew what it meant to be a couple.


    And I wasn''t opposed to the idea of being with him. I wasn''t going to say that I didn''t want to feel whatever it was he felt for me. And maybe he was right, maybe I would feel it if they could remove my talisman. But what did I want right now?


    Right now, I think I wanted to have us get to know each other. I wanted us to spend time together. I wanted us to get closer. But that was all I was ready for right now.


    Yes, I had hugged him, on reflex and out ofpassion, and both times I thought I was going to die of embarrassment. I had let him carry me and I had sat on hisp, both things I don''t think I would have done if it weren''t for that specific situation.


    I was still nervous when he held my hand. I both did and didn''t want to do that. And when he hugged me this morning during breakfast, I had been afraid at first. To be honest I was screaming at myself to stop but had been unable to make myself stop him from hugging me. And why should I, I like him right? Isn''t that normal? Maybe it was just moving too fast, that''s all.


    I was still lost in my thoughts when Chay called out to me from my room, breaking into my inner monologue and crazy mental ramblings.


    "Did you get lost in there." Her voice held a note ofughter when yelled.


    "No, sorry, I saw myself in the mirror and got to thinking." I answered her as I walked out of therge closet.


    "Were you thinking about how hot you look?" She asked me as she looked me up and down. "Cause, damn girl, you are smokin'' in that dress. Artem is going to choke on his own tongue when he sees you."


    "I don''t understand what that means." I answered honestly, feeling hopeless and lost.


    "It just means he''s going to love the sight of you so much that he won''t be able to talk. I bet you, when he sees you he will stutter, stammer, or just stand there stunned."


    "Really." I blushed, kind of hoping I would actually get to see Artem act like that.


    "Definitely." Chay seemed so confident in that fact.


    While I was smiling at her words I noticed that Chay looked different. During the time that I was in my closet getting changed she had apparently changed her clothes and done her makeup. She hadn''t changed her hair, but it already looked nice. Why was it so quick for her to do that to herself but took forever for me? Was I just not as pretty as her so it took longer to dress me up?


    "Come on, let''s go." Chay grabbed my arm then and started pulling me from the room.


    I was nervous. No, scared was a better word for it. Why did I let Chay do this to me? We were only going down to dinner. It wasn''t like it was some big special thing. Oh, why was I so dressed up for nothing?


    I could tell everyone was in the dining room when we got downstairs. There were a lot of voices, though they were rather hushed,ing from that direction. I could also smell the food that Artem had made for tonight.


    ''Oh no, we''rete for dinner.'' I thought to myself as Chay continued to pull me along toward my doom by embarrassment.

 Chapter 52 - Star - Surprise Part 4

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The first thing that I saw when I entered the room was arge banner hanging across the wall. It looked hand painted and was so pretty. It was a light blue and it was covered in stars of many different colors and shades. The words written on it said HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAR in big bold letters.


    The next thing that I saw was arge group of people,rger than usual, as they threw fists full of colorful paper (I had learned this morning it was called confetti) at me. Artem, Kent, Toby, Morgan, E, Bailey, Reed, Criztie, Sydney, Dakota, Cohen, Leslie, Julian, Dalton, Flint, Benton, and of course Chay at my side. Everyone I had met sinceing here was in this room and wishing me a happy birthday.


    I felt the emotions well up then, I didn''t know what this was really, but it was more than just a normal dinner. Slowly I looked around the room at all the people gathered, at all their faces.


    The kids were standing in the front, they were smaller and easier to see over. Everyone was standing in pairs around them, all except for Bailey because Chay was at my side and of course Artem.


    Artem was looking at me intently. His eyes that were fixed on me were wide and surprised. He looked happy, very happy, but he also looked surprised. It seemed like Chay had been right about him.


    At that moment Chay had taken my hand and started pulling me further into the room, all the way over to stand in front of Artem.


    "Well, Artemis, I present to you, the guest of honor. May I present to you Miss Astraia ''Star'' Westbrook."


    For a moment Artem just stared at me, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. It looked like he wanted to smile but couldn''t remember how to. After a little while though, he closed his mouth, and was indeed smiling.


    When he tried to start talking it happened exactly as Chay had said it would.


    "Star, you''re so, I mean this is, uh, um, y-you look s-so...so...s-so b-beautiful." Chay had called it down to a T. He had been stunned silent, then he stuttered and stammered. She knew her brother so well.


    Seeing Artem act so flustered made me smile. I looked to the side for a second and saw Chay grinning at me. When we made eye contact the two of us giggled for a few seconds.


    Seeing Artem in such distress, his Beta came over to help him.


    "Get it together man." Kent''s voice heldughter as he pped a hand onto Artem''s shoulder. "Roll your fucking tongue back into your head and lets sit down for dinner. I''m sure the lovelydy is hungry." He grinned and winked at me to show that he was being yful.


    "Uh, y-yeah, you''re right. W-we should s-s-sit down now." Despite the situation, Artem was still grinning. "Star, may I walk you to your seat?" He held his hand out toward me.


    "Dude, it''s ten feet." Kentughed but Artem just ignored him and smiled at me, hand still extended.


    Once again I felt my hand moving toward him of its own ord. I didn''t consciously move it toward him, but for some reason I was taking his hand. I didn''t hate it, but I wished I knew why I was doing it without making myself do it.


    Still, I blushed when I took his hand, which feltrge and very hot against mine. He wrapped his fingers around my hand and curled his arm around mine, pulling me just that much closer. It felt awkward, intimate, and really nice all at the same time. He continued to look at me, his head turned to the side and down toward me, as he guided me to the ce where I always sat for dinner.


    I was the first to be seated for the meal. Once I was sitting all the others moved to their seats as well. The food was already on the table and waiting for us. In front of me was an elegant looking table setting with more silverware than we usually had, fancy looking napkins, and more dishes than usual.


    The food had already been served and was waiting in front of each of us. I had a te full of a sd that consisted of greens, thin shavings of white cheese, hard little pieces of bread, and a white dressing that seemed to have been mixed throughout the whole thing.


    There was a bowl with some sort of soup. It had a thin brown broth and I could smell onions. There was a chunk of bread and some melted cheese on top of it. The te of the main dish was there as well, there was some kind of beef with a gravy looking sauce, and mixed in with the meat I could see onions, carrots, mushrooms, and bacon. Also on the te was mashed potatoes and dinner rolls.


    It all looked so delicious, and it smelled even better. Before I could start eating though Artem cleared his throat and started to speak.


    "This dinner is in honor of Star, who is the star of this evening. She is a beautiful, brave, kind, andpassionate person and I am thankful to have her in my life." Artem raised his ss which looked to have been filled from the bottle of wine that was sitting nearby. I looked at my own ss and saw, with relief, that it was filled with lemonade instead of wine.


    "I have known for a long time that Star is a strong and courageous person, and I am thankful to the Goddess and to you all for helping her. My cousin can now be free thanks to all of you here." Bailey was the next to speak.


    "Our Shooting Star has finally broken free." Reed added.


    "Let me be the first here at the table to say this, Star, we all love you and are thankful you are here with us. Happy birthday." Chay''s words were next. With all of them saying these things I could feel my heart swelling so much.


    "Happy birthday." Everyone else at the table lifted their ss as well and echoed those words.


    "Thank you, all of you. You''ve all been so good to me."


    "We''re only giving you what you deserve." Artem smiled at me as he gripped my hand for a quick second.


    From there we started eating. The food was so good that I had to ask Artem what it all was. He had made a Ceasar sd, French onion soup, and beef bourguignon. I had never heard of any of them but they all tasted divine.


    After we were done eating I was prevented from going upstairs. Apparently there was more to the night than what had already happened.


    *****The next chapter will consist of a slight recap by Artem before continuing, but there is a lot of new information before it moves on*****

 Chapter 53 - Artem - Surprise Part 5

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Yesterday, the day before Star''s birthday I had made a massive breakfast because I was in such a good mood. Chay actually yelled at me for going overboard on the wrong day. But I still managed to make my Star the perfect breakfast on her special day. But I didn''t expect her to cry when we all surprised her.


    Then there was the fact that Chay usurped my hug and then everyone else joined in. I waited until they were done so I could have a hug all to myself. I was so happy that she was not trying to stop me anymore, that she was epting me and hugging me back. This was the perfect day already, for me at least.


    Star had looked a little sad when we all told her we were busy yesterday and that we couldn''t do anything with her, so that is probably why she didn''t ask about anything today. Instead she just went straight to the library with the others. That was perfect.


    With Star hidden away in the library it meant that we could decorate without her seeing us. We even had Toby take lunch to them so they wouldn''te down like usual.


    It was taking a while. I wanted to hand paint the sign for her and then there was the food that I was cooking which took more than a few hours to finish off. The guys were there to help with table clothes, ce settings, and other decorations. The dining room was only barely decorated, but the sitting room which was just off of the dining room had been done up a lot more borately with balloons, streamers, banners, and lots of stars dangling from the ceiling. We had bought way too much confetti as well and it was scattered all over the floor to make it look more festive. We were going to be cleaning it up for a while but I didn''t care, Star was worth it.


    While her cousins were trying to keep Star upied for us they had run into a problem. Star had grown suspicious about what was going on and wanted to leave. While Reed tried to stop her, or dy her, I had received a text from Bailey that told me exactly what was going on.


    Chay swooped and like a hero to the rescue. She had taken Star back to her room and was giving her a makeover like she had nned. The makeover had involved me stopping what I had been doing to set up a vanity table for Star''s room. But it was for my mate and I didn''t mind.


    While Chay was distracting Star for the rest of the afternoon we were all able to finish our work. The decorations were finished. The food was ready. And everyone was waiting.


    Finally, I heard theming down the stairs. It was almost time for me to see what Star looked like after her makeover session with Chay.


    Chay pulled Star into the room and the confetti rained down, just like it did this morning. There was no shout of surprise, there was no need. Star looked shocked enough when she walked in without the words.


    Oh and the way she looked. I had seen a picture of Star in the dress when Chay sent the picture to me, but that picture was a pale representationpared to the real thing. And then there was the hair and make up that had been done so beautifully.


    Star''s eyes were colored with silver and a hint of ck. Her cheeks were blushed softly, and her lips were a soft shade of rose. Her whole appearance just screamed beauty.


    Then there was her hair. Star usually wore it down, never having had the chance to pull it back when she was younger. But now, Chay had braided the sides and brought them to the back to hang down in soft flowing curls. The sides of her hair, where the braids were, had strands that were brought down from the top to dangle after being curled.


    For some reason, when I looked at Star, all I could think about was brides and weddings. Specifically Star as a bride at our wedding. She would make a stunningly beautiful bride if I do say so myself.


    Chay took Star''s hand again aftering inside and walked her right over to me. I thought it was like a dreame true, the most beautiful woman in the world was walking right toward me. And for a moment, I was like a junior high school boy all flustered when he saw a pretty girl.


    "Well, Artemis, I present to you, the guest of honor. May I present to you Miss Astraia ''Star'' Westbrook." For a few minutes all I could do was stare at her. I wanted to smile, I wanted to talk to her, but I just felt like a fish out of water, lost and not knowing what to do.


    After a few minutes when I did try to talk it didn''t exactly go as I nned. I couldn''t stop myself from stuttering and stammering.


    "Star, you''re so, I mean this is, uh, um, y-you look s-so...so...s-so b-beautiful." After my failed attempt at talking Star looked at Chay, who had a mischievous look on her face, and the two of them giggled like two junior high school girls. I guess it fit since I was the junior high school boy here.


    "Get it together man." Kent''s voice heldughter as he pped a hand onto my shoulder, he wasing to my aid, or so I thought. "Roll your fucking tongue back into your head and lets sit down for dinner. I''m sure the lovelydy is hungry." He grinned and winked at Star which made my wolf growl inside my head, frustrated.


    "Uh, y-yeah, you''re right. W-we should s-s-sit down now. Star, may I walk you to your seat?" I grinned and held my hand out to her, hoping she epted it.


    "Dude, it''s ten feet." Kentughed but I just ignored him and continued to smile with my hand still extended.


    My world just about imploded when she took my offered hand. Goddess, but I couldn''t express how happy I was that she was epting my advances, little by little.


    After that I wrapped my arm around hers, keeping our hands locked together, as I led her the short distance to her seat. After we were all seated I grabbed my wine and held it up, offering a toast to them all on behalf of my mate. I wasn''t the only one too, her cousins and Chay joined in as well.


    Star seemed to enjoy her dinner as well. Ever since she had gotten over her nerves about whether she should eat or not she had been eating a normal amount for a she wolf. That made me happy as well, she was getting so much morefortable around us all.

 Chapter 54 - Artem - Surprise Part 6

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    After dinner was over it was time to get to the rest of the party. I offered her my hand again and heard that choir of angels once more as she epted it. I helped her to her feet and walked her into the other room.


    I heard her gasp when she saw the way the sitting room had been transformed. It looked nothing like it did when I had brought her in here to talkst week. I was so d that things were better now than they had been that night.


    In the sitting room now there were presents and all the decorations that we had set up earlier. It looked like a birthday bomb had exploded, but in a good way.


    The smile that was lighting up Star''s face was more than worth all the effort we all put into this party tonight. And while I was staring at her face mesmerized Toby walked over and turned on the stereo that we had prepared with music.


    The kids, excited as they were, wanted to give Star her presents first. They all ran to the table where the gifts were sitting and grabbed theirs, then they ran to her side, all moring to be first.


    "Open my present."


    "No, mine first."


    "Here, here, this one is from me."


    All their voices started blending into one as they all spoke and yelled at the same time. Star wasn''t sure what to do with the attention and looked a little shocked. With wide, uncertain eyes she looked at me pleadingly.


    "You have birthday presents Star, whose would you like to open first?"


    "I have presents?" She just didn''t seem to think that it was possible that anyone had gotten her anything. "I really didn''t need anything. You already bought me everything I needed, Artem."


    "Far from it." I smiled at her gently. "I only got you started. There are a lot more things in this world than those few measly things that I bought you. You will soon find out when you open these and the other gifts we get you in the future."


    "But-." She tried to object again but little Cohen piped up then.


    "Please open my present Star, please, please please." He was jumping up and down with joy as he begged her to take his gift.


    I watched as the apprehension in Star''s eyes melted away as it was reced with bright shining joy.


    "Yes, Cohen, I will open yours first. Thank you so much." She took his gift and bent to give him a quick hug. The joy on Cohen''s face was bright and radiant for all to see. Star was no match for the kids and their excitement.


    Everything the kids had to give Star was all hand made over thest week. Ever since they met her and got to know her they had been working on them in their art lessons. Cohen had wrapped his gift himself, just like the others had, so it wasn''t the neatest it could have been. But that gave it its own sense of charm too.


    Inside Cohen''s gift was a picture that the boy had painted himself. It was better than you would have expected for someone so young, but he must have had a natural talent for it. There was a dark blue background, obviously painted onto white canvas. There was a big, brightly painted moon with a very big, equally bright star. On the ground below the two celestial objects were a man and a woman in silhouette holding hands. It was very well done indeed.


    "It''s you and uncle Artem. You two are the star and the moon. That''s what uncle Kent told us." Cohen was smiling so carefree and happily as he said this. "Do you like it?" I could see the happiness at getting the lovely gift on Star''s face as she turned to the boy again.


    "I love it Cohen, I really do." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "You did a wonderful job. Thank you so much."


    The others came up then and gave her their gifts one by one. Dalton, who was less than a year younger than Cohen, had painted a night skyline with trees below the beautiful stars. It wasn''t as masterful as Cohen''s had been but it was still really beautiful and well done. Flint had made a dreamcatcher in the shape of a star with different shades of blue. Leslie had made homemade jewelry with a ne, bracelet and earrings, all blue like Star''s eyes andplete with little handmade stars. He told her that there was a star for everyone that was in the house. Benton and Julian had both worked together to make their project. They had designed, cut, and painted a stained ss windchime for Star to put next to her window. The level of detail they put into it was perfect, and it too had stars adorning it.


    Once the boys were done with their gifts it was time to move onto the others. Kent was standing to the side with Toby and Morgan. They had gone in together to get her gift.


    "Will you open ours next. Please, please, please." Morgan mimicked the kids causing Star tough sweetly.


    "Yes, Morgan, I will open yours next." She was still giggling when she took the gift from Kent.


    "The three of us got you one gift between us. We weren''t certain what to get you, so we got you something that you will definitely need."


    Star pulled their gift out of the small bag that it was in. There was a box inside there but the actual gift was already out of it. They had gotten her a cell phone. It was a Samsung, thetest model, and it had a midnight blue case with small silver stars on the back.


    "It already has everyone''s numbers programmed into it, and all of us will show you how to use it anytime you need." Toby smiled sweetly at her. "This way if you need something, or if you''re feeling lonely you can call anyone you want to."


    "This is wonderful." She was smiling happily as she looked at it. "Thank you so much."


    "You''re wee." They each gave her a quick hug before they walked away, she looked a little ufortable as she epted them, but I think she was getting more used to being physical with people because her smile never faltered.

 Chapter 55 - Artem - Surprise Part 7

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    After my three friends walked away, her cousins came over to her, Bailey was carrying a small box.


    "We didn''t get you anything new, Star, I''m sorry that we didn''t know what to buy."


    "You being here is gift enough." She smiled at him, at all of them.


    "I knew you would say something like that." Reed smiled back at her.


    "Still, I do have something for you. I was going to give it to you the other day, but I was convinced to hold it until today." Kent looked over at my sister then, his new mate, and grinned. "But this box is filled with things from your mother. We took them from the attic of the house when we left. We always hoped to get you out of that house someday and we wanted to have these for you. We haven''t looked through them, not once. I wanted to save that honor for you."


    Bailey handed the box to her then. It was a small antique wooden trunk, maybe about a foot from side to side, eight inches from front to back, and maybe 6 inches from top to bottom. It wasn''t really big, but it would hold a lot all things considered. And it looked really expensive.


    "This was my mother''s?" Star looked like her heart was breaking then.


    "Yes, I remember she brought it with her when she came here from Colorado." Bailey smiled at her.


    "Thank you. Thank you so much. I never thought I would ever have anything of hers. I don''t even remember what she looks like." She hugged them then, all three of them, she hugged them like they were the only thing keeping her grounded.


    It took a few minutes for her emotions to settle after that. But after a little while her eyes seemed to clear and she finally put down the box that she had been cradling against her chest.


    "Thank you all so much. These were wonderful gifts." She was smiling at them all as she spoke.


    "That''s not everything." Chay beamed at her, stopping her from ending it all right then.


    "What are you talking about?" Star was confused, looking at the empty table where the gifts had been.


    "I hid ours in the other room." Chay smiled. "The ones Artem and I got for you."


    "But you already gave me something earlier." She protested. "And Artem gave me so much already."


    "This is your birthday, take them and deal with it."


    "But-."


    "Please, Star, let me give them to you." I smiled softly at her, hoping she would ept them like she did from the others.


    "O-ok." She stuttered for a moment as she looked at me, a zed look appearing in her eyes. I had been seeing that look a lot today when she looked at me. as she just dazed from looking at me.


    "Thank you." I smiled despite the look in her eyes.


    Chay went out of the room then and got what she had hidden. We had several gifts so she had also enlisted the help of Bailey to get it all. They came back with several boxes and bags between them.


    "This is all too much." Star was protesting before she even opened a single thing that Chay and Bailey had brought back in.


    "Just open them, please." Chay actually asked her, that was a first for her. I thought she just demanded that everyone do what she wants when she wants.


    "But why did you get all this? What did you even get?" Starughed as she asked the second of her two questions.


    "I guess you need to open them to find out." Chay was grinning. "Remember, no take backs or give backs." With a wink Chay left her side and went to stand, arm in arm, with Bailey as they watched my mate together.


    "Hahh, if I have to." She sounded upset, but there was a slight smile on her face too.


    Chay had set the bags up in a specific order, and I realized what that order was immediately. They were in the order of when I had bought the gifts for her at the mall the other day.


    The first thing that she opened was the purse, green with ck and the paw print. It was the exact same purse that Star had wanted when she was shopping with Chay.


    "When did you get this?" She asked with awe.


    "Well, Artem was at the mall too. I swore to you that I wouldn''t buy those things for you, but I never promised that Artem wouldn''t." Chay was giving a look that made her look like an evil little imp.


    "But how did he know?"


    "I sent him pictures of the things you wanted. I could tell what it was you liked and so I sent him to go get it."


    "Is that what all this is?" Star looked like she had just had her mind blown and I could expect to seem smokeing out of her ears any second.


    "Some of it."


    Star then proceeded to open all the gifts that were lined up, in order. She came across the shoes, the watch, the sunsses, the shirt, the cute little skirt. Everything it was that Chay had sent me the pictures of. There were about twenty things in all that I had gotten at the mall that day.


    "This is all too much." Star looked like she was filled with emotions that would soon spill over.


    "If you ask me, nothing will ever be enough." I smiled at her. "I have something else that I got you, something I picked out myself. If you don''t mind." I offered the box that I had hidden in my pocket.


    The box was long and skinny, inside there were two pieces of jewelry. There was a charm bracelet and a ne. The bracelet, made of white gold, had small gold charms that were ented with diamonds. All the charms were of stars and moons, alternating on the bracelet. The ne only had two charms, one star and one moon, they too were white gold and covered in diamond.


    "This is so pretty." She really seemed to like the gift that I had picked out for her. "You chose this for me?" She looked at me with such an emotional expression that I felt myself starting to lift off from the ground, flying high on her love.


    "Yes, it made me think of you." I looked away, embarrassed for just a moment.


    Star jumped to her feet then, joy on her face. She rose so quickly that I was almost tempted to step back, afraid we were going to collide somehow. But then, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tight.


    "Thank you Artem. It''s lovely." That''s when she kissed my cheek.


    It was quick. It was innocent. It might not have meant anything. But to me, it was like the big bang was taking ce all over again. The universe had just imploded and then restarted from the fragments left behind. Press the fast forward button for a few billion years and you will get us standing here in my house once again. And even after restarting the universe I would think that I had just been kissed by an angel that hade down to the earth to live among mere mortals.

 Chapter 56 - Artem - Surprise Part 8

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    She pulled away soon, too soon. She was looking all around the room. At me, at Chay, at her family, at my friends, at the kids. The look on her face was one of love and gratitude.


    "Thank you, all of you. You''re all so sweet to me. You''ve all been so nice and helped me so much. I don''t think I could ask for a better group of people to be around. You all helped me get out of a bad ce and have helped me to ovee it all as well. I wouldn''t have been able to do any of this without you, and I hope we can all stay close so we can continue to help each other."


    My mate didn''t know how happy she had just made me and the others as she smiled at us all.


    "We love you Star." Dalton and Cohen both said at the same time as they ran to her, hugging her around the waist.


    After a few minutes my cousins all went to the center of the room. They were all excited as they beamed at us.


    "Ok, ok, it''s time for the next part of the birthday party." Sydney got everyone''s attention.


    "Yeah, enough presents, it''s our turn." Dakotah beamed.


    "It''s time for cake." Criztie rounded them out.


    They left for the kitchen then and came back all carrying arge tray together. They set the cake on the table closest to Star so she could see it clearly.


    The cake was three tiers high, and each tier was shaped like a star. Each of the upper tiers was also just a little smaller than thest. The cake was a dark almost midnight blue, and decorating the cake from the top to the bottom were little white chocte stars. At the top there were little handmade candles in the shape of letters that spelled out HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY STAR. The cake was not too borate but it was very beautiful, just like I knew it would be.


    The triplets worked together to light the candles and then we all sang to my mate. The look on her face, the joy she was feeling as she looked at her birthday cake, it was like she thought it was all a dreame true. She just didn''t realize she was my dreame true.


    After we sang to her I told Star to make a wish and blow out the candles. I had a feeling she wouldn''t know exactly what to do. She grinned, closed her eyes, and blew. The candles all went out with that one breath. And the view of her doing that simple thing was so beautiful. Thankfully I heard a phone''s camera click and saw Chay taking a picture of that face, I would have her send it to meter.


    The cake, once it was cut, tasted even better than I could have imagined. Star seemed to have ceased to believe this night was real after that.


    "This is all just too perfect." I thought she was really going to cry then but they would have been happy tears.


    "You''re worth it all." Criztie told her with a big smile and a hug.


    The party didn''t have much left after that, but I did want to spend some more time with my Star, alone if I could.


    "Can I walk you back to your room." I asked her once we were done eating.


    "So soon?" Morgan asked, confused but Kent elbowed him in the side. "Oof!"


    "Shut up." He whispered in his ear angrily.


    "You two go on up, we will start cleaning all this up." Toby grinned. "And the kids will go to bed." Toby added for their benefit."


    After that all the kids ran out of the room, heading up to bed. Our rooms were on a higher floor so we walked slowly and let them go on ahead of us. I had my hand wrapped around Star''s again, my right one holding her right hand as it crossed over my body. Also, I had wrapped my left arm around her waist, mostly because she had seemed tired after the party was over.


    We walked like that until we got to her door. I couldn''t think of anything to say the entire way up. And when we got to her door she had turned to face me with her back to the wooden barrier. Right now there was just one thing I could think to say to her.


    "Star, can I kiss you?" I don''t know why I asked that question at all. I knew it was too soon, but I couldn''t help myself, all I wanted to do was feel her lips against mine.


    There was that zed, almost unfocused look again. But she nodded her head and then spoke.


    "Y-yes." She didn''t object, and she didn''t look like she was opposed to the idea.


    I didn''t give it any more thought. I wrapped my left hand around her waist and cupped her cheek in my right hand. She raised onto her toes just a little as I leaned forward. Before I knew it my lips were touching hers. It was soft, gentle, and chaste. I didn''t push it too far. The kiss may have alsosted longer than some other kisses that were as innocent as this one was.


    By the time I pulled my lips away from hers I knew that I was forever a changed man. Those lips were so soft and supple, I would never want anything else, and I was beyond happy that she was my mate.


    "Good night, Star." I whispered the words right into her ear. "I love you."


    "G-good night Artem." She sounded dazed, and a little unsettled, but the look in her eyes spoke of nothing but good things.


    "Will you go out with me? On a date? Let''s go out this weekend, just you and me." I don''t know what brought that on but I feltpelled to ask, and once I did I knew it was exactly what I wanted.


    "OK." She was smiling but she still looked dazed. I was really starting to worry about that.


    "Thank you."


    With that I left her at the door and walked across the hall to my door. I backed up the entire way and opened my door without looking away from her. We both opened our doors and entered our rooms at the same time.


    I have never been so in love with anyone in my entire life.

 Chapter 57 - Star - Freak Out With Chay

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my GOD! The words just repeated over and over in my head as I went into my room.


    Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. What did I just do? What did I just let happen?


    I had just let Artem kiss me. Not to mention that I had said yes when he asked me to go out with him, on a date. Just the two of us.


    What were we going to do on a date? What was I supposed to do? I was at a loss and my mind was racing nonstop.


    I had been tired, but not anymore. I had wanted to go to bed, but I couldn''t now. How could I expect myself to fall asleep after that?


    I needed to think about this. I needed to try to wrap my head around what just happened. I needed to talk to Chay.


    Maybe she could exin some of this to me. Maybe she would be able to tell me what the heck just happened here, because I sure as hell didn''t know.


    But it waste now, and if I called her to my room now I think that Artem would know. Plus, I didn''t have the courage to leave my room now, I might run into him again.


    Wait a minute! I have that phone that they gave me. I had just realized that I was told to put it in my purse, which I was carrying with me still.


    I opened the small green bag and pulled out the phone. I had seen Chay use hers, so it couldn''t be that hard, could it?


    I looked all over the thing, trying to find a button to turn it on, all I saw were two little things on the side, one about twice as long as the other. I pushed the top, long piece and nothing happened. I pushed the one of the bottom, the smaller one, and the phone lit up.


    "Yes, progress." I was proud of myself for figuring out this much. "Now, everytime Chay does this she slides her finger like this." I gave myself amentary as I worked on figuring it out. I slid my finger across the screen and the picture of a night sky with the time disyed over it disappeared.


    Once I had slid the phone screen it opened onto something with lots of little pictures. There was a clock picture, something with the date on it, and several others I didn''t know the meaning to. But there at the bottom left of the screen was something that looked like a phone.


    "Is that it?" I asked myself as I touched the button like I had seen Chay do many times before.


    The pictures on the screen changed again. It now had a list of names. And right there at the top with a star next to the name was Chay, above her was Artem.


    "Ok, what to do now?" I wondered as I touched Chay''s name. There was another set of pictures that popped up then. Another with a phone picture, something that looked like a notepad, and something else I didn''t know. Once again I hit the phone button and that was when I heard the thing in my hands start making noise.


    "Hey Star." I heard Chay''s voice on the phone but it was so quiet.


    "Chay." I called out to her, probably louder than I needed to.


    "Star? Is something wrong?"


    "C-can youe here please?"


    "Yeah, did something happen?" She sounded worried and I heard someone''s voice in the background, it sounded like Bailey.


    "Is she alright? Is everything ok?"


    "I think so, I''m going to go see what''s wrong." I heard her but it didn''t sound like she was talking to me. Then I heard the sound of someone kissing someone, or something. "I''ming to your room. I will be there in a minute." Chay spoke quickly before all the sound went awaypletely.


    I was still wearing my dress, which I didn''t think would be veryfortable to sleep in, nor to sit and have a freak out in. So I went to the closet to get some clothes out. Before I was done, Chay was already opening my door.


    "So what''s the big deal?" She looked at me with a serious expression on her face. "What happened? Did my idiot brother mess something up again?"


    With her words the kiss shed through my mind again. The way he had leaned in. The way that he had put his hand on my face. That look in his eyes that felt like it was going to melt me. The feeling of his lips on mine. And of course the way that I just let it happen.


    I buried my face in my hands, dropping the clothes that I had been holding.


    "What the heck? What''s with that look?" Chay looked distressed now as she ran to me.


    With a hand around my shoulders Chay led me to a chair at the table, pushing me gently until I sat down. She then went to get the things that I had dropped before she joined me at the table.


    When she sat down my face was still buried in my hands making it so I could only see out of the corner of my eyes or through gaps in my fingers.


    "Star, girl, what is wrong."


    "Rrtmm kssht ee." I pressed my hands even closer to my face before I spoke, which made the wordse out all intelligible.


    "What''s that? I didn''t quite catch that." Understandably, Chay was confused by what I had said.


    "Rrtmm kssht ee." I said it again.


    "Girl, I still can''t hear you."


    "ARTEM KISSED ME!" I raised my head and yelled the words. I could tell my face was bright red as I screamed. And then there was the look on Chay''s face, one of awe, excitement, and anger.


    "Did you want him to?"


    "I-I don''t know."


    "Did you not want him to?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Did you like it?"


    "Y-yes." I buried my face again, my head now hot enough to melt.


    "Are you mad, angry, embarrassed, happy? Come on I need details here." She was grinning now.


    "I-I didn''t exactly try to stop him, but I haven''t been able to stop him from doing stuff all day. Not that he did anything bad. But I didn''t know I wanted it until he did it."


    "That''s all part of falling in love." Chay was grinning at me now as she took my hand, probably to stop me from covering my face anymore.


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, I find myself doing things I never thought I would before I was mated to Bailey." She looked so happy as she spoke, like everything was all new and wonderful and lovely.


    "But there were times that I told myself I should stop him, but I really didn''t want to. Like it was something making me do it."


    "That''s part of the mate bond. It makes you feel so many different things, like it''s pulling at you but in a good way."


    I sat there in silence for a few minutes as I thought about what she had said. If I had this right, then the mate bond they had all been talking about was to me for all of this. I really do like Artem, or at least I think I do. I didn''t actually dislike anything that he had done. And I wasn''t afraid of him anymore. So, maybe the things in the back of my mind that I had been thinking were just my misgivings and nerves. I just needed to trust in Artem more. I know he would never hurt me.


    Chay rose to her feet and was almost dancing happily around the table.


    "But seriously, Star, this is amazing. I can''t believe he kissed you. EEEEEE!" She spoke excitedly before squealing in joy. "This makes you one step closer to being my sister." She had stopped dancing now but she looked happy enough to start floating off the floor.


    "What do you mean?" I was confused. "How will I be your sister?"


    "When you and Artem are official, you will be with my brother. That will make you my new sister."


    "Oh." I didn''t really get it, but I would figure it outter. It was clear that whatever was going to happen was making Chay really happy.


    "I can''t believe how linked our families are. Me with your cousin. Your other cousin with my cousin. Their sister with the pack beta. It''s all quite amazing if you think about it. We''re alling together as one big family and pack."


    "I am just d that so many people are happy." I grinned at her.


    "Are you happy?" She sat at the table again and looked at me intently. "Are you happy? With Artem?"


    "I-I think I am." I felt the peace in my heart when I spoke and knew that it was true.

 Chapter 58 - Star - Getting Ready

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Today was my date with Artem. It had been three days since he asked me to go out with him and I was still totally clueless. I didn''t know where we were going. I didn''t know what to do. And I definitely didn''t know what to wear.


    When I called Chay (I was getting really good with using the phone over thest few days with the help of Chay and Bailey) and told her that I needed help she had rushed right over.


    "I''m so proud of you." She squealed as she ran into my room without even knocking. She had set her course for me and ran right to my side, pulling me into her arms.


    "Proud of me for being so stupid?" I wondered as I mmed my closet door shut.


    "No, proud of you for acting like a real girl."


    "Once again Chay, I have no idea what you''re even talking about." I just rolled my eyes at her and went to flop on my bed.


    I bounced gently twice before I settled onto the sheets and nkets. I was totally stupid when it can to all this stuff and I knew it. UGH! Why did I have to be this way?


    "You''re a real girl right now because any girl would be worrying about what to wear on their first date, let alone their first date with someone like my brother."


    "What do you mean, someone like your brother?"


    "I know that women consider my brother a catch. He''s good looking, strong, has power and authority, is smart even though he acts stupid as hell most of the time, and not to mention he''s one of the nicest people around."


    "I-I knew some of that about him." I blushed as I thought about what it was I had thought of him.


    "Really?" Chay wiggled her eyebrows and came to flop on my bed next to me,nding on her side with her hand propping up her head. "What is it you knew about him?"


    "T-that he was nice. That he was strong. Th-that he w-was handsome." I think my face just caught on fire, literally. That is how hot it felt right then.


    "You did, huh?" Chay looked yful now.


    "Oh stop teasing me." I snapped at her as I grabbed a pillow. I really couldn''t believe what I was doing, but I pped her in the face with the pillow which caused her to scream slightly before she burst intoughter.


    "Alright, alright, I will stop." She was grinning now. "But I will find it all out eventually." That seemed like a really mischievous look in her eyes. "Come on, let''s get your outfit picked out." She grabbed my hand then and pulled me off the bed and toward my closet.


    Chay and I looked through everything she and Artem had bought me since I came here. There were the things that I got for my birthday too, which I really did like some of them.


    "What about those?" I asked as I pointed toward the bags that I had yet to put away.


    "YES!" Chay eximed as she pped her hands together. "That will be perfect."


    Chay ran to the bags, kneeling on the floor as she looked through them one by one. She was looking for something specific.


    After several minutes she came back to where I stood and held up her pick. She had the red tank top I had really liked. Well it was mostly red, but it was also covered in a lot of ck as part of the design that formed a few different roses in the pattern. Along the stems and petals there were shiny silver dots that had been added after the shirt was made, it helped to make the design pop a little more.


    To go along with the shirt she had gotten the cute little dark blue jean skirt that had ck trim around the edges and the pockets. She had also grabbed a pair of ck slip on canvas shoes and some of the jewelry that they had gotten me.


    By the time Chay was done with all that she wanted to add to me I had on a ne and two bracelets. The set that Artem had picked out for me himself as well as a in silver chain on my right wrist.


    Chay didn''t do my hair and makeup today. Instead she was slowly instructing me on how to do it all myself. She was teaching me a simple braid right now. Or she said it was simple but it seemed pretty damn hard to me. I was on my third try now and I was just finally getting it to look the way it was supposed to. After my hair was done, she was going to help me with my makeup. But she promised to keep it simple.


    I ended up with a rosy color on my lips, no blush, and just a little bit of eye makeup. We had used a medium gray color so that it would go with everything that I was wearing. I thought I lookedpletely different, but not in a bad way.


    As I looked at myself I looked like what I would expect a normal girl would look like on a regr basis.


    "If you just keep practicing and doing simple things you will look super cute, no actually really hot with just the stuff that you''ve done today."


    "I look hot?" I turned my head and asked her with awe written on my face.


    "Definitely. You will have another speechless Artem on your hands." Her smile made me giggle. I had actually liked getting that response from him the other day.


    "I''m nervous." I took a deep breath before I looked at her. "Will it go alright?"


    "The date?" Chay didn''t look upset or worried at all. "Definitely. You will have fun. I know you will. And Artem will be there to take care of you."


    "That''s good." I blushed as I thought about tonight. I wonder if he will kiss me again?

 Chapter 59 - Artem - Date Night Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had been floating high and grinning like a loon ever since I had asked Star to go on a date with me. I couldn''t believe she had said yes. That and the kiss had been the highlights of her birthday party. At least for me. Oh, and let''s not forget how beautiful she looked when she came walking in wearing that dress. I felt my heart stop from the beauty of that sight.


    However, now I was busy getting everything set up for my date. I didn''t want things to run toote. And I wanted to make sure that she felt safe and secure. So for that matter, I was not taking her anywhere in town with the chance of running into those disgusting things that called themselves her family.


    My whole n for tonight consisted of me taking her to the private beach house that my parents had over in the city. Well, the edge of the city. I was going to cook for her and we were going to have a private pic on the beach. We would watch the sun set and maybe even stick our feet into the water. It was going to be a beautiful and romantic night.


    I had been preparing for this for two days now. I had gone to clean the beach house with the others and I got all the ingredients for dinner yesterday. We would be doing the cooking for dinner together actually, which was something that she had seemed interested in doing when we talked before.


    I had everything set and ready by mid afternoon. We had a slight drive to get to the house and we were going to be cooking before we ate so I didn''t want to wait too much longer before we went. The sun would set a little after eight and if I wanted us to be done eating by that time then I had to hurry.


    I was walking toward the hall with about three billion butterflies swarming in my gut. What if she changed her mind? What if she decides she doesn''t want to go after all? GAH! These negative thoughts just weren''t going away.


    I knocked, hesitantly, on her door after I crossed the hall from my door. That was when the butterflies multiplied by ten at least. What if I am wearing somethingpletely off from what she is wearing and she hates it. What if she gets mad that I didn''t tell her it was a casual date? I mean, I was wearing a casual styled burgundy button up with a white t-shirt underneath and a pair of ck cargo shorts and ck tennis shoes. It was really casual, would she get mad if she dressed up?


    ''STOP IT!'' I yelled the words into my head while I had my mini freak out, bringing the internal panic from a ten down to about a four. ''She isn''t like that. She''s sweet, and kind, and perfect, and beautiful...¡­.. and sexy.''


    I almost added thatst word out loud when she opened the door. She was standing there looking like a goddess or something. Long slender legs in for me to see, a low cut tank top perfectly framing her beautiful chest, her hair braided back neatly so that her slender, delicious looking neck was on full disy. I had to try really, really, really hard not to react to the way she looked physically.


    "H-hi Star." God I had to be grinning like an idiot. "You look amazing." She blushed then, turning an adorable shade of pink.


    "Thank you."


    "Shall we go then?" I asked her while holding my hand out for her to take. She looked nervous but she took it nheless.


    I linked my arm with hers then, pulling us in closer to each other and I noticed that she didn''t look dazed, ssy eyed, or anything like that. She just looked happy, albeit embarrassed. We walked like that all the way down to the garage where I helped her into the pickup truck I was using for tonight''s trip. Mostly because it was tall and I felt the need to help her up and down from the vehicle.


    We chatted a little about random things during the drive but for the most part we rode in silence. It wasn''t an ufortable silence so it was fine, I think.


    When we arrived at the beach I looked to the side so I could see her reaction. It was just like I had expected. Her eyes lit up, a smile spread across her face, and I could see the joy radiating from her. I had hoped to see her this happy, this excited to see the ocean for the first time. That radiant look made her beauty shine from her ten times stronger, and that is saying something with how beautiful she already was.


    "Artem, that is so beautiful." She was leaning forward now, looking out at the water as I made my way to the beach house. "Is that the ocean?" She sounded so curious, so lively that I couldn''t help but grin back at her.


    "Yes, it is."


    "We''re at the ocean? This is where we were going?"


    "I wanted to have a pic on the beach with you and watch the sun as it sets over the water."


    "That sounds beautiful." She looked at me with wide, happy eyes.


    "Not nearly as beautiful as you." I couldn''t stop the words froming out of my mouth, and the minute they did she blushed again.


    "I''m not." The words were a whisper, barely audible, but I heard them.


    "You''re more beautiful than anything I have ever seen." I meant that too, she was gorgeous and lovely. And I would spend all of eternity telling her that if I had to.


    I parked the truck in the garage and walked around to help her down out of the seat. I had taken her hand to perform the action but I wasn''t letting go just yet. I used that hold on her hand to guide her into the house.


    It was a simple enough beach house, mostly white interior with light natural wood finished all over. There was arge living room that opened up into the eat-in kitchen. There was a half bath down stairs and a study that we used mainly for storage purposes. Upstairs there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. We shouldn''t need the upstairs though, we were only here for dinner.


    I showed her around the spaces we were going to use, letting her get more acquainted before we got started on the next part of the date. She was looking around in awe. Having not seen very many different houses in person, it was all probably really new to her.

 Chapter 60 - Star - Date Night Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I would never forget that first sight of the beach, my first glimpse of the ocean. It was beautiful. The sun glittering off the bright blue water. The sheer size of it all. It was amazing and wonderful and I couldn''t be happier that Artem had brought me here.


    Then, he went and said something that made my heart race.


    "Artem, that is so beautiful. Is that the ocean?" I had leaned forward in my seat to look out at the glorious site.


    "Yes, it is." His voice was soft, smooth, and made my stomach do funny things.


    "We''re at the ocean? This is where we were going?"


    "I wanted to have a pic on the beach with you and watch the sun as it sets over the water."


    "That sounds beautiful." I turned to look at him then, a grin on my face and my eyes wide.


    "Not nearly as beautiful as you." I felt like my heart was going to explode with how fast it was beating, I felt like my stomach was doing flips and jumps too.


    "I''m not." The words came out as a whisper, myck of confidence in myself doing me in again.


    "You''re more beautiful than anything I have ever seen." I thought I was going to melt right then with how hot my body and face were feeling after those words.


    After that Artem pulled the truck he was driving into the garage of the house and helped me to get down. He continued to hold my hand as he showed me around the inside of the house. He wanted to make sure that I knew where everything was in case I needed anything.


    Once the tour was over he pulled me into the kitchen where I found a lot of things sitting out on the counter.


    "What is all this?" I asked him, confusion in my voice.


    "We''re going to make dinner." He smiled at me, a look that was sweet, full of love, and made my stomach drop with fear.


    "We are?" I asked him, my voice thick with apprehension.


    "Remember when I asked if you wanted me to teach you how to cook? I thought we could do that tonight. It''s just the two of us, so if we mess up you won''t have to worry."


    "But, I don''t want to mess up your dinner." I could hear the fear in my voice.


    "I won''t let that happen. You can do this, I know you can. Then maybe we can make breakfast together from now on."


    "You really want me to help you?"


    I want anything that will give me more time with you." That look, that smile, I don''t know how but it made my heart swell every time I saw them.


    "OK." I conceded and nodded at him. "I will make dinner with you."


    The smile on his face only got bigger, wider, and brighter when I agreed to cook with him.


    Artem pulled the rest of the ingredients out of the fridge to go with what was already on the counter. There was bacon, chicken, spinach, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, garlic, pasta and some kind of cream. He also had something he called ciabatta bread, but I don''t know what made it different from other bread.


    We were making something called Tuscan Chicken. The task before me looked daunting, but I was looking forward to doing this. Artem was right, I had wanted to try cooking with him, and it was something we were doing together so that made it even better.


    We set to work then. I followed all the instructions that Artem gave me, which he did softly and with precise detail so that I wasn''t left guessing on what to do.


    The first thing we did was set water to boil for the pasta. Artem had added a little bit of olive oil to the water as well, he said it would stop the noodles from sticking together. Then we peeled and did something called mincing the garlic. Basically it was now tiny little wet pieces that smelled very strong. Next we cut the already small tomatoes in half. The spinach was rinsed thoroughly after that. Lastly, we sliced the mushrooms up into thin pieces.


    I had never cut food like this before but Artem came around me and put his hands on mine, guiding me and showing me exactly what to do. I felt my heart quicken again when he touched me, but I didn''t want him to stop.


    Once we were done with the vegetables, it was time for us to focus on the meats. We sliced the bacon into small pieces before we even cooked it. Once it was all crispy and smelled delicious we drained the oil and set it aside. Next we took the chicken that we had also sliced into small chunks and cooked that until the chicken had gone from a peachy raw color to all white.


    Now the pasta was boiling and we were preparing the bread to go into the oven. We put butter, garlic, and other seasonings on the slices of bread and put them into the oven. Now it was time to make the sauce. Artem put the garlic in a pan and cooked it for a second with the tomatoes and mushrooms. Next the cream, heavy whipping cream it was called, went into the pan on top of the garlic, tomatoes, and mushrooms with a spoonful of something called cornstarch. The spinach went next.


    After the spinach had cooked down some we added the bacon and chicken. Once the pasta was drained and rinsed it was stirred into the sauce. Almost the exact same time we were done mixing it all together the oven''s timer dinged. The bread was done.


    All the food looked and smelled so good, and it was really easy cooking with Artem. I was happy, and proud of myself. I couldn''t imagine a better night so far.


    "So, what did you think of your first time cooking?" He was smiling at me, a hopeful look in his eyes.


    "It was nice. I am d I could do it with you?" I smiled at him but I noticed that his smile faltered for just a fraction of a second. Did I say something wrong? But he was back to normal almost immediately so I let it pass from my mind.


    "Come on, let''s go set up the nket and then I will bring the food out." He was looking at me as if nothing had happened a moment ago, further cementing that I should just let it slide as well, which I had.

 Chapter 61 - Artem - Date Night Part 3

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Cooking with Star was amazing. She was willing to help and actually did everything right along with me. When she was uncertain of something, like cutting the veggies, I wrapped my arms around her and guided her hands. It was heaven. Plus, the meal turned out perfectly. Once she had let herself stop second guessing herself she had fun and wasn''t nervous at all.


    I had just grabbed a light blue and green nket and her hand as I walked toward the door. I was determined to hold her hand as much as I could tonight so I wasn''t letting this opportunity slip by me.


    We made our way closer to the water, just high enough that I knew we would be out of the way of the waves as they slowly washed onto the shore. We worked together to spread the thin nket across the sand and I ced some stones I had brought out earlier onto the corners to hold it in ce.


    "I will go get dinner." I smiled at her.


    "Let me help. It''s a lot to carry." She offered immediately.


    "You can carry the drinks for me then." I couldn''t stop smiling tonight, I hope she didn''t think I look like a creep with all the smiles I was giving her.


    When we went back inside she grabbed the basket I had intended to carry the drinks in, but she also grabbed the te full of ciabatta bread.


    "I will take these." She smiled. "You need to get the tes."


    "You''re so sweet." I felt like I was being less inhibited tonight, like maybe I was still drunk on the memory of her lips from the other day.


    "I''m just trying to help." She patted my arm then before she went back outside. Oh goddess, what was I going to do? I wanted her so bad, but I needed to let her move at her own pace.


    After she left I prepared two tes full of the food,rge heaping portions meant for a wolf. I had also grabbed a small basket that I had filled with silverware and napkins. I wanted this to be elegant yet also casual. I was trying to give her everything at once.


    The food was set out and the drinks prepared, I had managed to get her to taste the wine but there was water for her as well. We started to eat before talking about anything. We had worked up an appetite from the cooking and I wanted to know what she thought of the first meal we had cooked together.


    "Mmmm, this is so good." Her eyes were lit up like they were reflecting her namesake, the brilliance of that look took my breath away. All I was able to do in that moment was put a bite of food into my mouth. I was losing my sanity, losing my intelligence, but I didn''t care. If she would still ept me I would turn into a bumbling fool for her.


    After the meal was nearly done we started to actually talk while we ate. Just nonsense for the most part, but I wanted to know what she wanted out of life and where she wanted to go from here.


    "I never thought sand would be like this." She giggled as she dug her toes into the very thing she mentioned. We had both taken our shoes off before sitting down. "It''s so soft." Like your lips, and your skin. The words went through my mind, but thankfully, not past my lips.


    "Star?" I called her name to get her attention but I kept my eyes on the water''s edge as I nibbled on a piece of bread.


    "Yeah?" Her voice sounded so full of life, more lively than I had ever heard it before.


    "What do you want to do? With your life I mean."


    "I don''t know what you''re asking me." She still sounded happy even with the confusing question.


    "What do you want out of life? Where do you see yourself in the future? Do you want to go to college?" I needed to know these things, they were important.


    "I-I don''t know." She hung her head, some of the carefree sound leaving her voice. "I don''t know what to want. It''s never been something that was an option before."


    "Where do you see yourself going though?" I was looking at her now so I saw the pain in her eyes then.


    "I-I thought I was going to¡­.. going to stay with you." She looked heartbroken now and I felt horrible for asking these things of her.


    "You are." I spoked hurriedly, trying to alleviate that sad look in her eyes. "You are, if you want. You can stay with me forever. I don''t ever want to be without you." That made her look a little better. "I was just meaning that if you could have a job, what would it be?"


    "I never thought about it. I guess I would just want something that wasn''t around too many people. I don''t even know what kinds of jobs there are. I need to experience some of the world first I think."


    "That is a wonderful n. And you never need a job unless you want one. I will support you, I will do anything for you, forever." I felt myself blushing now as I took a sip of wine, she did the same thing at the same time.


    "Artem." She finally spoke after a minute, her voice soft and nearly too quiet to hear.


    "Yeah?" I continued to look at the water, fearing the look she might give me.


    "Thank you." I looked at her then, unable to stop myself. That was when I saw the love and happiness filling her eyes.


    "For what?" I was the one confused now, lost about what she meant.


    "For always being there for me. For always showing me how much you care about me. For being so amazing."


    "It''s easy to be there for you, Star." I leaned down toward her, our eyes locked. "I love you, so I want to be the one that you rely on ande to for help."


    "I-I think that I, I think that I m-might love you too."

 Chapter 62 - Both - Date Night Part 4

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    OK! CUE THE EXPLOSION! I really think my head might explode with what I just said. Did I really just tell Artem that I love him? Here let me rey that in my head.


    "Artem." I whispered his name softly.


    "Yeah?" He didn''t look at me, he just stared out at the water.


    "Thank you." That made him look at me, shock, awe, happiness, joy, all of those emotions warring on his face when he looked into my eyes.


    "For what?"


    "For always being there for me. For always showing me how much you care about me. For being so amazing."


    "It''s easy to be there for you, Star." He leaned down toward me, our eyes locked together. "I love you, so I want to be the one that you rely on ande to for help."


    "I-I think that I, I think that I m-might love you too."


    YUP! I had said it. Oh my god. What was I going to do?


    Judging by the look in Artem''s eyes as he inched closer to me, I don''t think he minded me saying those words.


    "Star, can I kiss you again?" The fact that he was asking me before just kissing made it clear that he was thinking about me above all else.


    "Yes." I whispered the words almost against his lips since he was so close to me already.


    His hand came to rest gently on my cheek then, cupping my face in his strong, yet gentle touch. On instinct I tilted my head so that my cheek wouldy more in his palm. It felt natural and right, plus the look of satisfaction in Artem''s eyes told me I had done something right.


    That was when he pressed his lips to mine. I had been expecting something along the lines of thest kiss. Something that was sweet, innocent yet earth shattering. No, this kiss was more intense, more heated.


    Artem''s lips pressed against mine with a fever that felt like it was going to burn us both to ashes. I gasped at the feeling of the intensity and was shocked when he slid his tongue into my mouth.


    I couldn''t stop him though. I was too busy enjoying the feeling of what was happening. Artem''s tongue was tangled with mine, licking the inside of my mouth as he seemed to be trying to explore my mouth somehow.


    After a few moments I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my hands in his hair. The feeling of his hair in my hands was mind blowing. It was soft and silky and I just wanted to grab onto it and hold big handfuls of it.


    When I tugged gently on Artem''s hair he seemed to growl, but it sounded like it was full of pleasure and something that was akin to happiness. With that growl and tug, though, Artem seemed to push forward and the next thing I knew I wasying on the nket while Artem hovered over me.


    Our bodies were somewhat pushed together from the waist down. Artem still had his hand on my face but the other was braced on the nket to keep him off of me. With this new position Artem''s kiss deepened even more, causing my brain to cloud and fog over. I wasn''t going to be thinking clear for a while.


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had asked Star if I could kiss her again and my head and heart both just about stopped functioning altogether.


    I put a hand on her cheek and the next thing I knew she was nuzzling it with her cheek. She seriously didn''t know what something like that was doing for my self control that was already being tested to its limits.


    Then, when my lips touched her, a little more fierce and a little more heated than I had intended at first, oh the way she reacted. She had gasped but epted the kiss. She wasn''t trying to stop it and she was actually kissing me back.


    When she wrapped her arms around my neck and tugged on my hair I lost a little bit of my control. My wolf growled low with satisfaction and I leaned forward, pushed her down against the nket. I had enough presence of mind to avoid anything that was in the way, and I was d that I had cleared aside most of the mess before I had started talking earlier.


    Now, my body was pressed against her. The soft, supple give of her body beneath mine almost made my wolf abandon all reason and throw all caution to the wind. I had to fight myself to remain in control and to hold back.


    I had braced myself against the nket with one hand, still holding her face with the other. And I could feel something deep in my body burning out of control. I knew that before long she would feel the reaction I was having to her. Still, I was not able to stop myself from kissing her and mapping out the territory of her mouth. I would being back to this mouth, this home for my lips, soon and I wanted to remember the way it felt.


    I don''t think she knew that she did it or not, but Star let out a small moan of pleasure when we pressed against each other and my tongue flitted through her mouth.


    I was losing my grip, losing my self control. I felt my hands begin to wander over her body as I held myself off her with nothing but the support of my own upper body.


    I felt my fingers graze over her breast. They skimmed across her belly and caused her to shudder. They slid around her backside, cupping a soft cheek and squeezing it gently before sliding down to feel the supple flesh covering her powerful thigh muscles.


    My wolf was in control too much. All he could think about was taking Star while she wrapped those luscious thighs around my waist. Just the thought had me tightening the fit of my shorts even more than they had already been.

 Chapter 63 - Artem - Date Night Part 5 (MATURE)

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I pulled back, breaking the kiss that was slowly making me lose my mind. I saw in her eyes that she was aroused and full of a feverish heat just like I was. Best of all there was nothing in them that was telling me she didn''t want this.


    "Star?" I spoke her name, uncertain to what I wanted to say, but knowing that I needed to say something.


    "Artem." Her voice was breathless and soft, and the sound sent bolts of arousal coursing through me.


    "I don''t want to scare you, or hurt you." I wanted to keep going, needed to keep going, but I would never do anything that she didn''t want me to.


    The setting sun glinted off the water then, reflecting the orange and red light into her mesmerizing eyes. The light glowed from her face, making the moment that much more beautiful. Her breathing was still heavier than it was normally, full of the same feelings that were rushing through me.


    "Star, I love you. I need you." I kissed the end of her nose as I paused for a moment. "Are you OK with this?"


    "Yes." She spoke just the one word, just the one syble, and that was all it took for me to hear the choir of angels again.


    I pressed my lips back against hers, feeling like I had just gone home, like I was where I needed to be. When I broke the kiss again she whimpered, it was almost as if she didn''t want me to leave her at all.


    I got to my knees and lifted her into my arms, sliding one arm under her shoulders and one under her knees. Pulling her close to me I stood slowly so I didn''t scare her from the motion of standing with her held against me.


    Still, even with all my caution, she seemed to have been a little startled. As soon as I started to stand she squealed and wrapped her arms around my neck. She used her hold on me to pull herself closer to me, snuggling me. My wolf hummed happily at the feeling of her pressed close and the knowledge that she was using me to findfort for herself.


    I started to walk, faster than was necessary. The sand shifted under my feet with every step, soft and warm. I made it to the door of the house and was in before I even realized how far I had gone.


    I truly was far gone. Mentally. All I wanted was her. Her touch. Her kisses. Her love. I needed it all like air, water, and blood. They were what kept me alive. Or so it seemed.


    I took the stairs slowly, thinking just clearly enough for that. I had wanted to take them two at a time, but I thought that would scare her too much. No, slow, steady, and calm. That was what I had to keep telling myself.


    When I got to the top of the stairs I turned toward the door to the master bedroom. I barely took my eyes off of her face as I walked, taking the path by memory alone. Her eyes, so beautiful, so sexy, were looking at me intently.


    I shouldered open the door and entered the room, still looking for a sign in her eyes, her face, anything that told me to stop. I saw nothing like that at all.


    Gently, I climbed onto the bed with her still held in my arms. Crawling slowly until I couldy her in the middle, her head nestled on the pillows. I took a moment to appreciate the image that was before. She wasn''t doing anything particr, but she still made such an erotic image.


    I leaned forward, cing my lips on her forehead for a gentle kiss.


    "I love you Star." I spoke softly, not wanting to break the silence too much.


    "I love you, Artem."


    My mouth made its way to her neck then, kissing softly and gently. This was her first time, her first experience and I was bound and determined to make it special and sweet. I will not hurt her, I will not be rough in any way.


    With my lips still pressed to hers I reached for the hem of her shirt, sliding my hands under the fabric and along the soft, supple skin of her belly. She shuddered and gasped then, breaking the kiss.


    I used both hands to grab the shirt then, pulling it up and over her body, sliding it along her raised arms, and tossing it to the side. This was the first time that I had seen this much of her body, the sight of it all took my breath away.


    "Beautiful." I whispered the word as I moved forward, kissing her corbone softly.


    With slow, gentle movement I kiss across her chest, leaving trains with my tongue. While I used my mouth to explore her I moved my hands to the top of her skirt. Sliding my thumbs into the waistband I slid the barrier of denim away. When I pulled back to look at her again she wasying there in just her bra and panties. I felt the need strengthen inside of me and the fit of my clothes tighten even more than it already was.


    The animal in me took control here, but I managed to make him be gentle. That was the only thing I could do here. To make my beast take our mate gently, slowly, the way she needed me to.


    With gentle fingers I explored her body that was nearly bare beneath me. Instead of just sliding the cups of the bra aside I reached behind her and unhooked the sp, slowly revealing her peaks. That was like opening a present on Christmas, it made me feel so much joy.


    After tossing the bra away Ipped my tongue across one nipple. The rosy pink peak hardened into a pointed crest that I immediately sucked into my mouth and wrapped my tongue around.


    "Ahhh, ah, Artem." She called out, crying my name in a high pitched moan. The sound was like spurs in my wolf''s back, egging him on. But I fought him on that, reminding him to take it slow, to be gentle. With a low growl, he settled himself back down into a more manageable state. He didn''t like having control and not being able to go fast and hard.


    My mouth was busy, but my hands weren''t, and that was something my wolf wanted to change. My left hand went to squeeze and pinch Star''s other breast while my right hand moved lower, sliding into the front of the soft fabric that was still hiding her mound from me.


    "Ngh!" She moaned when she felt my fingers slide over her dripping wet core. "Artem." She called my name again. It was like a whip, telling me to hurry up.


    That was another moment where my wolf wanted to be rough, but I managed to stop him from ripping the panties off of her at that moment. I managed to force him to be gentle and slide them down her long slender legs. I had to take my mouth away from her chest which left me feeling hollow for a moment. But the sight I was given when I looked at her now fully naked body was enough to fill that gap again.


    "So beautiful." I had to tell her again, to let her know that she was so perfect to me. Even still, Star turned her head away from me in embarrassment. "Star." I called her name again, making her look at me. "I love you. And I want this." I cupped her cheek in my hand and smiled when she nuzzled into my palm. "Do you want me to keep going?"


    "Do you want to keep going?" She asked me, the words sounded shy as she spoke them.


    "More than anything. I love you. I want you. I need you. Can I keep going?"


    She nodded her head, a smile on her face. I saw the zed look in her eyes then, but I chose to ignore it. I wanted to believe that it had nothing to do with what happened on her birthday and that it was just desire.


    I stopped second guessing. I stopped hesitating and looking for reasons to stop. I needed her and she had told me to continue.


    I hurriedly removed my clothes, having not taken any of them off yet. I couldn''t help but smile when I saw Star''s eyes go wide at the sight of me kneeling in front of her, naked.


    With no barriers between us, I settled myself between her thighs. Leaning forward I simultaneously fitted myself against her entrance while cing my lips against hers.


    With my lips on hers, my tongue in her mouth, I pushed into her slowly and gently. Her hands flew up to grip my shoulders as she moaned. I epted the moan into my mouth, swallowing it down and feeling the pride inside of me swell with it.


    With that one thrust I smelled the sharp scent of blood, that telltale sign that I had just taken her virginity and moved into thend of no return for me. I was both sorry and happy at that moment. No one had ever had her but me, and no one ever will.


    I had buried myself deep inside of her, invading the warm hidden depths of her precious body. Slowly, I pulled back, leaving just the tip in her zing core. I looked at her then, in the eyes that were filled with need, hunger, and glossed over with tears.


    She was still holding onto my shoulders when I thrust forward again, slow and gentle in an absolute contrast to what instinct was telling me to do. I watched as her eyes went wide, wider than they already were, and she threw her head back. She had felt pain at first but this time it was all pleasure as she moaned again, the sound filling the room.


    I pulled back again and set about creating a slow, gentle rhythm. Our breaths met in the middle as I had ced my forehead against her as I moved slowly. Even with the slow rhythm we were both panting, climbing that mountain to the peak of pleasure.


    Star had wrapped her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my waist, squeezing me tight to her in the exact way I had fantasized about earlier, and it made my heart sing with praise for the universe.


    After a while, my thrusts stopped being so slow, so gentle. We were both lost in the oblivion of our union that neither of us were able to say anything to make me go slower. But I doubt either of us would even if we could.


    My balls tightened, my spine tingled, and Star''s body, which already squeezed me tight enough to blow my mind, squeeze even tighter. We were both almost there, we were both going to cascade over the edge at the same time.


    With a final desperation I thrust even harder as I pressed my lips to hers again. I wanted to be joined in every way possible when I took us into the glorious abyss for the first time.


    With a final thrust I exploded and felt her bodye apart at the seams. She threw her head back against the pillows, screaming my name.


    "ARTEM!"


    I threw my head back, roaring toward the ceiling.


    "STAR!"


    Even in a moment like this we both seemed to be in sync, screaming the name of the person we loved the most.


    I copsed onto the bed then, rolling with Star in my arms. With her cradled against my chest I slipped from her hot depths, causing her to moan once more but she didn''t stir at all. It looked like she was already falling into a deep sleep.


    "I love you." I whispered into her ear as I settled deeper into the pillow, holding her in my arms as I covered us with the sheet.


    "I love you too." She almost slurred the words, but they were still intelligible.


    I fell asleep then, with a grin on my face and a happily panting wolf in my head.

 Chapter 64 - Star - The Morning After

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I didn''t remember falling asleep. I didn''t remember at first why I was sore. And I didn''t know why I felt like I was being held even though I was just waking up.


    I was in my bed right? At the pack house? So why then did the bed feel different? Why did I feel off? And why didn''t I want to open my eyes?


    I continued toy there, feigning sleep, as I tried to remember everything that happened after I left my room with Artem.


    I remembered that he walked me to the car, while holding my hand. I remembered seeing the beach which was so beautiful. I remembered making dinner with Artem and the food actually turned out good. After that, things were a little blurry.


    It was like I was watching it from a different perspective. I was there, I was answering him. But it was like I was not in control of myself. So what actually happened?


    Artem told me he loved me, and I told him that I loved him as well. I remember that. I remembered his lips on mine as he kissed me and the mind blowing feeling of that.


    Was that kiss why I was having a hard time remembering things? I didn''t think so. I had enjoyed the kiss, and I had really wanted him to kiss me at that time. So what was I afraid to remember? What was it my subconscious was keeping from me?


    I remember his body pressed against mine as he leaned me down against the nket. I had missed the sunset since he was kissing me, but somehow I don''t think it''s that big of a loss. There will be others.


    There was still something else. Something there nagging at the back of my brain. Something that was tickling my memory and toying with me, eluding me by just a hair.


    He was kissing me, then he asked me something. He said something along the lines of:


    I don''t want to scare you, or hurt you. Star, I love you. I need you. Are you OK with this?" He had kissed me in between his words and I remember thinking to myself that this was too fast, too sudden. But I couldn''t say no. Was that because I loved him so much?


    I had let him carry me into the house as I clung to him, my arms wrapped around him. He walked slowly into the house and carried me up the stairs to parts of the house I had not seen yet.


    Artem had walked down the hall and into a bedroom. That was when he climbed onto the bed, with me in his arms. Heid me down on the bed and kissed me again.


    I felt his hands all over my body after that. He took my clothes off and put his mouth on my chest, on my breast. He had put his hand down between my legs.


    ''Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.'' I heard the words ying on repeat in my head again. ''WHAT DID WE DO?''


    I remember my body reacting to him, even though I was telling myself that it was too soon for this to be happening. It''s not like I didn''t enjoy it, but I hadn''t exactly chosen it for myself.


    Then he had stopped himself and asked me something again.


    "Do you want me to keep going?" I heard his words, processed them to know what he had meant, and still my mouth spoke words that I didn''t choose.


    "Do you want to keep going?" I can''t believe those words came out of my mouth.


    "More than anything. I love you. I want you. I need you. Can I keep going?" When he asked me that it was like I felt myself give inpletely. I nodded my head and told him it was alright.


    Things really progressed after that, starting with Artem taking his clothes off. I had never seen a man''s body before. First he revealed his chest by taking off his shirt, the muscles rippling with the motions he was making. That sight actually excited me. He was a really, really, really, good looking man.


    Next, he undid his belt and took his shorts off, along with the boxers he had on as well. Now he was naked before me and I saw, with clear detail, his manhood standing at attention before me. I knew that meant he was excited, or aroused, since I know he was never usually like that. But the sight of it scared me a little. The me that was in control and the me that wasn''t.


    I would say that it all happened really fast after that, but Artem seemed to be going slow, in a bid to keep from hurting me. But it did hurt, when he first entered me. I gasped and moaned from the pain. But he kept moving, slow and steady, and eventually my body was used to him and he started to move faster. By the time it was almost over he was moving so fast that it hurt, but in a good way somehow.


    I remember how great it felt. I remember how happy I was after it was over. But oh my god, I can''t believe that I did that.


    I opened my eyes then and saw Artem''s face right in front of mine, a beautiful smile on his lips. I couldn''t help it, I squealed from the impact of seeing that.


    Artem jerked awake then, worry showing in his moves and eyes.


    "Star? What''s wrong? Is everything OK?"


    "Oh my god." I buried my face in his chest since it was the closest thing to hide myself in.


    "Star? Baby what''s wrong? What happened?"


    "It beereev fhat fis appnnd." My words were muffled again, so much so that I couldn''t even understand them, even though I was the one who said it.


    "Star, sweetheart, I don''t know what you just said."


    "I can''t believe that this happened." I cried into his chest, pulling back just enough to know he could make out the words this time.


    "Honey, what''s wrong?"


    "I-I didn''t want this. Not yet."


    "What?" He truly sounded like he didn''t understand. "What do you mean?"


    Artem grasped my shoulders then, gently, and pulled me away from him so that he could look into my eyes. I couldn''t help the small reflexive jerk when he touched me, like I was scared of him.


    "Star? Do you regret what happened? What we did together?" He looked like he was going to cry, or scream, or something. He looked terribly upset.


    "Yes, and no. I don''t know" There was a look in his eyes then, something that spoke of disgust, but it didn''t seem to be directed at me.


    "Star, I don''t understand. Can you exin this to me?"

 Chapter 65 - Artem - Devastated

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had been sleeping peacefully, soundly, after having the best night of my life. My date with Star had been perfect in every way. Everything was amazing. The food, the time on the beach, the night we spent together.


    I had had beautiful dreams of the future. Dreams that included Star walking down an aisle to marry me. Dreams of her womb growing with my pup inside it. Dreams of our happy life together. But then they all came crumbling back down when Star screamed.


    "Eeekk!" The high pitched squeal shattered my dreams and brought me back to consciousness abruptly.


    I opened my eyes then and saw Star''s scared face, her cheeks turning red and fear in her eyes.


    "Star? What''s wrong? Is everything OK?"


    "Oh my god." She pressed her face against my chest, hiding herself from me.


    "Star? Baby what''s wrong? What happened?"


    "It beereev fhat fis appnnd." I couldn''t understand that at all with her face pressed against me.


    "Star, sweetheart, I don''t know what you just said."


    "I can''t believe that this happened." She cried then, pulling away from me a little.


    "Honey, what''s wrong?"


    "I-I didn''t want this. Not yet."


    "What?" I think my world just ended. Did I misunderstand? Did I get it all wrong? "What do you mean?"


    I took her shoulders in my hands then, gently, and pulled her away from me so that I could look into her eyes. I didn''t miss the flinching in her body, the fear that she couldn''t hide.


    "Star? Do you regret what happened? What we did together?" I could already feel the anger at myself building, the self loathing. I wanted to never hurt her, to never scare her. This did both.


    "Yes, and no. I don''t know." That was almost enough to make me hate myself, to make me wish I could just walk into the ocean and sink until I disappeared from the world.


    "Star, I don''t understand. Can you exin this to me?"


    I pulled away from her, pulling the sheet away from her and revealing her chest. That caused Star to scream and pull the fabric back to cover herself. I slipped from the bed and pulled my shorts on, they were close and this would give her some distance that might make her feel better. And I noticed that she hid her face when she saw my body moving in full view.


    This couldn''t have been further from the morning I was looking forward to. When I had fallen asleep, knowing we would wake together, I had nned to take her to breakfast after having a walk on the beach.


    What happened? What changed? I know I asked her repeatedly if she was OK with what was happening. So what had happened.


    After my shorts were on, though I hadn''t bothered with my shirt, I knelt next to the bed and looked in her eyes pleadingly.


    "Star, sweetheart, what changed? What happened this morning?"


    The look she gave me then was filled with pain, unshed tears, and fear. Everything that I vowed to never cause her was now present in her eyes.


    "I-it''s like I couldn''t control myself."


    "Control yourself how? It''s not like you lost control." I thought back to the night before and remembered clearly that she was shy but receptive. She didn''t do anything out of control.


    "No, it''s like, like I was telling myself it was too soon, too early for everything. For the kiss on the beach, for the, for what came after. B-but I just couldn''t make myself stop."


    "Did I hurt you?" I felt myself begin to hate every fiber of my being.


    "N-no." She shook her head and I felt just a slight amount of relief.


    "If I didn''t hurt you, then what is the real issue? I''m so confused honey."


    "I, I was, I wanted to, I didn''t want-." She seemed unable to finish what she was saying.


    "You didn''t want to do it?" I asked for her feeling my heart shatter. In a way, I felt like I had taken advantage of her.


    "It was too soon, don''t you think? I-I love you Artem, I really do, b-but it was too soon."


    "But, but I, I asked you." I felt the tears stinging in my eyes then. "I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to do anything to upset you."


    "I know Artem. I know." She was crying now, tears streaming down her face unhindered. "I know you love me Artem. And you have been there for me this whole time. But, but I think it all happened too fast, too soon." She looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine fully. "I''m sorry Artem. I tried to stop myself. I tried to tell myself to say no. But, it was like something inside of me made me do it."


    That was when I remember the zed look in her eyes. She had had that look not justst night but the night of her birthday as well. What was that look? Had that been the source of our heartache here?


    "I''m sorry Star. I''m so sorry. I shouldn''t have asked at all. I shouldn''t have tried to push you so far." I felt my heartpletely shatter. It was gone, I had no heart left because I was a heartless beast. "I''m going to go, so you can get dressed." I grabbed the t-shirt that had been under my button up shirt and left the room. "I''m going to call Chay to drive you home."


    "Artem?" She called out to me.


    "I''m sorry, Star. I''m so sorry."


    I wanted to die. I wanted to disappear and never have to see the look of fear and anguish that was in her eyes ever again. Knowing that the fear was of me made it all that much worse.


    I hadn''t even made it to the bottom of the stairs when I pressed the call button on my phone. Thankfully, Chay picked up very quickly.


    "Well, well, well, look who''s finally calling with an update." Her voice was filled withughter.


    "Chay." I heard the tears in my voice when I spoke.


    "Artem? What''s wrong?"


    "Chay, can youe pick Star up? Take her back home? Please."


    "Yeah, but what happened?"


    "I fucked up. I really fucked up. And I don''t think there is anying back from this one."


    "I''m on my way, I''m already in the car." Either she was already driving or she had run to leave the moment she heard me speak. "What did you do, Artem? What is wrong?" She sounded like she was both sad for me but also angry at me.


    "I fucked it all up Chay. I don''t know if she will ever trust me again."


    "Tell me, exin it all to me."


    And so I did, I told her everything. Everything that had happened the night before and this morning. I told her of the magical moments and the heart shattering ones. And I was crying through it all.


    "What am I going to do, Chay? I doubt she will ever want to look at me again."


    "We will work it out, Artem. We will figure something out. But you shouldn''t have rushed it. You should have given her more time."


    "I know." I sobbed as I stared at the water on the beach. "I know, Chay, I know. But I thought it was what she wanted, the same as I did."


    "What I am more curious about is how it seems like she has been entranced. Don''t you find that odd."


    "Yes, I do, but that doesn''t matter right now. What matters is that my mate, my one true love on this is now afraid of me. I will never be able to trust myself with her again. Ever. I ruined it all. My mate hates me."


    "She doesn''t hate you, Artem. And you will get through this. Just hang in there." I heard tires squealing then, over the phone and close to where I was sitting. "I''m here now, let''s get this all figured out."


    I was still sitting there, wallowing in my self pity and personal loathing, when Chay walked up to me. I stood right before she stopped, but I was back on the sand a secondter.


    Chay''s fist hadnded with deadly uracy on the side of my face. The force of the punch that I was unprepared for, knocked mepletely off my feet and had mending sprawled on the beach.


    "You moron." She yelled at me. "You should have kept it in your pants."


    "What happened to the nice Chay that was just on the phone."


    "I was only nice cause I was too far away to hit you. Seriously Artem, what the fuck were you thinking?"


    "I wasn''t. I wasn''t thinking at all. And there is no need to hate me because I already hate myself."


    "Good, that means you might keep your balls. I was thinking about ripping them off. But if you''ve already learned your lesson then I just might let you keep them. Maybe."


    "I''m so sorry."


    "Tell her that, not me."


    "I did."

 Chapter 66 - Star - Worried

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Artem had left the room a while ago, so that I could get dressed. But he hadn''te back. He said he was going to call Chay to take me home too. Did he hate me forst night, and this morning?


    I didn''t want Artem to hate me. I love him, I probably did from the moment I met him but I was too scared to know it. But now, now I had let something happen that we shouldn''t have done. And I think it was going to ruin us.


    He probably hated me for doing it. Hated me for not telling myself to stop it. I had been at fault for all of it. And now he was disgusted with me.


    I heard voices then, not just Artem''s like I heard earlier, but two voices now. When I went to the window I saw Artemying in the sand and Chay standing above him. Chay looked angry and Artem was rubbing his chin as if it hurt.


    "What are they doing?" I wondered, asking myself out loud.


    I decided it was time for me to head downstairs. I was supposed to leave with Chay after all.


    My head hung low as I walked down the stairs slowly. I was afraid to hear what they had to say about my bad behavior. I bet Chay hates me now too.


    As soon as I was outside I heard their voices ever more, they were clear and I could make out the words.


    "I''m an idiot Chay. An idiot."


    "Yeah, you are. But you cane back from this. You can make things better."


    "How? How will I stop her from hating me?"


    Artem thought I hated him. That was stupid. He hadn''t done anything wrong. It had all been me. My fault. Just like my family used to tell me, it''s always my fault.


    "I love her Chay, I love her so much. But now I think she will never want to see me again." I was hiding near the house, listening to their words. Was it possible that Artem wasn''t mad at me? I don''t know, my mind is all foggy and it''s hard to think past it. What is the matter with me?


    "You two need to talk and figure this out. And for Goddess'' sake Artem, keep it in your pants."


    "I will." Yeah, it was clear to see that Chay was disgusted by what I had done. I had ruined everything with them. They were the best thing to ever happen to me and I had ruined it all.


    I was crying again, unable to stop the tears from falling. I tried to stifle the sobs, to cry quietly and softly. But that was a futile effort. My heart hurt too much right now.


    "Star?" They both said my name at the same time as they came rushing over to me.


    "What''s wrong?" Artem had asked that same thing many times today already.


    "Are you OK?" Chay asked me when she came to my side.


    Chay was the one toe all the way to me, Artem however, stopped short and barely looked at me.


    "I''m sorry." I cried, sobbed really.


    "You have nothing to be sorry about." Chay was rubbing my arm now, providingfort in a small way.


    "You didn''t do anything wrong." Artem''s voice was soft as he tried to cate me.


    "I messed up. I couldn''t stop it from happening and now you''re both mad."


    "We''re not mad." Chay''s voice was soothing but I barely paid attention to the words.


    "I''m so sorry, Star." Artem fell to his knees in front of me, grabbing my hands and looking at me with despair in his eyes. I flinched again slightly when he fell, not when he touched me, but I don''t think he could tell the difference.


    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry." He was sobbing now. "Please Star, please forgive."


    "I think I should get you home, Star. I think you both need some time to think about all of this. But then, you need to talk to each other. A long talk." Chay''s voice was firm and soft at the same time. She was directing us to a solution, or at least I hoped she was. "Come on Star." She took my hand, pulling it from Artem''s grip, and pulled me behind her.


    I looked over my shoulder and saw Artem sitting there, still on his knees and his shoulders shaking. It was clear he was crying.


    Chay pulled me along until we were at her car. She helped me into the seat and shut the door behind me. Before I knew it she was sliding into her seat next to me. All this time I had felt the tears streaming steadily down my face.


    "Chay." I said her name, trying to find a ce to start.


    "Yeah?" She spoke quietly. "What is it Star?"


    "I''m so sorry."


    "Why are you sorry?" She seemed confused. "Artem told me what happened. He told me everything. You didn''t do anything wrong."


    "I told him it was okst night, even though I wanted to say no it was too soon. And this morning I made things bad. I ruined everything."


    "Sweety, you didn''t ruin anything. You did nothing wrong. The problem is what was keeping you from saying what you really wanted to. There is something going on here, and we need to figure it out."


    "It''s just me. Like everyone used to tell me all the time. I ruin everything. I am cursed."


    "No, you''re not." Chay was trying to be soothing. I know it, but I couldn''t ept it.


    "I messed up, I fucked it all up, and now Artem is going to treat me differently. I will probably have to leave the house."


    "NO!" Chay yelled at me then, causing me to look up at her. "You will never have to leave. Artem loves you, and you love him. We will figure it all out from here. And if you ask me, whatever is going on was caused by that fucking talisman you''re wearing."


    "My talisman?"

 Chapter 67 - Star- Crash

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Was my talisman the cause of this? Was it what kept me from speaking outst night? I didn''t know much about the talismans or what they did to me and the others.


    "Has anything like this happened to any of the others?" I asked her with a contemtive look. "The not being able to control their actions I mean." I added making sure she knew I wasn''t referring to the sex thing.


    "Not to my knowledge." She looked serious as she thought about it.


    We had just pulled out onto the road that would lead to town. It was long and open on both sides before we got to the line of trees. I was turned, looking at Chay at the time and so I didn''t notice the shapes running through the clearing. They were heading straight for the Jeep.


    I didn''t see the evil intent in their eyes. The glint of madness that was shining as they nned their actions. I didn''t see that they intended to hurt us.


    As Chay thought and I stared there was a loud bang on the outside of the vehicle. Something big and heavy had smashed into the side of us. The force of that hit was so hard it had sent us flying off the side of the road.


    The jeep jerked to the side and rolled over and over. The purse that I had on myp flew about the front seat and smashed into the window next to me. Chay''s personal things in the console and on the dash flew everywhere.


    All of it seemed to be happening in slow motion.


    The window next to my head mmed against the ground. ss sprayed into the side of my head, I barely seemed to have closed my eyes in time. The windshield shattered and caved in when the top of the Jeep rolled next, caving in on us.


    I felt a pain stab through my side, making it hard to breathe. Next my leg mmed into the dashboard and I felt a sharp pain radiate through it.


    My body tried to fall forward during the roll off the road, but my seat belt held me in ce. However the seat belt felt like it was cutting into my chest and I am certain that I heard the sound of breaking bones when I was nearly cut into two by the belt.


    My head mmed back against the headrest with another roll. Then it was immediately mmed against the ground as we made another turn onto that side. I instantly felt something wet start to ooze down the side of my face.


    Over and over we rolled, three times, four, five. Finally we came to a stop. Not once during the whole time did either of us scream, yell, or cry out in any way. I started to ck out just before the rolling ended. A ck fog rolled in on the edges of my vision, disorienting me and lulling me into unconsciousness.


    I wish that was all of it though. I wish I could say that nothing else happened after we came to a rest at the bottom of the embankment next to the road.


    Once we came to a stop there was a loud screeching thud. Like something heavy and sharp was scraping into the top of the Jeep''s already mangled metal.


    After that sound had jarred me back to my senses I felt my heart racing. I knew that this was not a normal ident. Something had happened to cause this. Someone had caused it.


    And I think I knew who. I could smell them. I could smell my family. They were outside of the car. They were here to take me back.


    The top of the car ripped open. It looked like a can that had been haphazardly opened in someone''s impatience. And standing on the other side of that hole were two wolves and one man.


    I was looking up into the eyes of Uncle Howard and my cousins Nathan and Jared. They were the most ruthless next to Liam, but since he was dead, they were the ones I was forced to see.


    "Who the fuck are you?" Chay screamed at the man.


    "I''m her fianc¨¦." Uncle Howard grinned at me. "And I am here to take her home.


    "Like hell you are. She is my sister inw and you''re not touching her." Chay shouted again, her voice raw and her breathingbored. Chay was hurt really bad, she wouldn''t be able to fight them. And I wouldn''t want her to, she would get hurt.


    Uncle Howard looked murderous at that moment. He was willing to hurt us, even kill Chay, just to get me back. I didn''t want anymore people getting hurt. I didn''t want to ruin any more lives.


    I saw Uncle Howard re at Chay, I knew what wasing next. I had to preempt it. Just before he could open his mouth and order them to kill Chay who was still trapped in the car I yelled at him.


    "Wait." The look on Uncle Howard''s face was one of stunned silence. He was gawking at me like I was the most beautiful thing ever.


    "Astraia, you spoke to me atst." I could see joy spreading across his face. I might be able to get out of this without Chay being hurt. "Come now, Astraia, I''ve had enough of this rebellion of yours. It is time toe home to me."


    "I-I wille with you."


    "No Star!" Chay screamed at me.


    "I wille with you, only if you promise not to hurt her. I will run again if you touch her at all."


    "Are you saying you will never run from me again if I leave her untouched?"


    "Star, don''t do it."


    "Yes. That is what I am saying. I wille with you and I will never run away, as long as you don''t touch her."


    "No Star, we can get out of this, don''t do this."


    "I have to Chay." I turned to look at her, taking my eyes off of Uncle Howard for the first time. "I don''t want you getting hurt. Just let me go."


    "Good decision." Uncle Howard grinned at me as he knelt on the roof of the car.


    With a quick hard tug from Uncle Howard''s hand the seat belt holding me in ce fell away. The next thing I knew Uncle Howard was grabbing me under my arms and lifting me from the Jeep.


    The pulling sensation sent waves of pain rushing through me, so intensely that I cried out.


    "AHAHHH!"


    "Oh my dear Astraia, did I hurt you?" His words were kind but his tone was evil as he pulled me to him forcefully.


    "AHHH!" I cried out again.


    "I knew you had a beautiful voice in there somewhere. I''m so d you let it out."


    I felt Uncle Howard press his lips to my cheek then, the one with the blood oozing down it. His lips pressed into the sticky fluid then he trailed his tongue up my cheek bone, past my eye, and all the way to the cut somewhere near my scalp. When his tongue reached the open wound he pressed it inside the cut,pping at my blood.


    "Mmm, you taste better than I thought you would." His voice sent shivers through me. When Artem sent shivers through me it was a good feeling, now with Uncle Howard, it made me sick. "We are going to be so happy together.


    "NGH!" I cried out in despair, hoping to get away but he held me tight. I had told him I wouldn''t run after all. If I left now, Chay was in trouble. "Go, leave her alone and I wille with you."


    "You heard her boys, leave." I saw the wolves look at him before they ran off, back to the house most likely.


    Uncle Howard walked then, with me cradled in his arms. The feeling was nothingpared to when Artem carried me. When Artem held me close. In Uncle Howard''s arms all I could feel was disgust and loathing. In Artem''s arms I felt love and happiness.


    "It''s time for us to go and arrange a wedding, my sweet." He purred into my ear. "I have missed you, Astraia."


    Uncle Howard walked off then, in the direction of town, and in the direction of home. All the while that he was walking, with me in his arms, I could hear Chay yelling after me.


    "STAR! STAR I AM SO SORRY! STAR! STAR!" There was a desperation in her voice that broke my heart. I knew she was sad to see me leave, but I couldn''t let her get hurt because of me.


    I cried then, tears leaking down my cheeks again as I called back to her in my head.


    ''I''m sorry Chay. I''m sorry to you and I''m sorry to Artem. Be safe now. And be happy without me. Be happy for me.''


    How would I live without them now? I had gotten so used to them, so used to the outside world, how was I going to go back to my prison? I wanted to cry forever, to cry until I died. I loved them, Chay like my only friend and sister, Artem as the only man I would ever love.


    "Goodbye Chay." I whispered softly to the fading sound of her screams. "Goodbye."

 Chapter 68 - Artem - Self Destruction

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I watched as Chay pulled Star away from me. I could tell from that alone that neither of them trusted me anymore. I knew it was over. I knew I had fucked up and blown my chance with her.


    I love Star, but I will never again hurt her in any way. I will only ever be there to protect her from now on. I would see to it that nothing bad ever happened to her again.


    With every foot, no every inch that was put between me and my Star I felt like the man in me was slowly being killed. My beast was left to howl in pain and scream in self loathing. I hated it, I hated it all. I wanted my mate, I wanted my Star. But until she wanted me I would stay away.


    Rage. Hate. Loathing. All of them directed at myself and all of them was all I could feel. Them and despair, loneliness, anguish, heartbreak. I was a broken man now, a man lost without a north star to guide him home.


    "GGRRAAAAAHHHHHH!" I screamed, long and loud, at nothing in particr. I needed to vent this anger, to get it out of me before it reached a breaking point that I could never return from. I needed to do this for me and for my Star.


    In a blind rage I stormed into the house, flinging the door shut behind me so forcefully that I broke the ss and split the wood. I didn''t care, I was in here to destroy something. Why not everything?


    I couldn''t stop myself as I stormed to the couch in the living room. With a quick swing of my fist I punch the top of the couch, right in the middle. The wood splintered, the stuffing spilled out, and the whole couch just crumbled to the floor in a messy heap.


    Nothing was immune to my rage right now. I punched and kicked my way through the huge ind that I had made dinner with Star at. I ripped the cabs off the walls and punched my hands through the marbled counter top. The stove was destroyed, the fridge was caved in, the floor ruined and the walls crumbling. After that I moved to another room of the house.


    My next stop was the bedroom. The room where I had taken things too far. The room where I had ruined my rtionship with my beloved mate.


    I smelled the blood as soon as I was in the room, the memory of the previous nighting back to me in a flood of horror.


    Why? Why didn''t I think that the dazed and zed look in her eyes meant something? Why did I let myself do that to her? I was horrible. Such a horrible person.


    The bed was a four poster made from dark mahogany that matched the rest of the furniture in the room. It was the first thing that I set my sights on, having a strong desire to destroy the scene of my crime.


    I ripped the gray nket and white sheets away from the mattress. I was able to see it then, the blood that I had caused when I took her virginity. The blood that was proof of my stupidity. I grabbed the closest bed post and squeezed so hard that the wood splintered and broke apart in my hand.


    That was it, that was all I needed to start destroying the bed. I swung my fists out and pounded away at the frame until itid on the ground in splintered heaps. I transformed my fingers into ws and shredded the mattress into nothing but ribbons. The curtains, the dressers, the door to the bathroom. Everything was being destroyed and would no longer hold evidence of the night before.


    Maybe if I can make it look like it never happened here it would go away. Maybe it wasn''t real after all.


    But that was impossible. There was nothing to take away what I had done. Nothing that would redeem me in the eyes of the woman I loved. I had ruined it all. Destroyed it so thoroughly that I was now doomed to wander the alone for the rest of my days.


    I was about to put my foot through the freestanding wfoot tub when I finally registered my phone ringing. I was nning to ignore it until I realized that it was Chay''s ringtone.


    Chay had left with Star. Chay had taken my mate back to the pack house. She was supposed to be helping Star to feel better. So what was happening? Why was she calling?


    Still, I almost didn''t answer it. I waited until the veryst second before I pressed the answer button and put the phone to my ear.


    "What Chay?" I growled into the phone. "Now is not a good-." I was in the middle of telling her off when she screamed at me, cutting me off. Both my words and my heart stopped at her interruption.


    "STAR''S GONE!" Her words took a moment to sink it, a moment for me to realize that I was actually hearing what I thought I was hearing.


    "What?" I asked her just to make sure I really had heard those words.


    "Star is gone, Artem. She''s gone. I''m so sorry."


    "What happened? Where is she?" I was already on the move as I spoke.


    As Chay ryed what happened I ran to my truck. I needed to get out of here, now.


    "They rammed us off the road, Artem. They caused us to crash and then they took her."


    "Who took her, who caused you to crash." I had a feeling I already knew but I needed to hear it. I needed to hear it even though I was certain that it would anger me to no end.


    "Her family took her."


    I was right, about both things. I most definitely wasn''t happy and I was right about who took her.


    "Howard took her Artem. He took her right in front of me and there was nothing I could do to stop it."


    "You could have fought them." I yelled, feeling my heart break by the second.


    "I''m sorry Artem. I''m so sorry." She was crying, really crying. "Artem I am still trapped in the Jeep. I can''t get out."


    Now I know how they had done it. I know how they had been able to take my mate away from me. They were going to pay. They hurt what was mine. My family, my sister, and most of all, my mate.


    ''I''ming Star. I will be there soon. I will help Chay then I will go and save my mate. I will not let them hurt Star. Not now, not ever again.''


    "That bastard Howard was a fucking creep." I could practically hear the shudder run through her when she said those words.


    "I will end his pathetic existence. I will kill him with my bare hands. I swear to you and to Star, and to anyone else who wants to hear it. I will make this right again. I will get her back."

 Chapter 69 - Artem - Save My Sister Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was storming out of the beach house and towards my car before the call had even ended. My sister was in trouble. My mate had been kidnapped. And that disgusting son of a bitch was going to pay, severely.


    I needed to find Chay, to get her out of the Jeep and somewhere safe. I needed to get the others here to help me murder that whole family. I just know they took her back to that cesspit of theirs.


    The truck was already speeding toward the city border and the road beyond. I had absolutely no memory of even getting in the driver''s seat. My rage was running so high that I was already losing time. That didn''t matter though, I still knew what I needed to do, and where I needed to go.


    My phone was in my hand and I heard the ringing in my ear. I didn''t know who I was calling yet, not until they answered the call.


    "Hi Artem, what can I do for you?" It was Bailey, Chay''s mate. Of course, it would make sense for me to call him. I was surprised that Chay hadn''t called him herself, but she must have been more hurt than I had thought.


    "Bailey, you need to get to the road outside of town, now." I yelled into the phone that I was pressing to the side of my head.


    "What''s wrong?" His voice turned instantly serious. "Did something happen to Star?" He hadn''t even thought that something could happen to Chay, none of us ever thought that this was a possibility. Why the hell had I been socent.


    "Star is gone, they took her. And Chay is hurt."


    I heard a loud thud on the other end of the line followed by a long silence. My only guess was that Bailey had dropped the phone with the shock of what he had heard.


    ''"BAILEY!" I yelled into the phone, trying to get his attention. "BAILEY!"


    I could hear footsteps on the other end of the line and someone else''s voice came from somewhere in the background.


    "Bailey, what''s wrong?" Reed was asking him. "Why did you drop your phone?"


    "They took Star, and Chay¡­.Chay is¡­.Chay is hurt." It seemed like Bailey was having a hard time processing what he had heard.


    "WHAT?!" Reed''s voice seemed to be filled with the same shock that I imagined Bailey was feeling. "Where are they? We need to go."


    "BAILEY!" I yelled his name again and this time someone finally picked up the phone.


    "I''m here." Bailey answered atst. "I''m here." He was breathing hard, like the shock of all this was already taking an emotional toll on him. "We''reing. We are on our way. I swear we will be there soon."


    "I am almost there, tell the others and have theme with you. I will see to Chay and when you all get there I will send you home to take care of her."


    "No!" Bailey yelled. "I am guessing that Chay was well enough to call you, that means that she is not that badly injured. I will ask E to look after her, and I will ask Reed to have Sydneye to help her as well." E was already at the bakery with my cousins as it was, she had decided to work there with them recently so the two of them coulde home together. That could definitely work.


    "Alright, that will be fine. But have it happen now."


    "Yes Sir, don''t worry." Bailey and Reed had taken to treating me like a proper Alpha, which was both nice and felt weird, but I didn''t have time to think about that right now.


    "I''ll see you all there, hurry." I disconnected the call then and sped up even more. I could trust Bailey to pass along the information.


    They were closer to town than I had been expecting. When I saw the scene of the ident approaching I couldn''t help but marvel at how close to home they were when it happened. Those fucking assholes had to have been watching and waiting and had seen Chay when she wasing back. They probably expected me to be the oneing back with Star, but they weren''t going to miss their chance at all.


    My truck screeched to a halt on the side of the road, more off the road really since it was at such a drastic angle when I leapt from the cab and started running to find my sister.


    I couldn''t help but survey the damage to the Jeep and the ground as I raced to find Chay.


    There were dark, very prominently visible tire tracks on the road where the Jeep had been pushed so forcefully to the side. It looks like that as soon as the tires hit the dirt and there was actually something to catch the side of them was when they started to roll. ss littered the grass from the windows from all sides of the vehicle. I could see big divots in the grass and dirt where the Jeep had carved outrge chunks of earth each time that it mmed down. Digging deep into the hard packed ground.


    I could smell blood. Blood that was filled with Star''s scent as well as Chay''s. They had both been hurt, very hurt. I could also smell that scummy ass fucking family. Their nasty trashy smell that was almost exactly like a mix of everything bad that has ever existed.


    How fucking evil did someone have to be to smell like that? And how was it that almost the entire family smelled like that? Was it just a telltale sign that they were the scum of the fucking earth?


    I guess that evil really does have a defining smell. At least it does to good people.


    I could see that the Jeep hadnded on its tires when it had stopped rolling. What was frightening was that there wererge w marks on the side and on the top. Also, the roof of the Jeep had been ripped open and looked just like someone had used a knife to open a can of beans in some stupid cheesy B rated western movie.

 Chapter 70 - Artem - Save My Sister Part 2

    "Chay?" I called out for my sister as I ran to the driver''s door, that was clearly stuck shut with how much that side had caved in.


    "Artem?" She called back to me, I could hear different emotions filling her voice and making it sound thick. There was pain that sounded both emotional and physical, there was heartache, fear, and of course anger and rage. She was a wreck.


    "I''m here Chay, and the others are on their way."


    I climbed on to the top of the vehicle and peered in at what the scene was like. I saw Star''s empty seat, her seatbelt was shredded, and there was blood on the seat and the door. A lot of blood.


    My heart kicked into overdrive and jumped up to lodge itself in my throat.


    I moved my eyes then, to look at Chay. She seemed to be trapped under the dashboard, her left arm pinned between her seat and the door beside her. The steering wheel had been smashed down and was cutting into her legs. I saw that she was covered in blooding from multiple ces.


    There was a long gash on the side of Chay''s head, probably where it had mmed into the window or the ground itself during one of the rolls. Blood was pouring down the side of her head and onto her neck and shoulder. I could see a few other cuts on the parts of her that were visible, but I don''t know how bad they were. It looked like she had suffered quite a few broken bones, which most likely attributed to why she was unable to get herself out of the Jeep on her own. I could tell that her right arm, the one that wasn''t trapped, was broken in at least three ces from near the top of the arm and shoulder area all the way down to the forearm.


    "Chay." I spoke softly this time, seeing the damage that she had taken in the aftermath of this attack. "Chay, I will get you out of here, I promise. Bailey is on his way too. We will make sure you''re alright. I promise. I''m so sorry you were hurt."


    "I''m sorry that I couldn''t stop them, Artem. I''m so sorry. This is my fault. I couldn''t protect her. I couldn''t help her. I am useless and now she is gone." Chay was crying. The ever strong and powerful force of nature that was Chay was crying. Just the sight of that broke my heart.


    "No Chay, stop it." I snapped at her, but I did it in a soft voice to let her know that I wasn''t mad at her. "It''s not your fault. If I hadn''t fucked upst night. If I hadn''t ruined everything, then she would have been with me. This most likely wouldn''t have happened if I hadn''t been a fucking idiot. This is all my fault, so stop ming yourself." I felt tears sting the back of my eyes like I was going to cry as well.


    "The one to me is that fucking asshole who thinks he gets to run my family." I heard Bailey''s voice then, not having paid attention to the fact that someone was walking up to where we were. I jerked around at the sound of his voice and saw that he was still walking, maybe ten feet away at the moment, and he had heard what I was saying.


    "I don''t fucking care what went onst night and this morning, the only thing I know is that the person to me for this whole mess is our so called ''Uncle Howard''." Reed added as he came up next to his brother.


    "So called?" Kent sounded curious as he walked up next to the others. "Is he not rted at all? Most people in the families, even branch families, are rted in some way, no matter how distant."


    "No, Howard came to us right after Star and her mother did. I remember what my Grandfather said when he came to us. He was strong and powerful enough that it didn''t matter that he was not rted to us or part of the pack at all. He was an outsider." Reed looked pissed as he spoke about that scummy piece of shit.


    "If I remember correctly, he''s the one that started all this crap in our family.


    "We will talk about that moreter." I gave them a serious look. "Right now I need to get Chay out of here so that we can get her home and have her start healing. Reed, Kent I want the two of you to pull the side of the Jeep out, we need to free her arm. Bailey, I want you to get up here and keep herfortable and focused on you while I pull the steering wheel back so we can free her legs. She can''t move much right now and she has a lot of broken bones. I am guessing only adrenaline and wolf magic is keeping her awake right now."


    "I''m not that weak." She yelled, the fierce Chaying back out to y for a moment. "I''m just trapped and can''t move."


    "Just shut up and let us work, Chay." My words sounded harsh but I spoke softly to her, hoping to let her know that I didn''t me her for what happened.


    "Bite me." She snapped back at me, also in a soft tone of voice.


    The four of us set to work. Kent and Reed worked at two different angles, pulling the metal of the door out and lessening the pressure on Chay''s body. After a few minutes she was finally able to move both of her arms which actually made her look quite relieved.


    Bailey wasying on the roof of the vehicle, reaching through the gaping hole as he reached down toward Chay. Cupping her face and soothing her with calming words while I pulled the front of the car off of her legs.


    "I''m so sorry, Chay, sweetheart. I should have gone with you this morning." He was wiping blood away from her eye as I gripped the steering wheel in both hands.


    "It''s not your fault." She was soothing him right back. "We didn''t know what was happening." I tried not to listen to what they were saying or how they were saying it as I braced myself on the hood of the car. They were in love, they had that full mate bond that I wanted. I would not be jealous of my little sister dammit. But fuck it, I wanted this too. Not the situation but the mutual love.


    "I will take care of you at home after we rescue Star. I will be there with you. I promise." I blocked his words from my mind as I started to pull hard.

 Chapter 71 - Artem - Save My Sister Part 3

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I felt the metal of the Jeep give as it moved, bunching up even more near where the windshield was supposed to be. The steering wheel and the dashboard that was trapping Chay''s legs in ce was moving with ease. I pulled it until it was much further away from where it had been in its original position.


    Finally we would be able to get her out of there. We just needed to remove the belt holding her in ce. Bailey had jumped down into the passenger seat and had already shredded the belt with his ws. He bent slowly over Chay then, putting one hand under her knees and another behind her shoulders.


    He was moving as soft and gently as he could, but the movement still made her cry out in pain.


    "AHHH!" She screamed in agony at just the slight shift forward that she had made when he scooped her up.


    "CHAY?!" The four of us either cried, screamed or yelled her name in a panic. I even hear Toby and Morgan from near the road as they too called out for her.


    "I-I-I''m OK." She huffed from the pain and the effort it took to speak at that moment.


    "Like hell you are." I yelled. "You need to see Doc." I moved to where Kent and Reed had worked. "I am going to remove the door. We will take you out this way instead. It should be easier on your body."


    I gripped the frame of the window, where all the ss had long since disappeared.


    "Bailey, hold her in ce so she doesn''t move around too much in the moment that I start to pull the door." I was giving orders like I knew exactly what I was doing. I just hoped they didn''t find out that I didn''t have a fucking clue what to do about this situation and I was just following my gut.


    With that Bailey was getting ready and into position. Kent and Reed had gone to the other side of the car and gripped it as well. This was presumably to hold the car a little more steady in theing seconds. I was proud of them for thinking about that.


    Now everyone and everything was ready and it was time for me to free my sister. I pulled hard, and felt the metal begin to pull away from the frame, slowly. It had been so misshapen that it was hard to get it going for more than a few millimeters at a time.


    Slowly, the metal started to shift more and more, giving way to my sheer force of strength and will. It only took a matter of seconds, definitely less than a minute, for the door toe offpletely, but it had felt like a lot longer.


    Trying as hard as I had to make it smooth and gentle, the pulling and shifting of the door had jostled Chay and caused her to cry and moan a few times in pain.


    "Ahh! Ngh! Urrgh!" She was definitely hurting and I had made it worse.


    "I''m sorry Chay." I whispered to her as I threw the door to the side.


    Bailey was still in the passenger''s seat and therefore was unable to pull Chay through the door at the time. So, as her protective big brother I took on that role myself. I lifted her as gently as I could in a hold simr to the one that Bailey had used. I bent my knees instead of leaning forward though, that way I could pull her straight out toward me instead of lifting her up to meet me.


    While I was on my knees I was holding Chay in my arms and cradling her to me just like I had done when she was a little girl and I carried her to her room after she had fallen asleep somewhere that wasn''t her bed. I was nostalgic for the past then, for times back when Chay was not mated and moving on with her life.


    I stood then, slowly, moving straight up so that I didn''t move my sister at all. Once I was standing I moved slowly back toward the road and to the truck that I had driven here. I had an emergency kit in the back that had a nket and pillow so I told Toby toy them out for me.


    Once Toby had finishedying them out, creating a marginally softer ce for Chay toy, Iid her down as gently as I could. I knew that there was no way for me to do it without hurting her, but still, it broke my heart to hear her screaming in pain as I settled her down there.


    "Bailey, go with her, when she is settled you can join us if you want, but I think you need to be with her for now. Have E and Sydney take care of the boys for us."


    "OK." I could hear the tears in his voice as he looked at his mateying there, writhing in pain. "Take care of my sister, or I will be one angry brother after I rescue my own mate."


    "I will, don''t worry." I saw that he was nodding his head as he climbed into the bed of the truck to kneel next to Chay''s side. E was climbing into the driver seat then and Sydney was getting into the passenger seat.


    "We will take care of things at the pack house. You go and find Star and kill that bastard." I heard a fierceness in E''s voice then, something that I had never expected to hear from her. She was sweet and looked and sounded so innocent half of the time that this intensity threw me througha loop for a moment, but I just nodded and put it out of my mind.


    "Don''t worry, I will murder that fucking asshole for what he''s done to my mate and my sister. He will know just where he went wrong when he had set his sights on what was mine."


    With that, E set off for home, driving slowly and steadily so as not to hurt Chay. She was being considerate of her future sister inw. I couldn''t stand and watch though. I had work I needed to get to."

 Chapter 72 - Star - In Howard’s Arms

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Howard had pulled me from the Jeep, causing pain to sear through my body and making me cry out. After that he cradled me to him, like I was something precious. I wanted to get away, but I couldn''t. I wanted to shudder at his touch, but I didn''t dare.


    All I could do was sit there and cry silently as he held me in his arms. I didn''t want to go back to them. I never wanted to see them again. Yet here I was on my way back there to all of them right now. My life was over. I might as well just die. That would be the only way for me to get peace.


    Things had been going so well, so perfectly. Then I messed them up with Artem. I had gotten Chay involved in my problems which had ended up with her being hurt. And now I was ruining my own future.


    I had just started to hope and be happy for the future. I was nning on being with Artem. I nned on having Chay there with me. I nned on getting to be with my cousins, the only family that ever treated me nicely.


    Now all of that was going to go away, it was going to disappear in a puff of smoke. I would never again get to be happy. This was the worst.


    Everything I looked at while in Howard''s arms looked like it was dead and decaying. Something about him just made the world look so disgusting. Apparently it was more than just his scent that was foul and seemed to be something filled with death.


    "Astraia, my dear, I am so happy you have decided toe home to me." He tilted his head down toward me then and kissed my forehead. I wanted to gag, I wanted to full on vomit actually. But most of all I wanted to hit him.


    I had let myself grow softer, being at Artem''s ce. I was safe, happy, and spoiled. All of that had led me to beingcent and I never expected that I would be taken back like this so suddenly. Not after Artem had saved me.


    He had promised me. He had promised me that he would always be there for me. He promised that he would always protect me and save me.


    But I went and made him hate me. I just know he won''t being this time. I was on my own. I would just have to ept that this was my fate. Just the thought of that made me cry even more.


    "Why must you cry, Astraia? I am going to marry you. We will be together finally. This is a time to rejoice."


    "I don''t want to marry you." I whispered through my tears.


    "What was that my dear?" He asked me and I could hear the anger rising in his voice. "I''m sorry my love, but I didn''t quite hear that. Can you say it again?" There was an evil light shining in his eyes. The usual yellow irises were now shining a vivid and bright red. I had never seen that happen to his eyes before.


    "I, I said that I, I said that I don''t want to marry you." I had to restart that response a few times before I could finish it. "I don''t want to marry you Howard." I said this a little more firmly than when I had spoken a few moments ago. "I want to marry Artem, not you." I screamed at him this time.


    "I really wish you hadn''t said that." He red at me. "Why can''t you just be a good girl for once?" His eyes were now pure ck as he looked at me, and I swear I could see the skin at the top of his forehead start to bulge like something was there beneath the skin. What the hell was going on here?


    I watched as an array of angry emotions flitted across his face. There was rage in the front now, the most prominent of all the things that I saw. He was angry. Angrier than I had ever seen him before.


    Uncle Howard stopped then and dropped me to the ground. My already abused and pained body red with a fresh wave of agony and I screamed out the moment I made contact with the grass and dirt.


    "Ahhh!" I was sobbing now, the pain so intense and the fear getting to be even more so. "U-Uncle H-Howard. W-what are you d-doing?" I questioned, stuttering though it all. "I''m s-sorry. I''m s-so s-sorry." I was crying very hard now and my stuttering was getting worse. "I''m s-s-so-sorry I s-s-said th-th-that. I-I-I w-will m-m-m-m-marry y-y-y-ou." I was trembling now as I sat there and looked at him.


    The more I looked at him the more I thought I saw him changing. He was different somehow. Different from any other way I had seen him. This was the same Uncle Howard, I could tell by his scent, but he was different now and I didn''t know how to exin it to myself.


    "You are an ungrateful little bitch. I have taken care of you since you were a baby. I have seen to it that you were taken in by this family. I saw to it that you had what you needed to survive. And this is how you repay me? You run away constantly. You enlist the help of the new Alpha. You go and fall in love with another man when you know you were always meant to be mine. You ungrateful little bitch."


    Heshed out then, striking me on the side of my face with hisrge fist. This wasn''t the first time that Uncle Howard had hit me, but it was the hardest he had ever hit me. I felt like my head was going to split in two from the contact he made with it.


    "I''m sorry, I''m so sorry. Please, forgive me Uncle Howard. Please." I begged him as I saw him prepare to hit me again. But it was no good. I saw his fist as he swung out again, colliding with the side of my head. I remember that Inded on my back, sprawled out on the ground, but that was all. After the impact of the second hit my vision started to darken. Before I knew it everything was ck and I could remember nothing else.

 Chapter 73 - Artem - Searching The House Of Horrors Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I didn''t want to take the time to make shifting back easier, I just wanted to put on my fur and go. But I also knew that I would need to be presentable when I got to where I was going. So, it was for that matter that we all walked into the line of the trees and tucked our clothes into small pouches designed to be carried easily by our wolves.


    Why did I go through all of this? Why did I want clothes when I got to the house? Because I refused to scare Star by being naked. I wouldn''t hurt her any more than I already had.


    Once we were shifted and had our clothes I took off running like a bat out of hell. I was the strongest and the fastest among the men I had with me. Those chasing at my heels were Kent, Toby, Morgan, and Reed. The five of us were going to find these assholes that decided to take my mate away from me. And then we were going to kill them all.


    I knew that I was sounding a little crazy and way beyond dangerous, but I didn''t care. I needed to find the other half of my soul. I needed to find the woman I loved. And until then, I would be running like a madman.


    While I ran my paws pounded against the forest floor. Run, run, run. Pant, pant, pant. That was all that I was able to think about outside of one simple sentence that was stuck on repeat.


    ''Find my mate. Find my mate. Find my mate. Find my mate. Find my mate.'' The beast within me, the beast that had so recently imed his mate in the most intimate of ways, was furious and had a single track mind. Running in this form was giving more power to him and taking away my ability to think rationally.


    I was almost there. I was almost to their house of hell. I could smell the scent getting stronger and I could tell that Star hade this way with that asshole. It was time for me to get her back.


    I shifted into my human form, just inside the line of trees again. Once I was wearing my clothes I ran toward the house, not waiting for the others to catch up to me. I was having a hard time trying to smell Star''s scent above all the other pieces of trash here.


    Without waiting for someone toe answer the door, I kicked the thing off its hinges, just like Toby had done thest time that we were here. I heard loud squeals of fear and shock when therge piece of wood went flying into the house. I even heard someone cry out in pain and knew that I had hit someone with the door.


    ''Good!'' I thought as I stormed inside.


    "WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?!" I roared the words as loud as I could, and was happy to hear the windows rattle and yelps of fear from several of the people in the house.


    "What are you talking about?" A brave woman spoke up,ing to the front of the room. "Who the hell are you and why are you here?"


    "Don''t y games with me bitch." I grabbed her around her throat. "I will kill you in an instant if you try to y dumb." I took in her scent, just as scummy as the man I was chasing, the evil fucking bitch.


    "Who are you looking for? There is no one here but us." She looked genuinely terrified at that moment. She probably never thought I would do anything, other than yell. Oh what a shock it was for her then when I grabbed her and t out told her that I was going to kill her.


    "Where is Star? Where is the shitty ass piece of vermin you let run this house of horrors? Where the fuck is Howard?"


    "Howard isn''t here. Him and the others left recently. It''s just us." She was trembling in my hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. "After Lisa disappeared he didn''t think it was best for him to stay here anymore. Him and all those with him left after that. They haven''t been back since."


    "Where are they?" I growled the words in a voice so deep and so low that I could feel it rumble through the house again. "Where the fuck is he hiding?" I tightened my grip momentarily on her throat, just long enough for her face to begin to turn red before I lessened up and let her draw a breath again.


    "He didn''t tell us. He just left with everyone else and hasn''te back at all." She was sobbing now as she looked at me. "You''re the one aren''t you?"


    "What one?" I growled at her.


    "You''re the one that took Star away from him. And you''re the one that killed my daughter." I could see the anger returning again along with her tears.


    "How am I supposed to know if I killed your daughter, I don''t even know who she is, or was."


    "Lisa!" She screamed the name at me. "You killed my Lisa. You killed my baby girl."


    "Hmph. Your baby girl tried to kill my mate. She was an evil, sadistic little whore bitch that didn''t deserve to live."


    "You asshole!" She was thrashing about in my grip trying to get free. "You son of a bitch. I will kill you. I''ll kill you for hurting my baby." Sheshed out then, trying to get at me with her ws, but I didn''t even give her the chance.


    I didn''t need ws to end her. All I needed to do was to finish closing my fist where it was sitting. My rage and anger were so intense that they were fueling my lust for blood and revenge which in turn made me even stronger. When my thumb and fingers met in the middle to finish the fist I felt the blood spray over me. Her life was no more.

 Chapter 74 - Artem - Searching The House Of Horrors Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I tossed the woman''s lifeless body aside so it wouldnd somewhere out of sight on the floor. I didn''t want to believe what she said. I didn''t want to think that Star wasn''t here at all.


    "Search the house." I told the four men that I knew were standing silently behind me. "Make sure she wasn''t lying about them not being here. If anyone stands in your way. Bring them to me, I will deal with them."


    I heard a collective gulp as every person in the room swallowed hard in fear. While the others set to work searching the house I took a look around. The only people I could see were women and children. I was not particrly happy about killing someone where the kids had seen, but I was also not in the right state of mind right now either.


    While I searched I heard something shift by the door, or what used to be the door. The fallen door was moving and there was an old man trying to climb out from under it. I stomped over to him and pulled the heavy piece of wood, solid oak, off of him. He had taken the hit and stayed under the door during my discussion with the dead woman.


    "I will apologize for hitting you with the door if you cooperate with me." I spoke gruffly to the old man as I pulled him to his feet and dusted him off. I was also showing the people around me that I was notpletely heartless.


    "I will cooperate, boy. I hate that upstart Howard, I always have." This man looked like he was well over a hundred and would stand no chance against Howard and his minions.


    "What can you tell me about him?" I held the old man by the elbow, offering him some assistance when standing. I also noticed that his scent wasn''t fowl like dead bitch number two over there. Dead bitch number one was her daughter. If my theory about scents was right then I could probably trust this man, at least a little.


    "That bastard had been one of the driving forces behind our family''s corruption. We never treated weaker wolves like the rest of the pack did, we were a fair and honest family. But then, one day out of the blue this new wolf shows his face and he starts poisoning the minds of those around us. The entire pack was already turning to shit because of that damn warlock that had been here so long ago."


    "You know about that warlock?" I was hopeful, perhaps if this man knew about him we could get the talismans off the boys and Star.


    "Aye, I do." His old gravelly voice shook for a moment. "I remember when he used to live among our pack. He was on the outskirts of town somewhere. So far that I never dared venture to his ce. So many pack members disappeared and were never seen again. That warlock told everyone that they were all weak wolves and needed to be weeded out. He started paying people for their weak children, it was horrible."


    "Old man, I need you toe back to the pack house with us, I need you to tell me more about this stuff. Do you know about the talismans as well?"


    "I know them, yeah. I know that it was Howard''s idea to lock my great great grand daughter away when my great grand daughter died, and it was his idea to put that damned thing on her when she was older. I know that he told everyone that since my great grand daughter had admitted the child''s father was not a wolf that she would be weak. And I know that that bastard was the one who killed my great grand daughter. Vivian was no threat to anyone, and I had urged her to leave this pack. I don''t know why she ever came back here, why she left her uncle''s house. I had sent her brother there too, when he was younger. I didn''t want this pack ruining either of those children."


    "Why didn''t you go with them?" I wondered, I needed to know why he would send them alone.


    "Because I was trying to save the rest of my family. I was trying to get them all to leave here with me. I wanted all of us to leave this ce and start fresh in another pack."


    "How does Howard fit into all of this?" Just as I asked that though, there was a hugemotion behind us. Another of the women jumped forward.


    "Stop it Daniel, don''t tell them any more. This is none of their business!" She was nearly yelling at the old mad in her haste to speak.


    "This most definitely is his business, can you not tell that he is the Alpha? He is the person in charge around here."


    "No, Jesiah is the Alpha, and Howard is in charge around here."


    "You''ve be so corrupted, my child. Where did I go wrong with you?" The old man was nearly crying as he looked at her and the way she was behaving. "They''re not all bad, son, please don''t punish the uncorrupted."


    "If they pose no threat to me and mine, and are not a danger to us right now, then they will be fine. I only want to find Star."


    "Are you her mate?" The man gave me a knowing look, eyes that told me he didn''t even need to hear me say the answer to that.


    "Yes, I am."


    "I thought so, I can smell her on you. Treat her right, please. She deserves a good life."


    "I will Sir, I will." I smiled softly at him before turning away. "Toby." I called for the man I knew was still on this floor.


    "Yes, Artem?" He popped his head back into the room as he called out.


    "Will you take Daniel here to the car and sit with him? I don''t want anything bad to happen to him. He has information for us and he is not like the others."


    "Yes, Sir." Toby took the man''s elbow gently and helped him outside. In their absence I was going to beat more information out of the others, I mean talk to them. Well, I guess that all depends on them really.

 Chapter 75 - Artem - Searching The House Of Horrors Part 3

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I turned back to the room full of people. They were all afraid of me, that''s for sure, but there were a few that were also very angry with me.


    "Now, all of you are going to give me every scrap of information that you can remember. If you cooperate I will be as nice to you as I was the old man. If you fight me-." I trailed off and looked in the direction of the dead woman''s body where itid sprawled on the floor. "Well, I am sure you can guess what would happen." More fear seemed to enter the eyes of all of those in front of me.


    I went to them one by one and spoke to them, scenting them also while I was at it. Most of them were oppositional but still spoke, those ones also happened to smell like the rotten son of bitch I was after. Those who spoke freely with not a shred of hesitation or opposition, those were the ones that didn''t smell like something rotten. Was it the corruption that was truly making them smell like that? If so, if that truly was the way to tell people in this family apart, then we had just found a massive weapon for us to use in this fight.


    None of the people left had anything else to add that the old man or dead bitch hadn''t been able to tell me. I had a feeling the old man would eventually be a treasure trove of information. We just needed to find my girl first then we could have a nice long talk with him.


    After the remaining women proved how useless they really were I decided to set Morgan to watching over them while I swept through the house myself. I wanted to search every nook and cranny for some sort of information that would lead me to the crazy asshole and my beautiful Star.


    The first floor proved useless with nothing more than a scattering of living rooms and sitting rooms to go with the dining room and kitchen. There was aundry and some bathrooms as well, but nothing that gave me any information on Howard''s current location.


    The second floor had mostly bedrooms and bathrooms. I searched them all, wondering if I would find something of Howard''s, still nothing.


    The third floor seemed to be one giant bedroom that used to be an attic. It was like it had been converted into this space by someone deranged. And it seemed like it was Howard''s ce, judging by what was in there.


    There were pictures of Star in an album that ranged from when she was a newborn to right before we rescued her. I wouldn''t have known the baby pictures were her though, if they hadn''t been marked so clearly. But she was an adorable baby.


    Some of the pictures from when she was younger had a beautiful woman smiling in them with her. That was most likely her mother. Star didn''t look too much like her mother, just a little around her eyes and her smile. The rest she must get from her father.


    That reminded me though, the old man said that Star''s mother admitted to the fact that her father was not a wolf. If he wasn''t a wolf then what was he? Who was he? Answers to that would probably be found back wherever Star''s mother lived before she came back here.


    And why had shee back? That was another oddity. She had no reason to yet she still did. I wish she was around to answer these questions for me.


    After searching the upper floors I searched the basements. There were actually two of them. There was a basement toward the front of the house that looked like a normal cer with things stored down there.


    The second cer was at the back of the house, near the door I had run into Star at. The long, narrow stairway led to an almost empty room that was still filled with Star''s scent, even after her time away.


    There was a ramshackle cot, so old it looked like it would fall apart if I sat on it. My only guess with that was that Star was so small and light from being malnourished that the damned thing was able to bear her weight. There was a bucket in the corner of the room that looked like it was meant to be Star''s bathroom. Aside from that and filth there was nothing else. This was the ce that Star had grown up, this was the ce where she had been imprisoned.


    I never thought I would see this ce. I never wanted to. I never actually wanted any of this to be real to me. I didn''t want to see what she had gone through because it would only make me angrier at her family.


    What was fueling my rage and hatred even more though, was that I could smell blood in this room. I could smell that they had beaten her in here and left her to heal on her own.


    Star was healing better now. Now that she has been able to eat more and get stronger. But I remember when she first came to us, how long it had taken for her leg to get better. An injury that would only take most shifters a day to heal took Star four days. That was four times as long.


    And oh Goddess, how badly had she been hurt in that ident? I smelled her blood too. I know she was injured again, but how badly. I needed to find her. I needed to get out of here and find her right now.


    There was nothing left here for me to discover anyway. I had known that the moment that the bitch had told me that Howard wasn''t here, but I still needed to look for myself. I still needed to check everywhere. Now, I was leaving with someone who held vital information as well as some things of Howard''s that might shed some light onto this situation.

 Chapter 76 - Star - Waking Up In Hell

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    My head felt like it was going to explode. There was a pounding, throbbing like ache near my left ear that just refused to go away. It was dragging me out of nightmares about dark creatures trying to swoop down and catch me while I ran and ran. The pain had been permeating into my dreams as well since I dreamt that one of the creatures managed to hit me on my head twice.


    As the sleep filled fog started to ebb from my brain, even though my eyes were still closed, I was able to think. Thinking led me to remembering. Remembering brought back fear and with that even more pain.


    I had been with Chay. I had been in an ident. Uncle Howard found me. He had taken me from the ruined vehicle and carried me away. He got mad at me and dropped me on the ground. He hit me. He knocked me unconscious.


    I bolted up into a sitting position then, opening my eyes wide with shock and fear. I was scared of what I might find but more afraid of not knowing what was around me.


    The room I was in was dark but seemed to have arge window in the ceiling that let in the light of the moon and the stars. I could tell by looking out that window that we were high up in whatever building we were in. The room wasn''t as bare as the cer I had been in before. This time there was a rtivelyfortable bed, though it was nothingpared to the one at Artem''s house. There were also other pieces of furniture like a dresser, a night stand, and a chair next to a window. That window, the one in the wall not the ceiling, had bars on it.


    While I looked around the room I noticed that there was a big, heavy lock on the door that could only be opened by a key and that there were also bars on the door as well. This ce looked creepy and gave me an uneasy feeling. Why was I here?


    I went to try to move out of the bed and found that I was still in a lot of pain. I felt like there was something stabbing me in my chest that made it hard to breathe. My right leg, the one that had smashed into the dash board during the ident, was swollen and covered in bruises, it also felt like I had broken the bones in it as well. I could see lots of little cuts on my arms and legs and that made me remember the cut on my head.


    The cut on my head had to have been the worst of them, it had bled a lot. The sticky blood that had trailed down my cheek to my neck had been caused by the gash from the ground during the roll. It had also been the ce that Uncle Howard had ced his tongue against me and licked a trail up my cheek. He had seemed to enjoy the blood and had even stuck his tongue deep into the wound. Just remembering that made me want to shudder and gag.


    Oh my God, I can''t believe he did that to me. I felt like I had chills running through me at the thought of him touching me let alone licking me.


    As I tried to get that memory out of my head, I heard the sound of the lock sliding open and the handle turning. Someone wasing in here, and I am pretty certain I knew who it would be.


    "I see you are finally awake my dear Astraia." Uncle Howard walked into the room with a disgusting look on his face. He was looking at me as if I was something to be coveted and kept as a prize. I didn''t like the way he had his eyes glued to me.


    I shuddered involuntarily as I heard his voice.


    "Remember your promise, my dear. You said you wouldn''t run away from me again." He walked slowly over to me, sauntering and leaning forward like he was trying to appeal to me or something. "I do so hope you don''t try to do anything you shouldn''t. I would hate to have to hurt you. You are finally old enough to be mine. We can finally be together my love, isn''t that lovely?" Just listening to him felt like it was killing my soul. I wanted to get away from him desperately.


    "I don''t want to be with you." I whispered the words, half hoping he couldn''t hear me.


    "What was that? It sounds like you''re still being defiant."


    "I''m not defiant, I just don''t want to be here." I red at him.


    "You know, I thought this on the way here, but it seems like my little spell was stolen by someone else."


    "What?" I was curious by his words. "What spell?"


    "You belong to someone else. I can see that. The talisman needs to be reset." He was grinning now, like he thought he was about to have some fun.


    "My talisman?" I was so confused by his words.


    "Yes, we need to reboot it so to speak." He ced his hand on my forehead then and began to chant words in anguage I didn''t understand.


    "Stop, stop it, please." I begged him, fear causing my eyes to shed tears as I pleaded for him to not do whatever it was he was doing to me.


    I felt like my whole body was growing cold, like I wasying in a pile of snow and was slowly being buried alive by it. I couldn''t move my arms or my legs. The only thing I seemed to have control over really was my thoughts. My body was not mine anymore.


    "That should do." Uncle Howard purred as he pulled his hand away. Without him holding me I seemed to have no strength at all and I copsed back onto the bed. "Hmm, we will need to do something about all these injuries of yours." He sounded like he was thinking hard about something. "Here, this should do it." He sounded excited as he ced his hand on my head once more and chanted again.


    An eerie light apanied his words, something dark and sinister. I couldn''t feel any difference at the moment but Uncle Howard seemed to be pleased.


    "That will do, I think you should be just fine in an hour or so." He chuckled as he spoke. "I will give you a few hours before Ie back. I want to finish this wedding tonight. I have waited oh so long to have you after all." With those words and the fading of the light I lost consciousness once more.

 Chapter 77 - Artem - The Old Man’s Tale

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    It was already dark by the time we made it back to the pack house. The old man was treated like a guest, but until the others were vetted as good or bad they were locked up. All but the kids that is. They went to be bunked and watched by E and Sydney. Criztie and Dakotah were on their way over as well. They were going to help keep the house running until we got things back into proper working order. They were even closing the barkery for the next day or two.


    I took the old man to my office where someone brought him dinner and a cup of coffee. He seemed to be happy to have someone appreciating him. I needed to talk to him and find out all that I could. It might help me in my search for my beautiful Star.


    "Daniel, will you please tell me everything that you know about the warlock that brought those talismans to our pack. Can you tell me everything that you know and remember from those days. And also, tell me about Howard. I want to know everything about that scumbag and where he might be hiding."


    "That''s a tall order." The old man took a sip of his coffee before setting it back down. It looked like he was settling in for a long talk.


    Daniel heaved a sigh and looked at me with firm and confident eyes. He was old but he was still sharp.


    "When I was a boy, there was a warlock that lived among us. He basically ran the pack for us in lieu of our Alpha." I could hear a scoff in the old man''s voice as he was remembering that past elder''s folly. "I was no older than ten when I first came across the Warlock. I knew right away he was bad news. My family back then kept to themselves, same as we do now but we didn''t buy into that hype about the weaker wolves. That man named Gannon told everyone that he knew how to determine a wolf''s rank when they were young. He would hold a talisman to the forehead of a child, and if the talisman reacted the child was said to be below a certain rank. The pack refused to test the girls, as they were not often meant to fight, especially back then. But there was also the fact that the girls could eventually be used for increasing the poption. They were never tested or treated differently than any of the others. The boys, though, that was a different story."


    I could see that the old man was having a hard time saying all this, he probably lost countless friends to the curse of this town, the same as I had.


    "It seemed like every week that mad man woulde into town from his house in the forest, and he would always leave with some little boy. The town knew that he was using them for experiments, but no one ever seemed to care. He was making some type of beasts with them, monsters that I could sometimes hear screaming in the night. After a while he seemed to want to move on. He told us he would be back though, and that we were supposed to keep up the current practices."


    "So he basically made you all live in fear of the day he would return."


    "Yeah, pretty much. The whole town never stopped acting like they did during his days. But even still, there were families, such as mine, that never paid any attention to his words. I knew though, that if my family stayed here it would only be a matter of time before they became like all the rest of them. My children knew it too, and that is why they told their children to leave when they could. When my great grandson Griffin was about five years old, his father tested him. That man was a nasty son of bitch that came from a family that embraced the ranking system of this pack. Griffin was determined to be an Omega, so I had his uncle take him and flee into the night. Some timeter I sent his sister along with him. I didn''t want anything happening to those sweet children. But, about twenty yearster Vivian came back and I didn''t know why."


    "Vivian was Star''s mother?" I asked the old man just to keep the facts straight. "You said earlier that Star''s father was not a wolf, what was he?"


    "I don''t know. Vivian never told me, she said that if she told then Star would be in danger. I think she felt that Star was in danger where they were and that is why she came back here."


    "Could she have been threatened?" It was the only thing that I could think of. Someone must have made her think that she needed toe back home.


    "I don''t know, but I know that within a week of her returning home Howard showed up. He somehow proved himself to be a powerful wolf and earned himself a high position in our family hierarchy."


    "Why didn''t you try to stop any of this from happening? If your family never treated anyone like that before Star, why didn''t you save her?"


    "Boy, I was ny-nine years old when Vivian came back here with Star in tow. And I swear the only reason they let her back into the family was her money. If she didn''te with a hefty bank ount then they never would have let her back into the house. They felt abandoned and betrayed."


    "Vivian''s money?" I asked, curious about that part.


    "Yeah, all the money that the family has now is Vivian''s, well I guess it''s Star''s money now really."


    "Interesting." Did they kill Vivian all those years ago for her money? "Do you really think that Howard had anything to do with Vivian''s death? Did he follow her here because of her money?"


    "I am certain he is the one that killed Vivian, there is no doubt in my mind. As for the money, I don''t think so. Call me crazy but I think he was after Star this whole time. And, this is going to sound weird, but that man hasn''t aged a day in the sixteen years I''ve known him."


    "Are you telling me he has looked like he was somewhere in his mid thirties for close to twenty years?"


    "That''s exactly what I am saying, boy. He seems to be eternal or something. And I tell you, there are times he seems even older than he looks. Like he''s been looking this age for a long time." Daniel took another deep breath before continuing. "There are times when he makes me think of someone who used to live with the warlock all those years ago. He doesn''t look too much like him, but there are simrities."


    "Are you saying he''s over a hundred years old?"


    "Probably a lot older."


    What would this mean? If Howard was that old but still looked thirty that would be quite unusual for a wolf. It was not umon for us to live longer life spans than humans, and a lot of times the aging process varied, but I have never heard of a wolf that was that old and still looked like he was a young man, so to speak.


    So, what does that make Howard? Is he actually a wolf? He smelled like one when I came face to face with him, and Kent said the same thing, but is he really? Neither of us saw him in a wolf form, but that doesn''t mean anything. A lot of werewolves like to fight in their human forms, we are more rational that way.


    Something about this was rubbing me the wrong way. I didn''t like it, not one bit. And I still needed to find Star.


    "Daniel, do you know where that house the warlock lived in was?"


    "I know about where it was, but I never went there, ever." Daniel looked scared at the mere thought of that house.


    "Do you think that Howard knows?"


    "I''m certain of it. He seemed to head off in that direction from time to time and would disappear for a day or two at a time, sometimes even longer."


    "Can you tell me where it is? Can you tell me where to go?"


    "You don''t know what you''re getting yourself into, boy." I didn''t miss the warning in his tone, he was telling me that I needed to tread carefully. "If what I think is true, then he will have close to twenty guard wolves at that house with him, the men of this family that he has managed to corrupt."


    "I will take my chances. I have a few people to take with me and they''re not exactly weak."


    "They''d better be strong."


    Daniel''s voice sounded ominous when he spoke those words. But nheless he still managed to tell me the part of the woods that he believed that warlock''s house used to be. I gathered my men and we were ready to go. It was time that we went to save my mate.

 Chapter 78 - Star - A Waking Nightmare Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I woke to the feeling of someone moving me around. I kept my eyes closed, just knowing that I wouldn''t like what I saw when I opened them. But I could feel someone moving my body and what felt like water. Was someone washing me?


    I cracked my eyes open and saw that Uncle Howard was there in the room with me again and he had a washcloth in his hands. He was dipping that washcloth into water and then cleaning away the blood and dirt from my body.


    I looked around my surroundings, at the room, the bed, and myself. What made this whole situation worse was that I wasying on the bed with only my bra and panties on. The rest of my clothes had been stripped away from me.


    I started to panic. I wanted to flip out and scream and yell. I wanted to get away from Uncle Howard as quickly as I could.


    The moment I moved my arm and tensed my body to prepare to stand Uncle Howard turned his head to look at me with a broad grin.


    "Astraia." He called my name when he made eye contact. That was the moment that I felt like I lost control of my entire body.


    I had felt that power before. I had felt like I couldn''t control myself at all and I was mostly just watching the things around me happen.


    "Astraia, you are not yet cleaned." Uncle Howard seemed to purr as he spoke to me. "You need to be patient, we can put your dress on after." Uncle Howard gestured then to the dress that was hanging at the foot of the bed.


    The dress was pretty, in a sense. It was white and it looked like it was a little old fashioned. There was no doubting it though, this was what Howard was going to consider my wedding dress. I wanted to move, I wanted to scream, I wanted to run away. But I couldn''t make myself do it at all.


    "Don''t you want to marry me tonight, Astraia?" His voice sent goosebumps all over my body and made me feel like I had bugs crawling along my skin, but still I seemed to not have the ability to say what I wanted.


    "Of course I do Uncle Howard." I felt my face smile, I waspelled to do it but I was sickened by it all.


    "Now, now Astraia, you know that I am not really your uncle right? I was just someone that joined your family a long time ago. You know that, don''t you?"


    "Yes, Howard, I know. You''re not my uncle, you are my fiance." Why was I saying this? What was with this?


    This all seemed like those times with Artem when my body waspelled to follow what was going on. I may have thought things were moving too fast, but I felt like I loved Artem. This though, this was making me sick. This was making me wish that I was dead rather than saying any of these things to him.


    When I was with Artem, even when I had no control I never hated a moment of it. Even when we slept together I didn''t hate it. I loved being with him. It was just that not being in control scared me. I couldn''t tell him that I wanted to go slower. I couldn''t tell him that I wanted to wait. But I was never going to tell him that I never wanted it. I loved him.


    But now, even without the control of my body I still hated Uncle Howard. I didn''t want him to touch me. I didn''t even want him to look at me. I just wanted to get away from him and go back home.


    I wanted to go back to Artem''s ce to see him and Chay again. I wanted to see Reed and Bailey, Kent and E, Toby and Morgan, and the triplets Criztie, Sydney, and Dakotah. I wanted to see the boys that had talismans like mine. I wanted to see my real family, the people who cared about me.


    Whatever was going on with me, whatever was causing this, it didn''t change how I felt at all. This thing that was happening to me only affected my actions. I know what it was that I wanted. I know who it is that I love. But if I was going to be stuck with Uncle Howard for the rest of my life then I would rather die.


    Does suicide count as running away from him?


    "Astraia, you have such beautiful skin. I just want to stroke it and feel the tender suppleness of it under my finger tips." Uncle Howard smiled at me as he moved the washcloth along my legs. "I cannot wait until you are dressed, then we shall be married. Aren''t you excited?"


    "Yes, Howard." I heard myself answer in a monotonous voice. I didn''t sound like myself at all. I don''t remember sounding like that with Artem. Maybe if I tried hard enough I could force myself to stop all of this shit from happening.


    For the next several minutes I tried my best to make my body move or to say what I really thought, but I couldn''t. While I fought feverishly for control of my own body Uncle Howard had finished washing me up.


    I noticed as he cleaned me that all of my injuries seemed to be gone. I could breathe normally. I didn''t feel the ache in my leg. My head felt fine.


    When Uncle Howard lifted me with his hands my back to slide the dress onto my limp body I saw that all the cuts and bruises were also gone. I waspletely healed. I have no idea how he managed to do that, but somehow he had. I didn''t care, I just wanted to get away, healed or not.


    Uncle Howard seemed to move gently and slowly as he slid the dress over my head and down my body. I felt him graze his fingers across my breasts, then my belly, and finally my thighs as he helped to dress me. I wanted to scream but I couldn''t. In the absence of the scream I wanted to cry, to sob, but I couldn''t even do that.


    ''Get up! Run away! Get away from him! Leave this ce!'' No matter how many times these thoughts ran through my head I couldn''t do anything buty there until I waspelled to move for Uncle Howard.


    ''Scream! Cry! Sob! Let him know that you don''t want this.''


    Try as hard as I could, I was stuck and I knew it.


    ''Artem, I love you.'' I said the words in my head, now thankful for all the years I had spent only talking inside my head. At least I was prepared for this kind of life.

 Chapter 79 - Star - A Waking Nightmare Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Slowly and methodically Uncle Howard buttoned the back of the dress as my bodyid slumped against his shoulder. My forehead was pressed against him and his scent was filling my nostrils. That awful, overpowering scent that had always made me feel sick to my stomach.


    Tonight, for some reason, his scent seemed so much stronger. And not just stronger, it seemed to be worse somehow. He smelled even more rotten, like something in his was spoiling by the second. There were the same old smells that there always were, but now there seemed to be an undertone to his scent. Something that was far worse than the rest of his odorsbined. It had a sulfurous smell, something that made me think of a match being lit only much stronger.


    Internally I gagged, feeling sick to my stomach just by the sheer power of that scent, but outwardly I didn''t make a sound. I really hated this. Not being able to move, not being able to talk. The most that I could manage was a blink of my own ord. I wonder if I could keep my eyes closed and not look at him? That would make me marginally happier.


    After the dress had been buttoned Uncle Howard pushed me gently away from him, but that was just so he could slide his arms around me and sit me on a chair. There was a vanity in the corner that I hadn''t noticed when I looked around the room earlier, I was now sitting in front of that vanity.


    This vanity was nothing like the one that Chay had given me, instead of a beautifully carved wooden vanity this one was a cheap looking thin metal one. Still, I knew what it was, mostly because it had makeup and hair essories on it.


    "We need to make you pretty for our wedding." Uncle Howard''s voice seemed to be full of excitement. He truly was looking forward to this. I hoped I could just die before he could marry me, or before he could do anything to me.


    When Uncle Howard sat me in the chair I slumped a little, still nothing more than an empty shell awaiting hismands.


    "Come now, Astraia, sit up. I can''t do your hair and make up if you''re slouching over." Instantly my body followed hismand. I wonder why I was not able to move until he told me to? Did he do something to me other than thatpulsion that I felt toward Artem and now him?


    While I contemted what was going on with me Uncle Howard started to undo the braid that was in my hair. Following that he took a clean bowl of water and started to clean the rest of the blood and dirt from my hair.


    Following the cleaning my hair was fully wet and offered no resistance when Uncle Howard started to pull a brush through it.


    "Such beautiful Brown hair you have. It truly is soft. You will gift our children with this lovely hair, I am sure of it."


    ''OH MY GOD!'' What was he talking about? He just said that we were going to have children! I do not want to have children with Uncle Howard. If I was going to have children with someone I would want it to be with Artem. I don''t want Uncle Howard to touch me, not at all.


    "If we have daughters they will be beautiful like you. If we have sons they will be strong like me. Well, I hope that even the girls will be strong, given their powerful lineage." He was tying a ribbon in my hair now as he spoke. "You have such a unique lineage Astraia, and my lineage is quite powerful and unique as well. Together we will make the world''s strongest children."


    ''Stop talking. Just shut up you disgusting asshole. I don''t want to hear another word of your ramblings. I don''t want to know what horrible fantasies and thoughts have gone through your mind about me. Please just leave me alone and stop touching me, don''t look at me either.'' My inner monologue was helping me to stay sane while I had to listen to everything that Uncle Howard was saying to me. ''Artem I''m so sorry that I messed up. If I hadn''t messed up so badly then this probably wouldn''t be happening to me at all. I''m so sorry to you, and to Chay, and to everyone else. I''m so sorry.'' I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch Uncle Howard in his stupid disgusting face.


    "You don''t know this, Astraia, but I came here for you. Not this house of course, but to this pack. I was so delighted when I found out about what you truly are. When I learned of your true lineage, what that meant, I was so excited. I knew then that I needed to have you. I needed to use that to my benefit."


    ''I am nothing. I am just a girl that was trapped in a useless, powerless, existence. I am just Astraia Westbrook. I am Star. I am weak. I am a lost wolf. I am a mate that can''t feel the mate. I am nothing.'' I realized that I was letting the despair get to me. I realized that I was not being fair to myself, but I couldn''t help it. I was spiraling out of control. This was the worst situation I had ever been in.


    I had known that Uncle Howard had wanted me, that he wanted to marry me, but I never really knew what that entailed. I never knew I would be this sickened, this disgusted, this scared by all of it.


    To be honest, I always kept thatst little bit of hope that I would escape, that I would get away and never have to see him or any of the others again. And that small taste of freedom I had was not enough. I had gotten away, I was safe, but all of it came crashing down around me like shattered ss.

 Chapter 80 - Star - A Waking Nightmare Part 3

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Howard seemed to be done with my hair and so he was now standing directly in front of my face as he applied little bits of makeup. He was still talking though, and his words were making my skin crawl.


    "Yes, it was quite the coincidence that I met your mother in Colorado Springs. I was sniffing around there, checking for updates on an experiment my father had left there. But could you imagine my surprise when I found out that there was another, even more special child there? You know, most wolves are too proud to mate with anything outside their species. Humans and wolves happen from time to time, but they almost always refuse to breed with someone who is not a wolf. Or, should I say that the rest of the pack members refuse to ept the matings." Uncle Howard wasughing at that for some reason. I didn''t know why he was telling me all of this. I didn''t know what it had to do with me.


    "You know, Astraia, a shifter like you actually has no choice but to ept who they have been mated to. It''s like apulsion for them, something that leads them around by the nose and makes them do stupid things. I am so d that I am not like them at all."


    This was making no sense to me at all. Uncle Howard was telling me that he was not a wolf like me, like the rest of our family. If he wasn''t a wolf then why was he with us? Why had he spent so much time with us? Why was he running our family if he was not a wolf? I was so confused by what he was saying.


    "You and I are rare. A special type of offspring that came from our parents mixing with things that were not like them at all. And because of that uniqueness we have both suffered. It was your mixed heritage that made it so easy to convince your family that you were weak and to lock you up. I am sorry to admit that it was me that suggested it, but I needed to limit your contact with the world so that I could keep you close to me."


    Uncle Howard was the one who had caused me to be locked up? It was his idea to throw me in the basement when I was two years old? Why? Why would he do that to me? What did I ever do to deserve this life?


    "Your family didn''t want to ept your mother back at first. She ran away from them when she was a child. She disappeared in the middle of the night and was gone for twenty years. She was nearly thirty when she came back though, and in that time she had amassed quite the fortune. I don''t know what she had done to get that money, but she was loaded."


    Uncle Howard reached up then and closed my eyes with his fingers. I felt him then begin applying eyeshadow to my lids now, gently moving the brush across my closed eyes.


    "This family was going broke from the poor leadership they had. That former head of the family was an idiot and so easy to manipte. After I convinced your mother that you were going to be in danger if she stayed in that pack she had fled to, after I sent her back here I simply followed her. I have been nning this day for eighteen years now."


    Eighteen years? How could that be? He would have been nning this since the time that I was born.


    "You see, I had just arrived in Colorado Springs and was looking into another Hybrid child, and then I met your mother. I saw you and her by chance and I smelled the difference in your scent. Wolves wouldn''t catch onto it, no, you smelled enough like a wolf to them. It would take someone else versed in magic to smell the difference in someone like you."


    What was it he was saying? What was I if I was not a wolf? But I was a wolf, I know I was. I had shifted into one when I was thirteen. I was a wolf. He was lying to me. He had to be lying to me.


    "I knew when I smelled the double heritage on you that I needed to have you for my own experiment. My father was making half breeds for his experiments. The problem there was that he needed to make something even more borate. You are a half breed hybrid and so am I. This will make your children quadruple breed hybrids. They will have the wolf and Fae from you."


    My mind wanted to explode. He just said I was a wolf and Fae. I don''t even know what a Fae was.


    "That alone will be special enough, but once we mix in my DNA then you have something truly amazing. My half warlock half demon lineage will make our children truly gifted."


    My heart stopped beating at those words. Half Warlock? Half Demon? What was he saying? I knew from Artem and the others that Warlock were real, but demons? They couldn''t be real. Could they? I mean, they were listed as mythology in the encyclopedias that I read.


    Then again, werewolves were listed as mythology as well. Is it possible that everything that was considered mythological was real? Demons, Angels, Gods and Goddesses, monsters, all of it. Was everything real? I felt like I was having a panic attack on the inside, but still nothing showed on the outside to let anyone know that I was flipping out.


    "We will be such a good match, Astraia, you will see. Together we will make a new race of people. And with the army of children you give me over the years I will rule the world. I will take that dream from my father and I will be the one to rise to power. My dreams of power and recognition wille true, with you by my side. Now you know, my sweet, sweet, Astraia, now you know why I had to keep you close. And now you know why I needed to keep youcent. We were meant to make this new world together. You will see, and with the ve talisman fully in effect, you can never leave me, even if you want to."

 Chapter 81 - Star - A Waking Nightmare Part 4

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    ve? Did he say ve talisman? Was that what was making me do everything that he wanted me to? Was that what made mepelled to do everything that Artem had wanted?


    "It truly was unfortunate that I had to reset the damned thing. You must have bonded with that stupid wolf boy on your birthday. That''s why I was waiting for you, you know. I don''t like the idea of actually taking you by force. That was my father''s thing, not mine. I may be a half demon but I seem to have a little bit more humanity than him. I was waiting until you let me take you willingly."


    The grin that Uncle Howard gave me then made me even sicker. He thought that this was willing. He thought that this made me want him. Did he not know that I was screaming inside my head telling him to get away from me and to stop touching me? I did not want this. I did not want him. That made it just as much rape as you could possibly get.


    "My father liked to mess with the minds of the women he used. He would drug them with magic and then manipte their memories. They never knew what he was doing to them. You will know, you will remember me. And the best yet, is that your body will ept me, even if your mind does not."


    So he does know? He knows that I want him to stop, but he won''t. He knows that I want to run, but I can''t. He is a sick, sadistic asshole.


    "I know your mind is alert, I know you can hear me, the real you. Just know, Astraia, nothing can break this talisman. Not while I am alive that is. My father helped to develop the original talismans so they are bound to him, but I made this one. This is my special gift to you. Don''t you like it?"


    ''No I don''t you sick fuck!'' I screamed inside my head.


    "Yes, Howard, I love it, thank you so much for gifting me with this wonderful talisman. I am happy that I can be with you." My voice and my body werepelled to follow his whims and so answered how he wanted me to.


    ''STOP IT, DON''T DO THIS!'' I screamed at myself, desperate for a shred of control that I knew I would never get.


    "Do you know who my father is, Astraia? Do you know how powerful he is? His name is Gannon, the most powerful Warlock there has ever been, and I used to follow loyally by his side as his son and servant. That is, until I saw you and the potential that we would have together. I left my father then, I left the work he was doing to actualize my own dreams. I had followed him for over a hundred years, but now I have devoted my life to you."


    Uncle Howard was chuckling now, as he thought about the past. I didn''t care about theugh so much as the words he had said. He had followed his warlock father for over a hundred years. Just how old was he?


    "Don''t get me wrong, I had other things to fill my time with while I waited for you. I was quite content using the women of this family for my own purposes. They were so easily bent to my will. They always wanted to be with someone strong and powerful. And none of them were able to find a mate after being with me. You should count yourself lucky, my love, I chose you to be my true wife. And I must say that I am quite the lover, you will be very pleased with me."


    All I wanted to do was die right now. I didn''t want to be with him, or anyone who had been with so many people in my family. This was the worst nightmare I could possibly think of. Someone help me get out of here.


    "There I think that will just about do it." Uncle Howard moved from in front of me and let me finally see myself in the mirror on the vanity. He had brushed my hair and added the ribbon, but I couldn''t see it since it was in the back. But my hair waspletely out of my face and I could tell that the hair that normally framed my face was tied back, just by looking at the way the hair bent backwards.


    After he had done my hair he had applied my makeup. I saw ck eyeshadow applied thickly on both of my eyes. He had added eyeliner and even mascara. All these things I had been learning to do from Chay Uncle Howard seemed to be able to do effortlessly. There was no blush on my cheeks but he had done my lips in a dark gray. And underneath it all he had spread a pale foundation all over my face. I now looked sickly pale.


    The color of the dress was also making me look even more pale. I was done with nothing but white, ck, and gray. Even my hair looked ck next to all the white of my face and dress.


    "You look wonderful, Astraia. ck and white like the night sky filled with stars. This is how you were meant to look. I cannot wait to have you all to myself. But I am a gentleman after all and I vowed to wait until after the wedding. So, let us not dy a minute longer. It is time for us to get married. Doesn''t that excite you."


    "Yes Howard, I am looking forward to it. I want to be with you so much. Please, let us get married so that you can take me."


    ''NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!'' No matter how much I tried to scream the word it was useless. This was happening and I couldn''t stop it.

 Chapter 82 - Star - Wedding

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Uncle Howard lifted me into his arms again. My uncooperative body held him in my arms while he carried me, something I most definitely would never have done on my own.


    With me in his arms Uncle Howard walked toward the door with the heavy lock. For some reason, I saw the knob turn and heard the lock click with no one touching it at all. The door then swung open on its own and revealed a long, narrow, winding staircase.


    While holding me close, as if I was fragile and precious, Uncle Howard carried me all the way down the stairs and into a sort of parler. The room had furniture lined up along the edges of the room, chairs, couches, tables, and bookcases. There were so many pieces of furniture that it looked like the room was crowded to begin with. But now, in ce of all that furniture there was a ck arch covered in ckce.


    Thece looked like something sinister and evil as it hung from the arch. Intertwined in thece were green stems and ck flowers. The flowers were actually ck, not like they were dead but actually ck. And I could tell by looking at them that they were roses. They were ck roses.


    Standing in the room was every male family member that had ever treated me like nothing except than a piece of trash. Nathan, Jared, Larry, Preston, Craig, Brian, Frank, Hank, all of them. And there were more of course, men that I had never met before. There were twenty people in total and they were all lined up along the side of the room leading to the arch.


    "Astraia, this is the altar for our wedding, this is where we will be one in name before we be one with flesh."


    "OK." That was all the hypnotized version of me had to say about this.


    Uncle Howard then set me on my feet and wrapped his arm around mine. He walked with me then, slowly, toward the front of the altar. All the men, the ones who had clearly hated me before, were now looking at me with approval and reverence. What had changed in them?


    One of the men that I hadn''t noticed before moved to the front of the altar, standing just behind it. Uncle Howard came to a stop directly underneath the ck wood, the ckce, and the ck flowers. We were under the altar now and all I could feel was terror. I knew what was about to happen, and I knew what would follow it.


    "You may begin, Timothy." Uncle Howard spoke to the man standing in front of us. The man, Timothy, smiled and looked at us then around the room.


    "Brother, cousins, uncles and nephews, we have been blessed with the invitation from the great Howard to celebrate his wedding with him. He is marrying the blessed Astraia who was lucky enough to receive his affections. Join me in weing their union."


    Timothy spread his arms wide then and grinned at us all. He was a disgusting man. Not ugly, not disgusting like that, no it was his smell. It was so much like Uncle Howard''s. All the men in the room were like Uncle Howard in that way. Were they demons like him or were they just absorbing his stench?


    "Beloved brothers, we are gathered here to join Astraia Westbrook and Howard Edmond in this sacred of all ceremonies. All powerful Howard, do you take Astraia to be your bride, ept her as your wife, to rule over and control as you see fit?"


    "I do." Uncle Howard answered him immediately.


    ''WHAT THE HELL KIND OF WEDDING WAS THIS? I WAS TO BE RULED OVER AND CONTROLLED!''


    "Astraia, child of illegitimate birth, do you take Howard as your groom, ept him as your husband and promise to follow everymand he gives you, do you swear to bear him children for as long as you are able and provide him with whatever it is he asks of you?"


    ''NO! NO I DO NOT!'' I screamed in my head as my voice answered differently.


    "I do." I felt the smile on my face as the spellpelled me to answer with a delighted look.


    "Then, with the power invested in me by the all powerful Howard, I now pronounce you husband and wife, Howard you may now kiss your bride."


    ''Please God NO!'' I felt the revulsion building up inside of me at those words.


    Whistles and cheers erupted throughout the room when we were, apparently, officially married. As the sound rose in volume I felt Uncle Howard turn me toward him. I was screaming and crying on the inside, praying and begging for this not to happen, but it was toote.


    Uncle Howard tilted my head to the side as he leaned forward. His lips pressed against me and I felt my mouth open of its own ord, allowing him to slip his tongue into my mouth. He tasted like ash and muck, and so many different foul things. I felt the urge to bite his tongue, to hurt him, but of course I couldn''t. No, I was forced to just let him flick that tongue of his all around my mouth like it was some sort of dying fish.


    This kiss was nothing like Artem''s. With Artem I had felt excitement and heat, and passion. With vile Uncle Howard all I could feel was disgust and horror, and revulsion. This was going to be the worst night of my life, that I was certain of.


    When Uncle Howard broke the kiss he pulled back to look me in the eyes. The look he gave me was one that spoke of excitement and hunger. And I saw that his eyes had once again changed color. The eyes he was looking at me with right now were red and the pupils were not normal. They were elliptical, more snakelike than anything. Aside from the fact that they were red, his eyes looked exactly like a picture of a pit viper I had seen in the encyclopedia. He truly was a demon, wasn''t he?

 Chapter 83 - Star - Wedding Night Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Following the wedding and the horrible kiss Uncle Howard picked me up once again.


    "It''s time for us to finish this now, Astraia. You are my wife, and you know what that means don''t you?"


    "Yes, Howard, I know. I am so happy that you are finally my husband."


    "That is just what I wanted to hear." I heard the smile andughter in his voice then as he carried me back toward the stairs that we hade down before. Slowly, just as slowly as before, Uncle Howard climbed those stairs back to the room we had left.


    When the door opened this time, once again on its own, the room beyond looked different than it had before. The bed that I was in before was different, bigger even. There was a canopy that draped down from the tall wooden frame. The canopy was more of that ckcy stuff that covered the altar. The wood of the bed was also ck as were the pillows and the sheets. There was nothing but ck on ck on more ck where the bed was concerned.


    The vanity in the room disappeared, it was no longer here at all. The dresser and nightstand were both different than they were before. Instead of the lighter color wood they had been, they were now pure ck. The inside of the door was now ck, the bar covered window was draped with ckce.


    Aside from the bright white moon lighting through the window in the ceiling the entire room was ck. The sight of it made my stomach flip with fear. And, there was the fact that no one could have done this in the short amount of time that we were down stairs.


    Did Uncle Howard change this with magic? That was the only thing I could think of. He truly was a half warlock then. If he could cause this transformation in just a few short minutes then that must truly mean he was telling me the truth.


    Uncle Howard walked me over to the bed where he ced me gently on the edge. After a quick kiss to the top of my head he started to undo the buttons on the back of the dress again. This had all been such a wasted experience, but at least it drew out the inevitable, I was in no rush to get to where all of this was leading me.


    With the back of the dress fully unbuttoned, Uncle Howard pushed the dress down my shoulders, sliding the sleeves away from my arm and kissing my neck and shoulder in the process. He pushed me then, gently, until I fell against the pillows directly in the middle of the now veryrge bed.


    Once I was on my back, Uncle Howard slipped the dress beyond my hips and down my legs. As he made his way down my body with the dress he kissed a trail that followed it. He went from my neck to my cor bone, then my chest. He bit through my bra onto my nipple when he kissed across my breasts. After my breast he kissed and licked across my stomach, he even dipped his tongue into my belly button.


    The entire time that he was kissing me, not to mention licking and biting me, I was screaming inside my mind.


    ''NO! NO! NO!'' I was sobbing and breaking down with no one able to hear a word of it. I was preparing to shut my mind down, preparing to check out from reality for a while, possibly forever. I needed to avoid this whatever way possible.


    The problem was, I was having a hard time getting my head to shut down and block any of this out. I wanted to avoid any and all mental anguish that I could. Please, God, Artem, someone, make this stop.


    Uncle Howard licked and kissed lower and lower then, never stopping or pausing for very long. He went all the way down my legs and to the tips of my toes on my left leg. Now that the dress was off though, he tossed it aside and stood before me at the end of the bed.


    "Shall I undress now?" He asked me, and like always my mouth gave him the answer he wanted.


    "Please do, I want to see it."


    "My dear wife, you are looking forward to this, aren''t you."


    "Who wouldn''t want to see a man as handsome as you when they''re naked. My husband, I want to see you and feel you." What was he making me say? And how was he able to force my voice and mouth to make those wordse out of my mouth?


    "Then I will not keep you waiting for much longer, my sweet."


    With that, Uncle Howard stood and ced his hands on the shining silver buttons of his ck shirt. He undid them slowly, one by one, revealing his chest in slow teasing shes. I tried hard not to look at it, I tried hard to shut my eyes, but it looked like my hope about that was just dashed. I was forced to watch every second of it.


    With the shirt unbuttoned he slid it off his arms and tossed it to meet my dress in the corner of the room. He moved his hands to his belt then as he slowly undid the buckle before pulling it out of the loops and tossing that too tond on the clothes in the corner.


    I started screaming in fear when he reached for the button of his ck dress pants. He popped it from its hole and pulled the zipper down. Pressing the waist band in his hands he slid the pants down until he could pull his legs out.


    His shoes must have been discarded earlier as I did not see them, or had he even been wearing any, I don''t even remember. All I knew now was that he was standing before me wearing nothing but a pair of ck underwear, his legs fully bare from the thigh down and the rest of him bare from the waist up.

 Chapter 84 - Star - Wedding Night Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I was not ready to see him fully naked. The sight of Artem naked had both scared and excited me. I had never seen a naked man before, and I was not ready to see another one, especially if it wasn''t Artem.


    "Astraia, it is time to give me that flower that you have for me. There is nothing more exciting than taking a woman''s first time." Uncle Howard was crawling onto the bed then, slowly moving from the foot of the bed up.


    "But this is not my first time." At least my body was able to answer that honestly.


    I watched as Uncle Howard''s face dropped and his eyes darkened. His movements stopped and he was just staring at me from his spot near my feet.


    "What did you just say?" He was angry now, and I would like nothing more than to not say anything else, but of course my body waspelled to answer him.


    "This will not be my first time." My voice was the only thing that broke the silence of the room. Or at least I think that it was, I couldn''t really judge properly with my heart pounding in my ears.


    "Are you telling me that you have been defiled by someone else?" There was anger in his voice now, pure rage seemed to be rolling off of him in waves. "Who have you been with? Who has defiled you? Who has taken what is mine?" His voice was losing all rationality and humanity. He was sounding more and more like a beast, no, a demon, with every passing second.


    Uncle Howard moved then, faster than I thought was even possible. He ced his head against my stomach and inhaled deeply. The sensation of his face pressed against me made me shudder, something that actually happened to my body and not just my mind.


    I heard a growle from him then, whether it was from the shuddering or something he detected in my scent I don''t know but he lifted his head and looked at me angrily.


    "You let that damned wolf touch you." He growled at me again. This didn''t sound like an animal-like growl though, this growl from Uncle Howard sounded like a monster, a beast from a horror story.


    "I did not want it. It was thepulsion that made me do it."


    "You bitch." He pped me then, his open hand striking hard against the left side of my face. "You were supposed to be pure, you were supposed to be innocent when I married you. I should have prepared a ck wedding dress for you instead of the white one, you fucking whore." He pped me again in the rage that was spilling off of him.


    "I am truly sorry, my husband. I did not want to sleep with him. I only want you, please won''t you take me."


    "You are just lucky that he did not get you with a child. I would kill the bastard pup if he had. I have no need for another wolf, I have plenty of them to do my bidding.


    "I only want to have your children, my love. Please, give me your seed." My monotonous voice seemed to be appeasing him a little as it looked like the darkness was leaving his eyes just a little.


    "You are lucky that I am still willing to have you. If not I would just kill you right now."


    ''PLEASE DO IT! JUST KILL ME AND SPARE ME FROM THIS HORROR!'' But he couldn''t hear me and he definitely would not give me what I was praying for at that moment.


    "There is one benefit to someone else having you first. I do not need to risk killing you when the scent of your blood hits my nose. And there is the added benefit of being able to prate you that much easier."


    He moved closer to me then, crawling up the bed at the same slow pace as before. It was like he thought the me that was trapped inside would like what he was doing. It seemed to me that he was trying to seduce me. Why would he need to seduce me if he had me under this ve spell? Was he trying to get me to truly love him and want him? That was never going to happen, ever.


    Once Uncle Howard loomed fully over me, his head right above me and his face directly in front of mine, it was like everything started moving at hyper speed and slow motion at the same time. Every single thing he was doing seemed to be taking forever but it was still moving way too fast.


    I could do nothing but sob continuously inside my head. I was screaming and crying and fighting as hard as I could, never willing to give up or give into him.


    ''Stop, please don''t do this to me. STOP! STOP! STOP!''


    It was no use screaming though, he never heard me. It didn''t make him stop moving his face closer to mine. It didn''t stop him from pressing his mouth to mine. And it definitely didn''t stop him from sliding his tongue inside my mouth.


    I felt his tongue glide across my teeth, urging the hypnotized version of me to open her mouth. Once his tongue had full ess to my mouth he licked every part of it he could reach. It was nothing like the kisses I had gotten from Artem, these were more like Uncle Howard had stuck a slug in my mouth and was moving it around all over the ce.


    While he vited my mouth Uncle Howard moved his right hand to my chest where he proceeded to squeeze, pinch, and pull on my breast. I felt disgusted as goosebumps rose all over my body.


    After he had his fill of my chest, through the cloth, I felt him reach around and grab the sp of my bra. This was it, this was the end of my little bit of sanity that I had left.


    Just as Howard undid the sp of one of the only remaining covers I had left there was a loud banging sound as someone or something rammed into the heavy locked door.

 Chapter 85 - Artem - Invading The Enemy’s Hideout Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The six of us made our way silently through the trees. We were following the path out toward the edge of our pack''s territory. This was somewhere that I didn''t even know about. I did my best to follow the scent trails, but there was something about them that was making it disappear the further into the trees we went.


    I had never known of someone making their scent disappear like this. That should have been impossible, shouldn''t it. But it was happening. I had caught traces of Howard''s scent and even traces of my Star''s scent. There were also about twenty or so other scents when it all started.


    But now, now that we were slowly tracking these scents to their destination, almost all the traces of the trails were disappearing altogether. This was not normal at all and frankly it was creeping me the fuck out. But I wouldn''t give up. I would search until I found my Star. I would bring her home after I killed that son of a bitch Howard. And after I brought her home I would spend the rest of my life proving to her that I loved her, that I respect her, and that I want nothing more than to be with her in whatever way she wasfortable with.


    After a while, I thought I saw something through the trees. A glimpse of something that seemed reflective. There was something there even though I couldn''t fully see it.


    After another half a mile or so I saw something again. It looked like there was a house there, but it was pitch ck and blended almost perfectly with the darkness that surrounded it. I was only able to make out the house at all because of the light that reflected off the windows, what few there were that were currently unshuttered.


    This had to be it. This had to be where Howard had taken Star. And that meant that this was the house that the warlock used to live in when he controlled our pack. Well, if that son of a bitch ever came back he would find something waiting for him that he didn''t like.


    That asshole Gannon would find his doom if he ever tried to hurt or take someone from my pack again. And this Howard, whoever he really was, he was going to learn that he should never have hurt my woman. I was going to teach him that lesson tonight.


    With every step that brought me closer to that house I felt the hackles on my wolf rise. He was angry, beyond angry really he was filled with an angry jealous rage.


    ''How dare he touch my mate?'' The beast inside my head kept asking as he paced and readied for theing fight.


    Just before we broke the tree line the others with me, Kent, Toby, Morgan, Reed, and Bailey, all shifted into their wolf forms. I was focusing on finding my mate and taking her home so I wanted to be thinking rationally the entire time. Not to mention I did not want to appear before her naked, not after what happened so recently.


    With the others now ready we stormed the house in groups of two. We entered at three different points and attacked anyone who we saw.


    Bailey and I saw three men in the front of the house. They all looked like they had just gotten there and were surprised to find two enemies jumping through, smashing through, a window. Before they could do so much as scream, Bailey had locked his massive jowls over one of the men''s throats while I grabbed the other two by the neck in my bare hands, cutting off the supply of air heading to their lungs.


    I looked to the side and saw Bailey shake his head, trying to get the vile blood of that man from his mouth. The wolf form of him matched well with his human form, the same brown hair and eyes that matched his human ones. There was no mistaking him at all.


    With nothing more than a nod to each other we continued to search the bottom floor of the house. We ran into the others and found more dead bodies along the way. In all there had been eight people on the bottom floor, but we knew that there were more, we just needed to find them.


    There was a brief strategy meeting once we were certain that there were absolutely no more enemies on the first floor. We had determined that in the search there were two ways to get upstairs. We would now be dividing up into groups of three to storm the second floor. We would eliminate all threats before we rescued my mate.


    It was killing me to wait and to take this long, but I needed to to make sure nothing stood in my way once I had her in my arms.


    I knew where she was most likely being kept. I had seen the house up close before we came inside and there was a tall tower that stuck up in the middle of the house. After the second floor was secured I would be able to go get her.


    I would find Howard, then I would rip his throat out, followed by his heart and then perhaps just rip his body limb from limb. I would do all this somewhere on the second floor before finding my Star. I would kill him somewhere she would not have to see the bloody carnage of it all. She did not need to have those memories lingering with her. She had already watched me kill one man and knew I had killed someone else. I did not want her to think that I was a monster that enjoyed killing.


    In truth I hated killing people, I didn''t like it at all, but I would not tolerate good people being put in harm''s way because of bad people like this. I would do what I needed to do.

 Chapter 86 - Artem - Invading The Enemy’s Hideout Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Silently our two groups ascended the stairs. I led my hunting party as I was more able to sneak around in my human form. Most of the second floor seemed to be open in the middle where the grand staircase opened up.


    There were another dozen men in this room, standing guard around a ck altar. That altar screamed one thing to me, well perhaps it was two. EVIL and WEDDING. Those were the words that were currently pounding their way through my brain.


    Was that the wedding arch that Howard was going to use when he married my Star. He would do that only over my dead body. I would never let him marry my girl.


    ''She is mine. She belongs to me. I will protect her.'' My wolf''s voice was turning more and more beastial as he roared those words in anger.


    The fighting broke out almost immediately. The three of us lept into the group and started to throw them all around the room. There was screaming and yelps of fear. Some of the men shifted quickly, trying to match our strength and fight us off easier.


    The entire room was in utter chaos and I didn''t see the other three members of our rescue party at all. I didn''t care I would kill all of these scumbags before I searched the floor for Howard.


    "Protect the door." One of the men that was still in his human form yelled to the others that were not currently locked in battle or locking jaws with one of us. That told me exactly what I had already guessed, Star was on the other side of that door, she was somewhere at the top of the stairs behind it.


    "Where is your fucking leader?" I roared as I leapt onto the man who had spoken to the others. He screamed in pain as I heard something crack under the force of my weight crashing down on him. "Where is that son of a bitch Howard hiding?"


    "He''s not hiding anywhere." The man was grinning at me as he spoke, like he was hiding something that he thought was infinitely more valuable than what he had told me.


    "Then where the fuck is he you piece of scum?"


    I could smell the man''s scent now, it looked like it was no longer being hidden like it was in the trees on the way here. The full force of all their scents had hit us when we came into the house. The cumtive set scents that were gathered here would make anyone want to vomit. The only reason I hadn''t, and probably the reason for the others as well, was because we were all righteously pissed off.


    We were all ready to kill every man in this house to get back the one person that didn''t belong here. And, after I finished off all these pieces of scum, I would burn this fucking house down. There would be no evidence of this ce left when I was done with it.


    "Where the hell can I find the sleazy, kidnapping asshole that you seem to revere so much?" I growled these words right into the man''s face and watched as he flinch from the spittle that flew from my lips.


    "Ha ha ha." The man had the nerve tough right in my face as an answer to my question. "You''re toote. You won''t save her, not now, not ever."


    "What are you saying? What bull shit are you spouting, you piece of trash." I grabbed his shirt in my hands and shook him as I screamed at him. The man''s head mmed against the floor repeatedly as I shook him violently up and down. "Tell me everything you know, you worthless asshole."


    "Ha ha ha." The man had the audacity tough again.


    "They''re already married. He is consummating the marriage as we speak. She is his now, she will be his forev-." His words were cut off as he started to splutter.


    I watched as he lifted his head to look down at his chest. What he saw there was my hand that had punched right through his chest. I had punched my way right into his chest cavity and I could feel his heart beating in my hand as I gripped it firmly. The beating was already slowing as his life was beginning to slip away.


    With fear and terror filling his eyes he looked back up at me, a trickle of blooding from his mouth.


    "Sh-she, sh-she be-belongs-." He tried to talk again but he couldn''t get the words toe out. I pulled then, yanking my hand out of his chest. I still had his heart gripping in between my fingers when my hand came out of him. I didn''t want the thing at all, so I forced his mouth open and shoved his heart into his throat.


    "Suck on that for a while you dick." I wiped my hand on his shirt, removing as much of the blood as I could.


    He had told me that my mate, my Star, was up there with that asshole Howard and that he was attempting to consummate his sham of a marriage with her. My vision turned red then, my anger was all I could feel, my anger and my hatred for Howard.


    I lost control then.


    I stomped toward the door so I could go find my Star but three of the enemy wolves got in my way. I let the rage coursing through me take over. It was fueling me, powering me with more strength in the absence of my logical inhibitions.


    I grabbed the first wolf with my left hand and reached over with my right hand. I didn''t hesitate or hold back at all. I just gripped the side of the wolf''s head and pulled hard. The furry head separated with the body in an instant, spraying the room with blood. Thankfully I had angled the wolf away from me and was spared the st of the ruby red liquid.


    With a howl of fury another of the wolves leapt at me. I punched out at the wolf this time, with more force than I had nned on. My hand drove deep into the wolf''s underbelly. I could feel the soft squishy insides of his abdomen. I didn''t want this to take longer than it needed to so I just stepped on the wolf''s tail and grabbed the base of his rib cage. With one strong pull I ripped the inside of his chest from his body. This time I was not spared the shower of blood.


    Thest wolf tried to flee, he tried to get away, but unfortunately for him I was too close to him and too filled with rage to let him get away. I grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked him toward me. The force of the pull nearly ripped his fur but he managed to stay wearing his coat. I couldn''t let his actions slide though I also needed to go find my mate. It was a conflict of interests here. I would just be quick.


    I didn''t even remember moving my hands but I remember his howling. I had grabbed his left front leg and pulled it hard to the side, hard enough to separate the limb from his body. I did the same with the leg on the right side. I didn''t stick around for him to die, he would bleed to death soon enough.


    The path was now clear, it was time for me to save my mate.

 Chapter 87 - Artem - Rescuing My Captive Mate

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Once there was nothing standing in my way I finished closing the distance between me and the door leading to my mate. I pulled on that door so hard that it was ripped from its hinges. With a quick nce around the room I threw the door at a wolf that was running toward Bailey, hitting the vile beast in the side of his head.


    After that, I ran up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time as I spun around and around. I was ascending up to that tower I had noticed. I knew that this was where I was going to find my love.


    At the top of the stairs I found another door, one that appeared to be locked. I wasn''t going to let that stop me. I ran thest few steps up the door and rammed into it with my left shoulder.


    There was a loud bang that sounded as soon as I hit therge metal door, but still I hear the sound of the hinges breaking. I grabbed the handle of the door and mmed it with my shoulder once more, so that the door wouldn''t go flying and hit Star by ident.


    After the second hit the door fell inward.


    I let therge heavy barrier fall to the ground as I was already leaping over it to enter the room. There was my target, my prey. He was leaning over my mate with his lips pressed against her. It was as if he hadn''t heard meing through the door or he had ignored it thinking his stupid fucking door would keep me out.


    I didn''t hesitate another fucking second. I ran across the room and grabbed Howard by the back of the head. I yanked him off of Star with such force that his scalp tore. With a swing of my arm I sent the man flying toward the wall at the far side of the room, a ce where I happened to notice a white dress and a set of all ck clothes.


    That was when I took a really good look at what was in front of me. Howard wasying on the floor in a pair of ck briefs, they would be considered tighty whities if they were white instead of ck. And my Star, my beautiful Star, wasying on the bed with her light ck panties and bra fromst night fully visible. I could tell that the bra was unhooked but thankfully the cups were still in ce.


    ''The son of a bitch had had his grubby little paws on her, he had been kissing her, he had been about to have-.'' I couldn''t bring myself to finish that thought. I needed to stop it or I would lose all control again.


    I went to Star then and lifted her into my arms, rehooking her bra as I held her close.


    "Star? Sweetheart, are you OK?" She didn''t move or even look at me. It was like she was lifeless but I could see her breathing and hear her heart beating so clearly. "Come on Star, baby, please talk to me. Look at me. Do something honey, please."


    That was when I heard Howard get to his feet whileughing. I turned to look at him whileying my mate back down onto the bed.


    "What did you do to her, you son of a bitch?"


    "I''m afraid she won''t respond to you at all. You see, she ispletely mine now." Howard wasughing smugly as he finished getting to his feet and looking at me.


    I saw the spot on his forehead, the ce where his scalp that had torn when I yanked him off of my Star, was already healing with a faint hissing noise as smoke slowly rose out of it.


    "What the fuck are you talking about." I growled at him. "And what the fuck are you?"


    "I am the man that married your mate." He grinned at me. "And I am the great Edmond''s son."


    "Who the fuck is Edmond?"


    "You are such a fucking nuissance. Do you not know the name of the warlock who rules this pack?"


    "He may have ruled it a long time ago but he doesn''t now, this is my pack and I will not let Gannon back into it."


    "So you do know my father''s name?" Howardughed. "That''s good."


    "So what, you''re a half warlock half wolf?"


    "Not exactly. My mother was something much further away from humanity."


    "What the hell are you saying?"


    At those words Howard bent the top half of his body forward and seemed to be in great pain. His body was shaking and there was sulfurous yellow and ck smokeing off his body.


    As I watched I noticed the left side of his body begin to change. It was getting bigger and changing colors. A horn was growing out the left side of his head that curved and curled on the end the longer it got. Long talons and ws began to grow out of his left hand and left foot. His pale skin started to change color, but only on the left side.That part of his body was bing ck with red fur growing in patches on his legs, arm and chest. He looked like a beast.


    When he was done changing, a process I was too mortified to move through, he lifted his head to look at me. When I saw his face I saw that the ck skin and red fur were there as well. Half a goatee, stupid looking sideburns, and one big bushy red eyebrow and red eyshes were the only red on the face, but that half of his hair had also turned red.


    The left side of his mouth had changed as well,rge pointed teeth that didn''t fit into his mouth spilled past his lips from his mouth that now looked much wider. His left ear was pointed and there was now a ck bone earring dangling from the lobe.


    "Can you guess what I am now?" He looked like it was hard for him and a few of his words were slurred.


    "You look like a cliched version of a devil. Well half of one."


    "Yoo dare to be condescending to me you assh." Again his words were slurred, it was like every S became SH and other sounds were elongated. "But you are not that far off. I am a demon."


    "Great, then I get to tell everyone that I killed a demon, then I will take my mate home with me."


    "She will never be yours again. She is my ve now."


    "ve?" That word made my heart speed up and my blood boil. "What do you mean ve?"


    "She has a special taliman. One that is unlike the others. You taking her almost ruined it for me, but I was able to reset it. She is now my ve and will only act if I tell her to." Howard the half demon wasughing again now. He thought this was just great apparently. "She would even kill you if I told her to. That is how strong the bond with us really is."


    "No, she wouldn''t do that, she loves me." I screamed those words at him.


    "She did not love you, it was all the talisman that made her ept you." He sneered at me then, telling me the one thing I never wanted to hear. My love doesn''t love me at all.


    "Then I will stick by her side until she does love me." I roared at him. "I will kill you, rescue her and stay by her side always."


    "You are a fool."


    **THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL RECAP THIS CHAPTER IS STAR''S POINT OF VIEW**

 Chapter 88 - Star - Artem To The Rescue

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Uncle Howard was pressed against me when I heard something m into the door from the otherside at the top of those stairs. It was somethingrge and raging, and for a second I thought that it might be Arteming to save me. I was hopeful for the briefest of moments before I remembered how upset I had made him when I ruined things between us


    Uncle Howard waspletely ignoring the noise that came from the door. I don''t know if it was that, if it was really there at all maybe I was just starting to imagine things now. But then the sound came again. Still he ignored it as he started to move his hand across my abdomen and down toward the top of my panties.


    After the second time that the sound came from the door I saw from the corner of my eye that the door was falling forward, having been knockedpletely off its hinges. As the door fell someone was jumping over the top of it,nding lithely and gracefully before sliding into a predatory crouch.


    I wanted to cry out, to scream for the man that had juste through the door.


    ''IT''S ARTEM!'' I screamed inside my head when I saw him. ''He came for me! I can''t believe he actually came for me.'' Why would hee for me at all? That''s the question I couldn''t figure out.


    Artem grabbed Uncle Howard by the hair at the top of his head and yanked him off of me, hard. He had pulled so hard that I saw a line rip across Uncle Howard''s forehead before he went soaring toward the wall where our clothes were.


    Artem ran to my side and scooped me into his arms, he held me gently and cradled me carefully.


    "Star? Sweetheart, are you OK? Come on Star, baby, please talk to me. Look at me. Do something honey, please."


    ''I''m here Artem! I''m here! I just can''t move or talk. Please save me Artem, please.''


    Artem set me down then as he turned to look at Uncle Howard, an angry look on his face.


    "What did you do to her, you son of a bitch?" There was pain and anguish in his voice as he roared those words at the man he had thrown across the room. I couldn''t see Uncle Howard, but I could imagine the sneer on his face.


    "I''m afraid she won''t respond to you at all. You see, she ispletely mine now." Uncle Howardughed.


    "What the fuck are you talking about. And what the fuck are you?" I wanted to tell Artem everything that Uncle Howard had said, but I couldn''t do anything so I just listened to him growl at Uncle Howard.


    "I am the man that married your mate. And I am the great Edmond''s son."


    "Who the fuck is Edmond?"


    "You are such a fucking nuissance. Do you not know the name of the warlock who rules this pack?" Both of them sounded so angry while they spoke, but Uncle Howard had a hint ofughter while he spoke and Artem''s voice had an undertone of pain.


    "He may have ruled it a long time ago but he doesn''t now, this is my pack and I will not let Gannon back into it." That came out firm and strong and definitely sounded like the Artem I knew.


    "So you do know my father''s name?" Uncle Howardughed. "That''s good."


    "So what, you''re a half warlock half wolf?"


    "Not exactly. My mother was something much further away from humanity."


    "What the hell are you saying?"


    ''He''s saying that he is a Demon, Artem. Please be careful. Don''t get hurt because of me. This was why I had left Chay too, I didn''t want her hurt.''


    Something happened then, they were both quiet for about a minute, not talking or doing anything. I could hear Uncle Howard making noises as if he were in pain but Artem was still next to me so I knew he wasn''t doing anything to him. And there was a stronger sense of the sulfur smell in the room. It made me want to gag and vomit again.


    "Can you guess what I am now?" Uncle Howard''s voice was the same but he sounded like the side of his face was swollen or something, like he couldn''t move his lips or something.


    "You look like a cliched version of a devil. Well half of one."


    "Yoo dare to be condescending to me you assh. But you are not that far off. I am a demon."


    "Great, then I get to tell everyone that I killed a demon, then I will take my mate home with me."


    ''Please take me home Artem, this ce scares me.''


    "She will never be yours again. She is my ve now."


    "ve? What do you mean ve?" I heard a renewed wave of fury enter Artem''s voice.


    "She has a special taliman. One that is unlike the others. You taking her almost ruined it for me, but I was able to reset it. She is now my ve and will only act if I tell her to. She would even kill you if I told her to. That is how strong the bond with us really is."


    ''NO! No I wouldn''t. I would fight it every second until it killed me but I would never hurt Artem, never!''


    "No, she wouldn''t do that, she loves me." Artem screamed.


    "She did not love you, it was all the talisman that made her ept you." Uncle Howard sneered.


    ''No I do love him. I love Artem and only him. I will never love anyone except for him.''


    "Then I will stick by her side until she does love me. I will kill you, rescue her and stay by her side always." There was pain in the roaring voice that Artem spoke with. He wanted to stay by me? So he must still love me.


    "You are a fool." Uncle Howard sounded angry now, like he couldn''t stand what Artem was saying.

 Chapter 89 - Artem - Fighting The Demon Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I rushed forward in my rage. When Howard the half warlock half demon called me a fool after having told me that all of Star''s love for me was fake I lost control once more. I ran at him and grabbed the thing that he had be by its left hand.


    There was genuine shock and surprise in the demonic eyes that Howard was looking at me with. This was the first time that I truly paid attention to them, but both of his eyes were red with a ck slit pupil like a snake or cat. He truly was a monster.


    When I had a hold of the thing that he had be I turned and pulled him along with me, throwing him over my shoulder. That was the point that his one demonic wing unfurled and tried to p defensively. Every part of him on the right looked human but everything on the left was exactly like a demon, he wasn''t lying when he said he was a half demon. Literally only half.


    I couldn''t help it then, Iughed at him and the ridiculousness of what he looked like. It also didn''t help myughter that Howardnded unceremoniously on his back, crumpling his one wing and emitting a pathetic whine.


    "I thought you would put up more of a challenge, Howard." Iughed again. "This is going to be easy."


    "You think so." Howard sneered as he red at me. "I have not begun to fight back. You merely took me by surprise because most people do not have the nerve toe near me when I am in this form."


    "You think you''re stronger and scarier than you are, but you''re nothing but a cowardly wimp."


    "Don''t call me cowardly." He roared angrily as his entire face, well the human looking half, turned red. The demon half of his face seemed to be growing more red fur that made it look more red. Was that his demon equivalent of blushing?


    "You have a problem with coward but not wimp?" Iughed. "So I guess you really are a wimp then."


    "I am not a fucking wimp or a coward you prick. I am the son of a great warlock and a demon. How could I ever be weak?"


    "I don''t know, you seem weak to me." Iughed as I twisted his arm in my grip.


    I must have twisted his arm harder than I expected that I had because with a sickening wrenching sound his arm twisted right out of the socket. Howard the half demon screamed in pain as the blood started to flow from the empty hole where his arm used to be.


    The demonic limb, with its elongated ws and bulging bicep was of no use to me anymore so I tossed the useless thing to the side and heard it thunk against the wall.


    "I am going to kill you now, Howard. I am going to end you for havingid your filthy hands on my mate."


    "No, I will not let you ruin my ns. This is my time to shine, this is my n." There was definitely a whining attitudeing out of those words. "No, no, no."


    He struggled to pull himself out from under me then, trying his best to sit up and move in any way possible.


    "Astraia, kill him. Don''t stop trying to kill him even if it kills you." He screamed the words toward the bed where Star was stillying. I watched in horror as she finally started to move for the first time since I came into the room.


    Star rose to her feet and looked at me with anger filled eyes. She curled her body forward and crouched with her hands ready for a fight.


    "Star, don''t do this. You know me. You know who I am. You know that I love you." I needed to talk her out of this, I could never raise a hand against her, ever. I could never hurt Star like that. "Star, I am your mate, you know that. Try to listen to your wolf, listen to what she is trying to say to you. You can break his hold on you, I know you can. You are strong, Star, you''re so strong."


    I felt my heart skip several beats when she started to walk toward me, a snarling from between her lips. But, she seemed to be stopping and starting, her steps halting every second or two. And her steps were so small and hesitant. Had I gotten through to her? Could the real Star hear me? Was she fighting for control of her body?


    "Come on Star, fight this." I called out to her again as she seemed to stop altogether. She grabbed her head then as if she was in pain, like she was fighting against herself.


    "Stop hesitating, Astraia. Stop wasting time and just kill him already. He will not fight you, he will not stop you at all, just kill him."


    "Fuck you Howard, you son of a bitch. You are a goddamn coward for using a woman, and my mate at that, to fight for you. You should be fighting me like a man, you piece of shit." I punched him in the side of the face and saw a bloody gash open along the side near his eye.


    "She is mine tomand and use how I see fit." He growled through the pain he was feeling. "She is my wife, she took a vow to do as I said."


    "The body may belong to you right now, Howard, but the mind is hers and hers alone. And no one, not me or you, will ever make decisions for her ever again."


    "NO!" Howard roared at my words. "She is mine. MINE! MINE! MINE!" He seemed to be having a tantrum beneath me.


    "Star, sweetheart, please sit back down on the bed, please break his control over you. Do what your wolf is telling you to do."

 Chapter 90 - Star - Fighting The Demon Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I had heard Artem and Uncle Howard fighting after Artem had jumped forward. There was some scuffling and a loud banging thud. After that I heard Artem start tough so I guessed that he had the upper hand.


    "I thought you would put up more of a challenge, Howard. This is going to be easy." Artem was stillughing when he spoke.


    "You think so." Uncle Howard sneered. "I have not begun to fight back. You merely took me by surprise because most people do not have the nerve toe near me when I am in this form."


    "You think you''re stronger and scarier than you are, but you''re nothing but a cowardly wimp."


    "Don''t call me cowardly." Uncle Howard roared angrily.


    "You have a problem with coward but not wimp?" Heughed. "So I guess you really are a wimp then."


    "I am not a fucking wimp or a coward you prick. I am the son of a great warlock and a demon. How could I ever be weak?"


    "I don''t know, you seem weak to me." I heard Artemugh followed by a loud scream from Uncle Howard, after the scream came a thud across the room.


    "I am going to kill you now, Howard. I am going to end you for havingid your filthy hands on my mate." Artem sounded like he was full of righteous fury.


    "No, I will not let you ruin my ns. This is my time to shine, this is my n. No, no, no." Uncle Howard whined


    There was the sound of more scuffling and some grunting.


    "Astraia, kill him. Don''t stop trying to kill him even if it kills you." Uncle Howard screamed the words at me and I felt my body start toply.


    My body rose from the bed and turned to face them. I could see them then, Artem pinning Uncle Howard to the floor while they both looked at me. I could tell my body was readying itself for a fight.


    ''Don''t do this, no!'' I was screaming at myself even as my body started to move.


    "Star, don''t do this. You know me. You know who I am. You know that I love you. Star, I am your mate, you know that. Try to listen to your wolf, listen to what she is trying to say to you. You can break his hold on you, I know you can. You are strong, Star, you''re so strong."


    Listen to my wolf? I had never heard my wolf then but I knew she was in there. I had sensed her weeping in my mind before but that was all. How do I hear her? I wanted to figure that out right now. I fought hard to search my brain for the wolf that was hidden inside of me.


    I felt myself moving in small little halting steps. I was fighting it but not enough, not yet.


    "Come on Star, fight this." Artem called out to me again as I grabbed my head in pain.


    "Stop hesitating, Astraia. Stop wasting time and just kill him already. He will not fight you, he will not stop you at all, just kill him." Uncle Howard''s words and voice made it that much harder to fight the talisman''s control over me.


    "Fuck you Howard, you son of a bitch. You are a goddamn coward for using a woman, and my mate at that, to fight for you. You should be fighting me like a man, you piece of shit." I watched as Artem punched Uncle Howard then causing blood to begin spilling down his face near his eye.


    "She is mine tomand and use how I see fit. She is my wife, she took a vow to do as I said."


    ''NO! I will not let him control me. Not ever again. I will not listen to him.''


    "The body may belong to you right now, Howard, but the mind is hers and hers alone. And no one, not me or you, will ever make decisions for her ever again." Artem''s words gave me strength and power as his love for me overflowed.


    "NO!" Uncle Howard roared. "She is mine. MINE! MINE! MINE!"


    "Star, sweetheart, please sit back down on the bed, please break his control over you. Do what your wolf is telling you to do."


    ''I''m trying Artem. I''m really trying. I want to break his control. But how do I hear my wolf?''


    At that moment, everything around me seemed to go dark and all I could hear was a near feral growling. It reminded me of the wolf Kent had shown me in the attic. All animal and no rational thought. But this wolf''s growling sounded more like crying.


    ''Hello.'' I thought in the direction of that growling and chuffing.


    ''Who is there? Are you Star? Are you me?'' The animalistic voice seemed to answer me excitedly. ''Can you finally hear me?''


    ''Yes, I can hear you. Are you my wolf?''


    ''Yes, I am. I have been locked away for so long, the darkness is all around me and I have not seen the light since I was first released.''


    ''I have been imprisoned and so have you. I want to let you out but I don''t know how.''


    ''Please, please let me out.''


    ''Can you sense our mate? Is he near? Is Artem our mate?''


    ''I can''t smell unless you do it first. I am too far from the light to notice the scent without your help.''


    I took a deep breath then, inhaling Artem''s spicy scent and letting the wolf inside me smell what I smelled. There was a small sh of light then, so quick and so pale that I barely noticed it, but I saw the silhouette of a wolf hunched in a corner for just a moment with that sh of light.


    ''Yes, he is here. Our mate is here. And so is someone who doesn''t smell right. Someone who makes me feel sick.''


    ''Yes, that is Uncle Howard, he is trying to make me kill Artem.''


    ''Artem is our mate. You cannot kill Artem. He is our one and only mate.''


    ''Help me.'' I begged the wolf inside me. ''Give me the strength to break Uncle Howard''s hold over me. Help me to save Artem.''


    ''All my strength is your strength.'' And with her words I felt a rush of power.


    Suddenly, it was like a heat was overflowing from my body and I fell to my knees. I still had my hands on my head and I realized then that I was screaming in pain. The screaming went on and on in one long breath. But there was one thing for sure, I didn''t feelpelled to follow orders anymore.


    I think I was finally free.

 Chapter 91 - Artem - Fighting The Demon Part 3

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had watched on as Star had grabbed her head in pain. She seemed to be deep in some intense thoughts. Perhaps she had finally found her wolf, maybe she was fighting themand that Howard the gross had given her.


    After a minute or two Star began to scream as she fell to her knees. The scream went on and on in one long high note. Neither Howard nor I moved for a moment at all. But it seemed like Star had finally freed herself of his control. She was no longer trying to move toward me and when the screaming stopped she just slumped to the floor.


    I hoped she was just exhausted, that she was alright.


    "NO!" Howard the nasty screamed when he realized he had lost his pawn. "NO! She was mine to control, she was mine tomand. How, how did you break her from me?"


    "It''s the power of the mate bond, you ass wipe. The mate bond will win in the end every time."


    "NO!" He roared this time, abandoning his whining tone of voice. "I will kill you for this. I will kill you and take her back."


    With that Howard put an extra burst of speed and strength into his fighting then. He managed to flip me off of him and roll to his side. I rolled as well,nding crouched on my feet with the flip that Howard had given me. It looked like Howard was finally ready to take this fight seriously.


    "Prepare to die, wolf boy." He growled at me. "I will show you what I am capable of."


    When Howard rose then he had a ball of fire flickering on his right hand, his only remaining hand. He acted like he was going to throw the fireball for a moment but he was hesitating. Was he reluctant to kill Star? I hoped so, because then I wouldn''t have to worry about her being hurt in the battle that was about to ensue.


    I let instinct and rage take over again. They were the two things that would do me the most good right now. With them I was a stronger fighter. With them, I could save my Star.


    I ran at him again and grabbed his other wrist. I didn''t even notice the heating off the mes he was holding. I just ignored itpletely and pulled with all my might. I felt the arm move toward me slightly, but it didn''t leave the body yet. I did, however, feel Howard fly towards me. With another flipping motion I made himnd on his side. ming hand pinned to his side.


    I went berserk then. I grabbed the wing on his exposed left shoulder and ripped it clean off his body. I put my foot on the side of his head and grabbed that curving demon horn. With a quick, angry tug I pulled that from him as well. Oddly enough the ce where the horn had been started to bleed as well.


    I didn''t stop there either. I grabbed his left knee and ced a foot against his hip. That too was separate from his body with a little force and raging anger. His other leg went in a simr manner.


    With a kick I flipped him over and grabbed the elbow of his only remaining limb. I braced my boot d foot right between where his thighs had been, right on what would have been his manhood if he wasn''t nothing but a spineless coward.


    My foot dug into his most sensitive of areas as I prepared to remove his arm. The mes were still flickering the same as they had been before, but still I didn''t feel them or notice them at all. I pushed hard with my foot as I yanked on the elbow I was holding. In as smooth a motion as the others had been I ripped that off as well.


    Howard had been screaming constantly since I had ripped his wing from his back and the screams only got more and more intense as I went on. I was honestly surprised he was able to keep the mes going during that whole time.


    While I held his low limp arm in my hands I turned it to look at the fire he was still holding. I still didn''t feel the heat, even though I was now putting my fingers directly into the mes.


    "Nothing but an illusion." Iughed as then I tossed the arm to the side. "Did you have anything to fight me with?" I asked him.


    "No." He was sobbing now, blood pouring from just about everywhere it could on him "No I didn''t. I have only basic magic. I could not fight you with it at all. I was hoping to intimidate you like I did everyone else. They were so easily fooled with the simplest of trickery."


    "You worthless piece of shit. You were the reject of the family, weren''t you? Your demon momma thought you were too weak and your warlock daddy knew you were nothing."


    "Shut up." He cried. "Shut up. I was going to make my father proud of me."


    ''Your strength was purely physical and next to me that was nothing. That''s why you didn''t fight me when I took Star from you to begin with. You got yourself this far with bluffing, but when you saw me kill that wolf you knew that you were no match for me."


    "You ruined everything. I was going to make my father proud of me. I was going to give him what it was he truly wanted."


    "You never should have taken her back from me. You should have left her alone."


    I growled thest of the words then, as I punched forward. Just like the wolf downstairs I felt my fist enter his chest cavity and his beating heart beneath my fingers. I didn''t need to see his heart, I didn''t want to. So I just shifted my fingers into ws and punctured it five times, all at the same time.


    I quickly pulled my hand out of his chest as he began convulsing. Right as he was on the brink of death, I grabbed the sides of his head and pulled hard, ripped his head from his body as well.


    I had done exactly as I had nned. I ripped him apart,pletely. He was nothing but a scattering of useless pieces now.

 Chapter 92 - Artem - Saving My Luna

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Slowly, the adrenaline was leaving my body. I was breathing heavily and my heart was pounding. I had been angry. I had been scared. I had been furious at myself for letting my mate get hurt and then taken. But it was all due to this worthless piece of trash that was scattered around the room.


    The man that had caused this was capable of some magic, that was evident, but he never had the type of power he had boasted about. I had let this drag out longer than it needed to simply because he seemed more powerful than he truly was. I am an idiot.


    I was here for one thing and one thing only, and that was saving my mate. And now that this scumbag was finally dead, now that he was no longer the imposed threat that we had taken him for I was able to get her out of here.


    I turned then, looking back at her where she was still slumped on the floor. I was worried about her too. She had seemed to be in so much pain when she fell screaming to the floor at the top of her lungs.


    "Star." I called her name on a sigh as I ran to her side. I was covered in blood from Howard and the wolves that I had killed downstairs but I had already held her to me with blood all over me so why should it matter now? Why should it matter this time that I was covered in the sticky red stuff from head to toe.


    All I wanted to do now was hold her to me and carry her out of this nightmare ce. This ce of horrors was no ce for her to be. I grabbed a sheet from the bed, vowing to burn it as soon as I got her home, and wrapped Star in the soft ck material. The only reason I took the sheet was to cover Star''s body so that the others didn''t see that she was wearing nothing at all.


    I lifted her then, cradling her against my chest as I left that room. I held her close all the way down the spiraling staircase.


    When I got into the main room on the second floor I saw all the others piling the dead bodies into one giant heap. They noticed me immediately and all five of them ran to my side.


    "Is she alright?" Bailey was the first to speak.


    "Starry?" Reed sounded like his voice was cracking with tears.


    "Artem, is she OK?" Kent asked me.


    "Artem?" Toby looked worried.


    "Is Howard dead?" Morgan was the only one to ask about something other than my limp mate in my arms.


    "Yes, he is dead." I answered Morgan first, letting them know that there was no need to look for more threats since they had clearly taken care of the others down here.


    "And Star?" Kent asked me.


    "I think she will be OK." I looked down at her when I spoke. "She was fighting the control that Howard had over her."


    "Control?" They all five asked at the same time.


    "Yes, it appears that she has a ve talisman and Howard, the demonic scumbag that he was, had been able to make her do whatever he wanted.


    "Did he-, did he manage to-, did they-." Reed was not able to ask the question that they were all clearly wondering about.


    "No, thankfully I got there in time. Just in time. Anyter and he would have."


    "You saved her Artem, that is what matters, right." Kent pped me on the shoulder. "And apparently you took a shower in blood."


    "It was necessary." Iughed. "Now I want to get her home and get a shower. She needs rest and for Doc to check her out."


    "How bad is she hurt?" Toby looked at her bundled in my arms.


    "I honestly didn''t see any injuries on her at all."


    "Really?" They all asked at the same time again, it was honestly kind of funny and helped to lighten the mood.


    "Really. Nowe on, let''s get out of here."


    We left the house then, vowing toe back again and destroy it very soon. I ran through the woods as fast as I could with Star in my arms. The others still had to run faster to catch up to me. I wonder if I was still being enhanced by my rage or was this more of the Alpha boost that I got from being in charge. I didn''t know and I didn''t care.


    When I got back to the estate I went straight to Star''s room andid her on the bed after unrolling her from the sheet. I covered her up and then went to the firece to burn the sheet like I said.


    I didn''t want to leave her side at all but I needed to call Doc and I needed a shower. I left for clothes and the call but then went back to her room. I would use her shower to stay close to her then I would sleep in the chair next to her bed. I would be there for her when she woke up, but I would not beying in the bed with her, I didn''t want to scare her at all.


    After a quick hot shower, just long enough to wash the bloodpletely away, I went back to her room wearing a pair of lounge shorts and a t-shirt. I propped myself in the chair and waited for Doc toe check on her. This was something I would not let him wait on, but I know he was also checking up on Chay when I called him so he was going to be a minute or two.


    Soon, he will be here to check on my beautiful Star soon. I just needed to wait. I just needed to stay awake and wait for him for a few more minutes.

 Chapter 93 - Artem - What Happens Now

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had just drifted off for a second when I heard a knock on the door. One look at the clock told me I had only been sitting in this chair for five minutes so I knew it hadn''t been longer than that. I stretched and scented the person at the door, it was Doc.


    "Come in." I called out to him, just loud enough for him to hear me but not loud enough to wake my sleeping mate, I hoped she was just sleeping.


    "How is she?" Doc asked in a hushed voice as soon as he came into the room. I was already standing and stretching out my body that was growing stiff now that the adrenaline was leaving me.


    "She''s been asleep since before the fight was over. I''d say she''s been out for close to an hour now." My eyes were soft and full of emotions as I looked over to my beautiful Star.


    "I''m going to check her out, see how bad the injuries are from the ident. Chay''s were pretty bad and she needed to have a few rebreaks so that bones would set right. She''s still in a lot of pain so I have her sedated. She will be out at least until the morning." I winced at those words, I didn''t like the idea of him having to break the healing bones to fix them. Chay was my little sister and I hated to see her hurt like she was now.


    "I will go to see her in a little bit. Is Bailey with her again?" I hoped she would have someone there with her right now, even if she was asleep.


    "Yes, as soon as you all got back he rushed to her side. He cares for his cousin, but he loves Chay immensely."


    "I am d they have that bond."


    "You''ll have it soon as well." Doc pped a hand onto my shoulder in aforting gesture. "Once her wolf is free she will feel the bond."


    "I know." That''s part of what I was afraid of. Would she resent her wolf then when it told her to love me even after what I had done? The only thing I could do was wait and see.


    Doc walked to her side then and set down a bag that had some medical tools, both traditional and modified.


    "I''m going to examine her now." He was saying as he grabbed the nket that was tucked around her. "I will most likely have to remove some of her-." He paused then and looked at me with shocked eyes. "I was going to say clothes, but I see that she isn''t wearing any. Did you strip them away knowing I would need to examine her?"


    "No, that''s how I found her." I felt my expression harden as I spoke. "Well, almost like that, I rehooked her bra for her."


    "Should I check to see if he-? Do you think that he-? Was she-? He let each question trail off knowing I could finish them myself.


    "I arrived in time, he hadn''t gotten that far yet."


    "She was with him for several hours, are you sure he didn''t?"


    "I don''t think he did." I honestly didn''t want to think about that right now. If I found out he had, there would be no one left for me to punch since that cowardly asshole was already dead.


    Doc rose to his feet and came over to me then, his hand once again on my shoulder.


    "I know that you don''t want to think about this, Artem, but I can examine her if you want. See if her hymen has been broken. That will be the surefire way of knowing."


    "That wouldn''t tell you anything." I looked at him with regretful eyes. "She wasn''t a virgin when he took her from the car."


    "But she assured us that they had never touched her that way when she was locked up." Doc sounded appalled when he thought that she might have lied about that part, like they had hurt her so much worse when she was younger.


    "And they hadn''t, that''s not when it happened."


    "Artem, are you telling me that you and her-?" He trailed off again.


    "Yes,st night, when I took her on that date."


    I was looking at Star as she slept there, mostly ignoring the fact that Doc was standing by my side.


    "YOU IDIOT!" Doc bellowed just as I felt his hand smack into the back of my head. "You''re a fucking idiot you know that." He was still angry as he stepped around to re at me full on, his eyes nearly level with mine.


    "What the hell was that for?" I asked him as I rubbed the back of my head.


    "Because you''re an idiot and a dumbass."


    "What the hell?" I straightened up and looked down at him since I was no longer hunched over from being hit.


    "It was too soon, you moron. You should have waited. Didn''t I tell you how fragile her psyche was? Why would you do that?"


    "She told me she wanted me to, she didn''t stop me. But I now know that it wasn''t her talking it was that stupid talisman."


    "The talisman?" He looked shocked to hear my words, his whole body seeming to recoil from the force of that one word. "What does the talisman have to do with it?"


    "Howard said something. Implied that the talisman she has was meant to make her into his love ve but I took her before it became active so she was like my love ve. I thought she loved me, but it was never real. She had even told me that she loved me, but it was all fake."


    I felt tears begin to sting my eyes then, the pain of waking up to find out that she had never wanted to be with me, that I had basically vited her, it was enough to make me hate myself.


    "You will have to tell me about the talismanter, I need to know everything that happened. Right now though, I need to check her out."


    "Yeah, go ahead." I felt myself fall into the chair I had been sitting in before while Doc got to work. My self hatred in full loathing mode.


    I could still see Doc though, when he pulled the covers the rest of the way down. He seemed to be checking her arms and legs. Then he felt around on her abdomen and listened to her heart. He was methodical and meticulous, he wouldn''t half ass or forget to check anything. He really was a good doctor and a hell of a good friend.


    "This is so strange." I heard him speak again after a long silence, but his voice sounded so confused, like he couldn''t ept what he was seeing.


    "What''s strange? Is something wrong? Is she OK?" My worry was at its peak again, my self loathing momentarily forgotten.


    "I noticed some blood on her but it just seemed to be smears from something else."


    "Yeah, probably from me. I held her against me when I was covered in blood. I think that Howard the nasty cleaned her up before the wedding."


    "I''m going to pretend I didn''t hear the word wedding just now, but you are right that she was cleaned up." He agreed with my assessment then continued. "The truly strange part though, is that she is unharmed."


    "What do you mean ''unharmed''?"


    "I mean, that she isn''t hurt at all. Aside from a bruise on the side of her face that looks like she was pped, there are absolutely no injuries on her body at all." His words were making no sense to me at all.


    "But I smelled her blood all over the Jeep, I know she was hurt, just like Chay had been."


    "And I believe you, but there are no injuries now. Nothing broken, not even a scratch. There is just that p which most likely happened right before you got to her, judging by how new it looks."


    "How did she heal?" I wondered more to myself than truly asking Doc for an answer.


    "I don''t know." He answered me anyway.


    Then it hit me. I had seen Howard the Demon, half Demon and half Warlock really. He had healed where his scalp had torn. Could it be that on top of illusion magic he could heal? Did he heal her?


    "Would a Warlock be able to heal her?" I asked him, now truly aiming the question at him.


    "Probably. I haven''t met many Warlocks, but I have heard that most of them are skilled at healing, some of them do it as second nature when they''re injured. Why do you ask?"


    "Because Howard, the dear old pervy uncle, was not a wolf."


    "Huh?" That seemed to notpute with the good old doctor here. "Not a wolf? OK then what was he?"


    "Half Warlock and half Demon, he told me and showed me that for himself."


    "You actually saw him looking like a demon?"


    "Like half a demon, literally. He was human on one side and demon on the other, it was actually quiteical really. He looked like a horror movie reject."


    "That would exin the healing then. If he was a warlock. He probably used magic to speed up her healing process. But I can''t believe you managed to kill him if he was a warlock and a demon."


    "He was weak, he said so himself, he didn''t have the magic to fight me."


    "Hmph, then you lucked out. If he was powerful like the one that used to be here then you might have been in trouble."


    "That was his father." I answered without thinking and so my voice was soft and quiet.


    "Pardon me? What did you just say?"


    "Gannon, the warlock that was here before, he was Howard''s father."


    "That makes a crazy amount of sense. And now I expect you to regale me with that tale and tell me everything you know."


    Doc grabbed a chair from the table and dragged it over to face me. He sat in it backwards, his chin resting on the back as he loungedzily. I did as he asked and told him everything that I had learned from Howard, and everything that I had learned from Daniel. The story was far fromplete, but we knew a lot more than we used to.

 Chapter 94 - Artem - Star Wakes

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    After I had told Doc everything that I had learned about Star and that messed up family of hers I decided that I should go to see my sister. I had checked on her before I went to save Star, and I knew that she was going to be alright, but I still wanted to see her.


    Before I left the room though, I made Doc promise not to leave Star''s side. I didn''t want to chance that she woulde to while I was gone and then she would wake up in the room alone and scared.


    I made my way down the hall to Chay''s room, the door of which was still cracked open slightly, most likely from when Doc left it earlier. Bailey had showered and was sitting in the chair next to the bed when I came in, his head raised and his eyes drooping.


    "You need to get some sleep." I told him as I walked closer to my sister''s side.


    "I will be fine. I want to be here for her when she wakes up." He sounded so serious when he spoke just now.


    "Who said you wouldn''t be here if you slept? Can''t you sleep in here with her?" I noticed Bailey''s eyes pop at my words, like he thought that I had just spoken some previously undiscoverednguage. "Oh drop the act Bailey, you''re mated and I know that you''ve slept together already. Don''t think you can hide it from me. Just know that if you hurt my sister I will kill you."


    "No, I would never, I-I l-love her, I''d never hurt her." He sounded so scared right now, it was actually helping me to calm down a little.


    "I''m messing with you Bailey. I know you''re a good guy. Just treat her right, OK. That''s all that I ask."


    "Definitely." That one word was filled with so much conviction and honor that it made me appreciate the guy that much more.


    After having my fun with Bailey for a minute I knelt next to Chay''s bed. I put my hand on her head and brushed her hair back from her face. I knew that she was sedated and wouldn''t wake up, which was why I was able to do this right now, if she wasn''t ipacitated then I couldn''t treat her like the kid I still tried to think of her as.


    I saw that the bruises and shallow cuts were already fading and she was getting some color back to her cheeks, after healing from the blood loss. She had been injured so badly, broken ribs, broken arm, broken leg, fractured left cheek bone, several deep and shallow cuts, a concussion. Any of these alone would have been easy to heal from. But Chay had so many and it was taking her a little long to heal them all. Still, her body was doing its job which was good.


    "Chay, I wanted to let you know that Star is home. She is home and safe and she is not hurt any more at all. You don''t have anything else to worry about." I spoke in a calm and soothing voice as I rubbed her hair back in a tender familial gesture. "I know you will want to see her when you can and if I know Star at all she can''t wait to see you either. You''re both still sleeping now though, youzy bones." Iughed at the weak joke just so I could stop myself from tearing up again. "I love you Chay, you''re the best sister I could have asked for and you''re always my voice of reason and wisdom. Thank you for being there for me this morning, and I am sorry that I got you into this mess."


    I felt the tears begin to sting my eyes then. I had been crying so much during thisst day. Well I guess today was a different day now, as it was long after midnight but it hadn''t been a full twenty-four hours, so it was still the same day in my opinion.


    I didn''t want Bailey to see me crying, I couldn''t have that happen to me right now. So, with my head turned away from him I rose to my feet.


    "I will leave her to you for now, Bailey." I could hear how thick my voice was with the emotions. "Take care of her for me. I will be backter."


    I didn''t wait for a response, I just turned to leave the room, all the while hiding my face. Once I was in the hall I walked quickly to my room, right across the hall from Star''s room. I barely had the door shut before I leaned back against it and slid to the floor with my head held in my hands.


    All of this was my fault. I had ruined my chances of ever having Star love me. I had stupidly believed that she was in love with me this whole time. I had actually made her my ve because of that stupid talisman she has on. Now I don''t think she will ever trust me again. Was there anything else that could possibly make this already bad situation even worse? I didn''t think so, to me it felt like it was already the worst.


    All I could do was sit there, crouched as small as I could make myself, and cry. I cried for my sister and the pain that I had caused her. I cried for Star and the fear, pain, and anguish that I had caused her. And I cried for myself, the man who made his mate hate him. There was no fixing my situation and that thought alone brought a fresh wave of the embarrassing salty water works. My heart was broken and would never be whole again without my mate''s love.


    I don''t know how long I sat there on the floor and cried. I know that I kept trying to think of positive solutions while I cried out all the emotions that had built up in me from this whole crazy ordeal. If I was lucky, I would have cried all the tears I would ever have for the rest of my life.


    I needed to get up though, I needed to get back to Star. I wanted to be there when she woke up, but I needed to get this out of my system before then. I didn''t want to break down in front of her, I didn''t want her to see this weak side of me. I wanted to be there for her as the man she can count on for the rest of her life.


    I went into my private bathroom after I got to my feet and washed my face in cold water. I needed to make sure that my eyes weren''t red when I went back into Star''s room. I couldn''t let her see that, but I also didn''t want Doc seeing me like that either.


    After freshening up I walked solemnly back across the hall. Doc was sitting in the same chair next to the bed with a book in his hand. It was one of the books that I had gotten for Star when she first got here. I had seen her reading it before and I knew she liked it.


    "Hey Artem, I thought I would read to pass the time. Is Chay still doing good?" Doc was in the process of standing up while he was talking. Once he was on his feet he set the book aside and looked at me with his overly observant eyes then he spoke again in a concerned voice. "You don''t look good. Are you sure you''re OK?"


    "I will be fine. I just need Star to wake up for me to be all better. I need to know what she remembers from this whole ordeal."


    "Don''t press her too hard when she wakes up." He warned me in a firm voice that clearly said ''don''t stress out my patient''.


    "I won''t, don''t worry. I just need to see her wake up mostly. I can''t live without her."


    "Yeah, I wouldn''t know anything about that. I don''t have a mate. All you lucky kids have found yours and I am here all alone."


    "I hope you find yours soon Doc, it''s the best feeling in the world." I could tell that I didn''t sound so sure about that when I spoke.


    "Looks like it''s been kind of hard on you." He pped a hand to my shoulder then and squeezed it firmly. "Take it easy man, and just know that you''re a good guy. Star knows that, we all do, so there is nothing for you to worry about."


    "I hope so."


    With that Doc left and I went back to the chair I had been sitting in earlier. I was feeling exhausted so I kicked off my shoes and propped my feet up on the chair that Doc had been using earlier. I didn''t know how long it would take for Star to wake up, but I vowed that I was not going anywhere until I saw that she was awake.


    I drifted into an uneasy sleep then, I had multiple dreams of Star leaving me. I dreamt that she ran away and hid from me forever. There was a dream where Howard was still alive and she chose to go back to him. There was a dream where she and the others called me a monster and I was forced to leave the pack while Star stayed here, forever out of my reach.


    Over and over I had these nightmares but not once did they wake me up, the dreams just kept morphing into something else. I don''t know how long it all would have gone on if I hadn''t heard someone say my name.


    "Artem?" That voice was like an angel''s, and I would know it anywhere.


    "Star?" I jumped up in my seat, sitting up so fast that I almost fell over. I looked at her where she was stillying on the pillow I had rested her on.


    Her eyes were open. She was looking at me. And she looked so confused.

 Chapter 95 - Star - Bringing The Wolf Into The Light

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I had felt that rush of power. I had felt thepulsion toward Uncle Howard stop. I was no longer being pulled along by his words. But I still couldn''t move. It was like I was trapped in my head.


    I was still in that same ce with my wolf. It was still very dark and I wasn''t able to see anything, but I felt the presence of the animal all around me. This was something new, something different. I didn''t know how to think or feel about it, but I knew that I wasn''t afraid.


    Something about my wolf was veryforting. I wasn''t afraid of my wolf or the powerful aura I could feeling off of her. I felt the need to talk to her more, to bring her into the light so that I could see her.


    "Do you have a name?" I asked my wolf, uncertain of what to say to her.


    "My name is Lyra." Her voice was strong but she still sounded scared and lonely.


    "Lyra, can youe out of the shadow, can youe to where I can see you?"


    "No." I got the impression she was shaking her head from side to side, adding the gesture to words. "I can''te into the light until the talisman is removed."


    "How do I remove the talisman? I don''t know how to take it off."


    "The true master of the talisman is the only one who can remove it. Once they remove it or die it should be able toe off."


    "How do you know so much about the talisman?" It seemed that Lyra was quite informed about this matter.


    "I have lived with and spoken with the magic of the talisman for many years now. I have learned of its secrets and its power."


    "So you''re saying that only Uncle Howard can remove the talisman?" That just about crushed me, I knew there was no way that he would ever take this damned thing off of me.


    "If he is the master of this talisman, then yes, he will have to be the one to remove it."


    "What would happen if someone other than Uncle Howard tried to remove the talisman?" I didn''t know if I wanted to hear the answer to that question.


    "If it is not the true master of the talisman that tried to remove it, then it will destroy us both." I instantly thought of Kent''s brother where he was being kept on the sixth floor.


    "Destroy us how?" I gulped in fear even as I asked the question. I was terrified of Lyra''s next words.


    "We will both lose our rational minds. We will be nothing more than a wild beast incapable of humanity." That is exactly what I thought she was going to say.


    Subconsciously I had walked further into the dark, following her voice as she spoke. I didn''t know why, but I wanted to find her andfort her. Even with everything that I had been through it was her that I wanted to help right now.


    After a little while I sensed that she was close so I slowed down and stuck out my hand to feel for her. After a few more steps I felt the top of her head. She was muchrger than I ever thought she would be. She was standing there, looming before me, with a massive furry head that I still could not see in the dark.


    I had seen Nico as a wolf, I had seen my cousins as wolves, but still it didn''t dawn on me that I had something this big inside of me. This was a massive animal that never could have fit inside of me, yet here she was.


    "I will find a way to save you Lyra." I whispered the calming words to her as I stroked her massive head.


    Mere seconds after I spoke those words I felt a tug on my mind. Something was pulling me out of this subconscious world of mine. I was too afraid to open my eyes, too afraid to see what was in the light. But I also knew that I needed to be strong, for myself as well as Lyra. I was not going to be weak anymore. I was not going to let anything bad happen to me anymore. I was not going to be anyone''s ve or prisoner ever again.


    I felt the tugging on my mind again, stronger this time. I felt something pulling me toward the light, toward consciousness. I was still scared, but I let it pull me along, vowing to ovee my fear no matter the cost.


    I could see the darkness fading. There was light that seemed to be at the end of a long tunnel. It was like I was being pulled along that tunnel, racing toward it slowly at first then faster and faster. As the light raced toward me it felt like I was moving too fast, like I would crash into something hard very soon.


    The next thing that I knew I was opening my eyes. I expected to see that room full of ck furniture that Uncle Howard had taken me to. I had expected to see Artem and Uncle Howard still fighting, with Artem hopefully winning.


    I did not expect to wake up and see my room. I did not expect to feel the softforting weight of my familiar nket or the familiar feel of my mattress and bed sheets. I had not expected to smell theforting scents of home.


    ''What is going on here? Is Uncle Howard making this happen? Did he change the way the room looked?''


    I was so confused for a moment, but then I could smell the other scent that was nearby. I could smell the spices that I didn''t know the name of but that meant that someone very specific was in this room with me. It was Artem.


    He hadn''t left me. He hadn''t abandoned me. He had stuck by my side even after the fight was over. It was over though, wasn''t it? I was really back home, right?


    "Artem?" I said his name in a soft voice, confusion still the dominant emotion I was feeling at the moment. But I had turned in time to see him jump and nearly fall out of the chair he had been sleeping in.


    He looked exhausted too, like he hadn''t slept in a week. How long had I been asleep for? But there was also a sense of relief on his face too, something that showed just how happy he was right now.


    "Star?" He said my name with so much joy, so much happiness, that I could almost forget all the bad stuff I had dely. "Oh my Goddess, Star, I am so happy that you''re awake."


    Artem fell to his knees at the side of the bed and looked as though he had just seen a miracle, the relief was more than clear in his eyes.


    "How are you feeling Star? Are you OK? Is there anything that hurts at all? Do you need anything? Anything at all?" He seemed a little over eager to help.


    While he asked all his questions I sat up in the bed, keeping the sheet pulled up to my chest to hide myself. It seemed that I was still wearing nothing but my bra and panties and I did not like being so exposed. When I sat up though I felt like my head was spinning, I was very dizzy for some reason.


    I sat there holding my head in silence for a moment or two, all the while Artem looked at me with worried eyes. I could tell he was waiting for me to say something, anything. The thing is though, I felt like I was too weak to talk for a few minutes, I felt like if I tried to do more than I already had I would fall right over.


    After a few moments I felt like I could finally speak, like I had actually mustered up the courage, or at least the strength, to talk.


    "I''m sorry Artem. I''m so sorry." My voice was still weak and shaky as I tried to make the worde out. "I''m sorry for everything, and I know you must hate me now." I felt the tears building, the stinging in the back of my eyes. There was a thickness in my throat that refused to go away. I didn''t want to hear what it was he was going to say to me. I didn''t want to see the hatred, the disgust, the loathing. There was so much that I feared at that moment, so much that I worried that would happen between us.


    I had imagined these things, I had let them y over and over in my head when Artem left me alone in the room at the beach. I had imagined them again when I left the house with Chay. And I was imagining them again now. I was so scared, so worried about losing it all right here and now.

 Chapter 96 - Artem - A Change In Star

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was kneeling on the floor next to Star''s bed, just happy to see her eyes open. My heart was racing a mile a minute and felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. She was awake. She was awake and was going to be OK. I was so happy, so ted.


    I had asked her how she was, how she was doing:


    "How are you feeling Star? Are you OK? Is there anything that hurts at all? Do you need anything? Anything at all?"


    All I wanted to do was help her in some way. I wanted to make her feel better. I wanted her to befortable and happy and anything else positive that I could make me right then and there. Following my questions she sat up in the bed, pulling the sheet with her to hide herself, which was probably a good idea at the moment.


    She didn''t answer me though, not right away. She just held her head like she was dizzy or in pain. She looked distressed and confused. But after a few moments, she did finally answer, well, she spoke at least.


    "I''m sorry Artem. I''m so sorry. I''m sorry for everything, and I know you must hate me now."


    There was pain and anguish in her eyes. Fear written all over her face. I could hear the thickness of her voice as it filled itself with emotions.


    ''Why?'' That''s what I asked myself. ''Why does she think that I hate her? Shouldn''t she be hating me instead?'' I didn''t really understand what was happening here.


    "Star, you didn''t do anything wrong. Why are you sorry?" I felt like my world was imploding again, disappearing into nothingness as all the oxygen was sucked out of my lungs and made me feel like I could die right here and now.


    "I ruined everything, that morning after we were together. I ruined it all and made you hate me." She still seemed like she was on the verge of tears.


    "No, you didn''t ruin anything, I did. I shouldn''t have pushed things so far so fast. It was too soon. I know that but I was an idiot. I acted without thinking and I am so sorry, Star." This made her look up at me with shock filled eyes.


    I took a deep breath and prepared to tell her everything that I had learned and the truths that I now knew.


    "I wouldn''t me you for hating me now Star. I know about the talisman, I know it made you do things you didn''t want to do. I know it made you tell me you loved me when you really didn''t. And I wouldn''t me you if you could never love me now or ever because of what I did."


    "But I do love you!" She sounded so sure of herself, so sincere as she looked at me then. Her eyes were full of desperation and she seemed to be telling me the truth. "Artem I do love you. The talisman never affected what I felt, only what I did."


    "You can''t know that though. It could have been the talisman all along."


    "NO!" She yelled at me. "The talisman didn''t affect me until my birthday, but I loved you before then." Her words were like a shot right to my heart, a shot filled with so much joy that it literally made my heart stop beating. "I know it didn''t affect what I felt though. I know that for a fact."


    "How can you know that though?" I was still skeptical, still afraid to ept this as truth.


    "Because no matter what Uncle Howard made me do, I didn''t want to be there with him at all. I hate him, just like I always have. The entire time that I was sitting there with him, unable to move, I was screaming in my head for it all to end. But with you, I never wanted it to stop. I just felt like things were moving too fast. I was nervous and scared, but I didn''t want to never have it happen." She hung her head then and looked embarrassed. "I liked it, but I was just scared because I couldn''t control myself. And, when the memories hit me that made me feel super embarrassed and sorry. Then I saw you get angry and I thought you were mad at me."


    "No, sweetheart, I was mad at myself. I thought you were scared of me for taking advantage of you. I thought you hated me and I had ruined any chance that I ever had with you. I love you so much that I could never fault you. And I know that not being able to control yourself must have been very difficult and scary. I am sorry, baby, I am so sorry that I rushed you into it. If I hadn''t none of this would have happened, I would have been right there with you instead of Chay and none of this would have happened at all."


    "I love you Artem, I think I have since the first time that I met you. I was just scared and nervous about being here and I didn''t know what to think or do. And I want you to know that I am not upset about what we did. I am d that I gave you my first time. It also helped to dy Unce Howard before you arrived. If I hadn''t told him that being with him wouldn''t be my first time then he might have actually-." She trailed off then, afraid to finish her sentence.


    "He didn''t though, did he? He didn''t touch you?"


    "He, he kissed me. He touched me. He put his mouth on me. But no, he and I didn''t do what we did. That was only meant for you, Artem. I never want to do that with anyone else." She pped her hands to her face then, like she was embarrassed and couldn''t believe what she had just said.


    "I love you Star, you''re the only person that I ever want to be with ever again. I want to spend every day of my life with you. I want to marry you and have a family with you."


    I couldn''t believe I was saying all this right now. It was all true of course, but still, I couldn''t believe I had just said it all. I was watching Star''s face then, waiting for the fear to return, but it never did. Instead she looked at me with happy eyes and a bright expression.


    "Do you mean that Artem? I can stay here with you?"


    "Please don''t ever leave me." I hugged her then, holding her to me.


    I held her in my arms for several minutes not knowing exactly how much time had passed. But still, it seemed too soon when she pulled away from me to look up with regretful eyes.


    "Um, Artem, I think I need to get up." She seemed embarrassed now.


    "Why? Is something wrong?" I worried about her and what might be wrong.


    "No, but I feel disgusting and knowing that I was touched by Uncle Howard makes me feel dirty, plus I need to use the, you know."


    "Oh." I knew what she was getting at. "Right, I understand."


    I held my hand out to her so that I could help her to her feet. She looked embarrassed as she stared at my hand and that was when I remembered that she wasn''t wearing anything other than her bra and panties.


    "I-I''m sorry." I looked away and rubbed the back of my head, a gesture that clearly showed my embarrassment.


    "It''s fine, I will just bring the sheet with me." She smiled awkwardly, trying to ease the tension of the moment.


    ''Stupid, stupid, stupid.'' I ridiculed myself internally.


    I wanted to help her, as best as I could. So, I pulled the nket to the side and tugged the sheet until it was free. With a hand on her shoulder and another on her elbow I helped her to stand while still holding the sheet against her. Then, with my head turned to the side I helped to wrap the thin cloth around her more securely.


    When I looked back she was fully covered and stood before me like a greek goddess who was wearing a long flowing purple toga. She looked so sweet, so perfect, so sexy. But I had to keep my mind off those kinds of thoughts. I would never again take advantage of her, she would be willingpletely or it would never happen again.


    "Let me help you walk." I offered when I saw that she looked unsteady on her feet. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders but kept my body from pressing against hers.


    "Artem?" She sounded like there was something she wanted to ask me.


    "Yes, sweetheart?"


    "What happened after I lost consciousness, when you were fighting Uncle Howard? I don''t even know how long it''s been."


    "It was justst night. And, well-." I hesitated, not sure she would like hearing this, but then again she might be relieved to know it. "I¡­.I killed him." I finally told her. "Howard and all the minions he had at that house with him are now dead." She jerked in surprise when she heard those words.


    "He''s dead? He''s really gone?"


    "Yes." When I answered, when I said that one word, something seemed to happen.


    There was a bright red light, almost like fire and it was circling Star''s left arm near her shoulder. She cried out in pain once, but it was quick and ended almost immediately.


    "Ah!"


    When the light faded, there was a ck piece of cloth with strange designs drawn all over it in red. It looked simr to yet still different from the talisman that Nico had been wearing. I could still remember the day that Kent had removed it from his brother.


    Once the cloth talisman was no longer buried deep into Star''s flesh there was a deep, howling scream.


    "AAHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!" It took me a minute to realize that it wasing from Star, it just didn''t sound like her at all.


    "Star, are you alright? What''s going on?"


    She didn''t seem to hear my questions though, she just dropped, slouching over and nearly falling to the floor. I was so scared, so nervous, but I didn''t know what to do. I settled her on the floor, worried that something might happen to her and thinking that I should get Doc and have him here for some help.


    I was about to turn away from Star, to go get help, when the door to her room burst open and three people filed in: Doc, Kent, and E.


    "What happened? What''s going on?" Doc demanded as he rushed over.


    "I don''t know, she seemed to be in pain. I was helping her to the bathroom, she seemed a little unsteady but she was fine at first."


    "Did anything else happen?" He demanded as he looked at Star''s face, forcing one eyelid open so he could see her pupil.


    "Her talisman came off."


    "It just came off? By itself?" He sounded worried when he heard those words.


    "Yes." I was nodding my head along with my answer as I watched Star writhe in pain on the floor.


    "Get back. Get away from her." Doc grabbed my arm then and pulled me away.


    "No, she needs me." I pleaded, trying to get back to her side.


    "She''s turning."


    "What?"


    "She shifting, into her wolf. It''s the first time since she was thirteen and her wolf might go a little crazy when it firstes out. So get back." He tugged on my arm again, pulling me away from her.


    "Star?" I called her name, uncertainty and worry making my voice go up an octave or two.


    The four of us just stood there, watching on as Star screamed over and over again. It shouldn''t be hurting her this bad. It shouldn''t be this painful. She had shifted before, it''s just been a while.


    No matter how much I told myself that I couldn''t make it not true. This shift was causing her an immense amount of pain and it was tearing my heart out of my chest. I couldn''t do anything but watch on as she held her head in her hands and tears streamed down her cheeks.


    After a few minutes it looked like her shape was beginning to change, she was shifting. Her legs and arms grew long and bent differently. Her head was growing and her snout was forming. Her fur was also beginning to spread all over her body.


    But, the fur wasn''t normal. It had a different color than I was expecting to see. Most shifters, when they got their animal, had a simr color to their human self. Their hair and eyes usually matched the fur and eyes of the animal. So why was it that I was seeing green fur spread across Star''s body?


    As I watched her wolf finish forming, the process nearly finished, I noticed three different shades of green. There was a dark, hunter green around her neck, in some markings on her face, and forming odd patterns across her body. There was then a grass green that made up the bulk of her coloring, the primary color that she seemed to have. And there was a bright, crystal like emerald green that seemed to shimmer at the tips of her fur like she was emitting some strange glowing light.


    As different as her wolf looked, she was still stunningly beautiful. Her wolf was smaller and more slender than most wolves, even for a female wolf. She looked like her wolf fur was probably soft and luxuriously smooth. I wanted nothing more than to run my hands across her furry back to feel it for myself.

 Chapter 97 - Both - The Wolf

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I couldn''t believe my ears. Artem just told me that Uncle Howard was dead. I usually can''t stand the thought of death, but his death I would celebrate and rejoice for. I didn''t have to worry anymore. All the evil men from my family were gone and they would never being after me again.


    The moment I heard those words and knew them to be true there was a bright sh of light then and I remembered that I screamed, long and loud.


    "AAHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!"


    I know that Artem was scared, but I couldn''t seem to see anything anymore, and my ability to hear was leaving me as well. I seemed to be back in the darkness, back in that ce where my wolf was. But something seemed to be wrong now, why was I in so much pain?


    I tried to talk to my wolf, to see if Lyra knew what was going on, but she wouldn''t answer me. I tried to call out to her over and over again but it was no use. I just kept hearing a loud agitated panting and the asional howl. I was scared.


    In truth, this reminded me of the time when I was thirteen, the time that I had shifted before. I had felt pain and fear like this then. Could this be the same thing? Could I be shifting now?


    If that really was the talisman then I could understand that I would be shifting now. I had sessfully removed it, somehow, and now Lyra wasn''t trapped in the dark. She had to have been so excited to see the light that she ran toward it at full speed.


    I decided to embrace the change then, to ept it. But even though I was not fighting it anymore, and I was no longer afraid, I still couldn''t get that pain to go away.


    I ignored it though. epting what was happening to me as I felt my body begin to be something else. My legs grew longer, as did my arms. My head was morphing and changing shape and I could see my nose sticking farther than it ever did before. Only now it wasn''t a nose, it was a snout. Then I saw fur starting to pop up around the edges of my vision.


    The shifting was almostplete. I was almostpletely a wolf now. That''s when another thought hit me. Would I lose my mind like Nico did? Would I be able to be me again after this or would I be trapped as a wolf for my entire life?


    I know Lyra said as long as the talisman was removed by the master or the master died I would be safe. But what if she was wrong? What if I became a monster just like Nico did? What if I attacked Artem because he was right here with me.


    ''I didn''t want to be a monster.''


    That was thest thought that went through my head before the pain abruptly ended. I was still panting from the pain and dazed from the events that had just happened, but at least the pain was finally gone.


    Was I still me though? Was I still able to think and act and be me? I would have to try here. I would have to do what I could.


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Star''s wolf was lying before me, just there on the floor like some sort of surreal dream. The only thing I could think at the moment was I was d she didn''t seem to be in pain anymore. She finally seemed to have settled down. Now came the truly worrisome part of all this.


    Was she still Star? Or had she turned feral like Nico? Only time would tell, and it didn''t look like it was going to be all that much time.


    I watched as the wolf before me slowly got to her feet. It was clear that Star, this wolf, was not used to moving in this form. The shaky movements of the paws and the wobbly legs as she stood up were definitely a tell tale sign that this was all new to the wolf.


    I watched nervously with all the rest gathered around me. Once the wolf had finally stood she began to slowly turn around.


    I searched her face, desperately trying to see the humanity still inside of her eyes. I was nervous, I won''t lie about that. I was afraid that after getting her back, after hearing that she really does love me, that I would end up losing her again. That would be a blow I couldn''t take, a punishment that would push me over the edge.


    "Star?" I asked her hesitantly as I took a step forward. I felt Doc or Kent, one of the two, grab for my shoulder to hold me back but I took another step away from them and out of their reach. "Star, are you in there? Are you OK?" I asked her.


    ''How the hell do you expect me to talk with this mouth?'' I heard her sarcastic voice as the chuffing and growling noises came from her mouth.


    "Ok thank the Goddess." I felt the relief wash over me as my head fell forward. "I am so d it''s still you in there. Are you OK?"


    ''Are you telling me you can hear me?'' She growled and yipped in her surprised tone of voice.


    "Yes, we all can, we speak wolf. And soon, so will you. You just need your mind to ept what it is you are hearing."


    "Artem this is so weird." She sounded scared again. "Am I still me? I am not going to lose my mind am I?"


    "No, you''re not." It was Kent who answered her as he stepped forward. "I am happy that you were able to ovee your talisman, Star. I am d that you did not suffer the same fate as my brother. Perhaps we will still be able to save the others as well. I don''t want anyone else to suffer like he did."


    ''It wasn''t your fault Kent, you didn''t know. My wolf, Lyra, told me about the talisman and it''s magic. Mine was different but perhaps it will be simr enough to help the others.''


    "Perhaps." Kent looked and sounded conflicted. He was smiling and his tone was positive but his eyes held a sadness I had rarely seen in them and there was a wavering to his voice that clearly said he was holding back emotions.


    "We will find a way to save him." I squeezed Kent''s arm. "We will save your brother. I promise." I pulled him into a brotherly hug then, showing him the type of support he needed most at the moment.


    "I know, Artem, I know. Neither of us are going to give up. I just miss him so much."


    "I know, man, I know."


    After the hug it seemed that Kent couldn''t get out of the room fast enough. He and E left as quickly as they could, their hands linked firmly like E was all that was keeping Kent from disappearing altogether.


    "Are you alright Star?" Doc asked her as he eyed her with an appraising look.


    ''I think so. It hurt a lot at first, but I don''t hurt anymore. I feel better than I ever have actually, it''s almost like there is a new light inside of me that chased away the darkness.'' She looked relieved now, happy and content.


    "That''s probably because your wolf is no longer shrouded in darkness. If she was hidden away and left in the dark then you would always feel like a part of your soul was missing."


    ''That''s exactly like it, I feel like I amplete now, like something has been returned to me that I didn''t know I needed.'' There was a bright shining light in her eyes that seemed to mirror the shining tips of her fur. Only the light in her eyes was blue and not green.


    "I wonder why her wolf is green?" I asked, not really realizing I was saying anything until the words came out of my mouth.


    ''Could it be because of my father?''


    "We don''t know who or what your father was." I answered her with a dejected sigh.


    "I don''t know who he was but Uncle Howard said he was a fae, whatever that is."


    "A FAE?!" I was bbergasted by her revtion. "Are you serious? You''re sure that is what he said?"


    ''Yes, he told me I was wolf and Fae, and he was Demon and Warlock and he wanted to have a bunch of super hybrid babies with me.'' I watched as she shuddered, her fur shaking out as she moved. It was clear she was disgusted with the things he had said to her.


    "I''m going to ignore half of those words and focus on the important part." Doc spoke up finally. "But if your father was indeed a Fae then it can definitely exin why you have green fur. He must have some type of nature affinity."


    "What would it mean for Star if her father really was a Fae?" I asked Doc as he watched the scene before us like he was in a trance.


    "To put it simply, I don''t know." He shrugged his shoulders and finally turned his head to look at me. "I''ve never seen a half fae wolf before. But I guess it can happen. I know the fae are known for their magical abilities and that might mean that Star is capable of something simr."


    ''I will have magic?'' Star sounded scared. ''But I don''t want to be anything like Uncle Howard. He had magic and he was evil.''


    "Not all magic is evil Star, so there is nothing to worry about. I think the most important thing to think about here right now is that your wolf is finally free and you are safe as well. We can figure things out as we go, and there are people we can call for help."


    "He''s right. If you have magic it will be Fae magic, natural magic, it won''t be from the Warlocks so you don''t have to worry." I did my best to console her then, wanting her to be calm and happy as much as possible.


    ''I hope you''re right.'' She still seemed to be a little scared.

 Chapter 98 - Artem - Shifting Back

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Star looked at me with that apprehensive look she was still wearing and asked me something in a serious voice.


    ''Can I shift back now?'' The nerves in her voice were making her words shake.


    "Yes, by all means, go ahead." Doc encouraged her, a smile on his face and a nonchnt and carefree attitude guiding his behavior.


    "IN THE BATHROOM!" I shouted, my heart racing from the thought of her shifting back here where Doc could see her. What the hell had that man been thinking, tell her to shift out here.


    ''What''s the problem?'' She looked at me with a worried look after my outburst, almost as if she were afraid.


    "If you shift back you will not have any clothes, you will be naked and I don''t want you doing that out here." I personally would love that view, but I''d be damned if I let Doc see it. He''s seen enough of her body already.


    ''Really?'' There was genuine fear in her eyes now. ''I will go in there then.'' She turned and started to walk away but then she suddenly stopped, her head dipping low like she was scared. ''Um, Artem, h-how do I sh-shift back?'' I had never heard a wolf stutter before but it sounded so cute that all I wanted to do was smile. Too bad this wasn''t the proper time to smile andugh.


    "It can be difficult the first time. I can imagine that it''s scary. I will probably have to guide you through it."


    ''Guide me?'' There was a lot of apprehension in that one simple sentence and her voice shook with fear.


    "It''s me or Doc. I promise I won''t look at anything. I will keep my eyes closed."


    ''Is there no other way?'' She still looked nervous.


    "You can wait until your body shifts back naturally. It might take a few hours though." How would she feel if she had to wait that long for her body to be hers again? Just so recently she was a ve to someone else, and now she was potentially a ve to her wolf.


    ''I don''t want it to take that long.'' She looked at me imploringly then, her resolve firming. ''Will you help me Artem?'' I detected fear and apprehension in her voice, like she wanted help but was not certain she would get it.


    "Anytime." I tried to give her a sweet smile as I followed her into the bathroom, but I couldn''t help but think that I had failed at that.


    I followed Star into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. The bathroom wasrge and had more than enough room for arge wolf and me with lots of extra space. Star had walked toward the middle of the area, near therge tub that was in the middle of the space. When she stopped moving forward she turned to look at me.


    ''I''m nervous.'' Star was looking at the tiled floor instead of at me.


    "I know." I rubbed my hand through my hair as I looked away from her. "I know you''re nervous, but there is no other way around it. And this isn''t a reminder of my finest of moments, but I have seen it all before so it should be a little less embarrassing."


    At those words Star the wolf lifted her front paw and put it over her face, across the eyes.


    ''I''m still so sorry about that.'' She sounded mortified. I shouldn''t have mentioned anything. I really was an idiot.


    "I''m sorry Star, I was trying to make you feel better about this, but I just made it worse didn''t I?"


    ''It''s not that, I''m just embarrassed because of the reaction I had. I''m sorry.''


    "Let''s forget that it ever happened, so we can get a move on with this, right."


    ''Alright.'' She was still looking nervous, but I noticed a little less mortification on her green face, and at least I knew the green wasn''t because she was sickened by the sight of me. OK, that little joke was almost enough to make even me groan, good thing she didn''t hear it.


    "I''m going to put my hand on your head now, alright. Then I am going to use that connection to help walk you through your shift. Eventually we can practice your shifting, so you can do it at will."


    ''OK, thank you Artem.''


    "You don''t have to thank me, Star, I love you and I would do anything for you." If she only knew the extent of what I had done for her already then she might be frightened by me. "Alright, close your eyes."


    She did as I instructed as she sat on the floor before me. I put my hand on her head, right between her ears. I had been right about how soft her fur was. And I smiled when Star tilted her head to press it even further into my palm. She seemed to be enjoying it.


    While I smiled down at her, I thought about Star in her human form and did my best to give her my strength.


    "Now, think about the way you are in your human form. Think about your wolf legs returning to how they are in your human. Think about your hair changing color and returning to the brown that it normally is. Imagine yourself standing there as you would normally be when you''re just looking in the mirror."


    As I finished speaking I saw that the transformation was taking ce, and it was happening quickly. One second she was standing there in front of me as a green wolf, the next she was sitting on the tiled floorpletely naked.


    I had to look away quickly. I had promised to close my eyes but had never gotten the chance to. She had shifted so fast once I had instructed her on what to do, I never expected to see her as a human again so soon.


    "Is that all better?" I asked her, with apprehension in my voice. I didn''t want to let her know I had seen her naked on the floor. I had felt that her head was back to so I could always pretend not to have noticed anything at all.


    "I think so." She pulled away from my hand and spoke like she was not certain of what she was saying. "I can''t see any more fur, and I feel like myself again, but I am naked, just like you said."


    "Yeah, the clothes you were wearing got destroyed when you changed, not that it consisted of much at that time anyway."


    "Yeah, you''re right, I was just wearing my underwear." Sheughed like she was finding it all very funny.


    I heard her get to her feet then and grab something but I was turned away from her so I couldn''t see what it was.


    "I-I''m going t-to go now." I wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could. I didn''t want to hurt her anymore, emotionally or any other way.


    "Artem?" She called my name and I stopped myself from taking the step I was in the middle of, instead I just put my foot down and continued looking away from her.


    "Yeah Star?"


    "Are you mad at me?"


    "Why would I be?" She was not making any sense now, what was going through that pretty little head of hers?


    "You just seem to be acting weird right now, like you''re upset about something." Goddess, she was killing me here. Didn''t she know how hard this was on me. Didn''t she know that I was fighting with myself for my very sanity and self control?


    "I just want to respect you, Star. I don''t want to make you feel ufortable. And this is very hard on me right now."


    "Why is it hard on you?" I love her, I truly fucking love her with all of my heart, but sometimes I thought that this naivety of hers was going to kill me.


    "Star, you''re naked. You''re naked and I am a man that loves you, everything about you. That means I love who you are as a person, your sweet, kindhearted nature. And I also love your body, the sexy way you look, the soft supple feeling of your body, all of it. I''m struggling here, Star, I really am. I want to be with you, I want everything I can get from you, but I refuse to scare or hurt you in any way."


    "Artem." Her voice was soft and quiet, that sound of it made me think of someone who had learned the truth about something only to respond with, ''you silly boy''. What did she want from me? What was I supposed to do? Only time and words would tell.


    "Artem?" She said my name, this time as a question. I almost turned around. I almost looked at her, but I fought the urge.


    "Star?" I questioned her right back.


    "Artem, will you look at me?"

 Chapter 99 - Both - Love

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Hesitantly, uncertain if I should listen or if I should give in, I turned to face her. She was there, no clothes on still but wrapped in a towel that was sorge it covered her from her armpits to her knees. She had a sweet, innocent, and understanding look on her face. Her eyes were slightly crinkled and her cheeks were raised, all to prove the smile on her face was genuine.


    "Artem, I will never be scared of you. Never." She took a few steps toward me, slowly but steadily. When she was close enough she put her right hand on my elbow while her left hand held the towel in ce. "I love you Artem. I knew that before I felt thatpulsion to do as you wanted."


    "I never meant to make you do anything you didn''t want to do." I could hear the pleading in my voice then, the worry.


    "I know, and that''s why I stopped being so scared of you. I know you would never do anything bad to me."


    "But I did something to you that you didn''t want." I felt my heart breaking again and a fresh wave of self disgust washing over me.


    "I didn''t know I wanted it until I got it. But, Artem, I''m not upset. Not anymore. I saw how things could have been. I felt how wrong all these things could have made me feel. It''s because of all that, all the things that have happened since I woke up in your arms, that I am d it did happen. I am d you were the one that I did those things with. And I know now what you''ve all been talking about when you mention the mate bond. I know what it is you feel, and what it is that those around us are feeling."


    "You do?" Her words were giving me a sense of hope, an inkling of what might be possible with a real mate connection between us.


    "Yes I do. My wolf has shown me what it is that I was missing out on. She told me that you were all right when you said that the mate bond was the most precious of all connections and feelings that there is."


    "Star? Are you telling me that-?" I let the question drop there, not certain how to end it.


    "I am telling you that I feel it, Artem. I feel the love, I feel the happiness that just being near you brings me. I am hearing what my wolf is telling me and I couldn''t be happier."


    "Star, that''s¡­.that''s¡­..that''s amazing." I know I was grinning like a fool when I heard those words.


    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The entire time I was in my wolf form I was listening to the words that my wolf was telling me. I heard what it was she had to say about Artem. I knew now what it was that all the others were saying about the mate bond.


    Just looking at Artem felt like the best thing in the world. Smelling that intoxicating scent of his was making my body remember all the things that we had done together. I felt the sensations that he had made me feel that night. All I could think about was him, his body, his touch.


    When we went into the bathroom and he told me that he had seen my body, that I shouldn''t be too embarrassed about this situation, I felt mortified. I had behaved so stupidly when I woke up next to him. I had acted like I was terrified, but it hadn''t been him that I was scared of. It was me.


    I was afraid of what had been happening to me. I was terrified that there had been something wrong with me. It had all be such a stupid way to handle it, and I knew that now.


    When Artem told me that he needed to touch me to help me shift back I just looked down, embarrassed that he would know that I was actually happy to have him touch me. Then there was the fact that I hadn''t been able to stop myself pressing my head into his palm. The feeling of his hand, so warm and firm against my scalp was calming andforting.


    When Artem spoke, when he told me how to be myself again, his voice made me feel like his hands were touching more than just the top of my head. It felt like he was touching me, holding me all over.


    I don''t know if it was my wolf that was causing this or if it was the memory of how we hade together that night. I might have wanted to wait, I might have thought it was all happening too soon, but that didn''t mean that I hadn''t enjoyed it all. None of that meant that I never wanted to do it again.


    The soothing words and the calming touch really did help me to be myself again. Before I knew it I was sitting on the floor. I think it all happened sooner than Artem had expected because he hadn''t had the chance to look away.


    I saw from the corner of my eye that Artem had turned his head the moment after I felt the cold tile touch my naked human flesh. He had seen me, but he was going to pretend he hadn''t


    "Is that all better?" He seemed to want to make sure that I waspletely me again.


    "I think so. I can''t see any more fur, and I feel like myself again, but I am naked, just like you said." I pretended like I hadn''t seen him look away once he had seen my body.


    "Yeah, the clothes you were wearing got destroyed when you changed, not that it consisted of much at that time anyway."


    "Yeah, you''re right, I was just wearing my underwear." Iughed as I remembered that I had basically been naked already when I woke up in front of him. In truth, he had seen me like this at Uncle Howard''s ce, he had even put my bra back into ce so that I was notpletely topless. He was so sweet.


    Still, I didn''t want to be fully naked right now so I grabbed a towel and covered myself.


    "I-I''m going t-to go now." He started to walk away from me.


    "Artem?" Just me saying his name made him stop mid step.


    "Yeah Star?"


    "Are you mad at me?"


    "Why would I be?"


    "You just seem to be acting weird right now, like you''re upset about something." When we were in the bedroom I had thought that things were better between us, but I guess I was wrong.


    "I just want to respect you, Star. I don''t want to make you feel ufortable. And this is very hard on me right now."


    "Why is it hard on you?" Was being around me that bad?


    "Star, you''re naked. You''re naked and I am a man that loves you, everything about you. That means I love who you are as a person, your sweet, kindhearted nature. And I also love your body, the sexy way you look, the soft supple feeling of your body, all of it. I''m struggling here, Star, I really am. I want to be with you, I want everything I can get from you, but I refuse to scare or hurt you in any way."


    "Artem." I think I understood it all now. He thought I was still mad at him. "Artem?" I said his name again, trying to get him to look at me.


    "Star?" He sounded nervous when he said my name.


    "Artem, will you look at me?"


    It took him a few moments, like he was wondering if I was ying a trick on him. It hurt me that he didn''t trust me, or himself, enough to turn around.


    "Artem, I will never be scared of you. Never." I took the few steps that it would take to close the gap between us, when I got to him I grabbed his arm gently. "I love you Artem. I knew that before I felt thatpulsion to do as you wanted."


    "I never meant to make you do anything you didn''t want to do."


    "I know, and that''s why I stopped being so scared of you. I know you would never do anything bad to me."


    "But I did something to you that you didn''t want." It sounded like he was about to get depressed again and I needed to stop that.


    "I didn''t know I wanted it until I got it. But, Artem, I''m not upset. Not anymore. I saw how things could have been. I felt how wrong all these things could have made me feel. It''s because of all that, all the things that have happened since I woke up in your arms, that I am d it did happen. I am d you were the one that I did those things with. And I know now what you''ve all been talking about when you mention the mate bond. I know what it is you feel, and what it is that those around us are feeling."


    "You do?" He looked so surprised when I said those words.


    "Yes I do. My wolf has shown me what it is that I was missing out on. She told me that you were all right when you said that the mate bond was the most precious of all connections and feelings that there is."


    "Star? Are you telling me that-?" He seemed to stop there, unable to say anymore.


    "I am telling you that I feel it, Artem. I feel the love, I feel the happiness that just being near you brings me. I am hearing what my wolf is telling me and I couldn''t be happier."


    "Star, that''s¡­.that''s¡­..that''s amazing." He was finally smiling. He was finally looking happy again.


    I leaned into him then, my hand on his arm providing me with the bnce that I needed to support myself. I pushed up from the floor, standing with just my toes on the floor. I noticed that Artem was currently staring at me as he was stunning into silence.


    When I was close enough I pressed my lips against his, my eyes closing on instinct alone. There was a quiet gasp, a momentarily surprised sound that came from between Artem''s slightly parted lips before his self control seemed to snap.


    With a soft sounding growl Artem''s hands moved from their frozen position at his sides and came tond somewhere on my back and side. Hisrge hands took up so much room on my back that it made me feel like I was so tinypared to him.


    I needed to grab him even more. I needed to touch him to feel him. And I needed something to hold onto that was going to keep me from feeling like I was going to fall over. I used my left hand to grab a hold of his as well, the towel fell to the floor and my naked body was now fully exposed.


    When Artem''s hands had unfrozen, so had his lips. His mouth pushed against me with a heated and needy feeling. I opened my mouth at the smallest urging from his tongue and weed him into my mouth.


    This was not our first kiss, but it felt like the most intense. I could feel Artem''s tongue tangling with mine and every time that it moved I felt like my knees were getting weaker. The feeling of Artem''s hands on my body as they moved across my body made me feel like I was catching fire at his very touch. One of his hands moved up to rest at the back of my neck and the other moved lower to rest on the curve of my backside.


    The way it felt when he touched me, the way it made me feel, it was nothing like the way I felt when Uncle Howard touched me. When Uncle Howard touched me I felt sick and gross. When Artem touched me I felt good, full of heat and desires that I didn''t fully have control over.


    I pulled away from him, breaking the kiss and pressing my forehead against his. The both of us were panting heavily from the passionate moments, our breaths mingling between us.


    "Artem?"

 Chapter 100 - Artem - Taking Care Of Things First

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    "Artem?" Star''s voice had just broken the heated silence that had settled around us. My heart was racing and my breath was sawing in and out of my lungs.


    "Star?" I felt the need, the desire that had built up in my body. I wanted her, but I wasn''t going to make that mistake again.


    "Artem, I-?" I don''t know what Star was going to say, because before she could finish the question her stomach growled loudly. That was when it dawned on me that Star hadn''t eaten before she left the house yesterday morning. And there was no way that stupid coward fed her while she was with him. She must have been starving.


    What the hell had I been thinking? I should have let her kiss me innocently and then taken my leave. I shouldn''t have gotten this worked up. I needed to keep it in my pants for right now. I needed to wait until she was ready. If I didn''t, Chay and Doc might kill me.


    "You''re hungry. I''m sorry I didn''t realize it sooner. Why don''t you do what you need to do, take a shower, get dressed, that kind of thing. I am going to go get changed and then I will make you some breakfast."


    "Are you sure?" She looked a little upset at those words, like she didn''t want me to leave her.


    "Yeah, I''m sure. I will make us both some food and we can eat together in your room." I smiled at her, letting her know that I was calming myself down and that I would being back with the much needed rations that I had promised her.


    "Alright. Thank you Artem." She smiled at me sweetly and looked up at me through her long, thickshes. Goddess, but that almost made me lose the control I had regained. Dammit, I was definitely going to be in trouble here.


    I did my best to leave without looking at more of her naked body than I absolutely had to. Though that was impossible. I saw her. I saw it all. The perfectly rounded breasts. The re of her hips. The valley that dipped between her thighs. The t ins of her belly. Every sweet, supple inch of her body.


    When I left her in the bathroom I saw that Doc had left the bedroom. That was good, I didn''t want to have to kick him out of the room while my dick was currently trying to break through my clothes. That would have been very awkward.


    I walked swiftly, while still doing my best to hide the massive bulge in my pants. This was another reason I was d that my room was right across the hall from Star''s. I didn''t need to go far to be hidden away from everyone.


    I practically ran into my room, nearly mming the door behind me. I knew no one woulde in without my permission but I still locked the door behind me. I hurried to the bathroom, opting to take a quick cold shower. The raging boner I had showed no evidence of going anywhere just yet.


    I stripped off my clothes and threw them into the hamper before stepping into the water. I had turned the cold on full st and had barely touched the knob for the hot waterpletely. The water was brutal, but it still didn''t seem to be doing it''s job.


    The erection that my time with Star had caused still wasn''t receding, my body wasn''t cooling at all. I would not be able to leave this room until my excitement was abated.


    Why was I like this right now? Was it just because she had initiated the kiss? Or was it because I knew she could now feel the mate bondpletely? Was I raging through this aroused state because I knew that she might actually ept me the next time?


    Whatever was causing it, I needed to make it go away right now. But how? Every time I closed my eyes all I could see was Star''s face, her body, as she stood naked in front of me.


    I reached my hand lower as I thought of the way that body felt. The memory of the first time when I felt her pressed beneath me, and just now when I held her ass in my hand, kneading the tender flesh.


    I stroked myself even more as I thought about her breasts. Their perfect perky shape and the way they felt against my chest when she kissed me.


    The speed and intensity of my strokes increased as I remembered the way it felt when her body was wrapped around me and my hard shaft. The feeling of exquisite body was nothingpared to what I was doing to myself right now. My hand would never satisfy me like she could. But the thoughts of her did help slightly. I was able to finish at least.


    My body still felt like it was still on fire, but I was finally able to leave the shower and eventually my room without having to worry about hiding anything. That''s why I finally turned the water off and went to get dressed.


    After I was dressed I left my room and started toward the dining room. When I was halfway down the hallway I saw that Bailey wasing out of Chay''s room, a look of relief on his face.


    "Hey, is she awake yet?" I called out to him, causing him to stop and turn around quickly.


    "Yes, she woke up a little while ago. She is hungry though, so I was going to get her some breakfast."


    "You can help me then, I was going to make Star something as well. Just let me go see Chay first."


    "Alright, I will head down and get everything prepped. I''ll be waiting in the kitchen."


    "Sounds good."


    Bailey left then and I turned to head into Chay''s room. The moment she saw me she started talking really loud and really fast.


    "Artem. Oh my Goddess, I am so sorry. I''m sorry I let Star get taken right in front of me. I''m sorry I couldn''t save her. Is she here? Bailey told me he was going to let you tell me everything, like something bad had happened. Please let her be OK."


    "Calm down Chay." I mimed a stopping motion to urge her to settle down. "She''s here and she is alright."


    "Really? She had been hurt too, I know she had. I remember when that asshole pulled her out of her seat she screamed in pain." I didn''t like hearing about this and what that meant for Star. I know she is healed now, but that doesn''t mean that she hadn''t been hurt.


    "She''s fine now, Chay. You don''t need to worry anymore. And I don''t me you at all."


    "I me myself. And I just know that Star will me me." She was so worried, this wasn''t like my sister at all.


    "Chay!" I said her name firmly, I needed to snap her out of this attitude she had gotten herself into. "Does that seem like the Star you know at all? Think about it."


    "No." She hung her head in shame. "She went with that creep because she wanted to keep me safe. I know she won''t me me. But I was so worried about her."


    "We were all worried about her, and you. I was worried about you Chay. I had never seen you like that before. I was scared that you were never going to wake up. You were bleeding a lot and you were in so much pain. What you need to do now is rest. I know you''re better and that you will be fine soon, but you''re not done healing yet. Please do me a favor and stay in bed today."


    "No, I want to see Star. I need to see her with my own eyes." She looked so determined and stubborn at that moment, that was the sister I knew.


    "Then I will bring her to see you." That got a shocked look from her, but that look was quickly followed by a nod and a smile.


    "Alright. As long as I can see her and know that she is fine."


    "OK." I nodded at her now. "I am going to go make breakfast with Bailey. He will be back with your food soon and I will be taking Star''s to her room."


    "Thank you, Artem." She looked like she was thanking me for more than one thing.


    I was already close to the bed so I just finished closing the gap between us. I leaned down and hugged her where she was sitting propped up on the bed.


    "I love you Chay, and I am d you''re safe." She was surprised but she still hugged me back.


    "I love you too, you big dummy." Yup, my sister was definitely back to her old self again.


    I went down to the kitchen where I found Bailey prepping for the meal that was toe. I knew that everyone else probably had to eat still so I wanted to make food for everyone. I was seriously going to need a staff for the house soon, we couldn''t keep up with it all on our own.


    A whileter Bailey and I had finished cooking a breakfast feast. There was bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, and rice. We made tes for ourselves and our mates then took the rest to the dining room for the others. I know that Bailey was going to take his tes to Chay''s room while I took mine and Star''s food to her room. I even made sure to even take drinks for us, everything was piled onto the tray I was carrying. It was time for me to have my first official meal with my mate who also felt the bond like I did.

 Chapter 101 - Star - A New Me

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    It wasn''t until Artem had left and I looked down at my body that I realized why he had walked backwards across the room until he got to the door. Not to mention why he had moved so slowly. I had dropped my towel in my urgency to kiss him.


    I felt my face flush again.


    ''Oh my God.'' Those were the only words that were going through my head for a minute. I can''t believe that I didn''t realize he was looking at my naked body. I can''t believe I had been so shameless.


    While those words were going through my head Lyra, my wolf, seemed to take it upon herself to begin panting over the memories of Artem''s hand''s on my body. I could even feel her wagging her tail in the back of my mind. Now that was a crazy weird feeling.


    "Hush you." I yelled out loud but I was directing it toward my wolf. As soon as I said those words it seemed like the animal inside me wasughing. This was definitely going to take me a while to get used to.


    I really didn''t have time to pay attention to all that was going on inside my head though, my body was speaking louder. It chose that moment to remind me that Artem had been helping me to walk to the bathroom when I shifted. I was on my way here because I needed to use the facilities. I had been enved or asleep for a long time and I was missing out on a few biological necessities.


    I hurried over and relieved myself which was such a relief that I honestly nearly moaned from the feeling of that alone. Oh God, I have never needed to pee so bad before.


    Once that strange experience was over I decided to do as Artem suggested. I wanted to take a shower and wash off any and all traces of Uncle Howard. He had touched me. He had put his mouth on me. I needed to scrub myself to feel clean again.


    I turned the water on until it was hot, almost too hot to handle. I stepped under the spray of the water and let the scalding water wash away the memories of Uncle Howard''s touch. I felt like a slimy film was sliding away and leaving my body feeling clean and fresh.


    Oddly enough, though, I could still feel every single spot that Artem had touched me just now. I could feel his hands on my back and the way they had moved up and down until they had settled in their desired spots. I felt his lip on mine as his tongue slowly drove me insane. I felt the muscles in his arms and chest as he held me against his strong, powerful body.


    "What the hell is the matter with me?" I asked myself as I felt my body bing hotter than the water that was falling onto me. I needed to stop thinking about these things. I needed to shower and get dressed so I could wait for Artem toe back.


    I imagined himing through the door and I was throwing my arms around him, my lips pressed against him.


    "Gah! Stop it!" I yelled at myself. "Stop! You need to stop! This isn''t the time for that!" I was scolding myself, trying to make the images leave my mind. It was no use, they weren''t going anywhere.


    I pushed myself past the thoughts, I made myself shower and clean myself up. When I was out I brushed my teeth and used a copious amount of mouthwash. I had kissed Artem and that was fine, it was Uncle Howard''s kiss I was trying to wash away the memory of.


    Oddly enough, the cleaner I made myself the more prominently Artem''s touches and kisses seemed to stand out to me. I could feel them, they were like phantom versions of the real thing that were reluctant to leave me.


    When I felt like I had finally washed away all the bad touches, all the bad memories, I finally went out to my room so that I could get dressed. I made sure to hold the towel securely around me, just in case.


    Thankfully there was no one out there and I was able to go straight to my closet and get dressed. I didn''t n on going anywhere and I was mostfortable in the clothes that Chay had called loungewear. I chose afortable pair of bottoms and a soft t-shirt that was still way too big on me. I had left off the bra, I felt better without it anyway, but I did make sure that I put on clean panties first.


    I didn''t know how much longer it was going to be until Artem got back so I decided to sit on the couch and wait for him. While I waited I started to think about everything that had happened to me. Not just recently but ever. All the things that had happened to me in my life that I could remember.


    The bad things definitely outnumbered the good. There was no doubting that. However, the good things that I had experienced were so wonderful that they almost made me forget some of the bad things entirely. There was no way to properly measure them against each other.


    I had been beaten, abused, starved, ridiculed, kidnapped, enved, and forced to marry a man that I thought was repulsive and vile. I had suffered at the hands of almost everyone I had ever met when I was a child. I never had a childhood. I never got the chance to experience the world, and now as a result I don''t know anything that I am supposed to do.


    On the positive side, I had cousins that loved me and tried to save me. They taught me to read and to write, that is something I will be eternally grateful for because it meant that I was notpletely stupid. I was rescued by Artem and the others. I got to experience what I was missing in life. People cared about me and what I wanted and about making me happy. I got to be with my family that loved me. I got to eat real food and have real clothes. I got to be clean.


    Not to mention, I fell in love and found my mate. I made love to the man that I am in love with. My mate also rescued me again. He had rescued me and we had finally told each other about our feelings because he loved me too. I was allowed to be with him, I was allowed to be happy here. These positives definitely made all the negatives in my life seem so insignificant.


    I could move on. I could let go of my past because those that were going to harm me were now gone forever. I never needed to worry about them again.


    I tried to think about how I acted, how I responded, to all the ways I had been treated throughout my life. I wanted to take a look at where I could improve.


    I always stayed defiant and oppositional when I was with my family. I think it was because when I was a child and weaker I had learned what it was they were capable of and what they would do to me. I learned that no amount of crying and pleading would ever make the bad things go away. That made me angry, especially towards those that had hurt me.


    When I was rescued though, I felt like I had somehow softened up a little. I don''t know if it was because I was gauging them, trying to see exactly what it was they were capable of doing to me. Or, perhaps it was because I didn''t know what they were capable of and therefore I was more afraid of them than I was of my family.


    I always knew that my family wouldn''t try to kill me. I knew my whole life that I had a ''purpose'' to fulfill for them and so they would keep me alive, even if I had been broken. When I was rescued though, and found out that I was with an Alpha, I thought they were going to torture me to death.


    I don''t know why I thought this though. Why would they rescue me just to hurt me? But you can''t fault the mind of the abused and imprisoned. We don''t know any better.


    I was happy with the turn that things had taken in my life, and I was happy with where I was. But I wasn''t happy with myself right now.


    I needed a new me. I needed to be someone that was a perfect blend of who I was and who I had be. I needed to put these two versions of myself together. I liked myself the best when I thought for myself and when I didn''t let things get to me, but I also liked the me that let others help when they wanted to.


    Could I do this? Was I capable of changing who it is that I had be? I guess only time would tell.

 Chapter 102 - Star - Breakfast With Just Artem

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I was still sitting on the couch, contemting my future when Artem came back. With the talisman gone I could both smell and hear things better than I could before. I knew it meant that I was bing one with my wolf. I could feel that happening inside of me. It wasn''t just Artem I could smell though. I could smell the food.


    I wanted to test myself, to see if I could name the food before he got into the room. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I could smell bacon and sausage above all the other scents, they were just so strong.


    Underneath the scent of those meats I thought I could smell eggs and maybe pancakes, but it was really hard to tell with the meat overpowering everything else. I didn''t have time to keep trying though, Artem was already close to the door so I got up and opened it for him.


    "Hey." He grinned at me. I could tell that he had showered and dressed before he went to make breakfast. I guess that makes sense, he had spent the night sleeping in the chair in my room.


    "Hi." I blushed when I looked at him, I couldn''t help it. The kiss shed through my mind and it was made even worse when I remembered that I was the one who had kissed him.


    Oh my god, what did I do? I had kissed him while I stood naked in front of him. I had kissed him, naked, while he ran his hands over my naked body, and I hadn''t wanted to stop kissing him. If it hadn''t been for my body telling us that I needed to stop I don''t know what I would have done.


    I know it''s still too soon to do ''that'' again. I didn''t think I should sleep with him for a while. I want us to move forward as a couple first. I wanted to build that rtionship that I knew we were capable of. Plus, I wanted to learn to be an independent person and get out into the world.


    If I didn''t have to worry about my family trying to hurt me anymore then I wouldn''t be afraid to leave the house ever again. I could be a normal person. I could go to college, I could learn how to be a real woman.


    While I had that little mini episode of the Star show sh through my head Artem had walked to the table and set down a tray that was covered with our food and drinks.


    "Are youing?" He was grinning at me like he thought I had lost my mind. If he only knew the truth.


    "Uh, yeah, sorry I was just lost in thought."


    "d you found your way back." He chuckled like it was a funny joke so I just smiled and sat at the table next to him.


    "Thank you for breakfast." I said as I looked at the table.


    I had been mostly right about it all. There was bacon and sausage, along with eggs and pancakes, but there was also sweet rice which was good, not my favorite but still good. We started to eat and talk about whatever popped into our heads.


    "What were you thinking about?" He asked me after biting a piece of bacon in two.


    "The future."


    "Well, that''s a very ambiguous answer." He was smiling but he was also looking at me with a curious expression.


    "Well, I was thinking that I don''t need to be afraid anymore, not now that my family has been thoroughly dealt with."


    "So someone told you we killed all the male cousins and uncles?" He tilted his head in response to my wording.


    "No, this is the first I am hearing of that." I felt the blood drain from my face at the thought of all the deaths that had ured because of me. "I-I was meaning that I d-don''t have to b-be afraid anymore b-because Uncle Howard is d-dead." I was stuttering and shaking slightly at the thought of all the dead people.


    I shuddered once then thought about it all calmly. The only people that were killed were those that had worked closely with Uncle Howard. They were people who would have hurt me if they hadn''t been stopped. The ones who had died were the ones who had been present at my wedding.


    "Ugh." I threw my head down, grabbing it in my hands as I narrowly missed banging it on the table.


    "What''s the matter?" He looked at me like he thought there was something seriously wrong with me, his arms were outstretched like he thought he had to catch me or carry me or something.


    "I just remembered something horrible."


    "What?" It looked like Artem couldn''t stand the suspense anymore and needed my answers five minutes ago rather than in the future.


    "I married Uncle Howard."


    I felt my whole body convulse with disgust as a wave of nausea hit me. I gagged at the memory of what all happened to me.


    "That wasn''t a real wedding, you don''t have to worry."


    "Still, he made me vow to be obedient to him forever and then he kissed me." I convulsed at the memory of it. "He shoved his tongue in my mouth and flopped it around like a slimy fish." I grabbed my head and shook it several times while crying out. "Make the memories go away."


    "I will eventually drown all memories of him from your mind and your body." Those words sounded so natural, so sincere, and so heated that I could do nothing but look at Artem with shock. His eyes were filled with heated fire that seemed to scorch my skin from just him looking at me.


    W-well...that...it''s not...I think-." I was floundering. I didn''t know how to respond. What was I supposed to say in response to that? How was I supposed to keep looking at him while he stared at me like that? How could I ever look away?


    The heat in Artem''s eyes began to diminish. After a few moments it was more like a warm,forting look than a burning heat. What was going on with him? The look in his eyes had made me think of how he had been the other night, and it had made me feel things I was not used to feeling.


    "Don''t worry Star, I won''t rush or pressure you. Just know that when you want me I will be here waiting for you." He was always so understanding when it came to me.


    "Artem." I felt the blush at the same time my cheeks lifted with the gentle smile. "I know Artem, and that''s why I love you so much. You''re so sweet and understanding."


    "Only when ites to you." He looked away then, embarrassment coloring his cheeks. "And I love you too, Star."


    "Give me some time to figure myself out, OK. Just let me get to know who it is I really am and what it is I am really meant to do." I felt like I was begging him, but I didn''t know how else to put it.


    "I will give you all the time that you need. And if you need my help during this time I will be here for that as well."


    "Thank you, Artem. I will likely need your help and Chay''s." It was then that I realized I had beenpletely and utterly selfish.


    I HADN''T ASKED ONE THING ABOUT CHAY SINCE I HAD WOKEN UP!


    What kind of horrible person was I? How could I forget to ask how she was doing? I need to rectify this situation right now.


    "Artem, speaking of Chay, how is she? I know she was hurt really bad the other day."


    "She is doing better, she will be fully healed by tonight. Or that''s my guess anyway."


    "Oh thank god." I felt like I had just had a weight lifted from my shoulders that I hadn''t even known was there.


    "That''s one thing you should correct." He grinned at me.


    "What?"


    "We wolves would say ''oh my Goddess''."


    "Huh? Really?" I looked at him with curiosity. "Why?"


    "We pay tribute to and worship the moon goddess."


    "I never knew that." I wasughing now. "I guess learning our culture would be a good start huh?" He joined in with myughter and both just ended up grinning at each other.


    It was fun talking with Artem and all, and I had enjoyed breakfast, but now that I knew that Chay was awake I wanted to go see her. I needed to see with my own eyes that she was OK, that she was not seriously hurt.


    "Can I go see Chay?" I asked Artem when we had finished the meal. He didn''t even hesitate, he just stood up and held his hand out for me.


    "Come on, she wants to see you too." That was a relief. I thought for sure she would be mad at me because the ident was in a sense my fault. Or maybe she wanted to see me so she could yell and scream and me me.


    ''No! Stop it Star!'' I reprimanded myself as I started to get into my slump again. This was not who I was going to let myself be. ''Chay would never act like that.'' With those thoughts in my head I took Artem''s hand and let him pull me to my feet. Following that he led me down the hall and to Chay''s room. To say that I was nervous would be an understatement, I was trembling when he took me into the room.

 Chapter 103 - Star - Visiting Chay

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The first thing I saw when I went into the room with Artem was Chayying in a bed. She was propped up on the pillows with a tray of food sitting in front of her. She looked a little paler than usual and her hair was a bit of a mess.


    There had never been a time that I had seen Chay when she was anything less than perfectly put together. Chay prided herself on her appearance. She always wanted to present the best of herself at all times. I had learned that about her pretty early on.


    The second thing that I saw was Bailey sitting in a chair next to the bed, his empty te from breakfast still bnced on hisp.


    "Star?!" Bailey nearly yelled my name as lept to his feet, spilling the empty te and the cutlery onto the floor. "Oh my Goddess, Star, I am so d that you''re awake. I was so worried about youst night." Bailey had rushed to me and thrown his arms around me. I noticed a slightly angered look in Artem''s eyes but it onlysted for a moment before he turned back to look at his sister.


    "I''m alright." I tried to smile as I hugged him back, I was still nervous about this whole situation. "I rested up and I am healed. Plus, my talisman came off."


    "It did?" Bailey pulled back to look at me, the shock written all over his face.


    "Yeah, it did. And I even shifted into my wolf."


    "That''s amazing Star. I am so happy for you. What did your wolf look like?"


    "Well-." I started to speak but Artem had started at about the same time and he finished in a bit of a rush.


    "It''s green."


    "Huh?" Bailey looked confused.


    "Green?" Chay called from the bed.


    "Yeah, it was green. But it was so beautiful. It''s hard to exin."


    Artem took my hand then and walked me over to sit next to the bed. He ced me in the chair closest to Chay''s right side, across from where Bailey had been sitting. Bailey had walked back over but he didn''t sit down yet.


    "What do you mean her wolf is green?" Chay asked Artem when we were sitting next to her.


    "I mean it is green. The base color was light, like grass green. She had darker green around her neck, eyes, and muzzle. And along her back and sides there were patterns like leaves in that same darker green. Then there was the fact that every strand of her fur seemed to be tipped in some shining, luminescent emerald green that was only visible when it was hit with the light."


    Listening to Artem''s description of my wolf left us all in awe. Chay and Bailey because they hadn''t been there to see it, and me because the magnitude of it hadn''t really hit me before.


    "What does this mean? Why is her wolf green?" Bailey aksed.


    "I think it is because she is half Fae."


    "WHAT?!" Both Chay and Bailey yelled in shock when they heard Artem say those words.


    "She''s what?"


    "How do you know that?" Bailey and Chay asked their respective questions in almostepleye unison.


    "Well, her great great grandfather told me that her mother admitted to her not being a full blooded wolf. And then there was Howard himself. He admitted what she was. How he knew I don''t truly know yet, but it seems to be true. I mean, how else do you exin a green wolf?"


    "This is so strange." Bailey looked like his head was about to explode. He should sit down or something before he falls over from exhaustion.


    "Come on Bailey, let''s leave these two to talk. Not to mention you look like you need some time to process all of this. Let''s go get a drink."


    With that, Artem rose to his feet and took Bailey by the elbow. It didn''t seem like Bailey was in any state to deny the Alpha at the moment. He was really having trouble processing what he had heard.


    With the two of them gone it was now just me and Chay left in the room. I felt nervous. I wanted to apologize to her. I wanted to make things good between us again. I wanted her to know that I had left her there because I didn''t want her to be hurt anymore than she had already been.


    "Look Chay, I-."


    "Star, I''m-."


    We both started at the same time but stopped when we relized that we were interrupting each other.


    "Go ahead."


    "You go first."


    We had done it again. We were starting at exactly the same time. That made the both of us smile and giggle a little, but it looked like theughter still caused Chay some pain so she stopped quickly and coughed from the stain of it.


    "I''m sorry Chay." I managed to speak before she had recovered from the small coughing fit. But my words seemed to have taken her by storm and she was caught in the whirlwind of my words. Her face looked like she had not been expecting those words toe out of my mouth.


    "Star? Why?" She was asking me why I left her, I knew that wasing.


    "I didn''t want to cause you any more trouble. I didn''t want them to hurt you more than you already were. They attacked us, they hurt you all to get to me. It was my fault Chay. I''m sorry."


    "STOP!" She yelled at me and then immediately coughed. "Just stop." He voice was a little rough and course after the coughing but the force of her words was still there.


    "It''s true though. If it hadn''t been for me then you would never have been-."


    "Stop!" She said the word forcefully again but this time she didn''t cause herself to cough with the volume and explosiveness of the words.


    "Why? Why won''t you let me apologize?"


    "Because you don''t need to." She was looking at me sternly. "Do you really think you need to apologize for what some stupidckeys did on the behalf of a sick sadistic asshole?" She was leveling her gaze at me with so much force that I actually shrank back in the chair. "That fuck face Howard was the one who caused all of this to happen. He locked you up. He acted like a creep your whole life. He came after you once you escaped. It was never anything that you caused."


    "Chay?"


    "Hush. I''m not done yet." She scolded me. "You''ve don''t nothing but try to get away from that torturous life of yours. You did nothing wrong. You didn''t crash the fucking car. You didn''t ram into the side of the car and push us off the road. So please try to exin what you did that caused any of this."


    "I-I-."


    "See, you have nothing do you? You didn''t cause this." She was giving me a look that was so sharp I thought I was going to be pierced through at any time now.


    "Fine, I didn''t cause it. But I left you there. I left you behind."


    "And I know why you did that. You didn''t want me to be hurt. I wish you didn''t have to do that, but if I had tried to protect you from him then they would have killed me. I should be apologizing to you for not being able to protect you."


    "But you were hurt. You couldn''t have protected me."


    "So I guess neither of us need to apologize then, do we."


    Chay had crossed her arms over her chest and the rapid rise and fall of it told me she was holding back quite a bit of emotions. That stance didn''t hold quite the impact that it usually would with her sitting there in the bed looking a little like a impudent child. I couldn''t help myself, I had tough at the sight of her.


    Iughed long and hard. I don''t know how long it went on for but soon myughing chuckles turned into sobs as tears began to stream down my cheeks. I was still trying toe to terms with everything that had happened to metely and this seemed to be the moment that I was going to fall apart and crumble to tiny little pieces.


    "Star, you don''t need to be upset." Chay sounded distressed.


    "I''m not really. I am d that Uncle Howard is dead. I am d that all the members of my family that tormented me have been dealt with. I know that I don''t need to be afraid anymore. But I don''t know any other way of life either. And then there are the things that he did to me." I shuddered as I tried to draw in a deep breath, that gave Chay an opening to ask me her question.


    "What did he do to you?" She looked murderously angry. "I swear I will resurrect that sorry sack of shit and beat him to death with his own dismembered limbs." That made me giggle a little but it wasn''t enough to chase away all of the tears.


    "I know you would too." I looked at her with the closest thing to a smile that I could muster. "I just feel so disgusted right now, with everything that happened. And I don''t know if I can talk it out with Artem."


    "Then tell me. I am here to listen to you as well, you know that."


    "Thank you Chay."


    I spent a good portion of the day talking about things with Chay. I told her everything that I remember from my time with Uncle Howard, she had been very angry about the wedding and everything that followed it.


    After telling Chay what happened I told her how I wanted to be a new me. Someone that was a mix of the old me and the me I have been sinceing to live with them. I want to be someone I can be proud of and someone worthy of their care and affection.


    I set a n in motion then. Something that I would work on with Chay, Artem, and anyone else who wanted to help me. I wanted to learn to be like all the rest of them, but I also wanted to stay true to who I really was as well. I was crafting a whole new person here.


    And, best of all, I was making that box of my mom''s the reward for doing all of this. I hadn''t had time to open it yet but I really wanted to. However, I told myself that until I could be satisfied with who I am and who I will be then I would not be allowed to look at it. It was an extra motivation for myself.

 Chapter 104 - Star - Becoming The New Me

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Chay and I devised a n for me. I was going to start learning new things and going new ces. We started off small. Once Chay had fully healed we went out to lunch with Artem and Bailey, just the four of us.


    I was a lot morefortable this time than I was the first time we had went to the diner. We had opted to go to the same ce as before because it was familiar to me yet new to me at the same time.


    Following that lunch Artem got busy at work along with the interviews he was holding. He was finding a capable staff that could help out around the house. Most of the people he was interviewing wereing from a different pack so there were fewer issues he had to wade through.


    While Artem worked on his personal and work issues I continued to go ces and try new things. I wanted to learn new skills as well so Chay and I signed up for cooking, art, and writing sses. They were things that anyone could sign up for at themunity center in the city.


    The cooking sses were the most difficult, but I liked them. I went to them twice a week and was gradually getting more and more used to it all. The art sses were fun. We explored drawing first, which I found that I was surprisingly good at. The time I tried painting I made the canvas look a sad mess and basically just figured out it wasn''t my forte. We are supposed to be starting sculpting soon.


    The writing sses ended up being my favorite. Chay didn''t like them that much, but I loved the idea of telling a story. I actually used a lot of the details of my life to begin a fiction story about a young woman who was working on bing a better person. When the instructor asked me where I saw the character going as she developed I told her that I would let her know when I knew that part myself.


    I still spent time with the boys who were still suffering from the effects of their talismans. We would need to look for a way to get them freed sometime soon. The good thing was that all the boys were learning really quickly. I joined them frequently, especially Julian since he was the oldest and was learning the most advanced curriculum.


    I was happy to see that it wasn''t hard for me to learn everything that I needed to know. Chay told me that I could take a test that proved that I had learned the equivalent of a high school education and I could then start taking some college courses. I was working hard with Bailey, Reed, and the others to get to that point. I wanted to prove that I wasn''t an idiot and that I wasn''t useless.


    I know no one saw me that way here, but that old mindset was hard to break. I know that if anyone here actually thought I was nothing more than a burden, a nuisance, or unwanted and unneeded they would be saddened. It was these things I was working on the most. The more that I couldn''t do for myself the worse I felt.


    I had Chay teach me more ways to do my hair. I wanted to learn how to fully do my makeup and how to n outfits properly. I wanted to learn how to clean the house and do chores. I wanted to learn how to drive. I wanted to learn it all.


    And I found out that it wasn''t all that hard.


    I enjoyed a lot of the things that I never knew how to do before. I learned that I wanted to keep doing them and that I wanted to keep improving myself.


    I still enjoyed a few dates with Artem. On the first one we went out to a movie for my first time ever. It was a date that was just the two of us. We saw a movie that I thought was really good. It was a little childish but I didn''t mind. I think it also helped to keep Artem''s mind a little more pure at the time. I love him and all, but I didn''t know if I was ready to go to that point again, not yet anyway.


    After the movie Artem and I went to dinner. He took me to an Italian restaurant and told me what it was he rmended. We ordered more food than we should have but we shared it all and it was actually really good. And I had noticed that since I had regained that connection with my wolf I ate a lot more than I usually did. Chay said it was something to do with shifter metabolism or something like that.


    I also learned that Artem trained everyday no matter what. Well, he did skip them the day I had been kidnapped and the day I was recovering. Artem would run ten miles a day in his wolf form, he followed that with pushups, situps, and fight training. Most of the time Kent, Toby, and Morgan trained with him. Even Reed and Bailey trained most days.


    More often than not, Chay and I could be found spying on them. I know that we were just staring at our own mate while we did that. If E, Criztie, Dakota, or Sydney were at the house then they would also be watching some of the training.


    It was nice watching Artem training. He was the strongest of them all and would fight against three or more at once. I loved watching him move around without his shirt on. The light glistening off his rippling muscles. The fluid, effortless way that he moved. The sexy appeal of it all.


    More often than not I left there feeling like my heart was racing and my body sending me strange signals. I knew what it all meant. I knew what I was subconsciously telling myself. I wanted Artem.


    Of course I did. What was there to not want? He was perfect. At least in my eyes. He was sweet, strong, handsome, toned, nice, sexy, sexy, and did I mention sexy? Just looking at him and thinking about him made my body hot and an aching need course through my body.


    I had to wonder if I would have felt this way if I hadn''t already had sex with Artem. I know that the heat and the aching need I was feeling was my desire to feel his body pressed against mine again.


    I often thought about that night. I thought about the things we had done and the way he had made me feel. I remembered the way he had touched me ever so gently. I remember the painful pleasure of him entering my body.


    More often than not, when I thought about these things I ended up touching myself. Touching the ces he had touched, following the ghost of the memory as it moved across me like a phantom hand.


    What was happening to me?


    I don''t know what all was happening to me, but I know what it all meant. I wanted Artem, that was the sum of it anyway. I wanted him to look at me with those heated eyes. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to have him touch me while I touched him in return. I wanted to feel him inside me.


    I was bing a deviant. That was all there was to it. I had had sex with him once and now I couldn''t stop myself from thinking about it all. Thesest six weeks were good and bad because of it.


    I enjoyed the memories, and they got me through a lot. Like when my brain started to dwell on the things that I had endured because of Uncle Howard, it was during those times that I would make myself remember what real love making was like. What a real kiss felt like. What it was like to have a man that loved you touch your body. When I would think about Artem I would stop dwelling on the bad memories.


    Artem had been right, he was helping me to forget about those negative memories. He just didn''t know about it.


    Right now, I wasying in bed with a memory of Artem ying through my mind. I was able to remember the way he smelled as he held himself above me. It was an intense vivid memory and I was gearing up for another one of the times that I mimicked what he had done to me. I was going to repeat the movements of his hands. But then I smelled his scent again, this time for real. He wasing to my room for some reason.


    I barely had time to fix my clothes before he knocked on the door.

 Chapter 105 - Both - Giving Into Temptation Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I hurriedly made certain that I was properly dressed again before I ran across the room and opened the door.


    "Artem?" I was slightly breathless and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, but I was ted to see him. I mean who wouldn''t be happy to see the person they were just fantasizing about?


    "Hey Star." He was grinning happily at me with a warm look in his eyes. "Can Ie in?" I was hoping he would ask that.


    "Sure." I moved aside to let him into the room.


    Artem went to sit on the couch that we had sat on together countless times. I thought about all the things we had talked about during his visits in this room. There had been good times and bad times, but I would never want to change that I hade here with him.


    I sat next to him, close to his side but not quite touching him. He turned to look at me with a calm, serene expression.


    "Star?" He said my name like it was a question as well as if it were something so important.


    "Yes?" All I could think about right now was him. My eyes were glued to his lips while he spoke. My skin longed to be touched by him again. I had thought I would be able to keep these feelings under wraps when he was near me, I had thought I could handle all of this, but I guess I was wrong. I think I was slowly losing my mind.


    "I wanted to ask if you woulde with me to-." I lost all control while he was talking. I had actually leaned forward and ced my lips against his. I cut off his words and caused him to stiffen instantly.


    When I pulled away from Artem, there was a shocked look on his face. His eyes were wide, his jaw had gone ck, and he looked as if someone had just pped him in the face.


    "Star?" It looked like I had shocked him into disbelief. Hey look at that, I think there is smokeing from his ears, did I fry his brain too?


    "Was that OK, Artem? I shouldn''t have done that, should I?"


    "I didn''t mind, but are you OK with it Star?" He looked nervous and apprehensive. I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted so much more, but I was the one who flipped outst time. Would he ept me this time?


    "Artem, I am sorry about before. I''m sorry for the way I acted, but I am sure that I want this. I want to kiss you again. I want to be with you." I gave him the most honest and heartfelt look that I could muster.


    "Are you sure? I don''t want to do something that you''re notfortable with."


    I had caused this. I had made him afraid to be with me. It was up to me to fix it now. I would show him right here and right now that I was not afraid of him, that I wanted him. I wanted to be with him in all the ways possible. My body and my wolf have been begging for it.


    I was still so new to this. I was nervous but excited. The problem was that I didn''t know what I should be doing. I had done this all once with Artem but he had initiated it and he had basically been the one to do everything that time. What in the world am I supposed to do to seduce him?


    I tried thinking of something that I could do. I tried thinking of what it was that I was capable of doing. Throughout all of my thinking Artem was just staring at me nervously, but I did detect a hint of hope and excitement in his eyes.


    I could try touching him more, but he was sitting to the side of me. What should I do then to touch him? Should I just slide closer? No, I had an idea of what I could do.


    "Artemis." I said his full first name, something I never really did, I thought it would shock him and leave him open for what I was nning. Just as I thought he nearly jumped and almost seemed to lean back with the shock of it.


    I took advantage of that moment and quickly rose to my feet and slid onto hisp. I was facing him as I sat on him. My legs slid past his thighs so that my knees were resting on the cushions of the couch. I was literally straddling him.


    I leaned over him, wrapping my arms around his neck as I went, yet he still wasn''t moving. I needed to fix this.


    "I love you, Artemis. I love you and I want to show you just how much."


    "Star?" He still couldn''t say anything besides my name. I think I really had broken him somehow.


    "Kiss me, Artem. Kiss me now."


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I couldn''t believe what was happening right now. I hade to Star''s room hoping to talk to her, spend some time together and I wanted to ask her on another date.


    I had known that we were getting closer and that she was definitely not afraid of me like I had once thought she was, but I never once guessed that the events of this evening would go so differentlypared to what I had imagined.


    I had just been about to ask Star out when she leaned forward and kissed me. She had been staring at me, and I will admit that I could tell she was staring at my lips a lot, but I didn''t think she was going to lean in and kiss me while I was in the middle of talking. It was so sudden that it basically made my brain stop working for a moment.


    "Star?" I had called to her not certain of what else to do.


    "Was that OK, Artem? I shouldn''t have done that, should I?" How could she think that she had done something wrong? I was just wanting to make sure it was her that was actually doing this.


    "I didn''t mind, but are you OK with it Star?" I was nervous, apprehensive about epting what she was telling me.


    "Artem, I am sorry about before. I''m sorry for the way I acted, but I am sure that I want this. I want to kiss you again. I want to be with you." There was no doubting the look on her face, but still I was not sure if I should continue. I had fucked up really bad once before and I would not mess up again.


    "Are you sure? I don''t want to do something that you''re notfortable with."


    She looked at me nervously, like she didn''t know what to do. She was so new to all of this, and I didn''t know how to help her out right now.


    "Artemis." She said my whole first name which shocked me. I felt myself jump and almost recoil. Though I have to admit, I loved the way she sounded when she said that name, that name that I usually hated so much.


    She seemed to want to take advantage of the moment that I was shocked by the usage of the name. She quickly rose to her feet and slid onto myp. She was facing me and her legs slid past my thighs so that she was straddling me. I felt my body stiffen then, in more than one way.


    She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around my neck, and still I couldn''t move. I was so entranced by her movements and the way she was behaving.


    "I love you, Artemis. I love you and I want to show you just how much." Again she used the full version of my name and I felt a jolt of arousal shoot through my body.


    "Star?" Her name was all that I could say.


    "Kiss me, Artem. Kiss me now."


    How could I deny a request such as that? Who was I to deny the beautiful woman that was currently sitting on myp?


    With a slight growl of satisfaction and arousal I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her toward me as I hungrily took her lips. My mouth had settled over her with a need and desire that was so strong that I feared that I would scare her off instantly.


    She was far from scared off though. Instead she kissed me back with a passion that was equal to if not stronger than my own. It didn''t matter that she wasn''t the greatest at kissing yet, she was still driving me insane with the feel of her lips and tongue.


    The kiss was like heaven for me. I felt her chest as it pressed against me and the soft and plump weight of her bottom as I held her steady in my hands. This was all so amazing and so perfect that I wouldn''t think you were lying if you said I had died and gone to heaven right then and there.


    This was literally all of my dreams and fantasiesing true.

 Chapter 106 - Artem - Giving Into Temptation Part 2 (MATURE)

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I could feel Star''s hands as she was running them over my back, across my shoulders, and through my hair. She seemed to want to touch me as much as I wanted to touch her. I matched the needy way that her hands were moving. I grabbed and groped her bottom. I slid my hands up and down her thighs. I ran a hand up her back to the nape of her neck where it yed with her hair before angling her for a better position to kiss her and devour her mouth.


    There were soft, needy, whimpering moans that came from my Star''s mouth. They were quiet and sensual and I swallowed them all down with a growl of satisfaction.


    I couldn''t get enough of her as I tangled our tongues together and devoured all that she had to offer me. With just the kiss I could feel that my body was readying itself for her. I wanted her. I needed her. And if she would have me then I would have her.


    After some time, a minute or an hour I couldn''t tell because I was lost in the pleasure of the kiss, I broke the connection between us and separated our mouths. Star tried to reim my lips and whined momentarily when I pulled back from her.


    "Star, are you sure about this? Do you want this? Do you want me? You know what this will end with don''t you?" I needed to ask. I needed to be sure. There was no way that I was going to make the same mistake again.


    "Yes, Artem, I know." Her voice was breathless, a sound that was seductive and enough to spur me on. "I know what''s going to happen, or at least what I hope will happen." She pulled further away from me then and I saw the need and desire in her eyes. This was a look that she hadn''t had thatst time. There were no second thoughts. There was no zed over look. It was all Star and a hungry passion that she was begging me to satiate. "Please, Artem. Please." She was literally begging me. My minute amount of self control broke then.


    I grabbed her bottom and held her to me as I stood up from the couch. I carried her overand sat her gently on the edge of the bed. As soon as my hands were free I started removing theyers of my clothes that now seemed like nothing but a bunch of nuisances.


    In no time at all I was stripped of my clothes and I could see that Star was slowly following suit. She had removed her shirt and was halfway out of her shorts when I fell to my knees in front of her. I was intent on finishing this for her. She was my girl after all and I wanted to reveal her on my own.


    I slid my hands over hers and moved them away from the waistband of the denim garment. With her hands out of the way I used my grip on the clothing to slowly slide them down her legs. When I had to raise her legs into the air to finish getting the shorts off of her I slowly kissed the side of her leg and felt her shudder from the feel of just that.


    "Artem, please tell me what I should do. I want to make you feel good this time too."


    "Baby, I loved every second of itst time, so don''t think you need to do anything special. But if you want, I will help guide you into what to do."


    "Yes, tell me what I should do. Walk me through it all."


    "Well, first I want to unhook and remove your bra, can I do that?"


    "Yes." She blushed a little, but I didn''t know if that was embarrassment or the flush of arousal.


    I rose up higher on my knees and leaned toward her. I ced my lips against her neck as I reached around her body to undo the sp of the bra. It didn''t take me long to remove that barrier.


    With her breasts now freed I lowered my head so that my mouth was level with her left breast. I immediately flicked my tongue over the hard little peak of her erect nipple. She moaned slightly just a momentter when I sucked her nipple and the top of her breast into my mouth.


    I sucked, licked, and gently bit the left breast before sliding my mouth across her chest to repeat the motions with the other, neglected, breast. She was already arching her back and letting out tiny little noises of pleasure.


    When I pulled away from her breasts Ipped onest time across the nipple, I needed just a little more. The next step for me was to remove the panties that were acting as thest barrier between us. I put my hands on the silky waistband of the thin cloth. When I tugged on them gently I didn''t need to tell Star what to do, she was already leaning back and arching so that her hips lifted off the mattress.


    I could smell the juices that were pouring from her core. The sweet, sulent scent of her that was so strong in that treasure trove of hers. I didn''t think I could hold myself back this time. I needed to taste her.


    She was stillying on her back, her heels pressed into the bed to hold her hips up.


    "Star, I want to taste you. No, I need to. Can I do something that I didn''t dost time?" Asking permission every step of the way was the best bet I had this time around.


    "Yes, Artem. Do what you need to do." She was smiling up at me from her position on the mattress, the position she was in made her look like a yummy and sultry snack. Goddess, but I needed to devour her, my wolf was truly begging me to do it.


    "Just keepying back on the bed like that." I told her as I hooked my hands around her knees and pulled her bottom to the edge of the bed.


    "Ok. Eeep!" She had agreed then yelped when I pulled her toward me.


    With Star in the position I wanted her I hooked her legs over my shoulders and lowered my face to her dripping core.


    "Mmmm." I couldn''t help myself from showing how much I wanted what was about to happen.


    When I licked slowly up her slit she screamed in pleasure and surprise.


    "Artem?" She was shocked by what I had done.


    "Shh. It''s OK, baby."


    "But it''s dirty." She was not expecting this apparently.


    "No it''s not, it''s delicious." I licked at her again and she moaned this time, pure pleasure.


    "Are you sure?" She still seemed nervous about it but as I licked her a third time it seemed she was starting to enjoy herself a little more.


    "Oh I am sure, sweetheart."


    I put an end to the talking then. I used my fingers to toy with her opening as I licked andpped at her core in a slow and steady pace. When she seemed to have adjusted to what I was doing I began to wrap my tongue around the bundle of nerves that was at the top of her slit. I sucked on it and pulled it into my mouth. That caused her to scream with pleasure or delight or something good. She had curled herself up off the bed and put her hands on the back of my head, not sure what to do at the moment.


    "It''s alright, Star, baby. I just want to take care of you right now."


    "Artem!" She panted my name. "It feels so good, Artem."


    "That''s what I was hoping for. Just rx and let me make you feel good." I could feel the grin that was on my face. What man didn''t like hearing that his woman was pleased.


    "Mmhmm." She hummed her agreement and fell back against the bed.


    I startedpping at her again. This time I wasn''t going slow. I was exploring her folds and devouring her juices. I was going to make this experience the best of her life. She would look back on this night with fond memories forever. I would see to that.


    As I licked, sucked, and gently bit away at her core I heard her breathing hitch up and her moans go up an octave or two. She was nearing her precipice. She was almost at her climax. I wanted to taste that too. So I just continued my work happily.


    Before long she was panting and moaning near continuously. With her moans she was crying out my name over and over again.


    "Artem!" "Mmmmm." "Ngh!" "Artemis!"


    Her moans almost made me want to stop what I was doing and take her right then and there, but I would finish this meal, it was a pleasure for us both after all.


    After a few more swipes of my tongue she finally reached her limit. She came apart at the seams and flooded my mouth with her delicious cream.

 Chapter 107 - Star - Giving Into Temptation Part 3 (MATURE)

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    When Artem started to lick me between my legs I was thrown off at first. I thought it was something bad, something that shouldn''t be done. But the more that he did it the more that I wanted him to do it. It felt so good.


    Though, the longer he did it the stranger my body felt. I could feel a strange tightening in my lower body and it felt like something weird was happening to me. Still, Artem never stopped what he was doing. His tongue, his mouth alone, was like something too amazing.


    After a while I felt like all of my insides were twisting and spasming in a pleasant sort of way. I had screamed Artem''s name as something inside of me seemed to burst. Following that it was like I had copsed onto the bed, unable to move for a few minutes.


    "Are you alright Star?" I heard Artem and the worry in his voice, though it also seemed to be mixed with pleasure and happiness.


    "Yes, I''m fine. I just need to catch my breath." Iughed as I spoke, already sitting up to look at him. "Can I do something for you now?" I don''t know what type of look I was giving him right then but he just smiled at me.


    "All I want now is to take you. I want to feel you wrapped around me as we be one."


    "There is nothing else I can do to make you happy?" I was saddened to hear that but Artem just smiled.


    "You''re already making me happy."


    "I mean I want to make you feel good."


    "And you will." He stroked the side of my face as he spoke. "We can move onto more adventurous thingster. For now, I just want to feel you, to be inside of you. I feel like I will burst without it."


    "Oh." I blushed when he said that. "OK."


    "Thank you Star." He leaned forward and kissed my cheek.


    When Artem stood then I saw just howrge and ready he was. I couldn''t help myself, I gasped at the sight of him. He was huge and even though I knew he had been inside me before I was having a hard time imagining that something that big would fit inside of me.


    Once Artem was on his feet he started to crawl up onto the bed. I watched as he scooted to the top of the bed, pushing the pillows back so that he was leaning against them.


    "Come here Star." He held a hand out toward me.


    I took Artem''s hand and let him half pull me as I crawled closer to him on my knees. He continued pulling me until I was once again straddling his legs. The massive erection that he was sporting was literally sitting between us.


    "Star, I don''t want to scare you and be too rough. I want you so bad that I am not sure that I can take my time and be gentle. So that I don''t hurt you or scare you, I want you to be in charge right now."


    I really couldn''t grasp what he was saying. How could he hurt me? And he could never scare me.


    "Artem, you couldn''t-."


    "Shh." He interrupted me. "I want to do it this way, please." He was begging me now, I Couldn''t believe this.


    "OK." I was nodding at him to show that I agreed.


    "Thank you sweetheart." He kissed my lips then, soft and gently. "Come on, lift up." He had grabbed my hips and was lifting me into the proper position with no help needed from me.


    I felt the tip of him touch against my most sensitive of areas when he had me in position.


    "Are you ready?" He asked me with a hungry look in his eyes.


    "Yes." I was nodding again. I hadn''t been lying, I wanted him and I was ready for this. It felt like my whole body was screaming out for it.


    "OK. I will count it down for you, then I will lower you down, alright." I took a deep breath to get ready for what was about to happen. "Alright, 3¡­...2¡­...1."


    When the count down had finished Artem lowered me down onto his hard, quivering shaft. Gravity aided him in pulling me down really fast and I couldn''t help but scream with the feeling of his invasion. But it wasn''t a bad scream because the feeling was just wonderful.


    "AAAHHHHHH!"


    My forehead dropped forward and bumped right into Artem''s. I could hear his heart pounding just as hard as mine was.


    "Oh Goddess, Star. Ah, that feels amazing. Your body is perfect for me."


    "Artem." I called his name in response.


    "OK, it''s time to move now. Use your legs to move your body, I will help you but if I get too rough just let me know."


    "Mmmhmm." I couldn''t speak anymore, the pleasure of our union was too intense.


    I pushed off the mattress with my knees and felt that my lift was aided by Artem''s hand as he pulled me upward. Almost instantly Artem pulled me back down so that he speared through me again. It felt amazing.


    Artem repeated the motion. He helped me rise up on my knees and brought me crashing down. Only this time he thrusted upward, lifting his erection higher as we mmed together.


    "Ahhh." I felt the pleasure as well as the slight pain as our bodies joined again.


    From there we worked together to create a rhythm where I was raised and lowered repeatedly with a passionate amount of force and need. We were both breathing heavier and enjoying ourselves immensely.


    I was losing some of my strength. The pleasure was making my body not respondpletely. To hold myself up and steady I threw my arms around Artem''s neck and pressed my upper body against his. My cheek was resting against his shoulder as I looked at him, mostly his neck.


    I heard a growl of pleasure and satisfaction from Artem then. Did he like that I was bing nothing more than putty that couldn''t even hold itself up? I liked it anyway.


    With Artem fully controlling the thrusts now I just rode him like the obedient mate that I was. There was nothing else I could do at the moment anyway.


    Why I thought about the immense pleasure I was feeling I felt Artem''s mouthtch onto my neck and shoulder. I felt him sucking and biting down but it didn''t hurt at all. In fact, after he bit me the pleasure intensified a lot.


    "AHH! AHHH! NGH! AHH! MMMM!" I was moaning and screaming constantly with the feeling of it all. I was afraid that someone outside the room would hear me with how loud I was being. I didn''t want anyone toe bursting into my room because of the sounds so I decided to bite down on Artem''s neck and shoulder, in almost the same spot as where he had bitten me.


    I thought that would just muffle the sounds, I did not expect that it would once again increase the pleasure I was feeling. How could just biting him back make things so much better?


    Still it was like a heated pressure was entering me from Artem''s mouth. It would circle throughout my body then go back into Artem through my mouth that wastched onto him.


    Artem''s thrusts got stronger and stronger. I could hear the pping of our flesh as our bodies met. Still, it felt perfect and wonderful, and I couldn''t feel any pain at all.


    I felt that tingling and spasminge over my body. I had heard from Chay that we will orgasm during sex, I had felt this the first time with Artem and now it was the second time tonight, that must be what it was. I was feeling so much pleasure that I was having an orgasm. And if I wasn''t mistaken I felt Artem get harder and bigger inside of me for just a minute.


    After a few more lifts and thrusts I let go of Artem''s shoulder and he let go of mine. I seemed to melt in his arms and hold onto him all at the same time while simultaneously screaming his name.


    "ARTEMIS!" For some reason it felt right to use his true name.


    "ASTRAIA!" He seemed to have reached his end as well as he let go of my neck and screamed my name.


    I copsed once again, this time against Artem. I wasn''t able to move but I felt him shift. The slight movement of his body brought a small amount of pain with it. I hadn''t felt pain before now, but I guess the time for pleasure was over.


    "Mmmm." I moaned a little as he moved.


    "Shhh. I am going to slide out of you in a minute." He soothed me.


    Artem did his best toy us down in the bed, me stillying on top of him. With his arms wrapped protectively around me he shifted his hips just enough to slide out of my body.


    "Ngh." I moaned again.


    "I''m sorry, Star. I still hurt you, didn''t I?" He sounded so scared and worried right then.


    "No, it was wonderful." I lifted my head and kissed his lips gently. "Thank you Artem."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I''m sure."


    "I love you Star."


    "I love you too."


    We curled around each other then, Artem holding me in his arms. I was just on the verge of sleep when I heard him speak again.


    "Star, will you move into my room with me? Will you live with me and be by my side every night that I fall asleep. Will you let me wake up to your beautiful face every morning?" I felt my heart flutter at those words.


    "Yes. Yes Artem. I want that too. I want to fall asleep with your arms around me every night."


    "Thank you, Star. Thank you." He kissed the back of my head then and I drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 108 - Artem - Marked

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I woke to the beautiful scent of a midnight breeze in a field ofvender. It was the best scent in the world, at least to me. I wanted to smile. I wanted to pull the source of that scent close to my chest and hold her tight while we both drifted back to sleep. But I couldn''t bring myself to do any of that.


    Last time, Star had woken up before me. She had screamed at the memory of what had happened the night before. That morning had nearly shattered my soul. I didn''t think I could ever forgive myself, or that Star would ever forgive me.


    Thankfully though, she had forgiven me. She had ovee everything that had happened to her while she had been forced to wear that horrid talisman. And because of that we hade together against night.


    What made this time more special was that Star had initiated the encounter. She had asked me to take her and she had kissed me first. I hoped that this morning would wind up better than thest time.


    I cracked my eyes open and saw Star''s beautiful, smiling face before me. She looked so lovely, so sweet, so innocent. The amount of innocence that I could see in her face actually made me feel ashamed for what had happened the night before. Dammit, I was going to corrupt my beautiful Star.


    ''Oh well,'' I thought to myself. ''We could do this together. I would corrupt her while she tried to save my soul. It would be fun anyway.''


    After those thoughts of future naughty times yed through my mind Star started to wake up. I saw her stirring and beginning to stretch.


    "Mmm." She grunted and moaned a little as she felt the muscles in her body shift. I wonder if she was sore after what I had done to her?


    Finally Star opened her eyes. After a second the sleep began to fade and she was able to focus on me once again.


    "Good morning." She grinned happily. Thank the Goddess she didn''t regret it this time.


    "Good morning." I smiled back then followed that by kissing the tip of her nose. "How are you feeling? Did I hurt you?" I had thought that I had gotten too rough at the end of everything.


    "Artem." She rolled her eyes as she brought her right hand up to rest on my left cheek. We wereying on our sides facing each other as we shared one pillow. It didn''t matter that there were several other pillows on therge bed, we were pressed close to each other.


    "That doesn''t answer my question." I informed her, still wanting to know if she was sore.


    "No, you didn''t hurt me. I enjoyed it, all of it." She was blushing now but that didn''t make her stop talking. And I admit, hearing her say that made both me and my wolf growl softly with satisfaction.


    "Really?" She didn''t know how much I had feared when she woke up this morning.


    "Yes, really. Stop worrying." She giggled. "We got some stuff to figure out now, don''t we?"


    "We do?" I was confused by her words.


    "Didn''t you ask me to move into your room? Or did I dream that?" She blushed like she had messed something up.


    "No, I did. I did ask that." I was smiling like a loon now and I fucking knew it. This morning had turned out to be the best morning of my entire life.


    "Do you really want me to share a room with you?" She looked so uncertain right now. "I never really thought about something like that before."


    "Honey, you have no idea how happy it would make me to wake up to this beautiful sight every day." She smiled but she also blushed even darker when she heard those words.


    "Is that all that will change between us?" She batted her eyes a few times in an innocent yet seductive look. "Will anything else be different?"


    "We will sleep in the same bed, we will wake up and fall asleep together. Is there more that you want?"


    "Well, I was hoping there might be more of, you know-." She didn''t finish her sentence as she turned to press her face against the pillow and my arm that was blocking half of the soft fluffy barrier she was seeking.


    "Oh, you mean will we ''sleep'' together? More of what happenedst night?" She nodded her head but didn''t say anything or even look at me, she just kept her face buried. "That is a given. Anytime you want I will be there and ready for you." I kissed her temple as she still hid her face from me.


    "Really?" She finally looked at me with a smile on her face.


    "Yup. We can have sex in the bed." I kissed her forehead after saying those words. "Sex on the couch." Next I kissed her cheek. "Sex in the bathtub." Now I kissed her nose. "We can have all the sex you want wherever you want." I kissed her lips.


    I had meant for the kiss to be sweet and chaste but my control wasn''t there for that. Instead, I slid my hand to the nape of her neck and angled me for a deep, passionate kiss. Our tongues were tangling together and I was pushing myself up onto my arm so I could brace myself above her.


    The kiss was just getting good when there was a knock on the door. I had been too wrapped up in my morning dessert to notice Chay''s scent getting closer to the door. "I hope you two are decent enough for me to bring your breakfast in there for you?" I heardughter in Chay''s voice as she spoke.


    I had hired four people to work the house for me. One upside was that I didn''t need to cook for everyone anymore, though I would cook for Star anytime she asked. A drawback, Chay and others would bring my meals to me if I was not at the table when the meal was served.


    "Do not open that door yet." I yelled at her.


    "Yeah, I figured as much." Chay was stillughing.


    When I turned to look at Star I saw the redness in her face was at an all time high.


    "It''s ok, sweetheart, just get dressed and then we will have breakfast together." She nodded but didn''t say anything. I turned and began looking for the clothes that I had thrown off in a hurry the night before. Star on the other hand ran for her dresser and closet so she could get something new to wear.


    When she wasing out of the bathroom, fully dressed, I was walking toward the door to open it.


    "Took you long enough." Chay snapped at me when the door was opened.


    "We hurried as quickly as we could." I snapped back at her, still holding my shirt in my hand as I red at her.


    "Hmm." I saw a curiosity that I didn''t understand enter Chay''s eyes before she started toward the table and where Star was sitting.


    Chay sat the tray down and looked intently at Star who was looking nervous.


    "I''m proud of you." Chay''s voice was soft and not at all condescending. "And I am happy for my brother. He got what he wanted."


    "What are you talking about?" I shouted at her which made Star jump and Chayugh.


    "Don''t act like I''m not right." She leaned forward and pushed Star''s long hair to the side. "You marked Star without having to wait for the pack to assemble. Weren''t you grumbling about that tradition justst week?"


    "What?" I started toward the table, closing the distance with long strides. "How did you know I marked her before you had even seen it for yourself?" I was worried now that my sister was some sort of mind reader.


    "I saw your mark first." She had a hint ofughter in her voice again.


    "Huh?" I was definitely very confused by her words.


    "I take it you haven''t looked in the mirror yet." She turned to look at me. "But you have a mark right here." Chay reached up and touched the spot where Star had bitten mest night.


    "Are you serious?" I was floored. "I didn''t know men could get marks." I was walking toward the dresser now, and toward the mirror that was sitting above it.


    When I looked at my reflection I saw that Chay had indeed been telling the truth. There was a mark right there. It was the outline of a wolf''s paw with a star and a crescent moon inside of it. It represented the two of us, Astraia and Artem, the star and the moon.


    "I''m sorry." Star sounded upset. "I didn''t mean to."


    "Star." I turned to smile at her before I raced to her side. I picked her up from the chair and held her close to me while I nted my lips against hers. "Don''t apologize. This means that you are special. You marked me, it''s not something that men can usually say. I am happy about this, don''t worry at all because you didn''t do anything wrong."


    "Really?" She asked me as she looked into my eyes.


    "Yes."


    I pushed her hair aside to look at her mark then. It was identical to mine and right where I had bitten her. I leaned forward and kissed the mark with glee.


    "Ugh, can you wait to do that when I am not around?" Chay pretended to be disgusted.


    "Can you leave right now then?" I asked her with a slight amount of annoyance.


    "Fine, I wille back to talk to Star when you''re not here, you big perv." She rolled her eyes then left the room.

 Chapter 109 - Star - Moving

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Once Chay left the room Artem and I sat down to breakfast. I was still worried about what we had found out this morning. I didn''t know what a mark meant nor why I had one. We both started eating our omelets, toast, and bacon but I couldn''t stay silent. I needed to ask some questions.


    "Artem?"


    "Yeah?" He was still smiling even though it had been several minutes. He was obviously happy.


    "What is a mark?"


    "Oh, we haven''t exined that part yet? I''m so sorry Star." He really did look like he was saddened by that fact. "A mark is also known as a mate mark. It shows other wolves and supernatural beings like us that you have a mate, that you are taken. In a sense it shows them all that you are not to be messed with. Plus it is a link between us. If you''re in trouble I should know it because of the mark I ced on you."


    "But, men don''t usually get marks, right? That''s what you said."


    "No, it doesn''t usually happen, but I am happy that I have one. It is a sign of my love and devotion to you and I will always be happy to have this mark." I loved his kind hearted sincerity.


    "What does my mark look like? I saw yours but what does mine look like?" He grinned again as he looked in the direction of my mark.


    "It is identical to mine. They matchpletely."


    "Really?" That made me very happy.


    "And they''re unique because the usual mark of the pack is the outline of a wolf''s paw that is filled with a pattern distinct to that male. Ours have the star and moon that represent us perfectly."


    "I like that." I felt the blush creep back up into my cheeks. Dang it, I had just gotten that blush to go away. "I like that our marks and our names go together. Astraia and Artemis, star and moon. It''s like we were meant to be."


    "We were meant to be. That''s what the mate bond means. We were born for each other. And I, for once, never n to take you for granted."


    "Artem." I sighed his name.


    "You know, I love it when you say my name, but I loved it even more when you screamed my whole name." I couldn''t help it, I made a distressed sort of squealing sound and covered my face to hide the ming blush that was in my cheeks.


    "Eeep!" That sound made Artemugh with something that was smooth and rough at the same time. I actually felt hisughter.


    "I mean it. I want you to use my whole name when we''re together. It was exciting and arousing, and sweet all at the same time." His voice was so warm and seductive. "Will you please do that for me?" I finally pulled my face from my hands and looked at him with shocked eyes. He looked so desperate, like he was pleading with me.


    "Uh huh." I agreed as simply as I could.


    "Then I can''t wait until the next time that I make you scream." I was both looking forward to and dreading that next time. Oh Goddess, what am I going to do with him?


    Following breakfast I wanted a shower. I wasn''t quite ready to have one with Artem yet so he went to his room to take his own shower and get dressed. I could feel the memories of everything that we had donest night. I must have a very vivid memory and imagination because I could feel his hands on me still. I could feel where his mouth was. Damn this was going to be bad if I couldn''t curb this desire of mine.


    After I was showered and dried off I went to get dressed again. I got different clothes than the ones I had on this morning when I had still been dirty from the night before. I didn''t want to put dirty clothes on now that I was clean.


    Almost as soon as I was dressed Artem knocked on my door.


    "Come in." I called out to him as I was still near the closet. He didn''t hesitate, he just opened the door and came in with a smile.


    I watched as Artem looked at me with a loving smile and walked right to my side. He kissed my cheek and hugged me gently.


    "I am back, sweetheart."


    "I noticed." Iughed at him. "Did you need something else?"


    "I came to help you move to my ce." He was grinning.


    "Your ce? Aren''t we already in your ce?" I wasughing because I knew what he meant, I just wanted to give him a hard time.


    "To my room in my ce." He rified with a smirk.


    "I was actually just thinking about how I should go about it. I don''t need to take anything except my clothes and bathroom stuff right? You have all the furniture so we don''t need that."


    "Yup, all you need is your clothes, toiletries, and books. I already made room for you. You will have two dressers and a closet to yourself."


    "Such luxury." We bothughed at that.


    Artem and I worked together to move the clothes from my old closet to my new one. It took longer because everytime that Artem passed by me he insisted on kissing my cheek, forehead, or lips.


    My books were moved to the bookcase in his room where they joined the dozens that he had in there already. My dressers were on my side of the bed, which was the farthest from the door and happened to be the side that I usually slept on anyway.


    After some time we managed to put everything in its ce. And I said goodbye to my old room. Now that everything was where it needed to be I took a minute to look around the room.


    There was the same amount of furniture in the room. They were just bigger pieces of that furniture. The bed looked bigger than the one I was used to and the dressers all had at least four more drawers in them.


    The closets were bigger as well. I could fit everything I owned five times over in that closet. When Artem saw that he looked at me with a smile and spoke with aughing tone.


    "Looks like I need to take you shopping more." He winked at me as if that was something that he was looking forward to."


    "I don''t need more stuff though, do I?"


    "You most definitely do." He was still grinning. "And I will happily buy it all for you."


    I noticed that aside from the size of the stuff in the room the color scheme was different too. My room had been very feminine which was nice, but this room had been done in shades of blue and green. The bed had light blue sheets and a dark greenforter. The couch was dark blue with light green pillows. The curtains were dark blue on the outer part but light green and sheer on the inside closer to the window.


    I actually really liked it. Not to mention that the whole floor was a dark hardwood and there were a few different rugs with blue and green scattered around the room.


    "I like it in here, it''s nice." I smiled at him as I slowly adjusted to my new room that I would share with him.


    "I am looking forward to all the days and nights toe." I didn''t miss the suggestive note that was there in his voice.


    We had lunch together at the table in the room and then I went to study or read something in the library while Artem went to work for the rest of the day. He was apparently waiting for a response from the Warlocks he had sent a message to recently. He was trying his best to help the boys he had rescued and was trying toe up with a n that would help to reform the entire pack. I had faith in him and I knew that he would manage to do it.


    It waste by the time I actually made it to the library so I decided to just read while everyone finished up their studies. I was sitting in the cushioned window seat at the back of the room where the sun could shine down on me and the book as it moved to that side of the house.


    Before I knew it, my story of love and romance that I was reading was forgotten and I was drifting off to sleep with my head pressed against the window sill.


    I had a dream of the very distant past. I dreamt of a woman who was pretty and had simr features to mine but she was slightly blurred so I couldn''t see her very well. Was she my mother? I honestly couldn''t remember her face anymore. In the dream she was pointing at a man across a room whispering something to me.


    "See that man, baby girl. That''s your daddy. He doesn''t want anything to do with mommy right now but he wille to know and love you some day. I just know it."


    I couldn''t see the man all that clearly so I must have been really young. I could make out what looked like dark green hair and that was about it. I saw a tiny baby hand swing into my vision and determined it must have been my own hand. Was I reaching for the man that was my father or was I reaching for my mother?


    What was this dream telling me?

 Chapter 110 - Artem - Help Is Finally Coming

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    After things had settled down following Star''s rescue I had tried searching for someone that could help the rest of the talisman wearing kids. No one I had met so far knew anything about the talismans and Doc''s research into them hasn''t yielded much information at all. I was up against a wall with nowhere to turn.


    That had been when I remembered the business card I had gotten back in the beginning of April. It had literally been just days after I took over the pack.


    I had gotten a visit from an FBI agent from Colorado. Odd huh, that she was from the same ce that my Star was from. Was she somehow tied into all of this? Or was she following a lead of her own that led her to us because of some shared history with our pack?


    If I remember correctly she said that she had experience with Warlocks and other super naturals. Perhaps I should give her a call.


    It had been almost four weeks after I saved Star that I called the FBI Agent. Her name was Special Agent Rawlynne Otsana, ording to her card. When I dialed the number she answered after only two rings.


    "This is Otsana." It sounded like it was a cellphone and not an office phone that she needed to answer in an official capacity.


    "Agent Otsana?" I asked, just to make sure I had the right person.


    "Yeah, who is this?" She was definitely a strong willed person, that was for sure.


    "I don''t know if you remember me, my name is Artemis Cooper, the new Alpha of the Hidden Paw wolf pack in northern California."


    "Yeah, I remember you. What can I do for you Artemis?" Good, I didn''t have to exin everything, just the issue I was having.


    "We have an issue with some talismans that were created by a warlock a long time ago. I remember you saying that you had experience with warlocks. Do you think you know of anyone that might be able to help us?"


    "I know plenty of warlocks, and I am sure someone could help you out. Their Queen and the elder are out of the country for the time being but I can contact someone for you. What exactly is it you need from them?" She sounded friendly enough, I had gotten that vibe from her when I met her a couple months back.


    "Well, there are half a dozen boys, maybe even more, who have been wearing wolf blocking talismans. Several of these boys have died over the years due to neglect and abuse, but I have rescued these six. I''m not certain if there are more in the area or not, I need to run a full sweep of the pack to find out."


    "Who the fuck would put something like that onto children?" She sounded pissed off.


    "They were given to our pack to persecute and punish weak wolves. The warlock''s name was Gannon."


    "Figures it''d be that sick son of a bitch." I heard her growl into the phone.


    "So you know who he is?"


    "Yeah, he''s currently been targeting another pack and he''s a crazy asshole that seems to stop at nothing. Do you know why he did this to your pack?"


    I could tell that Agent Otsana wanted the whole story. She wanted all of the details that I had to offer. So, I detailed them for her. I told her about the boys being taken away to never be seen again. I told her about the encouraged abuse and the dark history of our pack. I even told her why it was that I had decided to be the Alpha and change the fate of the pack.


    "I can tell that your people have been through a lot." There was a note of sorrow in her voice as she spoke. "Have you had any dealings with the Warlock named Gannon? Have you seen him there recently?"


    "Unfortunately I haven''t. I have, however, dealt with his son."


    "His son?" That seemed to surprise her more than I thought.


    "Yeah, a sick pervert son of a bitch that kidnapped my mate and tried to marry and rape her. He wanted to create hybrid babies or some stupid shit like that."


    "Like father, like son I see." She sighed into the phone. "The new Luna Queen is the product of Gannon''s nasty ass experiments."


    "What did you just say?" I think I just heard the words Luna Queen. "What in the world is a Luna Queen?"


    "You don''t know? Damn that pack of yours really is in the dark. The Luna Queen is the living embodiment of the Moon Goddess Nehalennia. She is the Queen of all the shifters."


    "Holy shit!" I nearly yelled. "I never knew something like that existed. And you''re telling me she is the daughter of that disgusting warlock Gannon? Can she even be trusted?"


    "Don''t ever doubt Trinity." She growled at me. "She is the greatest Luna you could ever ask for."


    "I didn''t mean to offend her. I just know what Gannon''s son was like."


    "Yeah, I never knew he had other living children. That was definitely news to me. I will need to pass this information on to her and let her decide what to do, but she won''t be back for a little while longer."


    "Well, is there someone else that you can notify of our situation?"


    "Yeah, I will let the rest of the Warlocks know. The good ones so there will be nothing to fear."


    "Thank you."


    It had been a little over a week now since I had called Agent Otsana to let her know what had happened here. Finally I was receiving word from the Warlocks. They were sending two of them here to see us. Two older warlocks that were named Henrich Asten and Lionel Fritz. They would being here in two days.


    The night that I had heard from the Warlocks about them sending some people I had been thinking a lot about Star. I wanted to ask her out on a date, somewhere just the two of us could go and be alone together.


    Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that when I got to her room that night she would pounce on me like a hungry she-wolf. But I wasn''t going toin. I enjoyed every minute of it and the following morning when everything just got better and better.


    Star had not regretted that night, we had been together intimately and woken up toplete bliss. Best of all, I had asked Star to move into my room and she agreed. Things were definitely turning around for me.


    After an awkward moment with my sister, where I found out I was marked, the two of us had breakfast and then went to shower in our currently separate bathrooms. Following that though, I helped Star to move all of her things into my room. It had taken longer because I kept kissing Star every time I passed by her. I was just too happy not to.


    Later that afternoon, after lunch, I went to my office and responded to messages and took care of some business. I wanted to be prepared for when the Warlocks got here tomorrow. I would not let there be any unfinished business.


    After finishing up the work in my office I went to find my mate. She wasn''t in the room and ording to her cousins they hadst seen her reading in the library. So that''s where I was heading. I could smell her in there as I got closer. I could also hear the gentle rhythm of her breathing and the steady thumping of her heart beat. All these sounds and smells were like a part of me now, I would never forget them at all.


    When I pushed the door to the library open and followed my nose to the back of the room I found that my sweet little mate had fallen asleep while reading her book. She was so beautiful sitting there with her head against the window sill. The sun had gone down quite some time ago so she must have been sleeping for a while.


    I pulled the book from her hands gently and set it aside. After that I scooped her into my arms and carried her back to our room. Oh how wonderful did that sound. Our room. The room I shared with the woman I love. The room where so much love would be shared.


    When I got to the room Iid Star gently in the bed, resting her head on the pillows. I had dinner in the room, and left hers sitting there in case she woke up and was hungry. I could always call down to the kitchen if she needed or wanted something else.


    She didn''t wake up though, and after I brushed my teeth and stripped down to my boxers I climbed into the bed with her and held her close until I fell asleep. This was truly bliss. To sleep like this tonight and every night toe. I was definitely a happy man with a very happy wolf.

 Chapter 111 - Star - The Warlocks Come To Visit

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    For some reason I woke up in Artem''s bed. Well, I guess it was my bed now too. I was wrapped in his arms and it was still dark out. I looked at the clock and saw it was just before five in the morning.


    I must have fallen asleep and Artem brought me back here. I was starving though since I missed dinnerst night. Oh well, I could just eat extra for breakfast today.


    I did my best not to wake Artem as I got out of the bed. I think I managed it since I didn''t see him stirring at all when I left his side.


    Once I was out of the bed I silently made my way to the bathroom for a shower. I turned on the hot water and climbed into the gently cascading stream as I thought about the dream I had hadst night.


    I think I dreamt about my mom. I think I pulled up some long repressed hard to reach memory from when I was a really little girl. The dream made me uneasy though and I don''t know why.


    Maybe it''s because I had seen a vague picture of my father in the dream. Maybe it''s because I had seen my mother for the first time since I was two. Whatever the reason though, I knew that I needed to get a look at that box of things my mother left behind.


    When I was cleaned and dried off I realized my mistake. I hade into the bathroom without getting something new to wear first. This was going to be embarrassing. What if Artem woke up?


    Well, as long as I could stay quiet I would be fine, right? Or so I thought.


    As soon as I started to slowly open the door back to the bedroom it was pulled out of my light grasp and opened wide. I jumped with the shock of someone opening the door, a move that made me identally drop my towel.


    Artem was standing on the other side of the door, a sleepy look in his eyes that was slowly dissipating now that he saw me.


    "Well, that''s a lovely sight first thing in the morning." He was grinning with a heated look in his eyes.


    "Huh?" I looked down with embarrassment, pretty certain of what I would see. The sight of my naked body standing there for him to see made me squeal with fright and shame.


    "No need to worry about it, sweetheart." Artem reached for my waist and pulled me toward him. "I like it. It''s a great way to get my blood pumping." He nuzzled my cheek as he spoke. "Though all that blood seems to be going straight to one ce."


    "You''re such an animal." I joked with him. I had learned how to act this way ever since I had watched some of the shows that Chay had turned on for me. I knew exactly what he was implying with hisment and I knew exactly how to respond.


    "Can you me me? I am a wolf after all." He growled yfully as he lifted me from the floor and held me in his arms and against his chest.


    "I don''t know. I guess that all depends onter." I nuzzled my cheek onto his shoulder, the one that I had ended up marking.


    "Nnnnrrrgghh." He moaned low and long from the feel of my face against his mark. "That feeling, it''s better than I ever thought it would be. It''s like an added arousal point." He nuzzled into my neck then and licked my mark.


    "Ahh, stop, don''t do that." I moaned and pped him on his shoulder at the same time.


    "But it''s fun." I could feel him grinning against my neck.


    "Yeah, well, we need to get ready for the day."


    "Ugh, you''re right. I know you''re right. But that doesn''t make it any easier." He was practically whining.


    "There''s alwayster." I teased him.


    "I like the sound of that."


    With that he set me on the floor and kissed my cheek quickly.


    "Get dressed, I''m going to shower. But maybe we can shower together tomorrow." He winked at me as I ran into the other room. Goddess, I think this man was bad for my heart.


    I dressed in a hurry, making sure I didn''t have too much exposed skin. I didn''t want to distract Artem too much today. I had a n that I wanted to talk to Artem about and if he said yes, I would be spending a lot of time with him soon.


    Artem showered then dressed, something he had to run naked through the room to do. I''m sure he could have worn a towel but I guess I had entered the room naked as well. Once he was ready for his day I approached him with my idea.


    "Artem?"


    "Yeah baby?" That was a new one, was he going to use these nicknames all the time?


    "Can I help you with pack work?" That seemed to surprise him.


    "Star?" He looked at me with wide eyes before he continued. "Are you sure you want to do that?"


    "Well, I heard from the others that the Luna is supposed to help with things that have to do with the pack. I am the Luna, right? So I want to help you as much as I can."


    "That''s wonderful." He was grinning and picked me up again. This time, with his hands on my waist and our foreheads pressed together, Artem spun a few times in a happy little circle. "Yes, you can help. I can teach you all about the pack and the way things are for us. I am still trying to reform everything so that the pack will run smoother. I just smiled at him happily, knowing that I was going to help him with his work from now on. I now had a purpose to my long days.


    We went down to breakfast together and ate with everyone. The boys were looking excited but I couldn''t help but notice that Julian and Flint were looking a little pale. Were they under the weather? But how could that be? One thing I did know was that wolves never really got sick.


    Following the meal I went with Artem to his office. It was a room I had been in only once and my eyes had been closed the entire time. So this was the first time I was seeing the space for myself.


    Artem''s office wasrge and manly. That was the only way I could think to describe it. And I was in awe when I saw him walk behind hisrge desk and sit in the massive chair that was there. I decided to look around the room a bit while he got himself situated.


    I was looking at the bookshelf and a curious looking set of books, Dionario de Real Academia Espa?, when there was a knock on the door. Artem looked up and sighed.


    "They''re earlier than I expected."


    "Who? I can only smell Kent out there." I didn''t know who he was talking about.


    "The warlocks. They sent someone to talk to us about the remaining talismans on the others."


    "Really? But I don''t smell anyone else out there. Are you sure they''re here?"


    "They''re either at the door with Kent or waiting downstairs for me." He got to his feet and slowly crossed to the door. "We wolves can''t smell them. It''s a pain but that''s just how things are."


    Artem didn''t seem worried at all but I was nervous about this situation. I knew he was going to meet with warlocks soon, but I didn''t have very good memories or experiences that resulted from warlocks. None of us really did.


    When Artem opened the door there stood Kent, alert and ready like he was ufortable about something. Beside Kent were two men in long silver cloaks with ck designs all over them.


    "Alpha Artem, these are the Warlocks that you invited, Henrich Asten and Lionel Fritz." The men were old, with gray hair and wrinkles around their eyes. Their faces looked kind and they seemed like good people, but I knew all too well that looks could be deceiving.


    "Wee gentlemen." Artem gave them a friendly smile as he stepped to the side and weed them into the room. "Won''t you pleasee in and have a seat, I am certain that we have a lot to discuss and share with each other."


    I watched as the men entered the room and sat at the chairs in front of the desk. Artem walked toward me before going to his desk. He took my hand and pulled me along with him. I thought he would lead me to another chair but he just sat behind his desk and pulled me onto hisp as he sat down. Well, this was going to be awkward.

 Chapter 112 - Artem - The Warlocks Come To Visit

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The morning had started off exciting, with a lovely view of my mate''s naked body. But before I could do anything she reminded me that I had work to do today, though she did tell me that we could always do somethingter. I was really looking forward to that.


    I was also happy when Star asked me if she could be more active in the business of the pack. She wanted to be a real Luna and that made me both happy and proud all at the same time.


    During breakfast I noticed that Star looked a little distracted and worried while she was looking at the talisman wearing boys. She was concerned about them, that was in to see. She was already a caring Luna, she just didn''t know it yet.


    I took her to my office and she began to explore while I sat behind myrge desk. I noticed she was exploring the bookcase and had just picked up one of the two doom books that Chay had thrown at me before.That was not a pleasant memory. Thankfully I survived that night and lived to tell the tale. That fucking book hurt like hell.


    It was surprising though, that Star would feel drawn to that book. Damn my mom''s family foring from Mexico, if my Aunt Criztie hadn''t sent us those books I wouldn''t have been hit with them.


    I hadn''t even been in the office for five minutes by the time that Kent had knocked on the door. I could smell him and only him. But that didn''t mean anything since wolves were incapable of smelling a warlock. It did make me wonder though, if that stench that Howard had was from his demon side. That probably was the exact reason but I wouldn''t know.


    "They''re earlier than I expected." I sighed.


    "Who? I can only smell Kent out there." I could tell that Star was a little nervous after hearing my words.


    "The warlocks. They sent someone to talk to us about the remaining talismans on the others."


    "Really? But I don''t smell anyone else out there. Are you sure they''re here?"


    "They''re either at the door with Kent or waiting downstairs for me." I got to my feet and exined things to her as I walked. "We wolves can''t smell them. It''s a pain but that''s just how things are."


    When I opened the door I saw Kent standing alert and ready. It looked like he was ufortable about something. Beside him were the two warlocks dressed in long silver cloaks that had ck designs decorating them.


    "Alpha Artem, these are the Warlocks that you invited, Henrich Asten and Lionel Fritz." The men were really old and really gray with wrinkles around their eyes.


    "Wee gentlemen." I gave them a friendly smile and stepped to the side to let them into the room. "Won''t you pleasee in and have a seat, I am certain that we have a lot to discuss and share with each other."


    Once the men were seated in front of my desk I saw that Kent had slid inside as well, standing guard just behind the warlocks. I walked to Star and saw that she instinctively put the book down before I reached her. When I took her hand I pulled her behind me and sat her on myp as I sat in my desk chair. There was no seat of honor for Star yet so I would be her seat.


    Now that we were all in our proper positions it was time to start the meeting.


    "Thank you foring gentlemen. As you know, my name is Artemis Cooper, you''ve met my Beta, Kent Hall, and this here is my mate Astraia Westbrook."


    "We are honored to be here to assist you. I am Henrich, and this is my associate Lionel." The older of the men was speaking to me now, would men this old be of any use to me at all?


    "Why don''t you tell us what the issue you''re having is. The secretary exined as best as she could but I do not believe that she understood it allpletely."


    "Yes, she seemed to think that your problem had to do with the most notorious criminal among our kind." Henrich spoke again after Lionel had asked me to exin.


    I took a deep breath and looked around the room. The other two wolves in this room with me had suffered the most of those in my inner circle. They were the ones most affected by what had happened aside from the boys who still had the talismans on them.


    "Our issue is that a warlock had long ago visited our quiet little town. Generations ago he came here and convinced the people here that he knew how to determine the max power level that a male wolf would be. The males were the only ones that had been affected at the time."


    I closed my eyes and clearly pictured the story that I had been told with vivid detail. I imagined the emotions that Daniel and the others felt at the time: the fear, the heartache, the sorrow, the confusion.


    "Long ago the warlock came here and took those boys that were supposedly weak and wouldn''t amount to much. He bought them from their families and they were never seen again. There were experiments that would take ce in the dead of the night where men and children were heard screaming in pain. After some time the man left but he told the townsfolk that he would be back and he expected them to continue the way of life he had taught them. And that was exactly as they had done.


    I felt my voice shake a little as my mind shifted to my own personal memories. To the boys who were still suffering, to Nico, to Lenny. The boys who have been treated that waytely have had things worse in a way. They are being beaten, starved, and imprisoned by their familie. They are dying."


    "That''s horrible." Henrich sounded appalled by what he was hearing.


    "I lost my best friend to the curse of this pack when I was eight years old. My Beta''s brother was imprisoned and is now nothing but a feral wolf. I have managed to save half a dozen boys now, but they all still wear the talismans that the warlock gave to this pack."


    "Why not remove them? Or are you unable to do that?" Lionel was the most curious apparently.


    "We did that once. We removed one the moment we got the boy here. When the talisman was removed the boy shifted into the wolf that had been imprisoned his entire life. The wolf went feral and the boy has been lost to us, at least for now." I saw Kent lower his head, the sorrow that was weighing him down would never leave him, at least not as long as his brother was lost.


    "What was the name of the warlock that was here before? Who did this to your pack?"


    "His name was Gannon."


    Apparently that was a name that neither of these men had been wanting to hear. They both gasped and seemed to pull back, like they wanted to get away from me.


    "Gannon?" Henrich sounded very scared as he spoke.


    "Yes, that was his name. Even his son called him Gannon."


    "SON?!" Both men eximed at the exact same moment.


    "Yes, he was a half warlock half demon that was posing as a wolf. He seemed to be best at mour type magics as he was more skilled at illusion than anything else."


    "Where is the son now?" Henrich was frightened by this new development."


    "I killed him. Almost six weeks ago now."


    "Y-you''re positive he is dead?" Lionel was looking just as scared as Henrich.


    "I ripped off his wing, horn, both arms, and both legs. After that I crushed his heart. Yeah, I would say that I am pretty certain that he is dead." Both men gulped and looked at me like they were afraid of me now.


    "W-well, I would say that the son being dead was a good thing. Especially if he was half demon. I don''t even want to think about how that came to happen."


    "I couldn''t tell you." I shook my head at the thought. "Would you gentlemen like to meet the six boys that I want you to help me save?"


    "Yes, let''s go."


    We all got to our feet and started to leave the room. Just as Kent got to the door so that he could hold it open for the two older men there was a dual cry of surprise and shock. I saw an intense look wash over their faces and a light sheen of sweat break out across their foreheads.


    "Is something wrong?" I asked them as I grabbed Henrich''s elbow so that I could help him stand.


    "There has been a summons from our Queen." Henrich looked scared. "The warlock Gannon has started his next attack. He is traveling now and we are to get home." The moment he finished speaking a cell phone began to ring in Lionel''s pocket.


    The iing call was from those at the Warlock headquarters. There had really been a summons, at least that was what it seemed like. The two men apologized frantically and told us they would be back with more help when the issue with their summons had been cleared up. I was angry but there was not much I could do.


    The boys would just have to hold on a little longer.

 Chapter 113 - Star - Talismans

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I had been shocked to see the Warlocks leave so abruptly. We were just taking them to see the boys that needed help when they acted like they were frightened by something. They were out of there within minutes. It was like a whirlwind.


    Though, the problem was, I didn''t think that Julian wouldst much longer with his talisman on. I had learned through Uncle Howard and Artem that the boys had different talismans than I did.


    The talismans the boys were wearing were meant to destroy their wolves, but mine had been meant to enve me. That was the fundamental difference between them. The boys would not survive if their wolves werepletely destroyed.


    I didn''t know what I could do to help them but I wanted to be with them as much as I could right now. There were things I wanted, and needed, to do but I could wait on them for right now. I wanted to look through the box of things from my mother. I wanted to spend more time with my cousins. I wanted to go on dates with Artem. And I wanted to get to know my great great grandfather who had given Artem some much needed information.


    Over thest six weeks I had been selfish and I had focused on myself. But Chay told me that was a good thing. She said that I needed to be my own person before I took care of the others too much.


    I think I am done growing now though. Any more development to who I am as a person will have toe with my hands-on experience of being the Luna to Artem''s Alpha. I would just have to figure everything out as I went. How to manage the pack, how to be a good Luna, and how to be the real me.


    Maybe I am so confused on how to be me because I was meant to be the Luna and I haven''t really started doing that yet.


    It was the day after the Warlocks had been here and I was in the library with the boys, studying. I was having fun learning with them and I was supposed to take a high school equivalency exam soon. From there I would decide if I wanted to go straight to college or wait a little bit. But just knowing that I was capable would make me feel really good.


    My cousins really were wonderful teachers, they didn''t just help me but all the kids. Everyone was learning so much, they were all smart kids.


    That felt weird, calling them kids. I knew that I wasn''t that much older than them, but I just felt like our experiences and the things we have been through have made us grow up at different rates. Still, I felt weird thinking I was so much older than them.


    It was mid afternoon now and we were all working on different art projects. I was helping Cohen and Dalton make mobiles of thes while the others did their own things. Cohen and Dalton were the youngest of the boys that were with us and had taken quite the shine to me. They liked me to work with them quite often.


    Everything was running smoothly, no issues whatsoever. That is until there were half a dozen different zes of bright purple light.


    Every boy in the room had what looked like a ring of purple fire circling around a different part of their bodies. Some had the ring on their arms. Others around their necks. Andstly some had the fire on their legs.


    Aside from the fire there were screams of pain. All six of the boys suddenly copsed to the floor with shouts and cries of intense pain. I didn''t know what was going on but it scared me.


    I held seven year old Cohen and six year old Dalton against my chest, doing my best to sooth them but not knowing how.


    "Reed, go get Doc and Artem, now." I didn''t mean to give him amand or tell him what to do, but he would get there faster than I would.


    "Yeah, I''m on it." He didn''t protest at all, he just ran out the door and was on his way immediately.


    "Bailey, help the others toy down properly." Some of the boys, especially the older ones, were stillying partially on their chairs from where they had fallen to the side.


    "Alright." Again, I was just saying what was instinctual for me, I didn''t mean to act like I knew more than he did, but he also followed my prompting immediately.


    "S-Star it...it hurts." Cohen cried out then as he tried to grab onto my arm. "W-what''s happening?" I wish I could tell him what was wrong, why this was happening. I wish I knew what it was. It reminded me of what had happened when my talisman came off but the color was different and the pain came after it fell away. My pain didn''t hit me until I was shifting into my wolf for the first time after it came off.


    "I don''t know, buddy, but we will figure it out." I tried to give him the mostforting smile I could muster. "Doc ising and he is a smart man, he will figure it all out."


    Right on cue the door burst open with Doc running in the lead followed by Artem, Kent, Reed, Toby and Morgan.


    "What happened?" Doc demanded when he saw the state of the six boysying on the floor.


    "They all were suddenly ringed with this light and started screaming." Bailey answered him before I could.


    "Doc, could it be their talismans? Could they being off of them like mine didst month?" I was hopeful. I wanted them all to be OK.


    "This looks like when you shifted, but you had a red light." Artem answered for Doc.


    "But my talisman was made by Uncle Howard, not that Warlock that started all this. Maybe his are a different color?"


    "Maybe." Doc mused for a moment as he knelt next to Flint. "Their heart rates are elerated and they seem like they''re all about to lose consciousness." I could hear the worry and fear in Doc''s voice as he spoke. "We need to get them to the infirmary."


    Just as Doc was about to pick up the boy next to him the lights that were ringing the boys red to an even more intense shade of purple. There was no heating off of it but it was bright enough to hurt the eyes. The eight of us that were not covered in the light or writhing in pain all needed to squint or shield our eyes from the intensity of it all.


    Secondster, when the light faded all of the screaming seemed to just stop as well. Then, one by one, six bright purple strips of fabric seemed to fall from the boys onto the floor. They were indeed the talismans that the boys had been wearing.


    The magic in the talismans seemed to have disappeared. They were just the markers now. It was simr to what happened to me but more intense and scary.


    Now the boys would be alright, right? They should be able to heal, to grow, to shift. This was the best thing that could happen to them, right? And this must mean that the evil Warlock, Gannon, was dead. These were all good things, right?


    So, why then, were none of the boys moving? Why were all their eyes closed? Why was it that Cohen and Dalton wereying limp and lifeless in my arms?


    My heart had stopped. I really don''t think that it was beating anymore at all. I was scared. I was beyond worried about the boys as I looked at each and everyone of their still, motionless faces.


    I saw Artem, the fear and the heartache that was clear as day on his face. He had worked hard to save these boys. He had worked hard to change their futures and he now looked like he felt like a failure.


    ''Artem.'' I wanted to call out to him but I couldn''t, so I just said his name inside my head.


    Kent, Toby, Morgan, and Doc all likewise looked like they were scared and heartbroken. How could we have failed the boys like this? How could this have happened to them? What did we do wrong?


    I felt the tears beginning to sting the back of my eyes. I felt the need to cry over what had happened right before my eyes. I pulled the two very small and very young boys to me, against my chest, and hugged them tight.


    I kissed their foreheads, then their eyes, and next their cheeks. That was when I felt the slight stirring of air against my cheek. Just enough to move the hairs by my ear. I pulled away then, shock written on my stunned face.

 Chapter 114 - Artem - To The Infirmary

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    It had only been a matter of seconds since the light had faded. I think we were all stunned by the intensity of what had just happened. I saw that Star was cradling two of the boys against her and Doc was feverishly checking the boy in front of him.


    The two of them sat up straight at the same time and they were both wearing matching looks of shock and awe.


    "They''re alive." The two of them said in unison.


    "What?" Kent sounded disbelieving but also relieved.


    "Thank the Goddess." Toby heaved the words on a sigh.


    "What''s wrong with them?" Morgan asked Doc.


    "Let''s get them out of here." I rounded them out.


    "They all appear to beatose." That shocked me. What would cause this? How could this happen? We needed answers.


    Before the answers, though, we needed to take care of all the boys. Toby, Kent, Morgan, Doc, and myself all went to pick up a boy. I took Cohen from Star who then stood carrying Dalton herself.


    The six of us walked with Bailey and Reed leading the way to the infirmary. The two of them held the double doors open when we got to our destination. The six of us carrying the children walked to different beds andid them all down gently.


    The boys looked like they were sleeping. They weren''t moving. They were breathing but it was very shallow.


    What could we do for them right now? What was there that we could possibly do to fix this? I needed to talk to someone about what had happened.


    "Doc, can I leave this to you?" I asked him with a voice that was thick and shaking with worry.


    "Yes. I am going to get them all hooked up to monitors. I don''t know what to do here but I want to make sure I can see their vitals at all times. I don''t want to miss something."


    "Sounds good. I will leave you to that. Toby, Morgan, why don''t the two of you stay to help."


    "Yes, Sir." Toby nodded at me.


    "Sure thing." Morgan was still looking at the lifeless bodies of the six boys.


    "Star?" I held my hand out to her, hoping she woulde with me.


    I knew that this had been a shock to Star. I knew that she needed to get out of here or she would drive herself crazy. I was happy when she reached out and took my hand with no hesitation. I wanted to take her away from here and make her stop thinking about this.


    But I knew that was impossible. She would think about those boys until they woke up. She would not stop worrying until we fixed this. I knew that Star was just that kind of caring person.


    I wrapped my arm around Star''s waist and held her against me, our hands still locked together as we crossed them over our bodies. With her body pressed against me I felt a little calmer than I did before.


    I pulled her with me out of the room then, guiding her toward my office. No, that wasn''t right. She was the Luna and I was the Alpha. This should be our office. I would need to have another desk and chair brought in for her. She needed to know I counted her as my equal.


    For now, though, I just pulled Star back to myp. Sitting her in the exact same position as she had been inst time. She didn''t fight it and she seemedfortable enough. And now that we were settled it was time for me to make a few phone calls.


    I first tried to call Agent Otsana of the FBI. But she didn''t answer at all. Then I tried calling the Warlocks at their headquarters in the mountains of Colorado. Again, there was no answer.


    What the hell was going on here?


    Next, I called the Alpha of the pack from the next city over. They were the Crescent Moon wolf pack that was named for the bay. This time I finally got word from someone, but it wasn''t the Alpha. It was his Luna.


    "I''m sorry, Artem, but Will is not here. He flew to Coloradost night."


    "Colorado? Why is everythinging down to Colorado?" I was so perplexed right now.


    "Perhaps it''s because more people don''t know about your pack, but you should have received a summons too. There was a massive fight with the Luna Queen''s pack and an evil warlock." That seemed a little too coincidental.


    "Was this the warlock known as Gannon?" I had to ask even though I didn''t know if she would be able to answer me at all.


    "I don''t know his whole name. I know that Will called him Edmond but I think that was hisst name."


    "So it''s possible then? Hmm." I wonder if this battle had anything to do with the boy''s talismans being deactivated. "I will try again to get a hold of someone. Do you have anyone that I can contact in the Luna Queen''s pack? I don''t even know anything about her."


    "Yeah, let me get you some contact info."


    There was a brief pause before Will''s Luna came back on the line.


    "This is a number that will reach their Beta. His name is Noah, their Alpha is Reece and the Luna is Trinity. Trinity is now the Luna Queen which makes Reece the Alpha King. Make sure you speak to them ordingly." Her warning was not needed. I was always polite, to those that deserved it. If you''re a piece of scum then that''s how I treated you.


    "Thank you."


    I hung up the call and sighed. I tried calling Agent Otsana again as well as the Warlocks. No one answered me. They must all have been summoned to help against the threat that they were facing. Why wasn''t I summoned like the others?


    Oh well, I could think about thatter. I needed to get help for those boys. I needed to get someone here that could help me sort out this entire mess.


    When I dialed the number I listened with bated breath while the phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Four now. I was just about to hang up, suspecting that they weren''t going to answer when the line clicked after the sixth ring. Someone had picked up the call. Finally!


    "This is Noah." The man seemed a little apprehensive when he answered the call.


    "Is this the Beta for the Luna Queen''s pack?"


    "Who is this?" The man was instantly suspicious of me.


    "My name is Artemis Cooper."


    "What are you, Artemis? How do you know about the queen but nothing else?"


    "I am an Alpha. My pack is the Hidden Paw, we have literally been hidden away from the world of wolves for far too long. And because of that we have suffered immensely. I think we even have amon enemy by the name of Gannon."


    "How do you know that name? What do you have to do with that son of a bitch? And if you''re an Alpha howe you did not respond to the summons that the Queen sent out?"


    "Gannon came to my pack several generations ago. At that time he took many children away and they were never seen again. And I never received a summons. I think that is because most people don''t know about us."


    "That is no excuse." The man yelled angrily. "Everyone was supposed toe and help. If we had every pack within range here then we might not have lost anyone today."


    "I am sorry, there is nothing I can say other than that. I truly never received anything that was supposed to call me to arms."


    "Hahhh." I heard him sigh long and loud. "I know this isn''t your fault. And to answer your first question, yes I am the Beta of the Red Springs pack, my name is Noah. Now, Artem, why don''t you tell me everything that you know."


    So I told him. I know I needed help from that pack. I know I needed them to be up to date on everything that had happened. So I didn''t hold anything back when I exined what we had been through. From the first time that Gannon came here to the most recent issues with Howard the Coward, and of course I told him about what had happened to the boys this afternoon.


    It took a long time to exin it all, but during that time, Noah never said a word. He didn''t interrupt me. He just listened intently. When I was done, though, he cleared his throat and I could tell he was not happy.


    "I can see there is much that ties our packs together. I will speak with my Alpha and Luna and set a date toe see you. I would predict that it would be around the middle of next month since we have to worry about the collective funerals for right now."


    "Understood. I await your call. Thank you."


    With that I disconnected the call. Perhaps now I will be able to figure some things out soon.

 Chapter 115 - Star - The Box Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Artem had talked to someone that knew something about the Warlock named Gannon, but they weren''t able toe help us right away. Apparently they had a lot of stuff to do in their own pack following the battle they had recently been in.


    I couldn''t imagine that. A battle? What does that mean? Like just a fight that they all got into where some people just happened to die or like full scale battles from wars only with supernatural creatures instead of with guns? I just didn''t know how to imagine it all.


    Though, I was having a hard time with everything right now. It had been a week since the boys had screamed in pain. It had been a week since their talismans had been removed. And it had been a week since they had all slipped intoas. And not a single one of them had woken up yet.


    I didn''t leave my room anymore. I barely even talked to Artem before he left for work. I didn''t go to breakfast so it was brought to me in the room I share with Artem. The same went for lunch and dinner. I couldn''t bring myself to go and see everyone else.


    I couldn''t really exin my reasoning behind the way I was feeling. All I knew was that I felt guilty. I felt like I was somehow responsible for what had happened to the boys. I felt like since I had smoothly recovered from the talisman and since I was now able to shift I had somehow caused this to happen to the innocent kids that we were trying to save.


    I was spiraling into a pit of despair and I knew it. The problem was that I couldn''t get myself to rise above it. I couldn''t save myself. I couldn''t fix this for me or the boys. I wasn''t strong enough to help anyone.


    I was doing what I did almost every day. I was sitting on the bench seat that was built into the window. I was just staring out at the trees and the calm soothing visage that was nature.


    I hadn''t expected that I would get visitors since I have been doing this same thing for a week and hadn''t received any visitors yet. So, when Artem came into the room apanied by Bailey, Reed, and the old man who had introduced himself to me as my great great grandfather. I barely knew him since I had not had the time to talk to him much since he came to stay here.


    I had looked away from the window and watched as they all came into the room. They didn''t say anything. Reed and Bailey picked up the couch and brought it to face the window where I was sitting. After that the three men from my family sat on it and looked at me with calm faces.


    I wouldn''t say that they were smiling, since they weren''t. It was more like they had carefully crafted nk expressions that would give away nothing of how they were feeling. The problem is, none of them could make that look reach their eyes.


    All three of them were upset. I guess the true description would be worried. They were worried about something and I didn''t know what. What had happened? Were they here to tell me that the boys had gotten worse? I don''t think I could handle that.


    Artem had gone to the closet before anything else. He hadn''t said a word when he came into the room either. It was like they had perfectly coordinated what they were going to do before they came in to see me.


    There was something in Artem''s hands when he left the closet. I was wrapped in dark green silk but I knew what it was nheless. It was the box that had belonged to my mother. I had hidden it in the back of the closet until I was ready to open it.


    I just continued to watch on silently as Artem moved toward the rest of us. He handed the box to Bailey who was sitting on the end when he passed by the couch. Once his hands were free Artem came right up to me. He lifted me into his arms like I weighed nothing at all and took my ce on the bench.


    I had squealed when I was lifted from my seat, grabbing a hold of Artem''s shoulders for bnce and support even though I was never in danger of falling. Still, it was disconcerting to be picked up so suddenly like that.


    "A-Artem, what''s going on?" I finally asked him when I was seated on hisp while he lounged on the bench that I had previously been upying.


    "We''re worried about you." He gave me a look that said he didn''t know what to do. "You''ve been getting worse for thest few days, Star. And I don''t know what to do."


    "You need to get out of this room, you need to get on with life." Reed followed up Artem''s words with some of his own, but what he said, getting on with my life, that just made me mad.


    "Get on with my life?" I red at Reed, putting arge amount of what I was feeling into what I was about to direct at him. "I don''t have a life to get on with, Reed. I didn''t have that luxury growing up. Just like Julian, Flint, Dalton, Leslie, Cohen, and Benton didn''t have that luxury. Just like Nico didn''t have the chance to either. And how am I supposed to just move on while there are seven boys who have been lost to us, possibly forever?"


    I saw the three men sitting before me recoil in shock from the force of my outburst. I had expected that Artem would do the same. I thought he would be surprised at the least, but he wasn''t. Artem just wrapped his arms around me and hugged me gently. His heart wasn''t beating faster, his breathing was steady, he was just as calm as usual.


    "I know you think this is your fault, Star, but it''s not." Artem''s words were soothing and soft and exactly what I needed to hear. The only thing is I didn''t want to hear them.


    "How is it not?" I had begun to cry without even realizing it. I only knew that I was crying when the tears dropped from my cheeks andnded on my hands that were sped in myp.


    "This would have happened no matter what we did. Just like your talisman came off after Howard died theirs came off after Gannon died. This is a set back, but I am certain that we will figure all of this out sooner orter. The boys are alive and that is what matters. They just need help waking up. The Luna queen ising here in just over two weeks on the twelfth. She will know what to do."


    "I-I know." I faltered for just a moment. I needed to admit that the Queen should know how to handle this situation. She was older and wiser than us, right? That meant that she had more experience in all of this and could help us figure all of this out.


    While I sat there and contemted what Artem had said I heard someone clear their throat. It was my great great grandfather, Daniel Westbrook. I lifted my head to look at him more clearly than I had ever looked at him before.


    I was still nervous around him since I didn''t know him at all, but he smelled nice, just like Reed and Bailey had always smelled. His hair was pure white but his eyes were still a bright and clear blue. He had a kind and gentle smile that made me feel like I knew him even though I knew that I didn''t.


    "Star, I never got to help you while you were growing up. I couldn''t save you. I was too old and too weak. But I want to be here for you now. I didn''t know your mother for long but I knew her when she was a very little girl and when she came back to us when you were still so young."


    "I don''t remember her at all." I hung my head in shame, looking away from him.


    "That''s understandable. You were so little when she was lost to us. We can rebuild her in your memories though. We can help you to see her face again."


    He didn''t know how that would feel. On one hand I would love to see her clearly in my own mind, not just a blurred image of her that was probably more made up than real. I would love to see what she looked like in my own memories.


    But, then again, seeing those memories. Remembering them and knowing what it was that I had lost, that would make things harder on me. I would have to relive the good and the bad and I didn''t know if I could do that.

 Chapter 116 - Artem - The Box Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Star was depressed. That was the only way to describe what had happened to her. She was having a hard time with what had happenedst week.


    She hadn''te out of the room once since we went back there the night the boys had slipped into their current states. She showered, she dressed, and she ate, I didn''t have to worry about that. But still, she hadn''t left the room. She barely spoke to me. And it was clear as day that she was struggling.


    I think she was having a version of survivor''s guilt or something. Her talisman hade off but she hadn''t been affected like the others had been. She had been just fine.


    Since Star had locked herself into our room I had been making some progress on a few things.


    There seemed to be a bigck of information in our pack for many things. I''m not going to deny that a big part of that was my fault. I had been distracted thesest few months and hadn''t been running the pack properly.


    Daniel was helping me out a little, as was Will from the Crescent Moon pack over in the next city. I was learning bit by bit what I should have done in the beginning. The fact that I had waited so long to do this meant that I was having more problems than I might have before.


    I was finally making my position in the pack known. I was finally getting to where I could run this pack. Though there were several that still held out and refused to ept me as their Alpha.


    One of the main reasons I had finally decided to see everyone in a gathering type of setting was because there had been three people who hade to my door the night the boys had fallen into theiras. They all had children we had not managed to save.


    If I had known about them then I would have gone for them as well.


    I took custody of the boys and put them in the infirmary with the others. I then went to see every single member of the pack and found four others. This made thirteen young boys that were currently in this state.


    Iplimented those that came to my door, worried about the children that wouldn''t wake up. The others were content to just leave them to rot in their basements. Those were the people I was going to have to deal with soon.


    Counting Nico who was a ve to his wolf there were now fourteen boys that I needed to save. I had called back to the Red Springs pack and given more details to their Beta. The date was set for them toe and help us, now we just had to wait.


    Still, I was worried about my Star. Very worried about her.


    I spoke with Reed, Bailey, and Daniel. We all wanted to help her out of her depression and we all thought that finally opening the box that she had received on her birthday should help her. So, with that in mind, we made a n to go rescue my mate.


    We set our n into motion by surprising her in the room. It didn''t start that well, since she blew up and yelled at Reed. I managed to calm her down a little.


    Daniel was the one who actually moved the conversation to what we were here for.


    "Star, I never got to help you while you were growing up. I couldn''t save you. I was too old and too weak. But I want to be here for you now. I didn''t know your mother for long but I knew her when she was a very little girl and when she came back to us when you were still so young." He sounded so heart broken, so hurt that he hadn''t been able to help her.


    "I don''t remember her at all." Star hung her head like she thought that was something to be ashamed of.


    "That''s understandable. You were so little when she was lost to us. We can rebuild her in your memories though. We can help you to see her face again." Daniel tried to make things better for her but I could feel the tension and fear that was stiffening her body.


    Listening to what Daniel was saying I wanted to add something as well.


    "Star, the night I rescued you from Howard, I found something that I have been meaning to show you. The problem is, we haven''t had the time, nor did it feel right just yet. But, I found some pictures of you and your mother together from when you were very little."


    "Really?" She looked at me like she didn''t believe it at all.


    "Yes, I think it would be good for you to see them." What she didn''t know was that I had brought the pictures out of the closet with me when I brought the box. I wanted her to get as much help as she possibly could.


    "O-ok." Star nodded apprehensively. "I-I want to see the pictures, and what''s inside the box." She looked so nervous at that moment. It seemed like she was more scared of the answers than she was letting on, but I think this would help her in the long run.


    After Star agreed to learn more about her mother, her past, and who she was in general, Bailey handed her the box that was wrapped in silk. It was time to unbury the truth and see what it was that had been hidden for so long.


    Star nervously took the box and held it to her chest for a moment as she looked at each and everyone one of us. I could feel how hard her heart was pounding. After she looked at us she pulled the box away from her chest and sat it on herp.


    Slowly, as if it were a bomb that needed to be defused, Star untied the silk wrapping from the wooden box. When the cloth had finally been removed and set aside Star took a deep breath and lifted the lid.


    I was looking over Star''s shoulder as the box opened. At first, all I saw was the upper tray of a jewelry box. It was filled with very beautiful and obviously expensive pieces that I could tell had been well cared for when Star''s mother had been alive.


    There were pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones decorating the pieces. But what stuck out to me the most was not the jewels, it was the designs they had been made in.


    There were several pieces of the jewelry that were made with wolf themes such as paws, moons, and even a wolf''s head. But there were just as many if not more that were made with nature themes. Like leaves, flowers, tree branches, ivy, and others that went along those lines. They were all so delicate looking but also so wonderfully made.


    I saw the shock on Star''s face as I leaned over her shoulder. She had not been expecting what she saw and I think she was a little disappointed. She wanted answers from her mother, not jewelry.


    After a few moments worth of hesitation, Star finally lifted the tray away. Below thatyer of fine jewelry was a treasure trove of the goodies that Star had been looking for. There were letters, pictures, and small personal trinkets. I could sense the joy, the tion, and the hesitation that came with seeing those things lying there under the jewelry.


    With trembling fingers, Star reached into the box and pulled out the very first piece of paper she could grab. It looked to be Star''s birth certificate. It showed the day Star had been born, which was May the fifth eighteen years ago. Well, at least she had known her actual birthday, that was good.


    Also listed on the birth certificate was her mother''s name, Vivian Marie Westbrook. It said that Star''s mother was twenty-five when she was born. That was kind of rare for a female wolf, to go that long without finding your true mate. Unless Daniel had been wrong and Star''s father was Vivian''s real mate after all.


    There was no father''s name written on the birth certificate. There was no information at all listed for the man who had helped to conceive Star. I guess that would have to remain a mystery for now. Though, I could tell that just this one document was enough to make Star both happy and sad.


    ''Goddess, what must she be feeling right now?'' I asked myself silently so as not to interrupt my mate''s progress. There was still so much that she needed to see, to sift through, inside that box. I didn''t want to discourage her at all. This was a process of self discovery and healing for Star, for all of us really.

 Chapter 117 - Star - The Box Part 3

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    When I opened the box filled with my mother''s belongings I didn''t know what to expect. I was surprised and saddened at first that all I found was jewelry. Don''t get me wrong. I was still happy to see the stuff that had once belonged to my mother. I found the pieces beautiful and stunning. But, selfishly, I wanted more.


    When I moved the tray filled with jewelry to the side I saw a stack of folded letters and documents. There were also pictures and other things inside of it. And below all the letters, there was something that looked like a small book.


    The first folded piece of paper that I pulled from the inner depths of the box was my birth certificate. It listed my mother''s name and the time and date I was born. It also listed a hospital in Colorado Springs, so Uncle Howard hadn''t lied about where I was from. It seems I was also born in the middle of the night while most people were asleep.


    What it didn''t tell me was anything about my father. There was nothing at all about him. That was actually quite depressing.


    After that I pulled out another folded paper. It was a letter that looked like it was a back and forth correspondence. It had two different people''s handwriting on it. It also looked like someone had rubbed flowers on the outside of the paper, or that it had been wrapped in one. There were pink, green, and yellow stains on it with faint traces of roses clinging to it.


    My Dearest Aaron,


    I miss you more that you


    could ever know. I need to


    see you. I need to be with


    you. There is something I


    need to tell you. It''s very


    important.


    With Love Vivian


    Vivian My Darling,


    I am not able to get away.


    Things are hectic and crazy


    right now. I do not believe


    that the queen would let me


    leave right now. I miss you.


    With all my love,


    Aaron


    Aaron, My Love,


    Why have you note to


    see me? I need to tell you


    something. This goes way


    beyond my love for you. I


    have important things that


    you need to know.


    Love Vivian


    Vivian,


    I am unable to leave the


    Gloriana, the queen has not


    allowed anyone to visit with


    others outside at this time.


    Yours Truly,


    Aaron


    Aaron,


    I know that is simply not true.


    I have seen you out and in


    the citytely. You have been


    with other women. I know that


    you do not feel the same for


    me that I feel for you, but that


    is not what is important right


    now. Please, I beg of you,


    you what is so important.


    Sincerely yours,


    Vivian


    Vivian,


    I swear to you my love, I was


    not out in the city nor have I


    been with other women. You


    are the only woman that I am


    in love with. What could


    possibly make you think such a


    thing? I will do my best to


    sneak away and see you


    tomorrow.


    See you soon,


    Aaron


    Aaron


    I fear that I am running out of


    time. It is not safe for me at


    this time. I need you to know


    what has been happening. I


    have something to tell you


    something to show you.


    Please, Aaron, please I


    need to see you. This is


    truly important.


    Eagerly waiting


    Vivian


    Vivian,


    I am sorry. I can''t do this any


    longer. I have been leading


    you on. This has grown too


    bothersome for me to deal


    with any more. I am not in


    love with you. I have never


    been in love with you. This


    is getting too much for me


    to maintain. Please, stop


    messaging me. I will no


    longer be epting any of


    your correspondence.


    Goodbye,


    Aaron


    Aaron,


    No, please do not do this.


    Not yet. Please! I need to


    tell you that you''re a father.


    I have a baby, Aaron, I have


    a daughter and she is yours.


    Please, help me figure this


    out. I feel like the baby and I


    are in danger. Please, I need


    you to help me with her.


    Please respond,


    Vivian


    Aaron,


    Please ept my letter. Please


    allow it to go through. The flowers


    have not appeared to take it back


    to you. Please Aaron, please


    help me.


    Vivian


    Aaron,


    Someone has approached me.


    Others know about the baby


    and they are telling me that our


    daughter will be executed. I


    need to take her some ce


    safe. I am going back to my


    home. I am going back to


    California. Pleasee to


    see us there. Pleasee


    and meet your daughter.


    Vivian.


    AARON,


    I AM BACK HOME NOW AND


    I AM STILL NOT SAFE. I THINK


    THAT STAR IS SAFE BUT I AM


    NOT. MY FAMILY WILL NOT


    ACCEPT ME SINCE I HAD LEFT


    THEM SO LONG AGO. MY UNCLE


    IS ALLOWING SOMEONE ELSE


    TO INFLUENCE HIM AND MY


    GREAT GRANDFATHER CAN''T


    PROTECT ME. I NEED YOU. I


    NEED HELP AND I DON''T KNOW


    WHO ELSE TO TURN TO.


    PLEASE AARON, PLEASE HELP


    ME. I FEAR I MIGHT BE DEAD


    SOON IF YOU DO NOT HELP


    ME.


    With Love,


    Vivian


    It was heartbreaking to read those messages. It was clear that my mother loved my father but he simply didn''t care. He probably thought being with her was a game. I could not believe what I had read even though it was in my hand as solid proof. What must my mother have felt when she was waiting for him? What must she have gone through?


    I felt the tears that I had been holding back. They had started to stream silently down my cheeks now. I could feel the desperation and the heartache that my mother must have felt. It was almost like I could feel her presence inside of me and it was feeling the emotions for me.


    "Star, why are you crying?" Bailey looked worried by the turn in my emotions.


    I handed him the letter that had been written by my mother and father so many years ago. He held it in front of him so that Reed and great great grandfather Daniel could read it as well. I had guessed that Artem had most likely read the letter over my shoulder and so while the others saw what had made me so upset, Artem wrapped his arms around me tofort me and to sooth my broken heart.


    "There is no reason to worry, Star. You''re crying because you are so empathetic. You can feel the pain and sorrow that your mother felt, right?" He seemed to know what was happening to me so I just nodded my head. "You feel the emotions of others, not just your own. I imagine it is quite confusing, especially considering you areing to terms with so much. Don''t feel bad, this just means that you are an extra special, extra caring person. You are amazing, my love, and I will be with you every step of the way."


    "Thank you, Artem." I wrapped my hands around his arms and turned to look at him. When I could see his face I kissed him gently on the lips, just a soft peck that told him how much I loved and appreciated him at the moment.


    Right about then the three men sitting in front of me had finished reading the letters that my mother and father had exchanged and then her attempts to reach him after he had cut her off. I could see the looks of anger and sorrow warring for dominance of Reed and Bailey''s faces, and I saw that great great grandfather Daniel was saddened by what he read.


    "Star, I fear that it was that evil man, Howard, who had convinced your mother that you were in danger." Great great grandfather Daniel looked saddened by this revtion.


    "But great great grandfather Daniel, how can you be so certain?" Heughed for a moment despite the situation.


    Now, isn''t that a mouthful? You can feel free to just shorten that to grandfather or grandpa. I don''t need to be reminded how old I truly am." I grinned even though I was still sad, I couldn''t help it.


    "OK Grandpa."


    "That''s much better." He smiled at me as well. "Now, when Vivian came back she told me that someone had told her they knew about you, and what you were. I don''t think the pack would have been that opposed to you, but I am not sure. Still, someone was always threatening her. She said an ally told her toe home, but just days after she did Howard showed up and took over the pack. I believe he tricked her intoing here because he knew of this pack''s dark history."


    "Why? Why would he do that? Why did he insist on ruining my life from the beginning?" I was crying harder now, nearly sobbing as I thought about how different my life would have been without Uncle Howard in it.


    Then, I thought about how if I hadn''te back here with my mother I never would have met Artem. Why was this a situation where I lost something no matter which way it went? Was I just meant to suffer one way or the other?

 Chapter 118 - Star - The Box Part 4

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Bailey and Reed were just as saddened by the fact that my father continued to blow off and ignore my mother. If he hadn''t abandoned her, she might not have fallen into Uncle Howard''s trap. It was definitely a horrible situation that had unfolded.


    I both wanted to and didn''t want to continue searching the box. I wanted to know what else my mother had to both tell and show me from the past and beyond the grave. That thought also led me to wonder just where my mother had been buried. I never did know anything about that.


    I pushed that thought aside though as I reached into the box again. There were other letters, older ones that I could readter. There were pictures of many different people. some that looked much older than just when I was a baby. I saw a little girl and a boy that was maybe one or two years older than her. They definitely looked like siblings. They had simr hair and eye colors. They looked happy, and close.


    Was that my mother as a child? Was that her brother? Did I have an uncle that wasn''t part of this pack? So many thoughts went through my mind. I saw more photos of my mother, as she got older and time progressed.


    There was an awkward photo that looked like she was maybe thirteen or so. There was a beautiful picture of her when she was maybe sixteen. A picture of her standing in front of a university sign which made her close to my age. There were pictures with people that were clearly her friends.


    I could tell that my mother had had fun as a young woman. She was free and open and looked like she enjoyed life. I was happy that she had been able to do so much.


    After those photos, there were several of her with a man. Always the same man. He had green hair that he probably told people that was dyed that color but I could tell that his eyebrows and even his eyshes were green as well. Those were things that you just couldn''t fake in my opinion.


    He was a handsome man. He looked like he was in his mid twenties and loved to party. He dressed fun and casual but with a bit of a ir to it as well. There were some pictures where I noticed a greenish color tinting his skin, like his illusion magic was slipping just a little. Was he really green and hiding it or was it like a blush that came and went.


    From what I saw it looked like that man loved the woman dearly. He seemed devoted and caring in all the pictures that they had taken together. So I had to wonder, what happened to cause him to tell her that he didn''t love her? What had happened between them?


    At least there was one thing I could appreciate already. I had learned what my father''s name was and what he and my mother looked like. There would be no more blurry images in my dreams. I had seen pictures to fill in the nks of my childish memories.


    I was happy about that part at the very least. There was so much that I still wanted and needed to know but I was making progress.


    I hadn''t noticed the point when my cousins and Grandpa left the room. I was still lost in thought as I looked at everything that was in this treasure box for me to discover. I also hadn''t noticed that someone hade in to bring us dinner.


    I was only brought back to reality when Artem tapped my shoulder and whispered into my ear.


    "Perhaps we should take a break and have some dinner together, my love." He was always using sweet words like that and it always made me feel so special and loved.


    "OK." I didn''t know what else to say so I was just preparing to get off of hisp and walk to the table.


    Artem had other ns though. He lifted me into his arms and carried me to the table. Once he had sat me in my chair he sat next to me and uncovered the tes of food, sitting the silver dome like covers aside.


    Tonight''s dinner was a favorite among the ones I had tried. Honey garlic pork chops with a sweet sauce zed over them. They had been paired with baby carrots and crispy pierogies. Those pierogies were amazing when dipped in the same sauce that was on the pork chops, perhaps that''s why the person who brought the food had included a bowl of it. They had clearly learned what it was I liked.


    While we ate I noticed that Artem seemed to want to say something but didn''t know if he should. Was he worried that I wouldn''t be able to handle it? Was he worried about me because I had cried so much earlier?


    "Artem?" I called out to him.


    "Yes honey?" He was doing it again but I didn''t mind.


    "I know you want to say something. You don''t have to worry about me. I will be fine so please just say it." I saw the conflict that had been dancing in his eyes disappear at once.


    "I can''t hide anything from you anymore can I?" He was smiling at me. "It''s nothing bad. It''s just, I saw you looking at the photos of your mother and father and I thought you would want to see the pictures I had found in Howard the Coward''s room."


    "You like calling him that, don''t you?" I giggled despite myself.


    "It''s still demeaning to him even if he is dead. I won''t let his spirit rest for a second, if I have to reference that piece of shit I will demean him and hope that it makes him cry in hell. It will be the only form of water he gets while he''s there." Iughed harder, he had put some thought into that one, hadn''t he.


    I thought about what he had said. Not about Uncle Howard, but about my mother and the pictures. I was working my way through the stack of photos I had very slowly, but I didn indeed want to look at the other ones. For the time being though, I wanted to enjoy my meal with my mate so it could wait until after.


    When I got back to looking at the pictures I saw a change in them. My mother looked noticeably worried and nervous when with the man. And the man himself looked like he didn''t want to be in the pictures anymore. Was this after he had changed his mind about my mother?


    After the pictures with my father in them came pictures of my mother with me or just pictures of me. I knew they were of me because the first one had my mother holding me in her arms on the day I was born.


    My mother looked so happy when she was looking into my newborn face. The look on her face was almost enough to make me cry.


    There were only a few pictures in my mother''s collection after my father was out of the picture so to speak. There was a progression of me over the course of a year or so but then they just stopped.


    Some of the ones that Artem handed me looked like they had been removed from the collection that my mother had of me. The others looked like they were taken from someone that was watching my mother and me. They were far away and not always clear. It definitely didn''t look like my mother knew that these photos were being taken of her.


    Following the pictures of my mother and I together as a baby, Uncle Howard''s collection included the yearly pictures he took of me as I grew up. I vaguely remember himing to see me in the cer when I was little and he would make me stand against the wall before he took pictures of me from several different angles. I had always hated it. Those annual pictures had continued until I got older. When I was around thirteen he would make me strip to take those pictures. I covered myself as best as I could in them but that didn''t make me feel less gross.


    I was just d that Uncle Howard was dead and gone now. I never wanted to see him ever again in my entire life.


    After looking at the contents of the box as thoroughly as I could, I was down to onest thing. My mother''s journal. It was the little book that had beenying in the bottom of the box. I would want to read that for sure. I wanted to know what it was she had been thinking and feeling back then. But I was tired and it waste so I was leaving that part of discovery for tomorrow.


    Iid in the bed with Artem after changing into a loose pair of pajamas. I snuggled with him close to me, his arms wrapped around my back and my face pressed against his chest while I drifted off to sleep. There was no ce on earth I would ever feel safer than in Artem''s arms.

 Chapter 119 - VIVIAN’S JOURNAL

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The next morning I went down to breakfast with Artem. It was the first time I had eaten a meal outside the bedroom in a while. It was nice seeing everyone but it wasn''t the same since the boys were not there.


    After breakfast I didn''t have anything to do so I went back to the room to read my mother''s journal. I wanted to see if it gave any insight to what she might have gone through. I curled up on the same window seat that I was in the day before and started at the beginning, though it seemed there were several pages missing and big gaps in time.


    [OCTOBER 28, 2002]


    I went to a haunted house with Chrystal today. It was amazing. She was so scared. Saw this man with the most epic costume ever. His entire body was painted green and he had flower petals, stems, and leaves all over him. I wonder how much time it took him to make that costumee to life. I really wish I would have gotten closer to him, I wanted to talk to him so bad but there were just too many people in the way.


    [OCTOBER 31, 2002]


    Oh my Goddess, I saw him again. That man with the awesome costume. I didn''t notice at first that he was a Fae. That was no costume, he just let his true self show. I knew that some Fae had another form just like us wolves but I didn''t know they looked that amazing. What''s more, my wolf really seems to like him. He is my mate, or at least that''s what she told me. Can a wolf mate with a Fae? I don''t know but he was hot as hell.


    [NOVEMBER 2, 2002]


    EEEEEE! I saw him again. His name is Aaron Fields and oh my GODDESS he is amazing. I saw him this time in just his human form. He is so much hotter when he is out of his flower form. He is a pixie by the way and he definitely has that mischievous look about him. He asked me out and said he could feel a pull toward me, like a bond. That''s why he sought me out and was looking for me. Oh my Goddess, I can''t believe I am finally finding my mate. My family has been riding my ass for a long time to find him and now here he is. I just wonder if they will ept him since he isn''t a wolf. Perhaps I should keep it to myself for a little while. I really don''t think that Alpha Collin will have a problem with it though. I will wait until I can talk to him about it all.


    [NOVEMBER 9 2002]


    Aaron and I had our first datest night. He took me ice skating on an enchantedke that was secluded in the forest. It was like a fairy talee true. HEHE maybe it was a FAERIE tale written just for me. After ice skating we had a magical pic under the stars. It was the best night of my life. I am so d that I met him.


    [NOVEMBER 14, 2002]


    I''m seeing Aaron again tonight. I just know it''s going to be special. I want to be with him forever. He is simply the most amazing man I''ve ever met. Tonight we''re doing a more traditional route of dinner and a movie. I don''t mind though, I just want to see him.


    [NOVEMBER 15, 2002]


    I''m feeling conflicted right now. Last night was the best night of my life. I had my date and everything went perfectly, I even gave myself to him in the most intimate of ways. He is an amazing lover, someone who knows how to take care of his woman. But, then today I saw him out in the city with someone else. Maybe I am just imagining things. I hope so anyway.


    [NOVEMBER 23, 2002]


    I had another date with Aaronst night. It was amazing. He told me that he loves me and I must have been mistaken because he says he was not in town that dayst week. I believe him, what reason does he have to lie to me? I''m just so d he loves me as much as I love him.


    [NOVEMBER 30, 2002]


    Things have been nothing but perfection for metely. I don''t know what I did to deserve such a wonderful life but I am so happy right now. Aaron has been my whole world. We''ve spent almost every day together for the past week. There have been several dates and lots of love making. I can''t get enough of him.


    [DECEMBER 7, 2002]


    Last night was the best night so far. I am not kidding. Aaron pulled out all the stops and nned the most amazing night for me. He made a magical flower garden appear in the middle of the snowy field. It was truly enchanting. And the sex was the best I have ever had. Just the fact that the bed forst night was giant magical flowers made it even more amazing. I could feel him that much more intensely.


    [DECEMBER 11, 2002]


    Aaron had to go home yesterday, back to thepound with all the other Fae. Apparently the Christmas season is really major for them with some giant Yule celebration. I''m going to miss him so much but I will survive. Somehow. Not to mention, he left me a magical way of getting in touch with him, it''s a special kind of paper that will be magically transported to him with special flower magic.


    [DECEMBER 12, 2002]


    Oh my Goddess. There is major news. I need to tell Aaron right away but I don''t want to do it in writing. I need to tell him that he is going to be a father. I just found out this morning that I am pregnant. I can''t believe this, I am so happy. I think Aaron is going to be so excited to learn that he is going to be a father. I can''t wait to see and hold my baby. It will be sometime in May of next year.


    [DECEMBER 24, 2002]


    I finally got a message back from Aaron today. It took forever for him to respond. He must be super busy. I need to tell him about the baby face to face so for now all I have told him is that I have news for him. I haven''t written him back yet, I just want to wait until hees home in a couple days.


    [JANUARY 12, 2003]


    I finally wrote back to Aaron today. He hasn''t been back to see me in almost a month. I don''t know what''s going on with him. I miss him, and he still doesn''t know about the baby yet. I want to know why he hasn''te back for me, for us.


    [January 31, 2003]


    I have seen Aaron around town for thest week. I know it''s him. I''ve smelled him. I''ve seen him. I''ve heard his voice. But he just ignored me. He was with another woman. He was treating her like he did me. I am feeling truly heartbroken right now.


    [FEBRUARY 14, 2003]


    Did he pick this day intentionally? Did he choose to respond to me today and lie to me because it''s Valentine''s day? Is he getting some sort of sick pleasure from treating me this way? Why won''t hee see me so I can tell him about the baby? It''s obvious now, I''m showing and everything. He couldn''t possibly think I am lying when he sees me.


    [APRIL 16, 2003]


    Aaron tried lying to me again today. He says he''s been in thepound this whole time. Why does he think I am so stupid? I may have been naive when it came to him but that doesn''t mean that I am stupid. And the baby will be here at any time now.


    [MAY 5, 2003]


    My baby was born early this morning. My family hasn''t disapproved of me at all but there are so many people in the pack that are questioning who my baby''s father is. I think it has to do with the girl who went missing a while back and had her baby at the beginning ofst year. She ended up killing herself because she couldn''t bear the pressure of the stares and the finger pointing. To this day no one knows who her daughter''s father was. But that''s not like me at all. I know who my baby''s father is, I just haven''t told the pack who he was. There are some very old fashioned people around here. I don''t care though, me and my baby Astraia will be just fine on our own. I have my money to protect us.


    [NOVEMBER 5, 2003]


    I saw Aaron today. He was at the coffee shop while I was there. I pointed him out to Star but I know she is too young to have really seen him. I hope she gets to meet him one day. I hope he loves and epts her because she is wonderful and special.


    [MAY 5, 2004]


    Star is a year old today. I haven''t felt much like writingtely but I have been loving my life with my baby. She''s so perfect and special, and so smart. She learned to walk early and she is already saying so many words. I wish that my brother woulde back home soon too, so he can meet his niece. I''ve sent him pictures and videos of her though so he knows what she looks like at least.


    [AUGUST 2, 2004]


    I sent Aaron a message yesterday. I feel like I am in danger right now. There have been people watching me. I have even gotten threatening messages that say they know what Star is. They called her an abomination and said she needed to be put down. I will do anything to protect my baby. I don''t care if Aaron loves me or not, he needs to know about Star so we can protect her together and put an end to this dark cloud hanging over the two of us.


    [MARCH 15, 2005]


    I think I have found an ally. There is a man who is in the pack that has been helping me to look into the threat against me and Star. There is someone out to get us and I know it. There have been breakin attempts on my house. Someone has vandalized my car repeatedly. It''s just not safe for us here anymore. I might have to leave town until it is all gone.


    [MAY 12, 2005] I have to leave now. I have to. There is nothing else I can do here. I know that whoever is after us is too close. I almost lost Star to him this morning and I can''t wait any longer. I have packed the bare essentials for us and I am heading back home to my family''s home pack. I know that I still have a lot of family that lives there, I just don''t remember any of them at all.


    [MAY 18, 2005]


    I never knew how beautiful it was here. My family''s original pack is hidden in the forest and I feel so much safer here. I think things are going to be really good for us here. Though, my family isn''t the nicest I could have asked for. Honestly, they told me if I didn''t support them financially then I would not be able to stay. They know I have money but not how much. My great uncle Calvin left his entire estate to his grandkids, and since Griffin and I were raised by his kids he sees us as his grandkids too. We each got over two hundred million in the will and I was a savvy investor. I turned that money into almost a billion in just over five years. I don''t mind helping these people out with money, I have enough of it anyway, even with just my monthly allowance I have sent to me. No one but me and Star will ever be able to ess the entire fortune though, again, I''m not stupid.


    [JUNE 2, 2005]


    There is a strange man here putting weird thoughts into my uncle''s head. They''re saying that Star is a weak wolf all because I won''t tell them who or what her father was. I need to get us out of here. The problem is, they''re watching us. I am never left alone. I even feel like someone is there when Star and I are sleeping in the bedroom. I don''t know what''s going on here but this pack is a lot weirder than I thought it was.


    [June 12, 2005]


    That man Howard, the one giving my uncle ideas, has been looking at me and Star with a nasty look ever since we got here. He has made it clear he knows she is not a full blooded wolf. I don''t know how he figured it out but he has turned the family against me. I haven''t even found an opening to escape with Star and I fear what will happen to her if I am not here to protect her. I don''t know what to do but I feel like I failed Star by bringing her here. I have even sent more messages to Aaron, begging him for help but he still won''t take my letter. The paper won''t even be sent to him, it''s like the magic is all gone now. What am I going to do?


    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    That was where my mother''s entries just stopped. I know that she died shortly after that. I could feel myself crying as I read my mother''s thoughts over those years. I don''t know why she kept this journal, or who had even hidden it in that box in the attic, but I was happy to have it. And I wish that my father had been there for my mother in her time of need.


    It hadn''t taken me long to read the journal''s entries but I was exhausted when it was over. I think it was the emotional rollercoaster that the words had sent me on. I didn''t want to think about my mom having been so lonely and so scared. I knew what that felt like all too well. It was a horrible way to spend thest days of your life.


    After reading the journal I curled up on the couch and fell asleep. I couldn''t keep my eyes open any longer than it took me to get into the position. I fell straight to sleep and dreamt of my mother, all the pictures I had seen of her yesterday and the words of hers I read today. I know that I was crying in my sleep.

 Chapter 120 - Artem - Another Call To The Queen’s Pack

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Star didn''te to lunch again today. I knew she was going to look through her mother''s journal after breakfast so I thought she might still be caught up in that when I found her. I didn''t expect to see herying on the couch crying in her sleep.


    Star was the kind of person who felt emotions stronger than others. I don''t know if that was a personality thing or a biological thing. It was possible she was so empathetic since she was half Fae. I didn''t know much about the Fae.


    When I saw what kind of state she was in I pulled her into my arms and cradled her. The movement woke her up so she was now staring up at me with confusion in her eyes.


    "What''s going on?" She looked like she barely remembered falling asleep at all.


    "You were crying." My voice was soft as I spoke, trying not to break the peace of the room.


    "I''m sorry." She looked embarrassed now. "I don''t know what''s been happening to me. I have been feeling so strange since I shifted into my wolf. It''s like my emotions are stronger and I can''t stop myself from getting upset about things."


    "It''s fine. Being empathetic just means that you can understand how people feel, even if that person''s feelings are from many years ago. It might be a special ability that you have."


    "Ability?" She looked so confused again.


    "Yeah, I don''t know much about Fae, but even you should know they all have magic of some sort. Perhaps you have a magic that is rooted in emotions."


    "I never thought of that."


    As she spoke that time Star sat up and pushed herself away from my chest. I felt a little lonely without her warmth but I dealt with it, she needed me to be there for her, not the other way around.


    "Artem?" She turned to look at me again, this time there was determination in the set of her jaw, also in the way she was holding her shoulders.


    "Yeah babe?" I asked her, willing to answer any question that she had for me.


    "I want to know more about my father. I need to know more about what I am if I am ever going to understand it."


    "I know." I smiled at her, fully supporting her. "I agree and I want us to learn all that we can about your Fae side."


    Star looked happy when she heard those words. She was really the sweetest and easiest to please sometimes.


    "You''re the best Artem."


    It didn''t take much to ease the emotions that she was feeling right now. They weren''t her emotions so they were able to pass quick enough. After that I went back to my office to take care of a few things.


    I decided I needed to call the pack that the Luna Queen and Alpha King ran. I needed to talk to their Beta again and ask if they had anyone who could help us out with the Fae side of our issues. Thankfully Noah, the Beta, answered pretty quickly.


    "Good day to you Artemis, is there something that I can help you with?" He sounded like a butler just then so I was subconsciously imagining him in a penguin suit as he followed silently behind the King and Queen. It was probably very wrong of me to think like that but I couldn''t help it.


    "Hello Noah." I greeted him normally, thank the Goddess, he wouldn''t know that I thought he was a penguin. "I wanted to ask if there was anyone in your pack that knew about the Fae."


    "The Fae?" He sounded surprised. "Why do you want to know about them?" He didn''t sound suspicious or upset at all, but I didn''t know how they would react to knowing that my mate was half Fae. Then again, I think I heard that the Luna Queen was half Witch so they probably wouldn''t mind at all.


    "I need to know about them because no one here knows anything about the Fae, not even our half Fae." I left it ambiguous to start.


    "There is someone there that is half Fae? Were they not born inside the Faepound? That would have been normal up until just recently."


    "No, she was actually born in Colorado Springs but came here shortly after she turned two."


    "Huh." That seemed to surprise him. "How old is she now?"


    "Eighteen."We were getting closer to talking about who this was truly about now.


    "Your mate I''m guessing." How the hell had he guessed that? I felt sopelled to know that I literally asked him just that.


    "How the hell did you figure that out already? I didn''t give you anything to go off of."


    "If it were anyone other than your mate you most likely wouldn''t be so evasive. You didn''t want me to know right away since it is someone that is close and dear to you. There is nothing to worry about. I understand. My own sister is a half witch, it can be hard to talk to someone about that."


    "Your sister?" I was shocked. "I didn''t know there were so many half witches in your city."


    "There aren''t." Heughed like it was funny. "My sister is the Luna Queen."


    "Seriously?" That was a massive bombshell. Talk about living in someone''s shadow.


    "It''s fine. Don''t worry about the Fae stuff. The two Gammas are both apanying the Queen, and one of them is married to a Fae. I will just request that she join them on the trip."


    "Wow, your pack is truly diverse." It was my turn tough now. "While I am at it, is there someone who can help with emotional trauma? We don''t have any psychiatrists in the pack."


    "Seems like you''recking a lot over there." He sounded suspicious now.


    "I will exin it all when the others get here soon."


    "I expect you will. And the answer is yes, we do. I know just the person to send along on this trip, and she happens to be the twin sister of that Gamma who is married to the Fae. Convenient, huh?" He wasughing again. This was getting interesting. I seriously felt like if I dug deeper into his pack it would be like a massive soap opera or something. How entertaining was it to live there?


    The call ended shortly after that part of the discussion. The date of the visit was pushed off by at least a day now, to give them time to prepare for more people. I also graciously offered to house everyone in the pack house like a true Alpha was supposed to do, I think they would have managed without it but they did seem to appreciate it quite a bit. Not having to travel to do their work meant more time for getting things done.


    The next several days leading up to the visit passed quickly. Star was still not feelingpletely back to normal since the house itself seemed to be filled with a depressive air but she did manage to function properly. I took that as a plus.


    Honestly, the closer it got to the visit from the Luna Queen and Alpha King I think she was acting a little more lively. It was like she knew that it was almost time for the cavalry to arrive. I was just so happy to see her acting more and more like herself.


    Soon, it was the night before the visitors were due to arrive. I don''t think a single person in the entire house was able to calm down. Most of us were probably going to have sleepless nights. I swear, it was like we were all kids getting ready for a field trip, we were just too excited.


    In truth, we weren''t excited to see the visitors, we were eagerly anticipating the moment the boys who had been inas for nearly a month finally woke up. We wanted to see that they were all safe and healthy. We all wanted to see them grow and prosper.


    Not to mention we wanted to see those that were old enough shift into their wolves. It was going to be a hard, emotional day for us all, but it wasn''tone that a single one of us was willing to miss.


    I just wonder how I was going to pass the night. What is it that any of us could do when we couldn''t sleep? Well, I could think of one thing, I just hope that someone else will agree with me.


    I went to Star as she wasying in bed, tossing and turning. I slid next to her and ran a hand up her leg until I got to her hip. I gently kissed her ear while my hand was making its trail. That''s as far as I got before-.


    "Ouch." Star pped my hand hard.


    "What the hell is the matter with you?" She red at me. "Think before you act. There is too much going on right now." Dammit. She shot me down. We hadn''t done anything since that night because of what happened.


    When would it be my time to y again?

 Chapter 121 - Star - Royalty Arrives

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Not a single person said a word during breakfast. It was like we were all exhausted from waiting so long and we were just ready to get all of this over with now. But the bad thing was that our guests weren''t due to arrive until sometime in the mid afternoon. This was going to be torture.


    To kill time and try to keep my eyes and mind off the clock I let Chay teach me to y chess. I had never yed before, obviously, so I was losing spectacrly. It wasn''t bad though, and I did enjoy ying it and learning about it but I just couldn''t get into it too much.


    We had just finished up our twelfth game in a row, my twelfth straight loss, when we heard the carsing up the driveway. It sounded like there were two of them. How many people did they have with them?


    That was a stupid thought. This was the Luna Queen and Alpha King we were meeting. Of course they would have a lot of people with them. How could I have been so stupid to think that there weren''t a lot of peopleing?


    Artem was walking toward me now. He had told me before that he wanted us to meet them together as a united front. I hope they can help us. I hope they''re nice. I want this to go smoothly.


    I held Artem''s hand as he walked toward the door. He had it opened and we were waiting for our visitors outside when they pulled up. And by we I mean all of us, myself of course but also Artem, Chay, Kent, Toby, Morgan, Doc, Reed, Bailey, and Grandpa. The only ones technically missing were E and the triplets. They were all at work today since the issue didn''t rte to them personally.


    As I watched I saw that there were two big ck SUVs pulling up the driveway. I knew that they had flown here and then got these cars but the fact that they got two big cars that matched perfectly was kind of off putting.


    Soon the vehicles stopped and the passengers started to get out. There was a mess of people that started making sure that everything and everyone was right where they needed to be.


    There were a baker''s dozen worth of people in total, six men and seven women. I could smell so many varying scents that I didn''t know the meaning of, so they just confused me.


    Of the men there was one that was very tall, probably even a couple inches taller than Artem, he had ck hair, a honeyedplexion, and golden eyes. He was also very powerful looking. If anyone among them seemed like a king it was definitely him.


    The man closest to the ck haired man had auburn hair and hazel eyes. He was a few inches shorter than that man as well. He was interesting to look at, like he was young and old at the same time.


    Beside them was a man with ashy blonde hair and green eyes. There was a woman who had his exact same coloring. This man was tall as well and the woman who matched him was about a head shorter. There was also a woman who had simr coloring that was off by a few shades and much shorter than the others.


    Standing by those three was another man with jet ck hair. He was shorter than the other men with the group but he was still taller than me for certain. And he also had hazel eyes.


    Another man that was shorter than the others had sandy blond hair and eyes that were a perfect mix of yellow and green. He was so kind looking that I immediately wanted to trust him.


    Thest man in the group looked so familiar yet I couldn''t ce it. He had blue eyes and light brown hair that was slightly grayed at the edges. I don''t know why he looked so familiar, he just did.


    I continued taking an inventory of the people who had arrived. The remaining five women were left now. There was a woman with bright green eyes that were so light they were almost clear. She had long dark brown hair and was very pretty.


    Hazel was apparently amon color among this pack since another one of them had that color eyes, but hers had been paired with hair that was so light blonde it almost looked white. The woman next to her was the tallest of them all with a darkerplexion to go with her really dark brown hair and hazelnut brown eyes.


    There was someone among them that looked truly nervous and scared as well. She was almost the shortest woman in the group. Her hair was purple and her eyes were orange. I think she was afraid of us all or something.


    Lastly, I looked at the most interesting person there. She had very dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was on the shorter side with a very narrow waist. She was very pale next to most of the others but she was also so beautiful. And she was probably the youngest among that group as well, not much older than me if at all. The most interesting thing about her though, were the tattoo-like marks that ringed her neck and shoulders. They were so beautiful.


    I was still looking around though. I hadn''t seen the Queen among them.


    Once they were all in the order they wanted themselves to be in they began to approach us. It hadn''t even been a minute since they got out of the cars but it just seemed like time was moving in slow motion or something.


    "Wee to my pack." Artem called out to them with a smile and a friendly voice. The auburn haired man moved a little further ahead of the rest of them and extended his hand to Artem in a friendly gesture.


    "Thank you for having us. My name is Gabriel Abadie and I am the Queen''s personal assistant. Allow me to introduce everyone here."


    The man started with everyone I noticed after him. The two with simr coloring were Juniper and her twin brother Cedar. The shorter woman near them was Cedar''s mate Acacia. The shorter man with ck hair was Paul, Juniper''s mate.


    Next came the man with the yellow-green eyes, his name was Vincent. The man who looked familiar was named Griffin and the woman with him was his mate Lana.


    There other three women included the blonde Thoma, the dark haired Izzy, and the purple haired Leelin. They were all quiet but nodded their heads.


    Lastly, the man introduced the first man I had noticed and thest woman among the group. The tall, ck haired man was indeed the Alpha King and his name was Reece Gray. The woman standing at his side with the tattoos was none other than the Luna Queen, Trinity Gray.


    I think my head was just about to explode. Was this young woman who was about my age really the Luna Queen? I had hoped the Queen would have enough experience to help us. Would this visit really help the boys at all?


    Still, Artem and I greeted everyone with handshakes and a proper kneeling bow to the royalty that hade to visit us. I noticed that the others behind us were also bowing and showing respect for the King and Queen that none of us had known about.


    I don''t know about the others, but I could truly feel the pull to obey them. It was so strong that it was a little off putting. Still, the King and the Queen looked like nice enough people with their truly friendly looking smiles.


    "Alpha King Reece, Luna Queen Trinity, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives toe and visit my pack. I want to thank you for all the help that you are offering to us. I hope that this visit is very fruitful and helps many people." Artem was a really respectful person, when he wanted to be. I was so proud of him at that moment.


    When I lifted my head to look at the King and Queen I saw that they were looking a little ufortable. They didn''t seem to want to be bowed to.


    "Stand, please." The Queen spoke in a soft and kind voice. "I don''t need you genuflecting to me." She looked embarrassed by this whole situation.


    "But, isn''t this normal?" I asked as I stood with Artem. "I admit, I am very confused."


    "Please, do not think about that too much. I am not your typical queen." She really was very nice. I couldn''t help but smile at her with a relieved and happy look. I think this visit is going to go just as good as we had been hoping for, as long as they have a way to cure the boys that is.

 Chapter 122 - Star - Surprises All Around

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    There had been something bothering me ever since the introductions were given. But for right now I was listening to Artem introduce all of us, starting with me. He was walking to each person the same as Gabriel had done with those in his group. When he got to Doc though, he faltered.


    Doc had an interesting look on his face. He was staring intently at the woman with the purple hair. He seemed so happy at that moment and I think I knew why.


    "Doc, is everything ok?" Artem was smirking at Doc because he too knew what was happening.


    "Is this real?" Doc asked as he stared at the woman in front of him. "I''m not imagining this am I?"


    "I-I don''t know." The woman, Leelin, answered him. I could tell she was smiling as well as she looked at Doc. Maybe the nerves that I had seen on her face was because she could feel the bond between her and Doc. Maybe she was just excited instead of nervous.


    "I think this is amazing." The Alpha King was ecstatic when he saw what was happening. "It seems the Goddess is strong among your pack as well as ours."


    "Huh?" I was confused and inadvertently asked that in a very impolite way. Instantly I pped a hand over my mouth. "I''m sorry." I didn''t know how the Alpha King would respond to the way I had responded.


    The Alpha King justughed when he saw me with my scared look. It was nerve wracking trying to figure out how to act around royalty like this. What was I supposed to do here? And, strangely, I saw the Alpha King walking over to me. I was just getting more and more nervous seeing hime up to me. I even saw Artem looking nervous out of the corner of my eye.


    Finally, the Alpha King stopped in front of me, still standing on the ground while I was two steps above him. The differences in our height still make him taller than me.


    "Your name is Star, right? I wasn''t mistaken when I heard that, was I?"


    "Y-yes." I nodded nervously. "M-my name is Astraia but everyone calls me S-Star." I can''t believe that I just stuttered like that.


    "Don''t be nervous, Star. My name is Reece, and yes, I am the Alpha King and my mate is the Luna Queen, but we''re new to this whole thing. Right now, we''re very normal people that are nothing to be afraid of. Unless you''ve done something wrong, that is." He winked at the end with a smirk on his face. "So please, don''t be nervous or scared around us. Please." All I could do was nod in bewilderment as the Alpha Kingughed at me. "Now, allow me to exin what it was you didn''t understand. When I said the Goddess was strong among your pack, I was referring to the mating between the witch we brought with us and that man named Doc up there."


    "Yes, it''s truly wonderful. Since I became the Luna of our pack and then ascended to other titles, there have been several matings in our pack. I just love that everyone is finding their true love." The Luna Queen spoke so softly and sweetly again. It was hard to believe she was a Queen and not just a normal person.


    "We''ve had quite a few around here as well." Artem was smiling. "After I found my mate we had five more mated pairs in quick session."


    "You too?" Alpha King Reece wasughing now, I was still at a loss.


    After theughter died down Artem continued introducing everyone. Thest person that he introduced was Grandpa. He was thest to join the group so I guess that''s why but I don''t really know.


    "Andstly, we have the only man that I know of who was alive when the Warlock was here all those years ago. This is Daniel Westbrook."


    "Gramps?" The man named Griffin looked up, his eyes glued to my great great grandfather. "Oh my Goddess, Grandpa Daniel? I didn''t think you would still be alive." The man was walking forward now, like he was being drawn by an invisible force.


    "Griffin? You''re my Griffin? I didn''t think anything of it when they introduced you. I can''t believe I am seeing you again. My boy, you''ve grown so much." I could see tears in Grandpa''s eyes then, the whole situation was confusing to me.


    "So, he is your grandfather?" I asked him. I was starting to think that Griffin was older than he looked.


    "He''s my great grandfather actually, but he''s always hated the word great before his name." Griffin was smiling now, like he had won a prize having been able to see Grandpa again.


    Now I was starting to make the connections. I was starting to know why that man looked so familiar to me. I hadn''t met him, no that wasn''t it. But I saw a picture of him as a child and pictures of someone who looked so much like him.


    Grandpa had told me that my mother was the second he had sent away. He had sent her older brother, my uncle, to Colorado first.


    "Um, is your name Griffin Westbrook by chance? And did you have a sister?" I couldn''t help myself from asking these questions.


    "That used to be my name. I took on the name that my uncle had taken when he left this pack. Myst name is now White. I do have a sister. I haven''t seen her in many years. I''ve almost given up hope of ever seeing Vivian again though." He looked saddened by those words. I didn''t want to tell him this but there was no getting around it.


    "Um, Vivian passed away, sixteen years ago." I could feel my heart breaking just saying the words, I also felt the wave of pain that hit the man named Griffin.


    "How? How do you know this?" He looked angry, like he didn''t believe me.


    "She-." I faltered and needed to take a deep breath before I continued. When I was ready I squared my shoulders, looked him in the eyes and spoke firmly.


    "She was my mother."


    I watched as the different emotions and thoughts passed over the man''s face. There was still anger but it was followed by sorrow then confusion. After the confusion came understanding and finally a slight amount of happiness.


    "You''re Vivian''s daughter?" There was a bittersweet smile on his face. "You-you-you''re the niece I never got to meet?" I could see tears brimming in his eyes. They were just seconds away from streaming down his cheeks.


    "I am Vivian''s daughter, yes. My name is Astraia Westbrook."


    The man named Griffin came up to me then, cupping his hands around my cheeks so he could angle my face and allow him to look into my eyes more deeply.


    "I can see her in your face. Notpletely, I imagine there is much of your father in you, but I can see Viv in your eyes." He was smiling now. "I can''t believe that after all these years I am finally meeting you." He pulled me into his arms for a hug that I was not ready for. Still, I returned the hug. It just felt right, normal even. This man was my uncle, he was my mother''s brother. This man was a connection to her that I didn''t even know still existed.


    "I just knew this was going to be a good day." Grandpa was standing beside us now, smiling broadly while my uncle Griffin was holding me in his arms.


    Things took longer outside than I thought. There was a lot to be said and so many emotions that were being felt and shared. Not to mention that as Uncle Griffin pulled away from me Artem held his hand out to him.


    "Hello there, Griffin, it''s nice to meet you." It didn''t seem that Artem was acting possessive. It simply looked like he was trying to extend a warm wee. He had been telling the truth when he said he wanted me to know more about my family. He was being so supportive and helpful right now.


    "Oh, I am so sorry." Uncle Griffin was crying now but there was also a massive smile on his face. "I just let my emotions take over me." The two men shook hands and smiled at each other. "You''re the Alpha here, right?"


    "That''s right. I am Artemis Cooper, Alpha of the Hidden Paw wolf pack, and Star''s mate." That seemed to shock my uncle for a moment.


    "Wow. I didn''t think that my niece would be the Alpha''s mate." He wasughing. "But since she is only one of two women out here I guess it was a fifty-fifty chance huh."


    "Yeah, that other annoying ball of energy is my sister, Cesya, but we call her Chay for short."


    Uncle Griffin was smiling at Artem now, like he saw a kindred spirit in him. They were both older brothers so there was probably something they had inmon. I didn''t know right now though, all I could think about was the fact that I could talk to more of my family that wasn''t crazy.

 Chapter 123 - Artem - Getting To Business

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The introduction of the Alpha King and the Luna Queen had been quite a bit more exciting than I had expected it to be. I never would have guessed that my little Star would find family among the group that hade to visit us. Still, I was just d that things seemed to be going smoothly right now. Not to mention that the Alpha King and Luna Queen were both really nice, as far as I could tell.


    Once the excitement died down a little I invited everyone inside. With everyonebined there were quite a few of us so we had decided to settle in thergest meeting room on the first floor. There were four on the first floor alone but none of the other rooms would hold more than fifteen people.


    I had instructed the recently hired staff to bring refreshments to the room after we were all seated. The items they brought included water coffee, juice, and various tes covered in small cookies and cracker-like things that the new chef had made. It all made for quite the disy and array. Also, this particr meeting room came equipped with a fully stocked bar.


    "Can I get anyone a drink?" I asked them all as I still stood near the empty firece.


    "I''ll just have some water." The Luna Queen smiled at me.


    "Same." The women who had been introduced as Juniper, Acacia and Lana asked for the same. The other three women asked for coffee as did Griffin. Gabriel, Vincent, Paul and Cedar asked for water. The Alpha King was the only one who took me up on the offer of alcohol.


    "I''ll have something strong, whatever you have that you suggest." He framed his request ambiguously so as not to offend me if I didn''t have the drink he asked for.


    I wanted to prove to him that I have the good stuff so I prepared a drink for him quickly and then offered it to him with a smile. He grabbed the drink and took a sip. The smile that I got in return told me he had enjoyed the taste.


    "What is this?" There was curiosity in his voice now.


    "I call it a hidden paw. I got a little good at mixing drinks back when I was in college." That earned me a robustugh as the Alpha King held his stomach.


    "I''d say you got a little more than a little good." His words gave me a sense of pride and satisfaction. "I just hope you managed to graduate with how drunk you must have been."


    "Who said they were all for me." I smirked at him.


    "Good point. How many people did you cause to fail?"


    "I plead the fifth on that one." This banter between us felt easy, light, and natural. I was quite enjoying how this visit was going.


    Once everyone had their drinks and I finally sat down, next to Star, it was time to get to business. I looked around briefly at the group and saw that the man Gabriel had sat out of politeness but he and two of the females were itching to stand. Were they guards or something? I also saw that the witch, Leelin, had sat close to Doc. Andstly, the man Griffin and his mate Lana were sitting close to Star''s Grandpa, Daniel. I was d that there was a connection between us all that would make it that much easier for us to cooperate.


    I was just about to begin the conversation but it seemed that Star was a little more eager than I was.


    "I want to thank you all foring. I know that all of us here would greatly appreciate any and all assistance that you can offer us."


    "Of course. It is our job after all. Being the Luna Queen means that the entire world of shifters is nothing more than an extension of our pack. Furthermore, as the Queen of the Witches and Warlocks it is also my duty toe here and help to fix the havoc that one or two unsavory individuals among my people have caused."


    "I''m sorry, did you say the Queen of the Witches and Warlocks?" I couldn''t help myself, the question slipped out before I could stop it.


    There was a smile that spread across the Alpha King and the Luna Queen''s faces. They were quite enjoying seeing the shock on our faces.


    "Yes, my Trinity is quite special." The Alpha King, Reece, looked into his mates eyes with a look so filled with love that it was easy to tell that fate was giving them something truly special.


    Following that they worked together to tell us the story of how the woman sitting before us, Trinity Gray, went from being a girl who thought she was half human to being half wolf and warlock with a double blessing from the Gods that gave her sovereignty over two different types of people. It was quite the riveting story, that was for sure.


    "There, now that you know my story, and hopefully trust me, can you tell me about the issue that you are all experiencing right now?" The Luna Queen asked with a smile on her face. She was definitely a good person, I could sense that in the way she acted, the way she smelled, and just by what my gut was telling me.


    "Well, we currently have several boys that need help." Star started to exin everything. This was starting to be a meeting of the Lunas instead of a group meeting.


    Star exined what had happened with the warlock, Edmond, all those years ago. She had learned the full story from many different perspectives and was providing a detailed timeline of events that exined the histories.


    Following the information about the pack''s background she moved onto what happened to the boys over thest several years. She exined how many of them have died at the hands of their abusers. Though I noticed she left out the details of her past.


    Finally, Star began to exin what happened herest month. She told them how the boys had been screaming in pain after copsing. She told them how the boys slipped intoas shortly after that and they have yet to wake up.


    I could tell that the group that hade to help had not been expecting everything that had been revealed. They were looking at us with their mouths gaped open and their eyes filled with shock.


    "I see there has been much misfortune for this pack. And it seems that Edmond was just as much of a thorn in your sides as he was in ours." Alpha King Reece spoke with a hint of formality in his voice.


    "I''d say that''s an understatement Fi-, Reece. I would say that dear old dad was a massive dick to these good people. And I''d say that some of his friends he sent our way were left overs from when he was here." I didn''t understand all of what she was saying there, but I had just received confirmation of what I had been told before. The Luna Queen, Trinity, was Edmond''s daughter. That was still a shock to think about.


    "Please, tell me if there is anything else we should know about." The man named Gabriel spoke next.


    "Well." Star looked ufortable and turned to look at me. I could tell that she was not ready to ry her story herself. She wanted me to do it instead.


    "The boys weren''t the only ones imprisoned. There was one more person that I rescued from a life of torture."


    "Who?" The Alpha King looked at me seriously, like he might already know but needed to hear it anyway.


    "My mate."


    I then proceeded to tell them all that had happened from the night that Kent ran into Star in the woods and the rescue mission. I skirted over the issue at the beach house, but I had told them about the attempted kidnapping at the mall and the kidnapping when she was driving home with Chay. I exined how I had tracked them down and destroyed the man who both told me and showed me that he was half demon. I did my best to tell them the full story.


    "You said that you confirmed that Star was not a full wolf. Was that why you asked for someone who knew about the Fae?" The Luna Queen was quick to understand all of this.


    "Yes."


    "Do you know what type of Fae you are?" The woman named Acacia asked. She was pretty but didn''t give off the scent or the vibe of a wolf.


    "No I don''t. I just know that my father was around Colorado Springs when my mother met him." She hung her head and the woman looked saddened by theck of information. "Oh, but I do know his name. Well, at least the name my mother wrote in her journal."


    "That is a good start. I could look for him based on his name."


    "My mother wrote that his name was Aaron Fields, but I-." Whatever Star was going to add got cut off abruptly.


    "Oh my! You can''t be serious."


    "Is that wrong?" Star looked worried. "I might not have the name right."


    "Oh I am sure you do." The woman, Acacia, just smiled at Star. "Aaron Fields is indeed a Fae, and he happens to be my cousin."

 Chapter 124 - Star - More Family

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    "Wait a minute." I was at a loss here. What was she saying? "He''s your cousin?" I know I sounded confused.


    "Yes. Aaron Fields. He''s a pixie and as far as I know he''s the only man with that name in the wholepound. That means that my cousin is your father. That makes us rted." The woman, Acacia, was grinning happily.


    "Family." I said the word like it confused me. "I never thought I would find any family members from my father''s side of the family. I never thought I would find more from my mother''s side either." I could feel the tears in the back of my eyes as they started to sting. The emotions that I was feeling today were getting a little overwhelming.


    "I wish I had known that Aaron had fathered a child. I don''t even know if he knows he fathered a child. As far as I know he thinks that he is free and clear with no children. I mean, I knew he had dated a wolf but I didn''t know that it had gotten to that point, you know what I mean."


    It was hard for me to think that this woman knew my father when he was dating my mother. She looked just a couple years older than me at most, how could she know him eighteen years ago. I guess I shouldn''t judge though. I know nothing about the Fae after all.


    "Where is my father now?" I asked her, curious to know what happened to him. "Do you know why he abandoned my mother? Do you know why he left her to handle everything alone?"


    "Oh sweetheart." Acacia looked sad after I tearfully asked her those questions. "I wish I knew where he was right this minute, I would tell my aunt to p him silly. But I will find him and I will make sure you get a chance to meet him."


    "I don''t know what I would say when I meet with him. I don''t know what made him leave my mother. She wrote that he was her mate. Shouldn''t that have meant something to him?"


    "We will find out about it. There are many different things we could ask right now but there are no answers. Once all this business is settled how about youe with me to the Faepound. I know that the queen will want to meet you."


    "A-another qu-queen." I stuttered. "Just how many queens are part of the supernatural world?" I couldn''t stop myself from answering that question though I instantly felt like I had been rude to say it at all.


    "There are a fair few it seems." Sheughed and didn''t act like she was offended at all. "But the Fae Queen is my Aunt, Queen Gloriana. That means she is your great aunt. She is family to you as well as me."


    "My aunt? The q-queen of the F-Fae is m-my aunt too?"


    "Isn''t that nice?" Acacia looked happy but I just felt like the whole room was shaking uncontrobly.


    I thought that I would be happy to meet more family but I was scared enough with the Queen that was here with me. But to know that I had a great aunt that was a queen as well, that was going to drive me mad with nerves. What would she expect from me? Will she want me to know all the rules of her court before I even got there? This was so nerve wracking.


    I buried my face in my hands and groaned at the idea of meeting such an important rtive. That was when someone walked toward me and put a hand on my shoulder. The smelling off of her was pleasant, earthy but still from a wolf. When I looked up I saw that it was the woman named Juniper.


    "Don''t worry, Star. It will all work out." Just from her words I was feeling better but there was also a warmth spreading from her hand. That warmth was slowly radiating through me like I was covered in a nket and sitting next to a fire. It was like a bunch of differentforting warmths at the same time. That sensation was so pleasant that I never wanted it to end.


    I listened to her as she spoke. She had been hunched over in a very ufortable looking position but then she knelt in front of me, her hand still on my shoulder.


    "You''ve been through a lot. So many things that someone as young as you should never have had to go through. You were only an innocent little girl."


    Every word that Juniper said felt like it was soothing my soul. Somehow I felt like just listening to her would help me.


    "It''s OK to heal, Star. It''s OK to move. You don''t need to forget the past but you can ovee it. Don''t let it weigh you down. Rise up and be stronger than it is. It''s part of who you are but it''s not the only thing that makes up Astraia Westbrook. You have your courage, your passion, your kind heart. Let that be what defines you. Choose the path that you will take. Don''t take the road that others lead you to, forge your own way."


    With every new thing that Juniper was saying I felt like I was getting lighter. It felt like the weight of the past was leaving me as it floated away. It was like all of my memories were still there but there was nothing in them that would hurt me anymore. Even a memory of Uncle Howard and the horrors he put me through didn''t make me want to cry or cringe anymore. What was going on here?


    "W-what are you doing to me?" I asked her, confusion clear in my voice.


    "I am helping you to heal." She just smiled at me like that was all that she needed to say. When the Luna Queen saw that I was still confused she decided to add more.


    "Juniper is one of the many special people among my pack." I saw her smile at me over Juniper''s head. "I have been given an ability to bless those that show remarkable talent or loyalty. Juniper''s ability is like a magical therapist." The Luna Queenughed for a second then continued. "She helps heal the mental and emotional wounds that someone has suffered. And your uncle, Griffin, has been blessed as a healer as well. Though he heals physical injuries."


    "Like a doctor?" I asked dumbfounded, it was the only thought that I was capable of saying. "Exactly. Griffin is a very capable doctor that works in the hospital and runs his own clinic. Lana, his mate, is a nurse and has the same ability as him. These three are the healers of all in the pack. And by all I mean they cover it all, mental, physical, and emotional." The Luna Queen was smiling at me with a kind look. She really was a good person, wasn''t she?


    I was lost in thought trying to wrap my head around all of this still, but Artem didn''t seem to be suffering like I was.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, how did you manage to bless them with these abilities? That''s quite the unique ability."


    "I have been blessed by the Moon Goddess, Nehalennia, as well as the God of magic and sunlight, Thoth. I have abilities that go above and beyond that of the others." The Luna Queen didn''t look or sound like she was being smug, she just sounded like she was exining the way things were.


    "My wife has markings that are unlike any of the other marks people have seen before."


    Without seeming rude I looked at the Luna Queen a little closer and sure enough I saw markings in more ces than where my mate mark was. There seemed to be a line of something moving across her cor bone that was just barely visible above the top of the shirt she was wearing. She definitely seemed to be a special person.


    "I hate to move this along too quickly, but can we see the boys who have been affected with the mysterious illness. I would like to get an idea of what is going on here."


    "Yes, of course. Pleasee with us." I did my best to smile and stand, which actually was a lot easier than I had thought it would be. Whatever Juniper did to me was actually helping.


    Artem and I led the way from the room and up to the infirmary. It wasn''t that long of a walk but I swear it felt like it was taking hours to reach our destination. I was getting more and more nervous, despite the feeling of rity and ease I had had earlier. I guess nerves were not covered under Juniper''s healing touch.


    The reason I was nervous, though, was because I didn''t know if the Luna Queen, the Alpha King, or any of the others they had brought with them were going to be able to help us. Honestly though, if not for the King and Queen and their group of blessed pack members, who else would be able to help us? These people seemed to be the most qualified by far.

 Chapter 125 - Artem - Examination

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    As soon as we walked into the room I felt Star tense next to me. It always made her uneasy to see the boys in their current state. Especially since more of them had been brought to us. She hated to see anyone suffering and this situation was no different.


    I instinctively wrapped my arm tighter around her to offer her silent emotional support. I felt her lean slightly into me so that I was bearing a small amount of her weight. I could tell that it was helping her, even if just slightly.


    There were fourteen boys that were currently hooked up to heart monitors and brainwave monitors. They had feeding tubes and oxygen that was there as a fail safe just in case they suddenly stopped breathing. There were so many different devices that were simultaneously running that the whole room sounded like it was humming slightly.


    The sight of more than a dozen children in a state like this was heart wrenching. Even I had a hard time epting what I was seeing. I kept hoping that it wasn''t real. Every time that I came into the infirmary I hoped and prayed that this would be the day, this would be when they all just suddenly woke up. Of course they never did.


    When the Luna Queen, Trinity, walked into the room along with Juniper they both gasped. As did Star''s uncle, Griffin when he came in after them. I think they could all sense the seriousness of what was going on with the children.


    "Have they really all been like this for over a month? With no known cause?" Griffin asked with a look of worry on his face.


    "Ever since the day their talismans began to shine with a bright light and came off with no assistance from us, yes. They''ve not woken. They haven''t stirred. They''ve shown no signs of life since they all fell silent that day." Doc answered before I could.


    "And their vitals?" Griffin was looking at a read out on the machine next to Dalton''s bed.


    "All their vitals have been fine. Nothing at all to indicate why they are like this."


    "Hmm. Yeah I can see that everything appears to be normal here." Griffin was looking at another boy''s printouts and seemed saddened by what he saw. "Your name was Jayr, correct?" Griffin was looking at Doc without leaving the boy''s side.


    "Yes, that''s my name." Doc answered with a confused look.


    "I would like you and I to evaluate and research a few things before I determine what might be the issue here. Is that alright with you?"


    "Yes, perfectly. I want to solve this more than anyone. This is a situation that has me stumped and I feel like a failure as a doctor."


    Doc hung his head in shame when he spoke. He was having trouble epting that there was nothing he could do to help the children that needed him so desperately. Suddenly, the Luna Queen walked to his side and ced a hand on his forearm. When she was standing next to the King, or any other man in this house, I was able to see just how short she waspared to wolf females. Evenpared to Star who was the shortest wolf female I had met, the Queen was short. I wonder if it had to do with them being half wolves.


    "Jayr, you''re not a failure. I can tell that you have a kind soul. You''re a good man and a doctor. I imagine that like many wolves who choose a career like yours you have arge and caring heart. I can assure you, the Goddess has not given up on you, or these children. She is here, all around us right now, and she approves of you."


    The moment those words were out of the Luna Queen''s mouth a bright light started to shine. It made me think of the day the boys had fallen ill but this light was white and pure. Not to mention it was focused solely on Doc. After a few seconds the light began to fade and it was immediately followed with a voice that came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.


    "Gift Granted."


    Every single person in the room had a reaction to what had just happened, it just happened to be that the reactions varied and could be ssified into two categories. They were either surprised and confused or happy and pleased. Needless to say that everyone from my pack was confused and surprised to see something like that happen, especially considering the simrities it had to the day the children had fallen ill. The Luna Queen and Alpha King, along with their whole group, just looked pleased. It looked like they were all used to something like this happening and none of it scared them at all.


    "Wh-what was that?" Doc seemed shocked and slightly unnerved by what had just happened.


    "It seems the Goddess wanted to prove that she was here." I was watching the Luna Queen as she spoke and I saw a slight shifting in the blue of her eyes. It was like there was a turning circle inside of them. Was that something to do with the Goddess?


    "What are you saying?" Doc asked her for rity.


    "You''re a healer Doc. That''s what you were always meant to do. That''s what you''ve been doing with your life. And the Goddess wanted to make that easier for you. You have been granted a healing ability like that of Griffin and Lana''s." The Luna Queen smiled and looked down like she was sad before she suddenly raised her head as if she remembered something. "Oh, before I forget, don''t be scared if you have a new tattoo. Most of the people that I have granted powers to have gotten a new tattoo like mark. Well, I say most because I haven''t actually followed up on it and looked at all of them personally. In truth they should all have the mark."


    That was all the Luna Queen said about it before walking away. The rest of us, those not used to the Luna Queen and the magic that worked around her, were left bbergasted. Still, there was much that we needed to do and not much time that our help was going to be here for.


    "Let us go, we will leave the healers here to help the children. They wille to us when they think that they have a solution." The Luna Queen beckoned us all from the room. Unable to deny her, even if I was an Alpha, I just followed after her and the Alpha King out of the room.


    Once we were in the hall the Alpha King turned to me and began to speak.


    "Artemis, could we have a meeting that is just between Alphas and Lunas?" He was asking to speak with just me and Star. There was, of course, no way that I could refuse him.


    "Of course."


    "Thank you. If you would like, my mate and I will wait in a sitting room while you show the others to their rooms. I think most of them would like to settle in before too much more happens."


    "Yes, that would probably be for the best. Please, allow me to show you to your rooms." I smiled at them as I followed the Alpha King''s suggestion.


    I first saw that the Alpha King and the Luna Queen were seated and sent some refreshments before I took the group of men and women to the fourth floor. That floor was nearly all bedrooms that were unupied and I had made certain they were prepped and ready to receive very important visitors. The furniture was all high quality and they were veryfortable. Also, they had been cleaned extremely well. The rooms were more than ready for our visitors to use.


    One by one I led them to their rooms. The mated pairs went into their rooms together and those without a mate, or without their mate with them, went into their rooms alone. Once they were inside I went to find Winston and Langley, the two butlereseque men that I had hired from the city. There were good men and followed orders to the letter. They had also joined our pack and sworn their fealty to me. That wasforting.


    I asked the men to deliver the luggage for our guests to their rooms on the fourth floor. They nodded their agreement and set off to work immediately. Now that that was done, I could focus on the Alpha King and the Luna Queen.


    With a heavy heart and nervous steps I made my way back to where I had left them waiting. Star was walking quietly along next to me. Her hand in mine felt like it was trembling slightly. Neither of us knew exactly what to expect from the two highest authorities for our kind. Well, I guess time would tell.

 Chapter 126 - Star - A Discussion Between Alphas And Luna

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    When Artem and I made it back to the room where the Alpha King and Luna Queen were waiting in, we entered slowly. We didn''t knock because that would have been awkward but we did enter hesitantly just to be safe. They may seem like nice people but we didn''t know what they were like and they were royalty after all.


    "Did you get everyone settled?" The Alpha King asked with a smile when we went back into the room.


    "Yes we did." Artem nodded and smiled in return. "I had my staff take the luggage to their room. I hope you don''t mind but I had yours delivered as well."


    "No, not at all. Thank you for your consideration." The Luna Queen answered this time.


    "You two seem nervous." The Alpha King looked amused as he spoke. "You know, you really don''t need to be scared or nervous around us. Like I said outside earlier, we may be the new King and Queen of the shifters, but we''re as new to this as you are. Really." He looked like he was the ufortable one now. "Honestly, we just found out about the Luna Queen and Alpha King stuff about four months ago. So that will tell you how new it is to us as well. Though a lot has happened since then and it feels like it has been so much longer than that at times."


    "You''ve really only been the Alpha King and Luna Queen for four months?" I couldn''t help myself, I had to ask that question.


    "Almost to the day." The Luna Queenughed as she answered. "In all honesty, I was told that I was Goddess Incarnate and the new Queen on my wedding day. Nice bombshell to receive that day, huh?" Why was the Luna Queen talking like we were friends? I was so confused.


    "Yes, Luna Queen, I imagine that made for quite the unique wedding day." I hadn''t thought about weddings and all that too much in my life. Though, I had thought that maybe it would be nice to marry Artem at some point, so listening to this was making me think about that even more.


    "You don''t have to call me Luna Queen. Please, just call me Trinity. We can all be friends here."


    "She''s right. Neither of us have gotten veryfortable with the whole Alpha King and Luna Queen titles yet. Maybe one day in the future, or when we''re meeting people that we need to be official with we will keep the formalities. For the time being, while we''re here, we want to just be Trinity and Reece to you guys. You need our help and we''re here to give it."


    "It is awkward for me to think that you''re normal people when we were expecting regal and noble people." I let my thoughts escape absentmindedly and then I realized how it sounded and had to backpedal instantly. "No, that''s not what I meant to say. I am so sorry. What I meant was that I was expecting someone older with years of experience being the Queen. I was thinking that the personing to see us would insist on us using the titles and were people we should fear and respect. I-I didn''t¡­. I-."


    "You don''t need to worry Star." The Luna Queen wasughing. "I know what you are trying to say so don''t worry. This is all new to me, actually everything in my life has been moving fasttely. In truth I was still just eighteen when I met my mate and from there I became the Luna, was kidnapped and tortured by my father, rescued, married, made into a queen twice, and now I am a soon to be mother. And it has all been less than a year. I mean I am neen now at least but other than that it''s all way too hectic."


    "I never would have thought that you were just a year older than me." Iughed. "You seem like you''re so much more mature."


    "I imagine we had drastically different upbringings, considering what you went through as a child. I apud you for making it through that."


    "Well, we did have something inmon." I giggled. "We were both kidnapped by a crazy warlock." That made The Luna Queenugh so hard she had to grab her sides while she doubled over.


    "Yeah, that is true. Sorry about not taking care of him sooner. If I had known about another crazy family member out there I would have sought him out and eliminated him sooner."


    "Well, he had been terrorizing me since I was a child. I imagine you wouldn''t have been able to stop him then."


    "That is true." I could see the sadness in her eyes as she spoke then. "You endured so much more hardship than me, Star, and I can tell that you are still struggling with it. Don''t worry, you will be able to move on soon."


    "Actually, whatever your friend did is already making it easier. I don''t feel the pain of my past as strongly now. I want to thank herter, if I can."


    "I think she would like that." She was smiling at me now while I returned a smile to her.


    This was turning into a pleasant discussion, and I was hoping it kept going this well. However, that was when the Alpha King changed the subject.


    "Artemis?"


    "Artem, please."


    "OK, Artem, I hear you are having trouble with your pack. Can you exin a little of that for me?"


    "Well, to be honest, I wasn''t given the title of Alpha by the previous head of the pack. I took my position by force."


    "You killed him?" There was no judgement in the Alpha King''s voice when he heard those words.


    "Yes, I did." Artem answered honestly.


    "Do you mind telling me why?"


    That was when Artemunched into the full story. It was something that I had only ever heard the abridged version of before. It started with Artem and his friends in kindergarten, the group of them that used to y together all the time. It was a story that included Artem''s friend Lenny.


    Artem went on to detail Lenny''s abuse and subsequent death. He told the Alpha king of his first shift and the murderous rage he felt that day. Artem detailed the process he took to secure himself the position of Alpha. The training he did. The deals he made with his father and the securing of thepany that would be his financial backing.


    It was a tale that sucked you in and held you, but not because of its entertainment value. It was sad and scary. The entire time that Artem spoke the Alpha King and Luna Queen just listened quietly. When he was done with his tale I saw the wise and knowing look in the Alpha''s eyes.


    "I am amazed by your determination. And I apud you for what you have done. I agree with you that the pack needed new management and I am d you are the one that took over."


    "Thank you, Alpha King." Artem bowed his head in gratitude and thanks.


    "Please, call me Reece."


    "Thank you, Reece." Artem was smiling when he said his thanks again.


    "Now, I believe you are having trouble getting those still loyal to the previous Alpha to recognize you."


    "Yes, that is correct." Artem looked frustrated when he spoke then.


    "I think what you need to do is summon them all to a meeting. Is there a central meeting ce that the pack would use?"


    "Yes, there is. It''s out in the woods here on the property." Artem looked like he was thinking about something as he spoke.


    "As expected. All Alpha estates should have their meeting ce on their property. It''s part of the reason the estate exists. What you need to do is summon them all to a meeting while we are here. I am going to guess that they don''t know about the existence of the new King and Queen." He grinned now as he looked at Artem, I could sense mischiefing off the Alpha King right now. "We''re going to give them all a lesson in obedience."


    "Really?" Artem looked excited now.


    "Yeah, they willply or die. It''s as simple as that."


    I gulped and swallowed reflexively. That was such a dark thing to say. The Alpha King was nice, but he was also scary.


    "Don''t worry Star, I will try to limit the casualties." The Luna Queen was smiling at me again. She looked a little like an angel just then, innocent and trustworthy. I just hoped it was true.


    Following that dark part of the conversation we decided that we were going to send out messengers the next day. We were going to inform the entire pack that there was a meeting the following night and they were all required to show. Anyone who didn''t show would be punished severely.


    During that meeting Artem would state the next pack rules and standards. He would demand order and obedience. And if they still didn''t recognize the new Alpha, then the Alpha King and the Luna Queen would step in and show them all who was boss, literally.

 Chapter 127 - Becoming Friends With The Queen

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    With the meeting between us over and Uncle Griffin examining the boys with Doc there wasn''t much else for us to do today. I was about to head to the kitchen to help with lunch, just for something to do, when the Luna Queen called out to me.


    "Star?"


    "Yes, Luna Queen?" Sheughed when I answered her.


    "Please, just call me Trinity." She was smiling and looked happy.


    "O-ok. Yes, Trinity."


    "Much better." Another smile. Good, she wasn''t upset about anything. "My friend Juniper and I want to go out to dinner. We''ve never been to California and want to see your area. Will youe with us?"


    "Yes. I think that will be fun. We can bring Chay and E so it will be just us girls."


    "Great. I''ll ask Acacia and the others toe too. Chay is Artem''s sister right? And E is?" Juniper was talking fast with excitement.


    "E is my cousin. I haven''t gotten to spend much time with her in my life. I just met her right before my birthday."


    "Speaking of that, how old are you Star?" Juniper seemed like a nice person but also like someone who wanted to know a lot.


    "I just turned eighteen. E and Chay are the same age as me as well."


    "So Trinity is a year older than you and I am two years since I just turned twenty."


    "I am d that we''re all so close in age. We can all be good friends." Iughed then. I wasughing at how surreal all of this was. "Was something I said funny?" Trinity looked confused.


    "Not really, it''s just that I never thought that I would be friends with the Luna Queen. It''s just a strange feeling Trinity, nothing bad, it''s just surreal."


    "Well, I am d that we have this chance to be friends. I just wish it was under better circumstances. And I am excited to get to know more about you. You were born in my city after all." She grinned at me again like that made us even closer.


    "We will talk a lot at dinner. Let me go get the others, I will be right back."


    While I went to go get Chay and E for dinner I also grabbed my mother''s journal so that I could show it to Acacia and Trinity. Maybe they could figure out something from all of it.


    Lana decided not toe to lunch, she wanted to help Uncle Griffin. E said she needed to get to work to relieve the others, and Leelin wanted to be near Doc so she wasn''t going either. And apparently Thoma and Izzy were Trinity''s guards so they were going but they were opting to sit to the side and protect us while the five of us enjoyed our meal together.


    Trinity had said that Reece tried to insist on her bringing the man named Vincent with us as he was her head of security but she told him she would be fine with just the two guards. I was actually surprised when she made him listen to her. Was that the power of the Luna Queen?


    We ended up going to a cute little cafe that Chay knew. It was called The Quarter Moon and it was owned and operated by wolves from the next pack over. Chay knew the owners and seemed to be friendly with them. The best thing was that the rush was actually over and it was pretty quiet.


    "Hey Mary!" Chay called out to a slightly olderdy behind the counter.


    "Hey Chay." She called back. "Good to see you. You''ve got some new faces with you today."


    "Yeah, let me introduce you. This is Star, she is Artem''s mate and the new Luna of our pack. This here is Acacia, she''s a Fae from Colorado, then we have Juniper, also from Colorado. Andstly this is Trinity, she is the new Goddess Incarnate and the Luna Queen." When Chay finished what she was saying Mary dropped the te that was in her hands.


    "D-did you say Luna Queen?" Mary looked shocked and scared.


    "Yes, my name is Trinity Gray and I am the new Luna Queen, it is nice to meet you Mary."


    At that moment Mary and the three waitresses behind the counter dropped to the floor in a bow. I was really d that there were no customers in the cafe at the moment.


    "Please don''t do that. I am still just a normal person like you. I am just blessed by Nehalennia, that''s all."


    "Luna Queen, thank you for visiting my cafe. Everything you have today is on the house."


    "Please don''t do that. This is your business, you need to make money, don''t you? I have no need to get things for free."


    "You are truly a kind soul, Luna Queen. Please sit anywhere you''d like.


    "Thank you."


    Following that awkward exchange we sat in a corner booth that wasrge enough for all of us. The service was fast and excellent, probably because of Trinity. Our drinks were brought to us right away. The food was cooked to perfection and brought to us as soon as it was done. I had to wonder if this kind of life ever got exhausting for Trinity.


    While we were eating our food we talked. I was making my way through arge BLT with extra bacon. Chay had gotten a Reuben, Trinity and Juniper were both eating a BLT and half of a chicken club, Acacia was the only one without a sandwich, she had opted for just the soup and sd but her sd wasrger than ours. We all had the soup and the sd though. There was a lot of food and it all tasted amazing.


    "Star, how are you feeling now?" Juniper asked me at some point while we were eating.


    "I am doing alright." I grinned.


    "Calmer than when we all spoke earlier?" I remembered what she had done for me today and smiled.


    "Yes, whatever you did helped me to feel a lot better than I have in a long time."


    "I''m d to hear that. I was hoping to make the painful memories of your past a little easier for you to think about. I didn''t want to erase them entirely because they make you the person you are but you need to be able to remember them without it destroying you."


    "Thank you, Juniper, thank you."


    That was the first serious part of the conversation. After that I showed them my mother''s journal. Acacia and Trinity were both very interested in the journal. Trinity even pointed out that the other mother and baby that were mentioned were her and her mother.


    Trinity told me that her mother had not been strong enough to bear the magic and bullying during the times before and after Trinity was born. Unfortunately, her mother took her life when Trinity was a baby and so she was raised by her aunt and uncle. We had both lost our mothers at a young age.


    Following all the serious and sad talk we talked about everything we liked and were interested in. I learned that Trinity wanted to be awyer. Juniper wanted to be a social worker or therapist. And Acacia was a lot older than I had thought. She was eighty-nine and recently married to Juniper''s twin brother Cedar.


    I also learned that all three of them were pregnant, with multiples. Trinity and Juniper were having twins and Acacia was pregnant with triplets. That was going to be a lot of babies.


    It surprised me that Chay said she wouldn''t mind starting a family with Bailey and that made me start to think about my future with Artem. I was his mate. Didn''t that mean that I was going to be with him forever? Were we going to get married? Were we going to have a family? Was I going to be a mother?


    The thought of me bing a mother was actually a scary one. I didn''t know what to expect with babies or how to be a mother. I had no examples to base it off of and that scared me. I tried not to think about it at all though. I was here to have a good time after all.


    There were some fun parts of the conversations as well. Trinity wasughing as she exined how her mate was at first.


    "He was a brute. He threw me over his shoulder and carried me back to my room and locked me in. I wanted to run away from him so bad. That was the night he started calling me Little Bunny and it''s never stopped. It''s fine. The next time that I saw him I called him Fido." There were tears in her eyes while she spoke through theughs.


    "Is that what you were going to say when we were talking earlier? I heard you start with Fi but then it was like you caught yourself."


    "Yeah, I thought it was best not to call the Alpha King Fido in front of a bunch of new people. But that''s not the only one I use. I call him every dog name I can think of when they fit the situation. When he blushed once I even called him Clifford."


    "Oh my Goddess, that''s epic." Chay and I wereughing just as hard as Trinity and the others were. It was so fun.


    "Oh my Goddess." It was my turn for a story. "When I first got taken to the pack house I was terrified of Alphas. I wanted to run away before the Alpha could torture me or whatever. I was at the window ready to jump when Artem found me. I think I just about gave him a heart attack. Then shortly after that he told me he was my mate and all I could do was think that he was crazy. So yeah, I understand the whole wanting to run away."


    "You too?" Trinity wasughing. "We were both terrified of our men at first. Reece is just the best now though. I can''t imagine my life without him in it."


    "Yeah, I know. Artem is amazing. He''s been there for me every step of the way and I just love him so much."


    This had been an amazing day. I made a few new friends and I was happy to get to talk to more people my age. Not to mention Acacia said she would go with me to the Faepound soon. She wanted to help me connect with that side of my lineage and she wanted to help me with figuring out my abilities. Artem had been right about the magic thing. I wonder what they were going to be?

 Chapter 128 - Artem - Another Victim

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Star had gone out to dinner with the Luna Queen, Juniper, Acacia, my sister, and two female guards. I wasn''t worried about anything bad happening, not with that many people in the group. So, while they enjoyed their girl''s night out I spoke with the others that were with us at the house, Reece included.


    We were sitting down to dinner, absent Doc, Griffin, and Lana as they had opted to stay in the infirmary. That also led Leelin to stay in the infirmary as well. So, at dinner was myself, Kent, Toby, Morgan, Reed, Bailey, Samuel, Reece, Vincent, Gabriel, Paul, and Cedar. My conversation was mostly with Reece, Vincent, and Gabriel as they were sitting closest to me at the table.


    "So, is it just those fourteen boys that have been affected? There weren''t any others?" Reece sounded like he either heard something to the contrary or had some sort of sixth sense that made him suspicious.


    "Those are the only ones inas." He apparently realized that I worded that specifically to tell him that there was indeed another problem.


    "So who else is affected and how?" He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.


    "My brother." Kent answered. He was always the one who broke the news about or exined the details pertaining to his brother.


    "What happened to your brother?" Gabriel sounded diplomatic as he questioned Kent.


    "Once Artem took over the pack the first boy we saved was my little brother Nico." Kent lowered his head and I heard the sorrow that he still felt about all of this. "When we went to my family home to free him I demanded my grandfather tell me how he had put on the talisman, and how to take it off."


    "Did he not tell you?" Reece sounded angry on Kent''s behalf.


    "No, he told me. Once I got Nico here the first thing I did was try to rip that talisman off of him. I managed to do it too, as hard as it was."


    "So what was the problem?" Vincent sounded like he didn''t understand as he asked this question. "If you got the talisman off of him then he should have been able to get better, right?"


    "No." Kent was shaking his head, I could see how red his eyes were. "You see, only the person who put the talisman on them or the creator of the talisman could remove them or the wolf would be driven mad. So, that meant that my grandfather had to take it off of him."


    "What happened to your brother?" I would sense a rage building in Reece then, it was definitely something that not even I, as an Alpha, would want to feel directed at me. He truly was a lot more powerful than any of us here.


    "He''s still here. He is locked away on the sixth floor. As soon as the talisman came off of him he shifted into his wolf for the first time. But his wolf had gone feral. The moment he shifted he tried to attack everything he saw. It took all four of us to subdue him and take him upstairs."


    "That''s horrible. Have you had any luck in reaching him?" Vincent sounded like he had just heard the most tragic thing in his entire life.


    "No. He is still feral. But he is my baby brother. I love him yet I couldn''t save him when we were kids. I wanted to save him now that I was strong enough and all I did was make it worse." I heard Kent take a shaky breath, he was clearly holding back his tears. "I haven''t given up hope though. I never will. He is my brother and I will be there for him for the rest of my life."


    "Can I see him?" Reece''s voice was t, matter of fact, and emotionless. He didn''t sound like he was judging or anything but it still surprised Kent when he heard those words.


    "I-I don''t know if that is wise. He tries to attack everyone that he sees. Even with me bringing his food to him every day he still tries to bite me. There has been no getting through to him."


    "I can understand that." Reece nodded but still, he continued to push on. "However, if his human mind is in there then we can possibly reach him. We''ve brought people with us that I think can help the boys that are in aa as well as your brother."


    "Really?" Kent looked hopeful. It was the first time that he had shown any type of hope in regards to his brother for a long time.


    "It''s possible."


    "Then I will take you, right now, let''s go."


    "Hold on Kent." I made a stopping motion with my hands to calm him down. "At least wait until we are all done eating our dinner first."


    "Oh, yeah, that would be a good idea huh." Kent was rubbing the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face while the rest of usughed.


    Once we were all finished eating the meal we headed upstairs, Reece, Vincent, Gabriel, Kent, and myself that is. Kent was in the lead since he was the one that always dealt with his brother. I often came up here with him, since I had known Nico when we were kids as well. He had been such a great kid. He took the abuse from his family in stride and tried to be as happy as he could. Kent always promised him that he woulde back for him and Nico held onto that promise like it was a life preserver.


    When we reached the farthest door on the sixth floor Kent and I were in the lead. I could feel the nerves and anxiety that was pouring off of Kent. I think he feared that the Alpha King, despite his words, was wanting to see if his brother was too much of a danger. He most likely feared that the Alpha King was going to execute his brother. Every ounce of excitement from before had left him and now he was a nervous wreck.


    With slow and halting movements Kent reached for the door and turned the knob. I could already hear Nico on the other side. There were the distinct sounds of his breathing and even a wolfish snoring sound that wasing from him. Nico was definitely asleep at the moment. If we were lucky then he would remain asleep during this entire visit.


    Once the door had been pushed open we saw Nicoying on the far side of the room. He was bigger than a real wolf but so much smaller than that of others of our kind.


    The scent that wasing from the room was strong. It wasn''t just the smell of the animal waste that was in there, it was the animal itself. The dark and rage filled energy of the wolf. It was ominous and heavy.


    "How long has he been like this?" Reece asked, sorrow in his voice.


    "About three months." Kent answered with his eyes locked on Nico''s wolf form. "I have had to use tranquilizers and other people to help me hold him down but I have been cleaning up after him. I have washed him and I make sure he is fed. It''s dangerous and I have been bitten quite a few times, but I won''t stop. I won''t give up on my brother."


    "You''re a good man, Kent. I promise you, we will do what we can to help you and your brother while we are here." Reece''s voice was steady and firm and it held a note of conviction that said that no one should ever mess with him when he was determined to do something.


    "Thank you, Alpha King. Thank you and your wife and all of you who are here."


    "There is no need to thank us, Kent, it''s our job, isn''t it?"


    Shortly after that Star and the rest of the women returned from dinner. They seemed to have had a fun evening that was filled withughter. I was happy to see that. Star hadn''t been smiling that muchtely and anything that brought that beautiful smile to her face was perfect in my opinion. I was d that she had bonded with the Queen and her friends. I too felt a little closer to our friends from Colorado. I think this whole situation might actually be able to be fixed. The boys, Nico, Star''s past, we were going to settle it all, thanks to the Alpha King and Luna Queen.


    I held Star in my arms that night, smiling at the prospect of a future where we had next to nothing to worry about. I dreamt about a pack that was loyal, children that were happy and healthy, Star as my wife and her belly big with pregnancy. All of it was perfect and just what I wanted in life.


    I just hoped that tomorrow we would find answers.

 Chapter 129 - How To Cure Them

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The day after the Alpha King and Luna Queen, or as they preferred to be called, Trinity and Reece, came to see us we were gathering for another meeting. Doc and Uncle Griffin had spent all night talking about things and they apparently decided on something that might work for curing the boys.


    We were gathering in therge meeting room on the first floor again. It was semi familiar to everyone that hade to visit us and they all knew how to get there. So shortly after breakfast we all made our way there from wherever we all were in the house. I had been in the library reading prior to the meeting.


    The library was still hard for me to be in but I was trying to force myself to be there. I needed to ovee things and make myself stronger. I would never get stronger if I ran from a room because of a bad memory. I needed to push through it all.


    I was lost in my book though, when it was time to head to the meeting. I would have been veryte if Artem hadn''te to get me. He pulled me out of my book trance and walked with me down to the meeting room.


    Doc and Uncle Griffin were standing at the front of the room when I walked in. I noticed they looked tired and a little disheveled but that would be expected with them having stayed up all night and not slept at all.


    Artem walked me over to an armchair and pulled me onto hisp. Once he was settled into the seat he wrapped his arms around me and indicated that Doc could start the meeting.


    I watched as Doc and Uncle Griffin looked knowingly at each other. They seemed to know each other well already. Perhaps it was just because they were both wolves as well as doctors. They were not exactly close in age but they had lived simr lives with the choices they had made. I guess it helped them to bond somewhat.


    "As you might guess, Griffin, Lana, and I spent the entire night examining the children. We ran as many tests as we could with the equipment I have here."


    "Is there something I forgot to get for you? Could I have made this easier?" Artem looked worried, like any dy now would be his fault.


    "No, no, absolutely not Artem." Doc looked apologetic now, like his words had note out properly.


    "The clinic here is amazing, all things considered." Uncle Griffin smiled at Artem as he took over for Doc. "This is nothing more than an infirmary run out of arge house. I am surprised you were able to get as much equipment as you have."


    "I admit, it wasn''t easy. And I don''t want to tell you what I have left to pay for those machines." Artem rubbed the back of his head then andughed nervously.


    "Don''t worry about that, Artem." Reece smiled at him. "I''ll make sure it''s taken care of." Reece was already sending a message on his phone and it seemed like he was doing something way too generous."


    "No!" Artem nearly yelled the word out of shock. "I can''t let you do that. That''s a lot of money."


    "And I am investing in a clinic. I am sure that you will have pack members that need to be seen for pregnancy, or there might be something else that Doc wants to do. Perhaps he can open a real clinic in the city when this is all over. He can be the pack doctor as well as see humans like Griffin does." Reece sounded so convincing and very generous as he spoke. "And besides, it''s already done. My Beta will have that bill wiped clean within the hour, and that''s the longest it will take."


    "Seriously? I can''t believe that." Artem could barely form words right now. Someone had to thank him.


    "Thank you, Reece. From the bottom of our hearts I thank you, we thank you. This is something that will help many more people."


    "Think nothing of it." He raised his hand as if to ward off the thank yous. "Anyway, please continue."


    "R-right." Uncle Griffin seemed a little nervous now, after what had just happened. "Last night we ran blood tests, we took x-rays, we did ultrasounds. The one main thing we can''t do is an MRI but there is no way we can get one of those here in time. Still, I don''t think they''d show us anything we hadn''t already guessed."


    "And what''s that?" Trinity''s voice was curious as she asked that question.


    "That physically the boys are allpletely healthy. They''re all a little small for their ages, some a lot smaller, but they''re physically healthy." Uncle Griffin sounded like he knew what he was talking about, and he wasn''t nervous anymore.


    "So what does that mean for the kids?" Artem asked him with a worried tone to his voice.


    "It means that whatever is wrong with them is mental, not physical. I had pretty much guessed that from the beginning but you don''t cut corners when ites to medicine. I needed to eliminate the other possibilities." Uncle Griffin was so confident in what he was saying that it was hard to doubt him.


    "How do we wake them all if it''s all a mental issue?" I couldn''t stop myself from asking my question just then.


    "I can help." Juniper raised her hand. I turned to look at her and saw that she too was sitting on her mate''sp.


    "Juniper?" I just looked at her, not really understanding what she meant.


    "I can help them. I can reach their minds and heal them like I healed you Star." Juniper was smiling now while I thought back to what had happened the day before. I remembered Juniper touching me and telling me things will be alright.


    The feelings that she had helped to calm and to make it easier for me to think about, they didn''t hurt me as much anymore. If Juniper could use that ability of hers to reach the minds of the boys then she might just be able to wake them up. She just might be able to save them all.


    But was she up to it? It was a really big job after all. Could she handle all of this? I guess we would find out.


    "Could she help Nico too?" Kent seemed like he was too eager to know the answer to that question. It was like he might finally have a sliver of hope for his brother. I hoped the answer to his question was a yes. Not just for Nico''s sake but for Kent''s as well.


    "I don''t know who Nico is." Juniper started to shake her head.


    "I saw Nicost night. He was a victim just like the others only he didn''t fall into aa. A while before that incident happened Nico''s wolf took over and has yet to relinquish the reins. The poor boy is locked inside of his own mind. And I think he can be saved."


    "Really?" Kent''s eyes were ringed with tears as the joy spread through him.


    "I will do what I can to help them all." Juniper was smiling.


    "We will get your brother and all the others back to you." Trinity gave aforting smile to Kent.


    "Don''t worry, you guys, we''re here for you." Acacia added.


    Soon they were all raining down supportive words.


    "Hang in there."


    "They will all be fine."


    "They''ll be back to normal in no time at all." The words came from all over the room at the same time so I couldn''t pinpoint who said what, but the words were much appreciated.


    "Thank you, Juniper. Thank you so much for deciding to help my brother. Nothing I say or do could possibly show you how grateful I am right now."


    "I haven''t done anything yet. I don''t even know if it will work. But I will definitely try my hardest. I want to help him and the others. I hate to see people suffering."


    "That''s all we could ask for, Juniper, and for that we thank you." I tried to sound regal and important. I wanted to sound like a true Luna. But I think all I aplished was me sounding like an idiot. Isn''t that great.


    We spent a little while longer trying to work out the logistics of this healing mission of Juniper''s. We needed to know who all was going to be in the room with her. Plus we needed to know if she was going to try and heal everyone at once or one boy at a time. One thing I knew for certain though was that Artem and I would be in the room when the healing happened. We were the Alpha and Luna so it was our jobs to be there.

 Chapter 130 - Artem - Trying To Wake The Boys

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    All of us were eager to get to the infirmary to wake the children up. I was confident that Juniper could do it. If Trinity and Reece thought that she could then that was enough for me. I had no reason to doubt them.


    There were going to be seven people aside from Juniper in the room. Trinity and Reece would be there, of course, since they were the Alpha King and the Luna Queen. Doc, Griffin, and Lana were going to be there as they were all healers and would be checking the children as they woke up. And of course I would be there with Star.


    Juniper was going to try waking everyone at the same time but she said she was not very confident in her ability to do that. If she couldn''t then she would have to move on to waking each child up one at a time.


    I was just d that we were going to try and wake them up so soon. The King and Queen had just gotten here yesterday and we already had a n formted. There was a lot of other stuff that we needed to do though so there was reason for us to take our time.


    The eight of us hurried as quickly as we could to the infirmary on the second floor. There had been no changes in any of the kids since we were in here yesterday. I didn''t expect that they had just magically woken up on their own, but seeing them like this always made me feel helpless.


    I was an alpha. I had taken this position by force and taken control of the pack because I wanted to help people. I wanted to help these boys. Now I was finding out just how stupid I had really been.


    I wasn''t ready for this position. I wasn''t ready to lead. But I wasn''t going to give up. No, I was never going to give up. I would learn what I needed to know. I would do what needed to be done. And when it was all done and over with I would be a stronger and better man because of it.


    "OK, I am going to try all of them at once. I am not at all confident that this will work so do not be disappointed if nothing happens. Can all of you stand near the walls and out of the way?" Juniper sounded a little nervous but she was doing a great job of hiding it with her smile and determined eyes.


    Trinity and Reece stood to the side of Juniper, watching her closely. Reece had his arm wrapped around Trinity''s shoulders and was holding her close. Griffin was on the wall opposite of his Alpha and Luna. He too was holding his mate against his side with a protective and worried air about him. I was standing at the wall closest to the door with my arm around Star in a simr fashion. Across from me was Doc, alone. His mate hadn''te with us this time and I could see how lonely he was without her.


    Juniper was standing alone in the center of the room now. She spun in a slow circle looking at all the children before she closed her eyes and stood still. She extended her arms to her sides and tilted her head back as if she were praying to a god. I guess in a way she was. She wasmunicating with the Moon Goddess to give her power.


    I saw a small golden light start to radiate out of Juniper as she concentrated. It grew slowly but steadily until it finally reached each one of the boys that wereying in their beds. The light moved slowly up each and every one of them. Spreading across their bodies until it finally covered their heads. They all were not fully epassed in the light.


    It looked like Juniper was sweating slightly from the effort she was putting into this. She looked like she was pushing herself harder than she needed to. The light was growing dimmer now that it was on all the boys but Juniper still seemed to be pouring all she had into it.


    After another few seconds I could tell that Juniper was too tired.


    "Stop." I yelled as she started to sway.


    "Enough Juniper." Reece yelled at the same time as I did.


    Our outbursts caused Juniper to lower her head to a normal position and open her eyes. She looked exhausted and like she was about to fall over. Doc, having no one to help hold him in ce, rushed forward and grabbed Juniper''s elbow before she could actually fall to the floor.


    Doc guided Juniper to a seat that was next to Dalton''s bed. While he did that I saw Star running toward the back of the room where there was a small fridge filled with bottles of juice and water. She grabbed a bottle of each and took them to Juniper.


    "Here, drink the juice first to replenish energy then drink the water slowly, it will help you to feel better."


    "Thank you." Juniper smiled. "I am fine, really. It was just tiring. Let me replenish my energy a little, like you said." She opened the bottle of orange juice and took a big drink from it. "I was able to reach their minds, but I can''t get to them all at once. The good thing is that they are definitely in there. I could sense that for sure."


    "That''s good. You rest up and we will try againter." Reece was smiling as Trinity rubbed Juniper''s shoulder.


    "I will be good to try again in a minute. I won''t be trying to wake them all in one go this time so it will be a lot easier this time around."


    "Are you sure?" Griffin looked like he was worried about her as well.


    "We can wait until tomorrow if we need to." I added so that she didn''t feel pressured.


    "No, I will try again today. I am sure that I will be fine." She shook her shoulders and smiled. "I''m feeling better already."


    Juniper turned in her seat so that she was facing Dalton. She was already sitting next to him so I guess she decided it was best to start with him.


    I watched as Juniper put her hands on Dalton''s tiny little arm. Her two hands covered so much of it that it made me sad to think about how small he and all the others were.


    That light started to shine again. It was smaller this time and it moved directly from Juniper into Dalton. It covered his entire body easier than it didst time. And this time, instead of dimming once it covered him it got brighter.


    Juniper was still looking OK. She didn''t look like she was getting weaker and she wasn''t sweating this time either. I guess just one kid at a time was the best option. She should have started with that, honestly.


    That light started to warm up as it got brighter. It wasn''t hot or anything, just a little warm. It was almost like it was radiating happiness and love. Was that even possible?


    "It seems that none of the boys had a connection to their wolves. Even when you''re young you''re supposed to be able to sense your wolf. These boys were cut off from that part of themselves. And when the talismans came off it nearly severed that connection. I am repairing that mental connection right now. I have a feeling that the older boys, those old enough to shift, might change when I repair it so we need to be prepared for that."


    Juniper''s words were a weed caution. I would do whatever I could to help these boys if only she could bring them back for me. They didn''t deserve what had happened to them. They didn''t deserve to be punished because of other men''s idiocy. They only deserved to be children.


    While I stood there, thinking these thoughts, I saw that the light was getting brighter and brighter. It was hard to see anything in the room at all without it burning my eyes.


    I raised a hand to block some of the intensity so that I could continue to watch what was happening. I was determined to see the moment when the boy who hade to call me Uncle Artem would finally wake up.


    The moment the light reached an intensity that I thought was impossible it started to fade. The bright shining light receded and disappeared altogether. Juniper pulled her hands away from the tiny little boy and smiled.


    Secondster, just a matter of seconds, Dalton opened his eyes. He blinked a few times at the lights that were above him and looked around him in confusion. He saw all the faces he didn''t know and was scared for just a moment.


    Then he turned his head and saw Doc. As he looked around more he noticed me and Star standing nearby.


    "Uncle Artem!" He yelled happily. "Aunty Star!" That''s when the full force of it hit me, Dalton was awake.

 Chapter 131 - Star - Waking The Children

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    When I heard Dalton''s voice I nearly cried.


    "Uncle Artem!" He yelled happily. "Aunty Star!"


    Dalton had never called me Aunt Star or Aunty Star or anything like that before. However, the children knew that Artem and I were a couple. If they considered Artem an Uncle, then to them that would make me their aunt.


    That was something that my heart had not been prepared for. It felt like I was seeing someone so close to me, so precious to me finallying home after so long.


    "Dalton?"


    "Hey Buddy."


    Artem and I both spoke at nearly the same time. He was so happy to see his little friend awake and looking like there was nothing at all wrong with him. Dalton had been scared when he first woke up but he was all smiles now that he had seen the two of us.


    "Uncle Artem, what happened?" He looked confused but he didn''t lose his smile.


    "You were asleep for a while, buddy, but you''re better now." There were tears in Artem''s eyes now. "You''ll be OK and so will everyone else."


    At those words Dalton sat up a little on the bed and saw the other boys lying around the room.


    "Was I like that too? Was I sleeping like them? That looks scary." Dalton was only six. He wouldn''t be seven until this winter and to him this must all look like quite the scary ordeal.


    "Yes, Dalton, you were. But you''re awake now and soon they will be as well." I smiled at him to try and calm his nerves. "When you''re all awake maybe we can take all of you to have ice cream or something else fun like that. How does that sound?"


    "Really?!" The excited squeal of delight was like music to my ears.


    I thought then that I didn''t need to rush to have kids with Artem. We already had plenty. This was the life that I wanted for the time being.


    "Hi Dalton, my name is Griffin, and I am a doctor just like your friend Doc over there." Uncle Griffin was leaning over the little boy with a smile. "That nicedy there woke you up and she is going to do the same to your friends here. While she does that, why don''t I get all these things off of you so that you can get up and out of this bed?"


    Uncle Griffin was working hard to make Dalton feel safer and to move the focus off of us. I watched as Juniper got up and moved to Cohen''s bed. He was the next youngest after Dalton since he would be eight next month.


    Juniper put her hands on Cohen''s arms and repeated the same method she had used before. That same golden light appeared and got just as bright as it did thest time. Once it got as bright as possible it faded rather quickly. As soon as Juniper pulled her hands away Cohen woke up.


    This time Artem and I were ready to see the miracle of the little boy waking up. As soon as his eyes were opened we weed him back.


    "Hey there pal." Artem''s voice was filled with just as much relief asst time. "It''s good to see you."


    "How are you feeling, Cohen?" I asked with a smile to match Artem''s.


    "I''m OK. What happened?" He looked a little more aware of what happened than Dalton had. "I remember screaming and then it all just stopped. I think it was dark for a long time."


    "Yeah, you were asleep for a while, sweety, but you''re all better now." I took his hand and squeezed it in mine as I answered him. "Doc will take care of you now, he will get all these things unhooked from you."


    "O-OK." It was like Cohen had just realized that there were wires and tubes connected to him. He didn''t look scared really, but he did seem a little uneasy about them.


    "I want to keep waking them up with the youngest first. I don''t know who the youngest actually were but those two looked pretty young." Juniper was looking around the room contemtively.


    "As it turns out, those two were the youngest. We do have seven new boys and they are all close to the same age. They range from eight to ten." Artem exined for Juniper.


    "All seven of them?" Juniper''s eyes popped when she heard those words.


    "Yes. Of the original six in here there is Benton that is eight, Leslie that is twelve, Flint who is thirteen, and Julian who is fifteen." I told her about the boys who were here originally.


    "The new additions include Timothy, Gil, and Kevin who are eight, Zack and Marcus who are nine, and Ricky and Will who are ten." Artem exined who the new boys were. They were boys that we didn''t know as much and who also didn''t know us.


    "When did the new boys get here?" Juniper asked with a knowing look.


    "After they were in theiras already. I hadn''t managed to save them all before all of this happened. I don''t know if there were others like them or not. I am going to hope that there were none that passed away because of all of this."


    "I hope so too." Juniper looked at the remaining eleven boys with pure fear in her eyes. "My worry right now is that these other boys don''t know you and will need to be taken special care of when they wake up. I don''t want to frighten them. But I want to wait and wake the teenagersst."


    "That is understandable." Artem was nodding. "We will do whatever it is we need to do.


    "I know you will.


    From there Juniper started to wake the new boys. They were frightened and nervous when they first opened their eyes. They had lived in captivity when they had fallen ill but now they were in a ce they didn''t understand.


    The first new boy to wake up was Kevin. He was only eight years old and so tiny. When he opened his eyes he was already shaking with fear. I knew that Juniper could make him feel better and probably already was but I wanted to try to talk to him first.


    "Hi there." I smiled softly and knelt next to his bed. "My name is Star, what''s yours?" I already knew it of course but I knew that it would make him feel even more scared if I started calling him by his name right away.


    "K-K-Kevin." He stuttered with his fear and trembling.


    "It''s nice to meet you Kevin." Another smile to show him that I was not going to hurt him. "This is Artem and this is his house. You''re in the hospital part of it. You were sick for a while but you''re better now."


    "A-am I going to g-g-go back to my family?" That looked like it scared him more than this room of strangers.


    "Not if you don''t want to. I know that they weren''t very nice to you. You can stay here with us if you''d like. There are a lot of other little boys your age. See." I pointed at Cohen and Dalton who wereying in their beds while drinking juice.


    "Will I b-be locked up again?" He was still scared.


    "No, never again, Kevin." That made him smile for the first time since he woke up.


    "Really?" I think he was having trouble fully believing those words.


    "Yes, really. You will have your own room, plenty of food, and you can go to school here at the house and show us how smart you truly are."


    Kevin was calmer after that and so we moved on. It went simrly with the other six new boys. They were nervous but calmed down once they saw that we meant them no harm at all. I was d to see that they were able to trust us and settle in. They all allowed Doc, Uncle Griffin, or Lana to help them out.


    Following the new boys we woke the original four remaining boys in order of age. Benton and Leslie who were not yet teenagers. Right before Juniper went to Flint''s side she paused. She seemed to remember that as small as the boy looked, he was still a teenager.


    "I want to wait to wake these two until the others are out of the room. I don''t know what will happen when I reconnect them to their wolves."


    "We can remove the other children now." Doc informed her. "They have all been cleared of their wires and tubes. They''re holding juice down and it would be best to have them walk anyway."


    "Once they are settled in the library we will move onto the others." Artem made the executive decision after hearing what Doc and Juniper had to say. That also told Doc, Uncle Griffin, and Lana where to go.

 Chapter 132 - Artem - Reconnecting To The Wolves

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    It took a few minutes to get all the children moved down the hall. Trinity and Reece helped and so did me and Star. Still, there were eleven kids to move right now and only seven of us. And as Doc had said we were doing our best to have them walk.


    They had all been asleep for a long time and so their legs were a little weak and hard to get moving. They all managed it though. Slowly and steadily they all made their way down the hall to the library. Lana and Griffin stayed with them while Doc went back with us to wake the other two boys.


    None of us knew what to expect with the two boys that were technically old enough to shift. We didn''t know if the connections would force a change or not. Plus, we didn''t know what state their wolves would be in if they did shift.


    We had to be careful with these next several minutes. So many things could go wrong.


    Juniper put her hands on Flint''s arm. He was thirteen but looked no older than ten at most. He was a good kid, smart, sarcastic at times, but sweet as well. I hated that any of these kids had been treated this way. I wanted to make their lives better and I couldn''t do that if they were in aa because of some sick asshole of a Warlock and their own stupid families.


    That light started to shine again while I had been lost in thought. The intensity grew and grew just like before. This time though, it didn''t fade immediately. It was like the connection was harder to fix than the ones for the younger kids had been.


    The shining light began to shift colors without fading. It shifted from a pure white to yellow then into a golden color, finally it shifted into something that looked like bronze. The intensity was a little less with the color added to the light but it was still hard to look at.


    When the shining light finally started to recede it happened just like it did with the others. Flint began to stir and opened his eyes. He looked around the room and saw the three faces he didn''t know but he also saw those of us that he did recognize. He smiled at Star and me before he started to talk.


    "Artem, I heard my wolf talking. Does that mean that I can shift soon? Is my talisman gone?" He was such a smart kid, but he was still a kid and the excitement made me smile.


    "Yeah, it does pal. We will have to be on the lookout for it sometime soon, huh?" That made his smile even bigger.


    "Are we all better now, all of us?"


    "We still have to wake Julian." Doc informed him. "But everyone else is all better. Let me get you a bottle of juice and then I will help walk you down to the library."


    "Thank you. All of you. I don''t know all of you but I know that I wouldn''t be awake without you."


    "You''re very wee." Trinity smiled at him. "I am just d that you''re awake."


    We waited while Flint drank his juice and Doc walked him down the hall. Once he was back into the room, we all positioned ourselves around Julian''s bed. It looked like we didn''t have anything to worry about right now so we just went straight to waking Julian up.


    For this one, Juniper said it would probably be best if she was standing by Julian''s head. As his connection was the most severed it would be able to reach him quicker and easier if she were to start at that focal point.


    I didn''t argue with her, I just grabbed the foot of the bed and pulled it away from the wall by a few feet. That earned me a look from Doc and some grumblings as well. It was something about a scuffed floor and stressed tubes on the machines.


    "Speaking of those tubes, Doc, would it be best to remove them before he wakes up? He is thest one and just in case you know."


    "You might be right."


    Following that Doc slowly removed all the tubes and wires from Julian except for the one that monitored his pulse. That would make it easier to see if something were happening to him.


    With all the unnecessary things removed Juniper finally got to work. She ced her hands at Julian''s temples and started to concentrate. That same bright white light began to shine. It immediately epassed all of Julian in its radiant presence.


    It didn''t take anywhere near as much time for the light to reach its full intensity this time around. We were all blocking our eyes from the re at about the same time, and that was when the light changed colors again.


    Unlike with Flint, the light turned orange this time. It steadily grew darker and darker until it was red. That''s not where it stopped though. The light darkened to brown and then ck. The moment the light turned ck it went out in an instant.


    There was a loud, menacing growling from the throat of the boy who had been asleep. That was the only warning we had before Julian shifted.


    It happened quicker than I would have thought possible. He was a growling, yet sleeping, boy one second and the next he was a wolf that was ring at us all.


    Julian''s wolf was golden blonde, like his hair, and it had bright yellow eyes. It was smaller than a normal male werewolf but it was stillrger than our cousins in the animal world. And right now he was standing on the bed growling menacingly at all of us.


    I had just barely had time to pull Juniper out of the way before Julian had jumped up and snapped the empty air with his teeth. That was how close we had gotten with all of this. I had hoped that the connection would go as smoothly as it did with Flint. I guess we couldn''t be that lucky again.


    I saw Reece standing protectively in front of Trinity. It was so much like the stance I had taken to block Juniper and Star from the wolf''s path. I also saw that Doc was standing at the ready and was prepared to help out.


    The problem here was, this was not a rogue wolf. This was not a bad guy. This was not someone we needed to be fighting.


    NO. This was a teenaged boy that needed our help. This was a young man that had been beaten, abused, and mistreated for too much of his life. This was a boy that I wanted to save.


    "Julian? Julian it''s me." I called out to him. "Julian, you need toe to your senses. Come on buddy. Remember who you are. Think about where you are. You don''t want to do this do you?"


    "I don''t think he can hear you yet." Juniper called from behind me. "I was about to repair the connection when his wolf came to the surface. I need to finish my work."


    "That''s too dangerous, Juniper!" Reece yelled at her with anger and a ring ofmand.


    "I can do it, Reece. I just need you guys to hold him down."


    "No!" Reece''s voice rang with authority.


    "Trinity?" Juniper pleaded with her instead.


    "Do you really think that you can do it?" Trinity asked her, willing to listen at least.


    "Yes, I was almost there."


    "Fine."


    At that I watched Trinity sidestep around Reece. He made a grab to stop her but she just looked at him and spoke firmly.


    "Reece! This is what we are here to do. She will help him." I saw the moment that the man was forced to listen to his mate. This was the true power of the Luna Queen I was seeing. It was amazing.


    Trinity raised her arms and looked at Julian with determined eyes.


    "Juniper, I''ll give you an opening. Hurry and do what you need to do."


    I was worried then. What was the Luna Queen going to do? What was Trinity nning that we three men supposedly couldn''t. I didn''t have to wait long to find out.


    Trinity just looked at Julian, nothing more, but bright ropes flew out of her hands and tied the wolf boy up. All of his paws were bound like he was hogtied. There was even a shining rope around his mouth so that he couldn''t bite the woman trying to help him.


    Juniper moved quickly. She was at Julian''s head and had her hands on his temples in no time at all. The shining light was back and it was once again white. I hoped it would work this time.


    I saw that Juniper was looking tired though. She had put a lot of strain on herself with all of these healings. I didn''t want her to hurt herself in the process of helping others.


    This time when the light started to shift it took the yellow route that Flint''s had. It shifted until it got to the same bronze color. That was when it started to fade.


    When the light was gone we all looked at the boy who was on the bed. He wasn''t a wolf anymore, he had shifted back to his human form.


    Trinity made the shining ropes disappear and I grabbed a nket from another bed. Just as I covered him up Julian opened his eyes. He was awake and he was himself again.

 Chapter 133 - Star - What To Do With The Boys

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Julian was a little disoriented when he woke up. He wasying on the bed with a nket draped over him and he was staring at us with fear and fascination in his eyes. Like the others he was a little frightened to see the new faces that were staring at him but he was calmer when he saw the rest of us.


    "Artem? What happened?"


    "What did it seem like?" Artem countered Julian''s question with one of his own. He most likely wanted to know what the boy remembered before he told him what had happened.


    "It feels like I''ve been asleep for a long time. I know I wasn''t hurt and I couldn''t have slept that long normally so I don''t know why."


    "Anything else?" Reece asked him, causing Julian to jump slightly.


    "W-well, I remember hearing a voice. One I think I''ve heard before but it didn''t sound like anyone that I know." Julian was clearly afraid of Reece right now.


    "Do you remember what that voice said to you? Do you know what it was that it wanted?" Trinity was the one to speak this time, she was easier to ept than the tall and strong Alpha King, not that Julian knew who she was. Still, Julian didn''t seem to be afraid of Trinity at all.


    "I think it was asking me to let it out. It was like that voice was locked up in a cage. I know I was asleep and all, but to me it felt like I was in this really big building with lots of long hallways and locked doors. It was so strange."


    "That''s one way to put it. Your mind is like a storage facility so that analogy works well." Juniper was the one to speak this time. "Did you find the voice? Did you find where it was locked up?"


    "Yes. After a very long time of searching there was this bright light that guided me to where the voice was. It had grabbed the handle of its cage and pulled. The door wasn''t even locked."


    "Do you remember what happened after that?" I was curious, his story was getting interesting.


    "There was a growling sound on the other side of the door but I wasn''t afraid of it. When the door fully opened, that was when I stopped seeing the building."


    "What did you see then?" Doc asked him.


    "I saw all of you, but I didn''t feel like myself. It felt off somehow. I was looking at things differently than I was used to."


    "How so?" All of us asked that question at the same time, it was a bit eerie, even for me.


    "W-well, it felt like I was on my hands and my feet at the same time, but I wasn''t bent over. I was looking at things with more rity than I am now, and I swear that I was bigger than I am now."


    "All of that is true." Artem smiled at him as he inched closer to the scared boy. "The reason why all of this happened to you, Julian, is that you shifted into your wolf for the first time."


    "I-I did?" Julian didn''t look like he believed it at all. He didn''t seem to think that it was a possibility at all. "No, that''s not possible. I have the talisman. I can''t shift."


    "When you went to sleep for that long period of time, the talisman came off. It came off of all of you.You''re free, all of the others are as well."


    I saw tears of joy in Julian''s eyes. It was like he wanted to ept it, he wanted to believe it. If he could shift that would mean that he was not a long lost child but he could grow up, possibly get bigger, and he can be his own person from now on.


    "Is...Is that why I am naked?" He blushed while asking that question.


    "Yes. You had been wearing clothes, not the ones from before but still clothes. But when you shifted they were destroyed." Doc sounded embarrassed as well. It was like he felt bad for the boy who was naked in front of so many people.


    "But, on the plus side, we covered you up." Artem said the words jokingly. "It could have been worse.


    It took a little while to get things settled but we eventually moved Julian down the hall with all the others, after he had been given some clothes to wear. There were seven new boys that didn''t know who any of us were, and none of them knew who Trinity and Reece were.


    The new boys were scared at first, but they soon realized that, Alphas or not, Reece and Artem were not going to hurt them. They were in fact relieved to see that people they were told to fear were the ones most desperate to help them. It helped to cement the fact that they could forget almost everything that they had learned from their families.


    We got the boys some food, since they were all hungry, and we got to know the new boys as they ate their fill for the first time. They were all great kids that just needed to be given a chance.


    While Doc, Leelin, Uncle Griffin, and Lana were chatting with them I pulled Artem aside to talk to him. We went into the sitting room that was just off of the dining room. He was confused when I pulled him in there and just looked at me with a curious look.


    "What is it baby?"


    "Artem, we''re not sending those boys somewhere else are we?"


    "Why would we? They''re going to stay here." Artem seemed confused by my question.


    "Oh thank Goddess. I don''t want to lose them. Any of them. There are enough of us here that we can take care of them all."


    "So, you want to be the foster mom to thirteen boys?" He wasughing at me now, a cute smile on his lips.


    "If that''s how you want to look at it. I was thinking of a very responsible older sister myself, but a foster mom works for me too." I thought about what all of that meant. Sending the boys to regr school. Helping them with work and throwing them birthday parties like the one that was thrown for me. It was all sounding like so much fun and I wanted to have that experience with them.


    "I''m not against it. Whatever it is you want to do, Star, I''m right there with you. I nned on them staying here anyway so this doesn''t change anything in my eyes."


    "Artem, you''re the best, you know that."


    "I try." He blushed then and looked happy and loving at the same time.


    After that the boys were all taken to their rooms. The new boys had been in their prisons for so long that they cried over having been given a bedroom of their own. Artem told them that he was going to go buy them new clothes and toys as soon as he could and that too made the boys cry.


    All of us adults went to Artem''s office after the boys were settled in. It was time to talk about another matter altogether.


    "Juniper?" Reece started the conversation as soon as we were in the room. "There is one more boy that needs to be saved. He is in his wolf form and has been there for months. Do you think you can reach him?"


    "Now that I know what to do, I am almost certain that I can. Should we go now?" She started to get to her feet immediately.


    "NO!" Reece, Artem, Doc, and Uncle Griffin all yelled at the same time. All of the women in the room aside from Juniper just looked confused.


    "What''s the matter?" Her head was tilted in confusion at their response.


    "You''re exhausted." Reece told her.


    "Don''t overdo it for one night." Artem added.


    "We need you to stay healthy." Uncle Griffin sounded worried.


    "Don''t make yourself sick to save others."


    It was clear that all the men were very protective males that didn''t like to see women getting hurt.


    "I''m fine, really." Juniper tried to protest but then Trinity started in.


    "No, you''re not. You just don''t realize how tired you are. Don''t get so exhausted that it affects your babies. You need to protect them as well as yourself now."


    Juniper looked like she hadn''t been thinking along those lines at all. She hung her head in shame and nodded in agreement.


    "Alright, I''ll wait."


    "We will do this tomorrow morning, before the pack meeting. We will make sure that everyone that this pack has abused has been saved." Reece sounded determined. I could tell he was going to put the fear of the King into the pack. I was now very interested in what was going to happen next. It should make for a good show at least.

 Chapter 134 - Artem - Can Nico Be Saved?

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    It had been a long day, I needed to take Star to our room so that we could rx and then continue with this busy time with trying to save Nico and trying to gain control over the pack. This next day was going to be crazy busy and crazy intense.


    Star and I showered and rxed in bed. I had thought that we might talk or something but all I felt like doing was holding her and being thankful that things were starting to work out for us, at least a little bit.


    The next morning I pulled Kent aside and told him what the ns for the day were. I watched as his eyes widened and his excitement reached a fever pitch.


    "Come on, let''s go." He was ready to head straight there, he wanted to save his brother right away.


    "Hold on a minute. Let''s let the others finish breakfast first." I chuckled a little at his enthusiasm. "Don''t worry, once they''ve eaten we will go there right away."


    "Yeah, you''re right. Breakfast first." I saw him smiling. "I should go get some things ready for him first. Clothes, some things that might help him to calm down when he wakes up. I have some prep work to do." With that he started to run off.


    "Hey, aren''t you going to eat first?" I yelled after him.


    "Later, I need to do a few things first. I will eat with my brother when he''s back to himself." I could hear the joy in his voice. I know he had been looking forward to this day since his brother had shifted and couldn''t shift back.


    I sat down to breakfast with the others and started to eat. I could see that Star and Trinity were talking with their heads close together. It was nice to see her acting like a normal person her age. Despite the reasons behind it, I was d that the Alpha King and Luna Queen hade to visit us. They were helping with a lot more than they would ever know.


    Halfway through the meal, Trinity and Star stopped their private discussion and turned to look at Reece and myself.


    "We''re going to let you guys deal with the issue of Nico. Star and I will be working with the younger boys throughout the morning." Trinity was smiling happily.


    "Why?" Reece tilted his head in confusion at her words.


    "Because I want to. I am a Luna and so is Star. A Luna''s job is to take care of and protect the children of a pack. Well, I am the Luna Queen, that means that these children here are still my people to take care of. And because I just like kids." Trinity was looking at Reece with a pointed re, something that looked like it should have physically hurt.


    "Ahh, I get it. You want to act like a mom now since you''re going to be one soon anyway." Reeceughed as he had apparently seen right through her. The blush and the indignant look told us all that he had nailed it."


    "Oh just hush Wishbone, you seem to have let your imagination run wild again."


    "Wishbone?" I asked curiously, not certain what was going on.


    "She has this habit of calling me by a dog name when she''s upset, and apparently when embarrassed"


    "Oh." I chuckled along with him as heughed off the whole situation.


    "Fine, go be with the kids. I am certain that Artem, Griffin, Doc, and I can handle it."


    "Kent too." I told him. "Kent is Nico''s brother and he will be there with us. He is eager to see his brother again."


    "Even better. That should be more than enough hands there to help control the boy until Juniper has taken care of the issue."


    "I will be there too." Paul, who had been mostly silent the entire time they had been here thesest two days finally piped up. "Juniper is my wife, so I will being as well."


    "She''s my sister, so I will being as well." Cedar added.


    "The more the merrier." Reece was smiling happily. I just hoped we could pull this off with no issues. I think that I was the only one having doubts.


    Following the meal the seven of us headed to the sixth floor to meet Kent. We found him literally bouncing with excitement as we approached him.


    "I''ve been waiting for you." There was a smile on Kent''s face that I was certain wasn''t going to go anywhere. I was happy we were doing this, but I would have probably felt better if we had a few more with us. Toby and Morgan, possibly even Vincent and Gabriel. But they all had other work to be doing right now. Hell, even Reed and Bailey, but they were working with the children this morning since they were all finally back.


    Kent slowly cracked open the door to the room that he had been standing in front of. The scent that the door had been mostly blocking was released with full force. I know that Kent went in there when he could to clean the room. Not to mention he brought food and water to his brother as well. Though everything he usually did required using tranquilizers on him.


    "Do you need me to tranquilize him first?" Kent turned to look at Juniper who was surrounded by the group of usrge men.


    "No, if he is tranquilized there is no telling what that will do to the process of waking him up. The others were in aa but there was nothing else forcing them to sleep. I don''t want to risk this. Can''t you just hold him down?" I saw the look in Kent''s eyes then, he could hold him, but he didn''t want to chance the wolf slipping away.


    "Yeah, we can do that." I answered on his behalf.


    I heard the growling start immediately after I answered that question. I knew that Nico was going to charge the door and try to attack us. None of us wanted to hurt Nico, he was a boy that was lost and hurt. But we couldn''t let him hurt anyone either.


    I pushed the door open and entered the room first. I caught the wolf as he leapt at his prey, his own brother. I had hooked my arm under the wolf''s upper body and spun him in a circle. The force of his jump was all that was needed toplete the spin.


    Just as we slowed down Nico had recovered from the shock of me having caught him. He was trying to twist in my arms so that he could bite me. Kent leapt forward then and grabbed the back of his brother''s head. With the two of us holding the wolf boy down the others came into the room.


    "This is how he''s been for all this time?" Juniper looked like she was on the verge of tears.


    "Yes." Kent sounded sad and hollow when he answered.


    "I can feel his pain, his sorrow. He wants out of that form but he doesn''t know how."


    Juniper was already connecting with the boy. That was good, right?


    "Please hold him still so that I can connect with his wolf." Juniper asked as she moved to stand near Nico''s head. I watched as she ced her hands on the side of his head near hisrge pointed ears.


    The light started immediately, but it didn''t brighten at the rate that I had expected. This time it was like the light was flickering, wavering somehow. It appeared that Juniper was having trouble reaching the human mind inside of the animal that she was standing in front of.


    Several minutes ticked by and the light was nothing more than a shimmer glowing over Nico''s body. I had also expected that when the light was over Nico he would have stopped fighting. That wasn''t true at all.


    It wasn''t like Kent and I were struggling to hold the boy. He was fighting but not that hard. But still, something didn''t feel right at all. While we were holding him down there was a surge of power that coursed through him, something that allowed Nico to twist his body and throw both Kent and I to the side.


    That was definitely unexpected.


    In the chaos that ensued Juniper had been directly in front of the wolf with no one to stand in her way. She was caught off guard since she had been concentrating on rebuilding his connection to his human self.


    In the confusion, and with a snarl that none of us would ever forget, we saw Nico close his jaws over Juniper''s left arm.


    Blood welled up immediately. The scream that came from Juniper was equal parts pain and confusion as she hadn''t seen his attacking at all. In a heartbeat Paul and Cedar had leapt forward to pull the wolf off of Juniper. I understood that they were worried about her but I didn''t want Nico hurt in all of this. He was not himself, he didn''t know what he was doing.


    "Let go of her you bastard." Paul''s fist mmed into the side of Nico''s head.


    "Please don''t hurt him, we will get him off of her." Kent pleaded.


    "Let go of my sister you asshole." Cedar had a hold of Nico''s fur at the back of his head.


    "You have to understand, he is not himself."


    Through all of this I heard a growling that I thought wasing from Nico but I learned a secondter that it wasing from Reece.


    "ENOUGH!" He yelled. "ALL OF YOU CALM DOWN NOW!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth the four of us stopped fighting and were working together. However, there was nothing for us to work together for. Nico had let go of Juniper''s arm when Reece had yelled. He had followed the Alpha King''s orders.


    "Juniper." Griffin ran forward with Doc following close behind. I saw as the two of them both sent a wave of light from their hands to her arm and the puncture wounds closed almost instantly. Juniper was healed that quickly. She didn''t even look like she was in pain anymore.


    "Thank you." She smiled at the two healers as she stood back up. I noticed that Paul and Cedar were being a lot more protective than they had been before. "I will be fine now you two. It looks like Nico will follow Reece''smands so I have an idea."


    Apparently her idea had been to guide his wolf with magic while Reece guided it with words. It was definitely worth a shot.


    Juniper''s light flickered over the wolf boy again while Reece guided him with words.


    "Nico, look for that light. Find it. Follow it. See where it takes you. Don''t fight it." As Reece spoke the light grew steadily brighter. "The light is good. It will get you out of there. It will take you to your brother. It will set you free from this prison. Find it." The light was almost at that high intensity that seemed to be the turning point. "OK Nico, once you''re there, once you''ve found the light, you need to be human again. Think of what you look like as a human, think about the way your body feels. You need to go back to that."


    It seemed like the Alpha King had done this before, like he had guided a shift and was really good at it. I knew it was something that all Alphas could do but still, seeing it instead of doing it was definitely something else entirely.


    It was working though. I could see Nico changing shape. He was losing his fur and bing the boy version of himself again.


    "Nico!" Kent called out for him, the nket already in his hand. I hadn''t even seen him grab it when all of this was happening.


    Kent ran toward his brother. He skidded to a halt on his knees and threw the nket over him all in one motion. Within a second of stopping in front of the boy Kent had his arms around his brother.


    "Nico, I''m so d you''re back." I heard the tears in Kent''s voice. All the sorrow he had been holding onto for months.


    "K-Kent?" Nico spoke hesitatingly. "K-Kent, what happened?" Nico sounded confused. "Oh Goddess. I attacked you. I attacked that woman. I hurt her. I hurt you. I''m a b-bad-."


    "No!" Kent grabbed Nico''s face and silenced him with the one word. "No, you did nothing wrong Nico. That wasn''t you. You weren''t yourself when that happened. Your wolf was out of control. You can learn to control it like we all do."


    "But Kent, I-."


    "I love you Nico. I love you and I am so sorry that I caused all of this." Kent was crying freely now as he sobbed while holding his small, younger brother.


    I saw Nico looking over Kent''s shoulder and at all of us that were gathered around, he still looked nervous. I know that I was not the only one smiling at him. It was nice to have him home.


    "I missed you Nico." Kent''s sobs were the only sounds filling the room at the time.

 Chapter 135 - Artem - Preparing For The Pack Meeting

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    We silently left the room, leaving Kent and Nico behind. It was time for Kent to heal along with his brother. He had felt so much guilt over it all that it had even caused the rest of us heartache. He was a loving and caring big brother that wanted nothing more than to save the brother that he was too weak to protect as a child. Now, he was able to do just that.


    I was surprised though. The strength that I felting from Nico had not felt like that of an Omega wolf. He had felt more like a Delta or Beta strength. Had his family gotten it wrong? Was Nico not an Omega? Did their grandfather do this to Nico on purpose? Those thoughts and more raced through my mind as I walked out of the room, down the hall to the stairs, and all the way to my office.


    I was sitting in my desk chair when I finally came back to my senses. I didn''t even remember walking to my office. I didn''t remember telling the others toe with me. But apparently I had, or why else was I in this room with Reece, Doc, Griffin, Cedar, Paul, and Juniper.


    "You seem lost in thought." Reece spoke in a soft voice, finally breaking the silence of the room.


    "I was just thinking about something." I could hear the uncertainty in my voice as I prepared to tell them what I was thinking.


    "It must be a doozy of a thought." Paulughed. "If it''s rendered you speechless and all."


    "It''s more than a doozy." I finally looked up and stared at them all. "I think that Nico was targeted and treated this way on purpose. Though I don''t know why someone would do that."


    "What do you mean?" Reece obviously looked confused.


    "I mean that I don''t think that Nico is an Omega wolf. And if I am right, that would mean either he was targeted for this mistreatment on purpose, or those talismans that tested a wolf''s strength were never checking for their strength at all."


    "What else could they have been checking for?" Doc sounded confused as he asked that question.


    "I don''t know." I was about to shrug my shoulders before a thought urred to me. "They were given to us by a warlock. Perhaps they were checking to see if the boys werepatible with magic. Didn''t one of you say that Gannon was trying to make hybrid children. Do you think he was looking for the wolves that he needed even back then? Or maybe it was for his experiments."


    "You might be right. It''s possible that he was looking for children that would be easy to conduct his experiments on. He might have been looking for a special quality that those children had. The problem is, we don''t know what that quality might be." Reece seemed to be in deep thought now as he contemted what I was saying.


    "We will never know either, not with Edmond being dead." Cedarmented as the silence had just about to settle around us again.


    "What do you really think Nico''s rank would be? How strong did his wolf feel to you?" Reece seemed extremely serious, like he was working through a puzzle that I couldn''t see.


    "Delta at the lowest. I think that is why he managed to slip away from us. We had been working under the assumption that he was a weak wolf so we weren''t putting as much force behind the restraints. The thing is, he was stronger than we thought and he was able to get out."


    "If it wasn''t the talisman that misjudged him, who do you think would have done this to him?" The anger that was behind Doc''s eyes when he asked that question was strong enough to feel.


    "The only one I could think of would be Kent''s grandfather. He was the one that most abused Nico when he was growing up. And it was no secret in their family that he thought Kent and Nico''s mother had cheated on his son. He never epted Nico as his blood."


    "What? What the hell is that all about? Weren''t his parents mated?" Paul was in such disbelief when he heard my exnation that he literally jumped when he spoke.


    "No, most of the people in this pack aren''t mated. My parents were, and there are a few others, but most of them marry for strength or money. Some for love but that is rare around here as well."


    "What the hell kind of fucked up pack is this?" Cedar blurted the words out as if he couldn''t stop himself. Further proof that he hadn''t meant to say those words out loud was the fact that he pped his hand over his mouth after he had spoken them. I justughed at him. It was all too funny.


    "One that I thought the Goddess had abandoned. If it weren''t for my desire to save the unfortunate children in this pack I would have left and nevere back. I wanted to reform this ce and make it all better, but there was so much that was happening that I haven''t gotten the chance yet." I hung my head in shame. "I am a failure as an Alpha."


    "Now that is simply not true." Reece red at me. "The fact that you have done everything that you could to help and protect and rescue those children tells me that you are definitely a worthy Alpha. You just need a little help. You weren''t raised to be an Alpha, you needed to take it by force. That doesn''t disqualify you, it just makes you a little uneducated. And that is fixable."


    "Are you trying to say that I am stupid." Iughed thinking that was not much better.


    "Not at all. I was born the son of an Alpha and was raised knowing I would be one. You were not born the same way. You were not privy to all the lessons that an Alpha''s child would have. All you need now is to learn what you don''t know about being an Alpha. There is a lot more to it than just protecting people and ordering them around."


    "Really, and how exactly am I going to learn all of that?" I could tell there was a little bit of snark and a lot of attitude in that question when I asked it.


    Reece lowered his head and looked over at me with an expression that basically asked ''did you seriously just talk to me like that''. I think I let myself get a little toofortable around him and I basically forgot that he was the Alpha King. Uh oh.


    "Luckily, I am a forgiving man and I am also generous. I will overlook that little outburst of yours and still give you the information that you need."


    "Sorry about that." I could tell that things could have possibly gone a lot worse than they did. I was just d that I was not being treated like a disloyal subject. Man this royalty shit was confusing when you weren''t used to it all.


    "I have books and texts back at my ce that I had to study while I was growing up. I will have them copied and sent to you. Also, there might have been something simr left here by the previous Alphas. Have you checked all their books?"


    "Yeah, that was one of the first things that I did. I was looking for more incriminating evidence and possible leads on kids to save. There was nothing about how to run the pack among them."


    "Well shit, I see this pack just wanted to be run into the ground. You''re lucky I came here and can save your asses. Just make sure that you don''t squander what I give you."


    "Yeah, trust me I won''t. I want this pack to be a proper one. I want this to be a pack where everyone can live happily and be free."


    "That''s an honorable desire. And it''s definitely one that I can help you with."


    We spent a little while talking about what it was that I needed to do as an Alpha. Things that would make me a better leader. However, it wasn''t long before the conversation strayed in a different direction.


    "What do you n on doing tonight?" Reece asked me.


    "What do you mean?" I wasn''t sure what he expected me to say.


    "I mean how do you n to handle the pack members that don''t recognize you as their Alpha?"


    "Oh, that?" I rubbed the back of my neck while I thought for a moment. "If they continue not to ept me as the Alpha, if they continue to be hostile toward us all then they will be eliminated, just like you said before."


    "Are you willing to do something so drastic? Are you willing to kill some of your pack members to make a point? Are you willing to lessen your pack''s overall strength for this?" His questions were all valid and they put things into perspective, but there was only one way I could answer them.


    "Yes, yes I am definitely willing to do it. My pack and the entire world of shifters are better off without people like them. If they are willing to torture, abuse, and imprison the children of a pack then they aren''t worthy to share the same air that we breath." I could tell that there was no hesitation in the words that I was saying, I was calm with this decision.


    "That was all that I needed to hear. I will be willing to support you in this endeavor so be prepared to fight when the timees." Reece''s voice was firm and steady and when he spoke.


    "You can count on me." I nodded at him.


    "Count me in too." Doc stepped forward and ced his hand on my shoulder.


    "Yeah, me too. I don''t want people like that sharing the name of werewolf with me." Cedar sounded angry.


    "Those assholes need to pay." Paul added.


    "I will not tolerate the abuse of children." Griffin was thest to speak up.


    "My, my, aren''t you boys all fired up and ready to go?" Juniperughed, breaking the tension that had built up in the room. "I''d call you all the Three Musketeers but there are too many of you. Still, I''m d you all agree. I didn''t want to have to hurt any of you."

 Chapter 136 - Star - The Pack Meeting Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The entire pack was supposed to be going to the meeting spot tonight at ten. It gave us all time to have dinner and be ready. Not to mention it would be dark, or nearly dark, by that time.


    I had spent the day with Trinity and the children but I learnedter that Nico had been saved. He was back to himself. When I found out I went and introduced myself to him immediately. He was not as small as the other boys but he was definitely smaller than he should have been. He also looked so much like his brother. ck hair, hazel eyes, same sort of squared jaw and sharp nose. The resemnce was stronger between them than me and the pictures of my mother I had seen. I was a little jealous about that but there was no point in dwelling on it.


    After we had a meal together with everyone, Nico included, we all got ready for the pack meeting. We were taking the children with us. We were going to prove to the pack that the children were not weak. We were going to show them that they didn''t need to do what they did. They were going to see what they were missing out on.


    Also, I didn''t care how much any of those families begged us to give their children back, they didn''t deserve them. If there was a family member that was more like my cousins then we can arrange meetings between them. And maybe one day they could take them home if the children wanted it. But that would definitely not be happening for a very long time.


    These children deserved to grow, flourish, and have the chance to be themselves. I would not allow them to be mistreated ever again. As someone who suffered as much as they did growing up I know just what it was like for them. In fact, I had been in that environment longer than any of them, so I knew more than they did about that entire situation. No one in this house could sympathize with them as well as I could.


    I understood that I was being entirely too clingy and overprotective of the boys, but after what they had just gone through I don''t think anyone could me me. I had been watching for weeks while they basically wasted away inas. I was not going to let anyone or anything else hurt them.


    Once we were all dressed and ready to spend a few hours in the woods at night we started heading out. The young children might eventually find it difficult to stay awake the entire time, but there were enough of us that we could all carry a child or two on the way back if we absolutely had to.


    We marched in a line, no more than three people across, as we made our way to the meeting spot. We were heading there early so that we would arrive before any of the other pack members. We were going to present a united front.


    And, if anyone tried to show that they were just going to leave without so much asing into the clearing then Artem or Reece wouldmand them to get their asses into the meeting. There would be no running away from this meeting tonight. Anyone who didn''t show up would be hunted down and made to pay.


    Things were definitely changing in the pack. I could tell that and I had never been involved with pack politics before thesest few weeks. I was aplete novice. Though, I was learning how to be a proper Luna from Trinity. She was teaching me everything that she knew about supporting a pack.


    When we got to the meeting ce I was finally able to see what it was like. It was a natural clearing in the woods with arge crescent shaped rock in the center. The rock didn''t match any of the ones around it. Thisrge stone was pure white and looked like it was made straight from the moon.


    Another difference about thisrge rock in the middle was that it was t on the top. It looked like it was some sort of stage or tform. And that was right where we were heading. Artem and I were standing in the middle of the stone with Trinity and Reece beside us. The children were all sitting at the edge with their feet dangling off. The others that we had brought with us, both from our pack and the Luna Queen and Alpha King''s pack were positioned around therge tform rock acting as guards.


    This time it wasn''t just those that were always in our business that were in attendance. On top of Toby, Kent, Morgan, Reed, Bailey, and Chay we also had E, Criztie, Dakotah, and Sydney. Grandpa was there too, along with everyone that Trinity and Reece had brought with them. It was definitely an impressive sight to see. There were forty of us waiting there for the rest of the pack to arrive. What will they all think when they see us together like this?


    I saw the moment that everyone else started to arrive. There were several small groups that came in pairs and trios. Quite a few people showed up alone. Slowly they all started to trickle in. The thing is, that despite the fact that almost all of the families in this pack lived inrge family estates with multiple generations none of them showed up as a whole family.


    Now that I actually thought about it, I never really asked Artem what had happened to my family that had been at the house while I had been tortured all of my life.


    I saw a few of them enter the clearing. They were looking at me with fear in their eyes, or perhaps those looks were for Artem who had his arm wrapped around me. I saw that almost every single one of them looked frightened, but not a single one of them looked at me with anger or jealousy. There were also fewer people than I had expected to see.


    Throughout my childhood there had been at least sixty family members that came and went. I had learned who many of them were but not all of them. Then there were the family members that I didn''t know about at all. They were the family members that didn''t agree with the abuse and torture but didn''t try to stop it either.


    I wanted to me them, I really did. But I was really trying hard to move on. I knew deep down that most family members would have suffered the same fate if they would have tried to step in and save me or any of the other children.


    The thing is though, you never knew who stayed out of it because they weren''t strong enough to stop it all and who just didn''t care one way or the other. Without being able to prove any of it then how are you able to trust any of them?


    That was the conundrum we were currently facing. That was why we were going to put an ultimatum to the members of this pack. They could eitherply or die.


    There was no point in them leaving the pack. The Alpha King already said anyone who tries to cling to the ways of the past would be judged to his fullest extent. I had learned from those that hade to stay with us recently that Reece had a temper that was probably worse than Artem''s, and that was definitely saying something.


    I knew first hand how angry Artem could get. Not at me of course, but at those that do something unforgivable. If Reece''s was worse than Artem''s then those who still refused to change their ways were in for something terrible and frightening.


    While I thought about these things I heard someone scoff as they came into the clearing. They were the first among the dozens of others that were here to make a sound. The sound was definitely to voice their displeasure about something.


    I could tell that the person, who sounded like a man, had stopped in his tracks when he was at the edge of the clearing. That was when the man turned and started to try and walk away. All I saw of him was that he was a slightly older man, probably in his sixties.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Artem called out to him.


    "I refuse to share a clearing with those abominations." The old man''s voice came out strong and angry.


    "Get in here, NOW!" Artem made it amand and I saw the man falter a little. That was all though, he still continued to walk away.


    "STOP!" Reece''s voice bellowed at the man. He did exactly as he was told and stopped moving immediately.

 Chapter 137 - Artem - The Pack Meeting Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    We had made it to the clearing before anyone else, which had been my intention. We were all in position and waiting for the others. I sensed the emotions that wereing from those around me. The nerves from my beautiful Star. The jittery sense of excitement from the guards that Trinity and Reece had with them. The apprehension from those from my pack. I could even sense the fearing off of the boys. It made for a crazy mess of scents and feelings that I was experiencing.


    Just as people started toe into the clearing there was a man who stopped dead in his tracks.


    The man that had stopped at the edge of the clearing and tried to walk away was none other than Kent''s grandfather. He was in his early sixties and still looked like a strong man. He had dark hair that was just beginning to turn gray. His bright hazel eyes were so much like Kent''s. I could definitely see him being the strong imposing figure that mentally and emotionally abused a poor child like Nico. There was just something mean about the look of him.


    The moment he tried to walk away from the clearing and I called out to him he said something that made my blood boil.


    "I refuse to share a clearing with those abominations." The old asshole''s voice hade out strong and full of anger.


    I saw red at those words. I just wanted to knock his fucking head from his shoulders and stop him from moving any further away.


    "Get in here, NOW!" I bellowed out themand and saw the dipshit hesitate for just a moment before he started to walk away again.


    "STOP!" That was when Reece stepped in on my behalf. He had yelled at the man in a deep,manding tone of voice. Hismand, however, was one that Timothy Hall, Kent''s grandfather, could not resist.


    I had watched as the man froze in his tracks. He didn''t take another step forward and he didn''t turn to look back at Reece or me. It was literally as if he was unable to move again at all until he was given the permission to do so.


    "What happened?"


    "Who is that?"


    "What did he do?"


    "How the hell did he do that?"


    There was a series of excited and scared whispers that filled the clearing after Reece had bellowed out themand. When I turned to look at Reece he nodded at me to take over the situation. I needed to put that sort ofmand and force into the way I spoke to my pack. I needed them to see that I was in fact their Alpha and they needed to obey me.


    "Timothy, get over here, now." I heard the ring of authority I had put into my voice. I was tapping into the hidden potential of an Alpha that most people didn''t know about.


    There was a slow and steady growl but the man turned and marched into the clearing. He pushed his luck a little though by just barelying into the clearing. He was still standing very close to the trees.


    "Right here." I put that same note into my voice and pointed to a spot right in front of me."


    There was a look of pure rage and abject horror on the man''s face as he was forced to follow the will of someone who had more authority than he did. Still, he moved slowly and steadily while I watched him. He took small steps like he was a young child just learning how to walk. He was dragging this out more than he needed to.


    "Faster, Timothy." I ordered him but I didn''t put the ring of authority in my voice to make him listen to me.


    "Fuck you, Artemis. I remember you when you were in diapers. You can''t tell me what to do." The man stopped moving now but he was nearly to the spot I had directed him to. Consequently that put him right in front of Nico as well.


    I saw the look of pure hatred spread across the old man''s face when he looked right at Nico where he sat on the stone tform that I was standing on. Nico was the oldest of the boys, and he was the only one that was taller than Star. The others were getting there since they had the proper nutrition but Nico had been that way when we rescued him. He wasn''t quite as tiny as the others had been and still were.


    "Look at them all. Worthless pieces of scum, the whole lot. I had thought you and my grandson had better taste than this, Artemis. But to willingly put these things ahead of the rest of your pack. That''s despicable."


    The old man actually spat after he spoke. A great, disgusting glob of spittle, mucus and phlegmnded on the ground not six inches from Nico.


    "I can''t believe that fucking whore cheated on my son. To ruin my family like this." The rage and anger that was filling him was so far beyond what I was expecting. I had known he was an asshole and the driving force behind the evil in his family but I didn''t expect him to be this vile.


    "I never cheated on him." Kent''s mother spoke up but she didn''t sound like she was going to fight him too much.


    "Shut up you whore." Timothy growled.


    I had known for years that there was a massive problem in Kent''s family. I had known that Kent couldn''t wait for the day that he got him and his brother to safety. This morning must have been like a dream true for him, to finally have what he always wanted.


    "Just shut up." I saw Kent''s father echo the sentiment that his own father had spat at his wife.


    I could see two massive problems starting at the same time. I saw that the old man was raising his hand in a gesture that looked like he was about to hit Nico where he sat on the stone. Nico was cowering in fear from the old man and the years of torture and abuse that he had been forced to endure.


    While the old man readied his hand I saw that Kent''s father was doing the same thing. He was raising his hand to strike his wife. His fist balled tightly to match his father''s. He was going to beat his wife right here and right now. He was going to show everyone here that he didn''t care one bit about his wife or his son.


    Kent had been all that Timothy and Jeremy, the father, had cared about. They knew from the beginning that Kent was strong and capable. They were grooming him to do great things when he was older. However, contrary to their ns, Kent loved his brother dearly.


    Kent had spent as much time as he could with Nico before he had been locked away. Being seven years older than his baby brother Kent wanted to be the hero, the best friend, the protector, everything to the boy. When Kent was twelve he was heartbroken to see that his brother was locked away.


    Repeatedly Kent had been punished for trying to rescue Nico. None of the aunts and uncles would help him. And his mother med him for Nico being mistreated. One way or the other both boys had suffered abuse at the hands of their family members. Nico, though, always had it worse.


    Now the family had lost both of their sons due to their stupid ways. The boys may not be dead but they would never get to see them as family ever again.


    These memories of the past seemed to fly through my mind at supersonic speed. I hadn''t missed a single thing that was happening in the clearing before me. I could tell that any second now there were going to be two people hurt if I didn''t hurry up and stop it.


    I needed to move quickly. I was formting a n in my head to get to them both before they could hit either of their targets but I didn''t have any clue how to do it.


    I didn''t have to do it myself though. Reece reached forward and offered a solution.


    "You save the boy, I will save the woman." Reece had already figured out how best to handle this precarious situation. I truly owed him one for this.


    "Thank you." I nodded to him to show I both understood his n and appreciated it.


    I leapt forward at the exact same time that Reece had. My feet hit the ground after I had already grabbed the old man''s arm. I wrenched it away from Nico and twisted it behind his back.


    I hadn''t seen what Reece had done but I heard Jeremy cry out in pain.

 Chapter 138 - Star - The Pack Meeting Part 3

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    There was definitely going to be a confrontation tonight. And it was most likely a very violent one. I had watched as Artem and Reece both jumped from the tform. Artem grabbed the old man that he had called Timothy and stopped him from hitting Nico.


    The old man had balled his hand into a tight fist and was about to hit his grandson with tremendous force. The entire time, Nico had just been staring at his grandfather with fear and tears in his eyes.


    At the same time I had also seen Reece jump from the tform. He was heading in the direction of Nico and Kent''s parents. Reece had jumped over the entire crowd that had gathered before andnded smoothly and gracefully next to the other man that had his fist raised.


    This man was seconds away from hitting Nico and Kent''s mother. Before he could though, Reece had grabbed him by the wrist and yanked it away from the woman, hard.


    "GAHHH!" The man cried out from the pain he was feeling. "Let go of me, you asshole!"


    I know that was the stupidest thing that man could have said. He had literally just called the Alpha King an asshole. I am pretty sure that is not going to go over well.


    "What the fuck did you just say to me?" Reece growled into the man''s face.


    "He called you an asshole, you dumbass." Another random voice from the crowd yelled out in response.


    "That''s quite enough out of both of you." Reece growled out to them. "If either of you value your fucking lives I suggest you shut the fuck up." I could feel the waves of rageing off of him.


    "Really bigshot, what do you think you''re going to do with so many people here that are against you? Do you really think that we want you or that stupid upstart in our pack at all. None of us will ever recognize either of you. You''re fucking stupid if you think we will ever listen to either of you."


    There was a growlingugh that arose from that general direction. At first I thought it hade from the man who was digging his own grave. I thought he was just making things worse for himself.


    I was wrong though. The growlingugh that was steadily growing louder and louder wasing from Reece.


    I had been afraid of him when I first met him, but that was because I had known who he was, what he was. When I got to know him somewhat I learned that he wasn''t a mean and angry person. Or so I thought.


    The sounds that wereing from the Alpha King right now sounded like something straight from a devil. There was no humor at all in hisughter. In fact, I felt my skin crawling with nerves and fear.


    What was Reece going to do to these men?


    Right when I thought Reece was going to attack them, he had even reared back like he was about to do something very violent, someone yelled.


    Apparently, Trinity couldn''t take the madness anymore. She yelled out with so much authority dripping from her words that everyone in the clearing was forced to listen to her. Reece included.


    "ENOUGH!"


    Instantly every single person stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the Luna Queen. I had never thought that something like this would happen with Trinity. She seemed so calm and sweet. How could she be somanding and powerful?


    The force of the power she was giving off was literally making me look at her. I couldn''t look away at all, even if I had wanted to.


    This was a true Luna. This was the power of the Luna Queen. There was no shifter in the world strong enough to disobey her. She was marvelous and stunning.


    "W-who are you?" I heard Nico and Kent''s mother ask in a squeaky and nervous voice.


    "You want to know who I am? You''re finally interested in knowing who the new people among you are?"


    Trinity took a step toward me, moving closer like she was trying to protect me from something. What was she about to do? For some reason, I was even more nervous.


    "Yes, I-I want to know who you are. You''re not from this pack, I know that. Yet you were still able tomand us like you have some sort of authority over all of us."


    Now it was Trinity''s turn tough. It wasn''t a growlingugh and it didn''t scare me as much as Reece''s had but it was still something that you would find humor in. Still, there was something in it that held a razor sharp edge.


    "Oh, I do have authority over you, but you''re right, I am not from this pack at all."


    "How can you have authority over us if you''re not from this pack?" The man who nearly got himself killed by Reece asked. He had medium brown hard, a balding head, and an unfortunate face.


    "I don''t need to belong to your pack to control you. I control all the shifters in the world."


    To that deration there was a flurry of responses both positives and negatives.


    "Impossible."


    "Oh my Goddess."


    "You''re delusional."


    "She''s that strong?"


    "There''s no way."


    "How can it be?"


    "Quit lying."


    "Is it true?"


    There were so many people talking at one and so much going on that the assholes from before had seemed to be forgotten about. At least for the moment.


    Artem had let go of Timothy when the crowd had beenmanded to stop. Thankfully Reece hadn''t lost his grip. He hadn''t attacked but he hadn''t let go of the man he was holding onto either.


    In the confusion of what was going on no one had been paying any attention to Timothy. The entire gathering, aside from one person, was focused on Trinity.


    Apparently, Timothy had been focused on his grandson. He had snuck away and gotten closer to the boy without anyone noticing him. We only realized what was going on when Nico started screaming in fear and pain.


    When I turned to look at themotion, to try and figure out what was happening, I saw that Timothy was yanking Nico''s head so far back that his adams apple was straining against his throat.


    Aside from holding the boy''s head back Timothy had shifted his hand so that long sharp ws wereing out of his fingers.


    "If you insist on forcing me into this clearing with these abominations, then I will do the only humane thing possible." The old man was growling as he spoke, a maniacal glint in his eyes.


    A lot of things happened at once. Artem went to move forward at the same time that Reece let go of Jeremy and rushed forward. Still, neither of them got to Nico in time.


    No, the one who got to Nico first was Kent. He was right there to protect his little brother.


    Timothy screamed in pain right when Nico''s screams were cut off. I didn''t manage to see it all since Trinity had stepped in front of me and pulled my head down to her. I was still taller than her by a couple inches though so I looked over her shoulder a little bit.


    I saw blood flying and then heard a gurgled scream. After that Timothy was silent and a hush fell over the crowd.


    Everyone was stunned by what had just happened, but when the shock wore off several of them decided that they didn''t want to stick around anymore. Trinity let go of me and moved tomand those who were leaving.-


    "Stop, all of you!" Trinity didn''t yell but her voice carried. "All of you go back to where you were before. This meeting is far from over."


    Each and every one of them stopped, looked at her, then moved back to where they had been before. Not a single one of them was talking and there was fear on the faces of every person I could see.


    Trinity was right though, this meeting was far from over. If you asked me it hadn''t even begun yet. It had devolved into a fight before everyone had even gotten to see the tform stone. It was pure chaos.


    While I looked around the clearing I couldn''t stop my eyes from falling on the ce where Kent was standing. He was covered in blood and he was holding something in his hands. And I noticed that the crowd wasn''t looking at just Trinity or Reece with fear. They were staring at Kent and Artem that way as well.


    "Thank you for the assistance, Trinity." Artem smiled as he came back onto the tform and stood next to me. "And you''re right, this meeting hasn''t even begun yet."


    Kent tossed the thing in his hands aside and joined us on the tform along with Reece. I turned to look at what he threw and saw it was Timothy''s head.


    That turned my stomach a little bit.

 Chapter 139 - Both - The Pack Meeting Part 4

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    "I will get straight to the point. Most of the people in this pack have behaved despicably. A lot of you have done things that you should be ashamed of. You have imprisoned your family members. You have beaten them and starved them and many of you have even killed them. That is uneptable." I could feel the rage and emotions filling me while I addressed the crowd of people, but I needed to go on.


    "I am here to tell you all now, that will no longer be allowed. If you wish to remain a member of this pack then you will have to massively clean up your lives. The way you live, the way you treat your fellow wolves, all of it needs to change." A rustling ran through the crowd. There were more than one group among them whispering among themselves after they heard my words.


    There had to be those among them that couldn''t keep it quiet though. There would always be someone to push the damn envelope.


    "Fuck you, Artemis. We don''t have to listen to you. If you were a proper Alpha then you would have no problem leading us."


    "Yeah, I say if anyone needs to fix their shit, it''s you."


    Two men hade forward and were yelling at me. They were just random to me, I had probably seen them before but they didn''t stick in my memory. Unimportant and unnecessary.


    "If you two don''t want to be punished next then I suggest you shut up." Kent yelled at them for me before I even had the chance.


    "And what are you going to do if we don''t?" One of them wasughing as he asked that question. "Are you going to tell my mommy on me? Are you going to put me in a time out?"


    "The two of you have been doing a shitty ass job trying to run this ce on your own. It''s bullshit."


    With the yellinging from the two of them it was causing chaos all around us. There were more people starting to scream and shout their opposition at me.


    "Go ahead and try to make me submit."


    "Go to hell you worthless traitor."


    "You don''t know what you''re talking about."


    There was more but I stopped listening. I was so angry that I was ready to kill someone right about now. Just as I was about to try and move forward I heard another growl, and another.


    In a split second I was in my wolf form,rge and brown with fierce green eyes. Next to me, one on either side, there were two ck wolves. One was Reece the other was Kent.


    "Ooh, look at the big bad Alpha go. He had to shift to control us."


    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    "Enough!" I yelled at the heckler before Trinity could do it this time. I needed to step up. I was not going to be a weak and shy little girl any more. I was a Luna, I was in charge here. I was mated to their Alpha. I could do this.


    "All of you need to stop this. Do you want to get yourselves hurt?" This caused the heckling men tough at me. They really didn''t know when to stop, did they.


    "She is right. All of you are going to regret what you''re doing right now. This is treason." It was Trinity''s turn to speak up.


    "Treason? Honey, who are wemitting treason against? Artemis? Ha, that''s augh."


    "How about your Queen?" I yelled at him.


    "We have Lunas here, not queens. Get your facts straight." The lead heckler yelled back at me.


    "Yeah, how fucking stupid can you get. Dumbass girl." OK, now they were angering me too much. I could feel the anger boiling inside of me.


    I could actually feel several emotions. There was the fear that was pouring off of Nico and the other rescued boys. There was the anger and rage pouring off of Reece, Artem, and Kent who were standing in front of me. There was even angering off of Trinity where she stood next to me.


    In the crowd I could sense unease, indifference, joy, and sadness. The variety of feelings was making things seem even more chaotic and hectic than it needed to be. All I wanted was to make it all go away. I just wanted to change what it was they were feeling.


    While I was thinking these things I saw Trinity''s whole body begin to ripple. She was shifting.


    I had just seen most of these wolf forms for the first time tonight. Artem''s I saw the night I met him but the others were new to me. Reece was arge wolf, evenrger than Artem who was a lot bigger than Kent. These men were basically the personification of imposing, especially when they weren''t truly men at the time.


    When Trinity shifted I thought my mind was going to explode. She was snowy white for the most part. She did have ck markings around her face and there were bright blue, red, and purple marks around her neck like some sort of ne design set into her fur. It was so beautiful.


    She wasn''t asrge as the men but I could feel the power radiating off of her. There was also an intense colding off of her, like she was made of a winter wind and snow. There was powerful magic inside of her and it was easy to tell.


    While I watched I saw Trinity start to walk forward. She was leaving behind icy footprints wherever her paws touched. When she neared the edge where the boys were sitting she didn''t walk in between them, she didn''t walk around them, and she didn''t jump over them. She walked over them.


    It was like there were tiny little white circles of wind floating in the air and Trinity was stepping on them as if they were stairs. She rose high into the air and looked at the people who were gathered around.


    "I will give you all one chance to change your ways. I am not making it amand yet but I will when I have to. For right now I am asking that you see the errors of your ways and do what you know is best for us all." Trinity was talking like a normal person. That was strange since everyone I knew spoke with grunts and growls as a wolf. I had heard my cousins do it enough to know.


    Several more people in the crowd had their emotions shift to fear instead of the anger and other things they were feeling.


    "What the hell is she doing?"


    "How is that possible?"


    "What is she?"


    "She''s a wolf but I don''t know of a wolf that can do that."


    "She''s not normal."


    "This is freaky as hell."


    The constant talking from the crowd was annoying. Did they seriously think that we couldn''t hear what they were saying?


    The fear was getting stronger. It wasn''t just fear though. Whoever it was that was getting stronger with those emotions was getting violently afraid. That was the only way I could describe it. There was someone who was so afraid of this situation that he was going to attack someone over it. I could feel it. The thing is, I was having trouble figuring out who it was.


    That feeling was reaching a fever pitch. There was definitely something wrong. Someone was going to do something bad if I didn''t stop them.


    All I could think of was stopping this person. Stopping them and flowers. I don''t know why the flowers were on my mind but they kept popping up when I thought about his emotions. These flowers were ck though. There was something wrong with them. I didn''t know what kind they were, I had never seen anything like these flowers before at all.


    These ck flowers were spiky and small. They had a jagged stem that seemed way too thick for its tiny petals. The smell that came from them was acrid and seemed poisonous.


    How could I smell the flowers from a thought?


    That was when I opened my eyes. I saw lots of different flowers all around the clearing. There were yellow, blue, red, orange, and of course those ck ones. They had different smells to them. The shapes were simr, they had the same number of petals and leaves at least. It''s just that the stem thickness and the shape of the petals were different. There were pointed, jagged, and round petals. But other than that they were remarkably simr in my mind. Maybe it''s just because I seemed to be the only one who noticed them.


    There were more yellow flowers than anything else. Those flowers smelled like fear. I didn''t want to focus on that one though. I needed to find and focus on the person next to the ck flowers. That person would be the dangerous one I was sensing.

 Chapter 140 - Star - The Pack Meeting Part 5

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    It seemed that there was an entire field of flowers that sprouted among the people that had gathered in the clearing. There were even flowers for the people that were with us and not just the ones that were strangers. Artem, Reece, and Kent had red flowers around them that smelled of very strong spices. They made me think of something or someone that was angry.


    Trinity''s flowers were a cross between red and purple. They were perhaps a little more reddish in color than purple. To me her colors spoke of a mixture of sadness and anger. She was mad at these people but she was also sad for them as well. That was definitely something a queen would feel towards her people when they were doing something so stupid.


    It was easy for me to tell what everyone was feeling right now. And with them manifesting as flowers like this I didn''t have to feel the emotions personally. This made things a lot easier on me, since I didn''t have to feel them for myself.


    Looking at the flowers was all I needed to do to find the person or persons that I was looking for. Those ck flowers would be near those dangerous people. I searched the clearing as quickly as I could. There were hundreds of flowers but the colors weren''t what I was looking for.


    There, that was a ck flower. Yes, I found one. Wait, there was another. I found two people while scanning the clearing. I needed to check for more.


    There, that was another. And now a fourth one. Five? No six. Those ones there make seven and eight.


    That seemed to be it. Finally, I had tracked them all down. Still, eight people. Eight of them that have an evil or murderous feeling to them at this very moment. What were they going to do? What was going to happen?


    While I had been searching the clearing, Trinity had been getting herself situated above the crowd. She was now high enough that everyone could see her with no problems at all. She seemed to be preparing to speak to the whole gathering.


    "My name is Trinity, and I am the Goddess Incarnate. I have been blessed by the Goddess Nehalennia. What this means is that I am the Luna Queen. I am the highest authority in all of the shifter world. It doesn''t matter if that shifter is a wolf, a feline, a bear, a bird. Any and all of the shifters in this world are my people. I want to do my best to lead and rule you all but I cannot let the practices you have been using here to continue."


    "I agree. That stupid young Alpha needs to get wise and understand that he is wrongly trying to change things." One of the hecklers from earlier, one of those people with ck flowers surrounding him, yelled out as he interrupted Trinity. That didn''t seem to be making Trinity very happy. She apparently hated to be interrupted.


    "You are wrong." She snapped at the man who had been rude and interrupted her. "The ones who have been wrong are the rest of you. Artemis has been trying to correct the wrong behaviors that this pack has been practicing."


    "Which practices are wrong?" Nico and Kent''s father was the one to ask this question. He was another of the ones who had ck flowers surrounding him. He had more of the evil looking foliage than any of the others. I think he was very angry that Kent, his son, had killed Timothy, his father. I could imagine that it would be a hard situation to see.


    "What made any of you think that it was proper, even expected to treat any child of your pack the way you treated those boys over there. I also know that several of the boys of the past have died at very young ages. Some as young as eight years old."


    I felt a motherly sort of protection rolling off of Trinity then. She was feeling strongly about the way the children of this pack had been made to live in fear.


    "That''s how things have always been done. It''s the way of life for all packs, isn''t it?"


    "No, it is not." The flowers floating in the air around Trinity were now pure red. The sadness was fading from her. "You all let yourselves be corrupted by an evil warlock and you stupidly followed along with him and never fought back. You and all your parents and grandparents were fools. This was ridiculous."


    "No, you''re lying. This is how things have always been." That same heckler looked like he didn''t quite believe her.


    "Don''t listen to her. She wants to talk about warlocks, just look at her, she is not a wolf."


    "You''re right that I am not just a wolf. I am a hybrid. I am half wolf and half witch. I am the queen of all shifters as well as queen of all magic users."


    The heckling started again. The men and women in the crowd who didn''t quite understand what was going on were scared and yelling their fears out.


    "You''re an abomination."


    "Get out of here you freak." There were more but I just ignored them.


    I could see that Reece was getting angrier as well. He didn''t like that they were yelling these things at his wife. There seemed to be a rippling around him, some sort of shifting that was about to take ce.


    ''Watch what you say about people''s wives!'' Those words came out sounding like the guttural growls and grunts I expect from a wolf. Reece''s voice was nearly unrecognizable under it all but I knew it was him.


    There seemed to be an explosion then. Reece''s body changed. He was no longer a giant wolf that was standing on all fours. No, now he was a wolf man that was standing on just two legs. He was the exact image of a werewolf I had seen in a book.


    Only this werewolf wasn''t wearing the scraps of clothing that one would expect them to be wearing. Nope, Reece was standing there naked with very human looking bits dangling from the front of his body.


    Reece was a very, um, well endowed man. Artem had been the only naked man that I had seen before now. It was not something that I was prepared to see and frankly it was a little shocking.


    The Alpha King''s nudity was not the point right now. It couldn''t be further from what was most important. The major thing right now was the fact that the Alpha King was standing in front of us as a true lycanthrope. I didn''t know that we were capable of that.


    "W-what are you?" The lead heckler had paled the moment he had seen Reece in his new,rger form.


    "I am your King." Reece growled, the wordsing out more normal this time. "I am her husband." He pointed at Trinity where she floated above us all. "And she is the Luna Queen. You will listen to her and treat her with respect or we will have to stop being so nice."


    "That is enough, Reece, I will handle this for now."


    ''No, this is my pack, and I will handle it from here.'' Artem''s voice rang loud and clear before he shifted as well.


    Apparently this was the night of the hot naked men. Because when Artem became a man again he was standing there naked. Thankfully though, Artem seemed to havee prepared. There was a pile of clothes sitting near the stone tform. He grabbed a pair of shorts from the pile and slipped them on.


    Once he was semi dressed Artem stepped back up onto the tform. With a firm re he looked out at all of the people gathered.


    "As you can see, these people here are not your ordinary wolves. They are indeed the Alpha King and Luna Queen. Their power is beyond anything you could ever imagine. If you try to defy them you will be punished severely. I am not exactly certain why none of us haven''t just killed you all with the way you''ve behaved. Let me just settle this all right now."


    I watched as Artem slowly looked around the gathered crowd of people. He looked at each person individually for just a split second before he continued to speak.


    "There are only two options left for you. Comply with the new regime and ept me as your Alpha or leave. You will ept the new rules and formation of the pack. You will treat all fellow pack members with dignity and respect. You will not look down on anyone due to strength. This will be a peaceful pack that the Moon Goddess could one day be proud of again. Perhaps if we show that we are not as closed minded as we have been we will once again earn her favor."


    "What do you mean by that? What would the Goddess grant us if we earned her favor?" A young man around my age spoke up.


    "Perhaps everyone will find their true mate. I know that those who don''t live by the old ways have found their true loves, myself included."


    "Really? We can finally be mated?"


    That caused a stir to run through the crowd. Artem was winning them over. This was good. But I was still feeling that murderous rage from someone out there. Who was it though?

 Chapter 141 - Star - The Pack Meeting Part 6

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The young woman who spoke had caused everyone who was nay saying to stop and think. They were starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, everything we were saying was true. Or at least, they were starting to hope it was.


    I noticed that a lot of the flowers surrounding the crowd had changed from yellow to other colors. Some were white which spoke of happiness and joy to me. Something that was calm and filled with serenity. Others turned green, they were happy as well but they had more excitement mixed in with it. Others only shifted from yellow to orange. They were still weary but they were warming to the idea.


    From what I could tell there were barely any yellow flowers left. This was going to be much better than I thought if the emotions of the others were going to be that easy to change.


    However, there were still those with the ck flowers. None of them had changed at all. They were still murderously angry. I didn''t know what to do about all of them.


    "Yes, Delphi, the Goddess could help you all find your true mates. That is what we all hope to find in life. Everyone up here with me aside from two guards has a true mate. The mate bonds will run true with the Goddess''s favor." I could hear how happy Artem was with everything. Even facing down this crowd he was happy to have found me, and I was happy to have found him.


    I could see the awe and the hope spreading across most of the faces that I was looking at. There were still just that handful of people who didn''t want to ept what was going on.


    "Don''t listen to them!" Nico and Kent''s father was the first one to deny what Artem was saying. "They are lying. No one ever finds a true mate anymore, it''s a myth."


    "It is not a myth. It is real." I yelled at him. "I know because like those boys I had to be rescued. And after I was saved I found my mate. I found the one and only man on this that would ever make me happy."


    Again, a ripple seemed to spread through the crowd. It was like my words were powerful enough to change thempletely. Was this the power of love or the power of a Luna?


    When I looked at the crowd though, I saw that all but the ck flowers had changed to pink. Did I do that? Did I change those flowers to represent love? That would be quite impressive if it had been me.


    All of those with the pink flowers looked like they were daydreaming about love. They all seemed a lot calmer and easier to handle. Many of them even looked like they were lulled into a stupor or even sleeping while standing.


    I could tell that the others around me were wondering what was going on. It was like they still couldn''t see the flowers. Were they really a power that was all mine? Could no one but me see this? Was I crazy?


    "Reece, what is going on here?" Artem asked for help from the only person he could think to ask, the Alpha King. Who would be better qualified, aside from the Queen?


    "I don''t have a clue." Oh well, I guess this wasn''t something they had ever seen before.


    "Artem, do you see the flowers?" I put my hand on his shoulder as I leaned into him. "Do you see the flowers that are all around us?"


    "What flowers??"


    He was starting to indicate that he couldn''t see them but he froze when I was finally touching him. His eyes went wide and that was when I could tell that he really could see the flowers all around us. So, he needed to touch me to see them. That was quite interesting. That definitely meant that the flowers came from me, right?


    "Star? Where did they alle from?" He was at a loss. "Did you make these appear?"


    "I think so. I think it might be the Fae powers from my father. I will have to ask Acaciater."


    "What do they do?"


    "Well, they''ve been telling me what everyone''s emotions are. When they shifted from scared to happy and things like that. But there are some that are worrying me."


    "Which ones? All I see is pink."


    "Don''t you see the few people with ck flowers?" I was looking right at Jeremy, Kent''s father. He was the man that apparently helped to make Nico a ve for so long.


    "Yeah, now that you mention them, I do see them. What do they mean? What are they feeling?" Artem was not as worried as I was. I guess he would change his mind when I told him the meaning of those flowers.


    "Murderous rage. That is what I am getting from those people. It is like they are so scared and angry they could and possibly would kill someone. We need to be careful."


    "What are the pink flowers?" I knew he would be curious about that.


    "Love, infatuation, romance. It seems they''re all in a daze thinking about future love prospects."


    "Did you do that, Star? Did you change what they felt?" Artem''s cute grin and raised eyebrow told me he was proud of me no matter what.


    "Yes, I think I did. They changed when I was talking about you. They felt what I was feeling."


    "Can you change the other ones?"


    "I can try, I don''t know how to do it yet."


    While we were having our private conversation it seemed that the men and women with ck flowers were growing impatient.


    "Stop talking among yourselves. Are you going to leave here or not? None of us want a new Alpha to change things. None of us want to change the way we''ve lived so far." Jeremy was the man who seemed to be talking for all of them.


    "Silence." Trinity''s voice rang down from above and Jeremy''s mouth snapped shut.


    It looked as if Jeremy was trying to speak, his mouth was moving and his face was straining with the effort but he couldn''t make a sound. The man''s face was turning red as he held onto his throat. The scent of fear and anger that wasing from his flower was getting worse and worse.


    "What did she do to him?"


    "What happened?"


    "That is freaky."


    The hecklers were beginning to be more scared than angry right now. Of the seven of them that could still talk, four of them had the color shift in their flowers from ck to yellow. That was definitely an improvement.


    "He will not be able to speak again until I give him permission." Trinity addressed those that were curious about what was happening. "Like I said, I am your Luna Queen. I am the one in charge of all shifters. You cannot disobey me if I give you a direct order. You would be wise to ept this now."


    The fear was still there but there was an eptance in the color that the flowers had now. All of those aside from Nico and Kent''s father were calming down. The color of their flowers were now bright yellow. They were still a little afraid but they were no threat to us now.


    While I thought about how these people were no longer going to be able to harm someone I saw that Jeremy had reached his breaking point. He leapt toward the stage, toward the children. He was already shifting into hisrge gray wolf.


    Reece, Artem, Kent, even Trinity, they were all getting ready to stop the man from hurting anyone. I wanted to help too. I wanted to stop him as well. I needed to do this.


    While I thought about stopping him I tried to imagine a way that would make him less angry. He needed to be calm and serene. But how?


    Well, calm and serene were emotions as well. Could I manipte his feelings and calm him down? Could I make him feel what I wanted him to? Well, now was the time to find out.


    I sent my thoughts toward the flowers. I imagined what calm and serene looked like. I imagined what the older man would look like if he were to instantly be calm. I thought of him being so calm he could just fall right to sleep.


    The flowers that seemed to be following the man through the air turned into a dark blue. Something that signified the night sky. It was calming to me and something that made me feel rxed. It wasn''t like the blue of sadness at all.


    As soon as the flower changed colors the man fell instantly into a deep sleep. Reece had been the first one to get to the man. Now that the attacker was asleep, all Reece could do was catch him and grab him out of the air.


    "What the hell?" Reece''s voice was definitely a lot more clear in his lycanthrope form.


    "He''s asleep." I told him. "I put him to sleep, like the others."


    "You did?" Trinity looked at me with curious eyes when she leapt from her wind tform.


    "Yes, I did."


    There were a lot of curious looks and some promises to talk about itter. For now, though, we needed to focus on the meeting. It was up to me to wake everyone up. When they were no longer in their stupor they had all be a lot more receptive to the idea of having a new Alpha and a new way of life. They saw first hand that there were wolves that had been granted special powers and were eager to get theirs. No need to tell them just yet that those were special to specific people.


    The meeting finally concluded after that. It felt like it hadsted forever. The pack members were allowed to go on their way, aside from a couple of them. Nico and Kent''s mother was being banished. She was not going to be executed but she needed to leave the pack to allow those she had hurt to heal. Jeremy was being taken to the dungeons. It was clear he was never going to ept the new way of life. He, however, was going to be executed. I tried not to think about that too much.


    There had been a warning given. They would need toply or they would meet simr fates as Nico and Kent''s parents.

 Chapter 142 - Star - Morning After The Pack Meeting (MATURE)

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    After the pack meeting we were all pretty tired. We went back to the pack house and copsed into our respective beds. Artem was too tired to ask me a single question. He just stripped me of my clothes and cuddled up close to me so that he could hold me in his arms while we slept.


    I loved the way it felt to be in his arms. It always felt so safe and secure. Those strong muscles of his and the warm heat that spread from him to me.


    I noticed quite often that he was warmer than me. I wonder if that was because I was only half a wolf? It seemed likely to me.


    When we woke up the next morning Artem carried me from the bed into the shower. He wouldn''t set me down until he had to open the shower door, at which point he set me on the counter near the shower.


    Once the water was hot he picked me back up and carried me into the shower. I had to wrap my legs around his waist to keep myself from sliding once the water was hitting us.


    "Mmmm!" I heard him moan when I was wrapped around him and I instantly felt him harden beneath me.


    "Someone is definitely a little happy this morning." I joked with him as my body slid a little lower.


    "Yeah, and if you keep that up you will be just as happy as I am." There was a heat to his voice that spoke of desire and need.


    "Promise?" I asked him as I wiggled a little from side to side.


    "If you don''t want me to lose my self control then you should stop that, Star. I won''t be able to stop myself if you keep that up."


    "Who said you needed to stop yourself?" I chuckled slightly as I leaned forward to kiss his ear. "I say it''s been a busy few days. Don''t you need to unwind a little?"


    "Star, are you sure?" He seemed so surprised to hear what I was saying. "This isn''t like you."


    "Well, I might need to unwind a little too."


    "Really?"


    I felt him wrap his arm around me then, holding me tight. It was like there was a flip switched inside of Artem and he was ready to go. The moment he knew that I wanted him he was excitedly pressing his lips against mine.


    I felt him press me against the tiled wall of the shower. I cried out in surprise when my back made contact with the cold wall, but Artem just swallowed my gasp with another hungry kiss.


    His tongue was like magic as it explored my mouth. Everywhere it touched seemed to burn as if licked by fire. His passion was burning deep inside of him and me.


    I felt Artem''s hands as he touched me everywhere. His fingers yed across my breasts and tickled down my sides. One of his hands slipped between our bodies and buried itself between my thighs.


    With just a few flicks of his fingers Artem had himself positioned at my most sensitive of areas. He was already driving me nuts. His thumb was rubbing little circles around that bundle of nerves, he already had me panting and calling for him. But he wasn''t giving in just yet.


    For some reason, Artem was lowering himself to the ground. He was moving away from me, sliding down until he was on his knees. I could barely stand up as it was though, I needed to make sure that I didn''t lose my bnce.


    To brace myself I buried my hands in Artem''s thick hair. It was wet but still felt wonderful to hold. And the moment he set his tongue against me I pulled hard on the hairs while I screamed.


    This wasn''t the first time he had done this to me, but it was only the second. I was not used to this kind of thing, especially in the shower. The more that he licked andpped at my center, the harder it became for me to stand.


    My entire body was shaking uncontrobly as I moaned non stop. Artem was supporting me with my grip in his hair. To make things easier on him he lifted my right leg and hooked it over his shoulder.


    This had seemed to give Artem better ess to me. That was obviously something that he liked because he proceeded to lift my left leg and hook it over his other shoulder.


    Now that I was opened even more for him Artem buried his face in my center and started to devour me. He growled with satisfaction while he licked me into oblivion.


    I was panting. I was moaning. I was screaming his name. There was no room in my mind for any thinking at all. I could only feel the pleasure he was giving me.


    I could feel myself reaching my limit. I could feel that my body wouldn''t be able to take anymore of this.


    "Artem?!" I screamed his name onest time before it felt like I exploded, my hands still in his hair and pulling hard. He didn''t move though, he stayed to lick up thest of the juices from me.


    After setting my feet down so that I could stand, unsteadily, on the floor of the shower, Artem rose before me. The water washed over him as he stood but he ignored it. Once he was standing he wrapped hisrge hands around my small waist and picked me up again. This time he lifted me high enough to set the tip of his poised erection against my opening.


    "Star?" Artem whispered my name as if it were a question.


    "Artem." I said his name in response. "I want you." That seemed to be all that he was waiting for. The moment he had the permission he sought, Artem slipped inside of me.


    He wasrge, veryrge. The moment he entered me he stretched my body and filled mepletely.


    "Ahh. Ngh!" I moaned repeatedly as he slid slowly inside of me. Inch by inch he slid into me with a slow ease that drove us both crazy.


    It took what felt like forever but finally Artem was fully inside of me. I felt him hit the furthest point he could and it felt amazing. I threw my head back on a moan when I felt him reach those depths.


    He didn''t wait long to start pulling back. It wasn''t as slow but he didn''t rush it either. When he left just the tip of his erection buried inside of me he moved forward again.


    This time, Artem found the path easier and less resistant. He made it to my depths quicker and smoother thanst time. I moaned again when I felt him hit the deepest part of me.


    This time when Artem pulled back he went faster. When he was nearly out he stopped and mmed back in. The invasion this time was fast, hard, and mind blowing. It felt like I had just died and gone to heaven.


    That was the end of him taking it slow. My body had been fully prepared and he was able to slide in easily so he was taking full advantage. With fast, hard thrusts he entered me repeatedly.


    My moans and pants of pleasure mingled with thoseing from Artem. In the midst of voicing our pleasures he would kiss me and make my mind go even more nk than it already was.


    By the time that I felt myself reaching my limits again it was like I had no mind left. I was just a vessel for feeling the pleasure that Artem had to offer me.


    I came again, screaming his name once more.


    "ARTEMIS!" The growl he answered me with as he exploded inside of me made my heart clench.


    "I love you Astraia."


    I was unable to stand for several minutes following our little unwinding session so Artem took the responsibility to wash me. He gently washed my body, my hair, between my thighs. He didn''t miss a single spot. Once we were both washed and rinsed Artem turned off the shower and carried me to the counter again.


    Once I was seated again Artem took a towel and dried me off. He dried my hair and my body then wrapped my body in a towel. Once he was dried and wrapped he carried me again, this time to the bedroom.


    "Do you just like carrying me?" I asked him as he sat me down next to my closet.


    "Baby, I would carry you for the rest of your life if you''d let me. I never want you apart from me." He knew how to make my heart melt didn''t he? What was I going to do with him? I don''t know, but I hope I didn''t ever have to be too far away from him either. I love him so much.

 Chapter 143 - Artem - Alpha Lessons With The King

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    My morning was very exciting and stimting. I was more than happy with the way that it started. I already loved Star, but it felt like my love only grew even bigger for her this morning.


    I think that Reece and the others could tell what was making me so happy. The way they looked at me was just all too telling. Was I smiling too much? Was I giving it away? Oh well, I didn''t care. I was happy and that was all that mattered.


    The pack meeting had finishedtest night and it was clear that things were going to be difficult for a while. I hadid out some punishments to people who deserved them, but for the most part the pack was getting a second chance.


    The thing about the second chance though, was it was only under the condition that they live a more moral life. I would not have a pack that was filled with abuse and corruption. It was time for us to live like the King and Queen''s pack.


    And it was because I wanted that so bad that I was currently getting lessons from Reece. I was being taught by him personally on how to behave like an Alpha. Unfortunately for the others, they were the guinea pigs for my lessons.


    Kent, Toby, Morgan, Bailey, and Reed were in therge meeting room that I was practicing how to order people around. I could form amand no problem, but making it stick was my issue. I couldn''t make myself hold someone to my will.


    "You need to put your intent and emotions into the words. If you don''t put the intent into them then they won''t be a propermand. All members of your pack must follow the intent of its leader. That is a basic fact."


    Reece was exining everything he could in an easy to understand way.


    "Now, Artem, make Kent do something. It can be anything but you need to form it as amand." This felt wrong to me. I didn''t like making my best friend do stunts like this but he had volunteered for this work. He said he would take on any job we gave him now that Nico was back. He was all too happy toply. "And Kent, make sure you try your best to resist his order."


    "Got it." Kent nodded his head and grinned. "What do you got for me Artem?"


    I thought for a second, trying to think of something that I should make him do. It would be funny if I could do something embarrassing but he might not be happy with itter. Still, he could just say it wasn''t him so why should he be worried.


    "Alright, I have something." I thought about what it was that I wanted to make my friend do. "Kent, dance like a sugar plum fairy on top of that table. Now." I put the ring of themand into it and Kent instantly started to move.


    I saw him falter a little as he moved. He would stop and start as he walked toward the chair nearest to him. Still, with all the stopping and starting he still got to the top of the table and started dancing like he was a ballerina.


    Everyone in the room, including the Alpha King, started tough. Apparently they liked my choice ofmand for Kent. We justughed and watched as he did a pirouette and then a jumping leap from one end of the table to the other.


    After several minutes filled with gales ofughter I thought I should let him be done.


    "Enough." I sent themand at him and he stopped instantly, consequently he had stopped in the middle of another spin and that made him drop to the table in a heap.


    "Please don''t make me dance again." He pleaded with me. "You know I always make a fool of myself."


    "I don''t know Kent, I think you did rather good if I say so myself." Morgan was stillughing hard as he spoke so it took a while for him to get those words out.


    "Shut up dick face." Kent snapped at him.


    Theughter started all over again, everyone including Kent wasughing this time. It was nice to see that we were all in better spirits than we have beentely.


    "That was a good disy." Reece pped me on the shoulder as he praised my work.


    I still found it odd that the Alpha King was only three years older than me. He seemed like he had been through so much already and he had just turned twenty six.


    Still, he was someone to look up to. Even before bing the Alpha King, Reece had been running his pack since he was eighteen. He took over when his father died and had grown both the pack and his business empire. He was more like a God than a King if you asked me.


    Being that we were both Alphas though, I wanted to ask him something aboutst night.


    "Reece?" I started cautiously.


    "Yeah Artem?" He had started treating me much more like a friendtely.


    "Last night you turned into a lycan, didn''t you?" I remember what he had looked like and it was amazing. He was more like a man in that form. He was like a movie version of a werewolf that you would see in Hollywood.


    "Yes, that was one of my other forms."


    "One of them?" Reed apparently couldn''t stay silent when he heard that.


    "Yes, one of them. Aside from my human self I have four forms that I can shift into at will."


    "Really? What are they?" Alright, now Morgan was getting way too excited. At least all the others were just staring at him excitedly as well as expectantly.


    Reece didn''t seem bothered by their responses though. He justughed and smiled at us all.


    "Well, of course you know my wolf. Therge ck one with the ruby red eyes. Then I can turn into lycan form. Those you have already seen. Aside from those I have another wolf form but it is covered in mes. That is my affinity, or so I have been told."


    "You have a wolf covered in mes?" Bailey was shocked into asking his question.


    "Yes, Trinity has a form that is covered in ice and I have one that is covered in mes."


    "What is thest form?" Well, everyone else seemed to be talking, aside from Toby, so I thought I would ask a question as well.


    "Myst form has nothing at all to do with wolves, and I ampletely convinced ites from the fact that I am also the Warlock King. I am married to their Queen after all." He chuckled as he said that.


    "I am guessing that it has a fire affinity though, right?" There is Toby with his question.


    "Yes, myst form is that of a phoenix."


    "The me covered bird?" I gasped when I heard his final form.


    "That is right. I can turn into the four different forms. But that is nothingpared to Trinity." He shook his head. "She can literally turn into any animal. She is amazing."


    "Is it possible for me to turn into a lycan?" That was what I wanted to ask him this whole time.


    "I don''t know. It just happened for me one day when I was fighting with two enemies. I am supposedly the first Lycan in a very, very long time. So I wouldn''t hold my breath about it at all."


    "That sucks." My response made the whole roomugh. At least we were still having fun.


    We continued our lessons through the afternoon and up until dinner. By that time I felt like I would be a better Alpha, especially after Reece''s Beta sent me the copies of his books.


    I was d to have had this time with them since they were leavingter tonight. We would be having a banquet for them that was basically just a party with all of us here thanking them. Still, I was really d that they hade here and helped us. Without them the boys would still be lost, my pack would still be in ruin, and Nico would still be feral. They had helped us so much that I would never be able to repay them.


    I would try though. I would do my best to make sure that I lived a life that would make the Goddess as well as the Alpha King and Luna Queen proud of me. I would make sure that my pack followed that way of life as well. I would protect the children that had been harmed and I would grow my family with Star when the time was right. I would make sure that everything turned out alright for everyone here. I had to.

 Chapter 144 - Star - Farewell To New Friends

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Thest few days had been very busy and very hectic, but it had also been very fruitful. I would be forever grateful to have been visited by the Alpha King and Luna Queen. They were not just visitors that hade to see us, they had be our friends.


    Now, as it turned out, our friends and visitors were leaving tonight. They needed to get back home before Reece missed out on any more important meetings. Theyapparently had a private ne ready so they wouldn''t need to worry about schedules and all the interfering passengers. That must be something, to have a private ne to take you anywhere you would want to go. Hell, I had never been on a ne before. I hadn''t even seen one in person before.


    We were preparing a farewell and thank you party for everyone. It was the least that we could do. They had done so much for us. Though, I know that I was going to miss them when they were gone. Maybe we would go and see them in Colorado some day. That would be pretty interesting in my opinion. I could see where it was that my parents met and maybe get to know the people who knew my mother. There might even be some people there that could tell me something really important.


    I was with E and Chay in the kitchen cooking. We had strictly forbidden Trinity, Juniper, Acacia, and the others from helping us. This was a special meal we were making for them, they definitely couldn''t help to make their own banquet dinner.


    I had gotten much better at cooking since that date with Artem but I was still nervous when I did too much. That is why I was d that I had help. Chay was not the greatest at cooking but she knew more than me. E was a whiz at all things to do in the kitchen. Not to mention we had the chef that Artem hired with us as well. He was very used to cooking for a lot of people and was being quite patient with us all.


    It took a lot longer than it probably should have but we finally managed it all. After the food was ready we went in search of everyone else. We found a few of them with Artem and Reece. Trinity, Juniper, and her small entourage of guards and attendants had been in the library with all of the kids. Once they had all finished what they were doing and cleaned up they rushed to therge dining room that we used for almost every meal.


    The dining room had been decorated with balloons and banners that said ''THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOU HELP''. The triplets were the ones who made the banner and decorated the room for us. Not to mention that they brought along a really big, beautiful, and delicious cake. Now we were going to be able to have a proper send off for all of our new friends.


    Earlier we had made a vast variety of food. There was fried chicken with potatoes and gravy but there was also pasta with red sauce. We had made small cuts of grilled steak that we could top with onions, mushrooms, or shrimp,not to mention we had also made delicious homemade pizzas. We made a little bit of what everyone liked.


    There had been so much food that I had thought we would never be able to eat it all, but as we all started to fill our tes time and time again it slowly disappeared. That was good. I''m d people liked the food that I had helped to make.


    I saw Kent talking with Nico and Uncle Griffin. I think that Kent was still very worried about his brother and just wanted to make sure that he was going fine now that he was awake. Kent had always seemed so stoic when I talked to him. Now I could see how much love and happiness he had buried deep inside of him.


    All of the children, the original group and the new ones we had taken in recently, were running around and ying. I saw that Flint and Julian, the oldest among them, were acting like caring older brothers as they tried to wrangle the horde of boys. Still, I couldn''t stop smiling when I saw the children and how happy and healthy they had be. I couldn''t wait to see who they would be as they got older and grew up.


    I noticed that Doc and Leelin were talking in a corner. I know that Doc was beyond happy to have finally met his mate. He and Leelin had spent a lot of time together over thest few days. They had a lot to discuss because apparently Leelin, a witch, had an adopted daughter, Hannah. Hannah was a mermaid.


    Juniper and Chay had also been talking for a while. They seemed to have bonded over being the best friend of their pack Luna. It was kind of funny how easily they got along in such a short amount of time. It was nice though. I thought it would be a good idea to have these strong bonds linking us to the royal pack.


    Artem was spending a lot of time talking to Reece. He had been getting lessons on how to be a proper Alpha. He had been learning how to manage meetings, organize ranks, delegate roles. It was all going to help us continue rebuilding our pack from the ground up. It was going to take us a long time and we knew that, but it was something that we were all willing to dedicate ourselves to. I know that I personally wanted to see our pack,our people, flourish.


    It was a wonderful party. I was having a good time talking and spending time with everyone. I truly wanted to be happy and celebrate with the people who had given us so much help, but the problem was that I had been feeling sick. I had actually felt sick pretty much all day. I think it was just from using my magic for the first time yesterday.


    I was still nibbling at my first te of food and it was still mostly full. Trinity must have noticed that I was looking a little off so came to talk to me.


    "Are you feeling alright Star?" She sounded worried. Her tone seemed to grab the attention of Artem and Reece who had been standing right next to us.


    "I''m sure it''s nothing. I''m probably just a little tired." I grinned and tried to make it sound like it was just nothing.


    "What''s the matter? What''s going on Star?" Artem sounded nervous and worried when he heard us.


    "I''ve just felt off today, that''s all. I think it was because I used so much of my magic for the first timest night." I had told them all about the magic that I used during the meeting while we were all walking slowly home from the clearing. They had all found it very fascinating, especially Acacia. She was now even more eager to have me go and meet the Fae Queen now.


    "Off how?" Trinity asked me with a raised eyebrow.


    "Just a little sick. Like I said, I am probably just really tired out from using magic, it was the first time and I didn''t really know what I was doing. It took a lot out of me at the time too."


    "Uh huh." Reece was grinning at me. "I''m not so sure about that."


    "What? Do you think she''s really sick? Is something wrong with her?" Artem was still very concerned.


    "I don''t think she''s sick at all. I think all of this has a more logical answer than that." Reece was still being cryptic. "Artem, does Star smell any different to you?"


    "Huh? I don''t know what you''re talking about. She just smells like flowers, the same as always." Artem didn''t seem to understand what they were saying either.


    "Anything different at all. An added flower or a stronger scent?" I don''t know what Reece was trying to get at? Why would I smell different?


    Artem was looking at both Trinity and Reece with confusion then he would look at me with equal confusion. I watched as he took a deep breath, something that was sure to pull my scent to him.


    "Hmm, there''s the samevender as usual. It smells like it''s in the wind at midnight. That''s all the same." He took another breath and his eyes opened wide. "Wait, there is more. I smell roses. You don''t usually smell like roses." Artem was grinning and so were the other two.


    "What''s going on?" I asked them as I looked at their eager and excited faces.


    "Congrattions." Trinity and Reece said together.


    "For what?" I could hear the panic filling my voice. I couldn''t help it. All of this was just a little too much for me to handle right now.

 Chapter 145 - Star - Surprise

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I still didn''t truly understand what was going on. I was missing something that they clearly understood.


    "What is going on? What are you all talking about? What would make my scent change?"


    While I asked them these questions they just continued to stare at me. Trinity and Reece just looked happy but Artem looked like he was about to explode. There was so much joy and excitementing from him that it was like he was going to start bouncing off the walls at any moment now.


    I was still confused when the rest of the room seemed to catch onto what was happening. The party that was happening around us was slowly starting to go quiet. I could feel the eyes of all the people surrounding us. There were nearly three dozen pairs of eyes on me and they all seemed to understand something that I didn''t. Well, I think the only ones who were still just as confused as I was were the children.


    "Oh my Goddess, congrats." E ran up to me and hugged me tight. "This is so exciting."


    "I can''t believe it." Bailey looked close to tears but he hugged me as well.


    "This is sudden." Reed squeezed me before he turned to hug Artem as well.


    Those were just the beginning of the words that I had gotten from the others. It was so much so soon that I was scared now. I didn''t know what they were congratting me about.


    When thest person, Grandpa, had finished hugging me and Artem the room went quiet again. I was just looking around the room at all of them while they watched me with smiles on their faces.


    I pulled on Artem''s sleeve, rose up onto my tiptoes, and leaned toward his ear so that I could whisper directly to him.


    "Artem, I am still confused. What is going on here? Why are they congratting us?"


    Artem turned to look at me with a big grin on his face. Without saying a word he scooped me up into his arms and spun me in a circle while hugging me tightly against his chest.


    "I love you so much Star. I hope you know how much I love you." He was still acting so weird.


    "Artem? What is all of this? Trinity, can you exin this all to me?" I turned to look at my new friend and saw that she was trying not tough.


    "All men are the same aren''t they. They find out that their mate is pregnant and go stupid." Her words made no sense to me.


    "Hey, I''m not stupid." Reece countered pathetically.


    "Who''s pregnant? I mean I know that three of you are but we already knew that." I guess what she was trying to say just went right over my head.


    "You are." Trinityughed. "Star, you''re pregnant. I am assuming it happened sometime this morning."


    Listening to what she just said made me remember and think about what had happened when we woke up this morning. I had teased Artem until we ended up having sex in the shower. I couldn''t believe that Trinity knew I had sex today.


    "Wait, would we be able to tell if we just, you know, this morning." I was mortified but still asked the question.


    "Yes, a shifter can smell it on his mate in as little as a couple hours after conception." Reece sounded like he was giving a schstic type of answer. It was official and full of knowledge. But that didn''t make it any easier for me to ept it. This was beyond crazy.


    The room was spinning. My ears were ringing. My heart was racing. The world was shaking. Nothing felt like it was running right anymore.


    I can''t be pregnant. I don''t know how to be a mom. I barely know how to be a person. How can I be expected to take care of someone else when I can barely take care of myself?


    I mean, I wanted to be a mom, someday in the future. I wanted to have a family with Artem and to get married. I had thought that we would start out by adopting the boys who were living in the pack house with us. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be having a baby just after I turned eighteen.


    Still, I wasn''t that upset by it. I was more scared than anything else really. I was even a little bit happy to hear the news. I mean, it was a baby. It was going to be someone that was my own flesh and blood. It was going to be the start of my own family. That was a wonderful thought though, wasn''t it?


    Following my nearly heart stopping revtion the party got back into full swing, or that was how Uncle Griffin described it. Everyone was celebrating more, cheering more,ughing more. It was just a more lively party altogether. And I think it was because everyone was excited by the news.


    I talked with Juniper, Trinity, and Acacia for a while after I found out that I was pregnant. They had all found out about their babies at varying times. Acacia first and she was having triplets, three at once would definitely be hard. Trinity was the next to find out followed by Juniper a couple weekster. They were both having twins.


    Juniper was newly pregnant though. She was less than a month into it. Trinity was just over a month along. And Acacia was closer to two months. They couldn''t tell me about the end of how a pregnancy would go but they could tell me how the beginning of theirs had been so far.


    While I was thinking about all of this, about the baby and family it made me think about how I knew nothing about my father and very little about my mother. I could never meet my mother but I could meet my father.


    I went to Acacia to talk to her privately for a few moments.


    "What''s wrong?" She asked me as soon as we were out of earshot of everyone else.


    "Acacia, will you take me to meet my father?" I knew this was probably something that was going to surprise her.


    "Yeah, no problem." Huh? That was not what I expected. OK, maybe I am the one who will be surprised here.


    "You don''t mind? Really?" I didn''t want to misunderstand her answer at all.


    "Of course I wouldn''t mind. I have been telling you that you should visit the Faepound, specifically the Fae Queen. You will need to introduce yourself to her anyway. While we are there we can look for your father. I will definitely do what I can to help you Star, we''re family after all."


    I smiled when I heard that. I had almost forgotten that Acacia was my father''s cousin. Having someone here to help me search for him would make things easier of course, but having that person be Acacia was an added bonus. I was d that we could spend some more time together soon.


    We saw Trinity and the others off shortly after that. They had theirrge ck SUVs that they drove here in but for some reason they asked if Toby and Morgan could drive them to the airport.


    When the guys returned they still had those big SUVs. Apparently Reece had gifted them to us since there were so many people at our ce. He said we needed something that could carry arger group of people, even if it didn''t transport us all.


    They had only been here for a few days but it was a great visit. While they were here we had saved all of the children that were inas. Reconnected Nico and all the other boys to their wolves so that they could shift into their wolves, even though most of them were not yet old enough to shift.


    We had also gotten control of the pack back. The people who were opposing Artem had stopped speaking against him when it became clear that Trinity and Reece truly were the Luna Queen and Alpha King. With the backing of the King and Queen they would be stupid to no support Artem.


    Nico and Kent''s mother had been banished and their father had been executed. Thankfully I didn''t have to see any part of it this time. It had definitely been a busy few days. I don''t think I had experienced so much in such a short period of time before. Well, aside from the night that I was kidnapped by Uncle Howard.


    That time had been horrible and I never wanted to think about it. This time, this visit from our new friends, it had been a pleasant experience. I would definitely want to remember thesest few days. Perhaps if I paid attention to the lessons I learned here I could be a better Luna.

 Chapter 146 - Artem - What To Do Next

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Following the departure of Trinity and Reece, and not to mention their entire entourage, we had a lot of stuff that we needed to start thinking about. We had to discuss what was going to happen with all the children. We needed to n for the baby that wasing. There were a lot of mated couples and I imagined we needed to n quite a few weddings. Not to mention we needed to go and visit the Fae Queen.


    Yeah, I was definitely nervous about all of it. I would survive though. I had learned a lot from Reece while he had been here. Not to mention that he was going to be sending me copies of all the Alpha books he had to read when he was a child.


    We had done a thorough search of the library as well as the stuff that I had removed from the previous Alpha''s office. There were absolutely no books of use on those subjects here. Either the Alpha that had decided to embrace the Edmond way had removed them all so that no one could question him on what he was doing, or better yet, Edmond probably removed them slowly and over time while he gradually changed the mindset of almost every member of our pack.


    There were some things that I knew I needed to do and soon. There were also some things that I just wanted to do, and those seemed to be even more urgent and important in my opinion.


    I wanted to propose to Star, but I wasn''t going to rush that. I wanted to n the best night ever and make it as special as I possibly could. I wanted her to feel special, like a Goddess. Because, to me, that''s what she was. She was the North Star of my life that guided me toward my true destiny as a man.


    Every bit of my future was entwined with Star''s. Wherever she went I would follow. Whatever she wanted I would strive to provide. These were just things that I have always felt when I was with her. And now I know for a fact that it is because I have wanted to be her husband and to have her be my wife. I wanted to be able to start a family with her and provide love to those who needed it.


    There was a lot that I had in mind but I needed to talk it over with Star first. Alpha or not, isn''t that what a good partner would do for his woman? Not to mention that it would all be directly affecting her as well, so she needed to know and approve it for me.


    When I found Star she was watching something on TV that I hadn''t seen before. It looked like a drama of some sort but I couldn''t figure it out just yet. She saw that I was wanting to talk though so she shut it off.


    "Hey, what''s up?" She smiled at me as I sat next to her.


    "I wanted to talk to you about something." My heart was racing but mostly because I was with her. She just did that to me everytime.


    "Yeah? What about?" There was a look on her face that made me think that she was trying not tough at me.


    "All the boys that are here. I wanted to talk about what we are going to do about them all." Her eyes darkened somewhat, like she didn''t like the way this was heading. What was this about?


    "What about them? Are you nning on shipping them out somewhere? Sending them back to their families? Or to strangers that they don''t even know?" She was huffing angrily by the time she was done.


    I had never heard Star sound or look so angry before. She was ring at me so intensely that I was actually starting to feel a little ufortable. Why did she think I wanted to get rid of the kids? Why was she so angry with me right now?


    "No, absolutely not. I wanted them to stay here. I would never send them back to their families. That would just be cruel. And sending them to live with strangers they don''t know would be just as cruel. I don''t want to cause them pain in any way. I want them to be happy, safe, and healthy for the rest of their lives." I was panting when I was done exining myself. When I thought of all of those kids all I wanted to do was protect them. I wanted to hurt anyone who hurt them. No kid should have to worry about whether they are safe at home or not and every single one of these kids had never felt safe until they were here.


    I saw that Star''s eyes were lightening. Her anger was lessening, that was a relief. And finally, as her eye color finally returned to normal she smiled at me.


    "That''s good. I would have fought you over this if you tried to send them away. They''re not going anywhere. They''re staying here with us until they want to leave, and that''s that." Despite the smile she was still speaking in a firm tone.


    "Really? You just want them to stay here? That''s it? Nothing else at all? I would have thought with how passionate you are about this you would have something else in mind." I was trying not tough right now. She seemed to be thinking the same thing that I was but we both started this conversation unsure of what the other person truly felt.


    "No, there is more. I don''t know how you feel about it but I want to adopt them. I know that it would be hard for us to get it done but if they''re going to live with us anyway then that is what I want. I want us to be their family for the rest of their lives. I want them to know they cane to us for anything no matter what it is." She had such a big heart that was filled with so much love to give.


    My heart felt like it was singing. She was truly thinking the same thing that I was. I loved her so much, we were in sync even without us trying to be. I couldn''t have asked for a better partner in life.


    "I was thinking the same thing, Star. I want them to be with us forever. I want them to know that we are there for them no matter what. I want to give them everything they could ever want or need. We will see to it that they grow up happy and healthy." I exined to her what I had envisioned for the future.


    "Even the older boys? Like Julian? You are only seven years older than him, you know. And I am only two years older than him." She had a point. Julian might be against the idea.


    "I was nning on adopting him as well, but I will let him choose. I will let them all decide. I will not force it on any of them. If it is not what they want then it won''t happen. They are allowed to have a say in what happens to them. I think they deserve that much." I saw her smile at my answer.


    "I think that is an amazing idea. I want them to be happy with their lives. If we force something on them then they might be upset. That wouldn''t be good for them at all." She looked like she waspletely on board with what I was nning.


    "Precisely. I am so d that we are in agreement with this." I smiled at her, my heart so full of love.


    We had decided on a n of action. All we needed to do now was talk it over with all of the kids. I was certain none of them wanted to leave here but would they want to be family with us? Most of them didn''t have very fond memories of family. They might think that we would change and treat them differently when they became our family.


    It was a lot to think about but I knew that Star and I could do it. That was why we had nned to talk to the kids tonight after dinner. I wanted to talk about it as soon as possible. That way the kids wouldn''t think it was something we had to think about. I wanted them to know that we loved them all and wanted them all to be with us.


    Was I getting ahead of myself? Was this too much for us to take on right now? I mean, we are about to have a baby too. This was a lot, but I know that I personally had more than enough love to go around. I would love all those kids in ce of those other assholes who had refused to.

 Chapter 147 - Star - Should We Become A Family

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Artem had surprised me. We hadn''t talked about my idea of adopting all the kids that were staying with us, but it turns out that he had also been thinking the same thing. That made me truly happy.


    After talking it over we decided we were going to sit all of them down after dinner tonight and ask them what it was they wanted. They would only be adopted if they wanted to be. We weren''t going to force any of them into it.


    I was nothing but a nervous wreck all through dinner. I kept dropping things and blushing like crazy when everyone stared at me. I think they thought I was still stunned from having found out I was expecting a baby. That wasn''t what had me nervous.


    No, I was afraid because I didn''t know how the kids were going to react. I had been hoping that all of them would agree to join our family but who is to say that any of them would? Oh Goddess, I hoped that it all works out.


    Once we were all done eating, especially dessert, Artem called out as all the children tried to run right out of the room.


    "Wait a minute guys." All of them froze immediately and turned to look at the sound of his voice.


    "We want to talk to all of you." I spoke next, trying to sound normal andpletely failing.


    "Can you alle with us so that we can talk for a little while? It''s important." Artem even sounded a little strangepared to normal.


    Together Artem and I led the boys into the library. It was the room that they were the mostfortable in and knew the best, aside from their own personal rooms that is. I could tell that all of them were nervous when we got to the room.


    I also noticed that Kent had been following our group while we walked as well. He was probably nervous about what was going to happen with his brother. He was such a loving and doting big brother.


    Once we were all inside the room the kids went to the tables they usually sat at. They were all so well behaved and knew just what to do without being told.


    They had basically been divided by age. The oldest boys, Julian, Nico, Flint, and Leslie, were all sitting at one table since they were teenagers, or close to it. The other ten boys who were aged ten and under were sitting at three other tables with either three or four boys at each table.


    Looking at all their nervous faces as they peered at us with worry made my heart break. I could tell they were all imagining the worst right now. They all thought that something bad was about to happen to them. It hurt me to think that they were so distrustful of us as well.


    I had hoped that we had built more trust and respect with them than that. It was to be expected though. I knew better than anyone else how hard it was to start trusting people after the life I had, and that all these boys had had as well.


    "OK everyone." Artem smiled nervously at them all as he started the conversation. "There is something that we would like to talk to all of you about."


    "You''re going to make us leave, aren''t you?" Eight year old Gil, one of the new boys, lowered his head to hide the tears that he was starting to shed.


    I felt Gil''s pain and suffering then. I could tell how much he was hurting when he said those words. Without stopping to think about it I walked over to his table and knelt next to him. With a hand on his shoulder I began to speak soothingly.


    "Now Gil, why would you think that?"


    "Because everyone hates people like us. They never want us around. The only reason we were brought here was so that we could get better. Now that we are better you''re going to send us all home to our families."


    When Gil looked up I could see how red his eyes were and the trail of tears that had been trailing down his cheeks. His words seemed to scare and stir the worry up in all of the others, especially the younger ones.


    "You''re going to send us home to our families?" Leslie nearly squeaked when he asked the question.


    "I don''t want to go back there." Ricky cried.


    "Please don''t make me go." Zack pleaded.


    Dalton actually got out of his seat and ran to me. As soon as he was close enough he jumped toward me and threw his arms around my neck. He nearly knocked me over with the force of his leaping jump.


    I could feel Dalton shaking against me as he clung to my neck. He was terrified beyond belief but he was slowly finding his voice.


    "P..pl..please d..do..don''t m..m..make me g..g..g..g..go." He was crying so hard it was hard to hear him. "I..I..I d..don''t w..w..want t..t..to g..g..go."


    "Shhh." I shushed him as I rubbed his back. "Shhh. It''s alright Dalton."


    I wrapped my arms around the little boy securely and pulled him into myp. With a hug that was just shy of being too forceful I held him against my chest.


    "Shhh." I shushed him again as he sobbed onto the cor of my shirt. "Don''t worry Dalton. None of you will have to leave."


    That seemed to have the effect that I was looking for. I felt the boy jolt in my arms when he heard what I had to say. I felt Dalton loosen his arms from around me and pull back. The look on his face was one of hope.


    "I can stay here?" His voice was still trembling slightly as he asked his question.


    "Yes Dalton. All of you can stay. We love having you here and we would never want to send you away."


    I watched as the light returned to the boy''s eyes and he smiled at me.


    "What''s going to happen with us?" Gil asked, drawing my attention away from Dalton. "We haven''t been here as long as they have. Where are we going to go?"


    "You can stay here. Unless you don''t want to. We won''t force you to stay but we would love it if you did." Artem answered before I could.


    "Why? Why do you want us to stay here?" Ricky, one of the other new boys, asked Artem.


    "We want to be your family. We want to take care of you all and love each of you." Artem''s words seemed to shock all of the boys. They had definitely not been expecting that.


    "Family?" Dalton asked, a hint of fear in his voice. They all would remember family as the people who hurt them.


    "Yes Dalton, but we will be a proper family. We will love you and nothing will change except that no one will ever be able to take you away from us." I exined to him.


    "Does that mean you will be my mommy?" His sweet childlike voice was full of wonder and excitement now. It was so easy for children to change their emotions like this.


    "If you want me to be." I returned the smile he was giving me.


    At that Artem knelt next to us and put a hand on Dalton''s head.


    "That would make me your daddy, if you would want that too." That caused shock to stir around the room. Most of the boys were looking at us with their eyes opened wide with disbelief. "I would like to do this for all of you. We will adopt you all, if that is what you want. If you don''t want that then you will still be able to stay here and we can take care of you all."


    "I want you to be my daddy." Dalton squealed. "And I want Star to be my mommy."


    Dalton''s outburst led to many more. Cohen and Benton were the first to respond. However, it wasn''t long before all of the other younger boys piped up as well. Gil and Ricky were the first of them but soon Timothy, Kevin, Zack, Marcus, and Will asked to join the family.


    This made all of the boys ten and younger, but none of the older ones had said anything yet. I looked at them with hopeful eyes before I asked them what they wanted.


    "Would you boys like to join us as well?"


    "We''re older, you don''t want us as your kids." Leslie who was twelve answered with a sorrow filled look.


    "Of course we want you as well. The more the merrier." Artem grinned at him. "It makes no difference that you''re older, you can still be our family and we will be there for you."


    "You really want us?" Flint, a year older than Leslie, asked apprehensively.


    "Of course we do. And Nico and Julian are invited to be with us as well. What do you say?"


    "I say that I am willing to be your family." Julian was the first to answer among them. "I have always felt like you guys were there to protect me." Julian may be fifteen but he was so tiny, just like all the other boys. He looked more like he was eleven at most instead of nearing adulthood.


    "I want to as well." Flint spoke next.


    "Yeah, I want to be your family too." Leslie smiled at me.


    "What about you, Nico?" Artem asked.


    "I appreciate the offer, but I still want to be family with my brother. If that is alright." Nico sounded nervous since he was the only one to turn us down.


    "That is fine, Nico. We understand. You are still wee to stay here though, you will always have a home with us." Artem assured him.


    "Thank you."

 Chapter 148 - Artem - Getting Ready For A Trip

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Now that we knew we were going to make all the boys our family there were a few things that we needed to do. I needed to make sure that we went on our visit to the Fae, I needed to make sure that the future Mommy and Daddy were married when wepleted the adoption and had our baby. This was going to be a busy and exciting time for us.


    The first thing to make certain of was the visit to the Fae Queen. I didn''t want to push that off too much and cause issues. I wanted to make sure that we properly introduced ourselves so that the Queen wouldn''t be angry with us. Who knew how this Queen was though. Thest set of royals I met didn''t act like I thought they would.


    I made a call to Acacia not long after everyone left. She was the one for us to contact so that we could make our visit to the Fae Queen. She was, after all, the Queen''s niece. And apparently, Acacia was one of many nieces and nephews that the Queen has.


    Thankful, Acacia agreed to take us to the Queen in just a few days. All we had to do was prepare our luggage and fly out to Colorado. Acacia would take care of everything else. The n was currently set that she would pick us up from the airport and drive us over to the Faepound. It all seemed simple enough but that doesn''t mean that I wasn''t nervous about it all.


    Neither of us knew what we would be expected to wear. Since we were meeting with a Queen that was supposedly a couple thousand years old and has reigned but a good amount of that time it was probably best to wear something that looked nice. So, it was time to go shopping for some really elegant clothing.


    Star thought I was overdoing it a bit but I thought that I was doing what was needed. If I didn''t get us something that made us appear elegant andposed it could spell disaster for the both of us. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I liked buying her nice things. Nothing at all.


    I was nning out the best trip possible here. I wanted to make it all work and coordinate our attire to match. That was why I decided to take her to San Francisco for the day. It would only be a couple of quick flights so I think it was well worth it. We could also bring back gifts for the kids.


    Once we were there I immediately headed to the closest Armani dealer. It would be the best ce for us to find something that would coordinate properly. I wanted to get us both several outfits since we never knew when we might need them. Unfortunately though, Star would only let me get us four each. She was such a spoilsport when it came to letting me spoil her.


    Watching Star trying on all the clothes was amazing. They fit against her curves snugly and entuated exactly what she had to offer. The red dress was nice, and so was the ck one, but my favorites were the green one and the blue one. Both of the colors were on the darker side of the spectrum and they made her skin shine.


    There was nothing that looked young or immature about Star when she was dressed like this. Not when she was pairing them with sexy heels and her long wavy, golden brown hair that swished and swayed as it fell down her back. Even with no makeup and barely any jewelry to spice up the look she looked like a goddess to me.


    My suits that I got to match Star''s were basically either ck or gray, but I would match the shirt and tie to whatever she happened to be wearing at the time. There were only so many color options I was willing to have as my main color.


    I got several pairs of shoes for both of us. Ones that werefortable and looked nice. Not to mention ones that were sexy as hell for my sweet little mate to wear.


    After we shopped for clothes and shoes it was time to finish the looks off. Star really tried to get me to stop this part of the shopping spree but I refused. I wanted to make her sparkle. I bought her earrings, bracelets, and nes. Now she would light up any room she walked into.


    We grabbed a bite to eat while everything was being bagged and put into luggage. Once it was done and our meal was over it was time for us to head home. We had literally only been in the city for a few hours and the flight was very short. It was all possible in just that one afternoon.


    Another benefit of going to San Francisco for the shopping trip was to get Star a little more used to traveling. Those were shorter flights than the ones we would be taking next. Granted the flights still wouldn''t be very long.


    I felt a little better about our trip now. We were prepared for meeting the Queen and spending a few days at the Faepound. And half of our luggage was already packed, what more could we ask for?


    That night when we got back we finished packing the rest of our stuff and put those bags with the rest of our things from San Francisco. We exined to the children where we were going and told them we would be back as soon as we could.


    I thought it was already really adorable. The kids had started calling us Mom and Dad. Well, for the most part they had, the rest were calling us Mommy and Daddy. That was the first time that I had heard someone call me that and it melted my heart. Especially when little Dalton ran up to me with a smile on his face. I was going to make sure that these kids had the best of everything in life.


    Two dayster we were ready to go. We got up early in the morning and had breakfast with everyone. We would be arriving at the airport in the early part of the afternoon and we were supposed to be having lunch with the Queen in her private quarters so we wanted to make sure that we ate a filling meal to hold us over until then.


    When breakfast was over we got a line of hugs from all the kids who wished us safe travels and told us that they loved us. Cohen, Dalton, and Benton kept getting back in line for more hugs and Star just thought that was the cutest thing ever.


    When the hug fest was over I talked to Kent, Toby, and Morgan while Star told her cousins, grandfather, and my sister goodbye.


    "Keep them all safe." Those were the first words that I told them.


    "No shit, Sherlock." Morgan noted in his sarcastic way of talking.


    "Don''t worry, Artem. They will all be safe with us looking after them." Toby was more soft spoken when he promised to watch the kids.


    "We will take care of everything here, you two go and get things taken care of over there. You two are the ones that I am more worried about anyway." Kent was the final one to respond to my warning.


    "I know that it seems like we''re walking into the lion''s den, but I think things will be just fine." I looked over my shoulder in time to see Chay hugging Star tightly before rubbing her belly. "I know that Star has it in her to make it through this. She will be just the type of person that the Fae Queen loves. How can she not? Star is the best there is."


    "I think that is your infatuation talking, boss." Morganughed. "She''s great but are you thinking with your brain or your head? You know, the southern one." He wasughing at his own crudeness, and I had to admit it was hard for me to keep myself fromughing. I did it though, it was hard but I did it.


    "Make sure you keep the jokes at a PG level around the kids, OK. I don''t need toe back to find out that Dalton is going to start mimicking you." I gave Morgan a firm look.


    "No worries, I wouldn''t start them that young. Now Leslie is just the right age, so is Flint. And there might even be hope for Julian."


    "Morgan." I warned him with a re.


    "Don''t worry, I will keep the kids'' minds safe as well. They will not be corrupted by him." Toby was always the air of reason and wisdom among these three. What would I do without him?


    With warnings given and goodbyes said it was time for us to leave. Star and I were now heading out on our next big adventure. I hope it all goes as well as I have nned.

 Chapter 149 - Star - Traveling

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    It was sad to say goodbye to all the kids. I knew they were going to miss us and I was going to miss them. After everything that had happened to them, and to us, we had missed out on a lot of time with them.


    When Artem and I went to San Francisco for the day it hadn''t been as bad because I knew we wereing back the same day but now we were going away for several days. And this was not just the first time we were leaving them like this, it was the first time that I was truly traveling. A day trip to a big city had been hard enough on me but now I was going away to ces that I didn''t know at all.


    When Artem and I flew out the other day I think I almost had a heart attack. I was about to hyperventte and my heart was pounding so hard. If he hadn''t been sitting right there next to me to hold my hand and talk me through it I think I would have passed out at the very least.


    I made it though. When wended and got off of the ne I saw that there was not that much to be afraid of. I was still nervous on the way home though. I just don''t think that flying was for me. I preferred to be on the ground. Maybe it was just me, I don''t know. Artem didn''t seem to have as much of a problem with it as I did.


    Kent was driving us to the airport tonight so that we wouldn''t have to worry about leaving them a vehicle short for the time that we were gone. The airport was in the city so it wasn''t that long of a drive. I barely had time to start thinking about what could go wrong and panic over nothing. Before I knew it we had arrived.


    The airport seemed so big to me but ording to Artem and Kent it was small.


    "You''re lucky you''re here and not at LAX." Kentughed.


    "Yeah, or O''Hare. There are a lot of ces I wouldn''t want to be." As I listened to them joking I did remember that the airport we went to in San Francisco was a lot bigger than this one. So, I guess they did have a point. Still, to someone not used to traveling this ce was like a house of horrors. I practically trembled with every step.


    "Still afraid?" Artem asked me as he took my hand. "You don''t have to worry, I will be with you the whole time." His smile did make me feel a little better.


    "I don''t know if it''s the Fae part of me or not, but I like to be on the ground and not in the air."


    "That''s understandable. The Fae are tied to nature. I have heard that some Fae can''t survive in big cities. That if they''re too weak they will literally waste away in them." His words actually scared me instead of calmed me.


    "Really? Why?"


    "It has to do with all the metal that is around. They can''t survive with too much man made stuff surrounding them. They need to be surrounded by nature to pull power from the earth or something like that. Again, I don''t know if that is true or not. This is all just spection that I have gotten through rumors and books. It might not really be that way."


    He had talked while we walked through the airport to where we needed to check in. It was a lot for me to take in and process. I didn''t know if I would qualify as a weak Fae or not so that scared me. I had spent my entire life living in a small town that was literally surrounded by nature. It is possible that I had just been drawing life from nature to keep me alive the whole time.


    By the time that I paid attention to what Artem was doing we were already at the desk for us to check in. This was weird. I was literally paying so little attention that I was not even able to remember walking from one ce to the other.


    "Wee Sir, how can I help you today?" Thedy behind the counter smiled at Artem. For a second I felt a little jealous but I knew she was just doing her job. It wasn''t her fault that he was hot, but she didn''t have to linger on him with those eyes of hers.


    "Yes, we''re checking in. Artemis Cooper and Astraia Westbrook."


    "Oh, you''re not married." She looked at us with hopeful eyes.


    "Not yet." His words made both of us stare at him in shock.


    "Hmm."


    The woman behind the counter looked and sounded a little peeved at that but I felt like I was going to burst. I didn''t know that Artem was thinking like that. I think I would like to marry him. I would like it very much.


    After searching on theputer for a couple of minutes the woman lifted her head and looked like she was confused about something.


    "I''m sorry Mr. Cooper, but there is something in here that I don''t quite understand." She continued typing out something on theputer and looking into whatever was going on.


    "Is something wrong?" Artem looked a little confused himself. We didn''t have any problems when we flew out the other day. I wonder what could be happening now.


    "Well, I see your names in my system here, but they don''t match these tickets. The system says you and your fiance¨¨ are on a private flight. The two of you are due to depart from a different terminal altogether." When she looked up I could tell that she was a little starstruck. "It says that you are flying on Mr. Reece Gray''s private ne. Do you really know Reece Gray? He''s that really hot billionaire right? Could you introduce me?" She sounded very shallow to me, I truly wanted to burst her bubble right now.


    "Yes, we''re friends with him and his wife. They''re a really great couple. And I can''t wait to see their babies when they''re born." That made her face fall and cloud over. At least now she might stop trying to get with everyone she sees just because he is hot. She needs to know if they''re single first.


    "Right, of course. Well, just let me finish checking you in. Your flight will taxi out and prepare for take off once you are ready." She printed us a new set of boarding passes and sent us on our way.


    Artem and I learned something else new today as well. When you are flying out on a private ne you get your own express line for the security line at the airport. That and they will offer to drive you to your ne. Since we were boarding outside and not through the covered terminals like the other nes we actually epted that. It was a long way to go and I didn''t want to walk that far right now.


    The ne was small, it definitely hadn''t carried everyone that hade to our pack recently so Reece must have more than one ne. That was pretty interesting. He was definitely very rich. Artem and I sat next to each other and snuggled close as the ne readied for take off.


    I have to admit, it was easier to fly this time. Perhaps it was the atmosphere. I wasn''t as crowded as I wasst time and that might have helped to calm me down a little. Still, I would prefer to be on the ground if it was up to me.


    The flight was longer but not too long. When wended in Colorado it wasn''t in Colorado Springs like I thought it would be. We had actuallynded in Denver. It was a couple hours away from the Red Springs pack in Colorado Springs but it was closer to the Faepound.


    Acacia was there to meet us at the airport. She had been waiting for us outside the terminal and as soon as she saw us she jumped up and down with delight.


    "Star! Artem! Over here! Over here!" As soon as the path toward us was clear she ran all the way to meet us and pulled me into a hug. "Oh I''m so d you wanted to go for this meeting so soon. I''ve already missed you both. And we are family, Star. Remember that OK." I had nearly forgotten that we were family with each other. She was my father''s cousin.


    "I will try not to forget."


    "Good. Nowe on, let''s go to thepound."


    This was when the nerves truly set in. This was when things were going to get truly dangerous. I didn''t know what to expect at all. I just hope that everything went well.

 Chapter 150 - Star - Entering The Fae Compound

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Acacia grabbed my hand and started to guide me out of the airport and toward the bright sunlight thaty beyond its doors. My nerves were still on overdrive since we were now getting close to our actual destination.


    When I got out of the building there was a long line of busses and cars crowding the sidewalk. There were so many people everywhere that it overwhelmed me almost instantly. If I hadn''t been able to feel Artem behind me, silently pulling our luggage behind him, then I probably would have panickedpletely.


    Acacia just pulled me along the long sidewalk that was full of people, luggage, busses,and cars until she got to the one that was at the end. It was a long ck car that had more doors on it than a normal car. It looked like it was a normal car but just stretched to be longer.


    "Oh cool, a limo." Artemughed behind me. "You''re giving us the royal treatment I see."


    "This is courtesy of Reece. I was going to pick you up in my car which is nothing to sneeze at but he wanted you to arrive in style. So, just like he did with the ne he switched out the car as well. He can be a little domineering at times but in a good way." She was smiling at us as she talked about the man that was our King.


    "Yeah, I am learning the way that he is." Artemughed as a man stepped away from the car that I guess was called a limo.


    The man went up to Artem and bowed his head respectfully before he spoke.


    "Good day to you, Sir. My name is Hideki. I will be driving you today." The man was tall and pale with ck hair and gray eyes that were partially hidden behind thin sses. He also spoke with a slight ent that I found to be so unique but I didn''t know what it was. "I am a member of the Luna Queen''s guard and the Sentinelle. If there is anything you are uncertain of you may ask me for rification."


    "I have one." I raised my hand tentatively. "What is the Sentinelle?" I had tilted my head in confusion as I asked him this question.


    "Yes, my dear." He smiled pleasantly at me. "The Sentinelle is an organization that has existed for close to two thousand years. It is our job to serve the Luna Queen. When there is no active Queen we search for the next Queen while also recording the history of the world so that she may have as much information at her disposal as possible. The only way to not repeat the mistakes of the past is to learn from them." He was speaking so calmly and politely that it was hard not to be entranced by what he was saying. I was just staring at him as he continued to speak. "I myself have been part of the Sentinelle for more than three hundred years. Once we joined the organization we froze in time until the Queen was found. Now, I have the privilege of serving her and being of use to her."


    I could tell that Hideki was a kind man with a gentle nature. He also seemed to be very knowledgeable. I guess he would have to be if he was over three hundred years old. OK, this was starting to get to that whole crazy and scary part of stuff again.


    I was fine. It was going to be OK. I wasn''t going to panic just because the man in front of me who looked like he was maybe thirty was actually over three hundred. That was not a big issue right? I mean what was wrong with that? I had learned not long ago that Acacia was almost ny and I didn''t flip out. At least not that much.


    UGH! Why did I have to be a half Fae? Things would be so much easier if I was just a wolf and not some crazy hybrid of some sort.


    "Allow me to help you with your luggage." Hideki began taking the bags from Artem one by one and loading them into the trunk of the limo. Once they were in ce he went to the back passenger door and opened it for us. "If you would." He gestured for us to get into the vehicle.


    Once we were all seated in the back Hideki shut the door and walked around to the driver''s seat. And just like that we were off. It was now time to go to thepound for real.


    I know that we talked on the way to the Faepound. I know that I participated in the conversation and everything. But I don''t remember a single minute of the drive. My memories literally go from pulling away from the curb at the airport to pulling up in front of arge set of shining gates.


    There was a man standing guard in front of them and he was smiling at the limo like he thought something was funny. Instead of Hideki rolling down his window to speak to him, Acacia rolled down the window she was next to and talked to the man herself.


    "Hello there Valoc, how are you doing today?" She was smiling at the man through the window.


    "Doing good Casey. You know, for someone that is supposed to be living off of thepound you sure areing back a lot. You brought your mate recently and now you''re here again. Who are these two?" The man gestured toward me and Artem where we sat beside Acacia.


    "These are some new friends. Actually, Star here is family. She is my cousin Aaron''s daughter."


    "Really?" The man named Valoc tilted his head in surprise. "I didn''t know Aaron had any children."


    "Yeah, neither did he." Acaciaughed loudly at that as if it were a joke. It must have been because Valocughed as well. "Anyway, I brought them here to meet my aunt. Since Star is a half Fae she needs to introduce herself."


    "Star, huh? That''s an interesting name." Valoc looked into the car and directly at me.


    "It''s a nickname. My real name is Astraia." I was nervous but I managed to not squeak or stutter so that was good.


    "Oh, after the goddess of justice who became the constetion virgo. Your name means star so hence the nickname. I like it." He was smiling at me as he showed that he understood what it all meant.


    "I didn''t know all of that, I just knew that it meant star." I blushed since he knew more about my name than I did."


    "Don''t worry, Star. Valoc is really old, so he knows a lot of history." Acaciaughed.


    "Rude much." Valocughed as well. "Anyway, head on in. I hope you two have a good visit." I watched as he winked at me like he was saying that I wasn''t going to have a good visit at all.


    Well, despite all my nervousness I made it here. I was at the Faepound now. All that was left was meeting the Queen, Gloriana, and gaining her approval. That would all be happening today. And apparently we were not allowed to do anything but go to a changing room and get ready for our lunch before we met with the Queen.


    This is really happening now. We were inside thepound and there was no turning back. I couldn''t stop any of this now even if I wanted to. Oh Goddess, what was I going to do?


    As my panic began to take over I felt Artem reach over and grab my hand. With his gentle squeezing pressure he was able to calm me down enough so that I wasn''t about to flip out. There is no way I could be here doing this without him. He was the pir of strength that was guiding me.


    With Artem''sforting presence being reassured beside me I took a deep settling breath. Then I took half a dozen more just to be sure. By the time that I had settled my racing heart and gotten it so that it was beating normally again we were about to pull into the garage. I squeezed my eyes shut as well as Artem''s hand as we passed through the threshold just so that I had a reason not to see that I was beyond the point of no return.


    Oddly enough once we were inside the building all of my nerves seemed to just disappear. I felt better instantly. I was no longer nervous and my heart felt just fine. Perhaps I really can do this after all. I guess it would just take some time for us to know for sure but I definitely felt a lot more confident. It was almost like I felt at home in a way.

 Chapter 151 - Star - Meeting The Fae Queen

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Once we were out of the limo there was a fleet of servants there to help us. Six men and women in total that seemed to just appear out of nowhere. They were just suddenly there one moment kneeling in front of us after Hideki had opened the door for us to step out of the vehicle. The thing is, I know they hadn''t been there before he opened the door because I was looking out the window.


    The three men and three women were all unique in the way they looked. I had heard that Fae were colorful people but they could hide it and look more human. It was understandable though that they would not hide themselves when they were at their own home.


    I saw hair colors that were green, pink, purple, and yellow among the people that were kneeling. Likewise their skin colors were not what you would normally see either. The colors I saw now were green, blue, purple, and pink. It was different but I liked seeing all the different people. I just thought it was weird they happened to appear kneeling before us.


    "Wee to thend of the Fae, we are honored to wee you to Castle Seelie." The six of them spoke in unison and it was kind of creepy. "Allow us to escort you to a changing room so you may prepare yourselves for your meal. When you are ready we will take your luggage to your rooms." They were still speaking together and I didn''t know how to respond. I just turned to look at Artem and let him handle the situation.


    "That would be nice, thank you." He smiled and tilted his head at them so I copied his moves and did the same thing.


    "Please, follow us." They rose all at once. Most of them moved to the trunk of the limo and grabbed a bag to carry but two of them stayed in front of us and began to lead the way.


    I guess we were just supposed to follow them before the others were ready. I guess they knew where they were going and they would catch up when they could. Acacia didn''t seem fazed at all though since she just started following the two that were guiding us into the castle.


    I tried to look at as much stuff as I could as I walked through the halls. It was made of different styles of beautiful architecture. Most of the structure looked like it was made of stone but it was of different colors. I saw white, pink, blue, purple, green, yellow, all pastel shades of the colors.


    The inside of the building was done in a lot of wood though none of it looked to be painted with colors or stains like I expected. I saw borately carved decorations in the walls that were adorned with glittering stones instead of with paint.


    There were paints though, they were all on canvases. There were several very beautiful and very borate pieces of artwork that were all over the halls and rooms that we passed. There were also statues and pottery decorating the whole ce. There was just so much to look at.


    The furniture itself was also like a decoration. The pieces were so beautifully carved into the shapes of flowers, animals, birds, butterflies, everything and they looked amazing. I couldn''t see enough as I was walking behind our escorts.


    Eventually we came to a door that was standing open for us. The room looked like it was a parlor with two other doors leading off of it. The parlor room had a pair of backless chairs in the middle of the room sitting around a low table with a tray filled with snacks. The back of the room had a row of mirrors so you could look at yourself from different angles.


    "These rooms here will be where you can prepare yourselves for your meal with the Queen. Please, just call for us when you are ready."


    At that the servants that had been carrying our luggage entered the parlor looking room and set our things down. I saw that there was also a bag for Acacia who would be staying with us through this visit.


    "Thank you." I smiled at them as they left the room and shut the doors behind us. "And thank you foring here with us, Acacia." I told her as I looked at her. She didn''t need to do this since she was preparing to have a baby soon.


    "Don''t worry, I want to see my family while I am here anyway. And they are dying to meet you too." She was smiling like this was all just a really fun trip. I guess to her it was.


    Artem and I went to the room on the right while Acacia went to the room on the left. It was time to change for the first time I met the Fae Queen. Which dress should I choose? They were all very beautiful and unique in their own way. Given where we were I thought something that had to do with nature would be better.


    Before I had even begun to truly think about it I had decided to pick the green dress. My wolf was green. Green was a color associated with nature. And it was also the color of Artem''s eyes. It would make me feel really calm to wear the green dress.


    As I undressed and slipped into the green dress I tried not to notice the way that Artem was watching me. I tried not to pay attention to the fact that I could feel the heat from his eyes as they lingered on my body. I just did my best to get the dress on without messing it up.


    The dress itself was tight and a solid dark green. There were diamond shaped cutouts on the dress at the sides. The cut outs went from my hips to just below my breasts. The dress was held up with a halter style strap that went around my neck and tied in a small knot. The straps from that knot dangled down my back and tickled me slightly.


    I left my long wavy hair down and let it sway to my lower back. I slid on a pair a ck strappy heels and did a lightyer of makeup. When I thought I was done and was about to turn around to face Artem he surprised me. He hade up behind me and slid a diamond ne across my cor bone and was ready to sp it for me. All I had to do was hold my hair out of the way.


    After Artem sped my ne for me his fingers lingered at my neck. I watched in the mirror then as he leaned forward and kissed the spot where he had marked me as his mate. That little kiss sent a shiver through me and gave me courage and strength.


    All of this happened without a word being exchanged between us. By the time that we were done and we were both ready to go I turned to look at him with a smile. He had chosen the dark green shirt that was the exact same shade as my dress and a tie that was pure ck like the suit he was wearing.


    "Let''s go, my love." He held his hand out for me and I took it eagerly.


    Acacia was already ready so we called for the servant people immediately and they led us out of the room and down some more of the halls. I tried to memorize the path that we were taking but it was so confusing and all the halls just looked exactly the same to me.


    Finally we entered arge hallway that seemed to be at least five times as wide as all of the others. At the end of the hallway there was a set of veryrge double doors. I had a feeling that this was a very important room.


    When we got closer to the room two guards that had been standing outside of the double doors opened them in time with our steps. We were able to walk in without needing to pause at all.


    It wasn''t until I was several steps into the room that I realized that the servants hadn''te in with us. It was just Acacia, Artem, and myself. The nerves wereing back now.


    The room I was in was a long hall with lots ofrge thrones. Though, none of the thrones on the sides of the hall were anywhere near as big as the one that was at the very end. That one at the end was also the only one with someone in it. She was the only other person in thisrge hall aside from the three of us here by the door.


    Artem led me with his grip on my arm as we followed behind Acacia. I watched as the solemn looking woman in the throne got closer and closer to us. I tried not to stare but I couldn''t help it. I saw the woman was wearing a dress that looked like it had been made from cobwebs and spider silk. It looked delicate and like it would blow away in the wind. Only it wasn''t a color that looked like a spider''s web or anything of the sort, no it was pure ck that made her nearly pure white skin stand out strikingly.


    Her hair was just as ck as her dress. The colors were mixing so well that it was to the point where I didn''t know if her hair stopped near her lower back or if it went all the way to the floor. And as I got closer I saw that her eyes were a beautiful sky blue, like they were literally the sky on a beautiful summer day. She was beautiful and mesmerizing.


    "Queen Gloriana." Acacia bowed before the Fae Queen so Artem and I did the same.


    "It is lovely to meet you, Queen Gloriana." I did my best to keep my voice level.


    "Thank you for allowing us to visit you on this wonderful day." Artem spoke softly and politely beside me.


    "Rise my children, and join me in my personal study." Her voice was so musical that it sounded eerie and ethereal. The three of us rose and I watched as Acacia followed the Queen with a smile. I hoped that this wasn''t going to be bad.


    Queen Gloriana led the way to a hidden door that took us to a library where there was no one at all. It was as empty as the throne room but it was smaller and more intimate. And there was a lovely lunch waiting there for us.


    The moment we were in the room the Queen turned to look directly at me.


    "Ahh, Astraia my dear. I do see Aaron in you. You are indeed his daughter and that makes you just as much my kin as he is. It is lovely to meet you. Star."

 Chapter 152 - Star - Huh?

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Huh? Wait a minute, did I just hear what I thought I heard? The Queen of the Fae who had seemed so regal and imposing when I first saw her in the throne room was not speaking to me like she was a sweet olddy. Which made this doubly weird.


    For one, she had dropped her regal attitude and started being very familiar. She was not quite as friendly as Trinity, the only other Queen I know, but still she was not acting like I expected she would. And for two, she was talking like she was so much older than me. Which I guess she was, all things considered. It was just weird because she didn''t look that much older than me.


    The Queen of the Fae just looked like she was maybe in her mid twenties. She looked like she was maybe a couple years older than Artem at the most. Though from what I had heard she was at least two thousand years old. I didn''t know exactly how old though and I wasn''t going to ask her to try and find out either.


    "You seem nervous, Star." The Fae Queen was now smiling at me as if she was finding this all very funny. "There is nothing to be weary of. I have to reserve private conversations for my private study. I do hope you can understand that." Her words were easy to understand and her tone was soft. It was really soothing to see this right now but I was still a bit nervous.


    "I..I do understand, yes. It''s just a little unnerving right now. I am sorry to say that I do not know how to behave in front of a Queen." I could tell that my voice had squeaked a little when I answered her. Dammit, I had done so good today too, I had kept myself from sounding nervous to everyone I spoke to today, until I spoke to the one that mattered.


    "Do not worry, my child. It is understandable to be nervous. This is your first time here after all. I imagine that finding out that you are not what you thought you were for your entire life was a big shock for you. You need time to adjust to the new part of you and that will take time."


    I hadn''t expected the Fae Queen to be so understanding. I swear I was still hearing nothing but the same words ying over and over inside my head. OK, maybe they weren''t all the same but they were simr.


    Huh? This is really the Queen right? Huh? She''s so nice and calm? Huh? How can this be? Huh? Huh? Huh?


    I think my brain had broken and was stuck on thatst part. I mean really, how many more times was she going to shock me today?


    "Come now Star, sit with me and have some lunch. I am sure your mate is hungry and would not say no to a meal either. You two can tell me all about your life. I wish to know everything about you."


    Why was it that I felt like that was a subtle order to not leave anything out? I know she was being nice and all but it also sounded like she was telling me to be thorough when I spoke to her. This was going to be a bit of a scary lunch, I just knew it was.


    Acacia took my hand then and squeezed it gently. I know it was to give me a little bit offort before we sat down. She then used that grip on my hand to pull me to the table. Artem followed behind us silently, watching over me as if he were my protector, which he was.


    At the table Artem and I were seated side by side along Queen Gloriana''s right side with me sitting closest to her. Acacia was seated across from me to the Queen''s left. The Queen of course was seated at the head of the table so that she could see all of us.


    I was in awe of the food that was sitting before me. It looked like a lot of my favorites had been prepared for me. But then, how did the Queen know they were my favorites?


    "I do hope you do not mind." The Queen began to speak then, a sheepish smile on her lips. "I prepared a few of my favorite dishes today."


    "Huh?" I couldn''t help it. This time the word had to be said out loud. "Um. I''m sorry, I just meant, um. These look like a lot of my favorite dishes as well." I was so embarrassed that I felt my face flush as the heat rose to a fiery level.


    "Huh indeed." She grinned in response to me. "I see that the taste in foods is indeed an inherited quality." She was giggling now.


    "Huh?" I said the word again and tilted my head which made both Acacia and Artemugh as well.


    "She is telling you that you are indeed rted because you share simr tastes." Artem leaned in, a giggle still in his voice as he whispered in my ear.


    "Oh." I was feeling so stupid right now. "I...I guess that makes sense." I tugged on my ear subconsciously in my embarrassment.


    "Don''t worry dear, this is all new for us all. We just need to have time to get to know each other. I do hope that you will give all of us here a chance. I personally think that the Fae are wonderful people. They''re not perfect of course, but then again is anyone really ever perfect?" She was still smiling but it showed a lot more vulnerability than the previous smiles had.


    "Yes, I understand. And I wish to get to know you all as well. I want to know more about my Fae half. I would like to meet my father as well, if that is at all possible."


    "Of course it is my dear. I will make sure that Aarones for a meeting with you while you are here. I also want to know why we never knew anything about you until now. He has some exining to do, in my opinion. There has to have been something that was going on and I n to get to the bottom of it all." She looked a little stern at the moment.


    I just wonder how different my life would have been if the Fae had known about me my whole life. Would they have taken me back to live with them and raised me after my mother died? Then would I have ever met Artem? I don''t know what would have been the right thing.


    "Star, my dear, you look like you are thinking about something unpleasant. What is wrong, child?"


    "I was just thinking about my life really. I don''t know what path would have been the right one for me. All of them would have undoubtedly led to heartache for me."


    "Please, tell me about your life now, my dear. Please exin to me what it is you have been through."


    With the Queen''s prompting, Artem and I worked together to tell her my entire life story. When things got too difficult for me to say he would take over until I calmed down. It took a long time to exin it all.


    I told her about moving to California with my mother before she was killed. I told her about the abuse I suffered at the hands of my family and the half demon half warlock that posed as my Uncle Howard. Artem took over to exin about my rescue and the kidnapping attempt from my cousin at the mall.


    When I got to the point about me being kidnapped by Uncle Howard I broke down. I had thought I had ovee itpletely but I was still scared of it. It wasn''t as bad as it was before, Juniper''s magic helped out a lot. I think what it truly was that was happening to me was that I was letting it all go for thest time. This could very well be thest time that I ever needed to say these words to anyone, ever.


    By the time that it was all over with I could see that the Queen was visibly upset by my story. She looked to be on the verge of tears as she looked at me. Her meal was only half eaten and it looked as if she had lost all desire to finish eating.


    Once the Queen figured out that there was no more to tell I watched as she pushed her te away and she cleared her throat.


    "Oh my." Her voice shook slightly. "You poor thing, you had such a hard life. I wish we would have known about you. We would have protected you and your mother. We never would have let this happen to you." I could see tears swimming in her eyes as she looked at me.


    "That is what I thought you would say." I hung my head as I thought about the different paths that my life could have taken. "You see, I have thought about it, and no matter what happened to me in life I would have ended up miserable. If my mother never would have been targeted and I stayed in Colorado with her I would have had a happy childhood but I never would have found my mate. The same goes for if you would have brought me here with my mother or after my mother died. I would not have been abused by my family but I don''t know how the other Fae would have treated me. And again, I wouldn''t have met my mate. In both of those scenarios I might have been happier as a child but my future would have been miserable. In the way my life is now I have suffered a lot, more than anyone should have to, but at least I have a happy future to look forward to."


    When I lifted my head I could see that there were three teary eyed people looking at me. They had all understood what I was saying. There was no way I could have lived a purely happy life. No way at all.


    "You are right, Star." The Queen sniffled a little as she tried not to cry. "There is no road that would have led to a purely happy life for you. I apud you for being wise enough toe to understand and ept that at such a tender age. I am also d that you have found such a wonderful man to help you and to make you happy." She turned her head just a little to smile at Artem who sat up straighter in his seat under her gaze. "Thank you, Artemis. Thank you for taking care of my great-niece for me. She is very lucky to have you."


    "I am the one that is lucky." Artem blushed as he turned to look at me. "I happened to find the most beautiful woman in the world to be my mate. What more could I have asked for? And now she is gifting me with a child of our own. She has made me the happiest man alive."

 Chapter 153 - Star - Joy From The Queen

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    "Did you say child?" The Queen was smiling giddily at Artem''s words. "I am very certain that I heard you say the word child, Artemis. Is that right?" The Queen seemed very eager to have Artem repeat what he had said. I couldn''t help it, Iughed softly.


    "Yes, he did." I was having trouble controlling the giggles now but I was managing to speak nheless. "Artem and I found out just recently that I am pregnant."


    The Queen jumped to her feet and smiled brightly. Actually she didn''t quite jump to her feet. I don''t know exactly what to call what she was doing. It looked as though she was jumping up and down with joy but she was actually moving higher and higher with every little jump. If she didn''t stop soon I was afraid that she was going to hit the ceiling.


    "I am so happy for you both. A lovely little baby. This is the most delightful thing I can possibly think of. Children bring such joy to the world. Yay, a baby! Yay! Yay! Yay!"


    It seemed that the Queen''s excitement was growing as she flew higher and higher. It was almost like the excitement and joy were what were making her float in the air. It truly was quite interesting to see. And just as I had thought she got high enough that her hands that were stretched above her head brushed against the ceiling.


    "Oops, it looks like I got a little too excited." She giggled at herself as she saw that she was still floating in the air above us. "Allow me toe back down there now, shall I." She smiled and I saw that her feet were glowing. I had expected that she would be wearing beautiful and elegant shoes but she was in fact barefoot. The long dress she was wearing hid that fact though.


    As I watched her dainty little feet glowed a bright blue and her toes pointed toward the floor. It was almost like there was a ma in the floor that was now pulling her down at a slow and steady pace. She didn''t look bothered by any of this at all. Actually, it looked like the Queen was having a lot of fun.


    When the Queen had finally settled herself back on the floor I watched as she rearranged her dress so that it sat a little neater. She looked slightly embarrassed now when she turned to look at me. It was almost as if she were a girl who had been caught goofing off when she was supposed to have been working.


    "I do apologize about that. I tend to keep my emotions under control because they can manifest in some, uh, unique ways." She was smiling as she exined what it was that had happened.


    "So, is that what happens when you''re happy?" I asked her with a grin on my face. This whole floating thing had actually made me feel a little more calm than I had been before.


    "It most certainly is, my dear. When I am overjoyed about something and feel very bubbly inside, well, I float. I can stop it if I truly try but I simply wasn''t trying at the time. I mean, why would I? I am in my personal space now. This is where I can truly let go of the rules and be as free as I want to be."


    As the Fae Queen exined what was going on she was twirling in a circle as if she were truly having fun. It was like she was dancing to a song that only she could hear.


    "This is where I bring all my family that I wish to have private talks with. You are my family as well Star so I hope you do not mind my rudeness and letting myself go. It does get to be so dreadfully boring when one has to be so proper all the time."


    There was more life and energy in the Queen''s eyes now. She truly seemed so much younger right now. It was almost like I was looking at a young girl instead of the same Queen that I had just been having lunch with. It''s amazing how she went from nearly crying to dancing with joy in just seconds. I guess when you''re as old as she is you learn to focus on the positives rather than the negatives.


    "Now, where were we?" She spun onest time as she looked at the three of us. "I think that a celebration is in order. We need to tell everyone that not only do I have a beautiful niece that we never knew about, but that she is expecting as well and that there will be yet another addition to the family. I know that everyone was so excited when they found out about Acacia''s triplets." She was pping her hands with her joy that was still overflowing.


    "Oh, no that is not necessary." I tried to stop her. "Please don''t do that. I am sure everyone was happy for her because they already knew her. I would just feel awkward and embarrassed if I were the center of a major party. Please, we can just be happy among ourselves. Really, I don''t want anything else."


    I watched as the Queen pouted a little, her arms crossed over her chest.


    "I understand what you are saying." She didn''t sound happy but she also didn''t sound angry either. "Alright, we will not have a big celebration, but please let me do something for you. I can get you a baby gift. If not now then closer to when you are due."


    She looked determined now, like she wasn''t going to take no for an answer no matter what I said. I actually felt happy hearing what she had to say. I was d that she was epting me so much and making me a true part of her family.


    "Alright, that will be fine." I smiled at her while nodding my agreement.


    "Yay. This is going to be fun. I just adore babies. I lovemissioning new gifts for all my new nieces and nephews."


    "What about your own children and grandchildren?" I wondered as I saw how happy she truly was about the baby.


    "Oh." It looked as if the Queen was suddenly a little less happy, almost sad even. "Well, I have not found my true mate. And I guess that the fates have not seen fit to bless me with children until I do find him. I do not have any children of my own yet. However, I do have magic enough to run the entire world of the Fae so I am its ruler for now. If there everes a time that my childlessness causes our magic to dwindle then I will step down so someone else may rule in my stead."


    "Oh, I am so sorry. I did not know. Please forgive me, Queen Gloriana." I bowed my head afraid that she was going to take some form of retribution against me.


    "Do not worry, Star." She smiled at me, the sadness already passing. "I am quite used to how my life is. I may not be perfectly happy but I am perfectly content and that is all that I can ask for. There are plenty of babies around me that I can take joy from seeing them." She walked over to me as she spoke and ced a hand on my belly. "Now, let''s see what you are having, shall we?"


    There was a sh of bright yellow light that red up from around the Queen''s hand where it rested on my belly. As I watched the light became a cloud that floated up to rest near my head.


    The floating light cloud was shifting and changing shapes as if it was having trouble trying to figure out what it wanted to be. After a moment the image in the shining cloud of light finally settled into that of a baby.


    The yellow shining baby was floating next to me and looked as if it were crying. I could see it''s little arms and legs kicking with its silent frustrations. The tiny little face on the baby was scrunched up as if it were afraid and wanted to be held.


    I felt a motherly urge inside of me kick in and go into overdrive. I just wanted to reach out and hold the crying baby. I wanted to soothe him until his tears stopped and he was smiling instead of crying.


    Without realizing it I did in fact reach out toward the child. My right hand was stretched in front of me and was just about to graze the baby''s hand when it moved and looked at me. The baby touched me first and seemed to instantly stop crying. I felt it''s little hand actually close around my index finger and it stared at me with a smile.


    The baby kicked again, this time with joy and silent giggles. With the movement the baby was making this time I was able to see that it was a little boy. And as I looked closer I could see that he had the exact same shape to his eyes that Artem had. There were other subtle simrities as well. It was almost like I was looking at Artem as a baby instead of some magically floating light baby.


    "W...w..what is this?" I asked the Queen with awe in my voice.


    "This is your future baby. You will be having a strong and healthy little boy." There was joy in the Queen''s voice again. "I see he will take after his daddy quite a bit." I saw that the Queen was looking between Artem and the baby.


    Artem was slowly walking up next to me. I saw the look of shock on his face as he stared at the little baby as well.


    "O..our b..b...baby?" Artem grabbed a hold of my left hand and squeezed it tightly.


    "Our baby." I squeezed his hand back as I stared at the little boy that was supposedly growing inside of me right now. As Artem and I watched the baby giggled silently and smiled at us. He truly was a beautiful little boy.

 Chapter 154 - Star - Meeting Acacia’s Family

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    As we all stared at that adorable little baby made out of yellow light there was a loud chiming sound that filled the room. It sounded like a dozen wind chimes blowing in the wind all at once.


    "Oh pixie dust." The Queen spoke as if she were frustrated and nearly swearing. The words though made me want tough.


    "Pixie dust?" I asked her with a giggle.


    "I was just being silly and slightly rude. It''s like a human saying fiddlesticks or something like that." She pulled her hand away from me and the magical baby disappeared instantly. "I am afraid that I have an important meeting with the nobles that I can not miss. I need to call this lunch to an end. I will, however, be seeing you againter. You both will be my guests for dinner tonight. Don''t worry, it''s not a major dinner with everyone, just us again and maybe a few other family members."


    "Auntie Glory, please don''t invite the whole family." Acacia nearly shouted.


    "Oh, for Faerie''s sake I wasn''t going to invite them all. I was going to have her father here for dinner. I wanted it to be a surprise though, you silly girl." The Queen looked a little sad as if her wonderful surprise had been ruined but I felt happy. I couldn''t believe she was going through so much trouble for me.


    "That is wonderful news, Queen Gloriana. Thank you so much for thinking of me." I couldn''t think of anything else to say to express my gratitude.


    "Oh, please Star, call me Aunt Glory when we are alone. I would love it so much if we could be just as close as I am with Acacia." She had gripped my hands and was holding them to her chest as if she was holding onto something precious to her.


    "Yes, of course Aunt Glory, that would be wonderful." I grinned at her.


    "And you too, Artemis, we are going to be family someday soon as well, right?" Aunt Glory was smiling at him where he stood next to me.


    "Yes, Aunt Glory, we will be. And please, call me Artem."


    "Yes, Artem and Star. The moon and the star. You two definitely belong together." She looked so happy as she regarded the two of us. I was happy to havee here now, and I felt as if all my nerves were fading awaypletely.


    Once we were out of the room Acacia turned to me and smiled.


    "Would you like to meet my family? My mom is your aunt since your dad''s dad is her brother. It''s all confusing but you will figure it all out some day. I just know they are all dying to meet you though." She was grinning at me with eyes that were practically dripping with excitement. How could I refuse her when she looked so happy about it?


    "Of course. I think that would be lovely." I grinned at her and held her hand tightly.


    "Excellent. Come with me."


    Acacia guided us to a part of the castle that we had not been to yet. She took us through so many hallways and corridors that I felt dizzy just trying to keep up. When we finally came to where we were going there was arge door with the name Aspen written on it.


    Once we went through that door it looked as if we were in a house. A private house meant for a family. The house still looked massive though. I guess it was technically, since it was inside of a castle and all.


    "Is this your family''s house?" I asked Acacia as I looked around the room.


    "In a way. It''s a private residence within the castle. Only certain families that are in close rtion to the Queen are allowed to have these family homes inside the castle. Aunt Glory likes to keep her family close to her since she is a pushover when ites to babies." Acacia was grinning as she rubbed her hand over her belly.


    "I can tell that she has a soft spot for children. We do as well." Iughed. "We''re going to have arge family soon. Probably too big for most people to understand."


    "Oh really? How many?" Acacia was still excited.


    "We are adopting most of the children at the house. There are thirteen of them. Our baby that is on the way will make fourteen." I exined to her, waiting for the shock toe.


    "Oh, then you just need to couple more to reach my family." She wasughing. "I am one of eighteen children. Only my parents didn''t adopt, we were all natural, and we were all multiples." She patted her belly. "Like these ones here, I am having three if you remember."


    "I had forgotten actually." Iughed.


    "You said eighteen?" Artem looked curious. "I am sure we can beat that. We will only need five more children after this one. Then we will have neen. Though I am not a fan of the odd number. Perhaps we should have six more so we can have a rounded out twenty."


    "Artem?!" I squealed as I looked at him in shock and horror. "What exactly are you thinking?"


    "Sounds to me like the boy has his mind firmly focused on family. That''s a good thing." A man came into the room then and he looked simr to Acacia.


    "Daddy." She yelled as she ran to him. "I am so happy to see you again." She was hugging him tightly.


    "I missed you too sweetheart." Acacia''s father hugged her back firmly.


    "Star, this is my dad, Ash Aspen."


    "It''s lovely to meet you sir." I held a hand out toward him.


    "Don''t act all formal youngdy. I will only answer you if you call me Uncle Ash." He was grinning at me. "Same goes for you young man. I know you are my niece''s mate so you''re my nephew now. I will not answer either of you unless you speak to me properly." He crossed his arms and turned his head away yfully as if he was trying to look angry and indignant.


    "Oh yes, I am so sorry Uncle Ash, where were my manners?" I joked with him.


    "Now that is better." He looked at me then right before he pulled both me and Artem into big squeezing hugs. "I am so happy to meet you. None of us ever thought that Aaron was ever going to have a family and here he''s had one for eighteen years now and didn''t even know it. That fool. He needs to get his head on straight."


    My Uncle Ash seemed to be a very nice man. I could tell that we were going to get along just fine.


    "OH MY, is she here? Is that her?" I heard a lovely voice and a woman who was the spitting image of Acacia came running into the room. "Oh my, the mystery niece is here and she is gorgeous. I can''t believe that my good for nothing nephew Aaron made such a lovely daughter. He is such an idiot for not being there with you."


    The woman, who I could only assume was Acacia''s mom, had run right up to me and hugged me right after Uncle Ash had let go of me.


    "Star, this is my mom, Lotus. Mom, this is Star and her mate Artem."


    "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, I am just so happy to meet you both." Clearly, this part of my family was very happy to have me around. Why couldn''t I have a family that was like this when I was little? If only my wolf side was as nice as my Fae side. That would have been perfect. Then I might have been able to be a happy kid and still have Artem as a mate when I grew up.


    We went into the parlor of the house next. That was where I saw seventeen other people that I could tell were rted to Acacia. They had been introduced to me, and I tried to remember all of their names: Willow, Birch, Hickory, Hawthorn, Por, Sequoia, Redwood, Spruce, Elm, Magnolia, Fig, Bark, Maple, Walnut, Cottonwood, Oak, and Fir. Acacia really did have a big family. That was fine, I didn''t mind, I liked seeing such arge and close knit family. It was exactly what I wanted to create with all the kids back home.


    I had a feeling that if I paid close attention to this family and learned how they did things, then I might be able to aplish that goal quite easily.


    We spent a few hours just sitting there listening to Acacia''s family tell us stories about the past. They told us some of the things that all of the kids got up to when they were younger. And I guess they were still considered young too, the youngest of the kids was around sixty, but when Fae live for hundreds and thousands of years that was considered young.


    It was quite an amazing afternoon and I wouldn''t trade it for anything.

 Chapter 155 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 1 (Prelude)

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    After all of Acacia''s siblings left the central family gathering room it was just me, Artem, Acacia, and her parents who also happened to be my aunt and uncle. We had been enjoying the afternoon filled withughter and joy.


    I had always wanted a family that was filled with love like this one. I couldn''t believe that I was seeing something like this and that in a way I was part of it. I might not see them all that often in the future but I would always remember the way they made me feel.


    They had made me feel epted and wanted. Like I belonged somewhere, truly belonged somewhere for the first time in my life. I felt weed and loved at Artem''s ce, but when I first got there I never truly felt like I belonged there. Honestly, I still felt like I didn''t belong half of the time. I was still learning how to fit in and that scared me. I tried not to let it show and I didn''t tell them about it because I didn''t know how it would make them feel but it was what it was.


    Still, I was enjoying myself here and I was truly d that I hade for this visit. I was only hoping that things stayed going in a positive direction for all of us. I didn''t want to worry any more than I already had.


    "Oh, is that really the time?" Acacia was looking at an ornately decorated clock with strange symbols and multiple hands and faces that was hanging on a wall over a beautiful firece. I couldn''t make heads or tails of the clock but I could tell that''s what it was, especially considering that she referred to time when she looked at it.


    "What time is it?" I asked as I looked over at Artem as he sat there with his arm around me. I knew that he was wearing a watch and most likely knew what time it was.


    "Dinner should be starting before long." Acacia stood then as she answered. "I almost spent too much time talking." She was shaking her head from side to side as if frustrated with herself. "I can''t believe that I did that."


    "I think we are all to me." Aunt Lotus smiled. "We were all enjoying this conversation so much that we didn''t want it to end." She was looking at me with a fond smile as she spoke.


    "Yes, I agree." I smiled back at her.


    "We should get going though." Acacia looked like she was in a hurry now. "And you should probably change as well. You don''t need to be so formal for dinner. Aunt Glory will want to keep things casual with Aaron there. If he even smells something formal he will run in the other direction as fast as he can." She wasughing at her own words as she thought about something or remembered something that I wasn''t privy to.


    "What should I wear then?" I asked her. "Most of what we packed is formal since we were nning on being in the presence of people at the castle." I felt nervous now, it was just that easy to bring it all on now I guess.


    "I can probably find something for you." I watched as Acacia grinned and put a hand against her face, cupping her cheek. "Hmm, if I am right then I think that I have just the thing. It will look amazing on you and best of all, it''s still brand new. I''ve never even worn it." She looked so excited now, like she was ying dress up with a living doll and that doll was me.


    "If it''s new then I don''t want to take it from you. Don''t you want to be the first person to wear something that you got for yourself?" I felt weird taking something that she had gotten for herself.


    "Nonsense, I want you to have it. And besides, I bought it right before I found out I was pregnant with triplets. It will be a little while still before I can wear it. At least you could wear it now. You''re about the size I was before it was taken over by this brood." I loved the way she smiled when she was talking about her babies. She just lit up like she was the happiest person in the world.


    "Are you sure?" I still didn''t know if I should take the offered clothes but she was being very insistent.


    "Very sure. Plus, I want to see what it looks like on you." She grabbed my hand then and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, follow me." She grinned as she pulled me along behind her. She was quite strong despite everything.


    Acacia pulled me along through the sitting room that we had been in until we entered arge hallway with an ornate curving staircase. There were tforms along the stairs at each of the upper floors. We passed by several of them as we twisted higher and higher up the stairs. I was actually starting to feel a little dizzy by the time that we finally came to a stop.


    I think we were on the sixth floor, maybe the seventh. I lost count along the way and simply could remember which one I was on at the moment. Acacia wasn''t done dragging me around either. With her hand still firmly gripping my arm she pulled me into a room that was about halfway down the beautifully decorated hallway.


    Behind the door to that room I saw something that looked almost exactly like something I would see on one of the TV shows that Chay had introduced me to. It looked like something that someone in college or an adult in their early to mid twenties would have in an apartment if they lived alone. It was all pretty and very modern, and exactly the opposite of what I had been expecting.


    Almost everything in the castle and the family part of this house had been more of what I would call ssically designed, or antique might be the better word. I am not exactly certain really. It was beautiful nheless with the borate designs.


    I could see some of that borateness in this room as well, in therge ornate bed and the beautifully hand carved dressers. There were the walls as well, they all seemed to be carved and crafted by hand as if someone spent a very long time making every single piece of this castle from the top to the bottom.


    On top of those obvious original designs, Acacia had added plenty of color in the form of paint, which I hadn''t seen around the castle at all yet unless it was on a canvas. She had also added sheer, see through green curtains on her bed, bright pillows in bright floral colors, and obviously new and modern pieces of furniture like chairs and a vanity table. The overall look was actually really fun and appealing.


    "Come on, sit on the bed while I get the outfit out of the closet." She was happy, that was clear to see. I should be used to this by now, this was quite simr to how Chay was. When I thought about it like that it made me miss home and my first ever friend. I wanted to go home and see everyone else soon.


    Acacia came back a few momentster with a fun looking dress in her hands. The dress was a light green with bright blue buttons. The fabric almost seemed to shine as it caught the light from hermp on the side table.


    "This is silk chiffon, it is of a nice quality and really pretty but it is also a really fun little dress and I think that you will like it."


    As I looked closer at the dress I could see that there was embroidery in the green fabric that was done with a slightly darker shade of green thread. The embroidery was in the pattern of leaves and flower petals that looked to be blowing in the wind. I could even see the swirl pattern that was supposed to represent the wind itself. It was wonderful and amazing. I really couldn''t take my eyes off of it.


    "Acacia." I was in awe and could barely say her name when I spoke. "I don''t think I can take this. It''s way too beautiful. You really should save it for when you have the chance to wear it."


    "No, Star." She was grinning at me. "I really think it will look beautiful on you. This is a special day for you. To me Aaron is just my cousin but he''s your father. I know this is major for you. Let me do this for you, one cousin to another." I could see the insistence and smile on her face trying to encourage me to say yes.


    I really couldn''t bring myself to say no to her right now. I wanted to take the dress as well because it was truly beautiful. I had a true desire to see what it would look like when I put it on. I didn''t know what to say though, I just felt the emotions welling up inside of me, warring with my strength as I tried my best to hold them in.


    "T..thank you Acacia." I nearly sobbed when I spoke but I managed to hold it in with nothing more than a slight squeak escaping.


    "You don''t need to thank me. Nowe on, hurry up and get changed. I want to do your hair. Your makeup is still fine for the most part, we can just do a few touch ups."


    How did I get lucky enough to have someone like Acacia helping me? I didn''t know what I had done to deserve this fortunate turn of events in my life.

 Chapter 156 - Artem - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 2 (Prelude)

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    While Star was upstairs getting ready for the dinner with Acacia I was still in the sitting room with Ash and Lotus Aspen. They were not only Acacia''s parents as we had learned earlier. No, they also happened to be Star''s aunt and uncle. I was happy that Star was starting to have the chance to meet more of her family. And more specifically, that these family members had been exceptionally nice to her.


    To think that Star was finally epted wholeheartedly by family members from the moment that they met her. They didn''t even have to know what had happened to her, they didn''t have to know that she had magic or anything like that. They just approved of her right away.


    It made me want to call my parents back in from their retirement. Not to take over thepany again or anything like. No, I wanted to have them finally meet my mate. Things had been so busy and crazy for thest few months that all I had done was tell them about Star. They hadn''t actually met her yet.


    Honestly, I don''t think that my parents expected me to sessfully reform the pack. That was probably why they fled to Mexico when I was ready to start taking over thepany. Granted, Dad did say it was a trial basis and I was not officially named as the CEO just yet. It was just a matter of time though, things were going well now that I was running things.


    It had also been quite coincidental that my parents left the country not even a week before I met Star. Was that part of fate''s n for us as well? I wonder. It definitely seemed like it was to me.


    As I sat there lost in thought it seemed that Ash and Lotus were looking at me with curiosity in their eyes.


    "Artem, do you mind if we talk about something while Star and Acacia are out of the room?" Lotus was speaking softly and with a friendly smile on her face but I had a feeling that she was about to talk about something that was a little difficult.


    "Of course. What would you like to discuss?" I smiled in return as I tried to be friendly and open with the family that was trying to be there for my mate and hopefully soon to be wife.


    "Well, we were just thinking about the dinner that Star is going to have soon." Ash looked a little ufortable. "We don''t think things will go bad at all. Honestly I really don''t know what happened between Star''s mother and Aaron, but I have a feeling he would have wanted to know about his daughter. Family is far too important to all of us to turn our backs on itpletely. Even to someone as, well, ky as Aaron can seem to be at times." Ash didn''t sound too confident at the moment.


    "So, what are you suggesting? Should she not go?" I was starting to get worried on Star''s behalf now. "I don''t want to see her getting hurt at all." When I added those words I noticed that Ash and Lotus looked at each other with a serious look in their eyes even as they smiled casually.


    "Actually sweetie," Lotus began softly as she turned back toward me andid her small dainty hand over mine. "I think what is best for Star right now, is for her to go to this dinner alone."


    "What?" Lotus''s words sent a shockwave through me that nearly made my heart stop.


    They wanted me to let Star go to the dinner alone? They wanted me to let her that far away from me while we were in such a strange ce? Did they not know how hard it was on me already just to let Acacia, someone that I knew and trusted already, drag Star up to her room for a change of clothes? This was madness. I couldn''t do such a thing.


    "I understand that it must seem unthinkable." Ash looked at me with a soft look in his eyes. I couldn''t quite exin what it meant. Was it understanding, sympathy, something else entirely. I didn''t know yet. "The thing is, son, Star needs to have this time to talk to her father. She needs to be able to ask him hard questions that might make her cry. If you''re there to stop any of the difficult parts from happening then there might be quite a bit of important information that isn''t shared between them. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"


    I did indeed understand what Ash was saying. And he was right too. If Aaron said anything that might upset my Star, anything that might make her cry, then I would probably go on the defense for her. If it looked like things weren''t going her way I would probably step in as a member of her offensive team and help steer things in a way that benefitted Star over anything or anyone else.


    I waspletely biased in this situation as I rightfully should be. Star was my mate, my woman, my future wife, and the mother of my pup that was growing strong in her womb. There was nothing that I wouldn''t do to protect her in any and all ways. I would try to protect her emotionally as well as physically.


    "Artem?" Lotus called my name which pulled me out of my thoughts. I realized then that I had rested my chin on my right hand, my index finger tapping away on my right cheek as I did my best to think about what they had said to me. "Artem, honey, what do you think? Will you sit out the dinner? You can stay here and eat with us or have dinner brought to your room that you will be sharing with Star for the time that you are staying with us."


    I had thought about it all right. There wasn''t much else I could say, I knew what my answer was going to be. No matter the oue, I had to let Star do this on her own. I had a feeling that she was going to be scared to go on her own though, and that was another reason why she needed to go by herself. She needed to build her confidence, her independence.


    "Yeah, I thought about it." I nodded to Lotus and then Ash as I answered her. "I understand exactly what it is you''re trying to say here. And, though it will make me nervous as hell, I agreepletely. This is something that Star needs to do alone. She has to do this where I can''t step in on her behalf. But not just for the reasons that you mentioned, though they are indeed valid ones."


    "Oh? You thought of another reason she should go without you?" Ash looked as if I had peaked his interest with my words.


    "Yes, I did. Since I rescued Star she has had someone with her to help her almost every step of the way. There were a few minor things that she didn''t seem to need someone''s help with but aside from them she has had someone with her to walk her through the difficult parts. Whether it was myself, my sister, her cousins back home, my beta, whoever it was that helped her doesn''t matter. What matters is that it seems that Star is slowly losing her independence because of the constant assistance."


    I hadn''t expected to make that response so wordy and long winded but I could tell that Ash and Lotus were still able to understand what it was that I had meant.


    "That is very wise of you to admit Artem. I am very proud of you. And I can say withplete confidence, that I am d my niece has a mate like you. I may not know Star any more than I know you but I am still proud of you, I hope you know that." Ash was smiling at me like he was a proud father and not a practical stranger who had just met me earlier this afternoon.


    "And I hope you know that I can never truly express to you how happy it makes me that you have all epted Star so easily. She has needed family members like you in her life for a long time. Family that has epted her with no questions asked whatsoever. She has a few cousins and her great great grandfather back home in California, but aside from them she has never once met a support family member. All of you have been much appreciated."


    I did my best to express my gratitude for them then. Judging by the emotional, and in Lotus''s case tear filled, smiles they were wearing, I think that I seeded. Just then I could smell Star and Acaciaing down the stairs and I knew they would be in the room very soon. I was going to have to tell Star that I was going to send her to this dinner alone.


    I felt my jaw drop and my heart start to race when I saw Star. The dress she was wearing was a light green with dark green embroidery sewn into the lower half. The design that was sewn onto it was that of leaves and flower petals, or at least that''s what it looked like.


    Then there was Star''s hair, it had been changedpletely. She was now wearing a very beautiful and borately done braid. I don''t even know how they had time to do something this amazing in that short amount of time. I guess that Acacia was used to doing things like this after practicing for close to a hundred years. Still the way that she had woven real vines covered in white flowers through the braid was just simply amazing. And there was just the smallest amount of hair that Acacia missed at the front, either on purpose or ident. That small amount of hair framed Star''s face nearly perfectly and it drew attention to her beautiful face.


    She was still wearing the diamond ne that I had put on her earlier and the way that it sparkled at her throat was mesmerizing. I couldn''t take my eyes off of her. Not until Ash cleared his throat, that is. The sound effectively dragged me out of my head and away from my private and inappropriate fantasies.

 Chapter 157 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 3 (Prelude)

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Artem seemed to have liked the way that I looked when I came back into the room with Acacia. He had been rendered speechless for a few minutes until Uncle Ash cleared his throat and pulled Artem away from whatever it was that he had been thinking about. Something tells me that it wasn''t something I could ask him about with other people around. And, oh Goddess, why did that make me feel so excited?


    The moment that Artem was pulled out of his little stupor he shook his head. He made me think of a dog, or a real wolf as he shook his head from side to side. It must have been quite the interesting thoughts that he had running through his head.


    OH MY GODDESS! I screamed inside of my head. I AM LETTING ARTEM CORRUPT ME AND TURN ME INTO A DIRTY PERVERT.


    I couldn''t believe what it was that I was thinking about as I thought about what it was that Artem was most likely thinking about. I might bepletely wrong in what I was suspecting him of thinking about. And if that was the case that made me the dirty pervert and not him. Oh Goddess, what was happening to me?


    "Star." He called my name then as he walked closer toward me, his hands held out so that he could take mine in his when he reached me. I raised my hands and slid my smaller hands into his when he was close enough. I loved the way it felt when his hands were wrapped around mine. It made me feel safe and secure, like nothing bad could ever happen to me.


    "Artem, is something wrong?" I asked him. I had been trying to sound proper so much sinceing here that I honestly feared it was going to be permanent when we got back home.


    "No, nothing is wrong. However, you look amazing. You are so beautiful." He leaned in and kissed my cheek.


    "Ah ah, no kissing the merchandise. I just finished getting her ready for dinner." Acacia pretended to scold him as she wagged a finger at him in an over exaggerated way.


    "If I smear her makeup does that mean that I need to buy her and take her home with me?" Artem winked at that before he pulled me toward him yfully.


    "Oh?" I squealed awkwardly at that, not sure what was actually going on at the moment. Everyone thought that my little scream was funny though, since all four of them burst intoughter the moment they heard it. "What is going on here?" I asked them all, confused.


    "I''m sorry, Star." Artem kissed me lightly. "I just felt the need to y around a little after Acacia made her little joke.


    Artem and Acacia wereughing and I truly didn''t understand what was happening. I just decided to keep my mouth shut though, now was not the time.


    "Anyway, Star, there was something that I wanted to tell you." Artem turned me to look at him so that all I could focus on was the serious expression in his eyes.


    "Yes?" I tilted my head and encouraged him to go on.


    "I am going to sit out this dinner with the Queen and your father. I think it is a very personal and private family moment that you need to have for yourself. I don''t want to intrude."


    I felt my heart fall. He wasn''t going to be there with me? Why? Why didn''t he want to go with me? What had happened while I was upstairs with Acacia?


    "There is no need to worry." Artem cradled my face in his hands then, offering me at least a little bit offort with the touch.


    "Why, Artem? Why don''t you want to go?" I almost felt heartbroken when I heard that I was going to be going in there all alone. No, I don''t think heartbroken is the right word for it. Honestly, I think the best way to describe it would be afraid. I felt a wave of fresh terror wash over me when I thought about having to face my father alone.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to go, Star. I just think that it would be best for everyone if you went without me. You know that I have a tendency to overreact at times. I don''t want to say something to offend the Queen if your father says something that I find disagreeable. I am doing this for you, Star. I want you to have the chance to have a peaceful meal with your father."


    I could see the genuine, love filled smile that Artem was giving me. He was telling me the truth, or at least most of it. I could tell that he wasn''t trying to deceive me at least. But it was still frightening.


    "Artem, if you''re afraid of saying something that will offend her, what do you think that I am likely to do? You are more knowledgeable about everything than I am." I wanted to start trembling but I didn''t allow that. I never used to be this weak and afraid. This meekness was never who I was, when did this happen to me?


    I looked again into Artem''s eyes. I looked closely and deeply. I tried my best to see the thoughts and emotions hidden in those green pools. I felt a small tugging at something from somewhere inside of me, somewhere that I couldn''t quite pinpoint. It almost felt like it came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The sensation was elusive and passed before I had the chance to investigate it.


    When the tugging feeling was gone I noticed something new. There were flowers floating next to Artem. They were actually more behind him than next to him but I was able to see them from where I stood. They were white, they signified calm and serene feelings, not to mention happiness and joy. So there was nothing that he was truly trying to hide from me. If that was the case then what was this all about.


    "Beautiful." I heard Aunt Lotus exim from several feet away. When I turned my head she was the only one who was staring at me intently. Ash and Acacia didn''t seem to know what was going on.


    "Lotus? What is it?" Uncle Ash looked confused as he stared at his wife.


    "The flowers. She has conjured the most beautiful alyssums." Aunt Lotus had her hands sped in front of her as she looked at the flowers that surrounded Artem.


    "Y...you can see the flowers?" I asked her, with shock filling my voice. No one had seen the flowers before except for Artem when I touched him.


    "Oh yes, sweetheart, I can see them. I am not fully a tree Fae like my husband and daughter here, I am actually a pixie. Flowers were my life when I was younger. However, I have birthed many Dryads and have lived among them so long that I have absorbed their powers as well."


    "I really don''t understand." I felt the confusion filling me even more.


    "Do not worry, sweetheart. What matters is that I can see the flora that you have conjured and I think it is wonderful. This is definitely something to talk to your father about." I saw a proud smile on Aunt Lotus that made me want to smile back at her. If I wasn''t trying to figure out what was going on right now I might allow myself to feel proud of myself.


    "Star?" Artem looked at me then, this head tilted and his eyes uncertain.


    "I didn''t call the flower to me, they just appeared. I didn''t do it on purpose, Artem. I promise." I didn''t want him to think that I was trying to pry into his feelings or anything like that.


    "I know. What do you want me to exin, what is confusing you so much?" It looked like he felt remorseful now, like he felt as if he had done something wrong. That made me feel even worse.


    "Hah." I sighed, unable to hold it in at all. "We''re notmunicating very well right now are we?" Iughed at the awkwardness of all of this. "I just don''t understand why you felt the need to sit out the dinner all of a sudden. I mean, your reasons were valid, I get that. I just think that there is more to it. I''m not going to pry though. I will let you tell me when you''re ready." I smiled at him, trying my best to be mature and positive about all of this. "When you want me to know I will be waiting to listen."


    "Star-." Artem began but I held up a hand and stopped him.


    "It''s alright Artem. I was being childishly immature about it all. I need to hold my head up and handle this myself. That is what a responsible Luna would do, right."


    I saw the pride that filled Artem''s eyes when he heard my words. He probably hadn''t expected to hear anything of the sorting from me. I wanted to mold myself into a proper Luna and a great mom. I had a lot of people waiting at home for me and I would soon be weing a baby that would rely on me for everything as well. I needed to learn these lessons now. As I thought about it, maybe that was what Artem had wanted all along. It seemed usible to me, and as I thought about that it made me smile.


    Truly, once I stopped letting myself be so afraid I could see things so clearly. I could also see how it all made sense and just seemed to fit together. I took a deep breath and looked back at the man that I loved with all of my heart.


    "Thank you Artem. I think I know what you''re trying to do and I truly appreciate it. I love you, more than I could ever express to you."


    "Star." He pulled me in close to him then. "I love you as well." I watched as the white flowers around him shifted to a soft pale pink. The color that brought to mind love and affection. It was good, I guess, that I could see the truth of his feelings in such a concrete way. It made my heart sing.


    It was decided that Artem was going to have dinner in the room we would be sharing for the night. When I was finished with my meal and discussion I would be taken to the room by a guard or someone that I could trust. That way I would not get lost on my way in unfamiliar territory.

 Chapter 158 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 4

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    After the exact details were figured out for who was going where for the dinner, it was time for me to go. I didn''t want to bete to meet with Aunt Gloriana, especially since she had told me that I was going to meet my father when I went there this time.


    As I followed behind Acacia toward the same private study from before, the one where we had eaten lunch, I felt several emotions coursing through me. Excitement was of course the first thing that I felt pumping its way through me. After that, naturally, was fear. I was so nervous and happy, scared and filled with anticipation. It was nearly overwhelming me with just how much I was feeling the shifts in my emotions as I walked toward that room.


    My brain kept going back and forth on me. I would think things like ''this is going to be fine, he''s going to love me and we''re going to have so much to talk about''. Then, of course, I would flip right over to theplete opposite side of what could happen. My thoughts would turn dark, and I would tell myself things like ''oh my Goddess, he had been so mean and cruel to my mom; he told her he didn''t love her, and he left us to our fates, whatever they may have been''.


    These dark thoughts made me think about the letter that my parents had sent back and forth to each other. It made me remember how he had told her that he never loved her at all and that he had just been leading her on the entire time. I had brought that letter with me when I came to the Faepound, and of course I was bringing it with me to dinner.


    I understood that this basically meant that I was just asking for an argument or fight to erupt between us at some point throughout the evening, but could anyone really me me? I had learned that my father was spending time with other women around the city while ignoring my mother.


    He had left her, left us. And for what? All he wanted was to be a slut. He wanted to have more women, more chances to whore around and do whatever he wanted instead of being tied down.


    I would never approve of what he had done. I would never ept him. I wanted to meet him, that was true. I needed to meet him, it had nothing to really do with want. I needed to know who he was and learn about that part of me. I was half Fae, whether I liked it or not. I needed to know what it was that I was capable of, and how to control whatever magic it was that I had. This whole meeting had less to do with me wanting to connect with my father and more to do with me wanting to connect with myself. As far as my father was concerned, I was probably going to smack him across his face.


    I sighed in relief as we got closer to Aunt Gloriana''s private study. This line of thinking had really helped and imagining myself smacking my father had actually calmed me down quite a bit. When we reached the door that was opened by a waiting guard, I was actually smiling.


    Acacia just smiled at me encouragingly as I walked through the door. She wasn''ting inside this time. She had just been my escort here so I wouldn''t get lost. If I had not already met the Queen and found out that she was just my really nice aunt, then this would have been harder. And likewise, if Aunt Gloriana wasn''t here with me I would never have the courage to be meeting with my father like this.


    "Star." Aunt Gloriana smiled at me warmly as I walked into the room. She was waiting by the firece with a thick book in her hands. "I am so d that you agreed toe back for dinner."


    "Thank you for inviting me, Aunt Gloriana." I returned the smile she was giving me as I walked over to her side. "Is my father noting?" I asked her. I had scanned the room when I first came in and of course she was the only other person that was here.


    "I thought it was best that you arrive before he did." She almost seemed to grimace, just a little. Well, her smile faltered a little at least. "To bepletely honest, Star, I have not told him about you yet." She looked embarrassed at that. She was acting like she didn''t want to look me in the eyes.


    Well, would you look at that? I guess she thought that my father wouldn''t even bother showing up if she told him that he was supposed to be having dinner with the daughter that he abandoned before she was even born. That didn''t give me much confidence. I was pretty certain that most of the people in the castle knew why I was here. At least all of Acacia''s family knew why she had brought me here.


    I was going to wager that my father was going to miss this dinner. I don''t know what excuse he was going to give for missing it, but I was certain that he was going to avoid seeing me at all costs.


    I know that I was nning on smacking him across his face for what he had done, but that doesn''t mean that I wasn''t hurt by the fact that he didn''t want to see me. All of this was just so confusing and infinitely conflicting. Why couldn''t I just go back to thinking that I was just a normal, non-Fae wolf?


    While I stood there next to the Queen, my aunt who looked absolutely nothing like me, I thought about what my life might end up like when I left here, or at least I tried to. I couldn''t quite wrap my head around anything anymore. And just moments before I allowed the emotions to start to take over, the door to Aunt Gloriana''s private study opened up again.


    There was a man walking into the room now. I recognized him, I had seen him in pictures after all. The man that walked into the room had dark green hair, even his eyebrows and eyshes were green. His eyes, which had not been easy to see in the pictures that I had of him, were a cross between blue and purple, it was best described as blue violet I guess, but you could see the purple in there.


    I recognized many of his facial features, and it wasn''t just because I had seen his picture before. No, we shared simr bone structure. I had the same shape to my cheeks, nose, and jaw. So much of my face came from him. Aunt Gloriana had been right earlier, you can see so much of him in me.


    I also had not expected that my father would be so tall. Knowing that he was a pixie, which you think of as being a tiny little creature, I had not been expecting someone who was about as tall as Artem.


    Another thing that shocked me was the fact that he still looked like he was in his mid twenties. He looked the exact same age as he did in the pictures he took with my mother all those years ago. That was just another reminder to me about how the Fae aged differently than the rest of the world.


    "Aaron, my dear boy." Aunt Gloriana beamed at him and held her arms open for him when he came into the room. I hadn''t needed her to say his name to confirm that this man was indeed my father, but hearing her say it made my heart race nheless. It was exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time.


    "Aunt Glory, I''ve missed you." He smiled back at her as he put on a smile and hugged her tight. "I was so shocked to get your invitation to dinner. This was so sudden that I didn''t know what to think. Has something happened?" He looked worried when he asked her that question, but then he let his eyes slide toward me, and the smile that he had been wearing faltered for just a moment.


    I swear there had to have been some form of recognition there. Why would his smile falter like that if he didn''t know who I was. Did he see remnants of my mother in my face? Could he tell that I was her daughter and therefore his daughter? Was I grasping for something that wasn''t even there and just imagining things? This was all just too much for me right now.


    "And who might this be, Aunt Glory? I know that I have never met her before."

 Chapter 159 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 5

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    Star??


    ~~


    "That''s right Aunt Gloriana, please do introduce us." I did my best to keep my voice level as I smiled at her. "I would love an introduction in this situation." I watched as my father''s face paled as he processed the words that I had just spoken.


    "Excuse me, but please do not refer to her as your aunt. It is quite rude when non-family members take such liberties." I noticed a tightness around his eyes and mouth that didn''t look natural on him.


    "I am sorry, Sir, but I am not taking liberties. As I am in fact Queen Gloriana''s niece, I have been given permission to call her by the name."


    I don''t know why, but that small statement had my father looking at me more intently. It was like he was trying to figure out just who I was. I think there was a bit of recognition there, but since I didn''t look that much like my mother, I knew it was difficult for him to make the connection. The closest resemnce, as I have been told, was in my eyes.


    I was doing my best to not hide my eyes from him. I wanted him to see that part of me the most. I wanted him to see my mother in my eyes. What I really, truly wanted to know was if he would recognize her there. I wanted to know if he would even remember her.


    As Aaron, my absent father, stared at me intently for what felt like hours even though in reality I knew it was merely seconds, I watched as a sense of familiarity washed over him.


    "H..how is she your aunt?" His voice was hushed, and there was disbelief in his eyes though it was mixed with something that I didn''t quite recognize. What was it that he was feeling right now? What was running through his head? I wish I could see it right now.


    I watched as a strained smile passed across Aunt Gloriana''s face. She was all too happy to reunite us, in theory of course. However, now that we were here, and the time hade for us to be meeting each other in person, it was as if she had suddenly be very nervous.


    "Aaron, my dear nephew, could you join me for a moment. I wish to sit and talk with you for a little while before we have our dinner." There were no emotions that escaped into Aunt Gloriana''s voice, she was a master, a pro, when it came to being diplomatic like this.


    "I most certainly will join you, Aunt Glory, but I think it would be better to discuss whatever this matter is with just the two of us. There is no reason to bring an outsider into the mix now, is there?" It was clear that I was making my father nervous. If he only knew how nervous I was right now. He would probably be the first person to nominate me for an award for how well I was handling it all.


    "Come now, Aaron, this matter has to do with her as well. I would like to talk to the both of you at the same time. Won''t you please do me the honor of granting that request? I do not wish to make it into amand." That was the first time that I had heard her threaten someone, and it wasn''t that much of a threat. To me it basically just sounded like she was telling him to stop being a baby and to just do as he had been told.


    "Aunt Glory?" He looked shocked by her words, but his proper attitude didn''t falter at all. "I do not know this woman so how am I expected to trust her?" I believe that was perhaps the most honest thing he could think to say at the moment. "No offense to her or whomever it is that she is here to represent, but I can hardly put my faith in her so easily."


    "That is truly funny, Aaron." I tried to smirk at his words, but I am very certain that it ended up looking a lot more like a grimace by the time that I was done. "You find it hard to put faith in people that you just met, but you expect that faith from them. Tell me, how long do you wait before you tell a woman that you love her? Is it something that they must work for so that they feel special? Or is it more like a club that is open to everyone, and you spread the word around as if it were nothing more than a free sample that everyone is allowed to try a piece of?"


    Honestly I didn''t even know where the words came from as I ranted at him. They just came spilling out of me as I red at him as the pent up anger was boiling throughout my body. When my words had hit him, and he had had the time to process what it was that I had said, a cloud seemed to settle over his eyes. The colors darkened, both the blue and the purple, until they looked nearly ck. I could see that he was just getting ready to start a fight with me.


    That was fine with me. If he wanted to fight and argue with me then I would let out everything that I was feeling as I screamed at him. I had even envisioned something just like this happening anyway. I knew that he would be angry when he met me. I knew he would be mad that he was meeting the daughter he never wanted. The daughter that would just make him remember the woman he never wanted. Oh, I would let him start this fight, and I would do my best to put him in his ce.


    "Look, whoever you are, I don''t like the way that you are speaking to me right now." His attitude filled with authority and superiority was still there, but it was starting to crumble and fall, I could tell by the way that his voice shook just a little. "However, I do not randomly tell women that I love them. That is not an emotion that should be taken lightly. I do not believe that someone as young as you would understand that, but we Fae take the matter of family, love, and eternity very seriously."


    He was really starting to make me mad with the way that he was talking. I know that he had seen my eyes. I know that he recognized my mother in them. Was he just going to ignore itpletely? Or was he just going to pretend like I was someone else until this was over and then yell at Aunt Gloriana after I left the room?


    ''GRR!'' I growled my frustration inside my head so that he wouldn''t notice that anything was wrong at all.


    "Do you want to know something, Aaron? You''re quite infuriating." I could feel the anger raging in me so much that my vision was literally turning red.


    "I don''t find you very pleasant right now either, Miss. Sorry, but I don''t know your name." He seemed to be sneering at me as he spoke, like him not knowing who I was meant that I was not important to him.


    "My name is Astraia, Astraia Westbrook." I noticed that he flinched just a little bit when he heard the name, so he did remember her. "Does that mean something to you, Aaron?" I sneered at him now, he would know that I knew who he was.


    "Oh hush now, the both of you." Aunt Gloriana snapped at us as she cut through the anger and tension that was between us.


    I could tell that Aunt Gloriana had been trying to let us start this introduction ourselves. We had definitely opened up the floor for discussion, that was for sure. However, we hadn''t taken it in a very friendly direction now, had we? I had a feeling that Aunt Gloriana was wondering just which one of us that she should be supporting in our little argument. My bet was she had wanted to stay neutral so she was breaking up the spat before it truly got started.


    "The two of you need to sit down and discuss this calmly and rationally. That is why I asked the two of you toe to this dinner tonight. I wanted you both here together, because without the both of you here we will never get to the bottom of this."


    For the first time since I had gotten back to Aunt Gloriana''s room, I noticed her true emotions leaking out. She was angry and frustrated. What would she do if we continued to fight?


    "Fine, Aunt Gloriana, I will sit and talk with him." I settled into an armchair and waited.


    "I refuse to speak with an outsider that is so rude and overly familiar with you." My father was still being defiant as he refused to ept that we needed to talk calmly.


    "Oh for nature''s sake, Aaron, she is your daughter."

 Chapter 160 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 6

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    Star??


    ~~


    "She''s my what?" I saw nothing but shock and curiosity register on his face. "I don''t have a daughter. What are you talking about Aunt Glory?" My father looked like he was trying to convince Aunt Gloriana that she was wrong. Did he truly not want to ept me that badly?


    "No, Aaron, she is your daughter. You just never knew about her."


    "There is no woman that I havein with that ended up pregnant with my child, Aunt Glory. I thought I found the one many years ago, but it ended up not being the truth." I watched as he hung his head as if he were in pain.


    "Really, and what was her name?" I asked him, clearly hearing the anger that was seeping into my voice.


    "That is none of your business." He red at me. "My life has nothing to do with you. Astraia was it? You are nothing to me, and I am nothing to you. Stop filling my aunt''s head with lies and move along, go on your merry way and leave us alone." He was ring at me, and I could sense a change in the room, like the presence of several different flowers in my immediate vicinity. They smelled of angry scents, things that spoke of fear and anger, and things I couldn''t fathom at the moment.


    I don''t know how I did it, but somehow I called on my own magic as well. Maybe it was his magic calling mine. In an instant, my flowers appeared and filled the room. I watched out of the corner of my eyes as the angry-colored flowers surrounded both me and my father while sad colored flowers surrounded my aunt. Neither of us looked away from each other even as Aunt Gloriana made a sound of shock upon seeing the flowers; we just continued to re at each other in anger and frustration.


    "You say that you have nothing to do with me, but I have a question for you, Aaron. The woman you thought might be the one years ago, what was her name? Who was she?"


    "That doesn''t matter now. She left me. She didn''t want me anymore." I could see the pain in his eyes, and the flowers reflected it as well. Even the scent in the room reflected it as well.


    "Did she? Did she really reject you, or did you reject her?" I was beyond pissed off now. If he was saying that the one that left him, the one he thought could have been the one for him, was my mother, and that she left him then he had some exining to do.


    "No, she left me. She told me she didn''t want anything to do with me anymore. She told me she never loved me and that she never wanted to see me again. Does that make you feel any better, Astraia. Does that satisfy whatever sick desire it was that you had to fulfil by knowing what the one woman I ever loved had to say to me?" There were tears brimming in his eyes, and mine too for that matter.


    "No, it does not. Because if that is what she had to say to you, then it most definitely could not have been Vivian Westbrook who said those words to you."


    The color of the flowers that surrounded my father turned to a pale blue. They were the color of a broken heart and painful memories. They made me feel like I was about to start crying a river of tears.


    "Why? Why would you say her name? How do you even know her? What is she even to you? Did she send you here to torment me?" The tears that he had been trying to hold back broke free, at least one of them since just a single lonely tear spilled down his cheek as he looked at me with eyes that shook from the strain of holding in his pain.


    "No, she didn''t send me here. Acacia brought me here. She brought me so that I could meet the other half of my family. She brought me here so that I could meet my father. She brought me here to meet you."


    He recoiled at that. It was like I had actually pped him across his face like I wanted to. It was like he had felt the pain that I wanted to inflict upon him and stepped back to avoid the force of the real thing before it could reach him.


    "Why? Why would my cousin think that you were my daughter? What on earth would make her think that we were rted at all?"


    "You mean aside from the fact that I look just like you?" I scoffed right into his face as I followed after him. I wouldn''t let him back away from me anymore, I was going to follow him and make him pay attention to me right now. "Maybe it''s because I have my mother''s journals from when she met you and the magical letter that she shared with you. And you clearly reacted to her name, Aaron, so you cannot deny that you knew her. I know you dated Vivian Westbrook almost neen years ago. I am a product of that rtionship."


    The look that my father had now made him look like a fish. His mouth flopped open and closed repeatedly, like he was gasping for air and couldn''t seem to find any.


    "This makes no sense. Why would your mother say that I am your father? Why wouldn''t she tell me herself if I was your father? She has had many years to do so."


    "You rejected her. You told her that you didn''t love her anymore. You turned her away and stopped responding to any of her messages. You refused to help her when she was in danger. She had no choice but to flee the city after that. She took me out to California where her family was from, but they didn''t want us there, they only wanted her money. They killed her, and they locked me up until I could be rescued. You abandoned us."


    I was truly crying now, just shy of full on sobbing. I could even feel myself huping from the force of holding in the emotions that were fighting to be released. I didn''t want to fully break down in front of him, but it looked like I wasn''t going to get my way on that one.


    "No, no that is not true." My father was backing away from me now as if he was warding off some sort of evil. "No, that is the opposite of what happened. I didn''t reject her. I loved her. I wanted to be with her forever. I told her as much when she broke it off with me. I was heartbroken. I didn''t leave thepound for years after that. I was unable toprehend why she would leave me so suddenly." His single tear was now joined by the others that he had worked so hard to hold in. "I have the letters I sent to her, and her responses back to me. I always carry them with me at all times. It is to remind me of what can happen when I give my heart away too easily. I do not wish to be hurt like that ever again."


    With trembling fingers, he reached into the pocket on the inside of his jacket. I saw that he was pulling out a folded piece of paper that matched the one that I had brought with me as well. I did the same as him, only I pulled mine from the small clutch purse I had around my wrist. I was going to remind him of the harsh and hurtful words he had said to my mother all those years ago.


    I was going to make sure that my father admitted to what he did and took responsibility. I didn''t want to get anything from him. Not really. Meeting him was enough. As long as I could be epted by Acacia''s family and by the Queen, Aunt Gloriana, then I would be happy. If anyone else in my father''s family wanted to meet me then that was on them. However, I for one was not going to force my father to have anything to do with me aside from acknowledging that I exist. That is all I wanted from him right now.


    I was going to at least get him to tell me that he was my father. That would be the bare minimum he could do. And if he could tell me why he rejected my mother so harshly that would be nice as well. It wasn''t necessary but it would be worth knowing. I knew it would break my heart, but I still wanted to know. I wanted to try to understand. I knew I never would though. I just needed to ept that I was never going to get anything out of Aaron that I wanted. This was a waste of my time.

 Chapter 161 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 7

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    Star??


    ~~


    I watched as my father unfolded the letters that he said were from my mother. While he did that I pulled out and unfolded the letters that I had. We were ready with them at nearly the same time. I was shocked to see that they looked almost identical when we held them next to each other. I couldn''t believe what it was that I was looking at. How could this be?


    "What is this?" Aunt Gloriana asked when she saw what it was that we both held in front of us.


    "This is a correspondence between myself and Vivian. This was when she broke off our rtionship. This was when she told me that she never loved me." I could hear the emotions that thickened and cracked in my father''s voice.


    "No, that''s impossible. This is the letter you sent back and forth with my mother. This is where you told her that you never loved her, and you couldn''t keep up the charade any longer. This was when she was trying to tell you that she felt like she was in danger."


    "In danger? From whom? Who would have dared to hurt my Vivian? I would have destroyed them." I saw the anger re in my father''s eyes. It was an emotion that was so strong it immediately changed the color of the flowers that had surrounded him. Funny enough, that was when he finally noticed the flowers. "Where did thesee from?" He looked confused.


    "I do believe, Aaron, that your daughter summoned them in her anger. Much like you summoned the scent of flowers just moments before these appeared. I think Star needs a little more practice with her magic. She lost control a little too easily, but then again, you tend to do the same, don''t you." Aunt Gloriana giggled softly as she looked at the flowers that surrounded the three of us.


    "These are yours?" He was looking at me with shock filled eyes. "You summon the heart''s flowers?"


    "I didn''t know that was what they were called. I honestly have never shown them to anyone here yet. Well, I did to Aunt Lotus, but she didn''t say anything about them. Is there something special about these flowers?" I turned to ask Aunt Gloriana, not sure if my father would answer me.


    "They are my signature magic. A lot of time a child will inherit a magic simr to their parent, but it is rare for them to get the exact same power." I just turned to look at him; was that him acknowledging me? Did he just admit that he was my father? Huh, go figure. Who would have thought it would be that simple?


    "I have not learned how to use and control magic on my own yet. It justes and goes as it pleases right now. I do not know if I will ever know how it works. But yes, these were brought here by me, and I do know what the different colors mean. At least, I think I do."


    "That is good. The colors should speak to you directly. They should tell you what the person whom they are surrounding is feeling. It will help you to determine who your enemies are. That is a valuable source of information to have. It is why I thought your mother loved me; if you are indeed Vivian''s daughter." He looked like he wanted to believe it, but wasn''t fully convinced.


    "Just look at her, Aaron. Does she not bear any resemnce to the woman that you remember? Is there nothing in her face that you see that reminds you of your Vivian?" Aunt Gloriana was trying hard to mend this bridge for us. Neither she nor I had told my father yet that my mother had passed away.


    At Aunt Gloriana''s urging my father looked into my face once again. He had already looked at me closely, and I knew that he had sensed it earlier. That recognition that he had when he saw my eyes. The shape and color of them that would remind him of my mother. That was what I was often told. They even changed colors often like hers did.


    "The only simrity I see are the eyes. They are the same. The exact same shape, the same colors, a perfect match. I noticed them earlier, but I told myself that I was imagining things. It was all that I could do to try and convince myself that it was all just an illusion."


    "It is not an illusion, Aaron. I am Vivian''s daughter, and you are my father."


    I watched as he hung his head and sadness washed over him. It was like his entire heart was shattering, and he was having toe to terms with something that was the opposite of what he had believed for so long.


    "This is wrong. This is so wrong. This isn''t how it was supposed to be. This was not the way I wanted this to go. I loved her. I wanted to be with her."


    My father was backing away from me and Aunt Gloriana. I don''t think that he was able to stand any more. It looked to me like he was searching for some ce to sit down. It was like the strength was seeping out of him, and he was copsing without it.


    "Then why did you tell her that you didn''t love her?" I asked him, my own tears getting to be too much for me to hold in. I returned to the seat that I had taken earlier. "Why did you tell her that she was nothing to you?"


    "But I didn''t. I swear that I never told her those things. Not once."


    "I have the proof, Aaron. I have the letters you sent her. I have the messages that you sent her when you went home and told her that you couldn''t leave. You led her on for a while, but then you told her that you never loved her, and that you couldn''t y along anymore. It broke her when all she wanted to do was to tell you about me. At that point, her love for you was fading. She just wanted you to know about me, and the danger that I was in. She thought you would care that your child was in danger. She thought you would want to protect me. But you didn''t."


    I felt the anger spilling out of me. This time it was my turn to feel the rage and have the flowers around me show what I was feeling. For some reason, though, the flowers around my father were turning yellow and orange. They were colors of fear and uncertainty. I don''t know what it was that he had to fear. I don''t know why he would be afraid of me. Or perhaps he was just afraid of his aunt, the Fae Queen, finding out what it was that he had done. Why else would he be so afraid?


    "I swear on everything that I am, I never told her that. I begged her not to leave me. When she told me that she wouldn''t wait for me toe back from my time here at the yule celebration, I begged her to reconsider. I told her that I couldn''t live without her."


    His words weren''t making any sense to me at all. My mother never told him anything like that at all. What in the world was going on here? What was he remembering that was different from the truth that I knew? Both stories couldn''t possibly be true, however, I could tell that he wholeheartedly believed what it was he was saying.


    "How? How can that be the truth? I have read what you wrote to her, Aaron. I know what was exchanged between you, and yet I can see that you believe what you are saying is the truth. How is that possible?"


    "How can you have the letters? I have them here. I kept them with me. I didn''t want to forget her at all, even if thest memories were painful one."


    "No, the letters are here." I held them out for him to see. "She kept them with her journal, hidden away from her family. I found them just recently." I watched as he stared at the letters in my hand, but he too held out an identical letter that looked as if it had been smeared by flowers.


    "These are the messages I sent her. I do not know where those came from."


    In a daze, we exchanged the letters and started to read them. It was time for the two of us to get to the bottom of what had really happened all those years ago. I was stunned by the way this meeting was turning out, and I was betting that my father was as well. In time, perhaps we would learn the truth and we could work out a solution to all of this.

 Chapter 162 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 8

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    I took the letter from my father and started to read over it. It started very simr to the one that I had seen already. In fact, it started exactly like the message my mother had exchanged, but after a certain point, it started to deviate.


    My Dearest Aaron,


    I miss you more than you


    could ever know. I need to


    see you. I need to be with


    you. There is something I


    need to tell you. It''s very


    important.


    With Love Vivian


    Vivian My Darling,


    I am not able to get away.


    Things are hectic and crazy


    right now. I do not believe


    that the queen would let me


    leave right now. I miss you.


    With all my love,


    Aaron


    My Dearest Aaron,


    I do not like how you are


    ignoring me. I do not like


    that you have taken your


    love and attention away


    from me. I do not want to


    be away from you. I want


    you toe back right now.


    I want to have you shower


    me with love and attention.


    I await your reply,


    Vivian


    Vivian My Darling,


    That is simply not possible


    at the moment. The queen is


    not permitting us to leave at


    all until the yule celebration has


    my love. I will return to you as


    soon as I am able to. I also


    wish to be with you as much


    as I possibly can. I love you


    Vivian, please, just wait for me.


    With Love, Aaron


    Aaron,


    This is not going to work.


    I need to see the way that


    you love me. I haven''t seen


    any proof of this so called


    love that you have for me.


    What am I to do while I wait


    for you to return to me? How


    am I to know how long it will


    be before youe back to


    me? For all I know, it could be


    months or even years before


    youe back to me. How


    can you possibly expect me


    to wait that long for you? I


    need to see you, Aaron, I


    need you to prove your love


    for me. This is not something


    I am willing to negotiate on.


    If you cannot prove your love


    for me then we are done.


    I am sorry,


    Vivian


    Vivian,


    Please, my dearest Vivian, do


    not do this. I love you. I thought


    that you loved me as well. Please,


    Vivian, we can make this work.


    It will only take some time for me


    toe back after this time


    home. I wille back home


    soon sweetheart. Please, I love


    you. Don''t you love me? I


    thought you loved me, you told


    me that you loved me. Was that


    not the truth? Vivian? Please do


    not do this.


    Let''s work on this,


    Aaron


    Aaron,


    I was mistaken. I was caught up in


    the moment. I did not love you. I


    never loved you. I am sorry that I


    led you on. We need to end this now.


    It will be for the best to stop it before


    it gets any further along. I don''t want


    to hurt you anymore than I already


    have Aaron. I am sorry. Have a good


    life, I wish you the best.


    Goodbye,


    Vivian


    Vivian, My Love


    Please,e back to me. Do not


    do this. Please, Vivian, I love you


    too much. I want you in my life. I


    have never in my life felt like this


    for anyone. I need you. Please,


    Vivian, answer me.


    Love Aaron


    Vivian,


    Please, my love, send me a


    letter in response. I miss you. I


    need to see you. I want to talk to


    you.


    Love Aaron.


    Vivian,


    I haven''t sent you a message in


    a very long time. I also haven''t


    left home since you told me that


    you don''t love me. I haven''t been


    able to bring myself to look at the


    world. It has lost its color and


    beauty without you in it. But I am


    still in love with you, even now


    two and a half yearster. I


    miss you now just as much as I


    did the day you ended it with me.


    I fear I will always miss you.


    Love you always,


    Aaron


    Vivian


    I know these messages aren''t


    going to you anymore; they haven''t


    for a long time. But I left home for


    the first time today. It''s been four


    years since I have seen you, and this


    is the first time since I have seen the


    city since then. You''re not here. I


    looked for you immediately. Any


    trace of you was long gone. I used my


    magic to search for you, and the trail


    had gone so cold that I couldn''t even


    follow after you if I wanted to. I just


    needed to write thisst message, I


    just needed to say this onest time,


    I still love you Vivian, and I know that


    I always will because I know that you


    were my one true mate.


    Heartbrokenly yours,


    Aaron


    I felt the tears streaming down my face as I finished reading the letters that my father had sent. They were just the opposite of the ones I had. They showed a man so devoted to a woman that couldn''t have cared less about him. What had happened? How had they ended up with twopletely different sets of responses?


    When I looked up and saw that my father was done reading, with his red eyes and tears streaming down his face, I knew that he was just as confused as I was.


    "H..how? H..how is this p..p..possible?" He was sobbing as he held the letters close to his heart.


    "Th...th..this is Vivian''s handwriting, b..b..but so is that." He was pointing a shaking finger at the letter he had handed me to read. The letters he had thought that my mother had sent to him. "I..I..I swear, I swear that I..I..I didn''t s..s..send these to her. I d..d..didn''t." He began to sob uncontrobly at that moment. "I loved her, with all m..m..my heart. I never sent her these."


    I watched as he crumpled the letters in his hands, the letters that had caused my mother so much pain. I could see that the letters he had held onto had caused him so much pain as well.


    "Aunt Gloriana, how did this happen? How did the letters split? How did ite to be two letters that took two drastically different paths?"


    "That is something that we must work to discover, now isn''t it? If I were to fathom a guess here, I would say that there was someone else involved here. Someone or something else that caused this strife between them. I think someone wanted to drive a wedge between the two of you, Aaron. Can you think of anyone who might have been jealous, or who might have wanted to break you apart?"


    "No!" He answered immediately. "There was no one that even acted like they didn''t approve of our rtionship. Everyone loved Vivian; she had the best of friends and everyone loved to be around her. They epted her and approved of us."


    "There had to have been someone." Aunt Gloriana looked confused.


    I watched as the two of them racked their brains to try and figure it all out. Neither of them seemed to have a clue of what was really going on. I guess it was because neither of them had ess to my mother''s diaries at the time.


    "I think I might know."


    The two of them turned to look at me like they thought that I was crazy. They didn''t see how someone who wasn''t even alive at the time could possibly know what had been going on. They just didn''t know what it was that I knew.


    "No offense, Astraia, but how could you possibly know?" My father asked me with a confused look.


    "Yes, Star, I hate to doubt you and all, but I do not see how you would know anything about this situation since you were the only one not around at the time."


    "To be fair, I may not have been alive at the time, but I have been privy to information that neither of you have been. I have my mother''s journals. I have read them and know what had happened to her at the time that you knew her. Plus, I have spoken to my great great grandfather. I can put it all together and figure out who the culprit was for all of this. And I just wish he was still alive so that I could kill him myself."


    I had never felt an anger boil in me like this before. Not even when the man in question was tormenting me. I felt it now though, as I saw just how much he had meddled in the lives of my family, just how many people he had affected. He was a sick, twisted monster, and I was d that he was dead. Even if I wanted to kill him myself, I was d he was dead.

 Chapter 163 - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 9

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    I saw the understanding wash over my father''s face. He was finally understanding that I just might know what I was talking about. There were other emotions as well, emotions that I didn''t think I was going to see when I finally met my father.


    Heartache, anger, fear, loss, pain: everything I was seeing rise to the surface inside of him was something that he had been holding onto for so long. He had thought, just like my mother, that the love of his life didn''t love him back. He hadn''t died like she did, but I don''t know if that is better or worse honestly.


    For Aaron, for my father, he has had to live with the emotional burden of all of this for years. It had been hard on the both of them for years. They had both thought that they were in love only to have it ripped away. But unlike my mother, Aaron didn''t have an end to his suffering. As I thought about that, I felt my heart breaking all over again. This was yet another way that Uncle Howard had ruined my life or the life of someone in my family. He truly was a gue on my life that didn''t seem likely to ever go away.


    "Star? Sweetheart, who is this man that you think has caused all of this? And are you sure it was him? I can find out, if you would like. We can be certain." Aunt Gloriana held her hands out toward me, her hand opened as if she was waiting for something. "Here child, let me have the letters. I will use them to trace their origins. If they were tampered with, which we now know they were, then we will be able to see who the real mastermind behind all of this was."


    I felt a little bit of apprehension bubble up inside of me when I heard her words. I didn''t know why; I knew that my mother and father had been hurt in this, more than I had been. I was not the only victim here, and my father deserved an answer just as much as I did. With that though, I stopped hesitating and handed over the letter in my hand. My father, seeing me pass over the sheet, handed the one he had over as well.


    Aunt Gloriana held the two pieces of paper in between both of her hands at the same time. With a sh of green light, there were several tiny little vines that began to slither between her palms and all over the papers.


    "These were once one document. It had been split, duplicated as you might say. After it had been intercepted, it was turned into letters, and the return point was changed. I can see that it was a wonderfully clever way for you to stay in contact with your love." Aunt Gloriana looked at my father and smiled gently. "It was a great idea, but someone found out and intercepted the letter. When he did that, he changed the return location. After that the letters stopped going to you and your lover, Aaron. Instead, the letters were going between you and the interloper. And it appears the same happened with the letters that she attempted to send to you, they were sent to him instead of you." There was a crease of anger beginning to form in Aunt Gloriana''s forehead now. "I can sense him, not just the magic he used, but him. He was a foul man. Disgusting in more ways than one."


    The way that Aunt Gloriana spat out those words made it clear she could get a good sense of what kind of man Uncle Howard had been. She could no doubt sense not just who he was, but what he had been as well.


    "There is something sulfurous and downright nasty about that man. You say he has already moved to and beyond this world? That is good, this world is nothing but better off without him in it. Imend whoever it was that rid us of him and his insidious aura." I watched as she shuddered then, clearly unnerved or disgusted by what she was seeing or feeling.


    "Yes, Aunt Gloriana, he is dead. My mate, Artem, killed him when he rescued me." I didn''t smile, it wasn''t the situation for that, but I felt immense pride inside of me for having Artem as my mate.


    "I truly wish to know what happened to you, in time." I watched as my father fixed me with sorrowful eyes. "I never knew about you, Astraia. I never knew I had a daughter so I never once had the chance toe and save you."


    Quite unexpectedly, my father reached out and ced a hand on my cheek. I hadn''t even paid much attention to him, or when it was that he had stood up and walked close to me. I had been too focused on Aunt Gloriana and the magic she was working with the letters.


    "W..w..well, I understand that now." I hung my head in shame. I had spent several nights thinking about what a horrible person he was going to be. I had thought that he was going to be the worst person in the world.


    "I understand that you would have hated me. If I was in your position, thinking like you did for so long, I would have hated me as well. Please, Astraia, do not me yourself." The firm pressure of his hand was offering mefort. It was something I never thought I would have, the loving touch of a father''s love. Was it something that I was actually going to have? Was my father really going to be part of my life? Was it OK to hope for it? "Will you tell me what happened to you? To your mother as well? Please. I want to know about your lives."


    There was a note of pleading and begging in his voice that I simply couldn''t refuse. I wanted to help him out here as well, and perhaps I would have another ally when it was over.


    "I think that would be best, Star. You tell him while I send for the meal to be brought in." Aunt Gloriana smiled at us encouragingly.


    "She has called you Star more than once now; why is that?" My father looked at me with a confused look in his eyes. It appeared that I was going to need to exin the origin of my name and my mother''s uniqueness once again.


    "Well, my name, Astraia, has a meaning that has to do with the stars." I started, and I saw that my father grinned.


    "I remember, Vivian loves hidden meanings. She used to tell me that every name needed to mean something. Like my name, it''s traditional meaning is exalted and strong, but there is another meaning, which is mountain of strength. She told me that the mountain had to do with flowers, and that is why my name is Aaron; it is a floral name perfectly meant for a pixie." There was nostalgia in his eyes as he fondly remembered the past. "She would tell me about what she perceived to be the true meaning of all the names in the world. And the more that I listened, the more that it all made sense. I loved listening to her talk for hours on end about the different secrets of the universe."


    I watched as he stared off into space, clearly seeing what it was that he was remembering as if it were happening right before his eyes.


    "I''m sorry, I went off on a tangent." He grinned at me. "I interrupted you. So, your name is Astraia, but that is not your true name. She meant to call you Star all along right because of the Greek meaning?" He seemed to understand already.


    "Yes, and it seemed to have worked out for me perfectly. My mate, Artemis, is matched to me in more ways than one." I grinned back at him.


    "Ahh, I see, so the moon and the star have finallye together. They have ceased to be separated by the heavens and can live their life peacefully atst." I saw the longing in his eyes then, I think he still thought that he was going to have his happily ever after. I didn''t want to hurt him, but hadn''t he heard me earlier?


    How was I going to break this news to him? How was I going to make him not only understand my past, but ept that my mother, his one true love, is really gone forever? Just thinking about it made me want to cry. I wished I didn''t need to tell him, not yet. He had a nice smile, and I wanted to keep that in ce for a little while longer. I''m sorry, Father, I don''t want to do this to you.

 Chapter 164 - Star - Star - Dinner With Aunt Gloriana And Father Part 10 (FINAL DINNER CHAPTER)

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    "You look sad, Star." My father''s voice faltered just a little. "Is it something that I said?"


    "No, I think I am just remembering so much of the past right now. It is not an easy tale to tell." I wanted to prepare him for what was toe. If he heard this unprepared then I didn''t know what he would do.


    "I will be fine, child. I will brace myself for any hard parts that you might have to tell me."


    I swallowed hard and sat on the couch in the study, and my father followed me calmly and sat next to me. He was facing me, not exactly eagerly, but I still don''t think that he was fully prepared for what was going to happen here. However, I sighed and told him.


    With my head hung low, I exined the entire story. I told him everything that had been in my mother''s journal, what she had experienced, and the fear she had felt. I told him the trouble she had gone through when she had gotten to the home she thought where we would be safe.


    Following the information from the journal, I exined to him everything that I could remember from when I was a child. I told him of my first memory of my imprisonment, the constant fear and sadness that I had felt back then, and how it had morphed into me feeling nothing but fear and anger.


    I exined to him what happened when I shifted into a wolf for the first time. I told him how my Uncle Howard, who was the man that tampered with the letters that he shared with my mother, had promised me that he was going to marry me when I turned eighteen. I told him of my multiple escape attempts and my many injuries.


    When I told him about the night that Artem rescued me and the fear that I felt toward the both of them, I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes. It was like he was listening to a riveting story that was full of ups and downs. He knew that when I was saved that I would be free, or so he thought.


    When he, and of course Aunt Gloriana, learned the full details about what had happened to me the night that Uncle Howard hade for me, the night he had taken me back with him, there was anger and fear in his eyes. There were hundreds of emotions that he was feeling, things that he was still holding in, barely breathing, as he listened with bated breath.


    I didn''t finish the storypletely. I hadn''t told him or Aunt Gloriana about the visit from Trinity and Reece. And even though my aunt already knew, I hadn''t yet told my father about me expecting a baby, that part I would wait for.


    "I am sorry, Star." There was a dam that was clearly breaking when my father started to speak. He may have looked like he was following along with an exciting story before, but he was clearly holding back very intense emotions the entire time. "I am so very sorry that I was never there for you." He just barely managed to get those words out before he started to sob uncontrobly.


    "It''s alright. You couldn''t have been there so it is not your fault." I rubbed his arm consolingly, trying my best to calm him down. "I know that if you could have you would have been there."


    "N..n..n..no." He could barely get the word out. "Th..th..that is n..n..n..no excuse." He huped as he sobbed then, the tears pouring down his face. "I never sh..sh..should have t..t..trusted that l..l..letter. I sh..sh..should have g..g..g..gone after her. I should have l..l..looked for her. I shouldn''t h..h..have given up s..s..s..so easily." He was crying so hard now that his face was bright red, and his eyes were beginning to swell.


    "It''s alright Aaron, you didn''t know. She was tricked just the same as you had been. You both thought that the other person didn''t love you." I tried to hug him, but it felt awkward, and I didn''t know what to do.


    My father wanted to try and make things better though, so the moment that I got closer to him, the moment that I hugged him, he pulled me against him.


    "No." He managed the word without stuttering or huping this time. "I shouldn''t have g..g..given up on her. I l..l..l..loved her. I still love her. I will never stop loving her. And b..because of s..s..some asshole, I lost out on the life of my only child. I will never get that back. I can never go back and see you grow up. I can''t fix this."


    My father hugged me tightly then, nearly crushing me with the intensity of his love and guilt. It was heartbreaking, but in a way it made me smile to know that he wasn''t the asshole that I had thought he was going to be.


    "I won''t miss anything else." I heard conviction in my father''s voice. "I am going to be there for everything else. I want to be there for you in any way that I can. I want to know you, and your mate. Please Star, let me do that for you."


    As I looked at my father, I saw that he seemed to be smaller than when he hugged me. I didn''t know if it was just my imagination or if it was real, but I was d that he was wanting to be a part of my life. I had never thought that something like this was going to be possible, ever.


    "I would like that very much, Aaron." I smiled at him.


    "I want to be a father to you, as little of a chance that there is for me to be one now. I want to do what I can for you. I missed so much, and I failed your mother. I won''t fail again."


    This time I could tell that it wasn''t just my imagination. Everytime that my father spoke he seemed to be shrinking. He also seemed to be turning green. That was weird. What was happening to him?


    "Aaron, you''re losing yourself." I heard Aunt Gloriana''s voice from across the room. "You need to stop letting your grip slip right now." I didn''t understand what it was she was saying.


    "I can''t, Aunt Glory, I just can''t. I lost my love. I gave up on her too easily because I believed that there was no way that she could love me. I let her go too easily, and I basically let her die. I let them kill her and I let them torture my daughter. It''s all my fault. I should have gone after her. I shouldn''t have epted the letter and the words written on it. I should have known that something was wrong. Her flowers told me she loved me, but I let myself be lied to with words. I was so stupid, Aunt Glory. I was an idiot that should have fought harder."


    He had slipped his arms away from me now and was basically shrinking in on himself as he sobbed out his grief. I had been given my chance to grieve over all of this. In fact, I had grieved many times for my mother over thest sixteen years, it wasn''t something that hit me so suddenly like this. I couldn''t imagine what my father was feeling right now. I couldn''t even begin to feel what it was that was gripping his heart.


    "I let her go. I let her go and let this happen." He was repeating himself now as the pain just wracked through his body. I wanted to cry as I watched him. He was hurting so much, he had been hurting for years.


    "Aaron." I knelt next to him, trying to get his attention. "Aaron."


    "My Vivian is gone. She''s dead because I didn''t chase after her. I just let my heartache keep me confined to my room. They killed her and it''s all my fault."


    "Father." I called out to him again. "Father." He didn''t seem to be hearing me at all as I tried to get his attention.


    "I let them kill my mate, and then they tortured my daughter. They hurt my whole family. I was a failure. How can I think that I am allowed to be there for Star now? She won''t want me around at all. I am nothing but a failure. I let all of this happen to her and her mother."


    "Dad!" I called out to him, but he still didn''t listen. It was like his spiraling was too much for me to break through. There was one more thing I could think to say that might get his attention. I didn''t know if it would work, and I was nervous too, since I had never said these words to anyone before. It was worth a try though, and they weren''t going to be a lie. "It''s OK Daddy, I don''t me you, and I know Mom wouldn''t either. She loved you, and I love you." I gripped his now tiny forearms as I spoke, forcing him to pay attention to me and my words.


    "What?" My father''s red, swollen eyes looked up at me. "What did you say?"


    "I said it''s OK Daddy." I smiled at him. "I know that if Mom knew the truth now, she would say the same thing. She loved you, she really did, and I love you too."


    "Star!" He jumped at me then. I was afraid at first, but it seems that he had lost thest shreds of his control when he heard those words.


    By the time that my father had finished jumping at me he was a full on pixie that was just about as tall as my head. He was green, with green hair as well. His eyes were the same violet, but there was nothing human about them; there were no whites, just all color and a tiny ck pupil. His hands, tiny and delicate looking, were gripped in my hair as he held onto me as tight as he could. I could still feel strength inside of him as well. He was strong, even in this form; he was just a lot smaller. The clothes that he had been wearing wereying in a pile at my feet, and he was now wearing a tunic made of purple flower petals. I didn''t want to say this out loud, but he looked really cute.


    "Star, that makes me so happy!" His voice was the same, only a little more high pitched. I could tell it was him, but it was still different. It was hard to exin and toprehend. It didn''t bother me though, this was his true form. His truest of true forms, and I was d that I could see it. "I love you too, Star. I will love you more than any father has ever loved a daughter ever before. I will be the best father I can be, even though you''re all grown up."


    "Will you settle for being a good grandfather?" I asked him with a giggle in my voice.


    "What?!" He pulled back from me, and that was when I realized that he had wings as well. I only noticed because I saw them beating furiously behind his back to hold him up. They looked like butterfly wings,rge and very ornately pretty. His were blue and purple of course, to match his eyes and the flower petals.


    "I would love to, when you and your mate decide to have children!" The excitement was still in his eyes, but he hadn''t understood.


    "How about in five months or so?" I asked him. "Since I am already pregnant." The joy seemed to spread through him, and his wings started to beat even faster.


    I watched as my father shot straight up toward the ceiling and began flying inrge circles. I had expected pixie dust, since I had heard Aunt Gloriana say those words earlier. There was no dust, but I wasn''t disappointed. In the trail left behind by my father, there was a fluttering rain of flower petals that fell toward us. The petals were all different colors, and they were so beautiful. I couldn''t help but gasp in awe.


    "So pretty."


    "Yes, they are." Aunt Gloriana agreed. "Now, I think it''s time that Aaron gets a hold of himself. The food is here." She was telling us that we could talk more at dinner, but it was time to move on with the night a little. It had taken a long time I guess.


    "Yes, Aunt Glory. Just give me a moment."


    We gave my father some privacy so that he could turn back into his other form and get dressed. From there, we all sat down and enjoyed a nice dinner together. There was a lot to talk about, but we left most of the discussions for another time. We had all had a very emotionally taxing night already. I was just d that things had ended on a positive note, and I was once again adding to my ever growing circle of family members that epted me.

 Chapter 165 - Artem - Star Returns From Dinner

    ~~


    Artem??


    ~~


    I had been led to a really nice room to wait for Star. I knew that she was going to be gone for a long time so I just needed to be patient. That didn''t mean I was happy about it though. I was nervous for her the entire time.


    I had been impatiently pacing around the room when a maid brought my dinner to me. I was barely able to sit still the entire time that I was eating the food, even though it was delicious. I just couldn''t bring myself to settle down enough for it.


    Stupid and horrible thoughts kept running through my head the entire time. I would think things like: ''What if her father is an asshole to her?'' or ''What if he tells her he knew where she was, what she went through, and that he hoped that she had stayed in that life forever?''. These things were just ruining my mood.


    I think by the time that I had been in the room for an hour, I had already worn a groove into the floor with my pacing back and forth. By the time that Star had been gone for almost three hours, I was certain that I was going to fall through the floor into the room below me if I made just a few more passes over the overly stressed floor boards. I had literally only sat down for about three minutes while I nibbled on the food before I paced the floor once again.


    I felt like my heart was going to give out from all the stress if I didn''t see my Stare through that door some time very soon. I was just stressing about it non stop. I needed to see her. I needed to know that she had made it through this night unharmed. I wanted to make sure she was physically and emotionally OK. Oh, Goddess, what would I do if they hurt her too much?


    Finally, after what felt like forever, but was only just a few hours, Star came into the room. Immediately I saw that her eyes were red and puffy. I could tell that she had been crying, and not just a little, she had been crying a lot. Oh no! He had been mean to her. He had said hurtful things to her. She was going to have nothing but bad memories about her time here at the Faepound.


    "Star?" I called out to her the moment she was through the door. I was already rushing to her side before she had even shut the heavy wooden door, before she had even looked at me.


    "Artem?" She smiled at me when she saw my panicked face.


    I couldn''t help myself, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against my chest. I swept her off her feet and held her suspended in the air, supporting all of her weight like I would support her emotionally for the rest of our lives. I was hoping that with my supporting arms wrapped protectively around her she would be able to start healing that much sooner.


    "I''m here for you, Star. No matter what happened, no matter what he might have said or done, I am here for you. Don''t ever forget that."


    "It''s alright, Artem." She squeezed me back, and I felt like she was conveying something a lot more positive than the sorrow that I had expected.


    "I will hold you, Star. You can feel free to cry. I know he hurt you."


    At that I brought one arm down to slide under her legs. I was now cradling her in my arms as best as I could in this awkward position. I expected her to wrap her arms around my neck and start crying softly. However, I was surprised by what she did instead.


    "I am fine, Artem." She told me as she pushed gently against my chest. "I don''t need to cry." I finally pulled back to look at her, at the expression she was wearing. I was shocked to see that she was smiling. It was weird. I could tell that she had been crying so much that her eyes were red and slightly swollen, but she was also smiling.


    "Star? What happened in there?" I asked her, my confusion showing as I moved to sink onto the couch so she could sit on myp.


    "A lot happened, Artem." She looked down as she thought about it, avoiding my eyes just a little. "We both cried a lot, and we got to the point where we almost started to fight. But, in the end we were both wrong about what had happened. He didn''t know about any of what happened. Neither of us had the truth of what had happened."


    I saw the heartache filling her again, but this time it was filled with a tinge of something else. Something that made it look bittersweet.


    "I don''t understand, Star. What about the letters he sent your mother?"


    "They were not from him. He had been tricked and so had my mother. They were mates, Artem. True mates, like you and I are. He loved her so much that it nearly destroyed him when he was told that she didn''t love him. But, that wasn''t her, and it wasn''t my father that told my mother those horrible things either." The tears were swimming in her eyes now, tears that weren''t for what she had gone through, but for what her parents had suffered.


    "I don''t understand, Star. If they didn''t tell each other those things, then who did?" I felt so lost right now. I didn''t understand any of this.


    "Uncle Howard. It alles back to him. If it wasn''t for him I would have had a happy family growing up. They would have all loved me and been there for me. If it wasn''t for him and his wicked ways, we would have been one big happy family. I might have even had siblings." I watched as she smiled through it all, trying to be strong.


    "If I could, I would kill that asshole again! He has been hurting you since before you were born. Since he found out your mother was pregnant with you. That''s just horrible."


    "Don''t be too upset, Artem." She cupped my cheek in her hand and smiled at me. "It''s hard, and it all breaks my heart. But I would never have had a perfect life. Nothing was bound to be perfect for me, one way or the other." She hugged me tight then, as if she was having a hard time saying all of this.


    "I know, Star. I know. It was either your parents were together and happy with a happy childhood and a lonely future, or the life that you have lived. I know it can never make things better, and we can''t go back and change it all, but if I could, I would have stopped Howard back then. I would find a way for us to be together, if I could fix this all and change the course of our lives. I would never stop searching this world until I found you."


    "And I believe that you would do just that, Artem. Knowing that, knowing that you would give up your chance at a happily ever after with me just so that my family and I could be together, makes me love you that much more."


    With no warning at all, Star leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine. It was a gentle kiss with no heat behind it. But there was more to the kiss than just lips. It was what the kiss meant, what it represented that made it all worthwhile. To me, that kiss spoke of love, devotion, and a lifetime ofmitment. It told me that I never once had to worry about whether or not Star was going to be by my side. I knew, just from gentle kisses like these, that from now until the end of our days, she was going to be right there with me, holding my hand. She was my star, and I was her moon. We were going to be there for each other as a mutual heaven. We would be home, we would be a safe haven, we would be whatever it was that the other needed at the time, and we would do it happily and without hesitation. That was what it meant to truly love someone.


    I also knew that I couldn''t wait to ask her to marry me. I was going to make it special, that was for sure, but I was going to do it soon. I was going to make her my wife as well as my mate. I had thought this many times, but the feelings were growing stronger each time they passed through my mind. I would not put off asking her for very much longer.

 Chapter 166 - Star - Meeting More Family

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    The day after I had dinner with my father and my aunt, I was having breakfast with Artem in our private room. It had been a busy and overwhelming first day at the Faepound. To say that it felt like it took over two weeks just to finish that one night wouldn''t have been much of an exaggeration at all. Right now, all I wanted to do was rest since it felt like I hadn''t spent much time around Artemtely, even though I know that wasn''t true.


    Things never go ording to n though now, do they? That was why we ended up getting a knock at the door just after we were done eating. I knew that we weren''t likely to have a slow time of it though. We were only here for a few days, and there was so much for us to do. I didn''t really know what it all entailed just yet, but I did know that I was going to be seeing more of my father at some point.


    Speaking of my father, I was surprised to see that it was him who had knocked on the door. When Artem pulled the heavy wooden barrier aside to reveal who our visitor was, my father was standing there, smiling happily. I was about to say something, but he beat me to it.


    "Ahh, you must be Artemis. You are my daughter''s mate, correct? And the father of my grandchild that will be here before long."


    To hear my father, who barely looked older than me, say that he was about to be a grandfather seemed a little strange to me. I guess it was true that Fae really do age differently than wolves and humans. I didn''t even know how old my father was. That, I do believe, would be important information for me to know soon.


    "Y..yes." Artem looked nervous and a little taken aback when he answered my father''s words. "Y..yes. I am S..Star''s mate." I watched as Artem visibly collected himself and cleared his throat. "And you are?" I could tell from the angle that I was standing that Artem had raised his eyebrow in disbelief as he looked at my father.


    "Hello Dad, what are you doing here?" I smiled and walked to Artem''s side, sliding an arm around his waist. That seemed to have calmed my mate down, and my father smiled at me with a bright look in his eyes.


    "I wanted to see if you would spend the day with me. You and your mate. I would like to introduce you to my parents, your grandparents. And of course some of your aunts and uncles as well. I think they would love to meet you."


    I felt happiness swell within me. I hadn''t even thought about meeting them right now. I didn''t even know how much family he had for me to meet. But, this was the first time that I had heard that I had grandparents. Someone directly before my parents. I had recently met my grandpa back home, but he was my great great grandfather. He was so far past my immediate family that I didn''t even know how to contemte it actually.


    But now, I was finding out that I had real, actual grandparents. This was exciting for me. It made me feel like everything that I had ever missed out on was still here for me; it had just been changed up a little bit.


    It was decided then that Artem and I would go with my father to meet his family. Which meant that I was going to meet my family. I mean, I had met some family yesterday when I was with Acacia, since her mother was my father''s aunt. That made her mother my great aunt and sister to either my grandmother or grandfather. I had been very excited to meet them, but the news had been kept quiet so it didn''t get back to my father so Acacia''s parents were the only ones to know about it until I had gotten there. The others were told right before they met me.


    I wondered now what my father had told his parents about me. How had he exined to them that he was a father and soon to be grandfather when no one even knew he had thought about having children? This was going to be interesting, that was for sure. However, I wasn''t going to let it get to me. I was going to be brave and excited for it all. I had both Artem and my father here to protect me. I know that neither of them were going to let anything bad happen to me.


    When we got to a residential part of the castle that looked a lot like Acacia''s family house, but with more flowers carved onto the door and the walls around livingspace. I had thought that my father would knock on the door and wait until someone answered it, but then again, this was his home as well. Instead, he just opened the door and walked inside. Apprehensively, Artem and I followed after him.


    There was a man and a woman sitting at a very borately carved chess set that seemed to be the main feature of the room. It wasrger than the one I had seen in the library when the boys were being taught how to y. Infact, this chess set looked like it was a square that was about four feet across at least. As we got closer to the board I couldn''t help but just stare at it.


    Each of the pieces on the board were simr to what I had seen, but they looked like they had been carved from a pristine white stone and embedded with flowers and vines. They were also much bigger and more highly detailed than I ever thought a chess piece could look. The faces on the king and queen showed detailed markings around the lips and the eyes. The lines on the clothes were intricate. I could even see an outline where the fingernails were supposed to be.


    When I tore my eyes away from the board itself, I turned to look at the man and woman. The woman looked a lot like Lotus, my aunt and Acacia''s mother. She had soft delicate features and pretty green eyes. She was small and delicate looking as well. The man looked so much like my father that I knew who he must have been. His green hair and the facial features that I saw on my own face were easy to recognize.


    "Aaron, this is a surprise. What brings you home today? And who are these visitors you have brought for us?"


    "Yes mother, there has been a lot that has happened since yesterday." My father smiled at the woman who had spoken to him. "I would like to introduce all of you to each other."


    My father gestured with his hand, indicating that he wanted his parents to stand up, which they did and walked to stand side by side in front of us.


    "Please, let''s have a seat over here." My father went another step further. "I want us all to sit together and talk."


    "Alright, I don''t know what this is about, but you have piqued my curiosity." My grandfather looked interested as he guided my grandmother by the hand to an oversized chair for them to sit in together.


    Artem and I sat across from them, and my father sat in a chair that was to the side so that he could look at all of us.


    "Alright, Aaron, you have our attention, now what is this about?" My grandmother asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Astraia, Artemis," my father was using our full first names which made me nervous because I only used it in tense or serious situations, ''these are my parents. My mother Briallu, who is a Nymph, and my father Mazus, who is a Pixie like me. Mother, Father, this is Astraia Westbrook and her mate Artemis Cooper. Astraia is the daughter of Vivian Westbrook, my mate. Astraia is my daughter and your granddaughter."


    "What?" My grandfather, Mazus, looked angry when he saw me.


    "No! I do not believe this. Aaron, what on earth hase over you?" Briallu, my grandmother, was scolding her son.


    "After what she did to you? After the pain she put you through? Aaron, why would you ever believe any of this?"


    "Mother, Father, you don''t understand. Vivian and I were misled. We were tricked by a warlock at the time. She was my mate, she loved me, and she bore my child. I have finally been allowed to meet my daughter that I never knew about."


    From there, my father went on to exin everything that had happened. He told his parents what had happened all those years ago between him and my mother. And, finally, after many words were exchanged, they began to believe him.


    "Astraia?" My grandmother looked at me. "You do look like my boy, don''t you." Her head was tilted, and she held a hand out toward me. I took that hand and felt her squeeze my fingers tightly.


    "This has been unfortunate." Mazus, my grandfather, hung his head as if he felt immense sorrow. He looked like a flower that was wilting. "I cannot begin to fathom the pain you and my boy have felt." He ced his hand on top of mine, the one that his wife was holding. Together the two of them held my hand tightly.


    "There is one more bit of news." My father beamed at them. "I may have missed much of my child''s life, but I will be there for the rest. She has a mate and will soon be having a child. Isn''t this wonderful? I am now a father and soon to be a grandfather."


    There was a lot of love in those words, so much more than I ever thought I would feel from someone in my newly found family.

 Chapter 167 - Star - Meeting More Family Part 2

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    While my father was beaming happily at his parents after he told them his news, there was a loudmotion near the door. The sound of the door banging open, and several adult voices came floating over to us.


    "I don''t know what it is that he wants." A man was heard yelling toward the back of a group of peopleing into the residential area.


    "I don''t know either, but it''s strange. I mean, why would Aaron call all of us here? What''s he nning?" This time a woman spoke with a curious voice.


    "I don''t know and I don''t care." Another male voice. "All I care about is lunch. Who is gonna cook for us today?"


    "All you ever do is think about food." The same woman as before scolded him. "There must be something important, right? I mean, this is Aaron we''re talking about. If there wasn''t something important he wouldn''t even be here."


    That didn''t sound exactly kind as she spoke about my father. I guess he had a bit of a reputation among his family. I turned to look at the man in question and saw that he was blushing. It was kind of cute, in a way. When he blushed just now he didn''t just turn pink like I would have, there was a slight greenish hue to him as well. I know it was the pixie in him showing through, but it was funny to see it.


    "Hey guys." My father, though embarrassed, was smiling at the group that just came in. "I am d you could all make it." I stood and followed after my father as he went to greet the new group of people. Looking at them I saw that they were all familiar looking. They didn''t look identical to my father, but there were simr features.


    The man that had been in the lead earlier looked like he was about the same age as my father, if not younger. He had the same cheekbones, and he had greenish hair, only a little lighter, and his eyes were blue, bright and shining. The man who had spoken about food had the same shape to his jaw and around the eyes; he had purple eyes, closer to lc, and his green hair perfectly matched my father''s. The woman who reprimanded him had a face that looked so much like mine, but her eyes were pink, and her hair was emerald green, bright and fluorescent.


    As I looked at them all, I saw these simrities. The biggest differences were either the eyes or shade of green hair. Aside from that, it was easy to tell they were rted because they looked so simr. I guess gics are dominant on one side of the family when ites to the Fae.


    The woman who spoke earlier, one of only three in the whole group of seven people who had just shown up, was staring intently at my face. She was looking closely before anyone even said anything.


    "What is going on, Aaron?" One of the men in the back spoke, he didn''t look it really, but he somehow seemed older than my father.


    "Well, I have something that I need to tell all of y-." Before he could finish though, the woman who had been staring at me yelled so loudly that I jumped in fear.


    "OH AARON! TELL ME I''M NOT IMAGINING THIS! IS SHE YOUR DAUGHTER?!" The entire group of men and women turned to look at me then, well the rest of them since she was already looking at me intently.


    "It couldn''t be." The man in the back sounded disbelieving.


    "No, look, she looks just like him." The man in the front smiled at me.


    "When did this happen?" The man who wanted lunch asked.


    "I wonder what mother and father think of this?" One of the other women, one that seemed more serious than the first one, spoke solemnly.


    "I am more interested in what our dear brother has to say about this." Another man near the back leveled a stern look at my father, who just simply grinned at them all.


    "Aaron? Did you go and have a kid before all of us?" The woman who yelled was staring at me still. "How? You''re not even married." It was finally time for her to look at him and re.


    "Well, I may not be married, but I did find a mate, neen years ago."


    "The wolf girl?" One of my uncles sounded shocked. "I thought you had been wrong about her? What happened? Did she hide your child this whole time?" There was anger in his voice.


    "There is much I need to tell you all. So much has happened to metely, and I think that it is time you all found out what happened."


    My father looked at me and ced a hand on my shoulder. Then, like he did with his parents, he exined everything that had happened. There had been arguments, but when my father assured them that all the information had been verified by the queen herself, they all stopped squabbling about it.


    "It''s true, then?" The woman, who I had learned through outbursts, Amaryllis, came closer to me. "My little brother went and had the first kid of the family, and we never even knew it."


    "It''s quite the shock, considering he is the only unmarried one among us. I mean, we have been waiting for one of us to have a family for a while." My uncle, Anthony, the one who seemed younger than my father because he was indeed younger, wasughing. My father was the second youngest. "What''s funny is that we Fae can be married for a long time before having kids, and here is our brother who mated with a woman and ended up with a kid so soon."


    "I know, but that just means he was like Casey." Calix, another uncle,ughed. "She found her mate and is already having children. It is quite amazing, or maybe it has to do with the wolves that were involved." He looked contemtive now.


    There was a lot of talk, but it seemed like the family was epting me now. All of them, my three aunts and four uncles, came to hug me and wee me to the family. Apparently they were all married as well. Anthony, the youngest, was married to Sherri. Then came Amaryllis and her husband Lance, Basil and his wife Rosemary, Calix and his wife Anice, Bedonna and her husband Bryan, Azalea and her husband Edwyn, and the oldest was Blodwyn and his wife Celeste. My father had always been the odd man out, and he still was since they hadn''t heard the whole story just yet.


    The introductions and hugs spilled over from me to include Artem as well. None of them so much as had a kid or niece or nephew before today, and now they were meeting their adult niece and her mate. This probably made them feel so much already, but before we all sat down to lunch my father got all of their attention so that he could make his next announcement.


    "Everyone." He called out, barely getting them to look at him. "Everyone,e on, I have an announcement to make." He grinned and yelled a little louder. When they still refused to look at him he yelled at them; it was yful and made them allugh before they quieted down. "Shut up, you fools!" His voice rumbled yfully before the others were finally silent. "Much better." My father grinned at them. "Now, I have another announcement."


    "If you tell us you have another kid we''re going to kick you out." Amaryllis made them allugh by throwing the words at her brother with a re.


    "Haha." My father shook his head yfully at her. I could tell that they had been a fun family to be around when they were all younger. "No, I have something else to tell you. As you have all noticed, my daughter Star has already met her mate, and I found outst night that she is with child. I not only have a daughter now, but I will also soon be a grandfather."


    My father''s voice sounded so proud, but the uproar he had just caused made me jump. For a moment I was afraid. I didn''t know what to do or what to say. What would be the best thing to do here while everyone was screaming, yelling, and jumping around?


    At first I thought they were angry, but then I noticed they were all cheering and celebrating. They were happy. I guess the Fae really did get excited over the birth of new children. The announcement, though, caused a new flood of hugs as they all ran up to congratte us all: me, Artem, and my father. I could tell that I was really going to like this new family of mine. I hoped they woulde to visit me from time to time.

 Chapter 168 - Artem - A Talk With Aaron

    ~~


    Artem??


    ~~


    After the lunch with Star''s Fae family was over we were still all sitting around the residential area, talking and having a good time. I really couldn''t believe the way this was all going for my Star. She had gotten nothing but good news while we were here. She had found her father, she had gotten a lot of new family members that seemed to love and care about her, and she was happy.


    That was what mattered to me the most, in all honesty. All I cared about with this trip was that my Star was happy. She was safe and protected, I was making sure of that, but I couldn''t control how the other people treated her. Physically, I could protect her as much as any other mate, but emotionally, that was where I wascking.


    As I thought about everything that has happened for me over thest several months, I couldn''t help but realize how wonderful my life really was now. There wasn''t much else that I could ask for. In all seriousness, I had it all. I had a loving family back home, I was the Alpha, and I was rebuilding my pack. I had a super adorable and beautiful mate who was already giving me a pup, and to top it off, I already had a whole slew of children back home. Those might not be my children biologically, but I was going to raise them all and care for them all just the same.


    I had a family, and I didn''t want to lose them. When I looked at Aaron, I knew what it was like for a man to lose his family and not have them there for him. This was not something that I would ever let happen to me, nor would I ever let it happen to Aaron again.


    It was then that I had a sudden thought. I wanted to talk to Aaron about something. There were a few things that I thought it was best to talk to him about now and get things figured out before we moved forward with anything else.


    "Aaron?" I called out to him when there was a lull in his conversation. Most of the people around him didn''t seem to notice me saying his name, they were focused on my mate and learning about her. The grandparents, aunts, and uncles were all happily learning everything they could from her. They had already heard all the bad parts, but they were happily talking about all of the good things now.


    "Yes, Artem?" Aaron smiled at me and walked over to where I was standing behind therge family.


    "Can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked him, a hint of uneasiness and nerves in my chest. I don''t think any man would like to ask what I was going to, involved father or not.


    "Yes, let''s step aside and discuss whatever it is that you have in mind." He smiled at me like he already had an idea of what I wanted to talk to him about.


    When we were well out of earshot of the group but still able to see them, Aaron facing the family that he knew, and the family that he was just getting to know with a smile on his face, I broached the subject.


    "Aaron, I would like to talk to you about something that I believe is important." I felt like I was grimacing right now. I don''t even know why I was nervous. This subject was the happiest in the world for me, and I knew that Aaron more than approved of me. Still, it was nerve wracking.


    "You are way too nervous, Artem." He grinned at me. "Do you think I mistrust you?" He, like I had guessed, already knew what I wanted.


    "You and Star are a lot alike, even having simr magic I see."


    "I had not expected that. It is notmon for it to be so simr to the parent, but I couldn''t be more proud of her. But, yes, we are very alike with that power. My hand of power is the heart''s flowers. That also seems to be what Star can summon. With that ability, I am able to see that you are nervous about what you want to talk to me about. You don''t need to be nervous though. I ept and approve of you, Artem. You were with my daughter before I was so I really have no right to say no now, do I?" He was smiling like he understood this unique situation better than any of us. Well, we had learned earlier that he was one hundred and neen. Apparently, my father-inw had been born on May 2, 1902. His birthday was only three days before Star''s and they were happy to learn that they shared that closeness.


    "Well, whether you were there or not, Aaron, you are her father. If I am going to do this right, which I hope to, then I will need your permission. So, without dying anymore, and with no more beating around the bush, I would like to ask you something important." I cleared my throat, stood up a little straighter and fixed my jacket all at the same time in preparation of what I was about to say. "Aaron Fields, may I please have your daughter''s hand in marriage? May I have the chance to love, honor, and respect her for the rest of her days? May I give her the best life that I possibly can and make sure that her days are filled with love and happiness? May I grow old with her and have a family with her that we will both love and cherish?"


    "Are you proposing to me or asking for her hand in marriage?" Heughed at me, mischief sparking in his eyes. "Those sounded like wedding vows to me just now, Artem. I can see that you are very serious about this, and that you have had quite a bit of time to practice that little speech of yours." It was easy to tell how he and all the other pixies had gotten the trickster reputation when you saw the way that he was looking at me now. For a second, I was worried that he might make me do something to earn his favor. But then, he spoke and alleviated all of my fears.


    "Yes, Artem, you can marry my daughter. I know you love her as much as I loved her mother. As much as I still love her mother."


    While he spoke, Aaron pulled something from his pocket. I saw that it was a very old fashioned wallet, something that looked like it had been made back in the fifties or earlier but it still looked nearly brand new. He was opening it and looking at a picture that had been tucked away into the folds. The picture was of him and Star''s mother. They had their arms wrapped around each other and they were smiling happily. I could tell that he looked at that picture a lot over the course of almost two decades.


    The look in Aaron''s eyes told me that he knew exactly what he missed out on, and he didn''t want someone else to ever feel that way. When he slid the picture back into its proper ce he reached into the folds of the wallet and pulled out something that was wrapped in a small piece of white silk.


    The silk looked like nothing more than a piece of scrap at first, but then I noticed that it was a piece of a silk scarf. I had a feeling that it used to be much longer but had been trimmed down for the purpose it was presently used for.


    "I had this made when I went home for the Yule Celebration that year. I had wanted to give it to Vivian when I went back to the city. I wanted to ask her what you are wanting to ask my daughter. I think that it would be best for you to have it. I would like for it to finally have a use. Star deserves to have something that was crafted out of love."


    The ring he pulled from the silk was beautiful. It was gold but it looked like it had been crafted from tiny little flower petals that would caress Star''s finger. The actual circle of the ring was shaped like ivy, it was almost as if the flowers wereing from the vine itself. It must have taken a long time to craft something so intricate. It was beautiful, and I knew that Star would love it.


    "Aaron? Are you sure?" I didn''t know what to say, this was too much.


    "Yes, I am. I want you to use this when you propose to Star, I want her to have the ring that I had meant to give to her mother. I would have liked to have seen the joy this ring would give the recipient, but I will be able to see that on my daughter''s face when she marries you."


    There were tears in Aaron''s eyes now, he had been staring at the ring the entire time that he spoke, but he was looking at me now. I could see the heartache he was still feeling as he thought about the woman he loved and lost.


    "Artem?" He said my name with a slightly unsteady voice. "I have something that I would like to ask you."


    "I am sure that whatever it is, my answer will be yes. I want to help you out as well, Aaron. After all, you are going to be my father-inw." I grinned at him.


    "That''s good to hear." He almostughed, but didn''t quite make it. "Can Ie back to live with you all? Can I be near my daughter? At least for a little while?" Now it was his turn to look unsure of himself.


    "Like I would tell you no." Iughed. "I am sure Star has been looking for a way to bring you with us already. She will be overjoyed to have you there with her for the birth of our baby."


    "Thank you, Artem." Aaron looked like he was really going to cry now. "Thank you so much." With that he hugged me. It was a shock, to be honest. I hadn''t been expecting it when he threw his arms around me and held me tight, but I got over it quickly and hugged him back. It was strange, looking at this man and thinking that he was my Star''s father. He didn''t look much older than me at all. And not only that, but he was about to be a grandfather. Talk about looking young for your age. I couldn''t help butugh at the thought, and when Aaron asked me what was so funny, I justughed harder. It had been a good conversation with my mate''s father, and I was d I had the courage to talk to him

 Chapter 169 - Star - Picnic Part 1

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    It was now our third day here, and we would soon be leaving. I knew that the time here wasing to an end, and that made me sad. I had found so many new family members that seemed to love me and wanted to be around me. I didn''t really want to leave them at all, but I had to get home to the children and our life there.


    I was so torn about it all. I wanted to have both of my families together. I didn''t want to lose what I had just so recently gained, but I didn''t want to leave behind what was back home either. Was it possible to have two ces that your heart belonged?


    As I thought about it all, and what to do about my life, someone came by the room that I was staying in with Artem. Artem was in the back so I went to open the door. It seemed he wasn''t as surprised as I was to see my father there.


    "Dad?" I smiled at him when he lit up. He liked it when I called him dad.


    "Hello Star. I was wondering if you would like to have a pic with me. There are some beautiful gardens here at the castle. We can look through them all, and then have a pic in my favorite one." I could tell he was still nervous that I might say no.


    "Of course. I think that would be amazing!" I truly did, and the thought made me smile. "Should I get Artem?"


    "Actually, he has an invitation from Aunt Glory. She would like to get to know him some more."


    "Oh?" I was surprised by his words, but that made me happy as well. My family wanted to know him as well as me.


    "Yes, he will be summoned to her private quarterster today. Until lunch is ready for us, I thought I would take you on a tour of the various gardens and tell you a little about them."


    I nodded my head and went to tell Artem goodbye. He somehow already knew everything that was supposed to happen today, and I wondered for a moment if Artem and my father were nning something. I didn''t let it bother me though since I knew that they would never hurt me.


    My father took my hand and guided me out of the room then. He seemed shy, but was smiling. When I looked down at our hands that were so innocently locked together, I couldn''t help but smile as well.


    "This is different." Iughed. "It''s like I am holding hands with the children back home. It''s not wrong, but it''s different."


    "Was Artem truly the first person you held hands with since your mother?" He was shocked. "I held hands with friends and siblings growing up. But most of my siblings were much older than me so they were adults when I was still a child."


    "I didn''t have friends or siblings to be around as a child. I didn''t have a lot of experiences that most people have. I''m fine though; I am learning to be more like everyone else. I think my unique circumstances have allowed me to understand the way people feel more. Or that could just be the magic that was always lying dormant inside of me."


    The two of usughed at that as he opened a door in front of me. Inside the room was actually outside. That''s confusing to think about. I knew we were still inside the castle since I could feel its presence around me, but we seemed to be in a small meadow filled with flowers, bushes, trees, and an indoor stream. It wasn''t thatrge of a space, but it was beautiful.


    "This is the herbal garden. It has plenty of other things as well, but if you look around the space, you will see different herbs of different varieties. This garden isn''t far from the castle kitchen, and they get most of their herbs for meals from here. There are plenty of pixies, gnomes, brownies, and nisse who love this particr garden."


    Dad took me around and exined all the unique flowers and herbs that I had never seen before. They used the herbs in cooking, but also for daily life. A lot of Fae apparently liked to take baths with herbs in them, which did wonders for making the skin soft.


    After he showed me all around that garden, he took me to see the others. There was one that was filled with almost nothing but trees, which was perfect for Dryads like Acacia. There was a garden that was pure flowers. It had some that ranged in size from teeny tiny little dots that were the petals and stigma to giant flowers with petals bigger than my head. That garden was amazing, and I thought all the magical flowers were remarkable. There was even a flower that could do as you asked. It was popr for Fae to keep one at home. Dad asked it to pick me a regr daisy from among the field so it stretched out on it''s very long stem beforeing back with the pretty little flower.


    Thest of the several gardens we went to seemed like it was abination of all the others. There were trees, flowers, bushes, herbs, ivy,rge ponds, streams, and boulders that were shaped perfectly for use as benches. It was amazing, and it was also thergest of all the gardens we hade to so far.


    There wasn''t much in this garden that couldn''t be found in the other ones. There were a few tree, flower, and bush species that were exclusive to this garden that had apparently been modified hybrids that the queen made herself.


    "Aunt Glory really does love to create new flowers. She doesn''t do it often because she is busy, but she loves to see new life. And that life isn''t limited to just flowers and nts. She loves babies, new unions, and anything that brings a spark of life to ourmunity. I imagine that is why she took to you so quickly. You''re not only Fae, but a brilliantly shining spark of life!"


    My father really was a poetic man. I guess I just needed to get to know him to find out. I could see so much joy in him when he talked about his family or his home here. Seeing that look made me understand what it was that my mother saw in him.


    "Come on. Over here is my favorite spot." My father was starting to get excited; it was like being in this ce was bringing out the kid in him. "This is where I love being the most when I am home."


    He led me to the very center of the garden where there was a pond that was fed by several streams. Surrounding the pond were several low t boulders. And waiting there for us was a pic.


    There was a soft fuzzy nket waiting for us to sit on and a basket. There were also pillows on the nket so that we would be even morefortable while kneeling or sitting on the ground.


    "I know, pics are kind of a date thing, but I wanted to bring you here, and a pic sounded perfect." He wasughing. "You can feel free to bail out now. I wouldpletely understand." Most of the time my father tried to speak more properly than he was now. I was happy to see him rxing and calming down now.


    "It''s fine Dad, I know families have pics as well. I have heard about them and read about them. I don''t have a problem with this at all. We can talk and enjoy the flowers, right? I''m d you brought me here and thought of this."


    "That''s good." Heughed. "And yes, I want us to talk. But I also wanted to be able to discuss magic with you. We''re pixies, even you are one, so we will need to focus on nature magic for you. It will take a while for you to learn it all, but we will get you casting and practicing it all very soon."


    "I can''t wait!" I smiled at him right when my stomach growled. "But can we eat first? I think the baby is begging for lunch right now."


    "Haha. Yeah, sure thing. I would love to eat first. And I can''t wait to meet my grandson. That is going to be a surreal experience for me, but then again thesest few days have been beyond surreal."


    "A lot of things have happened, haven''t they? It''s not a bad thing though, and I wouldn''t change any of it."


    "Neither would I." My father smiled and pulled me toward him. His hug wasforting and secure. I would have loved to have had him there with me as a child. I could just imagine what kind of dad he would have been when I was growing up. I think he would have been fun and always defying my mom''s rules so we could go out and have some sort of adventure or another.

 Chapter 170 - Star - Picnic Part 2

    ~~


    Star??


    ~~


    After the hug, we sat down to eat. My father started to pull out several dishes that he had apparently asked to be made just for us. There were lots of things that I had never seen before, and I was excited to try them.


    I had spent a lot of my time since I was rescued trying new foods so I wasn''t afraid to taste them right now. Artem had made so many new things for me to try, that I was used to it already.


    The first dish that I tried looked like potato sd. I had tried it with Artem and Chay when they wanted to ''grill'' not that long ago. It was good, and I would eat it anytime that I was given it. This was a simr consistency, but it was purple. My father exined to me that it was their version of the sd. It did indeed have potatoes and other vegetables in it, along with the mayonnaise that it was made with, but it also had crushed flower petals that changed the vor and gave it a magical property. The food was great for the Fae and still safe for non Fae since the magic was for good health and a calm mind.


    After I tried that, I moved on to what I thought was fried chicken breast, but was actually a vegetable. It was one of those vegetables that only the Fae could grow in their enchanted gardens. This one had been sliced into small pieces, battered and fried. It had a texture and taste that made me think about zhini. It was really good, and I wanted to keep eating more of it, but I made myself move on an try some more.


    There were more dishes that were just spins on human versions of them, along with food you could only get when you were with the Fae. I would definitely look forward to eating these wonderful dishes when Ie back here for visits in the future. I think that I would like that very much. And it would be something to help me focus on between family visits.


    After we were done eating though, it seemed that my father wanted to talk. I thought that we were going to work on magic control. I wonder what it is that he wanted to discuss?


    "Star?" He looked at me with eyes that wavered for a moment. "How have you liked being here for thesest few days?"


    "To be honest, I thought I was going to hate it before I got here. I was so afraid before we left the house that I was tense and on edge. I did my best not to let it show, and I am sure that I hid it well from almost everyone. But I have to admit that the moment we crossed over the border to thepound, I felt lighter. It was like I was closer to where I belong, and I was somehow home."


    "So, you don''t want to leave?" He looked at me confused now. It was like he thought I wanted to stay here permanently.


    "No, I wouldn''t say that I don''t want to leave. I want to go home, I want to see the people there. It''s more like, I don''t want to lose the people I gained here either. I want both worlds. I am both worlds. The problem is, I can''t have both worlds. I can''t be in both ces."


    I hung my head, trying to not let him see me tear up at the heartache that I was feeling right then. I didn''t want him to know that I was hurting so bad.


    "Is it the people that you will be missing the most?" He sounded just as heartbroken as I did.


    "Yes." I heard my voice crack a little. "I don''t want to lose the family that I just gained. I know that the Fae live for a long time, but that doesn''t mean that I will. I don''t know if I will live longer than a normal wolf. I don''t know if I will get a lot of chances toe back here and visit with everyone. I don''t know if I will get to see y-." I stopped myself and looked away. I stared out at the stream to keep myself from finishing the words that I was about to say.


    "You don''t know if you will be able toe back to visit me all that often, right?" He knew what I was going to say even though I didn''t actually say it.


    "That''s right. I just met you, I just got you in my life. I don''t want you to leave me now. I don''t want to end up losing my father without ever getting to spend much time with him. I know that''s stupid and selfish of me. I know you have a life of your own to live somewhere else, and you have things to do that have nothing to do with me. I know all of that, but I still, I can''t stop myself from thinking about all of it."


    "You don''t have to worry, Star." He smiled at me and put a hand on my shoulder. It was the hand that caused me to look at him and see that tender look in his eyes.


    "I will try not to." I grimaced in an attempt to smile at him. "I will try to ept it, Dad. I promise I will."


    "That''s not what I was meaning, Star." He looked like he wanted tough, but held it back. "What I meant, Star, is that you don''t have to worry about seeing me. I wanted to ask you if you would mind if I came back with you. I want toe back to California with you. I want to live with you and Artem. I want to be there for you. I know you are grown already, but I can be there for the baby as he gets older, and any future children you will have. I want to be a part of your life, Star. I missed too much of it already."


    I saw that my Dad was crying now, thinking about the parts of our lives that we had missed. I was so happy that he wanted to go with me, so happy that it brought tears of joy to my eyes.


    "If you want me there with you, Star, I want toe back with you. I already asked Artem as well, and he was all for it."


    "Yes, Dad, pleasee back with us!" As I grinned at him, I noticed that I had started calling and thinking about him as Dad more than Father. I know that the more formal term still went through my head sometimes, but more often than not the informal word flitted through. Did that mean that I was getting more used to it? Did that mean I was morefortable with all of this? I hoped so.


    "Oh!" I had a sudden thought as I remembered whating home with us really meant for my dad.


    "What?!" I think I scared him since he jumped away from me, a little afraid.


    "When youe home with us, you can meet the other children." I was happy that this meant he could be part of our really big family.


    "What other children? Isn''t this your first child? I know you mentioned the children back home, but I don''t know who they are."


    "They are the boys that Artem and his friends rescued. He saved them the same as he saved me. And now that the issues back home are over, we are going to adopt them."


    Well, that seemed to shock him for a moment, but then there was a happy smile on his face. It looked like he was still uneasy, but that was only a small part of it.


    "I think that is great. You didn''t have a family when you were younger, so now you have all that love to share with children. And so, your first baby will have an instantrge family. That is truly nice if you ask me. I can''t wait to meet them!"


    I was happy to see that he was epting and supportive of what we were doing. He was going to love the boys. Even if he didn''t look like he was old enough to be a grandfather, he was, I mean, he was one hundred and neen years old. If that wasn''t old enough to be a grandfather, then I don''t know what was. And in this case, the grandfather would still be young enough (physically, if not chronologically) to y with all the kids. They are going to have a lot of fun together, I just knew it. I couldn''t wait to get him home and introduce him to everyone. Wait until he found out that the baby I was having was going to be his fourteenth grandchild.

 Chapter 171 - Star - Magic Training 1

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    Star??


    ~~


    "OK Star, what do you say we get to work on learning some of the magic that you can do. I know that you have used your hand of power without even trying to, and that can happen when emotions are running high. When you are angry, scared, extremely sad, and even when you are really happy, your magic can slip, and the oue can be unpredictable."


    My dad was starting to exin the part of being a Fae that had actually scared me the most. I knew I had magic, but I didn''t know how to use it. That was scary. To have power, but no control over it. It made me feel dangerous and like I was a potential threat to my loved ones.


    "Can I ask you something?" I raised my hand just a little to stop his little speech.


    "Yes, go right ahead." He grinned and nodded for me to continue.


    "What is a hand of power? I have heard you say it a couple of times now, but I don''t know what it is."


    "I am sorry. I forgot that you know nothing of magic." He pped his hand to his forehead andughed. "I am such an idiot at times. Then again, I have often been told by my sisters and my female cousins that that is a trait of men. We''re all stupid apparently!" Heughed it off and sighed yfully.


    My dad wasn''t upset at all, he was having fun right now; even when making fun of himself, he was having a good time.


    "Alright, to exin in the simplest way possible to start, a hand of power is like your main magic. Most Fae can have up to two of them, obviously because we have two hands. Whether we''re in our human form or our nature form, we usually only have two hands. There are some less than human-looking individuals among us, but they are not thatmon. And those individuals aren''t that easy on the eyes so they tend to stick to their human form instead of their nature form."


    He hadn''t described anything specifically but my imagination was running rampant. For some reason I was seeing things that were very scary inside my head. The thoughts made me shudder involuntarily. Then my dad continued his exnation, thankfully moving past the Fae that were supposedly not pleasant to look at.


    "Now, most Fae can be broken into groups based on what they are. A lot of our magic is limited based on what type of Fae we are. Being a pixie, my magic is mostly focused on nature. That is what I am best at. However, we have a close blood tie to the Queen of the Fae, who is a neutral being. She is what we would call a Sidhe. All of the Fae are part of thest of Faerie. That is obviously a little redundant to need to say, but there it is. Now don''t get this confused with the fantasy tales woven by old storytellers; those are fairy tales with a y and no e''s. I am referring to an entire ne of existence known as Faerie, two e''s and no y."


    "I am so confused right now." Iughed pretending to be dizzy from all the information.


    "I see you take after me more than I thought." He grinned. "But hush and let me give you a history lesson. We have a little more to go through before I can teach you how to use magic."


    Iughed so hard that my shoulders were shaking. He had noticed that I was only pretending not to follow him at all.


    "OK, as I was saying, all of the Fae are people of Faerie. We vary in type and variety. The Queen is a Sidhe; I said she was neutral magic, but that''s not really it. Her brothers were neutral and that was proven. Aunt Glory is more like an all-magic. She is literally the physical embodiment of every magic that the Fae has to offer. She is the most powerful being I have ever met or that I have even known of."


    "Is she really that strong?" I felt my jaw drop, and my eyes pop open as I thought about my Aunt Gloriana; she definitely didn''t seem that powerful to me.


    "Yes, she is. It would be wise for her enemies to never challenge her directly." I saw the grim light in his eyes as he thought about whatever that might mean. I wondered if she even had enemies.


    "Now," he cleared his throat and moved on, "there are what we call lesser Fae, which cannot get a hand of power. They are rted to us, can even be the same type of fae, but they do not have a human form. They never strengthened and evolved into something more. They are still nothing more than that of the old legends. The other Fae, those in the messer, middle, upper, high, and grand rankings can usually change easily between one form or another. However, those lesser Fae are not fully excluded from the rest of us. It is the Queen''s greatest desire to raise the ranks of all the lesser fae over time. It may sound archaic and controlling, but she would like to breed the bloodlines together to help them all ascend."


    I thought about that for a moment, thinking deeply about it, and what it would mean.


    "Is she going to force them into it?" I asked my dad, still staring into the distance while thinking.


    "Absolutely not. If the lesser Fae do not want to ascend, then they will not be forced to do so, and likewise, she will not force someone to mate with them if they do not want to. She would just like to see the power shared between her people."


    "Hmm." I thought about it for another second. "Then I see no problem. If she isn''t calling them abominations and telling them that they need to be fixed, and if she isn''t forcing them to mate with someone against their will, then I don''t see a problem with it." I smiled at him.


    "Good." He was happy to see that I hadn''t gotten angry at our aunt''s choices. "Now, the higher ranked a Fae is, the more magic they have. The reason I said that most Fae can have up to two hands of power is that everyone from middle rank and up can have that ability; though all Fae can use magic of some sort."


    "OK, so that means that I am at least a middle Fae. And I am assuming that Aunt Gloriana is a Grand Fae?"


    "She is considered that, yes, but she is much more powerful than that ranking. Aunt Glory is as close to a living Goddess as you can get. In truth, we Fae are descended from the Gods, and there were three that were especially strong and close to the original Goddess that created us."


    He was giving me so much to think about right now. This was turning into more than just a magic lesson. I hoped he would give me a full course on our history when we go back to California.


    "I am getting off topic." He shook his head, ending the extra lessons. Oh, and I liked them too. "Now, the magic we can do is usually, but not always, limited to the type of Fae we are. There are universal magics that we can all do; there are some magics that you can do with a lot of practice and effort, but they will take their toll on you; and then there are magics that you can never do if your type doesn''t match it."


    I nodded my head showing that I understood what he was saying. I had slowly been learning things from my cousins that had nothing to do with school. Reed had taught me a card game that was magic based, and some characters were strong based on the type of their magic.


    "So being that I am a pixie, I probably will have a hard time doing things like fire magic." My dad nodded, happy that I understood what he had been saying.


    "Yes, exactly that. I am so d you get it. You might be able to start a campfire or something, but you can''t shoot a fireball."


    "Oh well, damn!" I joked, and we bothughed.


    "You can do other things though, and I will teach you."


    I was getting excited. Despite the confusing things he had said I was really excited to get all of this started. I wanted to know more about myself, about my people and my heritage. I wanted to know it all. I liked learning and knowing things. It''s the not knowing that makes life scary. And I had spent way too much of my life not knowing anything. I would never let that happen to me ever again.

 Chapter 172 - Star - Magic Training 2

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    Star


    ~~


    "Now, there are some things about you that I don''t know the true effects of when ites to your magic. But, the simple fact that you have magic, and a hand of power at that, means that you should bergely unaffected by anything. I believe wholeheartedly that you should be able to do all of the magic that I am capable of, if not more."


    I saw excitement and joy in my dad''s eyes as I watched and listened to him exin everything that he had to say. I felt like, in a way, we were bonding and getting closer. I felt like we would have no problems with each other when we all went back home, and he came with us.


    "What sort of effects are you thinking there might be?" I asked him out of curiosity.


    "I don''t know how being half wolf will affect you. It''s hard to know what will be different for you with magic and other things like that. It should be minimal though, you are hardly the first hybrid. Of course, everyone will be different so we cannot base your experience with magic off of someone else''s."


    "OK, well I think the best bet then will be to start with the basics and work our way up." I grinned as I thought about learning small bits of magic, and then learning how to use my hand of power at will. "Oh, that reminds me. I wanted to ask if you have two hands of power? I know we both have the one power that is the same, but do you have another one?"


    "I do, yes. I am considered a high Fae, only those that are ranked grand are stronger than high Fae."


    "I didn''t know that." I smiled awkwardly, my family was so much more important than I thought. "So is everyone in our family a high Fae?"


    "No, not everyone. Some are upper Fae, some are high Fae, and some are grand Fae. I think there might be some distant rtives that are middle Fae, but I am notpletely certain of their connection to us. Considering my familial closeness to the queen, it is understandable that I would be as high ranked as I am. My great grandfather was Aunt Glory''s brother."


    "Doesn''t that ever feel awkward to say? That your aunt who looks so young is the sister of your great grandfather. Just so you know, it is a bit strange to hear when you haven''t been raised around immortal beings your whole life."


    "I can see how that would seem strange to you, but to me it''s just normal. I never met my great grandfather though, he died in one of the old Fae wars. His name was Sorrel; he, Valerian and Gloriana were the original three Sidhe. They were born from the gods themselves. Most of the other Fae are magic creatures that evolved over time as humans put their faith and belief into them and their magic. There was a time when the Fae helped humans a lot, but that hasn''t been the case for centuries. Now, we need to hide away and protect ourselves from them as much as we can."


    I could see the sadness in my dad''s eyes now. He was remembering the histories he had learned and most likely things that he had seen first hand. This world wasn''t perfect, it wasn''t at peace, and that was something that I truly wished could be changed.


    Dad shook his head then, like he was ridding himself of the bad thoughts. When he was done, he smiled and looked at me.


    "I keep getting off topic here."


    "That''s fine. Everything you''ve told me so far has been quite interesting."


    "I''m really d you think so. Perhaps I can teach you more another time. But for right now, let''s focus on magic. Are you ready to start actually trying to use it?" He looked excited now, like he was eagerly anticipating my answer.


    "Yeah, let''s do this." I clenched my fist and pumped it in the air once.


    "OK, good. Now, let''s get down to how to use magic. That was another reason I wanted to be here when we did this. This is the most magical garden in the entire castle."


    I watched as he moved off of the nket then. For some reason, my dad took his shoes off and crouched on the grass next to the pond. He was crouched so low that his toes and fingers were both able to dig into the soft earth.


    "Come here and do what I am doing. You should be able to feel the magic if you concentrate on it."


    I did as he asked and took the sandals I was wearing off. I was wearing a dress that was just a little longer than knee length but I didn''t think that it would cause an issue here. I held the dress in ce with my hands as I stooped and crouched down to the ground. When I was as low as I could go, basically sitting on the heels of my feet with my toes digging into the dirt, I put my hands on the grass and pressed my palms t.


    "That''s good." Dad smiled at me. "Now, do you feel the ground humming? That small little vibration that is coursing through it. That is the magic of this ce. All things with magic will hum, even if just a little. The stronger the hum, the stronger the magic."


    I closed my eyes and concentrated on my hands and feet, doing my best to feel that humming my dad was talking about. At first I didn''t notice anything at all, but right as I was about to tell him that, right when I opened my mouth, I felt something vibrate through my hands and feet.


    "Huh!" I gasped at the feel of it. "I..I do. I feel it!" I heard the awe and excitement that was in my own voice.


    "Good, that means that you can tap into magic. We have it inside of us, but we can also borrow it from the earth. The earth itself has magic, some parts of it will have more than others though. There is an undergroundwork of magical lines called ley lines. These lines provide magic to the whole world. They help to offer a source of power to all of us that can feel their presence."


    "So, they''re like, Fae powerlines?" I tilted my head to the side as I asked that, knowing it would make himugh. I was right, he didugh.


    "In a way, only it can provide power to witches, warlocks, djinn, genies, gypsies, summoners, healers, and any other kind of magic user there is."


    "That''s a lot of people tapping into the power sources then, won''t they ever run out?" The fear of the world losing power suddenly filled me.


    "If one set of lines loses power then another will form to take its ce. There is always a bnce."


    "That is a relief." I smile, feeling a weight lessen.


    "No need to worry, sweetheart, the magical world bnces itself out." He smiled soothingly. "Now, let''s work on tapping into that power. I think you will be a natural at it."


    My dad sat down all the way now, crossing his legs like a kid and facing me. I couldn''t mirror that pose because of the dress but I sat on the grass and tucked both of my legs to the side of me. I wasn''t really sitting on them, more next to them.


    "Alright Star, when you get better at this you will draw on the power inside of you, but to start I want you to borrow the power of thend. Feel the magic, pull it toward you, bring it inside your body."


    "How do I do that?" I waspletely lost now. Yeah, I could feel the magic, but how do I pull it into me and use it? I didn''t know what it was he wanted me to do here.


    "Wee it into your body, let it know that it''s not intruding. Feel the vibrations not with just your hands, but your whole body."


    I tried doing as he said. I closed my eyes and concentrated. After a little while nothing was happening. I felt like I just couldn''t do it. But then there was this little voice inside of me, a voice I felt like I had heard before. I think it was my mother''s voice from that dream.


    "You can do it, Starry girl. I know you can. I believe in you."


    After those words, I felt like the thrumming wasn''t just under me anymore. It was all through me. My whole body was vibrating gently. When I popped my eyes open, I saw my dad looking at me excitedly as I floated about six inches off the ground, a bright green lighting from my entire body.

 Chapter 173 - Star - Magic Training Part 3

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    Star


    ~~


    "Oh Goddess! Oh no! Dad, what''s happening?" I was starting to freak out with what was happening. As soon as I broke the silence and started to flip out, the connection to the magic seemed to sever, and I fell the six inches to the grassy ground. "Ouch." My butt collided with the hard surface, and I felt a small ache.


    "Are you alright?" Dad was a little worried about me after the small fall I had just suffered.


    "Y..yeah, I''m fine." I got to my feet with his help and then promptly rubbed my bottom where it was sore. "What happened? Why did I glow? Why did I float? And why did I fall?"


    "Well, you''re never short on curiosity." Heughed for a second, then started answering the questions I had loaded onto him. "You were floating and glowing because you had so much magic in you. There must have been a catalyst or something that had helped you to ess it. As for the falling, that is most likely because your fear blocked your ess to the magic and severed your connection with the earth."


    "I''d say it reinstated my connection with the earth." I grumbled as I rubbed my sore rump again. That smart remark earned me a chuckle from my dad.


    "OK, it severed your magical connection with the earth and reinstated your physical connection with it. Is that better?"


    "Much, it''s a much more urate description anyway."


    "Yeah, I guess it is. Are you ready to try it again? This time you will expect the floating and glowing."


    "Yeah, sure, I guess." I wasn''t as excited now as I was before, but I was going to try my best to be optimistic. I am sure that not all of my magic attempts would end in my butt thumping the ground.


    I got into position and started the process again. It didn''t take as long this time to make the magic flow into me. I just remembered the words that I had heard before, the words that I was sure was my mother.


    "You can do it, Starry girl. I know you can. I believe in you."


    Once I heard the words in my head, I felt the power coursing through me. This time I knew what it was and what to expect. I wasn''t afraid this time either when I opened my eyes and saw that I was once again floating off of the ground and glowing green.


    Knowing it was going to happen, expecting it to happen made it a lot easier. I was actually thrilled and exhrated when I saw that I had done it again. I was getting the hang of it; that made me happy, and I could tell that it was making my dad happy too.


    This time, since I didn''t let the fear get to me, I was able to float higher. I was about four feet off the ground, still in the same sitting position. Dad, with a big grin on his face, was dancing for joy.


    "That is excellent, Star! You''ve connected with the magic perfectly. I just know that you are going to aplish a lot with your training."


    "Really?" I was excited to hear that he thought I had a lot of potential.


    "Definitely. You''re already doing amazing. You''re pulling so much magic from your surroundings that you''re overflowing with it. Now, you can manipte the power that is causing you to float and move through the air with it."


    From there, he started telling me how to move the magic inside of me at my will. He told me how to concentrate on the thrumming that was inside of me and direct it. He was right, I was able to move around, and quite easily as well.


    I went from just hovering around to moving through the air swiftly. I had my arms out to my sides, and it looked like I wasying on my stomach in the air. I went as high as I could and brushed the ceiling that looked just like the sky, and then I flew over the pond and grazed the surface of the water with my fingertips. It was exhrating and wonderful. While I was just about at the center of the pond, I started to fly higher and higher, spinning in slow circles as I went. I was loving every second of this.


    Then, someone came into the garden; there were two people, and they were talking in loud voices.


    "Get some from over there, and I will work over here. The Queen wants a special dinner tonight, and we need to prepare."


    "Yeah, I know." Their voices were deep, grumbling and still somehow childlike.


    Their interruption though had broken my concentration. I lost my thumming power, and I was no longer able to hold myself up. Since I had been flying, this meant that I was now falling.


    "AHHH!" I screamed loud and high.


    "Star!" My dad was racing toward me, but I don''t know what he was nning to do.


    I was falling fast, and I didn''t have time to think about what to do. I just put my hands out in front of me to brace myself against whatever I was going to hit. It looked like I was still going to be over the water when Inded, so it shouldn''t hurt, should it?


    I was still afraid. I didn''t want to hit the ground or the water. How would it affect my baby? Would it hurt him? What would happen to my little boy if I got hurt here?


    While these thoughts went through my head, a solution was suddenly put before me. In an instant, a giant flower sprung up on each side of therge pond. The flowers met right beneath me and formed a sort ofnding or cradle for me tond in. Only, the flowers didn''t just let me fall into them; when I got closer they rose to meet me and gently cushioned me while slowing my descent.


    That was amazing. I didn''t know that my dad could do that. When I was finally back on the ground, having been carried there by the flowers, Dad ran right up to me and pulled me into a hug.


    "Oh Star, I am sorry. I should never have let that happen."


    "It''s alright Dad, you saved me anyway." I hugged him back, weing his arms around me.


    "What are you talking about?" He pulled away then and looked at me with a surprised look in his eyes. "I didn''t save you."


    "Didn''t you send the flowers for me?" I asked him, now confused about what was going on."


    "No Star, I didn''t." He was shaking his head to emphasize his words.


    "Then who did?" I was so confused.


    "You did." He smiled at me. "You made them appear."


    "Huh?" I was even more confused by that. "I don''t get it. How did I do that?"


    "You have two hands of power, Star." He grinned at me. "You have two special abilities like me."


    "I..I..I do?"


    That shocked me. I am only half Fae so I never thought that I would have two powers like that. The excitement that my dad was having over it more than made up for myck. I was just a little overwhelmed at the moment and wasn''t able to celebrate.


    I learned from my father that my second hand of power was called the flower guardians. Apparently, they would protect me and those that I care about. That is nice, but it would have been useful a lot sooner.


    After that incident though, we focused on having me learn small magics. I was able to do several little things that I never would have thought about, like having a group of small flowers carrying a cup of juice over to me. I was able to start a campfire, like dad said I would be able to, and I was about to put it out with the water from the pond without needing to move.


    Dad told me that he would teach me more when we got back home, including summoning my flowers at will. He was doing so much for me right now that I couldn''t believe it. I had thought that this would never be possible for me. I thought that I was going to be without a loving parent in my life forever, but now I had a dad that loved me and cared for me, and I couldn''t have been happier about it.


    When our training was over, we packed up the remnants of our pic and started back toward the room. Dad was excited about moving and was telling me that he couldn''t decide if he should take all his stuff or buy all new stuff when we got there. He sounded so giddy that I just smiled and listened to him talk about our future all together as a family.

 Chapter 174 - Artem - Lunch With The Queen

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I knew before Star told me that the Queen wanted to have lunch with me. Tomorrow was ourst day here and then we were going home. Honestly, we spent more time here than I thought we would. Also, it was a lot better than I thought it would be. I was d about that. I didn''t want this trip to be a disappointment for my Star.


    Still, as good as things were, it was nerve wracking to be going to have lunch one on one with the Queen. I knew how nice she was, and how much she already cared about Star, but that didn''t make it any easier on me at all.


    I dressed semi-formal, semi-casual for my lunch with the Queen. I didn''t want to be used of being too familiar and casual by anyone in the castle. It was already spreading among the inhabitants of the castle, and the city that surrounded it, that Star was the Queen''s niece. That would make things both easier and harder on her in the long run. She was going to be a spectacle to them, something to gawk at and wonder about because she was different. I didn''t need to help them out by giving them something else to talk about.


    When it was time for me to go for lunch, a servant came and escorted me to the same room that I had been in before. Once inside, it was just me and the Queen that was sitting there waiting for me.


    "Hello Artem" She smiled softly.


    "Hello." I nodded at her and did my best to smile.


    "You''re nervous, I can tell."


    "W..well, just a little. I don''t know why you wanted to have lunch with me, if there might be something wrong."


    "No, Artem, there is nothing wrong. I just wanted to talk to you about something. Something that I think might be very important to you."


    "If it''s about Star, then it is important to me. She is the most important thing in the world to me."


    "I know, and I am d that you have been there for her. She is lucky to have found you. Come here, Artem, let''s have lunch, and we will talk while we eat."


    "Alright." I was a little confused and nervous still, but I went to the table with her and sat down at the ce that had been set for me.


    The Queen had a meal with several dishes prepared, and all of them were scrumptious and unique. I think she was trying to showcase what the Faepound had to offer. We ate in silence for a moment, just savoring the meal. Before long though, the Queen started to ask some questions.


    "Artem, how long do wolves such as yourself live?" She looked genuinely curious, like she really didn''t know. "I know it''s close to that of a human, but I am notpletely sure."


    "Well, it can vary for many reasons. If someone were to die in a battle, obviously they wouldn''t live as long as someone who died of old age. As for life expectancy of the average wolf, the oldest we can expect to live is around one hundred and thirty to one hundred and forty, though that is not asmon. Most of us will pass on sometime around ny to one hundred and ten. It really just varies. If a wolf gets too sedentary in their old age, then they tend to fade sooner."


    "Do you know how long a Fae lives for, Artem?" Her voice was solemn now, like she was upset by what she had heard.


    "I know that if they''re not killed by something or someone else they could possibly live forever, or close to it."


    "That''s right. So, what that means, is if Star takes after her Fae side, she will live a lot longer than you will. As will her children most likely. I am not sure how strong the blood will be with each additional generation."


    "Oh."


    I hadn''t thought about Star living like a Fae. I didn''t think that she would be an immortal like them. If I aged and Star didn''t, that would mean that I would die and leave her alone. I wouldn''t be there to protect her anymore.


    I could feel the anger, the fear, and the heartache starting to fill me. It was overwhelming. But I couldn''t not be with her. I needed her in my life, and she needed me. We were made for each other. So why then, would fate make us live drastically different life spans?


    "Artem?" I heard something, but I was spiraling right now. I didn''t want to lose my love. "Artem." The voice called again, and this time, I snapped out of it and looked at the Queen.


    "I am sorry. I was lost in thought." I was embarrassed, but the way that I had ignored her in my panicked state.


    "It''s fine, Artem. This is a lot to take in." She smiled and rose to her feet. "Come with me for a moment, please."


    "Alright." I was confused but I got up to follow her.


    I watched as Queen Gloriana went to her desk and waved a hand. It was like the desk that I saw was just an illusion because in an instant the entire thing changed. It was bigger in every way possible; it was taller, wider, and had arge hutch over the borately carved wooden surface that held many items that looked to be priceless.


    Queen Gloriana seemed to know exactly where to look for what it was that she wanted. Everything in the desk was neatly organized and seemed to be in its ce. I watched as she reached into a closed cab on the hutch. Once inside there, she moved a few things to the side before taking a green leather bracelet out. While she cradled it carefully in one hand, she closed up the desk and waved her hand again. With that wave, the extra parts to the desk disappeared, and the smaller desk was all that was left behind.


    "Come here Artem." He gestured me over with a wave of her hand. I walked slowly, like I was afraid. I don''t know, maybe I was. I didn''t know what the purpose of that bracelet was, but I knew it was a magic item.


    When I was standing just in front of the Queen, she held the bracelet out for me to see. It was made of leather, I could smell it, but it looked like ivy. It was green and had little leaves that had been wrapped around it. There were symbols carved into it as well, symbols that I didn''t recognize or understand. And it seemed to be thrumming slightly as if it had power of its own.


    "What is this?" I asked Queen Gloriana in a hushed voice.


    "This, Artem, could be the answer to your problem. It is a magic bracelet that will make your lifespan match Star''s, if she were to live long beyond your years you will live on with her and age at the same pace that she does."


    "Really?!" I heard the excitement in my voice now as I looked at the bracelet with a renewed curiosity.


    "There is a catch though." Her voice was grave as she spoke.


    "What kind of catch?" I didn''t like the sound of that.


    "This is magic we are dealing with, and this particr magic is old and powerful. If you were to do this, it would bind your fates together."


    "Is that a bad thing?" I didn''t understand her warning.


    "To bind your fate is to bind your lives. If one of you were to die while you were wearing the bracelet, then the other would as well. If you knew your end wasing from injury you could simply take the bracelet off; if you had the time that is. But if you were to live until the end of Star''s days, if they were beyond yours, then you would perish the moment that she did."


    "I could remove the bracelet to save Star if I was injured and then she wouldn''t die too. Got it." It was definitely something that would need to be thought about. I don''t even know if Star would want me to take this step. I would do it in a heartbeat, but I needed to ask her first."


    "Will you ept this gift, Artem? Will you take this ancient magic that I am offering you?"


    "I will, but I will not use it until I talk with Star first. I want her to know what the consequences are. I need her to know that this is a risk to the both of us."


    "That is understandable andmendable." Queen Gloriana smiled at me. "I am d that you are open to the option."


    I watched as the Queen closed her hands around the bracelet then. After a sh of light, there was a box there instead of just the bracelet.


    "I have wrapped it for you, in a sense. This way you may take it with you and present it to your mate."


    I had to think about how best to approach this subject with Star. I knew she would be scared of the idea that we would be linked like that. I for one think it would be romantic to link our fates even more than they already are. I was meant to live for her, I would choose to die with her as well.

 Chapter 175 - Star - Farewell Banquet

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I couldn''t believe that I had magic now, not just what I knew about before, but a lot more! My dad had taught me so much yesterday. And Artem said that his lunch with the Queen had gone great. This was all going so well.


    I was a little sad though since tonight was ourst night here. We were having a farewell banquet with aunt Gloriana and most of the Fae in thepound. I was officially being introduced as Aaron''s daughter and another niece to the Queen.


    That was nerve wracking, but I would deal with it and get through it splendidly. I know that I was wearing another of my formal dresses for the asion tonight, the ck one with a pair of silver strappy heels that wove around my legs. Artem was wearing a night tux with a tie and vest to match my silver ents as best as he could. And I was even having Acacia help me with my hair and makeup. I was going to rock this night with my mate at my side.


    When it was time for the banquet, Artem and I were being kept in a side room until everyone else had arrived in the hall. We could just barely hear the words that were being said on the other side of the door. It sounded like there were hundreds of people already in there, and they weren''t done yet. By the time they were all there, it would be close to, if not over, a thousand people.


    For a moment, I felt my stomach roil and roll like I was going to be sick. Then I felt Artem grab my hand and give it a gentle squeeze. The smile in his eyes spoke more to me than all the words on the other side of that door. He was my rock, my mate, my heart and soul. He was all I needed to make it through this life. If he was with me, then I was fine.


    "Are you ready?" He asked me with a soft voice.


    "As I''ll ever be." I grinned at him.


    "I love you." He whispered to me, love in his voice.


    "I love you too, Artem."


    Themotion of the other side of the door died down at that. It was like a cue for everything to start. I know it wasn''t us that caused it though, and a momentter the reason for the silence on the other side was made clear.


    "Friends, family, guests, citizens of Faerie, I thank you foring to join us today. I have someone I would like to introduce to you all. My nephew, Aaron, has recently found a long missing part of his family. His daughter, Astraia, has returned to us. Please wee Astraia and her mate, Artem."


    As the booming sound from the Queen''s voice faded, the doors in front of us opened. I saw the grand hall for the first time. There were tables everywhere. Some were raised onto tforms so that the people there were higher than the others, but no one was higher than the Queen who sat at the end of the hall.


    Artem and I walked into the room with tables filled with people on either side of us. I saw the looks that many of them were giving me. They had heard rumors about me, but only those close to the Queen even knew what I looked like prior to today. I hadn''t spoken to anyone outside of the staff, Acacia''s family, and my dad''s family. Them and Aunt Gloriana of course.


    "Come, Astraia dear." Aunt Gloriana beckoned me up to her. "Come and sit next to me; this is a banquet in your honor of course." I walked up the stairs to her tform and took her hand. From there, Aunt Gloriana guided me to the table where Artem and I were to sit beside her. There was a man on her other side that I had never met before; he was handsome and appeared to be in love with the Queen.


    "Aunt Gloriana, who is he?" I whispered to her as we sat next to each other.


    "Oh, this is my consort, dear. He is the current stand-in for the role of my spouse. Curtis, please wee my niece, Astraia."


    "Wee to the world of the Fae." He nodded at me with a smile. "I am pleased that you could join us."


    "Thank you, Curtis. I am so pleased to be here as well. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you in time."


    The food was brought in then, and the hall was distracted with eating. The noise level didn''t really diminish though, as the conversations continued over the food. I heard some people mention my name, but I didn''t know who they were or even what table they were at with all the voices echoing around me.


    I was enjoying myself though since nothing bad was happening, and the food was amazing as always. Artem seemed to be pleased as well.


    After the meal was done, there were some people who were brought before me for introductions. Twelve different men and women that were called the nobles. They were introduced in order of rank from lowest to highest. The lowest all came at once and didn''t get a chance to speak to me aside from giving their names.


    "A pleasure to meet you, Astraia. I am Michangelo."


    "What a wonderful day this is, wee Astraia. My name is Renalda."


    "Wee, I am Yvetta."


    "Greetings, young one, I am Pruitt."


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you today, Astraia; my name is Jasper."


    "Greetings, I am Serine."


    After the lower six came the middle four. They were promised time to talkter if I wanted to speak to them more.


    "What a bright day that this is when we get to spread our seed and sow new roots. I am d that you coulde learn about the Faends. I am Brickston."


    "A million well wishes to you and yours, young Astraia. I am so delighted that our Queen has more family at her side. I am Nicholette."


    "Oh, praise the nature spirits, I sense strong magic in you, young one. I cannot wait to see what you can do in the future. Blessed be to you, Astraia. I am Havon."


    "Evesting love, I see it between the two of you. I love when true love is found. I thank you foring this evening, I am Frannine."


    I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed already, but there were two more to meet. These two were the only two that were directly below the Queen in power apparently.


    "I never would have thought that wolves would solve our mating crisis. Who would have suspected such a thing. Well, it is what it is. I am Tarragon, it is wonderful to meet you."


    "Wee. I am Valerian." This man was the only one among the twelve who looked angry and upset upon seeing me. I wonder why? Did I do something wrong?


    The nobles moved on quickly though, and I promised to speak with Havon and Tarragonter. They were the two that seemed to be the nicest out of them all.


    There was a portion of the evening where dancing was allowed on the floor when the tables had been cleared away by the brownies. I thought, if I danced at all, it would be with Artem seeing that he was my mate. However, my dad ran up and asked if he might dance with me. He had no one else to dance with anyway.


    "I would love to." I told him with a smile.


    He led me out onto the dance floor and guided me through the traditional dance that was going on all around us. I messed up a few times, but we were both still all smiles.


    Following the dance, I got another surprise. Valerian, the only noble who had seemed opposed to me, asked if he could dance with me for a moment.


    "If I may, Star." He used my nickname so he must be close to Aunt Gloriana. "I promise I have no ill intention."


    "Alright, I would be honored." I smiled at him and took his hand. He guided me through the same dance only he was better at leading than my father was, and I didn''t mess up as much.


    "You have my brother''s dark shade of hair. Or is that a trait from your mother?" He looked at me with curious eyes.


    "I''m sorry? Your brother?"


    "Sorrel. He died many, many years ago, but I see traces of him in you. He would be your great great grandfather."


    "I don''t know of him, but I am happy to learn his name." I smiled as the man guided me in the dance.


    "Sorrel and I are Gloriana''s brothers. Sorrel was the first among us to have children. I had a son once, but he died many years ago. His mother was not my mate, unfortunately, so she left me. Sorrel''s family is all that we have."


    "I am so sorry." I felt the tears sting in my eyes then. "Wait, that makes you my uncle, right?"


    "Yes, I am as much your uncle as Gloriana is your Aunt." He tried to smile, but I could tell that he wasn''t that used to it, and it was hard for him.


    "Well, thank you for the dance, Uncle Valerian. It was lovely."


    "Thank you, Star. And I hope youe back to visit at some time. I know that Gloriana would like that."


    With that the music ended, and my Uncle Valerian turned to walk away. I didn''t see him again for the rest of the night. Actually, the night didn''tst long after that. After my dad announced to everyone that he was going to live with me so he could be there for me and my family the night was over. I felt tired and ready to rest.


    We slept as soon as we got back to the room. Our luggage was packed by brownies who were much quicker at it than we were. We said goodbye to Acacia''s family and my dad''s family. I went to see Aunt Goriana as well, and she cried tears of loneliness as I left.


    It was finally time for us to head home. This trip had not been too long, but felt like it hadsted for months. I just wanted to go home and get back to my normal life with the kids all around us. I missed their smiling faces, and I just know that they missed us too. I wonder if any of them were going to run to us and yell "mommy" and "daddy" happily. That would be wonderful.

 Chapter 176 - Star - Home

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    The trip back home was both quick and very long. It felt like we were gone for so long that I just wanted to get home and see everyone that I was missing. I wanted to introduce them to my dad. I wanted to hug them all. I wanted to hug my friends and family. I wanted to move on with my life.


    Yet, at the same time, I felt like I was leaving behind so much. I felt like it was all getting so far away so fast. I would miss everyone and hoped to see them all again very soon.


    When we pulled up to the house, Dad seemed to be impressed; his eyes went wide, and he let out a low whistle.


    "I didn''t know you had such an impressive ce to live. This ce is pretty massive for something that isn''t a castle."


    "It''s the pack house, which was built and maintained by the Alphas of the pack." Artem looked out the window and exined it to him.


    "It looked like the Alphas do pretty well for themselves."


    "The members of the pack are supposed to pay dues to the Alpha, but I am not requiring that just yet. I do well enough on my own. That was something that I spoke with the Alpha King about, and he agreed. When tensions in the pack are better, we can possibly reinstate it, but we will see."


    "Impressive. You seem like a capable leader, Artem. I am happy that my daughter has you."


    Dad and Artem gave each other approving nods just before we excited the SUV. The door to the front of the house opened immediately, and a flood of people poured out. Dalton and Cohen were in front, of course. They were the two that were the most attached to me from the beginning so I figured that they would be the first ones out.


    "Mommy! Daddy!" They yelled in unison as they ran down the stairs.


    Dalton ran into my arms as I crouched to hug him while Cohen jumped toward Artem who caught him and hugged him tightly.


    "We missed you." Cohen said as he buried his head in Artem''s chest.


    "We missed you too, buddy." Artem looked like he had tears in his eyes as he hugged the little boy.


    "Why were you gone for so long Mommy? I thought it was just going to be a couple days." Dalton sounded sad as I held him against me.


    "It was a couple days longer than I thought, but a lot happened. Guess what?"


    "What? What? What?" The two of them and several of the other boys who had just gotten to us were asking eagerly.


    "While I was away, I met my dad. And he is really nice."


    "Really?!" Dalton sounded excited. "Where is he? Did hee back with you?" He looked over my shoulder then and saw the man himself. "Is that him? He looks young." I heard Dadugh behind me; I guess he was used to it since he only looked like he was in his mid-twenties.


    "I am indeed her dad, young man. And I may look young, but I''m actually one hundred and neen years old."


    "That''s really old. That''s older than Grandpa. Only by a few years though."


    "Grandpa?" Dad sounded confused.


    "That would be me." The man in question was looking at Dad with skeptical eyes. "So, you were the man that caused all my Vivian''s problems." He didn''t sound happy at all.


    "Dad, this is my great great grandfather, Daniel. He, as you might guess, was my mother''s great grandfather, and the one who sent her to live in Colorado."


    "It is nice to meet you, Sir. I am Aaron Fields, and Vivian was my mate." There was a smile on my dad''s face, but sadness in his eyes.


    "If she was your mate, then why did you write those mean letters?" Grandpa had seen them as well, and he wasn''t too happy about it.


    "I didn''t send those, Sir. Our letters had been intercepted. Someone was working to break us up once they knew that Vivian was pregnant. I never knew about Star until just a few days ago. I wish I would have been there to save them. I missed out on so much because of that man."


    "Yeah, and who was the one who intercepted your letters?" Grandpa still didn''t believe him yet.


    "It was Uncle Howard. He created a duplicate letter and was sending replies to both of them. He was making them think their love for each other wasn''t real. Dad has been in love with my mother this whole time. He has suffered as much as I have."


    "Star?" Grandpa looked sad now. "I''m sorry you have had such a hard time, baby girl. I wish I was strong enough to have helped you."


    "It''s not your fault. It''s no one''s fault except Uncle Howard''s, and he is dead. All we can do is move on now."


    I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes and smiled at everyone that was around me.


    "I''m happy to have you all here. You''re all my family now. I get to have all of you around me all the time now. This makes me so happy!"


    "I''m happy too, Star." Dad hugged me as he looked at the kids in front of me. "So, are these two boys the ones you''re adopting?" He was smiling at Dalton and Cohen.


    "We''re adopting all of them. Aside from one, he is staying with his brother. The other thirteen are ours."


    "Thirteen?!" Dad was bbergasted as he looked at all of the kids in shock. "Thirteen?"


    "They were the boys that Artem rescued. I didn''t want to let them go. Plus, they want to stay here too." I smiled sheepishly at him as I exined what was going on.


    "Well, that''s quite the ambitious feat. I''m proud of you though. You are strong willed and full of love." His smile was worth it right now. "Now, I guess you should introduce them all to me. If you''re adopting them, that makes them all my grandkids right?"


    "That it does. Are you going to go by Grandpa too?" I giggled as I thought about the name.


    "I was thinking more along the lines of Papa Aaron."


    "Even better. Well then, Papa Aaron, let me introduce you to your grandchildren. We have Dalton and Cohen here that you saw first. Then there are Benton, Timothy, Gil, Kevin, Zack, Marcus, Ricky, Will, Leslie, Flint, and Julian." I pointed to the boys as I introduced them to their new Papa.


    "All boys, I had forgotten that you said that before. And the new baby is a boy too so you''re going to have a lot of sons." He was grinning.


    "New baby?!"


    "What baby?"


    "Is Mommy having a baby?!"


    "Really?"


    All the boys started to look at me excitedly with happy eyes. We hadn''t exactly told them all yet.


    "I guess I let the cat out of the bag. I''m sorry."


    "It''s fine. Now is as good of a time as any to tell them." Artem smiled at the boys in front of us. "Yes, we''re going to have a baby. A little boy who will be here in January. You''re all going to be big brothers to him. I hope you are all happy and looking forward to it."


    At Artem''s words they all jumped for joy and started hugging us all, dad included. The thirteen boys were very loving and had a lot of love to give for their family now.


    "What do you think, Papa Aaron? Are you happy to have such a big family?" I smiled at him.


    "I am. I feel like it will give me something to focus on now. I won''t feel so lost anymore." The joy in his eyes made me want to cry for him. He had missed so much in life, and he didn''t want to miss anymore.


    From there we all went inside and saw that there was arge wee home party for us. I guess the kids just weren''t able to wait long enough for us toe inside. They were eager to see us. That made me happy.


    Now though, I was able to introduce my dad to everyone else since only Grandpa came outside with the kids. My cousins weren''t very weing of him at first, but once we exined what had happened all those years ago, we got it all settled. After a little while everyone was very weing of him. I could tell that we were going to do well living here as one big family.


    The party went on for a while. Everyone wanted to know about the Faepound, and they were all curious about my dad who looked just a little older than Artem. We talked, shared stories, andughed about the good times we all had. I even told them how I flew around the air with magic.


    I also wanted to hear about what the boys had been up to while I was gone. They all had stories for me, and I loved listening to each and everyone of them. I felt like this was what a true family was all about.


    After the party ended, we found Dad a room that he could call his own. He said that the furniture in it was fine, and he could just modify it all with magic. That I found interesting. I watched on in awe as the room transformed into a Faerie room. It was beautiful and exciting.


    I am so happy with my life right now!

 Chapter 177 - Artem - A Special Question Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Now that we were home, and everyone was adjusting to the new life that we all had here, I wanted to ask Star to marry me. I wanted to make her my wife, and I already had her father''s blessing, which was something that we never once thought we would ever have or need. I wanted to make her feel special. I wanted to treat my mate with the utmost respect and show her how much I loved her and cared for her. That was the best thing possible in my opinion.


    The problem was that I didn''t know how to do it. How the hell do you n the perfect proposal for the most amazing woman on the? What could I do to show her how special she was? I needed to figure this out.


    I spent a while thinking alone and came up with a lot ofme ideas. I went to see Kent and talked to him about it as well.


    "You want the perfect proposal for Star, huh? Well, it needs to be tailored to her, what she likes and what is special to the two of you."


    "I know that, but everything that I aming up with is totally cheesy. I don''t know what to do."


    "Sounds like a personal problem." Heughed at me. "You know she is going to love it no matter what. As long as she gets a proposal from you, I am sure she will be the happiest woman ever."


    By the time I was done talking to him, I felt like I hadn''t even gotten any good information. Now I was just as confused as I was before. I need to make this the best night of my Star''s life. I need to make sure that she will never forget this proposal, ever.


    I even went to talk to Chay. I asked her what she thought I should do. Whatever it was I would have done it, maybe.


    "You need to focus on your strengths here, Artem. What are you best at doing for a date? What do you think that Star would like? Keep it natural."


    She wasn''t much help either. That was why I was currentlyying in my bed thinking about this dilemma while Star showed Aaron what the kids did everyday. School was starting soon, and we were going to send them all to the charter academy in the city, but until then they all wanted to keep learning in the library. Reed and Bailey were even going to work at the school; it would help them with the transition.


    Now to think about this. Kent said to focus on what Star would like. Chay told me to y to my strengths and keep it natural. Hmm. Natural? Natural? Natural?


    I got it! I could do something in nature. Star is a half pixie. She loves nature. That would let me cook the food for us, and we could be alone. That is natural, something Star would like, and ys to my strengths. It''s perfect. I knew exactly what to do. And I could even do it tonight.


    I started on the food right away. I wanted to make some foods that I knew Star liked, but were also good for a pic. I made bite-sized pieces of fried chicken, homemade potato sd, wonton tacos, a tossed sd, lots of little things like that.


    When I was done making the food, I put it all together into a basket and went in search of my Star. She was reading a book in the library while Aaron got to know the kids some more. Goddess, just seeing her made my heart sing.


    "Star?" I called out to her in a soft voice.


    "Hey." She looked up just as I got to her and kissed her cheek.


    "Will youe out with me tonight?" I got right to it as I held her hand and stared deeply into her eyes.


    "What? Why? I don''t think we need to go out tonight. We''ve only been home for a few days. We should stay in with the kids."


    I felt my joy and excitement plummet. I was hoping she would have said yes immediately so I didn''t have to convince her at all.


    "But, Star, I want to spend a little bit of time alone with you. Just the two of us. I want us to talk about some very important things."


    "Artem, I don''t-." She started to deny me again, but was interrupted.


    "I think you should go. You won''t get chances like this when the babyes. You should take advantage now that you can. The rest of us will be here with the kids anyway."


    "Yeah, Papa Aaron is right, you should go Mommy. Daddy really wants to go on a date with you." Benton smiled at me as he backed up his new Papa.


    "Well, if you guys won''t mind, I guess we can go."


    At that Dalton got up and walked over to Star, taking her hand in his little one.


    "We won''t mind, Mommy. We know you and Daddy will be back soon, and we will see you at breakfast. And like Papa said, when my little brother gets here, he will keep you busy. I want to be a big brother, but I also want Mommy and Daddy to be happy."


    "I am happy, Dalton. I am happy because I have all of you here with me. I love you. All of you."


    "We love you too Mommy." Dalton threw his arms around Star''s shoulders, and I almost felt like I was going to cry. He was such a good kid.


    "OK, I guess we can go out tonight." She smiled at me while still hugging the little boy to her chest. She looked like she was going to cry as well. I was so happy that they were all here to help her to say yes to this.


    I had it all set up and ready to go so Star just went to go and get changed. I made sure that I grabbed a thick nket that would make itfortable to sit on. I even grabbed some pillows. I made sure that I had the ring tucked away in my pocket, still wrapped in the same silk that Aaron had given it to me in. I was ready to go.


    Star came down wearing a strappy summer dress. It was an indigo blue with a map of the stars printed on it. So funny that she would choose that given my ns for the night. Her hair had been braided loosely down the back of her head and she was wearing a pair of sandals that made her look like some sort of Greek goddess.


    "You look gorgeous." I smiled at her as she walked down the stairs to where I was waiting by the door.


    "Thank you." She blushed, but took my hand. "So, what do you have nned for tonight?"


    "Well, I wanted to have a pic and talk. We can watch the stars after the sun goes down too." Not to mention I told everyone to stay away from that part of the woods tonight.


    "Oh, that sounds wonderful. Didn''t we promise to look at the stars together some time?" The excitement was pouring off of her now.


    "That we did, and now we are finally getting to it." I could never stop grinning when I talked to her.


    "Well, I guess we have a walk ahead of us. Shall we go?"


    She took my hand and headed toward the door. I needed to get a few things though.


    "Hold on, I need to grab the stuff." I grabbed therge pack that had the nkets and pillows wrapped up in it. Then I grabbed therge pic basket. Now that I was ready I took her hand.


    "Do you want some help?" She looked at me with worried eyes.


    "Nope. I''ve got it. I could carry you too." I grinned at her. "Let''s go." I took her hand, and we walked out of the house.


    We walked slowly through the woods. I made sure to take an easy path, something that didn''t need us to watch our steps that much. I guided Star aroundrge trees, rocks, tripping roots, everything that could harm her.


    By the time that we were where we were going, the trees all faded away. The clearing opened up before us, and the twilight sky gave up just enough light to see by. The clearing was just big enough for us to spread the nket out without touching the edge of the fast moving stream that was on the far side of it. The trees werepletely pulled away from the clearing at the top so there was no canopy of branches or anything in our way. We would be able to see the sky perfectly here. I hoped Star liked this date that I had nned for her, and the question that I wanted to ask her.

 Chapter 178 - Artem - A Special Question Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    "Artem, it''s beautiful!" I could hear the awe in her voice as she looked at the clearing. "I love it. It''s wonderful and amazing." She turned to look at me with a grin. Before I knew what she was doing, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. "You always do the most wonderful things for me."


    "I''m d you like it, honey. I love you and want you to have the best of everything."


    "I love you too." I kissed her gently then, just a soft peck on her lips, but it was enough to show her just how much I love and care about her. I always tried to make sure that the intensity of my love for her was conveyed through the kisses that I gave her. I wanted to make sure that she never had to worry about whether I loved her or not.


    I sat the basket down by the edge of the clearing then and set aboutying the nket out. Star didn''t want to stand around useless so she came over and helped me to spread it out. We got it ready quickly, and Iid the pillows out for her to have a seat. After that I set about building a fire next to the stream. It wasn''t going to be arge fire, just something for us to see by, and so my Star didn''t get chilly.


    After that was ready, I rinsed my hands in the stream and went to sit with her with the pic basket in hand.


    "Are you ready to eat?" I smiled at her.


    "Yes, actually I am really hungry. I think it''s the baby mostly, but I have been a lot hungrier than I used to be." She blushed as she looked at me then."


    "There is nothing wrong with that, to be honest: it is expected. The baby needs a lot of nourishment as well, and since wolf pregnancies are shorter than human pregnancies they tend to need even more than the average growing baby."


    "Y..yeah, I guess that makes sense." She still seemed embarrassed.


    "Don''t worry, I have a lot of your favorites so you can eat whatever you want, and you know I won''t judge at all. I eat a lot more than you even with you being pregnant." Iughed at myself.


    "I know, I just feel so udylike, especially since we went to the Faepound and saw how they eat. I definitely eat more than them."


    "Don''tpare yourself to other people. Everyone is different, and you are perfect the way that you are."


    "Thank you, Artem." She grinned despite the nerves she had been feeling.


    We ate while talking about the past couple of weeks and the changesing our way. We talked about the life and future we saw with each other. I was happy that Star was including everyone in the way she talked about the future.


    Just talking about the future was amazing in and of itself. It was a way that we never really talked to each other, and I liked that we had a lot of simr ns for the future. And the entire time that we were talking, I couldn''t keep my eyes off of Star. She was literally like the north star to me, and I was following her like a sailor lost at sea.


    "Oh, look, the sun''s finally down, and the stars areing out." Star happened to look up at just the right time to see thest of that little bit of shine from twilight disappear. "I am so happy to be able to see this with you." She leaned in andid her head on my shoulder as she looked up at the sky. "Right now, I feel like it''s truly just me and you. There is no one else around, and it seems so peaceful."


    "Whenever I am alone with you it feels like that for me, Star. You are the world for me and, when we are alone, I feel like we are perfectly secure in our own little world." I said the first corny line that popped into my head, but it was the way that I felt.


    "I always feel secure with you, Artem. You''re the only man that has ever truly made me feel safe."


    Those words, that look in her eyes, that sweet little curve to her lips that wasn''t a forced smile; just natural happiness, and it was all amazing. I knew that this was the perfect moment, the time that I had been waiting for, I didn''t want to wait another second to ask this question that has been burning inside of me for months now.


    "Star?" I got her attention since she had just looked back toward the sky and the stars above us.


    "Yes, Artem?" She looked at me with a sweet smile and curious eyes.


    I took her hand in mine and rose to my knees in front of her. I could tell that the intensity in my eyes was probably too much since she looked a little worried for a moment, but she quickly saw that there was nothing to worry about.


    "Star, I love you. I love you more than I ever knew I was capable of loving someone. I have loved you since the day that I first met you. I couldn''t believe the intensity of the connection that first hit me. I felt like I never wanted to be apart from you for even a second. And as time has moved on, that feeling has intensified. I love your smile, and the way that it lights up a room. I love your kind hearted nature, and the way that you empathize with everyone. I love that you are so loving and caring towards everyone, I love the way that you think and the conversations that I get to have with you. I love you for who you are, and who I know you will be. I also love how beautiful and sexy you are. I love that you are giving me a son, and we will have a family together. I love everything that there is about you, the good and whatever it is you think is bad. I love it all and I never want to be without it. I want to spend every moment of my life with you, and I want us to be a family with all of the boys and the baby. I promise that my love for you will never fade, it will only grow. Every day that I get to spend with you my love will only intensify."


    I know that I was rambling now, but I was finally at the point where I was going to say the most important part.


    "Astraia Westbrook, will you marry me? Will you be my wife and allow me to be there to protect you and our children for the rest of my life?"


    There were tears in her eyes, but I wasn''t worried, because there was also a grin on her face.


    "Oh, Artem." The tears started to leak down her cheeks now as she said my name. When she looked down, so that she could wipe her eyes, she finally saw the ring that I had pulled from my pocket. It was the ring that Aaron had given me to use for my proposal.


    "This ring was meant to be your mother''s. Aaron gave it to me to propose to you. He wanted it to have a chance to go to someone who would wear it, someone who was loved, and especially someone that means a lot to him as well. So now I ask again, with this ring that means so much to your family; Star, will you marry me?"


    "Yes." She was sobbing now, wiping the tears away with her free hand from both of her cheeks. "Yes, Artem, I will marry you. I would have said yes without all those words, but I am so happy to know how you truly feel.


    When I put the ring on her finger she sobbed a little more as she looked at him.


    "It''s so beautiful." She cried.


    "It''s nice enough, but nothing in this world canpare to your beauty. Everything in the world pales inparison to my Star''s radiance and splendor. You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Star. And I am the luckiest man there is simply because I have the good fortune to have met you."


    "OK, stop now, you''re going to make me cry like a baby." She continued to wipe her cheeks as sheughed at me.


    "Aren''t you already?" Iughed. "That''s fine though, I will always be there to help you wipe your tears, whether they are happy tears, sad tears, or even tears caused by worry and fear. I will be there for you no matter what." To prove my point, I used both of my thumbs to wipe the tears away from under her eyes.

 Chapter 179 - Artem - A Special Question Part 3 (MATURE)

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I was still cradling Star''s face in my hands, having just wiped away her tears. My eyes were locked onto hers for a moment, but they slowly slid down to rest on her lips. Those full, tender, soft lips of hers. I couldn''t resist them.


    I leaned forward then, slowly but without hesitation. Once I was close enough, I pressed my lips to hers. I meant for it to be something soft, gentle and chaste, but I couldn''t hold back. I took her mouth hungrily as I wrapped my hand around her waist.


    She had gasped when I sealed her lips, but I swallowed the sound down as I growled out with a heated passion. The moment that she realized that the kiss wasn''t going to end quickly she slid her hands up my chest, over my shoulders, and to the back of my head where she grabbed two fistfuls of my hair. The feeling of her pulling gently on my locks made me growl again as my body tightened for her.


    I could feel myself losing control at that moment. I felt like my beast was taking over, and I was bing more animal than man. I needed her, my beast needed her, and we needed to celebrate the union that we were soon going to be making. This was something that I could not have stopped even if I wanted to.


    "Star?" I growled her name, not capable of speaking normally at that moment.


    "It''s OK, Artem, I want you. I need you." She knew exactly what I was trying to ask her, and she had epted and approved. I needed her, and she needed me.


    I leaned forward then, pushing her back onto the thick, plush nket. I had enough presence of mind left to make sure that one of the pillows was under her head at least. And I was d that I had grabbed such a thick nket. We couldn''t feel any of the hard ground that was underneath it.


    As I held myself above her, my right knee between her knees, I heard her moan out with desire and need.


    "Artemis." She sighed my name, and it spurred me on.


    "Astraia." I whispered back with my lips trailing by her ear. "I love you."


    My hands were moving on their own while my lips toyed with the mark that I had left on her. As I kissed, licked, sucked, and bit gently over the mate mark, I slowly undid the buttons on the front of her dress. There were only a handful of those little buttons, but they revealed the swells of her perfect breasts that were unobstructed. She hadn''t worn a bra since that would have shown while she wore the dress. That was fine since it was just one less thing that I needed to remove.


    With the front of the dress open, I was now able to just slide the straps down her shoulders and push the entire dress down her body. As I pushed the dress, I also hooked my fingers into the top of her panties and took them right along with the thin fabric of the dress. The sandals didn''t get in my way of removing either piece of clothing, but I removed them after the dress and panties were gone.


    I sat up on my knees and looked at her while she wasying naked before me, ready and waiting. She was such a delectable sight. I loved it. I quickly undid my shirt then, pulling it up and over my head as soon as enough buttons had been undone. I quickly unbuckled my belt and popped the button. The fly was down, and they were off as soon as I could manage it. I removed everything as quickly as I could so that I was now hovering over her as naked as she was.


    "So beautiful." I whispered as I trailed my hand along her chest. "So perfect." That was when Ipped my tongue across one nipple slowly. It made her shudder and moan.


    "Artem." Another sigh with my name on it that was like a whip telling me to hurry.


    Ipped slowly at the other nipple, and she shuddered with another moan. I needed more though, so I wrapped my tongue around the nipple and pulled it into my mouth, sucking on it hard.


    "NGH!" She cried out with just that tiny stimtion. Goddess, she was the most perfect woman ever.


    I needed more, I needed to touch her more, feel more, taste more. My left hand slid first down the outside of her body and then skirted to the inside of her thigh where it started to move up slowly, teasing and tickling along the way. She cried out again when my fingers found the damp core that was weeping for me.


    My fingers yed in the folds for a moment before my animal screamed at me to taste more of her. I couldn''t help myself. I pulled my mouth from her breast and trailed my tongue down her chest, down her stomach, down past the re of her hips and all the way to her core.


    As soon as my mouth was close enough to her core, I dove right in. I licked her slit drawing in the juices and the sweet vor of her. Her moan was like a song telling me to give her more. Who was I to deny her?


    I hooked my hands under her knees and lifted them, pressing her legs open and giving me better ess to her delicious core. From there, I proceeded to swirl my tongue around the tight knot at the top of her slit, pulling it into my mouth and causing her to scream my name.


    "ARTEMIS!


    I pressed my tongue to her core, hard and fast, devouring her. I needed to hear her panting, moaning cries. I needed to taste more of her. I needed it all. And soon, she was breathing heavily and convulsing slightly. I knew she was on the precipice of ecstasy. With the nextp of my tongue, I drove two fingers deep inside her. That was all it took, she clenched, shook, and arched her back all at the same time as she screamed wordlessly into the night.


    As she panted, recovering from the orgasm, I moved up her body. I fitted myself at her opening, my need for her having hardened my body so much that I felt like I was wielding a steel rod of pure desire.


    Slowly, I moved forward, sliding into her one inch at a time. Her body was tight and clenched on me almost painfully tight as I intruded into her core. It wasn''t unbearable though, the tight clenching was just driving me mad. I needed her, and I needed this.


    Finally, I slid all the way inside her until I reached the hilt. I growled in pleasure as I touched her innermost barrier.


    "Oh Goddess, Star, I need you so bad. I don''t know if I can be gentle anymore." I fought for control, trying my best not to pull back and ram into her.


    "It''s alright Artemis, I want you, all of you. If that is what you need to do, then do it. I will be alright."


    "Star? Are you sure?" I was shaking right now from fighting myself so hard.


    "Artemis." She cupped my cheek and kissed me softly. "Yes, I am sure. Give me all of you. The tame and gentle Artem, and the beast that lies within, they''re both you. I will take it all."


    "Star, I love you." I fucking love her, I thought to myself since that sentiment was a little less romantic.


    "I love you too." She kissed me again, and that was when I lost my hold over the animal inside me.


    I pulled back quickly and mmed inside of her with everything that I had.


    "AHH!" She cried out, but it didn''t sound like it was in pain, so I kept going. With a grunt and a growl, I sat up on my knees then and gripped her hips. I held her up off the ground at the perfect angle for me to drive into her. I pulled back again and mmed into her over and over. I created a hard and fast rhythm that was driving us both insane with pleasure. I was moaning and growling with my need and pleasure just as much as she was moaning and crying out. We were making a song. Our voices singing for each other, and the sound of our bodies pping against each other was the music that apanied us.


    In and out, in and out, in and out I drove into her over and over again until I felt the tingling at the base of my spine and the tightening in my balls that told me that I was almost there. Star was ready as well as her body started to squeeze me tighter and harder. It was almost painful now, but before I could feel anything but pleasure, we were both swept away into the current of oblivion. She came again, screaming my name, and I did the same.


    "ARTEMIS!"


    "ASTRAIA!"


    Unable to hold myself up anymore, I copsed onto the ground next to her, turning her with me. I was still sheathed inside of her, and all I could do was to slide from her burning depths and grab the spare nket that was sitting nearby. I covered us, and we fell asleep right then and there. The moon and stars above were the only witness to the intense love making that we had just experienced. I was her moon and she was my star, and there was nothing that could ever change that between us.

 Chapter 180 - Star - Another Talk

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I heard the sounds of birds along with the bubbling of water. There was a gentle breeze on my cheek even though I was warm and wrapped in a nket with Artem''s arm around my waist. I was confused because it clearly seemed like I was outside, but I was sleeping soundly in Artem''s embrace.


    My eyes fluttered a little, and when I could focus and see around me, I saw that I was indeed outside. I wasying on the ground with the nket fromst night under me. Artem was snuggled close to me like he usually was, and we were wrapped in a nket for warmth.


    However, what really scared me about this whole situation was that I was naked. I couldn''t believe that I had slept outside, naked. And I did that after I had sex with Artem, outside. What kind of deviant was I bing?!


    "Oh Goddess!" I buried my face in my hands and just wanted to die of embarrassment right then and there.


    "Huh? What? What''s wrong? Are you OK?" Artem seemed scared and nervous the moment he heard me make that sound of distress.


    "I can''t believe that we did that." I felt like melting into a puddle of goo because of my embarrassment.


    "I''m sorry Star." he sat up, pulling the nket off of me and exposing my nudity.


    "Ahh!" I snatched at the nket and tried to pull it back around me. "No, don''t look at me."


    "Why not?" He was acting like he didn''t know why I was so upset. "Star, we''re wolves, well you''re also Fae, but we''re creatures of nature. We are meant to be natural and free. It''s fine. Besides, you''re gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, and perfect in every way. Honestly, I would be jealous if someone else were here, but we''re alone. There is no reason to be so embarrassed. Let me see you, let me see the beauty of the woman I love. Please, let me see the woman that will be my wife."


    I had nearly forgotten about that. How could I forget that he had asked me to marry him? I looked down at my hand then and saw the ring that was there. Artem said that this ring was from my father, and that it was supposed to be my mother''s. That made this ring even more special to me. And it was really very beautiful as well; I could tell that my dad had it made with love for my mom.


    "I can''t believe that we''re getting married." I smiled at him. "This is exciting."


    "It is, and I don''t want to waste any time. I want to marry you as soon as I can so we can adopt the boys and be a real family before the babyes."


    The excitement in his voice and the smile he was wearing melted my heart. Just how did I get lucky enough to have Artem as my mate? He was the perfect man in my opinion. There was nothing he could do to ever be the bad guy in my eyes.


    "That sounds wonderful, Artem. I want that too." I sat up and kissed him then, ignoring my nudity. He even wrapped his arms around me and held me close, and it wasn''t done in a sexual way, it was just pure love. I loved everything about Artem, and I wanted to spend our lives showing that to each other.


    "I love you, Star." He smiled as he pressed our lips together.


    "I love you too, Artem, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."


    For some reason Artem gasped at that. It was like he was worried about something, and I didn''t really know what it was. Did he not want to be with me his entire life?


    "What''s wrong Artem?" I felt like my heart was breaking for just a moment until he spoke.


    "I want us to be together forever, Star. But that might not be possible. I never want to leave you, ever. But, with you being Fae, it''s possible that you might live a very, very long life. Like your father and your aunt kind of long life. I can''t live that long under normal circumstances, Star."


    My eyes blurred as I thought about it. He was telling me that it was possible that I was going to stay young while he got older and left me. I didn''t want that to happen.


    "I can''t bear that. I don''t want that to happen to me. I can''t live without you, Artem. Please don''t leave me. Please."


    I was crying now. I felt like the tears were pouring down my cheeks like they wereing from a waterfall. I couldn''t help the way that I felt right now. I literally felt like my heart had just broken into two, and the world hade crashing down around me.


    "Shh. Shh. Shh." He shushed me over and over as he held me against his chest, his hands stroking my hair and my back at the same time. "Shh. It''s OK Star. Shh. Just listen for a moment, OK. Shh."


    "Artem, what good would listening do? I don''t want to lose you." I was crying very hard now, I felt like I was about to have a breakdown or something.


    "Shh. Please, hear me out. It''s not like I''m leaving right now."


    He was right about that. He wasn''t dying right now, he wasn''t leaving me right now. I needed to let him talk, and I knew that. After a moment I finally settled down enough for him to pull away from me. With a deep breath, I looked at him and smiled.


    "OK, I am ready to listen now." My smile was forced, and I know he could tell.


    Artem kissed my forehead then and put his hands on my shoulders.


    "There is something we can do, Star. There is a way that we can be together even if you live a much longer life than me."


    "How?" I was even more confused now.


    "Queen Gloriana gave me something, a gift, for the two of us. She said that if you lived a life that was much longer than mine then it would keep us together."


    "What did she give you?" I felt my excitement begin to rise ande back.


    I watched as he pulled away and found his clothes. He actually handed me mine in the process, and as I pulled the dress back over my head, I saw that he slid his boxers on. He probably needed the distraction gone.


    After he was a little bit covered, he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small box that looked like it was holding jewelry. I kept my eyes on it as he crawled back to me.


    "This is what the Queen said would help us. This will bind our fates. It will let me live as long as you if you are as immortal as she is.


    He handed me the box, and I opened it. Inside was a green bracelet that looked so intricately designed that I could tell magic had been involved. I could even feel the box humming in my hands. This bracelet was made out of magic itself.


    "What did she say about it?" I asked him, curious.


    "She said that this bracelet will tie us together. I will live as long as you do."


    "As long as me? Does that mean when I die you will die?" I felt fear then.


    "If I live a life that is much longer than my natural life, and you were to pass away, then yes, I would die. That is fine though, if I live that long it means that I should have been dead anyway."


    "It''s not fine. If something happens to me, then you die."


    "I will protect you, Star. I won''t ever let anything happen to you."


    "Artem." I smiled at the intensity of his love for me.


    "Also, if I were to be gravely injured in a fight, I will need to remove the bracelet so that I don''t kill you. If I die while wearing the bracelet, you will die as well. If you die while I wear the bracelet, then I die as well."


    "I will protect you Artem. I won''t let someone kill you. We will live for each other."


    I felt the conviction inside of me, and I knew that I meant every word that I was saying. I would protect Artem with my life, and he will protect me with his.


    "I know you will Star. We will keep each other safe forever. We will protect each other and our children. We will protect everyone that we care about."


    "That sounds nice to me." I grinned at him.


    With that I kissed him and melted against him. I knew that there was nothing to fear now. I was going to be with Artem for my entire life, however long that might be.

 Chapter 181 - Star - My Sister Chay

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    After we finished getting dressed and cleaned up our impromptu campsite, it was time to head home. Not surprisingly, we were both hungry and wanted food. I also wanted a shower after having spent the night outside.


    When we got back, we set our stuff down in the garage and went into the house for breakfast. The food had already been prepared and set on the table. I was d that I didn''t have to wait at all. And it was one of my favorites: pancakes and bacon. So simple yet so good; the food seemed like it was designed to please everyone.


    I ate a lot more than I usually did since the exercise from the night before had really taken a lot out of me. When I was done eating, I went back to my room that I shared with Artem. He came as well, since he needed to shower and get ready for the day. After we were both cleaned, and he left, I decided I wanted to start thinking about the wedding. Well, what better way to do that than with one of the best party nners that I knew.


    "Hey Star, you know you''re only like fifty feet away, right? You didn''t need to call me."


    "Well, I didn''t know if you were busy so I called you. Want toe and help me with something?" I grinned even though she couldn''t see it.


    "Oooh, now I am intrigued. Let me just kiss your cousin goodbye, and I will be on my way."


    "Did you phrase it like that on purpose?" I joked with her. "As some form of payback for me being with your brother."


    "Nah, I was just being cute. I am happy you''re with my brother. You two are perfect for each other."


    I blushed at her words and was d she couldn''t see it. She was so nice and sweet sometimes, even though she was one of the funniest people that I knew. She was also one of the strongest people I knew. I didn''t know what I would do in a life without her.


    "Sooo, I can guess what you got up tost night." Chay didn''t even bother to knock on the door when she came down to my room. She just opened it and came right in. "I saw the shit eating grin on my brother''s face so I know he was really happy." She grinned at me.


    "Well, you don''t really know why he is happy though." I blushed at her as I thought about the meaning behind her words.


    "Oh, I can guess." Sheughed.


    "It''s not just the sex, you perv." Iughed at her; it was a long and loudugh too.


    "So there was sex. See, I knew it. That must have been hot, out there under the moon and stars. Not that I want to think about my brother in that way, but still it must have been intense."


    She was making me blush even harder now. Why did she have to keep bringing up the sex? This would be so much easier if she didn''t.


    "So, what did you need help with?" She finally changed the subject as she flopped down onto the couch next to me.


    "Well, I need some help nning something." I put a hand on my chin and pretended to be thinking?


    "Are you talking about Artem''s birthday? That''s not until November. You have time."


    "No, it''s not that. This is something that I need to n in a hurry." I shook my head like I was frustrated, but in truth I was hiding how funny I found this situation.


    "What could you need to n in such a hurry? A party for the kids?"


    I watched as Chay turned her head in confusion and looked at me like she really didn''t get that."


    "The kids will be part of it, but that''s not it though."


    "Oh geez,e on and just spit it out. Tell me what it is already." She looked excited and frustrated at the same time and it made meugh.


    "I mean, it''s nothing overly major I guess. I just wanted you to help me n my wedding." I shrugged as I said the words.


    There was silence then, as Chay stared at me. For a moment I thought she was mad but she looked shocked. Her eyes kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Finally, when I thought her face might split apart or something, she jumped straight to her feet and started to jump up and down.


    "OH MY GODDESS! OH MY GODDESS! STAR! WHY DIDN''T YOU SAY SOMETHING? OH MY GODDESS! OH! MY! GODDESS! EEEEEEEEE!"


    She screamed, danced, and squealed, all in joy. I could tell that she was happy at the moment, and I just wanted to giggle at her.


    "Well, I am telling you now, aren''t I? I mean, it just happenedst night; when else would I have had a chance to tell you?"


    "Uhm, I don''t know, at breakfast maybe?" She was still on her feet, and it looked like she was dancing all over the ce. "Do you know what this means, Star? Do you know what this makes us now?"


    "No, what?" Iughed at her. "nning buddies?"


    "No! It means that we''re sisters now. You are marrying my brother, and that makes you my sister for real now. I am so happy. I have a sister and my idiot brother finally did something right."


    "So you''re getting a sister and a nephew."


    "All the boys are my nephews, yeah we knew that."


    "No, Chay, a new nephew." We hadn''t told her that we knew that the baby was a boy yet.


    "Wait, what? You know? How do you know?" She was bbergasted.


    "The Fae Queen did some magic for us. She is my aunt like you know, and she helped us to see a magical light version of our baby."


    "Oh my Goddess, that sounds so cool. I am so happy for you. I will have so many nephews. Maybe I will be the first one to have a girl when I finally have kids and get married."


    "Maybe." I felt the love in the room. The love from her for me, for the baby, for Artem, for my future adopted children, for everyone. Chay really was a loving person; she had a lot to give.


    For the next few hours until it was time for us to go down for lunch, we nned out different parts of the wedding. We also decided that we were going to get married the following month on September the neenth.


    That day was a Sunday so that would make things so much easier for those that work. But, it also only gave me around three weeks to n this with Chay. I was assured that it was possible though. I also made sure to tell Chay that I wanted to make sure that my dad was able to help me n the wedding. He had missed so much in my life so I didn''t want him to miss out on anything else. Plus, with me and him, we might be able to do some of the wedding stuff with magic. I am sure he would be happy to help like that.


    I was truly starting to get really excited now. I was nning my wedding. A wedding I wanted to be a part of, and no one was forcing me to be the bride. I was marrying Artem, who I thought was the best and most perfect man in the entire world. I was gaining so many children within less than five months. I had my dad in my life now. I had a grandpa, cousins, a sister, and lots of people around me that loved and cared for me. When did this be my life?


    It wasn''t that long ago that I was running and trying to get away from hell. It wasn''t that long ago that I lived in constant fear and silence. And now look at me. I had it all. I had everything that I had ever dreamt of when I was running away from Uncle Howard. I had it all and more. This was truly the best ce in the world for me.


    I couldn''t stop myself from smiling and humming all through lunch. Apparently I looked overly happy, and everyone knew something was up.


    "Why are you smiling so much, Mommy?" Cohen asked me with a smile.


    "You look so happy." Flint grinned at me.


    "I am." I smiled at everyone in the room as I squeezed Artem''s hand next to me. "I am happy because Artem asked me to marry him."


    That led to anotherrge celebration. All of the kids were happy, but so was everyone else. Toby, Kent, Morgan, Reed, and Bailey congratted Artem and hugged me. Grandpa looked like he was happier than he had ever been. And Dad just smiled since he knew it wasing. I was so happy to have all of them with me right now.

 Chapter 182 - Artem - Tuxedos Needed

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Chay and Star were busy nning the wedding for next month. But there was something that I wanted to be in charge of. I was the guy of course, so getting the tuxedos for the wedding were going to be my responsibility. And I had a lot of tuxedos to n for.


    I was getting a tuxedo for myself, Aaron, Kent, Toby, Morgan, Reed, Bailey, Doc, Nico, Daniel, and all thirteen of my boys. That was a lot of tuxes that needed to be rented. And there were no ces in the City that could handle the order for it all.


    Since there was no one that could handle it all around here, I decided that I was going to just take everyone with me to LA to get something there. The prices would be higher, but the quality would be worth it in the long run.


    That was quite the hike to travel for this though, so I needed to have us all fly. Thankfully, I knew someone who could help me with that as well. I had called up Reece and asked him if I could use his ne. He said he was more than happy to lend it out since they didn''t fly often enough, and the pilot ended up getting bored andzy when he wasn''t working.


    Two days after asking Star if she would marry me, I had us all loaded up into various SUVs to head to the airport. The people at the airport gave me some weird looks when the kids were calling me Dad and Daddy. When one of them decided to give me a snarky remark I shut them down in a hurry.


    "Either he is a young looking man whore or he''s a fucking pervert." I heard the whispered words and felt my blood begin to boil.


    "Or, I am a generous and caring man that has adopted thirteen children to give them a better life." I red at her and watched as she paled.


    "I..I..I didn''t, I..I mean I, that''s n..n..not, I..I..I..-"


    "Unless the words you''re looking for are ''I''m sorry'' I don''t want to fucking hear it. Keep your judgemental shit to yourself and away from my kids. Got it?" She just nodded and didn''t say another word, that allowed me to take my family to the gates and the private ne waiting on the other side.


    The flight was short, but the kids all loved it. Even Nico, who tried to act older than all the others, was like a little boy as he excitedly explored the ne. I was d that all of them had been saved, and none of that stuff was happening to them anymore.


    Reece had been to LA several times, for business and pleasure, so he of course had a rmendation for where to go. There was a boutique that had been open for about fifteen years and had a great reputation. The ce, Vivvie''s Special asions, was tucked away on a side street and away from the hustle and bustle of the busy areas.


    I had called ahead so that there were fourrge SUVs waiting for us with private drivers. The children and the adults were divided as evenly as possible before I instructed them to take us to the boutique.


    I saw that the shop wasrger than I expected. I was thinking about something small and quaint given what I had heard about it. Still, it was a nice shop and I was pleasantly surprised when we went inside.


    There were a few different girls that were working the front when all of us went in. I think they were a little shocked that so many of us came in at once, twenty-three people were a lot to see at once.


    "Wee to Vivvie''s, what can we do for you?" One of the young sales associates smiled at us, paying the most attention to Doc since he was the one who looked to be the right age I guess.


    "I''m here to get some tuxedos for all of us for my wedding." I answered her instead of him.


    "Oh, for a..all of you?" She looked even more shocked.


    "Yes, and we need them by next month."


    "That''s not a lot of time. A rush order like that will cost more." She raised an eyebrow at me as if daring me to contradict her.


    "As would be expected. Now, could you please help me with getting everyone sized?"


    The three women got to work immediately. I had her size the kids first since theirs would be the quickest. The kids chatted excitedly as they stood on top of the small tforms. They were enjoying this because they were being fussed over in a way that they never were.


    It took a lot longer than I thought it would to get everyone set with their measurements. I heard two of the womenining as they draped the boys with different clothes and worked on what they needed to do.


    "This would be so much easier if Vivvie hadn''t taken the morning off."


    "I know, it would be, but she had a lot to do."


    "Well now we''re the ones that are super busy with a lot to do."


    "Just hush, you two. I don''t want to hear it." The one that seemed to be in charge snapped at the others.


    After the boys, it was time for all of us adults to be fitted. Daniel, being the oldest among us, was measured first. I was trying to imagine the old man on the day of the wedding, dressed in a ck tuxedo with the ent colors that Star had picked out. I was imagining this massive wedding party filled with matching tuxedos with just Star in front of them looking wonderful.


    The rest of the guys insisted that I go next after Daniel was done. I had to take a fewyers off to get the measurements right but that was fine. They measured around my neck, from shoulder to shoulder, around my chest, hips, and waist, around my arms, the length of my arms, around my legs, the length of my legs and my inseam, and several other ces. It was all quite invasive but it was also their job.


    I was just imagining my wedding day the entire time they measured me. I think the seamstress could tell too because shemented on my grin.


    "So, you''re the one getting married, huh? You''re kind of young for this, aren''t you?"


    "I''m almost twenty-four, not too young in my opinion. Plus, when you meet the right person it doesn''t matter now, does it?" I wasn''t going to let any negativity ruin the way I felt right now.


    "You sound really happy, and wise. I hope it all works out for you. Are all these boys your brothers and cousins?"


    "Nope, they''re mine. Well, they''re adopted, but my fiance¨¨ and I are raising them." I was still smiling even though she was looking at me like I was insane.


    "That is quite admirable."


    "Yeah, well, Star and I had the same thought about them when they needed a family. They were ours from the moment we met them." Her face still looked surprised, but it seemed like it was for a different reason.


    "Huh, that''s not a name you hear very often. I didn''t think that I would meet a client with the same name as the boss''s daughter."


    That was interesting. My mate was the only person named Star that I had ever met before. I shouldn''t be surprised, with all the unique names that there were in the world now. Her name couldn''t be the only one like it.


    "That''s pretty cool. I never expected to find out that someone I would be meeting soon would have a daughter with the same name. It''s quite the coincidence."


    "Oh, don''t mention her to the boss though. Her daughter died sixteen years ago, and she has never gotten over it. I don''t me her, having your little one killed like that."


    The look on her face now was one of fear. I think she thought I was going to get her into trouble.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t mention her. And I won''t use my fianc¨¨''s nickname. I will call her by her first name if I have to so that it won''t upset your boss at all."


    The seamstress finished up with me, and I got dressed. They went through my friends first, Kent, Toby, Morgan, and Doc. After them two of the women got done at about the same time and started to measure out Reed and Bailey. I don''t know if Aaron wanted to gost on purpose or not, but he seemed content just sitting here in the shop.


    For some reason he was smiling. It was like he had found something that he had been trying to find for a long time. I just realized that he hadn''t said a word since we hade into the shop either. What was going on with him?

 Chapter 183 - Artem - Surprise Of A Lifetime

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I heard the front door of the shop open when Doc stepped down from the tform.


    "Sir, I''m ready for you." The seamstress was looking at Aaron who was no longer even looking our way. "Sir?" She called out to him again.


    I was watching the man who was so new to our group. I didn''t know him very well, and it was starting to be evident since I had no idea what he was up to.


    "Are you alright?" I asked him but he didn''t seem to even register what was happening around him, he just had his eyes glued to the curtain that led to the front of the shop.


    "Why isn''t someone out there? What is going on here?" A soft, pretty voice called out as the woman who just came into the store made her way into the back room. "What are you-?" She stopped talking mid sentence and froze in ce when she saw Aaron.


    The woman who was frozen in front of us had light brown hair and bright blue eyes. She looked so familiar to me, too familiar. This woman looked like someone that I had seen, but I knew for a fact was dead. Not to mention, she didn''t look much older than the Vivian that I had seen in the photographs. How? How could she be here? How could she still be so young? This made no sense to me at all.


    "Y..y..you can''t be here." She sounded more scared than shocked or anything else. "W..w..why? Why are you here?" I saw tears beginning to form in her eyes as she looked at him.


    Was she who I thought she was? Could this even be possible?


    "Vivian." Aaron seemed to think that she was his lost mate but, was she?


    "Why are you here, Aaron?" She sobbed.


    "I have been looking for you all these years, my love." I watched as Aaron went to step forward toward the woman that seemed to be Vivian.


    "No!" She yelled at him. "Don''te any closer to me. I don''t want anything to do with you."


    "Vivian? Please." Aaron looked like he was about to cry now, his broken heart breaking again.


    "Vivvie, is everything OK?" The seamstress that had been waiting on Aaron walked tentatively toward the crying woman. Vivvie, do you know this man?"


    "Yes, Gwen, I do know him. He is my ex, and the father of my child."


    That proved it. She was Star''s mother. She was Vivian. But how?


    "I don''t mean to be rude, Ma''am." I walked toward Vivian myself, slowly so I didn''t scare her. "But, are you Star''s mother?" Her eyes went wide and tears started to fall even faster.


    "How do you know about my daughter? Don''t mention her again." She snapped at me angrily.


    "She thinks you''re dead. Why did you leave her like that?" I was angry myself, she had no right to be upset with me when she was the one that ran away.


    "What are you saying? My daughter died sixteen and a half years ago. Stop talking about her like she''s still alive."


    "But she is alive." I stepped closer to her again. "Star is alive. Astraia Westbrook, that''s her, right? And you''re Vivian Westbrook. You moved here from Colorado when Star was little."


    "How do you know this? Who are you?" I saw that she was shaking. "You three, get out! Go on your lunch breaks, now. Go."


    "Boss?" Gwen looked worried but the other two just left without saying a word.


    "I''ll be fine, Gwen. Just go."


    Now that the three humans were gone, it was just us non humans. I think she wanted them gone for that reason as well as discretion.


    "Now speak? How do you know about my daughter? Astraia died sixteen years ago, I saw her body. So exin yourself."


    "She''s not dead. She''s my mate, we''re getting married next month. That''s why I was here, to be fitted for my tuxedo. The reason Aaron is here is because we recently visited the Faepound and spoke with the Queen. She helped to clear the air and figure out what had happened."


    "No, you''re lying. He killed her. He showed me her body. I saw her." She fell to her knees, sobbing. "Aaron abandoned us, and Howard killed my baby. I had nothing left."


    "No, my love, I never abandoned you. It was Howard, he intercepted our letters and manipted them. He wanted to break us up." Aaron fell to his knees next to her and cried with her. "I have been looking for you all this time. I thought you didn''t love me, but I was going to try and convince you otherwise. When I got letters from you telling me you never loved me, I didn''t leave my family home for years. I was broken. I haven''t been with anyone since you, Vivian. I love you, I always have."


    This was all so confusing for me. I didn''t know what to do or say. When I looked around me though, I saw that there were three people who were just as shocked by these events as I was.


    "Aunt Vivian?" Reed looked like his eyes were going to fall out of his head if they went any wider.


    "Aunt Viv?" Bailey was just as shocked as he looked at her.


    "Viv?" Daniel looked as if he had seen a ghost, his hands were outstretched and there were tears in his eyes.


    "Grandpa?" Vivian sobbed when she saw the man.


    "Viv, it really is you." He was blubbering when he reached her. "My little Viv."


    "Grandpa!" Vivian leapt to her feet and hugged the man fiercely. "I never thought I would see you again.


    "My little Viv." Daniel almost seemed like he was a broken record as he rejoiced with her.


    I watched silently as they hugged for a few moments. This was a family reunion that I never thought was possible. I wanted to keep quiet as long as I could so they would have some time together, but I had to ask her a few more questions.


    "Vivian, I am sorry to interrupt, but why do you think Star is dead?"


    "I know she is. Howard showed me her body. He told me if I didn''t leave then he would do the same to me. I saw her, I felt her, I smelled her. I know it was my baby Star."


    "I don''t know what it was he showed you, Vivian, but Star is alive. She is doing well, and she is my mate. Howard imprisoned her until just a few months ago, but I rescued her." I put as much sincerity as I could into my words. I needed her to know that I was telling her the truth.


    "But, how is that even possible? I saw her. I hugged her dead body to my chest and sobbed over her. How could he have faked that?" She didn''t know what Howard was, she didn''t know the whole truth.


    "Vivian, I think it is time that you find out a few hard truths."


    I sat Vivian down on a stool before I exined everything to her. These were hard things to take in for a normal person, but Vivian was a central part of the story so I could just imagine how much harder it would be on her.


    By the time that I was almost done exining what had happened to Star over thest sixteen years, leaving out a few recent events, Vivan was sobbing into her hands. She had started to sob when she found out why it was that Howard had wanted her little girl. When I told her about Howard being a half Demon and trying to force himself on Star she screamed at me to stop.


    "No more, Please! Don''t tell me anymore!"


    I knew that her heart was broken. She had been lied to, and deceived, by that man several times. He had stolen her love, he had stolen her daughter, he had taken everything from her.


    "I left her there with him. I let this happen to her."


    "It''s not your fault, Vivian, my love." Aaron wrapped his arms around her, and she didn''t recoil. "I am just as much at fault. I believed his words and thought you didn''t want me when I knew the truth in my heart. I left you and my daughter for all these years. I wasn''t there for you or her."


    "Neither of you are at fault." I snapped at them. "Howard did this to you all. He is the only one to me, and thankfully he is dead. I know that he is dead because I killed him myself." There was anger in my voice. That fucking son of a bitch had ruined this family. He had torn them apart piece by piece and destroyed each of them for years. What a real fucking piece of work he was.


    "How could I ever show my face to her again?" Vivan sobbed. "She is bound to hate me for leaving her there."


    "I thought she would hate me too, my love, but she doesn''t. Star is an amazing young woman with a heart full of love. Come back with us. Come to see her. I know she would be happy to see you Vivian. I know she will be overjoyed to learn that her mother was not murdered like she thought."


    "I..I..I don''t know." Vivian seemed unsure of herself still, her emotions wavering.


    "You''re going toe back with us, Viv. Star needs to see you. Remember, she is getting married. What better time for you toe back with us."


    "Excuse me." Cohen, his curiosity finally getting to him, spoke up. I had nearly forgotten that all the kids were watching us have this discussion. "If she is Mommy''s mommy, does that make her my grandma?"


    "HUH!?" Vivian''s eyes went wide. "Did that man get my Star with child?"


    "No!" I held my hands up, stopping that thought right away. "Cohen, and almost all the other kids here, were the abused Omegas of the pack. I am the new pack Alpha, and I am adopting all of these boys. Star and I are both adopting them once we''re married."


    "All of them?" Vivian''s eyes were wide and she smiled at them. "I guess Star just wanted the family that she never had." Sheughed for a second and held her hand out to him. "Yes, little boy, I am Star''s mommy, and that would make me your grandma."


    "Yay, I have a grandma now. My name is Cohen. Can I hug you?" Vivianughed, and so did a few of the others.


    "Yes, you can hug me, Cohen." He leapt at her then and wrapped his little arms around her neck.


    "I''m so happy right now. And I know Mommy is going to be happy too."

 Chapter 184 - Artem - Surprise Family Reunion Part 1

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Vivian let her staff back in, but didn''t tell them what all happened. They could see that she was in a better mood though, so that made them a little less suspicious of us.


    The only person who still needed to be measured now was Aaron though, and Vivian took care of that herself. I could see a smile on her face, but she was also still a little unsure about him. I know she didn''t know whether she should ept his exnation yet or not. Whether she epted it or not though, she still loved him. He was her mate, and he was Star''s father.


    Wait! Father?


    "Oh, shit!" I pped a hand to my head and growled the words under my breath.


    "You shouldn''t talk like that in front of the kids, you know?" Morgan joked with me. "It''s not proper."


    "Got to hell, you imp." I snapped at him.


    "What''s wrong?" Vivian was the one who was bringing the situation under control first.


    "I just remembered, I need a twenty-fourth tuxedo. I can''t believe that I forgot about my dad. He''s going to be here in two days." I had buried my face in both of my hands to try and assuage my guilt, embarrassment, stupidity, all of the above.


    "Do you know his measurements?" Vivian didn''t look or sound at all worried about it.


    "He''s almost the exact same size as I am. Or he was thest time that I saw him. I don''t think that he would have changed that much in less than a year though." I was thinking about Dad''s build, trying to see if there was anything I could do to fix this.


    "Well, we can do two tuxedos with your measurements and then just alter one as needed for your dad. How does that sound?"


    "Thank you so much, Vivian. That will be a lot of help."


    Once we were done in the shop, Vivian set her seamstresses to work on the twenty-four tuxedos.


    "Work on these or any other current orders. I am going to put a sign on the door that says temporarily closed, already ced orders will still be fulfilled."


    "Why are we closing? What is going on here?" Gwen, the very attentive employee, looked sad and worried.


    "We may be closing, but we still have to work. That sucks." One of the other women made a snide remark.


    "You need to watch your attitude." Aaron snapped at her. "You have done that multiple times now. You still have work to do whether or not you''re open for business. Do you want to get paid or not? If not, then go home and not work, I will find someone else to help Vivian out." The woman looked petrified at the anger Aaron was throwing her way.


    Vivian giggled at the response that Aaron gave, then looked at Gwen who was still expecting an answer.


    "There have been some new developments in my daughter''s case. I need to go and check it out for myself. I need to see if what they''re telling me is true."


    "So, you think that your daughter might be alive? That man took her and showed you her dead body. Do you really think that she could still be alive?" Gwen didn''t look convinced at all.


    "I have to check and see." Vivian smiled weakly. "If there is even the faintest glimmer of hope, then I will go and see. And all of these people are telling me that Star is alive. I need to go and check on her." There was more force and powering to Vivian''s voice now.


    "But this man said that Star wasn''t even her real name. He said it was a nickname. He said-."


    "Her name is Astraia." Vivian smiled at her. "That was my daughter''s name. I called her Star for short because of what her name means. You know how much I love the meaning of names. This would just be another one of those naming coincidences. If this Star is my daughter then she found the perfect fianc¨¨. This man''s name is Artemis, and that name means moon. That would mean that my daughter and her future husband would literally be the moon and the stars."


    "Vivian, you can''t think it''s her just because of that." Gwen must be very stoic when ites to her boss and finding her daughter, because she keeps trying to stop us.


    "Don''t worry, I will be careful. If it isn''t her, I will being home immediately. But just in case, I want you all to work on these orders and keep the shop closed." This time Vivian put some force behind her words.


    "Alright, I will do as you ask. But please let me know as soon as you do, alright."


    "I will."


    We left after that, the sign ced in the window to warn off new customers that might try toe in. The twenty four of us divided between the vehicles and headed straight to the airport. I had been nning on treating the kids to a special lunch at a restaurant in LA, but now I just wanted to hurry up and get us all home.


    Well, since the ns changed I needed to call and let Kieran know that he needed to cook for everyone. He answered on the first ring and spoke softly.


    "Yes, Alpha Artem?"


    "Kieran, we have discovered something, or rather someone important in the city. We''re on our way back now and will be there in a few hours. Could you please prepare something small for ate lunch or early dinner."


    "Certainly, Sir. Is this a surprise for the Luna or someone else? I will n the meal to their liking."


    "You guessed correctly, it is for the Luna." He was a very efficient member of the staff, and I was d we had added him recently.


    "Very well. I shall have it ready for you in a couple of hours."


    The ne ride on the way back home seemed like it took ten times longer than the one on the way to LA. Not to mention that it seemed like every second was moving slower than a snail. Or, as my dad used to say all the time, the minutes were moving slower than frozen msses.


    ''UGH! THIS IS TAKING TOO LONG!'' I growled the words in my head repeatedly while we were heading home. And it wasn''t just me thinking things were taking too long, the flight was dyed on our return flight by an hour so we really were travelling slower. I made sure that I called and let Kieran know as well, so he could amodate the cooking schedule.


    Finally the ne took off, and we were heading back. During the flight the kids were calmer this time, having flown already this morning and being tired from the whirlwind trip.


    I also noticed that Aaron and Vivian were sitting together and talking on the flight. They weren''t sitting like they were mates, but it was still nice to see that they were talking. It was the first step for them to repair the damage that Howard had caused for all of them.


    When the ne finallynded, I was in a hurry to leave. I needed to get the kids to the ce that we were going in a hurry. This was a truly important and special day. I was taking my mate''s mother home to see her. The mother that she thought had been dead for most of her life.


    Honestly, I am beginning to think that illusions were pretty much the only magic that Howard had. I already suspected it before, but now it''s basically been confirmed. He hadn''t killed any of the people that he said he had. He wouldn''t have been so revered by the family if they knew that he was just a useless piece of shit.


    Thank the Goddess it didn''t take us long to get through the airport. Now it was just time to drive back to town. It was slightly slow going considering all the side roads and small back country roads that we were forced to take on the way. Though finally we made it home.


    It was time for me to get everyone inside to see what my Star had to say about this.


    "OK, I want you to wait in the dining room or sitting room. I am going to go get Star and bring her down. I can''t wait to see what the look on her face is when she sees you." I was excited, too excited, and I knew it.


    "I..I don''t know if I can do this." Vivian was suddenly nervous. "She''s going to think that I left her on purpose and that I didn''t love her. I can''t bear that kind of rejection."


    "She won''t." Aaron and I said at the same exact time.


    "She is going to be so happy to see you." Aaron added. "Please, Vivian,e with me and wait for our little girl. She''s a wonderful youngdy."


    "S..she is?" Vivian was crying when she heard that.


    "Yes she is. Nowe on. You, me, and all the children."

 Chapter 185 - Star - Surprise Family Reunion Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I was in my room trying to write my vows for the wedding. I was told I didn''t have to if I didn''t want to, but Artem had said such beautiful words to me when he proposed to me that I wanted to do something just as special for him on our wedding day. I felt that he deserved my heartfelt words of love and appreciation.


    While I was trying to think of what to say to him, the door burst open, and he came running inside. I could tell that he was excited about something just by the look in his eyes.


    "Artem? What''s going on?" He was running at me with a smile on his face.


    "Come with me, Star. I need to show you something."


    "Come with you where? I thought you went to LA with the boys. Did something happen?" I was starting to get nervous now. If something happened, something bad, then I don''t know what I would do. Did something happen to one of my children? Did something happen to my dad? I am looking at Artem so I could tell that he was fine. So what had happened.


    "Artem, what is it?"


    "I have something important to show you. Please, Star,e with me, baby. This is a surprise that you will want to see. I promise you it is nothing bad. This is a joyful asion."


    "OK, I wille with you. I know you would never do anything that would hurt me so I don''t have a reason to be afraid. I may be nervous, whatever it is, but I will at least know that I am safe no matter what."


    "You don''t need to be nervous. I promise you, sweetheart, you are going to be happy."


    Artem took my hand then and led me from the room. He didn''t let go of my hand at all as he hurried me though the house. He was like a little kid that was excited for something they wanted.


    I could smell that everyone was all gathered in the dining room when I got downstairs. There was also the smell of food, lots of food,ing from the room. It smelled like someone had prepared a feast for us for some reason. I don''t know why, there was no reason for us to be throwing a party right now.


    I heard the sound of happy voices as well. There were a lot of people that were talking at once so I couldn''t make out who all it was that was talking or what they were saying but I knew that it was all positive. I guess Artem was right, it was all positives for this impromptu surprise he supposedly had for me.


    I followed after my mate as he pushed the door to the dining room open. He was still pulling me so I really didn''t have a choice but to follow him inside the room anyway.


    What I saw when I went into the room didn''t make sense to me. There were too many people, and there seemed to be someone here that looked too familiar.


    I saw the usual people that were always here. The normal brood that made up the family that I havee to know and love. I saw my dad, who was looking happier than I ever saw him. And I saw a woman who looked like a ghost.


    The new woman in the room, the one that wasn''t usually here, looked just like my mother. She had the same hair, she had the same eyes, and she looked to be almost the exact same age as in the pictures that I have studied recently. But I know it wasn''t her.


    I knew it wasn''t her because one of my oldest memories from when I got locked up as a child had been of Uncle Howard dragging me outside to show me my mother''s dead body. He told me that she had died because I had been bad, and that if I didn''t want more people to die I needed to be good. That was the worst thing that I had seen in a long time. I had run to her side and cried while holding onto her. I begged her toe back. While I was still sobbing, Uncle Howard had pulled me away from her and thrown me into the basement. That had been the first day that I was locked up.


    Had my mother''s ghoste back to see my dad? Did she want to be reunited with him that bad?


    "Star?" The woman''s voice called out, and it was alien to me. I had long ago forgotten what she sounded like. I only had her face in my memories now because of the pictures that I had been given recently.


    "Yes, my name is Star. Who are you?" I refused to ept what it was that my heart was trying to tell me.


    "Star, she''s your mother." Artem''s voice was soft and quiet as he whispered to me, but the room was so quiet now that I am sure everyone heard what he had said.


    "No, she''s not. My mother died when I was two. I saw her."


    "He did it to you too?" Artem sounded like he wanted to cry, and I saw a misting in his eyes.


    "What are you talking about? Who did what?" I tilted my head in confusion and raised one eyebrow.


    "Howard." The woman spoke in a soft voice. "He showed me your dead body, he told me that you were murdered. He told me that he killed you himself." She sobbed as if she was having trouble with a memory.


    "I am not dead." I shook my head at her. "But you are."


    "No, Star, I am not." She rushed toward me, and I flinched reflexively, but she just took my hand and held it tightly. "I''m no more dead than you are. We''re here, together. Howard lied to both of us. He wanted to separate us, but he wasn''t strong enough to kill either of us. He was a coward and a wimp. Please, Star, you need to believe me. Remember who I am."


    I smelled her then, a soft sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar. It was the smell that I would sometimes remember in the middle of my dreams. It was the scent of my mother that would calm me down when I had bad dreams. I would smell it when she held me close to her chest.


    That smell, that face, the exnation, could they all be real. C..could she really be my mother. My heart begged me to believe it, and the problem was that my mind was starting to believe it too.


    "I..I..I..I don''t know." I was still in denial.


    "Please, sweetie, remember." She pulled me into her arms and hugged me tight. While she squeezed me tight, she sang a little song. A song that I had thought I forgot and would never remember. "Star, Star, Starry, Star don''t you fret you''re going to go far. Mommy''s going to love you no matter what you are. So calm that frown and turn it upside down. Smile for mommy and let''sugh for a while."


    The words clicked into a long lost memory from my childhood, and I finally understood it all. I believed what she was telling me, but that didn''t make it easier on me. The memory opened the floodgates, and the tears started to fall down my cheeks.


    "Mom?" I sobbed as I wrapped my arms around her. "Momma?"


    "Yes, Star, it''s me." She cried right along with me. "It''s me, baby. Oh how I''ve missed you. I am so sorry that I left you. Please forgive me. Please forgive me honey."


    "Momma."


    That was all I was capable of saying at the moment. I couldn''t get past what was happening right now. After a moment of just Mom holding me tight, Dad came over and wrapped his arms around the two of us. He held us both securely in his arms, and I felt as if the whole world might finally be falling into ce. Slowly, the three of us sank to the floor, kneeling and sitting, just letting the weight of the whole situation sink in.


    "Why? Why did he do this to me? Why did he take the two of you away from me?" I sobbed into my mom''s chest for the first time since I was a very small child.


    "He destroyed us all for so long. He stole everything from us, but he couldn''t keep it that way. We found each other. The love of a family won out in the end, and we''re finally together. I finally have my baby back, and the mate that he kept from me. Aaron has me and the daughter he never knew, and you have the two parents that he robbed you of."


    "This is the best way this could have ended. If I can''t change it and stop it from happening, Star, then I am d that this is the way that it alles to an end."


    "Artem?" I reached out for his hand, and as soon as he took it, Dad pulled him into the hug as well. The four of us sat there like that for several minutes, unable to let go of each other; most likely afraid that the person we just found after so long would disappear once again. I don''t think that I will ever let go of them again. I would keep them close to me for as long as I could. I had missed so much, we had all missed so much.

 Chapter 186 - Star - Returning A Gift

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    It took a long time for the four of us to break apart. When we did, it was Artem who left first. I knew that he had other things that he needed to do so I wasn''t worried about him leaving my side for the time being. I had other people here to keep mepany right now. I finally had the family that I should have had all along.


    I heard whispered voices about moving into the other dining room down the hall, but I didn''t pay them any attention. I was too wrapped up in this moment. This moment and the arms of my parents.


    Oddly enough, this was the first time I felt like a child since I was saved by Artem. I haven''t actually felt like a child in years, but right now I did. Right now, I felt like all I wanted were my parents. And that was fine because I had them.


    When the room around us was silent, and I knew we were the only ones left in the room, I finally pulled myself away from them and looked at my parents sitting together for the first time in my life.


    "I..I never thought th..th..that this w..w..would ever h..h..happen." I was still crying so hard that it was hard for me to talk. "There w..w..was a time w..w..when I thought I..I..I..I would n..never see either of y..you. B..but t..th..then I met D..D..Dad and I w..w..was h..h..happy with j..just that. M..M..M..Mom I..I..I''m so s..s..sorry. I thought y..you were d..dead." I cried even harder as I spoke, looking into her eyes.


    "Shhh, it''s ok baby." She wiped my eyes as she shushed me. "I..I thought you were dead too, sweetheart. I..I let Howard, that a..asshole run me out of t..t..town." She was crying just as hard as I was. If I would have d..d..doubted him for a m..minute, I wouldn''t have l..l..left."


    "And I let him make me think you didn''t love me, Vivian. I knew the truth of your heart and mine. I knew that we mated, and that we were meant to be. But I let those words sway me while we were apart. I am so sorry."


    Iughed for a moment. All we were doing was crying and apologizing. My parents looked at me with awkward looks on their faces when they heard theughs.


    "What is so funny?" Mom wondered when I stopped giggling.


    "All we''re doing is apologizing. All three of us. That''s what we''ve been doing this whole time." I giggled again. "I think what we need to do is stop ming ourselves and move on. We have another chance. All of us. We all thought we lost what was the most important to us, but we have all found it again. I know we have all suffered for years on end, but it''s over now."


    "You''re right." Momughed too.


    "Yes, we''ve all been doing our fair share of saying that we''re sorry, haven''t we? I know that over thest several days, I have said it a lot. Since the night that I met you, Star. And even more now."


    "Aaron?" Mom looked at her long lost mate, and for the first time, I thought she did so with hope in them. "You truly loved me back then? You never intended to leave me or abandon me at all, did you?"


    "Vivian, my love, I loved you then, and I still love you now. I have not been with another woman since the night that I left you for thepound nearly neen years ago. I let people think that I had been with other women; it was easier than exining the truth of it all to them."


    "But, I saw you in town after you left. I saw you with other women." Mom looked like she wanted to cry."


    "Mom?" I got her attention so that she would look at me, and I didn''t speak again until she did. "That wasn''t him. You were fooled in the city just like you were when someone told you I had been killed. That same person illusioned himself and made you think that he was Dad."


    "I just don''t know why he did that. Why did he choose me, our family; why did he want to destroy us?"


    "He told me once. When he thought that I was going to be his forever and didn''t need to hide anything else."


    I told her everything that I could. She had heard a lot of it from Artem beforeing back here with him today, but there were some things that he left out. I hoped that she didn''t find the whole thing too upsetting. I know that it wasn''t that pleasant of a story to hear.


    She looked like she was going to cry again when I was done, but I was happy to see that she managed not to.


    "Star, my little Star, I think that out of all of us you suffered the most. Aaron and I lost things, the same as you, but we weren''t mistreated. I wish I could take it all back, I wish I could go back in time and make it not happen to you at all." She was cupping my cheek as she spoke.


    "Don''t worry, Mom, we''re here now."


    There was a knock on the door that got our attention. I didn''t expect Artem to knock before he came in, but he was trying to give us our privacy.


    "I am sorry to intrude, but the boys would like you all to join us for dinner. They''re waiting for you before they eat." Artem''s face lit up with a bright smile then as he must have been thinking of the kids. "They say they now have a full family, even if it isn''t a traditional one; they don''t want anything else and will wait for all of you to join us."


    Iughed at that. I could just imagine that it was Cohen who was insisting on not eating and the others just following suit. He really was the ringleader of them all. He was about to turn eight; he was the second youngest, and he led them all. That was so cute.


    "I, for one, can''t believe that I am about to have thirteen grandsons." Momughed as she stood up and held a hand down toward me.


    "Well." I took her hand and smiled as she pulled me to my feet. "It''s actually going to be fourteen grandsons." I grinned mischievously.


    "But I thought they said that the oldest boy, Nico, wasn''t going to be adopted?" She was confused.


    "Oh, he''s not. The fourteenth will be the youngest. He isn''t due until January." I ced a hand over my belly and blushed.


    "Star?" She gasped at me. "You''re pregnant?" She was worried and shocked. "W..w..who is the father? Please tell me it''s Artem."


    "It is." I reassured her quickly. "Artem and I are in this together."


    She was finally happy. She pulled me to her and hugged me tightly.


    "I can''t wait to meet him."


    After another few hugs, she walked toward the door, and Dad went to follow, but I held him back.


    "Wait a minute. Can I talk to you for a moment?"


    "Yeah." Dad nodded and stayed behind.


    "We will be over in a moment."


    After Artem shut the door, Dad looked at me with worried eyes.


    "Is everything alright, Star?"


    "Yes, it''s just fine." I smiled at him. "I think life is perfect right now, for all of us. And since this new development, I think you should have this back." I slid the ring off my finger and ced it in his palm. "I think that you should give it to Mom like you had nned."


    "But what will you use for your wedding?" He was conflicted, uncertain of what he should do.


    "Artem and I will work that out. For now, I think you and Mom deserve this more than I do. If you y your cards right, maybe it will be a double wedding next month." I winked at him, happier than I could ever remember being in my entire life. Everything and everyone was right where it should be.


    We went into the other room then and had that long awaited meal with my mate, my boys, and my family. Everyone was happy. Everyone was celebrating. Not a single person had a negative thought at the moment.


    I couldn''t wait to see what happened next. I was looking forward to the happiness and the joy of the future. I just knew that now that there was no one standing in the way of our family, we would all have a chance at a happily ever after.

 Chapter 187 - Artem - Family Finally Arrives

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had been through a lot in the course of thest six months. I had taken over the main role in my father''spany. I had be the Alpha of this pack, forcibly but still. I had found a mate. I had found and rescued several children, all of whom I was going to adopt. And I had done it all without my family''s help.


    OK, OK, Chay was here with me, but she was younger and not at all experienced in these things either. My point was that I had done it all without my parents'' help. This was all me, my friends, and those that I counted as capable allies.


    I may have gotten help from the Luna Queen and Alpha King, but that didn''t hinder me at all. I learned a lot from them and would now be an even better Alpha for it. I think that I would actually make my father proud when he sees me, which was going to be the first thing tomorrow morning.


    I hadn''t actually seen my father since I took over the pack. He told me then that he was not going to bail me out. That if this was what I wanted to do, then I would need to learn to stand on my own two feet.


    He didn''t do it to be mean; he did it to make me stronger. He knew that I wouldn''t be a good Alpha if my father was there helping me at every turn. Since I had stepped in to run thepany, unofficially until the trial period was over, and I took control of the pack, I have been flying solo. And I was proud to say that I hadn''t failed at either of my tasks.


    I had kept thepany moving up and had even increased our profits. I had rescued the children, freed the minds of the pack, and rid them of the evil that was here. And I even found my mate. My father had never expected that, so when I told him toe home for a wedding, he was shocked. Apparently, neither Chay nor I had told our parents about us finding mates. Oops.


    I admit though, I was a little nervous. My dad could be a hard man to please at times. Mom was fine; she was just always trying to help people, feed them, or give them a hug. She was the sweetest person I knew, until recently. There were some contenders for that niceness crown of hers.


    I knew that they were both going to love Star, and Bailey since they were meeting Chay''s mate too. I wasn''t worried about that at all. I was more worried that they would be upset with me, and Chay, for not contacting them about anything, ever. Was it OK to still be afraid of your father when you were almost twenty-four?


    I mean, my dad is a strong man, much like me, and he could probably hurt me pretty bad if he really wanted to. I wasn''t going to give him that chance, obviously, but still, just knowing he could didn''t make things easier on me.


    I was nervous the entire night and into the morning. I barely ate my breakfast because I was so nervous. All I could think about was ''mom is going to be so mad at me for not telling her about Star sooner''. I also had nightmaresst night about my Aunt Criztie. She was flying up with our parents for the wedding, and she was known to be vicious from time to time. She had actually earned quite the reputation for herself as a warrior when she was younger.


    Now though, all my Aunt Criztie does is send out doom books so my sister could beat me with them, that and read books or watch anime. She had mellowed out, or so they said. I think all that reading and anime binging was to get more ideas because she grew bored with old methods.


    Dammit, I was scared of them all right now. Sometimes I wish I never called them toe up here from Mexico, they didn''t need to meet my mate, and they didn''t need to know about my baby.


    When I heard the doors to their car close out front, I knew it was all toote. My time had run out. It was time for me to face the music.


    I walked to my doom, I mean the door, as I heard them approach. Star was waiting by my side, smiling happily and eagerly awaiting the introductions. She had loved finally seeing her family so much that she was excited about meeting mine too. I hoped she wasn''t disappointed.


    As soon as the door opened, my Aunt Criztie was there ring at me.


    "Artemis Archer Cooper, why the hell have you been hiding things from me?!" Aunt Criztie''s voice echoed into the house, and she yelled at me. I flinched for a second, I was afraid she had brought dictionaries, and she and Chay were going to hit me.


    "I am sorry, Tia Criztie." I hung my head in shame and blushed. "I didn''t mean to hide anything. I was just really busy."


    "Too busy to tell us you found a mate almost five months ago? That''s just in stupid. You need to be wiser than this boy. That is why I sent you so many books as a child, I needed you to be smarter than the other boys."


    "You should listen to your aunt." Dadughed as he walked past me. It sounded good natured, but it was hard to tell. "She''s been telling me how right she is for months. It must be true, so you should just listen to her." He smirked at me. Clearly he was enjoying watching me be on her receiving end right now.


    "Oh, leave my boy alone." Mom came in and spoke in her sweet voice. "He has had a lot on his tetely." Mom hugged me and kissed my cheek as per her usual wee. But the kiss turned into a sharp pain when she grabbed my left ear and pulled it hard. "But I don''t care how busy you were, you should have called me to tell me that you were mated! A mother needs to know these things, Artemis. How stupid can you be?"


    "I''m sorry, Mama. I''m sorry." I was bent over, crouching forward as she pulled my head lower and lower. "Please let go Mama, please."


    "I''m sorry, Artem, what did you say?" Momughed at me. "I didn''t hear you from all the way down there."


    "I said that Chay was mated too." I needed to get them off of me. I needed to find a way to survive this encounter. I''m sorry Chay."


    "Ceysa Altalune Cooper, why am I just now hearing that you have a mate?!" Mom yelled at her and let go of my head.


    "Simple, Mama, I never told you. I thought it best to share this kind of news in person." She sounded so confident, I couldn''t wait for them toy into her.


    "That is wise, dear. Mates are important things. You need to introduce them properly." Aunt Criztie smiled at her.


    "Oh,e on! You just scolded me for not telling you, but you praise her. What gives?"


    "Unlike you, Artem, she had a valid reason for why she didn''t tell us. All you did was act ashamed and apologize." Mom''s look was cold as ice; I think I felt frostbite starting to set in.


    "You mean her excuse was better." I grumbled under my breath.


    "Just drop it, boy. You know they''re next to impossible to argue with. Just ept it." Dad''s advice was spoken kindly, but I felt like he was telling me to just take my beating and shut up. That wasn''t very nice.


    "So, where is my future daughter inw? Which one is she?" Mom was looking at the three new women in the room: Star, Vivian, and E. They were her only choices for who to pick from. "Ahh, I bet it''s you." She pointed right at Star and smiled.


    "How did you know?" My mate smiled back and stepped forward.


    "A mother knows, sweetheart, a mother knows. Plus, his scent was the strongest right in the middle, so it was easy to tell." She giggled at her future daughter inw when she told her the truth of how she knew.


    "Clever."


    "Mom, Dad, Aunt Criztie, I would like to introduce you all to my mate." I held my hand out to her, and she walked to my side immediately. "This is Astraia Westbrook, but she goes by the nickname Star."


    "Ooh, I knew it." Mom pped her hands together. "When I heard the name, I knew the meaning of it. So my son and his mate, the moon and stars. That is so fantastic. I can''t believe how great you two are together. Star, you are gorgeous!"


    "So beautiful." Aunt Criztie approved as well. Thank god this was starting off good so far.

 Chapter 188 - Artem - Family Finally Arrives Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    "Th..thank you." Star blushed from the praise they were giving her. Mom and aunt Criztie could be a bit much at times, kind of overwhelming really. I wrapped an arm around my mate, offering her my support but also taking some from her as well.


    "There is something else that we should tell you." I grinned happily at my little Star at my side and then at my parents.


    "Oh? Something else you didn''t tell us before we got here?" Mom red at me. "Well go on, Artem, what is it?"


    "Star is pregnant, and our cub is due in January."


    "JANUARY?!" Aunt Criztie yelled while Mom just looked at me bbergasted.


    "Congrattions, son." Dad was the only one to look happy for me.


    "You''ve known for this long and you didn''t tell us?" Aunt Criztie smacked out with a hand that struck my arm hard.


    "Ouch. I am telling you now, in person. I wanted to see your faces. I wanted us to share in this joy together."


    "Uh huh, sure. You were just being a man and not telling us at all. What, are we thest people in the world that you''re telling? You should be telling your parents first. Her parents and yours. The grandparents are the most important." Aunt Criztie''s re was so sharp that I was sure I was bleeding somewhere. There had to be a spot where that look punctured me and was actually causing damage. I was so not going to survive this time with them here and I knew it.


    "I''m sorry Star. I think you''ll be a widow before you get the chance to be a bride."


    "Oh don''t be so melodramatic, Artemis. We''re not going to kill you, but your aunt is right. We should have been told sooner. That makes me sad, now I have less time to prepare for the baby''s arrival." Mom pretended to pout, making me smile.


    "I''m sorry, Mama, I should have called sooner. But, to be fair, we had a lot of stuff going on. We will tell you all about it over lunchter today." I put an arm around my mom''s shoulder then and led her and my mate out of the room and toward the sitting room that we had everyone waiting in. "Right now, I want you to meet some people."


    "Meet who? Who else is there? Artem, what have you been doing up here?" Mom sounded like she was using me of doing something wrong.


    "Nothing Mama, I''ve been a good Alpha that is all. I have been taking care of everyone, just like I''m supposed to."


    "I smell something fishy here, Gabby. This boy of yours is hiding something." Aunt Criztie''s words were sort of harsh but she was grinning at me nheless.


    "I don''t know about that, Criztie. What do you think, Gabri? Is our son hiding something?"


    "Come on, even you''re teasing me now. Dad?"


    "We''re just giving you a hard time, Artemis." Mom smirked at me. "You''re the one who wanted to be the Alpha. We need to hold you to a higher standard."


    "I know. I can''t be like normal people and all that, but you''re my parents, you need to trust in me."


    "And we do." My dad pped me on the back. "But we also want you to do what you need to do."


    "Oh hush, Aries, you should not have approved of him so quickly. He needed to prove himself more than that. Honestly you two are too soft on the boy."


    The three of themughed as I marched Mom and Star into the room. The weing party that Star''s cousins and all the kids had prepared for my parents was ready and they were all waiting to surprise them.


    "WELCOME!" All the kids yelled out at the same time when I brought my family into the room.


    "Oh my. So many children." I saw the smile on my mother''s face. "You are all so adorable."


    "Ooh, little ones. I want to pinch all of your little cheeks." No matter how harsh they could be Mom and Aunt Criztie were both very much enamored with kids. They loved kids and the more that were around the better.


    "Artem, son, who are all these people." My dad loved kids too, but he was a little more reserved.


    "Well, first off we have some of Star''s family, they''ve all been mated into our family. Bailey, the elder brother is Chay''s mate, Reed is Sydney''s mate, by the way, Criztie mated with my friend Toby and Dakotah mated with Morgan. E, that you saw in the hall, is their sister and she mated with Kent. Star''s great great grandfather Daniel is sitting over there. And this couple here is Vivian and Aaron, they are Star''s parents. And all of these children are ones that we rescued from abusive families. There were fourteen of them in all and I am adopting thirteen of them."


    "Wait, what?"


    Mom''s voice was filled with shock. They had been following along just fine until that point but now they were looking at me like I was crazy.


    "You are adopting thirteen children?" Aunt Criztie was just as shocked.


    "Yup, so most of these kids are your family now." From there I introduced all of the kids, even Nico even though he wasn''t being adopted. All of the kids were happy to be meeting more people that weren''t bad. Mom and Aunt Criztie did exactly what I thought they would and fawned all over the kids.


    I noticed something odd though. Dad was staring at Aaron, and it looked like he had been staring at him for a while now. It had been going on for long enough that even I was getting ufortable with the intensity of the look.


    "Dad, is something wrong?"


    "Artem, is that man a Fae?"


    "Wow Dad, how did you know?" Chay was shocked to hear his question and answered it with one of her own.


    "I have met a few, plus he doesn''t smell like a wolf. And on top of that he looks as old as Artem but is Star''s father, he would need to be an immortal for that to happen."


    "It is my pleasure to meet you, Sir. I am indeed a Fae and I am indeed Star''s father. I am so d to finally have my daughter in my life." Aaron introduced himself then smiled at his daughter as he spoke.


    "So, my new daughter inw is a half Fae?"


    Dad looked at me with stern eyes when he turned. I was nervous, I didn''t think that he would object to this situation.


    "Yes, she is." I kept my voice steady and firm as I responded to him. I felt Star tense next to me as if she were scared. "Is there a problem with that?"


    "Not technically, but what are you going to do if she outlives you?" So was he thinking about me or her?


    "We have been given a charm by the Fae Queen that will help with that."


    "The Fae Queen?" Mom gasped. "What was she doing here?"


    "We went to see her. She is Star''s aunt. That is something we found out recently, but she is very helpful when ites to her family."


    "Son, I think you need to exin some things; before lunch if you can."


    I did just as he asked. I had them sit on a couch and Star and I told the three of them her story. They needed to know what it was that she had been through. Everything that she went through was vital to the oue of what had happened.


    Mom and Aunt Criztie gasped, screamed, and growled angrily at all the right parts. Dad however, just looked like he was angry the entire time.


    "Oh, Star." Mom ran to my mate and hugged her, Aunt Criztie hot on her heels.


    "You poor girl, you must have suffered so much."


    "Artem, why didn''t you tell me about any of this?" Dad was looking at me angrily. "Why didn''t you call me for help? I mean, to involve the new King and Queen, and the Fae royalty as well. How could you have done so much without even telling me?" My father, upon closer inspection, was actually hurt and worried. I''m sorry I wasn''t there to help you."


    My dad came and hugged me, something he rarely did, and then he went to hug my mate as well. I hadn''t expected this reaction but at least it wasn''t the worst that it could have been.


    "It''s alright, Dad, we managed." I rubbed his back while he hugged Star.


    "We all survived and came out stronger in the end."


    "I know you did. You''re my capable son after all." He pulled away. "And you have an amazing mate." I couldn''t believe my eyes. My dad was crying. He was looking at Star with eyes that held anger and sorrow. The story of my mate''s family had broken through his shell and touched the heart of the man underneath.

 Chapter 189 - Star - Preparing For The Wedding Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Artem''s familying to stay at the house meant that things were moving very quickly, and it was almost time for the wedding. We had about two weeks left until the wedding, and I didn''t know if we would have everything ready in time.


    We were having the wedding at the house in the pack meeting area. Most of the pack were invited, but with a strict warning to not cause any problems. Apparently, things had been going well with the pack and Artemtely thanks to the lessons from Reece.


    I was focusing on the wedding though, so I didn''t care about how that stuff was going. I was doing too much and trying to make sure that I didn''t have a panic attack from being out there in front of everyone.


    Though I did have my family here, all of my boys, and everyone that I loved and cared about so I should be fine. Right? I just had to remember that it was Artem that I was going to be standing up there with. I had to remember that I love Artem with all of my heart and soul, and I was happy to be marrying him.


    I had my mom and dad here now as well. And they both wanted to help with the wedding. Artem''s mom and aunt wanted to help as well, so with Chay and the triplets we had way more than enough hands helping with it all.


    Dad said he wanted to be in charge of decorations at the wedding. He knew just what to do, and coincidentally that covered the flowers without us needing to buy any. What would be more fresh than magically grown flowers?


    Not to mention between Keiran and Artem''s family the food was covered. Artem''s mom and aunt were really good cooks, I could see where he learned how to cook. And his cousins were making the cake, of course.


    Mom was making my dress. Well to be fair, Mom and Dad were making my dress. I didn''t know what Dad was going to do to help make the dress, but I was excited to see the final product.


    I was busy writing my vows as well. Artem and I agreed that since there was nothing traditional about our rtionship, or our lives, we wouldn''t have a traditional ceremony. The progress of things would end the same but none of the words were going to be traditional.


    That had actually been fine with me since I didn''t know what a traditional wedding was like, I had never seen one, never been to one, so that was fine with me. I wanted something that meant something to me and my future husband anyway. I wanted to express my love for him and tell him that I was looking forward to being with him forever. Now, if only I could get that out into the form of my vows for him.


    When I was having a lot of trouble with this issue I decided to call Chay for help. She had been the one for me to turn to repeatedly when I needed help. She had helped me before I was even willing to ept it.


    Thinking about it, I have changed a lot over thest few months. I had gone from someone who didn''t talk at all and that didn''t trust anyone to someone who talked to just about anyone and who was happy with other people around. I went from fearing everything and everyone to being happy in my life.


    I never once thought that I would never be happy, ever. I knew that I wanted to be free, but I never truly thought about happiness back then. I was just thinking about self preservation.


    These thoughts were going through my head when Chay came into the bedroom and sat on the couch next to me.


    "Girl, are you lost in thought or what?" Sheughed at me.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    "I knocked several times, and you didn''t hear me. I even called out to you, but you never said anything."


    "You did? I''m so sorry Chay, I didn''t hear you at all. I was thinking about a few things." I blushed so hard from the embarrassment of totally spacing out.


    "I can see that." Sheughed at me and smiled, obviously she wasn''t mad or upset about it at all. "What has got you so worried right now?"


    "Well, actually I was thinking about how much my life has changed over thest few months. It just seems crazy with how things have changed."


    "Well, I think you''ve found what to write your vows about." She grinned at me. "It seems you didn''t truly need my help at all." She was grinning like she thought this was the best thing ever.


    "What are you talking about?" I was confused, looking at her with my head tilted and my eyebrow up.


    "You didn''t know what to write in your vows. Well you just said that you were thinking about how much your life has changed in thest few months. Who was it that changed your life? Who was it that brought you here, that saved you, that would do anything for you?"


    She was right, but I didn''t know if that was what the vows were meant to be about.


    "Is that eptable though? I mean, aren''t the vows supposed to be me telling him how I am going to love him forever and stuff like that?"


    "That and you can tell him why you love him so much. What it was that made you fall in love with him in the first ce. You can tell him that because of these reasons you will never leave him, and your love for him will never fade."


    I felt like I had finally found the answer to my dilemma. Chay waspletely right. That was just what I was going to do.


    "Thank you, Chay." I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight.


    "No worries. I know that this must be hard on you, having never been to a wedding before."


    "Not unless you count the one that Uncle Howard forced on me. I am so d that it was not a real wedding." I shuddered and thenughed. "Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl."


    "Yeah, best not to mention that wedding during the vows unless you want Artem to get really pissed off." Chayughed, and I couldn''t help butugh with her. She wasn''t wrong, Artem would remember that night and turn into a beast that murdered someone if I brought it up on our wedding night.


    After Chay left, I worked hard on the vows for a while. I was pretty sure that I had them just about all figured out now. That was one less thing that I needed to worry about. Now I could help focus on the rest of the wedding. Not that I really knew what to do for a wedding anyway, but still.


    When I put my pen aside, there was a knock on my door that I actually heard this time. I could tell it was Mom and Dad so I called them in right away.


    "Hey Mom, hey Dad." I grinned at them as they sat down on the couch next to me.


    "Hello Star." Dad was grinning.


    "Hi baby." Mom looked radiant.


    "What''s going on? Is everything OK?" I didn''t really need to ask, I knew that it was all going well.


    "Well, sweetheart," Mom looked over at Dad then back at me with happy eyes, "your dad asked me to marry him. He said that he has had the ring since before you were born." Mom held her hand out for me to see. "And I said yes. I don''t want anything else to stand in my way."


    "That is wonderful, mom." I smiled. "I was hoping he would ask you soon. We can get married on the same day."


    "No, honey, we couldn''t possibly steal your special day like that." Mom was shaking her head. "It''s meant to be special for you, not someone else."


    "But Mom, what would be more special than sharing this day with my parents that I had longed to see for so long? What could make it more special than sharing it with a couple who has had to wait neen years for their happily ever after. I think it would be so much better if we were to walk down the aisle together."


    "But then who would walk you down the aisle?" Dad looked confused for a moment. "Isn''t that what I am supposed to do?"


    "Well, Dad, you will be waiting at the front for your bride and you will see me as well. Grandpa can walk Mom and Reed or Bailey can walk me. Maybe even both of them can, I know that would make them happy."


    "You really want to share your day with us?" Mom still looked unsure about it.


    "Yes, I am. I want to spend this day getting what I want, and having you guys get what you want. It''s the best oue possible, if you ask me."


    "You really are the best daughter I could have ever hoped for." Dad smiled and pulled me into his arms for a warm hug. Mom wrapped her arms around us to add her heat to the hug as well. I couldn''t imagine a better oue right now. We were now preparing for two weddings instead of one.

 Chapter 190 - Star - Preparing For The Wedding Part 2

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    About a week before the wedding, I had a sudden thought that I couldn''t get out of my head. Artem had been given an item to keep him aging at the same rate as me, but what about Mom? How would she and Dad stay together? Was she going to grow old and leave him? I just couldn''t get the idea out of my head.


    I went to Dad so that I could talk to him about it in private. I didn''t want to upset mom with it, if that was truly the case. I asked if Dad could go for a walk with me while we talked so that we didn''t get overheard by anyone.


    Once we were outside and walking slowly through the trees that surrounded the pack house Dad was the first to speak.


    "So what is bothering you, Star?"


    "How did you know something was bothering me?" I didn''t deny it, he was right; I just didn''t know how he could figure it out.


    "My magic has to do with emotions, remember?" He smirked at me. "Plus, I can see it in your eyes. Something is eating away at your heart right now. It''s like something is weighing you down, and you''re not your usual self. So what is it? I want to help if I can. I am assuming that''s why you brought me out here."


    "I wanted to talk to you about something." I hung my head, not sure how to bring this up. "It''s about Mom."


    "What about her?" Dad stopped walking then and looked at me. With a wave of his hand, two giant flowers sprung up and formed a couple of chairs for us to sit in. They looked soft and veryfortable, and when I sat in the giant moon shaped chair I found that it was indeedfortable.


    "These are amazing." I grinned at him as he sat next to me.


    "You could do it too, if you practiced. But don''t change the subject, what about your mother did you want to talk about?" Dad looked worried now. I think that I scared him by bringing him out here like this.


    "Well, you''re Fae and therefore technically immortal. Mom is a wolf and isn''t. What is going to happen when mom starts to get older?"


    "Is that what you''re worried about?" Dad grinned at me. "There is no need to worry, Star. I will take care of your mother. In a way I have been taking care of that for thest neen years almost. To be honest, it was you that had actually taken care of her."


    "What do you mean?" Dad''s words made no sense to me at all.


    "Well, you see, when a non-Fae, or a non-immortal has a child with a Fae, that half Fae baby leaves some of its essence behind. As long as that child is Fae enough then the mother will live for longer than she normally would. It''s also why your mother has barely changed in appearance when it''s been nearly twenty years since we met. She still looked close to the same age that she was. Just as beautiful as she always was."


    I thought about that for a moment. It was true that Mom didn''t look as old as she was. But then again, neither did Dad. So it had been Dad and, through that connection with him, me that had kept mom young. I was d that Dad and I could help her so much during that time.


    "She will have no issues to worry about though. The ring I gave her was meant to keep the bride young with the groom. Just like the item that Artem got from Aunt Glory, I will tie my fate with your mother and make sure that she stays young with me for as long as I live."


    "I am d that you thought about that Dad. I was really worried about that."


    After that, Dad and I headed back to the house. I wasn''t worried anymore and it was getting closer and closer to the wedding.


    There was someone who wanted to talk to me though. Not long after getting home Aries, Artem''s dad, asked if he could talk to me privately. Him and I went to one of the smaller sitting rooms that were meant for small meetings.


    "Thank you for talking with me, Star." He started talking before either of us had sat down so I decided to just stand and talk to him while he paced agitatedly.


    "It''s fine, Mr. Cooper. What can I do for you?"


    "You don''t have to call me Mr. Cooper. You have your own dad so I would guess that calling me that would be ufortable for you, but you can call me Aries, if you like."


    "I don''t think it would be bad to call you dad. You are my mate''s father after all, and we''re bound for life. That makes you part of my life as much as his, right?" He looked as if I had just melted his heart when I said that.


    "Yes, I guess that does make sense." His smile was sweet now instead of nervous. "Well, the reason that I wanted to talk to you, Star, was because Gabri and I were thinking of moving back to the pack. We had left so that Artem could make it on his own, so he could prove himself so to speak. But now, he is getting married, he is having a pup, and he is adopting half the fucking pack for crying out loud." Heughed then realized what he had just said. "Oh, I am sorry, please forgive mynguage." He blushed for having cursed in front of me.


    "It''s fine. It''s nothing that I haven''t heard before." Iughed at him.


    "Probably not." Heughed again. "Anyway, getting back to what I was saying before. Gabri and I left only so Artem could learn to stand on his own two feet. We didn''t expect things to happen so quickly for him though. We want to move back here so that we can be here for all of you." He was looking at me so earnestly and pleadingly like he thought I would tell him that he couldn''t move back to his hometown or something. "It''s not that Artem has not done well, and we don''t want to take anything away from him. That''s not it at all."


    "I know." He was startled by my answer. "I know you don''t want that. Artem has done amazingly well. You want to be here for the family. You want to see the boys, all of them. You want to be here when Chay gets married to Bailey, you want to know their children and be proper grandparents."


    "Yes, that is exactly it." Relief washed over him as he realized I understood. "But, you see, I think Artem would think the opposite. He would think that we don''t trust him, that we don''t approve of him. I wanted to know if you could help convince him that we only want toe back for the children because that is what a grandparent are supposed to do. Be there to help with the family, spend time with the children and get to know them. Those boys may not be our blood, but if our son will call them his, then they''re ours as well. I want to know who they are. And I want to show my son that I am proud of him for being a real man where most people would not take on that responsibility. I want to be with my family because I have missed them all so much."


    I could see the heartache in his eyes. He truly did miss his family, and I am betting that moving away, giving them space to learn and grow on their own, was hard on him and his wife. They had to literally leave the country so that they didn''t run home at every little thing that happened to their children. How much had they suffered over thest few months?


    Without saying a word, I walked forward and wrapped my arms around Artem''s dad. He needed to know that we loved and cared for him as well. I may have only known him for a little over a week, but that didn''t mean that I didn''t instantly care about him. He was my mate''s dad and to me that meant that he was already family before I even met him.


    At first, Aries was stiff and startled by the sudden hug from me, but after a moment he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. The rigidity went out of his body and he was able to rx fully as we shared the silent moments together.


    "Don''t worry, Dad, I will talk to Artem and tell him what it is that you want. I know that he will understand. And personally, I think it would be nice to have all of our family here to share in the joys of life together."


    "Thank you, Star. Thank you so much. I really, truly am d that Artem found you. Not just to rescue you from the life that you had been forced to endure all those years, but because I think you really are the best thing that could have ever happened to him."


    "I think that about him for me. He is my hero, and I will spend my entire life proving that to him."


    "Thank you, Star." He hugged me again, burying his face in my hair. I think it was just so that he could hide the tears that were starting to stream down his cheeks.

 Chapter 191 - Star - Wedding Day Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Finally, it was the day of my wedding to Artem. Everyone had some ideas about traditions and what we were supposed to do, but they didn''t mean anything to me. They said I was supposed to have a party to celebrate myst night of freedom, but I told them that my whole life was freedom now, and I didn''t need it.


    They also told me that Artem couldn''t see me the day of the wedding until I was walking down the aisle. I didn''t understand that, but everyone, even Artem, said that it was bad luck for him to see me in my dress before the wedding.


    This was going to be difficult for Mom and Dad though, they couldn''t see each other and they were both putting finishing touches on my dress. Apparently Mom was going to get my dress on me and then go put hers on while Dad did what it was he wanted to do to mine.


    Everything had been settled and finalized in the days before the wedding. I had wanted my whole family to be in on the wedding, and they all agreed. However, Reed and Bailey said that they didn''t want to take the honor of walking me down the aisle away from my dad. So, they were part of Artem''s groomsmen party, and Mom was going to be waiting in a different tent near the ceremony location until after Dad and I were in ce.


    Anyway, aside from those changes, Artem had spent the night in a spare room on a different floor, and he was dressed and out at the wedding meeting spot while I was still getting ready. It was his job to greet the pack as they showed up. We had wanted to invite Trinity and Reece to the wedding, but they were visiting Aunt Gloriana at the moment. It had already been scheduled by the time that we had called them up.


    They had a lot on their tes too so it was understandable. Still, it would have been nice.


    After breakfast and a shower, Chay started to do my hair and makeup for me. My hair was being done in a loose elegant braid that hung forward over my left shoulder. There were tiny little pearls stuck into the braid at different ces. Chay had done my makeup lightly. A soft lc color over my eyes, soft blush, a soft red over my lips. When she was done, I was amazed that the soft shades and light application of makeup could make such a difference. It was beautiful though, and I loved it.


    After my hair and makeup were done, Chay started on my mom''s for the day. We looked much the same by the time it was done, just slightly different shades of the colors, and mom''s hair was braided to go over her right shoulder.


    After we were ready for the dresses, Mom had to do her work. With my growing baby belly, there was a chance my dress might need to be altered, but thankfully there hadn''t been any changes in that time, and the dress fit me perfectly.


    The dress was simple right now. It was long and flowing, with nothing to break up the solid white of the dress. The cut of it was wonderful though, and I thought that Mom had done an amazing job.


    After I was in my dress, Mom went to put hers on, which left the opening for my dad toe and put his finishing touches on my dress.


    "You look beautiful, Star." Dad said as he came into the room smiling. "I can''t believe that I just met you, and you''re already getting married." He looked like he had a tear in his eye when he spoke.


    "I know, it must seem too fast for you, huh?"


    "I don''t mind, as long as you are happy." He grinned at me. "And I know that you are."


    "Yes, I truly am."


    "Good, now let''s finish this dress for you."


    Dad stepped away from me then and twirled his finger.


    "Spin in slow circles for me, please." His grin told me he had a n and that he needed me to cooperate.


    "OK."


    I did as he asked, spinning slowly so that he could work his magic. I was watching the floor so that I didn''t trip on the long flowing dress. I felt the magic build up in the room and was momentarily shocked when flowers started to appear on the dress right before my eyes.


    The flowers were of every color I could think to use: pink, yellow, purple, blue, orange, red, green, all in different shades, but nothing too bright. The flowers started at the bottom of the dress''s train and curved up and around the dress. They went behind me and then back in front of me again as they twisted and wrapped around me. The flowers were grouped together more at the bottom of the dress and became less dense as they went up to the bodice. They went all the way up and over my shoulders, decorating the straps of the dress.


    I was shocked and amazed at the sight before me. Dad was smiling as well as he now looked at the white dress decorated with a rainbow of colors.


    "It''s beautiful Dad, I love it." I jumped at him and hugged him tight when he caught me.


    "I''m d you love it sweetheart. I wanted to have a part of our Fae heritage in the dress, since it''s such a special day and all."


    "I am so happy. Thank you for doing this for me." I felt the joy welling up within me.


    "It is my pleasure. I want to do the same to your mother''s, but I can''t see her until the wedding. Perhaps you can decorate it for me?" He grinned.


    "If she lets me, then I will for sure." I nodded and agreed.


    "Thank you." His smile would have been thanks enough, he looked so happy.


    When Mom saw the dress several minutester, she nearly cried.


    "Aaron truly does have a way with magic, doesn''t he." She was happily caressing one of the flowers on the dress.


    "He wanted yours to look like this too." I smiled at her.


    "Yes, but he can''t see me until the wedding." Mom was looking down at her simple white dress that matched mine before the additions had been put onto it.


    "Will you spin in slow circles for me Mom." I smiled at her. "Just keep turning until I tell you to stop."


    "Star, what is this about?"


    "Please Mom." I pleaded with her.


    "Oh, alright." She finally did as I asked and spun slowly.


    I gathered my magic and thought about the flowers. I thought about making them part of the dress from the bottom up. I thought about the colors that were on mine, and the way that they twisted around. And after a moment, the flowers started to appear.


    "Oh my Goddess. Star? You can do this too?" We hadn''t really discussed magic since Mom had gotten here since we had been too busy.


    "That''s right. Dad taught me how to use my magic." I grinned at her. "And now I can add the flowers he wanted to put onto your dress as well."


    "Thank you Star, thank you so much. This is lovely." Mom''s dress was simr to mine now, but she had spun in the opposite direction and therefore her flowers curled the other way around her. It was funny, it was like we had nned it. Either way, I loved the way it looked now. And I was proud of myself for helping to make my mom''s dress so special. It was the first thing that I had been allowed to do for the wedding.


    It was time to get going now. Grandfather and Chay came to get us and lead us to the tent that was sitting near the opening to the clearing. Mom went into one tent, me into another, and then there was Chay, E, Leelin, Sydney, Criztie, and Dakotah in thest one.


    We weren''t going to have a flower girl, that wasn''t needed. The entire wedding had flower petals raining down over it from the magic that Dad had worked for us. We were, however, going to have a whole group of boys walk down the aisle as they held the rings. Some of the newer boys to join the group were carrying them for us: Marcus, Will, Kevin and Gil. All the other boys were walking with them and would stand around the tform during the ceremony, even Nico was among them.


    Kent, Toby, Morgan, Doc, Reed, and Bailey were waiting to walk their counterparts down the aisle for the ceremony. This made sure that everyone that we loved and cared about would be part of the wedding. I wouldn''t have had it any other way.

 Chapter 192 - Artem - Wedding Day Part 2

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I had honored traditions as much as possible, even though we were having a non-traditional wedding. I wasn''t going to see my Star until it was time for the wedding.


    What I was doing before the wedding was getting ready for it.


    Yeah, that consisted of me eating breakfast, taking a shower, shaving, and getting dressed. But that is not all that I had to do to get ready for the wedding. I had to go down and supervise thest minute prep and then greet the guests.


    When I got to the meeting spot for the pack, the ce the wedding was being held, I stopped in my tracks. I didn''t recognize the ce anymore. It had been set up with long flower benches. And by that I mean literally flowers made into benches. They had been crafted from Aaron''s magic, and they looked spectacr.


    The arch that was on top of the tform stone was also craftedpletely out of flowers from Aaron''s magic. Therge beautiful blooms fit together perfectly to make a special decoration for us. The colors were all done in a rainbow effect, light shades of every color possible.


    The only thing that I could see that had been brought out here was the white carpet that Star and Vivian were going to walk down for the wedding. Everything else had been magically brought here by Aaron. Well, I guess it paid to have a Pixie with us.


    "This ce looks amazing, don''t you think?" Kent had asked me before he had to head back up the aisle for his escort duties.


    "That it does. I had just been thinking about that. Aaron did some amazing work on this ce." I was nodding my head as I agreed with him.


    "Are you nervous?" He asked me with a smile on his lips.


    "Not at all. This is the best day of my life. I have been looking forward to this day ever since I met Star. On her birthday, when I was walking her through the house in her silver dress I imagined this day. I knew that she would be my bride, or I hoped she would. And now that she is, I feel like every dream I ever had hase true." I knew that I was grinning like a fool, but I didn''t care.


    "Well, I guess you need to get some more dreams." Kent wasughing softly.


    "Yeah, I guess so. Think it''s bad if they include all the kids too?"


    "Nah, I think that suits you just fine." Our conversation died out after that, and I started to think about what I wanted in the future now.


    After all the guests had arrived, and when it was finally time for the wedding to start, I was standing at the front just before the tform stone. Mazus, Aaron''s father, was on top of the stone already, awaiting the brides and the other groom.


    It was going to be aplete surprise to Star that all of Aaron''s family was here. Even Acacia''s side of the Fae family was here, but she herself wasn''t. Acacia was with Trinity and Reece as they visited Queen Gloriana.


    I know that Star was going to be very happy that more of her family was here to celebrate. She had felt sad at the thought that they might not be here in time. I was just d that we managed to get them here for her.


    Finally, it was time for the wedding to actually begin. The music started, and all the boys started to walk down the aisle in pairs. Nico was part of this group since he wasn''t eighteen yet, and it rounded out the group for us. They all proceeded down the carpet while the flower petals fell around them. When they got to the front, they took their ces on the stone tform. Mazus smiled at the boys, he knew that all but one of them were his great grandsons, and he couldn''t have been happier.


    After the boys came the wedding party. The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle together. Bailey and E, who were siblings, had to walk together since their mates were the Maid of Honor and Best Man.


    Chay and Kent were walking down the aisle next. Now that the entire wedding party had taken their ces on the tform, the music changed to the bridal march.


    I watched in awe as my beautiful mate made her way down the aisle with her Dad. Aaron had his arm wrapped protectively around Star''s,and he was wearing the biggest grin I had ever seen.


    My mate was gorgeous. She was radiant and beautiful, and every other word you could possibly think of to say how amazing she looked. And I was the one she was walking toward.


    When Star and Aaron reached the end of the path, I took Star''s arm and Aaron took my ce. I helped Star up onto the tform and I noticed when she saw the man that was waiting for us.


    "Grandpa Mazus?" Her jaw dropped with excitement.


    "Hello, my dear." He grinned at her.


    "Is anyone else here?" She asked him as we took our ces.


    "Everyone is, we wanted to see this special day for you and Aaron."


    "I am so happy, thank you, thank you foring Grandpa Mazus."


    It was time for Vivian to walk down the aisle now. We turned and watched as she was escorted down the aisle by Daniel, the old man that had tried his best to save his children and grandchildren. He was smiling proudly as he led the woman that we all thought had been lost to the world down to her waiting fianc¨¨.


    Finally, after Vivian and Aaron took their ces on the stone tform it was time for us to get married.


    "Wee guests to this most joyous asion. I am honored to be here to unite my son and his mate and my granddaughter and her mate. There was a time when I never thought that my son would marry, but he has finally found the key to his happiness and unlocked his heart. I haven''t known my new daughter inw long nor my granddaughter, but I know that they are both wonderful and special women. So I want to thank you all foring to celebrate this wonderful day with our families."


    Mazus grinned at us all. Looking at first Aaron and Vivian and then Star and me.


    "This ceremony is not what either of our cultures would call normal, and that is fine with me, because normal has not been what these four have experienced. I know that you have all written your own vows to share with each other. So, Aaron, if you would like to begin."


    We had all agreed that Vivian and Aaron would go first since they had waited so long to get married. I was more than happy to help them reach that end point.


    "Vivian, my dear sweet Vivian. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have found you again. I could tell you the words all day everyday for the rest of my life, and it still wouldn''t do justice to what I feel in my heart. I can''t express to you the way that my heart has sung nonstop for you since I was finally able to see you and hold you again. I know what it is like to live without you, to not have you in my life. That is a torture that I never want to experience again. I hope you know, my love, that I will never in a million years betray you. My love for you is pure and eternal."


    After those words, Aaron raised Vivian''s hand to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles gently. At that, there was apuse that rang through the gathered guests. The sweetness in the words even moved the wolves here.


    "Aaron, my dearest Aaron." Vivian began her vows with tears already in her eyes. "I once thought that there was no hope for us. I had to learn what it was like to live without a mate and without my beloved child. I have since been gifted with a second chance. I had been given a gift by the Goddess that I will never squander. My love for you never lessened, not once, in all the years that we were apart, and I will never in a million years let my love for you fade. I will love you just as much in a year, five years, ten years, a hundred years, even a thousand years. I will never stop loving you Aaron, because even when I thought there was no chance for us, I never stopped loving you."


    More apuse met the end of these vows, and I heard more than a few people sniffle from the emotions that had been put into those words; Star was one of them.

 Chapter 193 - Artem - Wedding Day Part 3

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    "That was beautiful, both of you did splendidly." Mazus smiled at his son as he spoke. I think he was very proud of him at that moment. Hell, even I was proud of Aaron right now. "OK, Artem, would you like to go next?"


    "With pleasure."


    I turned to face Star a little more as I held her hands in mine. I looked her right in the eyes and smiled as I started to recite the words that I had written for today.


    "Astraia, my Star, I love you more than anyone or anything in this life. I am beyond happy that it is you that I have been joined with for all eternity because I can''t imagine anyone better than you. You are not just the most beautiful woman that I have ever met, Star. No, you also have the most beautiful heart and soul. You are the sweetest woman there is. Your heart is so big that you cannot bear to see people suffer. You have so much love to give that you share it with those that arecking the love of a family. You light up every room that you enter, and your smile is the warmest thing I have ever seen. You''re smart, you''re thoughtful, you''re perfect, at least in my eyes. I will never hurt you in any way, and I will spend my entire life protecting you and our family from harm."


    I put everything that I wanted to say into those words. I told her how I felt, and I hoped that she felt it as much as I did. If the tears in her eyes were anything to go off of, then I would say she did.


    With a deep breath to settle herself, Star smiled at me and started to recite her own words.


    "Artem, for a while I struggled with what to write for you. I thought that I had to write something specific that was a promise of some sort. But then someone told me that telling you why I love you so much would be just as good. So Artem, here I go." She took one more deep breath before she continued. "Artem, I met you when I was the most scared that I have ever been, and even then I felt safer than I had ever felt in my life. You rescued me Artem, with no questions asked. You came for me not once, but multiple times, and I know that you would do that time and time again for as long as we both live. You were patient with me when I needed time, and you were there when I needed a shoulder to cry on. I can''t imagine my life without you Artem, because my life didn''t even start until I met you. From the moment that I met you, I have felt the love for you growing inside of me, and it only gets stronger with every passing day. I have heard you say how lucky you are that I am here with you, but Artem, don''t you know that it is me who is the lucky one? Don''t you know that without you I am nothing? Without you Artem, I wouldn''t even be here. I hope that I get to be lucky enough to love you for the rest of time, with my love for you only growing with each day that we see in the future. I will never leave you, Artem, I wouldn''t want to miss out on any part of my life, my heart, or my soul since you are a part of all of them. I love you so much, Artem."


    OK, now I know that I was crying. She had broken me down and made me cry in front of everyone, but I didn''t care. Let them see me cry, they would know how much I love my mate.


    "Once again those were beautiful words." Mazus smiled at us. "You all have crafted beautiful vows that were made specifically for your mates, and that is something that you should all take pride in. Now, on to the only traditional part of this wedding ceremony. Artem and Aaron, we will do this as a group, so when ites to the right time please make sure you use the name of your mate for these vows."


    "Yes, Sir." I nodded at him.


    "Yes, Dad." Aaron agreed as well.


    "Now then, gentlemen, repeat after me. I, say your name, take you, say bride''s name, to be my wife."


    "I Aaron, take you Vivian, to be my wife."


    "I Artemis, take you Astraia, to be my wife."


    "To have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish, for as long as we both shall live." Mazus continued the short vows.


    "To have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish, for as long as we both shall live."


    "To have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish, for as long as we both shall live." Aaron and I repeated after him.


    "With this ring, I promise that I will always love you." Right on cue Marcus and Will stepped forward with the rings for us to take.


    "With this ring, I promise that I will always love you."


    "With this ring, I promise that I will always love you." Aaron slid his ring onto Vivian''s finger while I slid the ring I got from my mother onto Star''s finger.


    "Now,dies, if you would repeat after me in the same fashion."


    "Yes, Sir." Vivan smiled.


    "Yes, Grandpa Mazus."


    "Very well then, repeat after me now. I, say your name, take you, say groom''s name, to be my husband."


    "I Vivian, take you Aaron, to be my husband."


    "I Astraia, take you Artemis, to be my husband."


    "To have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish, for as long as we both shall live." The vows continued.


    "To have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish, for as long as we both shall live."


    "To have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish, for as long as we both shall live." The lines were repeated again.


    "With this ring, I promise that I will always love you." This time it was Gil and Kevin that stepped forward for the rings to be taken from the pillows.


    "With this ring, I promise that I will always love you." Vivian slid the ring onto Aaron with shaking fingers.


    "With this ring, I promise that I will always love you." Star''s hand was steady as could be when she slid the ring on my finger; she wasn''t nervous, and that made me happy.


    "With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married. Four people came and two couples shall leave. You may kiss your brides."


    Aaron leaned in toward Vivian, but I didn''t pay much attention, I was too busy pulling Star toward me for our kiss. I pressed my lips to her gently, yet passionately. I wanted a deep kiss, something that would show her my love for her, but I kept it simple and as chaste as I could. I didn''t need to delve that deep right now.


    "Guests, I would like to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Fields and Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. May we celebrate their unions with our congrattions and apuse." At his words, cheers and apuse exploded from the gathered crowd of three hundred or so guests. The ones that were cheering the most though were the boys. They were happily cheering that their soon to be parents and grandparents had finally done what they wanted to. Aaron and Vivian married finally after almost twenty years, and I married my mate even though it had only been about five months.


    As we descended the tform and walked among the guests, the family that Star had longed to see were there to greet her. My family, Acacia''s family, and Aaron''s family all came forward and hugged us all. They were celebrating the two weddings equally. This was a wonderful time for all of us now.


    "I am so happy for you Star, my sweet girl." Briallu hugged Star then ran to Vivian. "I am sorry that I ever doubted you. I am so d that you are here, and that you and my boy can finally be together."


    "Oh Star, you look amazing." Lotus was smiling happily as she held onto the both of us.


    All of Aaron''s siblings as well as Acacia''s siblings came in for hugs. They were only going to be here for the day since they had to go back for the visit with Trinity and Reece, but they didn''t want to miss out on the wedding either.


    "Artem, you look so handsome, and Star, you are gorgeous." Aunt Criztie was in tears when she came up for her hug.


    "You did great, son." Dad hugged me. "Star, thank you for choosing my boy."


    "I think I am going to cry." Mom was next, holding onto the both of us tightly.


    It took a while, but we all finally managed to make it out of the sea of family members. We were heading over to the yard behind the pack house where we had the reception dinner waiting for us. It was time to move onto the next part of the wedding. Dinner, dancing, photos, and everything else that came with getting married. I loved the fact that I was able to be here with my friends, my family, and my wife. That was the best of all, being able to call Star my wife for the rest of time.

 Chapter 194 - Star - Wedding Day Part 4

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I was married. I couldn''t believe it. I was really married. I had just gone through the whole wedding and married Artem. And the major thing about it, I hadn''t been nervous at all.


    I was surrounded by friends and family so I felt safe and secure during the whole ceremony, though I had heard my mom''s voice shake a little, and I think she was nervous because Dad''s family was there. Still she made it through, and now my parents were finally married as well. They had been waiting for this for a long time.


    Now we could have our reception, then a quick honeymoon. Following that, things were going to get busy because we were formally adopting the kids, and then we had to get ready for the baby. It was so exciting. I had been nervous in the beginning because it was happening so soon, but I honestly couldn''t be happier right now. This was the life that fate had chosen for me, so I wasn''t going toin.


    The first part of the reception was meant to be dinner, or technically ate lunch. But before we could eat, Chay and Kent stepped forward.


    "As you all know, the Maid of Honor and Best Man usually give speeches at these things, so Chay and I are going to do our best to do that now. I''m going to start us off here, so please be patient with me during this."


    Kentughed softly as he looked at me and Artem.


    "Artem, you''ve been like a brother to me my whole life. When my brother was taken from me, you were there for me. You helped me and guided me into a life of righteousness andpassion. I have never once regretted being your friend, but I have often wondered why you chose to be mine. You''re such a good guy that I don''t even know what to do with you sometimes. Yes, like everyone, you may make a stupid choice from time to time, but they always end up working out better than anyone would have guessed. You have be an amazing Alpha and a man that I hope to be like everyday. And as for Star, I think you saved us all. When we didn''t even know we needed saving, you saved us. You helped us to see what was most important in life. You opened our eyes, at least you did for me. Thank you, both of you, for being part of my life."


    Kent''s words made me want to cry. He was being so sweet and sentimental. I apuded for him loudly along with everyone else as he headed off of the dance floor and back to his seat, leaving Chay alone for her speech.


    "Artem, you''re a big dork." Sheughed as she started. "You''re my brother, and I love you, no matter what. I have never once been the type to think that my life would be better without you. You''ve helped me, and I''ve helped you. Surprisingly, we''re pretty close for siblings, and I am happy with that. I never wanted to fight with you anyway. And then, you brought home the woman you said was your mate, and I couldn''t have been happier. She became my best friend. It was like I couldn''t imagine life without the two of you there, together, from that day forward. Star, like my brother told you before, you''re the sweetest person that I know. You love everyone and care for more people than I ever thought possible. You''re always there to make sure that everyone is smiling. I don''t think you notice this about yourself, but we do. We see it, and that is all that matters. We''ll be happy to be there with you as you light our world with your loving smile."


    I cried and apuded. The two of them were very sweet with their words, and I couldn''t stop the tears. I did, however, dab at my eyes to minimize the steaks in my makeup. I thought then that perhaps this was why Chay had done my makeup so lightly.


    "I would like to say a few words now, if you all don''t mind." Grandpa moved to take Chay''s ce. "I have lived through a lot and seen more than most of you would ever know. I watched as my family was torn apart repeatedly. I was one of the people who had been fooled by Howard into thinking that my great granddaughter was dead. But now, there has been miracle after miracle. My great great granddaughter has been saved from her torturous fate and her mother, my great granddaughter that we feared was lost to us forever, has returned to us. Their family has been reunited and is whole for the first time ever. They are happy and that makes me happy. Vivian, you were always such a loving and caring person, and that love passed on to your daughter. No matter what either of you have been through, you have nothing but love for the world. Artem, I can''t thank you enough for saving Star from her fate. And Aaron, thank you, truly, for never giving up on your love for Vivian. Thesedies needed you two men more than anything."


    Grandpa''s speech was the third consecutive one that made me want to cry. And they weren''t done. Grandpa Mazus, Uncle Ash, and Aunt Lotus all spoke as well. They were giving their words mostly for Dad and Mom, and I was happy since they were able to get just as much love on this day as well.


    After the speeches we were finally able to eat. The food was amazing with Artem''s mom and aunt helping the chef cook the food for this day.


    Following the meal, it was time to dance. I danced with Artem while Mom danced with Dad. Then I danced with Dad while Mom with Grandfather. After that, Artem danced with his mom while Dad danced with Grandma Briallu. I even took the time to dance with Aries, Artem''s dad. It was amazing. I actually danced the most because all thirteen of the boys wanted to be part of it and dance with me. So, I did just that. I danced with all of them one by one. And by the time that it was all over, I was exhausted.


    Dad''s family had to leave early so they could get home in time and that made me sad, but we all hugged each other tightly, and I promised that we would be back at thepound to visit them soon.


    After that, Chay was making a fuss that it was time for us to get going so we could go on our honeymoon.


    "All of you, go get changed, you need to leave!" She was shouting at us.


    "Oh, Chay, Aaron and I aren''t going on a honeymoon. We''re staying here to help with the children." Mom was trying to tell Chay about the ns.


    "Actually, Mom," I smiled at her mischievously, "we booked something for you. You two deserve some time alone with each other. I want you two to go and have a good time."


    "She''s right. You two have waited for this time for almost twenty years. We want you to enjoy it."


    "But, what about the children?" Dad was looking worried.


    "My parents are moving back. They wanted to be close to the children, and this will let them do just that. They will be here, as well as everyone else. They will be fine. We want the two of you to go and enjoy yourselves. Have a real honeymoon." Artem grinned through his exnation.


    "Are you sure?" Mom looked worried.


    "We are staying closer, but still spending a few days away. This whole wedding has been mostly focused on us, we want this to be the part that highlights and focuses on the two of you." My smile was met with one from each of them. They looked at each other with awe then back at us.


    "Thank you."


    "All of you are too kind to us."


    Finally, we had convinced them to go on a trip with just the two of them. I was happy that they were going to go away and be a proper couple for the first time since Uncle Howard had broken them up.


    We all got changed and ready to leave then. Artem and I were flying to LA to stay at a nice hotel and to go to the beach. It would be my first time at a hotel like that, and Artem even said that he would take me swimming in the ocean. I couldn''t wait. It was all going to be amazing. Plus, we were going to go do lots of shopping to get souvenirs for all the kids and everyone else back home.


    Not to mention, there would be plenty of time for me and Artem to be alone together as well. I was looking forward to that as well.

 Chapter 195 - Star - Honeymoon Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    We had left immediately after the reception was over. Artem and I were already packed and ready to go; all we needed to do was change our clothes and leave. We said goodbye to all the kids as well as our friends and family.


    Mom and Dad packed their stuff and left with us as well, riding to the airport with us. However, once we were there we had to separate since they were leaving the country, and Artem and I weren''t even leaving the state. That was fine though, Artem and I had recently had a trip that was just the two of us, and I didn''t want to be gone for very long. Mom and Dad had just reunited and married after all those years apart; they deserved a nice, long honeymoon so that they could spend some quality time alone together.


    It had been a bitter in the afternoon when the reception ended, so after all of the traveling that we had to do it was quitete and fully dark outside when we left the airport. The first thing that I noticed was the beauty of all the lights that were shimmering in the distance. It looked like a beautiful night time wondend.


    We rode in a sleek ck car that I could tell was expensive. It drove us to a very beautiful hotel. Two men came out and opened the doors for us to exit the car, but Artem asked that I wait until he walked around the car to help me to my feet. I took his hand and was immediately pulled to his side where he wrapped his arm around my waist and held my hand.


    The closeness of the way that he was holding me was already feeling very intimate. Artem and I had been so busy over thest couple of months that we had barely been together as a couple. Just a couple of times, one of which was the night that I had gotten pregnant.


    I think that I had been neglecting him as a mate. I didn''t mean to, but I felt bad for having done it nheless. I wanted to make him feel special and loved though, so I was really looking forward to tonight.


    I waited at Artem''s side as he checked us into the hotel. When he was done he escorted me over to the elevator and up to the top floor. The suite we were staying in was more like a house; it was that big and had multiple rooms inside.


    Artem and I explored the room before anything else. There wererge ss windows on the far side of the living room area that look out over the city. There were two bedrooms, one with two beds and the other with one. The main bedroom, with one bed, also had arge tub that we could step into. Artem called it a hot tub and said it would be rxing.


    After we explored therge room as much as possible, Artem went to order us some dinner while I looked out over the city. It was massive, muchrger than Crescent City which was what I had thought major cities were like. Even when I went to San Francisco with Artem before I didn''t look out at the city like this so I hadn''t really grasped just how big it had really been.


    While I stood there, watching the city, I felt the change in the air that meant Artem wasing up behind me. I had sensed him before I even saw his reflection in the window.


    "Hello, Mrs. Cooper." Artem''s words were a purr as he wrapped his arms around me. "Your dinner is on the way." I could see the grin on his face reflected in the window.


    "That is very much appreciated, Mr. Cooper. Thank you." I turned in his arms and wrapped my own arms around his waist. "What would I ever do without you?"


    We both giggled at the slight exchange and before I knew it he had lifted me from the floor and held me in his arms. I could feel the heat, the excitement, and the need in his body. We were sitting on the couch that was behind him in no time at all, with me sitting on hisp as straddling him.


    Our lips were locked and Artem''s hands were touching me all over. It was amazing, and perfect, and I didn''t want it to end. However the knock on the door broke the mood between us and caused us to separate.


    "I think that would be our dinner." Artem chuckled. "I think we need to be done for a little while."


    I slid off of hisp, and he went immediately for the door. A man brought a cart into the room that was covered with different dishes. It wasn''t long now before Artem and I were eating and enjoying a very pleasant conversation.


    After the meal, it was time for a quick shower. I know that I for one wanted to get cleaned after the long day that we had. And I think that Artem felt the same way.


    Once we were in the massive bathroom, I felt my new husband''s fingers on my body as he reached for the fastenings on my clothes. No words were exchanged, I just let him do what it was that he wanted to do. He was enjoying himself, and I was quite enjoying the heated look of desire that began to fill his eyes with every move he made.


    I didn''t want to sit still though. I wanted to do something to make things seem a little more mutual and fair. I slid my hands up his chest until I was able to slowly slide one button from its home. I continued, slowly, down his chest until I was able to push his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. I was considerably more undressed than him at that point since he had already undone the buttons on my dress and then unhooked my bra.


    Slowly, as the steam from the shower filled the room, we helped each other out of the clothes we were still wearing and hurried into the shower. I was ready for this wedding night of mine to begin. I was ready to be with my mate, my husband, my Artem.


    When we were in the shower, our hands still didn''t leave each other. Artem kept his mouth to himself, but he used his hands in every single way he could think of to wash me. I felt him press his palms to my breasts and squeeze his fingers around them gently.


    One of his hands slid lower, cupping between my thighs and holding me in ce against the wall of the shower. I felt his firm body press against me, and the desire sparked within me as well. I needed him, now. I needed to get him out of this shower and into the bedroom.


    "Artemis?" I called his name breathlessly as his fingers worked their magic on me.


    "Astraia?" His voice rumbled through his chest and straight into me.


    "I..I..I want y..y..y..you." I stuttered the words as he was making his magic with my body.


    "Hmm, that''s good, because I want you as well, sweetheart."


    "I..I..I..I w..want you." I managed to get the words out. "I n..n..n..n..need you n..n..n..now."


    "Now?" He chuckled at me. "It can''t wait until the shower is done? I think that the bed would be a far morefortable ce for us than the shower. Don''t you agree with that, my love?"


    I tried my best to wrap my head around his words. It took a long time to be able to even process what it was he was saying to me and an even longer time to make myself agree with him.


    "I..I..I th..th..think that m..m..mi..mi..might a..actually b..b..be b..be..be..better." I was nodding, my eyes closed trying to fight off the wave of pleasure he was sending my way.


    "Good." His words went right into my ear. "Then let''s get ourselves cleaned off. I think it''s time to move this to the room."


    Before I even knew what was happening, Artem had pulled his hands from my body and was rinsing us both off. He was making sure that there wasn''t a drop of soap left, but he was doing it so quickly that I was sort of at a loss.


    Then he had the water shut off, and the both of us standing naked in front of the sink. I noticed a towel wrapped around his waist while he knelt before me, drying me from my shoulders down. Though hisrge, firm hands were still pressing against my body in key ces. It was driving me insane, and I wasn''t able to do anything about it.


    When I was dried, I found myself in Artem''s arms. He was cradling me against his chest and nuzzling his face against my hair.


    "Are you ready, my love? Are you ready for our wedding night? Our time toe together just not as mates, not just as fianc¨¦s preparing for marriage, but as husband and wife?"


    "If you don''t stop talking and start loving me, then I am going to have to hurt you." Iughed as I ran my tongue across his chest. "Yes, my husband, I am ready." I actually answered him and gave him the response that he wanted.


    After that, he finally carried me into the bedroom and to the bed itself.

 Chapter 196 - Star - Honeymoon Part 2 (MATURE)

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Artem walked to the bed and climbed onto it slowly with me still in his arms. Heid me gently in the middle of therge softforter and smiled at me as he looked down at my naked body.


    "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" I grinned at his words.


    "I don''t recall. Maybe you have, maybe you haven''t. Perhaps you could use tonight to help me to remember."


    "That sounds like a wonderful n to me." His smile shifted from one of happiness to one filled with heat before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.


    I felt his tongue instantly slide into my mouth. His lips were hot, forceful, and perfect as they worked to make me forget everything that I had ever known. My mind had gone nk; empty of every thought that didn''t have to do with Artem.


    While he kissed me and conquered my mouth I felt Artem''s hand start to explore my body. He had moved, adjusted his body so that he was positioned between my legs and leaning over me.


    When he tore his mouth from mine, I whimpered and tried to reim his lips. He had moved too fast for me though, and I wasn''t able to; instead he had just moved his mouth so that he was now licking and biting at my mate mark.


    The sensations were more than I could handle at the moment. I heard myself moan. The moan had been loud, long, and full of need. I was also embarrassed by it. Artem, however, didn''t seem to think anything of it. Artem just continued what he was doing, and I think he might have even purred or hummed against my shoulder when he had heard the sound.


    "Ngh! Artem!" I called out to him as he yed with the mark that he had left on me. Even monthster the mark was sensitive and caused me to feel pleasure whenever he bit, licked, kissed, or even just touched it. It was like a pleasure epicenter.


    "Shh. Don''t you worry,my love. I will take care of you. I will always take care of you."


    He must have meant what he was saying because it was right then that I felt his fingers slide between my thighs and begin their torment again. I may call it torment, but it felt beyond amazing. It was only torment or torture because it made me want more and more.


    While Artem''s fingers flitted around my center, his mouth slowly slid from my mate mark and down to my chest. He paused for a few moments as he licked and nipped at my breasts. He flicked his tongue over the nipples before pulling them into his mouth to suck on gently.


    When he had his fill there, his mouth continued lower and lower. My belly had already begun to curve a little. The baby was getting bigger, and I was still very thinpared to the others so he was standing out a little. Artem didn''t care though, he just trailed his tongue up and over the light curve that it had caused.


    Artem''s mouth kept moving lower and lower until he had slid his entire body down the bed, and his head was between my legs. Hisrge shoulders were pushing my legs further apart for him, and so he took his hand from my center and lifted my legs out of his way by hooking his hands under my knees. Now that he had me positioned and ready, it didn''t seem like he was going to wait at all.


    Instantly Artem set to work. I felt his tongue slide up my center,pping at me until I screamed and moaned. My body squirmed, unable to sit still as my hips bucked for him. He growled with pleasure, but I noticed that he also let go of my legs, letting them fall onto his shoulders and back.


    To keep me from moving too much as he devoured me, Artem ced his hands on my waist so that I could not move my hips around. Now that I was stationary for him, Artem pressed his mouth to me more firmly.


    His tongue and mouth worked me over endlessly. I heard the sounds that I was making, the moans, screams, cries of pleasure, and encouraging him to hurry, all of them normally would have made me blush, but I didn''t care right now. I wanted him to hurry up and take me, even if that did make me sound perverted.


    Before I knew it, I could feel myself approaching that point of pleasure, that wave of oblivion that would wash over me. By that point, I wasn''t able to say anything at all; the only soundsing from me were wordless moans and high pitched cries of pleasure. When I finally came, though, I had reached down and grabbed a hold of Artem''s hair, pulling hard to make him stop so that the waves wouldn''t be too intense for me.


    While I panted from what had just happened, Artem loomed over me. I could see him grinning, but the look in his eyes was nothing but heat. They had darkened with need, and I could tell that he was about to take me the way that I wanted him to.


    "A..Artem." I panted out his name just as I felt him push against my entrance; he was more than ready for me.


    "Star." He purred my name and pushed into me with a hard, quick thrust.


    I screamed again, I couldn''t help it. I screamed as I felt him push all the way inside of me. When he leaned forward over me, pressing himself against me, I wrapped my arms around his back and dug my nail into his flesh. I hadn''t meant to do it, I just couldn''t stop myself.


    My nails didn''t seem to bother Artem though, he ignored them and started to pull back before thrusting in hard and fast again. He did it again and again, setting a rhythm that was bringing us both pleasure.


    I could hear his body mming into me over and over as he thrust into me again and again. I held onto him for dear life as he drove me to that point of no return once again. I felt like I was getting to the point long before him though. And sure enough, my body spasmed around him as I screamed again.


    "ARTEM!" It was long, loud, and only made him growl in satisfaction.


    Artem paused for a moment in his thrusting. He was moving his body once more, but this time he was taking me with him.


    Somehow, the pillows had been pushed out of the way as he moved and pressed his back against the headboard of the bed. I was sitting on Artem''sp, my arms draped over his shoulders as he held onto my waist.


    "I''m not ready to be done just yet." I heard him growl into my ear. "Let''s keep going, my love."


    After that, I felt Artem lift me up with his grip on my waist and hips. I also felt him press himself down into the bed so that he was lifting me off of him and pulling out of me at the same time. Soon, he barely had just the tip of him in me, and I felt empty and hollow.


    "Artem?" I felt like I was begging him to return, but all I could say was his name.


    He didn''t keep me waiting long though, he pushed up with his body and pulled me down to meet him at the same time. We mmed together so hard and fast that I cried out; it hadn''t hurt, but I hadn''t expected it either. The feel of it was amazing though, and I cried out everytime that he mmed me down onto him.


    My body was already feeling the rise of that wave again though, and I knew that soon enough I woulde once more, most likely screaming for him again. I could tell that he was getting harder though, and he was more frantic than usual. He was going to ride that wave with me this time.


    Sure enough, just as I reached my limit and held onto him tighter so as not to get swept up and washed away with that wave, I felt Artem explode inside of me while he growled.


    We were both panting for a second, but I noticed that Artem was making no move to leave my body. He was still holding onto me tightly and I just knew that he wasn''t done yet. I knew that he still needed me, still wanted me. That was fine, I wasn''t ready to be separated from him yet either.


    "I''m sorry, Star, I still need you. I want more of you." He sounded as if he thought I would be mad at him.


    "I want more of you too, Artem. I need just as much of you as you want from me. Please, don''t stop."


    He lifted his head and looked me in the eyes then; his eyes were hopeful, and I know that mine were determined and needy. He found what he was looking for in my eyes though, as he grinned and shifted once more.


    Artem did pull out of mepletely this time, and the absence of him left me feeling cold and empty without him there to fill me up. He turned me around and faced me away from him. My handsnded on the mattress as I fell forward, and an instantter he was inside of me again, mming against me.


    In this position, he seemed to be reaching deeper than he usually did, and I savored every thrust. With my face buried in the mattress, I screamed and moaned even louder than before.


    "Don''t muffle them." He growled at me. "I want to hear every sound you make." My face burned when he said that, embarrassment washing over me.


    "B..b..but A..A..Artem, it''s e..em..embarrassing."


    "It is nothing to be ashamed of." He growled at me as he grabbed my arms just above the elbows. "It''s beautiful and erotic, just like you are." He had pulled me up so that I was bnced on my knees only, my back was pressed against him as he thrusted into me over and over again. "I love the way you sing just for me." His voice was deeper than usual, and I felt the words vibrate through me.


    "A..Artem." I barely got his name out as he mmed into me again.


    "Astraia." He said my full first name as he pounded into me.


    "Artemis." I moaned his name.


    "Louder, my love. Sing louder for me like you were before." He started to thrust harder and harder. I felt like he was trying to be one with me; he was mming into my body harder and harder, and it felt amazing.


    "A..A..Art..Art..Artemis." I finally managed to scream his name louder like he wanted.


    After that, I let my moans and cries out without trying to hold them back. He seemed to enjoy it though, as he took me over and over again until we both copsed from exhaustion onto the bed. It was a pleasure unlike any other that I had ever experienced. And now that it was over, I curled against my husband''s chest and let him hold me while I slept. So far, my honeymoon was going great.

 Chapter 197 - Artem - Honeymoon Part 3

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I woke up the morning after the wedding with my wife pressed against my chest. It was how I usually work up; the only difference was now Star was my wife. I don''t think that I would ever get over that. I was married. I had the best and most beautiful wife in the world. This was my heaven.


    And I wanted to show that angel of my own personal heaven that sex wasn''t the only thing that I had nned for our honeymoon, the wedding night for sure, but not the entire time. Just a few more over the week that we were going to be here, if we evensted the week. Knowing Star, she might want to go home to see the boys early.


    One ce that I was eager to take Star was the beach. She had seen the beach back home, but it was a little chilly out for swimming that day, and we had other ns. Yeah, it had ended simrly tost night, damn I really am just a horny animal. Chay was right.


    Anyway, I was going to be taking my beautiful wife to the beach so that she could swim in the ocean for the first time. I would take her shopping and out to nice meals, and I would do anything that she asked me to.


    We had breakfast brought to us in the room. Room service was great for times like this, but I was going to be taking her out a lot as well. I technically could cook for her here since there was a full kitchen in our suite, but I wasn''t going to. I wanted to show her lots of new ces. ces I haven''t been to yet, they were all ces that had been suggested to me by Reece.


    The sun was out, and it was a gorgeous day so the first thing we did after eating was get changed and head straight to the beach. I kind of wanted to see my sexy little wife on the beach in her bikini at sunset, but there was no saying that I couldn''t bring her back to fulfill that fantasyter.


    Now though, the beach was rtively empty since it waster in the year, September to be exact, and it was a Monday so most people were at school or work. That made for a better time for us.


    As we walked out onto the sand, I watched Star''s eyes go wide.


    "I know I saw the beach before when we were out, but this is so much more beautiful, I just don''t remember the beach being like thisst time."


    "No, that one was more rocky and is less friendly to most people. It was mostly for us to visit for sport and scenery." I exined it to her as she gawked at the water.


    "This looks amazing though, I just want to run right into the water and feel it against my skin."


    "So do it." I grinned at her. "I will put our stuff down, you go."


    "No, I want to go with you. Let''s put our stuff somewhere, then run into it together."


    I loved how kind and caring she was. It melted my heart and just made me want to be with her even more. Together we walked to a spot that was just above the tide line and set up our umbre andid out our towels .I also set down a cooler that was filled with some drinks. This was all stuff that I had bought today, but that was part of the experience as well.


    After our stuff was set down, I watched as Star slowly, and embarrassedly, took off the sun dress that was over her swimsuit. I was happy to see that it was a bikini, that part of my fantasy was true. Thank you Chay for helping her pack.


    I only needed to take off my shoes and my t-shirt, I was already wearing my shorts. So once that was done, and Star''s sandals were set aside, I took her hand. It was now time for us to run straight to the water, together.


    The water was warm to the touch, for us anyway. We were sshing through it like a couple of giggling kids. It was amazing, though Star wasn''t moving very far away from the shore.


    "What''s the matter?" I asked her as she pulled away from me a little and toward the shore.


    "I don''t know how to swim." She looked like she thought that was a bad thing.


    "That''s fine, I do. And don''t worry, I don''t n to let go of you at all. I don''t want someone thinking they could steal you away from me." She smiled at that because she thought it was funny. "Come on, I''ll teach you."


    After that, she really did move toward me and was more willing to swim with me. True to my word, I really did show her how to swim a little. She wasn''t going to be perfect after one lesson of course, but she was less scared at least.


    When we started to get hungry enough, we dried off and put our clothes back on. I wanted to take her to get some food and then do some shopping and sightseeing. We went to a nice cafe and had lunch before we went to some of the ces Reece suggested. We went to famous ces and little known ces, we went shopping, and we took lots of pictures everywhere.


    That was basically how all of our days went while we were on our honeymoon. We went shopping, we went around the city, and we went to the beach. I did take her to the beach at sunset one night so I was able to see that like I wanted to. We talked, we enjoyed each other''spany, and we bought way more stuff than we needed to.


    Still, just like I knew my Star would say, she missed the kids. Hell, I missed them too. We may have called them daily and video chatted some, but it wasn''t the same. Not to mention there was my family there that Star wanted to be around more. She just really wanted to get home after a few days. And to be honest, there wasn''t much else for us to do. We had seen and done all that we wanted to.


    I had taken Star to the zoo, the aquarium, famous parks, everywhere. We had done it all so quickly that there was just no need to stay for the whole week. That was why, after just a few days, we were ready to go home. We packed up all the gifts and souvenirs that we bought for everyone and headed back to the airport.


    Neither of us were sad to be leaving early, and neither thought it was wrong to be going back so soon. I know that everyone at home might say that we''re hopeless, but I didn''t care.


    It took a few hours between the flight and the car ride home, but we were there by the evening, and when we walked through the front door, the first thing we heard was the cry of multiple kids as their pounding footsteps came charging at us.


    "Mommy!"


    "Daddy!"


    "You''re home!"


    "We missed you!"


    All of the words were repeated by so many little voices that I lost track of who said what. All we did was drop our stuff and open our arms for them. Nine of the thirteen boys plowed right into us and nearly knocked us over as they tried to puppy pile on us.


    "We missed you too." Star was squeezing three of the boys.


    "We came back early because we missed you all." I hugged the remaining six in my arms.


    "Did you have fun at least?" I heard Chay''s chastising voice as she looked at us from somewhere nearby.


    "Yes, it was great, but we were bored and wanted toe home." Star answered for us.


    "Bored? Seriously Artem, did someone need to give you pointers before you left?" Morganughed.


    "Shut up." I snapped at him. "That part was fine. We got bored of the city. We can do that anywhere."


    "Anywhere, huh? Are you going to be exhibisionists now or something?" Morgan goaded me again.


    "You know what, I''m not talking about this anymore." I was still ring at him.


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You know you enjoy my joking."


    "Oh hush, Morgan." Toby walked into the room. "We''re d you''re back."


    "Thank you." I nodded at him. "And I trust that all was well while we were gone."


    "Perfect as could be. It was only a short time after all." He nodded as he answered me.


    "Yeah, I would have doubled my time away, not cut it in half. Y''all are really bad at math, you know that." Morgan was stillughing as he made jokes, but that was just who he was, and we wouldn''t have it any other way, most of the time that is.


    Still, I was d that we were home. Now we could get on with some of the other things that we had nned. Things weren''t going to be slow or anything like that. This was going to be the busiest time of our life together by far. But that in itself was going to be great, and I couldn''t wait to tackle it head on.


    Starting tomorrow, or rather Monday since tomorrow was Saturday, we were going to the courthouse so we could file the petition to adopt the boys. If we didn''t get the right judge, it could be held up. We needed to be careful here. Very careful.

 Chapter 198 - Star - Adoption

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I didn''t know what to expect when Artem and I went to adopt the boys. We went without them to file the petitions that we had already filled out. We knew we had wanted to do this, but that didn''t mean we had it all figured out yet. At least I didn''t


    Artem had said something about trying to get the right judge for our case. If that happened, then we would have no problem at all. I hoped that he was right. I also hoped that what he said about us being married making things easier for us regardless.


    I just wanted to make the boys ours so that we could move on with our lives, and they would never have to fear their old families again. And somehow, Artem had received written consent and signed forms from all of their families that they relinquished custody of the children, and that they approved of the adoptions.


    When we went to the courthouse, Artem asked to see a specific judge, the one that we hoped to have handling our case. We were made to wait for a little bit while things were wrapped up in another meeting, but after a little time, we were called into the judge''s private office, much to the surprise of the secretary that had been handling things.


    "So you must be Star and Artem." The man behind the desk spoke as soon as the door was shut. "You have good timing, I just got off the phone with Noah Whitton, is he a friend of yours?" He was eyeing Artem with suspicion.


    "Well, I haven''t met Noah personally, but I know his sister and her husband. The Luna Queen and the Alpha King were here to visit us a couple of months back. We owe a lot to Reece and Trinity."


    I saw the old man''s dark brown eyes fill with shock. His graying hair even moved back as his eyebrows shot up. No matter what he had expected it definitely wasn''t Artem talking about the royal couple with their first names.


    "You have some serious connections in this world, Artem. I don''t know how you did it, but you''ve made yourself a very powerful man with those connections."


    "I''m not aiming for more power than that I have over my pack. What I am looking for is a happy and healthy family, a loyal and happy pack, and peace for the majority, if not the entirety, of my life."


    "Haha." The old man wasughing at what he had heard. "Apparently there is more you want, or you wouldn''t have thirteen adoption forms with you right now." He shook his head like he thought that it was unbelievable. "Why do you want to adopt so many children?" Thest was a very direct and very baffled question.


    "They''ve been through too much in their young lives already. They need a ce where they can find peace with the people around them. They want to be part of our family, and we don''t want to see them leave us either. This is what we all want."


    The man was eying us firmly now, like he was analyzing the words that Artem had just spoken while I watched on silently.


    "And you, youngdy, you think you can handle being the mother to so many children? If I remember correctly a couple of them are almost your age."


    "One of them is close to my age, yes. Julian is almost sixteen. However awkward it might seem to others, I do view everyone of those boys as mine. I don''t care what others think. Yes, it may seem odd that Artem and I are not much older than Julian, but none of us care."


    "You think you''re mature enough to handle this responsibility?" Now he was sounding a little angry.


    "Sir, I didn''t have a childhood. I spent it trying to figure out how to get away from my family and free myself from their torturous ways just like these boys we want to adopt. The only difference between us though, is that I was imprisoned at a younger age, and I let it make me stronger rather than weaker."


    "Is that so?"


    It was like this man was trying to get a rise out of us to see what we would do. Was he testing us somehow? This just didn''t make any sense to me at all.


    "And you think that between the two of you can handle the responsibility of taking care of thirteen boys? Can you even support them?" This time he was aiming the question at Artem who just smiled at him confidently.


    "Considering that I have been supporting the majority of them and more for most of the year already, I really don''t see that as a problem. I have the financial leeway to handle that, and we have more than enough family and friends willing to help us take care of them if the need ever arose."


    The judge thenced his fingers together and ced his chin on the backs of his hands. For the longest time, he just looked at us with a stern re. After a while, he sighed and lowered his head.


    "Look, it''s not like I can deny you anyway. No matter what I say or do, I was officially ordered to do this as a personal favor to the Alpha King. Do you know what would happen to me if I denied your adoption petitions? I would probably be executed. Makes no difference that I am a man of thew, I am also a wolf, and they would not take kindly to me ignoring an order like that."


    There wasughter and genuine fear in the judge''s eyes as he exined all that he had to say.


    "I have to give you a hard time though, and I have to make it all look official. I am going to make this look like you were rmended to me by the protective services folks. I have some friends over there, and I will get them to sign off on everything. If they had been checking up on kids over there, then this wouldn''t be an issue right now." Another sigh and anger that things had gotten this far. "I admit that thew stayed out of that little town of yours mostly because it knew what was happening, but wolves live by their ownws. Now though, we have this problem. I am d you changed things young man, that isn''t a problem at all. But I need to make this all look legit when I give you custody of them all."


    "I am d that you are willing to work with us. We hope to get this done soon." Artem nodded to him with a smile.


    After we left the office, we were in near constant contact with the person from protective services. They had to supposedly do an official investigation of the house and see the kids themselves. If they didn''t do that at least, someone could challenge the adoption apparently.


    It took no more than two weeks though. Two weeks of talks, interviews, walkthroughs, and more talks. After that, we were on our way to the courthouse again, this time with all the boys. We were all dressed nicely, wearing something that was very presentable. The boys all matched Artem in their little ck suits, light blue shirts and green ties. I was wearing a blue dress with green embroidery that made me match them as well.


    Today was the official adoption day. October the twelfth, this was going to be the day that we were going to celebrate every year from now on. This is the day that we officially be a family.


    The fifteen of us went into the courtroom together and sat at the tables that had been assembled. It was a closed courtroom this time so most people didn''t hear what was being said. All the boys gave a speech about why they wanted us to adopt them, and what family meant to them. The words they spoke made my heart melt.


    "To me, family used to be synonymous with fear. If I thought about family then I thought about the people who had hurt me for years. Now though, I know what a real family is like. I know what real love is, and I never want to be without that." Julian was the first to start it all. "I may be close to their ages, but Star and Artem are already my parents. They don''t seem young to me. To me, they''re the people who have given me love and an education, and they are perfect."


    "Star is already my mommy. I love her so much. And Artem is big and strong like a daddy should be. Artem loves us and so does Star. Artem saved me from the bad people and took me some ce safe. I was scared at first, but they didn''t hurt me like the others did. They gave me food, lots of it, and clothes and my own room. They taught me to read and write and now I can go to school. I don''t want anyone else to be my mommy and daddy, I want Star and Artem." Dalton was thest one to speak for the group, and just like the others, he made me want to cry.


    "I can see you all love and care for each other very much. I am granting you all the adoptions. As of today, you''re all family. Take care of each other."


    "Thank you!" Most of the boys screamed out as they hugged us all. It was finally official. We were finally a family.


    After the adoption, we took the kids and everyone else back at the house out for dinner. We had called ahead and reserved a meeting room at a really nice restaurant. It was a good thing too because there were a lot of people there, especially since Mom and Dad had gotten back yesterday. We were all finally home, and we could be one big family.

 Chapter 199 - Star - News

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Mom and Dad got home reallyte the night before the adoption, and then the next day has been all about us and the boys. So far I haven''t even had a chance to sit down and talk to them yet. I wanted to see if they had enjoyed their trip and just how they were in general.


    After breakfast the next day, I wanted to go shopping with my mom so that it was just the two of us and we could talk about anything. We had both missed out on so much that I didn''t want that to happen to us ever again.


    We left and headed toward the same mall that I had gone to with Chay. Since that first ''eventful'' trip into the world of retail I have been back to the mall a few times. And, oddly enough, I have run into my other family members there as well. Several of my supposed cousins and the like that were there at the house, but not part of the abuse. They had been there and they knew what kind of life I have had since leaving them.


    Their life wasn''t that great anymore now that everyone that was strong was gone. Not to mention that ever since we found out about the money issue Artem forced them to return it to us, which has since been returned to Mom. The house was technically Mom''s too but none of us wanted that ce so we let them all keep it. They had the house, but nothing to support themselves with.


    That was probably the reason we saw them at the mall. Most of them had been working when we saw them. And, oh the shock they all got when they saw mom for the first time when she got back. They had all thought that she was dead as well so it was like seeing a ghost to them.


    I didn''t want to think about them though. Right now, I just wanted to think about my family and my future. They were the past and they could stay there for all I care. I will never have to think about them again if I didn''t want to. I owed them nothing. That was what I was trying to convince myself all the time.


    "Where do you want to go first?" Mom asked me once we were at the mall. I stood there, looking at the list of stores and thought about the different things that we could buy, I had a sudden thought.


    "I haven''t bought anything for the baby yet. I haven''t actually had the time to do that. So, I think that I want to do that." I looked down and rubbed my belly as I thought about it. I was almost to the halfway point now and I hadn''t even thought about the baby''s room yet.


    "That sounds like a good n for me." She was grinning as she wrapped her arm around mine. "Come on."


    Before I knew it, mom had dragged me all the way to therge store that sold everything you could think about for a baby. There was so much that I was slightly overwhelmed at first. I didn''t know where to even begin.


    "Oh, don''t look like that." Momughed at me. "Just start picking out things that you like. If you don''t want to buy it all now, make a registry. Then Artem, friends, family, and Artem cane here and buy it all for you."


    "You said Artem twice." Iughed at her and the mistake she made.


    "Oh, I know I did, you know that he will be the one to go the craziest over this baby." Herugh joined mine while I went into hysterics. She was absolutely right.


    "How do I make a registry?" I was confused, I didn''t even know what it was.


    "Come on."


    Mom dragged me around again and pulled me to the guest services counter. They got me all set up by putting my information into the system and even setting aside a gift that was to be given to me when I was done with ''filling the registry''. Again, I didn''t know what to do and I was d that I had my mom here with me to help.


    We were given this weird device that they called a scanner. Mom took it in her hand, grabbed a cart and then pulled me along once again.


    "Tell me what you want to add to the registry and I will scan it for you." Mom''s bright and cheery voice was sounding like a song as she seemed to be dancing through the store. "Hmm, I think this theme is so cute. What do you think, Star?"


    She whirled around and showed me the item that was in her hand. It was a baby nket that was a deep forest green with a light colored pattern of vines on it.


    "Oh my Goddess, that is so adorable." I cooed uncontrobly when I saw it.


    "I know, isn''t it?" Mom was smiling at me. "I think a theme like this would be perfect for my little grandbaby."


    "What do you mean by a theme?" I tilted my head to the side and tried to think about what she was trying to say.


    "You know, a theme for the baby''s room. The pattern that all the baby gear will have and the way you paint the room. It''s the design scheme of it all."


    Oh, I finally understood. I didn''t know that it was called a theme. I was still learning some of the ins and outs of the world and at times like this it was evident that I lived in a cave my whole life. OK, it wasn''t a cave, it was a basement, bute on that was like a cave, wasn''t it? I only started saying that because someone who had discovered myck of real life experience asked me if I had been born in a cave or something. Chay''s response had been- "yeah, so what if she was, at least she''s not a witch like you". Sometimes Chay was the most amazing person that I had ever seen. OK, she almost always was.


    "Do you like this theme?" Mom asked me again. "I think the green is amazing because of Artem''s eyes as well as your wolf and Fae heritage. Green is a major part of all of your lives. And the vines would go so well with everything, don''t you think?"


    "Yeah, I think it would be perfect, Mom."


    This was exciting, I was picking a theme for my baby''s nursery and it was an adorable one.


    "I want to buy this nket today. I know we''re making a list of things for others to get but I want to get this for the baby right now." I reached out and took the nket into my hands. I hugged it tight against my chest. It was so soft that I couldn''t believe it. I didn''t think that things could be this soft and adorable.


    We started to walk around the store then. Mom was telling me all the things that I needed to get from bottles and pacifiers to a breast pump and nipple cream. It was a lot and I was slowly adding things to the ever growing list. I added a bouncer chair, high chair, swing, car seat, and so much more all in a theme that matched that nket that we picked out. I was enjoying it all so much.


    We came across a rack of shirts in various sizes that weren''t meant for the baby. It was meant for the family of the baby. There were shirts that said grandpa, grandma, daddy, mommy, big brother, big sister, aunty, and uncle. I couldn''t help myself, I needed to start picking shirts out right away. I grabbed thirteen big brother shirts and I was thankful that the boys were all small for their ages still, that way they would fit in them. I grabbed shirts for me and Artem, Mom and Dad, Artem''s parents, Chay, Kent, Grandpa, everyone at the house. Artem''s cousins three and his friends were more like future aunts and uncles so that was what they got.


    "Hmm, do you think they could order this in a bigger size? Or should I just order something online?" Mom was holding up a pink shirt that said big sister. It was thergest that they had and it would almost fit me, if I wasn''t pregnant that is.


    "I don''t know, they might be able to. Why do you need it though? No one is going to be a big sister." I was once again confused by what she had to say.


    "Oh, I don''t know. I think that there is one person who is going to be a big sister sometime soon." Mom was giggling but I didn''t follow her.


    "Who?" My head was tilted again as I thought about it.


    "You." She turned and smiled at me with the brightest grin that I had ever seen.


    I just stared at mom for a moment thinking about her words. I''m going to be a big sister? That doesn''t make sense at all. I was the one who was pregnant. I was going to be a mommy, not a sister. That is, unless¡­


    "Oh my Goddess! Mom?" It finally dawned on me, after enough time passed to prove that I was a dense idiot. "You''re having a baby?"


    "Yup, Aaron and I found out the day we came back. You''re not mad, are you?" She looked worried now.


    "Why would I be mad?" I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tight. "Oh my Goddess, this is amazing. Mom! You and Dad get to have that whole family life that you wanted all along."


    "I wanted that with you, you know that, right?" She had tears swimming in her eyes now as she spoke.


    "I know, Mom. I know you did. We can never get that time back and that is sad. However, we''re all together now and we can be happy together. You and Dad get another chance at your happily ever after and I have mine as well. We can just move on from here."


    "Oh, my little girl is so grown up." Mom hugged me tighter as I held onto her.


    As mom held onto me I felt the oddest sensation. There was something that fluttered and moved inside of me.


    "Huh? What was that?"


    "What? What happened?" Mom pulled away and looked at me with concern.


    "Something just moved. W..was that the baby? Oh my Goddess? Mom, did I just feel the baby move for the first time?" I was grinning as I thought about this.


    "I think so." Mom moved her hand to my belly and kept it there for a moment. Sure enough after a second the baby fluttered again but I don''t think it moved enough for mom to feel it.


    "There, it happened again. Oh my Goddess, Mom, the baby is moving."


    That took a lot of the excitement for the time being. We were gushing over the baby before finishing our shopping. We ended up buying a few outfits and the nket while we were filling the registry. We didn''t shop anywhere else, we just went to lunch and then drove home. I wanted to tell Artem about the baby moving. I knew that he would be super excited about it.

 Chapter 200 - Artem - Parties

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    October was proving to be very busy for us. Not only did all of the adoptions get approved, but five of the children had birthdays this month. Some of them have already had birthdays that have passed, and we celebrated them when it happened. For instance, Cohen turned eight and Gil turned nine in September, Leslie turned thirteen, Benton turned nine, and Marcus turned ten in August.


    This month Dalton was turning seven, Timothy and Kevin were turning nine, Ricky was turning eleven, and Julian was turning fifteen. That was a lot to prepare for, and all of their birthdays were within a week of each other from the neenth to the twenty-third. Ricky and Leslie actually shared the same birthday, and they talked about that a lot.


    Same as we did for the others, we were going to hold a party for them. There were more than enough people here at the house to fill out the ranks for the party, but we also invited the kids that they were meeting around town. After the adoptions had been finalized, they started to go to the charter school.


    All of the boys started to make friends right away. The prejudiced ways of thinking had not clouded everyone in the pack, the children were all very weing and receptive to the new boys in school. There wasn''t even name calling or weird looks about the fact that there were a few of them the same age and very clearly not rted by blood. Instead, all the other kids in the third and fourth grades all thought it was cool.


    Even Julian wasing into his own as he attended school for the first time since he was really little. He and Nico were there to keep each otherpany and help each other navigate through it all. Nico hadn''t been as small for his age as the others had been, and he was now growing into a man that resembled his brother a lot. Julian was still small and slender, but he was growing more everyday now. And he had heard that there were going to be clubs for the school on his first day. That had made his eyes shine brightly. I couldn''t be happier with how well things were going for my boys.


    With friends for all fourteen boys, we weren''t leaving Nico''s friends out of this, we scheduled the party for thest day in the lineup, and the only day that fell on a weekend for the birthdays. Since it was so close to Halloween, we made that the theme of the party, and everyone was allowed to wear a costume. This wasn''t just going to be the first time most of the kids had a birthday in a while, it was also going to be the first time that they ever had a Halloween party.


    Star, Chay, E, the triplets, Vivian, Mom, and Aunt Criztie were going a little overboard with the decorations and cooking aspects of it all. I thought it was amazing to see how much effort they were putting into this. Not to mention how happy it was making them.


    All of us guys were helping the boys with costumes since the women were busy with everything else. The costumes that they wanted varied by wide margin, but we were managing it. There were some that wanted to be a character from a new TV show that they liked, others wanted to be a book character from the series that they had gotten into when they learned to read more. And others wanted to be different animals or dinosaurs since they were still discovering their interests.


    We were all going to make the costumes out of different materials that we could buy over in the city, but Aaron told us that as long as we could show him a clear and precise image of what we wanted, he would make it out of magic.


    That then started a several hour process of us looking up reference material and images of the costumes in question. Some of them didn''t have a good enough picture so we were forced to draw them by hand.


    Kent was a wonderful artist so he did everything he could to make sure that the pictures he drew for the kids were spot on and perfect. Aaron had been impressed about the level of expertise that they had been drawn with and the beauty of the drawings themselves.


    Using the references that Kent had provided Aaron was able to help us make very interesting and extremely lifelike costumes for the boys. They were all very excited when they saw them after school the day before the party.


    Once the party was all set up and ready to go, it was easy to see the excitement on the faces of all the boys. Only a few of them were having their birthday celebration, but all of them were part of the Halloween party and that helped to make them all feel special.


    There was Halloween themed music and lots of themed foods and candy galore. There wasn''t anything at this party that wasn''t following the theme of Halloween, well except for therge banner that proimed who we were celebrating the birthday for. And even that banner had been done in ck, orange, purple and green to fit the theme.


    A few dozen kids from the elementary, middle, and high schools all showed up for the party. Most of them showed up with their parents as well, obviously the younger ones wouldn''t be dropped off at a strange house and just left there.


    Just seeing the surprise and shock on all their faces when they saw the house filled me with joy. A lot of the kids were wolves from the pack in the city, but some of them were kids from the pack right here in town. I liked that too, getting the packs to intermingle; that would help with interpack rtions in the future.


    "Hey there, Artem." Will, the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack in the city came walking in with a young man that was about Julian''s age. "I didn''t think that I would be seeing you under these circumstances."


    "Hi Will, it''s nice to see you." I grinned and shook his hand as we greeted each other.


    "So, I hear that this party is for your boy. Mind exining that one to me." He wasughing as he eyed me.


    "Well, I have thirteen boys and one on the way." I grinned at him and he interrupted me before I could add anymore.


    "Either you''re older than I thought. or you''ve been fathering kids since you were five."


    "Hey, don''t make me younger, I would have been eight since I am about to turn twenty-four next month." Weughed together. "But no, they''re adopted. All the boys that had been abused in the pack. My mate and I wanted to give them a proper family so they''re ours."


    "And one on the way, does that mean the missus is expecting?" He was grinning. "Where is she? I would love to meet her."


    "She''s over there with Cohen and Dalton." I pointed to my beautiful Star who was giving a radiant smile.


    "She certainly is beautiful. I''m happy for you, Son." He pped me on my back and grinned again. "I was heartbroken for you when you told me what happened over here, and I would have given you all the support you wanted to im this pack. You didn''t need it though, did you?"


    "No, all was good with that."


    I watched as Will''s son spotted someone across the room and hurried over. He went straight to Julian and the rest of the boys that were from their ss.


    "That''s my middle boy, Spencer. He''s been telling me all about the new Cooper kids that started school recently. I''m happy you''re all doing so well."


    Shortly after that, the party games started in various parts of the dining hall. There was music ying so kids were dancing all over the ce. There were younger kids running through the hallsughing and giggling. It was perfect. Seeing all of this made me want to host parties more often. Maybe we could start doing a monthly pack party so the kids and adults could get to be on better terms with each other. It''s possible that seeing their kids be so free and happy would help them as well. And since everyone who had actively taken part in the abuse of the children had been banished from the pack, there was nothing to worry about anymore at all.


    All of us might have gone a little overboard with the presents for the boys. And add to that, they got gifts from their guests as well they all had a lot to open. That took a while, but everyone was a good sport about it. And when it came time to blow out the candles on the multiple cakes (each birthday boy got his own to go along with the big cake) the whole party sang to them. I was happy to see that everything was going so well. I couldn''t have asked for a better turn out for their party.


    And when it came time to put the kids to bed, a lot of us needed to carry the younger boys to bed since they had partied themselves into sleep. I could still hear some of the guests leaving too, saying their goodbyes to the others.


    "I''lle back to hang out soon."


    "You shoulde to my house too."


    "Let''s y video games next time."


    "That was awesome; see you on Monday."


    Seeing things as they were now, it made me know even more that I was doing the right thing with these kids. I could never have abandoned them, and I couldn''t have lived with myself if I hadn''t saved them all. This was what I was meant to do. This was my purpose as an Alpha.

 Chapter 201 - Star - Artem’s Birthday Part 1

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    With the immense sess of the birthday parties that we had in the previous months, especially the ones in October, I wanted to have one in November as well. None of the kids had a birthday in November, but Artem''s was on the twenty-first. I wanted to make sure that we did something special for him.


    I had been talking to some of the others, and they had given me some ideas. There were some things that I wanted to do for him that I had never done, nor ever thought about doing before.


    I couldn''t talk to Chay about this though, considering that it was her brother she wouldn''t befortable talking about it at all. However, I still had Dakotah, Sydney, and Criztie (the cousin, not the aunt), I could also talk to E and Leelin. There were options for me to talk to people that didn''t include any of our parents or Artem''s sister.


    Artem''s actual birthday was on a Sunday, and everyone wanted to throw him a party that day, specifically the boys. They wanted to throw their dad a birthday party from all his kids. They were the ones that were in charge of the party this time. All thirteen of them would decide on the decorations and the food, even the gifts were up to them. Of course, we all had gotten Artem some stuff in advance as well, but they were going out shopping with the others on the day before the party to get it all ready for the big day.


    I was not going with them. Instead, I was taking Artem out on a date and spending time with him where it was going to just be the two of us.


    As I prepared for the date, it dawned on me that we had been married for two months now. I was two thirds of the way through my pregnancy, and before I knew it we would be having a little baby boy and not just the boys that were already a little older when we had gotten them. That was exciting and scary at the same time.


    That was for another time though. We still had time to worry about the babyter. Today, tonight really, I wanted to focus on my husband.


    I needed to make sure that Artem was away from the house for a long time. Everyone at the house was going to take the kids into the city to shop while we were out, so I needed to make sure that we didn''t go anywhere near them.


    Well, something that would keep Artem upied would be a movie. We were going to go see one and then have dinner. To top the night off, we were going to be staying at a hotel. That was about as much as I could think of. And I had a feeling that Artem didn''t care where we went as long as we were together and alone.


    The movie we were seeing started in the middle of the afternoon. It was a romanticedy, something that would be sweet as well as make usugh. And even though I had been the one to invite Artem out on this date, he was the one taking charge.


    The moment we had gotten out of the car, that he drove by the way, he put his arm around me and held me close. He bought our popcorn, drinks, and even some candy. He led me to my seat, which I at least bought ahead of time, though since it was his money it was still like him buying it.


    The entire movie I sat there with Artem''s arm around me, thanks to the cup holder in the middle lifting up and out of the way. The chairs also reclined so we lounged and snuggled together. It was a good start to the date, even though he was the one leading it and that was what I wanted to do.


    Following the movie, we went to dinner. He drove again since I didn''t have my license or know how to drive. We needed to work on that soon. I didn''t want to be stranded in the future.


    Dinner was delicious and amazing, but Arte once again took the lead as if he were the one that had invited me on the date. It was like any other date we had been on in the past. That was fine though, cause I got him to blush like crazy when the staff of the family-friendly restaurant we went to started to sing to him really loud and plopped a childish dessert down in front of him. That was priceless, and I made sure that I got a picture of it. I adored that face he made when he was embarrassed. But hey, he still enjoyed the dessert.


    Finally after dinner, it was time for us to go to the hotel. I had reserved the hotel room in advance and was all set to check us in. However, even though Artem had given me a credit card on his ount with my name on it, they wouldn''t check me in since I wasn''t twenty-one. That was stupid if you asked me. So in the end, I had needed Artem to check into the hotel for me. And even then, they tried to be mean and say no to him until he put on his Alpha persona; they finally caved after that.


    When we finally got to our room, I sighed and flopped onto the bed. I felt totally dejected about what had happened. Why couldn''t I do anything for him? Why was it that I couldn''t do anything at all?


    "What''s the matter?" He asked me as he sat on the edge of the bed.


    "I wanted to be the one to do things for you for once. I wanted to be the one that was in charge and in control."


    "You don''t need to change anything for me, honey. I am happy with how you are."


    "That''s not the point. I wanted to prove that I was capable."


    "Oh." It was like he finally got what I was saying. "Well, was there anything else that you had nned for tonight?"


    "Well there was one thing." Now I was feeling embarrassed. Everything else I tried had ended up failing, this probably would as well. I would try it anyway since that was the only option I really had. "Wait here."

 Chapter 202 - Star - Artem’s Birthday Part 2 (MATURE)

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I grabbed the bag and headed toward the bathroom so that I could change. This surprise involved something that I had never done before. I was putting on a green,cy, see through piece of lingerie that the triplets had helped me pick out. It tied it under my breasts and had a matching very low cut pair ofcy panties. The low cut worked for me since my belly was getting bigger all the time. I couldn''t bear to look at myself in this ridiculous thing.


    ''OH GODDESS! WHAT AM I DOING?'' I screamed inside my head before I pulled the door open and posed the way the triplets told me to.


    I immediately saw Artem''s eyes pop open wide and fill with heat. Well, at least he doesn''t think I look stupid just yet.


    "Star?" His voice held a note of shock.


    "I thought I would give you a gift before your birthday." I grinned at him.


    "If the gift is you then I am already the luckiest man because I get you every day."


    "It''s not just me. It''s what I can do for you."


    OH GODDESS! I sounded like an idiot the way that I was talking. Still, Artem smirked at my words and seemed to be enjoying himself.


    "Oh, really?" He spoke with a hint of seduction in his own voice. "And what can you do for me?"


    "I guess we will see." I winked at him, doing my best to follow the n that I had scripted inside my head.


    I walked, posed, and danced as sexily as I could until I got to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. When I reached him, I put my hands on his thighs and leaned into him for a deep, intimate kiss. While I kissed him, I was working on the buttons for his shirt before I pushed the fabric down his body. I dropped to my knees then and started kissing all over his chest.


    My tongue was leaving trails across his body then as I worked on the buckle for his belt and the button to his jeans. When I finally had the zipper undone, I pulled my mouth away so that I could pull the pants down and off of him.


    He was nude now, and looked so handsome and sexy. I felt my body moisten at the sight of him, and I wanted nothing more than to have him. However, I was pleasing him for his birthday so I was going to do this right.


    I was nervous, but I still took Artem in my hand. For all the time that we''ve been together, I had never actually touched and looked at this part of him. I''ve seen it, and it''s been in me, but I never focused on it much. Now though, my eyes were glued to it as my mouth inched toward him.


    "Star." He called out to me when my lips were hovering over him. "You don''t have to do this." He thought I was scared.


    "I know." I grinned at him. "I want to." And with that, my hesitation melted away, and I took that hot, hard part of him in my mouth.


    I had been told how to do this, but as soon as I started, some sort of instinct took over. I don''t know why, but I knew what to do. Maybe I was just remembering the conversation about how to do this.


    I was moving my head up and down, sliding my mouth over him and swirling my tongue around his tip. I could tell by the groans of pleasure he was making that he was enjoying himself quite a bit.


    "Oh Goddess! Star, that is amazing." He moaned the words, and I bobbed my head up and down even more. The faster I went or the tighter I wrapped my lips around him, the better it seemed to feel for him.


    After a little bit, I noticed that Artem had stiffened up somewhat. I didn''t know why, but afterwards he started telling me to stop, and he was pushing me away.


    "Did I do it wrong?" I asked him, worried.


    "Goddess no. You were amazing, it''s just that I didn''t want to finish like that." I could guess what he meant. He was getting ready toe, and he didn''t want to do it in my mouth.


    "Oh." I was a little disappointed. Not because he didn''t finish in my mouth, but because I couldn''t finish him, period.


    "Come here."


    He pulled me, a little roughly. Up off the floor and onto the bed. Artem just leaned back onto the bed and slid my panties off of me before pulling me on top of him. After just a moment he was positioned at my center as I straddled his legs.


    "This is still going to be up to you." He grinned at me. "You''re in charge right now."


    I saw what it was he was doing. He wanted me to finish pleasing him so that I was the one that was in control the whole time. He really was the sweetest man ever.


    Slowly, I eased myself down and cried out from the feel of him filling me up. He moaned as well, answering my sound with his own. Oh Goddess, it felt so good.


    After I was on him, as low as I could go, I followed my instinct again. I rose up a little, using my legs to push me off of him. Slowly, I rose and then slid down him again. Artem didn''t tell me that I was doing it wrong so I kept it up, moving faster and faster each time.


    Soon, I was lifting off of him and sliding back down in rapid session. Artem''s hands were raised, holding onto mine as a ce for me to bnce and help to push myself up.


    His hips were rocking as well, unable to sit still. I was lifting up and sliding back down onto him as best as I could, and he was rocking his hips, pressing himself into the mattress and then lifting to meet me every time that I slid down. My mind was going nk, and I was losing track of what I was supposed to be doing; it just felt that amazing.


    It didn''t take too much longer though, and I was reaching that point of pleasure that was going to make my body explode. I wasing apart at the seams and losing control of my limbs. It was like total chaos, but in a good way.


    A few more lifts and drops of my body, and I felt Artem lose his control first. He exploded into me, and the wave of his orgasm pulled me down into mine. I slumped forward on top of him and rode the waves of pleasure.


    The next thing that I knew, I was waking up in his arms the next morning, snuggling against his chest.


    "Happy birthday." I whispered to him.


    "It is a good one this year, isn''t it?" He grinned at me. "It started a day early."


    I tried not to blush at that and failed. Still, he was right. I had celebrated his birthday a day early. That was because today was for us and the boys. And when we got home for the surprise party it all went ording to n. Artem was one happy daddy as he received all the birthday love from the kids. He had gotten the love from mommy the night before.

 Chapter 203 - Artem - Star’s And The Boys’ First Christmas In Their New Life

    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Life has been going so well for ustely. I honestly can''t believe how good it has all been. Ever since we got back from the Faepound, it has been nearly perfect for us. That was fine with me though, Star and my boys had been through so much, not to mention her parents.


    I was just happy that now they didn''t have to worry about anything. We were all living together peacefully as a family. My family, Star''s family, and our family. It was multigenerational, and it was working for us.


    Now though, it was time for Christmas. This was the first Christmas that we were celebrating since moving into the Alpha house. It was my first with Star, my first with the boys. And let''s not forget that it was their first Christmas in a long time.


    Star had gone the longest of them without celebrating Christmas. This was her first one in sixteen years. I guess Aaron had her beat since he had never celebrated Christmas; he had always gone to the Yule celebrations at the Faepound.


    Gloriana had wanted us to go there this year, but we asked her if it was alright if we skipped it. She understood that it was the first Christmas that we were celebrating together and agreed to let us go next year.


    The entire month of December we were getting things ready for the holiday. We decorated every part of the house that we could. There were lights all over the outside. We got the intable things that went in the yard. There was a Santa and reindeer set that we had even managed to put on top of the house. There was nothing that we didn''t do to n it all out.


    Mom, Dad, Aunt Criztie, Star, Chay, Kent, E, Bailey, Reed, Vivian, Aaron, and myself had gone to the store to buy way more gifts than were needed. And since Star was now five months pregnant she wasn''t able to do as much stuff as she used to so the whole group had been there to also make sure that she was monitored and doing OK.


    We bought toys, clothes, art supplies, electronics, everything we possibly could for the kids. And without Star knowing I was buying for her as well. She had tried to tell me to focus on the kids.


    "I''ve gone without Christmas this long, I don''t need anything for myself." That was what she tried to tell me to stop me from buying things for her. Yet every single time that she saw something that she liked, and her face lit up, I noticed. I paid attention to what it was that she wanted the most and hid it away so that I could surprise herter.


    As the day got closer and closer, Mom and Aunt Criztie were baking up a storm. And I had heard that the triplets were preparing a special cake for Christmas dinner as well. There was just so much that was going on that it put us all into a festive mood. When the kids got out of school for their winter break, they were often seen making more and more decorations so that they could try to find a ce to hang up somewhere. Or they invited friends over to see all that we had done.


    There was going to be a New Year''s party for the kids, but not for Christmas. That time we were spending with family and friends only.


    The time it took us to wrap all those presents was a little ridiculous, but I still didn''t regret buying all that I had. I knew that the kids were going to love it all, and wasn''t that the point?


    Finally when the morning of Christmas came, I woke up early so that I could take the hidden presents downstairs. I didn''t want Star to know about them the night before. They were for her after all. Not to mention we had hidden most of the presents from the kids so that the younger ones would still believe that they had been delivered by Santa us.


    Not all the presents. I didn''t want them to think that Santa was so generous to bring them all, but some really special ones that we got for them. The rest of the presents were marked from Mom and Dad or Mommy and Daddy depending on what it was that they each called us.


    I snuck back up the stairs and went in to wake Star up before the kids got up. I was just as excited to see her reactions today as I was to see the kids.


    "Star." I called out to her in a small voice. "Star, it''s time to wake up."


    I was sitting on the edge of the bed next to her and I leaned over to kiss her forehead.


    "Artem?" She was still a little sleepy since she didn''t always sleep soundly. Our little baby boy was getting bigger and bigger in her belly and that caused her to have some trouble when she tried to sleep.


    "Good morning." I smiled at her. "Merry Christmas."


    "Hmm." She stretched and groaned as she woke up a little more. "Good morning. I guess it is Christmas now, isn''t it?" Despite the early hour she was smiling happily.


    "Yup,e on. It''s our first Christmas as a family. Let''s go get the boys, and then we can send them to wake everyone else up."


    "That sounds a little evil and mischievous." She grinned at me. "And I like it. You''re having such a negative influence on me."


    "That''s fine. We''re allowed to do this type of evil stuff once in a while. Come on."


    I took her hand and helped her over to the dresser so that she could get dressed. I even dropped to my knees to help her put on her shoes. I didn''t need her toes getting cold at all.


    "All ready?" I asked her as I stood again. I pulled her to my side and wrapped my arm around her waist. "Let''s go."


    We hurried, which was to say we didn''t go very fast at all since Star would have to waddle because of the baby pressing down on her. After all the boys were gathered in the hallway we sent them to go and wake everyone up. They liked the idea and ran up the stairs excitedly while I continued to help Star down to the living room where we had set up the tree.


    Most everyone wasn''t enthused about the early hour they had been woken up, but they forgave it because the kids were the ones who woke them. We decided we were going to open the presents first then have breakfast.


    The boys excitedly passed out presents to everyone, happily handing one after the other and loved when they got one of their own.


    Star and the others had gotten presents for me just like I had gotten them all presents. There was a lot for everyone, not just the kids.


    Star''s face was filled with wonder and awe when she opened the bracelet I had bought for her when we got Vivian a new ne and the dress she had liked when we bought something for Chay.


    "You used the same method as before, didn''t you?" She was smiling at me. "Everytime that I liked something you bought it."


    "I couldn''t help it. I wanted to get you stuff that I knew you liked." I was blushing, but she didn''t seem at all upset about it.


    "You''re such an idiot at times. But I love you." She leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, Artem. I love you."


    "I love you too." I smiled back at her.


    The celebrationssted the rest of the day. There was the big breakfast we had together and then all the desserts that Mom and Aunt Criztie had made. There were games and ying with the new toys outside.


    A little after noon, Cohen came running inside and said it was snowing. That happened here from time to time so it wasn''tpletely unexpected.


    "Snow?" Vivian sounded so surprised. "I haven''t seen snow in years."


    When we all rushed outside, we saw that it was barely snowing at all. It wouldn''t even begin to dust the ground like that.


    "This won''t do." Aaron grinned. "My wife wants snow."


    With a wave of his hand, the snow started to fall harder and faster.


    "You can''t just change the weather like that." Star snapped at him.


    "I only did it over this property, nowhere else." Aaron grinned. "Aren''t you happy to see the snow too?"


    "Well, y..yeah I am." Star smiled and started to move through the snow. I was d that I put warmer shoes on her and not slippers.


    For the rest of the day everyone yed outside in the snow. We built snowmen and had a snowball fight. The boys were overjoyed, Vivian was happy, and Star''s eyes were shining bright. This had been the best Christmas in the history of the world. If you ask me, that is.


    And the fact that we all got to go inside and have a really nice dinner together after we were all done ying in the snow only made it better. We talked about what we all liked the most about that day and what we were happiest for.


    "Well, I for one, am the most happy about having all my family here." Chay smiled at us all. "My parents, my aunt, my cousins, my brother, my sister-inw, my mate, and my baby." She put a hand on her stomach and smiled down at herself.


    "WHAT?!" Mom nearly screamed.


    "Last night, Bailey proposed to me, and I epted, and this morning we found out we are pregnant.",


    That started a whole new round of celebrations. All of us were happy, even me, although I was still a little sad because she was my baby sister and all. I was happy for them just like they had been happy for us.

 Chapter 204 - Star - A Party For Me And The Baby

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    Before I knew it, time had felt like it jumped again. It was already a week into January and I felt like I was nothing but a giant balloon. Or at least that''s what I looked like since my belly had gotten so big. I didn''t want to go anywhere or do anything half of the time since just walking had be a chore. I ended up needing to lean on someone just to walk since the baby was pressing down on me so much.


    In all honesty, it felt like I was waddling everytime that I moved. And what was worse, it wasn''t thatfortable for Artem to carry me around all that much. I still let him do it though, partly because he liked to carry me so much, and partly because it was still marginally morefortable than walking everywhere.


    On Sunday, January the ninth, Cohen and Gil came to get me from my room. I didn''t want to get up and leave, but they seemed so excited as they rushed inside.


    "Mommy, Mommy, you need toe with us."


    "Come on, Mommy. Let''s go." They each took a hand and were pulling me to my feet. They had gotten a lot stronger and were able to actually get me to my feet just by tugging me.


    "Hold on a minute, you two. What''s going on?" Iughed as they pulled me toward the door.


    Just as I asked them that question the door opened up. Artem was grinning as he came inside.


    "You two are just way too excited." He wasughing at them. "I told you to wait for me."


    "We wanted to get to Mommy first." Gil pulled on my hand.


    "Yeah, we''re men too. We can help Mommy downstairs." Cohen added.


    "And what big strong men you are too." I smiled and cupped their cheeks.


    "Yes, but Mommy needs to be carried down the stairs and neither of you can do that yet." Artem swung me up into his arms as he told them this.


    "That''s not true, I could carry Mommy too." Gil pouted. "I''m strong enough. I just need to be a little taller first."


    "Yeah, me too. I am strong enough to carry Mommy."


    "That''s right, you are. But Mommy is too big, and you''re still not tall enough. You will be soon though." I tried to make them feel better as I spoke. They had gotten a little sensitive about their sizetely, a lot of the boys had. They were stronger and bigger, but still smaller than the other boys their age.


    "When I am taller, I will be the one to carry Mommy, OK Daddy?" Cohen tugged on his sleeve, making sure that he got his answer right away.


    "Sure thing buddy. When you''re taller, you can ask Mommy if you can carry her. But remember, I get to carry Mommy because I am Daddy." Artem winked at them and that made the two boys start to giggle.


    "Yeah, you''re right, only Daddy should carry Mommy."


    "I will open the door."


    "No, I want to."


    Together the two boys ran toward the door and held it open. They had been doing a lot togethertely, always trying topete with each other. I thought it was adorable, especially since they weren''t fighting when they did it.


    "Thank you, gentlemen." I smiled at them. They giggled again and pulled the door shut before taking off down the hall toward the stairs.


    "Look at them go." Artem chuckled. "They''ve been zooming through the house all day."


    "Yeah, they''ve got a lot of energy. I think they''re borrowing the energy that I am losing." I yawned while talking, just to further show that I was kind of tired already. "So, my great and powerful transportation device, where are we going?" I raised an eyebrow at him as I thought about it. There was nothing that was nned today, was there?


    "To a party." His grin told me that he was still hiding something.


    "What kind of party?" There was no reason to have a party right now so I didn''t really get what was going on.


    "You''ll see."


    "You''re being elusive." I frowned at him.


    "Don''t worry, it''s a good thing."


    A few momentster, I could smell lots of delicious foods that had been prepared. The smell made me hungry like any food was likely to dotely. This baby in my belly made me constantly hungry. If I smelled it, I usually wanted it. That was another reason to stay upstairs all the time. I didn''t need to eat all the food in the house in one day.


    While I still focused on the smell of the food, the door to the living room opened up. It was the room that we usually spent the most time in as a family. I didn''t really understand why we were going in there if there was food that had been prepared but, oh well, he was the one carrying me so it''s not like I could go there right now.


    The moment the door opened, I could see everyone gathered and a sign at the back of the room that said ''STAR''S BABY SHOWER!'' On the other side of the room there was another sign that said ''COMING SOON: 1 LITTLE BABY BOY!'' And opposite that one there was another sign that said ''MOMMY + DADDY + BABY = HAPPY FAMILY!''


    All of the signs looked like they were made by hand here at the house, and I had a feeling that a few of the boys helped with them. I nearly cried when I saw all the beautiful baby-themed decorations.


    "What is all of this?" I asked Artem as he went to set me down in the chair that I had imed as mine recently.


    "It''s a party for you and the baby." He grinned at me.


    "It''s your baby shower!" Chay ran up and hugged me next.


    "What''s a baby shower?" I wondered, never having been to one before.


    "It''s to celebrate theing baby by showering the mom-to-be with gifts." She exined patiently as she stepped back.


    "That''s kind of odd, but OK." I smiled. "I''m just happy that I can eat food. I can already taste it from here." That seemed to make them allugh just a little bit.


    "Yes, there is a lot of food for you, sweetie." Artem''s mom came up and hugged me then. "We made sure that there were all of your favorites. I wouldn''t have it any other way when my daughter inw was having her first ever baby shower."


    "That''s right, Gabby and I worked with that chef of yours to prepare it all."


    "Oh, thank you Aunt Criztie." I had taken to using the same name for her that Artem did.


    "We''re just happy to see you smiling." Aries, Artem''s dad, hugged me next. "And of course, we''re super excited about the baby as well."


    "I can''t believe that my baby is going to have a baby. Even after thesest few months, it''s still unbelievable." Mom was crying onto my shoulder when she hugged me tightly.


    "Come now, Vivian, she''s all grown up now." Dad patted her shoulder before he hugged me as well. "Even though I just found out about her five months ago and now she is about to have a baby, that is no reason to cry." Contrary to his words, he was, in fact, crying. When he pulled away from me, he hugged Mom, and they held each other close. "I''m just so happy." He was sobbing the words. "I really am." Seeing them smile and cry at the same time was kind of funny, but I guess it was pretty sweet. They were happy, but it was sad as well since they had missed so much of my life.


    "OK, what should we do first? y games, open gifts, or-." Chay was trying to get the party started, but paused when she was interrupted by a loud noise. I blushed crimson at the sound because it had been my stomach growling that interrupted her. "OK, that settles it. We''re eating first. That is the only way to calm the savage beast known as Star." I smiled with everyone as theyughed. That had been VERY embarrassing.


    Still, I was d that we got straight to eating the food. The baby and I were both very hungry. They had made all of my favorites after all, and it would be rude not to eat it while it was still hot.


    After we ate all the delicious food, there were different games that were yed. The kids had fun with some of them. Though, I have to admit, the game where they guessed how big my belly had gotten by cutting off lengths of yarn made me feel super huge. They would cut off what they thought the length should be and whoever was closest won, the problem was, the piece of yarn was a LOT longer than I thought it would be.


    Following all the games there were presents. And just like Mom had predicted, Artem had gotten me the most. He had gotten all the remaining items that were on my registry, plus more. He truly was the type to go overboard when it came to buying things for people. And he was so excited about the baby as well.


    By the time the party was all over, I had way more stuff for the baby than I needed. But there were two other pregnant women in the house, and they could use it as well. I was also happy that soon there would be more little ones around, and that they will grow up together.


    What was funny, was that my little brother or sister was going to be younger than my son.. Talk about unique circumstances.

 Chapter 205 - Star - It’s Time

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    It was now the twenty-second of January. It had been almost two weeks since the baby shower and for the past several days, I was feeling worse and worse. It was like the baby wanted out, but at the same time he was too scared toe out. He would kick and move around, but it was like he was changing positions more than anything. And to top it all off, it was like I had arge heavy ball sitting right on top of my pelvis. I had actually barely been able to move at alltely. I admit, I was miserable.


    "Are you OK Mommy?" Zack asked me as we sat down to breakfast that Saturday morning. Artem had carried me like he normally did, and after we ate, I would just sit in the living room either reading or working on some crochet that I was learning to do from Aunt Criztie.


    "I''m fine, sweetie. It''s just ufortable is all."


    "Is it the same as it has been?" Doc asked with a worried look. "All in the belly and nothing in the back?"


    "Yeah, that''s what it seems like right now. Though most of the time I am just too ufortable to tell." I told him, answering his question honestly.


    "If it gets to where it is painful, or you can''t take it, let me know. I will check youter this afternoon as well. You''re getting really close to your due date so we need to monitor it closely."


    "OK." I nodded at him as a slight pain went through my belly.


    We finished eating shortly after that, and I was taken into the other room by Artem. I liked to be in his arms, even with how ufortable I was; it was so nice having him hold me.


    "You look sad, Star. Is everything OK?" Artem asked as we were almost to my favorite chair for the time being.


    "Yeah, I think so. I just don''t want you to leave me right now. I just really like being in your arms."


    "Then I will stay with you." I heard joy in his voice. "If that is all that is bothering you, honey, then I will stay with you all day." He was talking so softly and giving me such a loving look that I literally wanted to cry.


    "Oh, Artem." I smiled at him. "Aren''t you busy though? Don''t you have things that you need to do? Important things?"


    "Star, what could possibly be more important than you?" He truly did melt my heart at times like this.


    I sat there on Artem''sp, talking and working on the little nket I had been making. It was almost done, and I wanted to use it for when the baby came.


    "You''re getting good at that." Artem noted as he watched me make stitch after stitch.


    "Thanks. It''s all because your aunt is a good teacher."


    "I think it helps that you''re a quick learner."


    "Maybe." I chuckled as I closed off thest stitch for the nket. "Look, it''s all done." I told him excitedly.


    "I think that the baby is going to love it." I grinned at his words.


    "Yeah, I think so t-." I stopped, unable to finish what I was going to say. "Ahh!" I ended up crying out in pain instead.


    "Star? Are you OK?"


    "I..it hurts, really bad." That was the only response I had to his words.


    "Do you think it''s time?"


    "I don''t know. I can''t tell the difference in the pain."


    "Let''s get you up to see Doc."


    With that, Artem scooped me into his arms and started to carry me up the stairs to the clinic. All the while, I was still clutching the baby nket in my hands and trying not to cry out from the pain.


    "Lay her down here, I will check her." Those were the first words out of Doc''s mouth when Artem carried me into the room. He didn''t even ask what the problem was. I was d that he was so efficient and good at his job.


    Artem set me on the bed in the back of the room and pulled the curtain shut. I could hear Doc washing his hands before he came around the curtain with a pair of gloves on his hands.


    "I think it''s probably going to be time, but I''m checking you to be sure."


    It was never the mostfortable feeling when Doc checked to see if I was dting, but I was getting more used to it every time so it wasn''t that bad anymore. I just closed my eyes before I felt him reach down and slide his hand inside of me. That was something that was usually intimate and something that only Artem would do. Doc was an actual doctor though so that was why this was fine.


    "Oh, yeah, it''s getting really close." I heard the excitement in his voice. "You''re almost fully dted. It won''t be long now."


    Things started to move a little quickly after that. Doc hooked a monitor up to my belly that would tell him when I was having a contraction. There was also another monitor that told us what the baby''s heart rate was. I was nervous with all that was going on, but I was excited too.


    About an hourter, after I was settled in, and Doc was sure that we still had a little bit of time, Artem brought the boys to see me. They were excited because they were going to meet their baby brother today.


    I was able to get hugs from them all, and they told me they hoped I would be OK. After them, Mom and Dad came to see me. The two of them were excited to meet the baby, and they were happy that our family was growing even more. Mom was also nervous for me and said she woulde back in with me at any time if I wanted her to.


    The visitors continued from there, Chay, my cousins, Grandpa, Artem''s family, even Kent, Toby, and Morgan. Everyone was here, and they were all waiting to see the new baby. I was happy that we had so many people here with us. This was the way that I had always envisioned a loving family of being.


    After a little while I was sitting in the bed and felt a gush of liquid start to spread out between my legs.


    "Artem!" I called out to him in a panic.


    "What happened, Star? Are you alright?" I really wished he would stop repeating that every time that I called out to him.


    "There is something wet on the bed. I think that my water just broke."


    Doc had prepared me for this a couple of months back. He had told me that when the fluid surrounding the baby came out it would probably be time for me to push. And, almost immediately after the water broke, there was an intense pain that filled me.


    "Ngh! Ahh!" I cried out even though I didn''t want to.


    "Alright, Star, let''s check you onest time. I think you will be pushing soon." Doc came around the curtain then, he had obviously heard what I said about the water.


    His hand slid down to check me again, and then I saw him grin. "Oh yeah, you''re ready. I am going toy you back, and then when you feel a contractioning we''re going to push like I told you. Remember, until the count of ten."


    I saw that Artem''s eyes were glowing with excitement. He wasn''t nervous or scared like I was right now. He was just eagerly awaiting the birth of our child.


    I started pushing on Doc''smands, I wasn''t even upset or nervous that he was looking at me between my legs. At that point, it had gotten to where I was too focused on what I was doing to care.


    "Come on Star, give me another big push. That''s it. Just likest time. That''s my girl." The words that Doc was saying were only partially registering in my mind as I pushed harder and harder every time.


    "Grraahhh!" I screamed, pushing until I couldn''t push anymore. The pain was intense, but I knew that it would be over soon. That''s what I kept telling myself. It''s almost over. It will be done soon. The baby is almost here.


    I was chanting my words right along with the words that Doc was repeating for me.


    "Come on, the head is almost out. Come on Star, you''re almost there. Push."


    I did as he told me. I pushed again, harder and longer than before. By the time that I was finished with that push, all I could do was copse back onto the bed. However, somehow the pain was lessened. I didn''t feel the intense pressure anymore. And then all of a sudden, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. There was a baby crying.


    "It''s a boy." I heard Doc''s words, but I ignored them. I was too busy listening to the sound of my baby boy crying.


    "He''s here, Star." Artem kissed my forehead. "Our baby is here."


    "Our baby." I felt the tears already starting to stream down my cheeks.


    "Come on Artem, you can clip the cord."


    Doc called Artem over to him and handed him a pair of oddly shaped scissors. With a goofy smile on his face, Artem took the scissors and cut the cord that was connecting me and my baby.


    "Alright, I am going to get him cleaned up a little bit. When Ie back, we will finish up."


    Doc walked away with the baby then, and Artem just kept kissing my forehead. I wanted to tell him to stop; it was disgusting to kiss my head when it was covered in sweat like that. I couldn''t tell him though since I was still in a dazed trance as I listened to the sounds that my baby was making.


    "He...he really is here, isn''t he?" I was still crying, but I could also feel the smile on my lips.


    Yes, baby, he''s here. Our baby boy is here. You did so good."


    "Artem." I took his hand and looked at him, smiling as big as I could. "I love you."


    "I love you too, baby. I love you so much."


    "What are we going to name him? We never did settle on that, did we?"


    "Let''s wait until we see him and hold him. That is when we will know what to name him."


    "OK."

 Chapter 206 - Star - Our Family

    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    A few momentster, Doc came back over with the baby wrapped in a soft white nket. My baby wasn''t crying anymore; instead he was making little tiny noises while heid in Doc''s arms, his eyes closed.


    "Here is your little boy." He handed him first to Artem whose face lit up like he had just been given the biggest prize ever. "I have to help you deliver the after birth now, Star. So you will feel a little ufortable, but it will be over soon."


    "Can I look at him while you do that? Can I hold him?"


    "Yes, you can hold him."


    Artem came close to me and kneeled next to the bed. Heid the baby on my chest and put his arm around the two of us.


    "Look at him, Star. Look at how adorable he is."


    "He looks so cute." I cooed as I looked at my son. "Oh Artem, he looks perfect."


    We just sat there looking at our baby for a few minutes while Doc did what he needed to. I didn''t even notice what he was doing in all honesty. My attention was solely focused on the baby.


    When Doc was done, he walked to the side of the bed and got my attention.


    "Come on, let''s get you cleaned up and into a new bed. We can move you upstairs in a little bit and I will check on you there throughout the night."


    "OK."


    Regretting that my baby was being moved away from me, I let Doc start to pull the sheets away. Artem came back a momentter to help, having put the baby in a small rolling crib. Between the two of them, they cleaned me up and put me in a fresh gown. I didn''t take my eyes off the crib the whole time. When they were done, Artem picked me up and moved me over to another bed, right next to where my baby was.


    "Brayden." I sighed. "Let''s name him Brayden."


    "That sounds good to me." Artem smiled. "Hello Brayden, I''m your daddy."


    "Hello little baby boy. I''m your mommy." We looked at him together, smiling.


    I wanted to see everyone, but I wanted to do it in my own room and not the clinic. I thought it would be better that way. I was cleaned up, and Artem was going to be there with me and the baby the whole time.


    Before I was taken up the stairs, Chay was sent to get a few things ready for us. The nkets on the bed were pulled back and a thick quilted sheet was ced over the spot that I was going to beying in. This was to catch any residual fluids that might being out of me.


    I was told that there would be blood and a lot of it. I was going to be wearing some very special pads that helped with swelling and caught all the blood. It was going to be embarrassing, but until I was capable of moving around normally Artem, Chay, and Mom were going to be taking care of me.


    Once the room was ready, and I was taken up stairs to my own bed, I just wanted to hold my baby boy. The rolling crib had been brought up, and we also had the bass in our room that Brayden would be sleeping in until he was old enough to go to his room.


    I was holding him in my arms when Mom, Dad, Gabby and Aries (Artem''s parents) came in to see us.


    "Oh look at him." Gabby cooed excitedly. "He is too precious."


    "Oh my Goddess, he is." Mom agreed with her immediately.


    "How are you feeling?" Dad asked me as he kissed the top of my head. "Are you OK?"


    "I''m fine Dad, thank you."


    "I am so proud of you, of both of you." Dad (Artem''s dad) hugged the two of us at the same time, and I noticed that he had a slight tremble in his voice like he was about to start crying.


    Our parents stayed for a little while, but they knew there were others that wanted to see the baby as well so they left the room and allowed the others in. Aunt Criztie, Chay, Bailey, Kent, Nico, E, Reed, Criztie, Dakotah, Sydney, Grandfather, Toby, and Morgan came in next. They were the next group of family. They all gushed over the baby and gave us hugs to congratte us.


    Lastly, we brought the boys in. They had been waiting, not so patiently, for their turn toe around. We had intended for their visit to be the longest, which was why they hade inst. We wanted them all to see their baby brother and have the time to get to know him a little.


    The younger boys ran in first, excited to see the baby. They all knew that the baby had been in my belly, but most of them didn''t understand how he had gotten in there, or how he was going to get out.


    Cohen and Dalton, like usual, were the first ones to get to me.


    "Oh wow, it really is a baby." Dalton cried out when he saw the bundle that was in my arms.


    "Mommy, did it hurt to get the baby out?" Cohen had a slight more practical response to seeing the baby.


    "It did. But I''m fine now, and the baby is here to be with us all, so I am happy."


    "Are you feeling better now?" Zack asked, he was the one that had been worried about me this morning after all.


    "I am sweetie. The baby was getting too big to be in my tummy anymore."


    "Did you eat the baby?" Dalton asked me, an excited note in his voice.


    "No, she didn''t eat him." Bentonughed as he pulled Dalton back.


    "Then how did he get in there?"


    "That''s a little hard to exin. We will tell you when you''re older." Artem did his best to deflect that question.


    "Can I hold him?" Julian was the first of them to ask.


    "Yeah, I want to hold him too."


    "Me too, me too."


    "And me."


    "I want to hold him."


    "No me, let me hold him."


    The cries for being able to hold him started to ring throughout the room.


    "Well, I don''t know about all of you, but I want to know his name." Flint, the second oldest and one of the most practical, was the one to bring this up.


    "Yeah! What''s his name, Mommy?"


    "I want to know too."


    "Tell me, tell me, please."


    "What''s my baby brother''s name?"


    The new set of yells and cries rang through the room, and I saw Brayden scrunch up his tiny little face as the sounds woke him up.


    "Shh, shh. Remember, we need to be a little quieter around him. Brayden needs his rest just like Mommy does." Artem had noticed it as well and corrected the boys'' behavior.


    "Brayden?"


    "Oh, that''s his name."


    "That''s a nice name."


    "Hi Brayden."


    More repeated talking, but it was marginally quieter than before. I could tell that they loved the baby already.


    "Here Julian, you can hold him first." I motioned him forward.


    "Really!?" He looked a little shocked, but he smiled nheless.


    "Mmhmm, here you go. Support his head like this and put your other hand here." I helped him to hold the baby like Doc had told me earlier.


    "He''s so little." Julian''s voice was filled with awe, and he had tears in his eyes. "I can''t believe that I am here for this."


    He was full on crying now, and I noticed that the four youngest boys went over to make sure he was OK. They hugged him around his waist and looked like they were going to cry as well.


    "Why are you sad, Julian?" Cohen finally asked him.


    "I..it''s just that, a year ago none of us even had the hope for a real family and now, here we are. We have parents, we have each other, we have grandparents, aunts, and uncles. And now we have a baby brother. I..I..I just can''t believe that we''re here. I mean, I..I went from worrying that I was going to die to being able to live."


    Julian lifted his head and looked at me, then Artem. There was joy in his eyes even though he was crying.


    "I never thought that I would meet an Alpha, and that he would be my family. I never thought that I would ever have a life that I was able to look forward to every day. And all of this, all this happiness, joy, and love that we have in our lives, it''s all thanks to the two of you. We''re lucky to have you, we really are."


    I was crying now, and based on the slight sniffle I heard, I knew that Artem was crying as well.


    "There is one thing that you have wrong in that statement, Julian." Artem walked closer to his side as he spoke. "It''s not you guys that are lucky. It''s me and Star. We get to be your parents. We get to watch you learn to be happy. And that, in my opinion, makes us the luckiest people in the world. I count myself as the luckiest man in the world, for my mate and for all you children that were meant to be mine. I went from being a lonely man to being someone surrounded by constant love and joy. Thank you.. Thank all of you."

 Chapter 207 - Epilogue 1

    <strong>Life As A New Mommy</strong>


    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    If I had thought that being a mommy to a new baby was going to be easy, then I was terribly wrong. I think that I had been a little overconfident in the beginning because I had all the other kids around, but they were easy when it came to the baby.


    Brayden, being a newborn, needed to sleep a lot, but he also needed to be fed every two hours or so. I was also breastfeeding him, which meant that I was the one feeding him most of the time. I was being taught how to pump my milk after the first few days as well.


    The benefit to me pumping my milk for Brayden was that Artem, Mom, Chay, Gabby, Aunt Criztie, Dad, Aries, and whoever else was helping could feed the baby. There was a lot of help for us though, and that was a good thing as well. Everyone wanted to feed and hold him and help me with stuff. It was honestly a little overwhelming with how much people were trying to help out.


    I didn''t mind, though. I wanted this type of inclusive family life. I was enjoying having everyone here with me and Brayden. I was happy that he was going to know so many members of his family.


    Actually, what I was most happy about was that my baby was never going to know the hate and abuse that me and the boys knew growing up. My son, and the other children Artem and I will have together in the future, would never have to know the type of life that me and the boys went through. I never wanted anyone to suffer through that type of life.


    Right now though, we were all just trying to adjust to the new life that we were living. The kids were doing their best through it too.


    "Mommy, can I hold Brayden now?" Dalton asked the minute he got home from school just like he had done every day for thest month.


    "I need to go get a snack for all of you now so that would be very helpful." This had be a routine for us.


    "I will help you with that, Mommy." Cohen took my hand.


    "Me too." Benton took my other hand.


    "You shouldn''t have to do that, Mom. We can do it." Flint tried to have me sit back down.


    "We will do it together." I smiled at him. "I will appreciate the help."


    I was happy when the kids came home from school. They all told me how their day went while having a snack. And I was really d that they had this opportunity. I never got to go to regr school so I didn''t know what it was like. Because of that, I quite enjoyed the stories that they told me about different games they yed and the different things they were learning. I also liked that they had Reed and Bailey with them everyday. I liked that they all left and came back together. That was helping everyone with the transition and adjustment to their new lives.


    I had seen them all grow so much over thest several months. It was making me sad. Even Brayden had grown a lot over thest month since he was born. He was getting bigger, and he slept a little less. I had a feeling that, before I knew it, we would be running after him when he crawled or walked away from us. That made me truly sad.


    <strong>A Growing Family</strong>


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Over thest few weeks, I couldn''t help but notice how much life was changing for everyone. All the boys were gushing over the baby when they got home from school. Mom, Dad, Vivian, and Aaron were always hanging out wherever the baby was. Aunt Criztie spent half her time with all the kids, Brayden included, and the other half listening to anime in the background while she was cooking in the kitchen with Kieran. She particrly liked to watch, or listen, to One Piece. Both she and Kieran enjoyed cooking together quite a bit and got along really well.


    I watched as over thest month Vivian looked more and more pregnant since she was due in just about two months or so. And Chay was starting to show now that she was a third of the way through her pregnancy as well.


    Not to mention that about a week after Brayden was born, Kent told me that he had proposed to E and she said yes. Three days after that he told me that E was pregnant. Within two more weeks, Reed, Toby, Morgan, and Doc all announced the same thing. This meant that there were going to be a lot of little ones soon. We were all one big family, and it was growing a lot bigger.


    That was all fine with me. I was happy that we had quite therge family now. It was perfect in my eyes. I could do with having even more friends and family around. There were more than enough people in the house that we could handle it, and there was even more room left.


    Every night, when Star went to take her shower, I would just sit in our room and watch Brayden as he slept in my arms. I had enjoyed every moment that I spent with the boys, that wasn''t an issue, but I had never gotten the chance to be around babies like this.


    I was a natural at it, apparently. Mom joked with me constantly about how I had apparently pissed on my dad at least a dozen times before he had learned how to change a diaper properly. I wasn''t having an issue though. I seemed to know just what to do when I first tried to change Brayden''s diaper.


    "Artem, I truly think you were born to be a daddy." Mom smiled at me while she watched me with my son. "You have been so good with all of the children. It doesn''t matter what their ages are, you''re doing it all so perfectly."


    "I don''t know, it just all seems likemon sense to me." I shrugged my shoulders at her words. "I''m not trying to do anything other than that."


    "Maybe it''s because you were raised with so much love." Star would say when she heard Mompliment me. That was when she would kiss my cheek and smile at Mom. "It''s all thanks to you."


    "Oh, Star, you give me too much credit." Mom was always humble and shy like that. Still, I liked that Mom was happy when she got thatpliment.


    <strong>Getting Used To A Baby In The House</strong>


    ~~


    Chay


    ~~


    I couldn''t believe how much our life was changing. A year ago, Artem hade to me and told me that he wanted me to help him here at the pack house. I had graduated high school a year early so that I could take time off and do what I wanted to and grow as a person. I most definitely hadn''t expected that Artem would tell me that he wanted to take over the wolf pack and free the abused kids.


    I knew he wanted to do that, but I didn''t think it was going to happen right then. Honestly, he probably would have done it sooner, but Dad wanted him to prove that he had what it took to run thepany before he left for Mexico with Mom.


    He did it though. He proved that he was more than capable of running thepany so Dad approved of him taking over the pack. We all knew what it meant for him to take the pack. He would have to take it by force and that meant killing the Alpha. There was no love lost there, none of us liked the Alpha. Still, it was a major step.


    In fact, it was a step that I thought was going to suck all the happiness and joy out of Artem. That didn''t happen, though. He stayed the same person he was before, even though he had killed a man. He lived like he used to and took care of everyone because that was just who he was as a person.


    I didn''t think that over the course of the one year Artem would adopt thirteen boys and marry his mate. Nor did I think that his mate would have a baby so soon. In such a short time, we went from murdering the former Alpha to raising so many children.


    And to top it all off, I am mated and pregnant now as well. And I am getting married in just a few weeks. Bailey wanted to have our wedding on Valentine''s day. That actually gave us more time to n than the time we had for Star and Artem''s, but the venue was the same. And with Aaron there offering his help and Vivian to make dresses, we didn''t have that much to worry about.


    Honestly, I think the thing that was the hardest to adjust to over thest year was the baby in the house. That was the newest and biggest change. Most of us didn''t know how to take care of a baby so, and honestly, I was d that we had our parents here to help Star and Artem.


    Not to mention that I was going to be learning as much as I could. I will be having a baby in just four months now as well, so I needed to know all of these things. And to think that my baby and Star''s baby would only be five months apart in age. And then Brayden''s aunt or uncle would be in the middle of them. It was a unique family dynamic, but it would work for us just fine.


    "Chay?" Bailey called out to me when I was writing in my journal.


    "What''s up?" I smiled at him and epted the kiss on the cheek he was giving me.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Just making notes." I showed him the journal. "I want to remember all of the things that I have learned from Mom, Aunt Criztie, and Vivian. I want to make sure that I know how to take care of my baby, our baby, properly."


    "You''re going to be a wonderful mother. I know this. Plus, it helps that you have all this time to get used to a baby being in the house." He wrapped his arms around me then and pulled me back toy against him.. I loved when he cuddled me like this, I loved being wrapped in his arms and feeling the warmth of his whole body.

 Chapter 208 - Epilogue 2

    <strong>[Time Moves On]</strong>


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    I celebrated my first valentine''s day with my wife. She had never really understood what the holiday was about, but it had been a great experience. We celebrated the one year anniversary of the day that I became the Alpha. The day after the Alpha anniversary, Star''s baby sister, Sage, was born. She was the first baby girl for the house, and she was already spoiled. Even my parents were going gaga over that baby. There had been fourteen boys, and now, there was a girl.


    Chay had gotten married to Bailey, and the ceremony had been at the house. She was steadily growingrger now as well. She was due in the summer, and I just knew that she was going to be a good mother, even though I was sad to see her growing up.


    The others were due between the middle of August and the beginning of September. It was going to be a busy time for babies, but I also knew that it was going to be really nice as well. There were a lot of weddings over thesest few months as all the mothers and fathers wanted to get married before their babies were brought into this world.


    Brayden was growing well. He was starting to scoot himself across the floor, and he was getting into everything that he could get his hands onto. All of the boys were growing. Nico, who wasn''t mine, but was still family to me, was seventeen now, and he was nearly as tall as Kent. He had grown so much over thest several months that you wouldn''t believe that he had been so small for so long. Not to mention, he was strong enough to be a beta when he was older.


    Several of the other boys had grown very tall as well. They had shot up after they stopped worrying about their pasts. They were getting stronger, and they were all so smart. Flint had brought a girl home toward the end of April and introduced her to us. Likewise, Julian brought someone to meet us as well. Julian hade home with Spencer from Will''s pack. They wanted permission to date, and I could see the fear in Julian''s eyes.


    "Are you happy, Julian?" I asked him as I put a hand onto his shoulder.


    "Yes, I am." He looked at me wearily.


    "Then that is all that matters." I smiled at him. "I don''t care who you''re with as long as you are happy. That''s what it means to be a loving family." I hugged him. "And you, Spencer? Are you happy with my son?"


    "I am, Sir." He smiled at me. "I love him."


    "Then I am happy." I put a hand on Spencer''s shoulder and gripped him firmly. "Just don''t move too fast and be respectful to each other. That is my only warning, alright?"


    "That is exactly what my father said as well." Spencer blushed. "Don''t worry, Sir, I will respect him." Julian was blushing, but smiling happily at Spencer.


    "Julian, do you think that Spencer might be your mate?" I had to wonder.


    "I don''t know. I guess we will find out after I''m eighteen." He grinned at me. "But I really do hope so."


    Time was moving quickly for us all. I honestly couldn''t believe that two of the boys that I adopted were already dating someone. It was nice to see them happy, though. And Reba, Flint''s girlfriend, was a nice girl. The two of them were inseparable whenever they were near each other. I knew that they couldn''t technically find their mates until they were eighteen, but I had my hopes for them. I didn''t want any of my kids to experience heartache.


    More proof of the advancement that was happening among the family over time was that the boys revealed to us all their unique talents. One of those being Cohen who had been epted into a summer art program. It was an application-based program that only epted people with a certain level of skill or natural talent. Cohen had been putting his all into his creationstely, and Star and I were more than happy to help him grow in that area. Likewise Dalton, Gil, Zack, and Ricky were really good at music and had started a bit of a band together. Benton, Timothy, Leslie, and Will were naturals at sports; they each had their own sport they wanted to try, and they had excelled at it.


    Julian was an honors student, who had been ced into the advanced sses. Flint had joined the drama club and was co-starring in the spring y. Kevin and Marcus were taking up dancing. They were learning three different styles at once and often practiced when the other boys yed their music. They had all bonded and be as close as true brothers. I was beyond happy that they had this kind of rtionship with each other. They were all such amazing kids. All of them.


    I really couldn''t believe that they had all found their niche so soon. Part of me couldn''t wait until Brayden grew up so I could see what he was going to do with his life. There was no need to rush it though. I was happy to have him as a little baby. And so was everyone else. His older brothers were always there to y with him and protect him. They were the best bunch of kids that I could have asked for.


    The night before Chay gave birth to her baby, we found out that Star was pregnant again. She was due in December so this meant the babies wouldn''t even be a year apart from each other. Chay had given birth to her little girl on June the seventeenth, just a week early. And that little girl was so adorable. She looked a lot like Brayden, the resemnce was there. Only my boy had his mommy''s eyes, and Chay''s little girl, Ka, had her mommy''s eyes. I had to wonder if any of our babies were ever going to have their daddy''s eyes.


    Oh, they did. When Kent''s baby was born, it was clear that he was going to have his daddy''s eyes. The same went for Morgan''s son; Reed and Toby, though, had little girls who had their mommy''s eyes. Doc had twins, and one looked just like him while the other looked like Leelin. Hanna, who had been so shy when things got started with us here, hade out of her shell the most when the babies started toe, especially her little brother and sister. She stopped being a wallflower that hid away and didn''t talk and started to be a more outgoing person. I could tell that Doc and Leelin were happy about that.


    All in all, life has been going very well for all of us. Especially now that all the kids were getting ready to start school again. Nico was going to be a senior, Julian was a junior and Flint was a freshman now, the three of them in high school. Leslie would be there soon too, since he was in thest year of middle school. The rest were scattered between middle school and elementary sses. They were all growing up so fast. And now that Brayden was eight months old he was trying to walk already. Doc said he was truly advanced in that aspect. I really couldn''t believe that he was doing as much stuff as he was. I know that it also got to Star, seeing him grow up so fast. It was sweet, but also heart wrenching.


    And I am happy to report that Brayden got along well with his Aunt Sage. It was going to be funny when they were older, trying to exin to them that Sage was the aunt even though Brayden was older. They were growing up more like cousins though. And Star''s great great grandfather was thrilled with all the love and happiness that was in the house right now.


    The day that the boys had gone back to school we learned something else. Doc had done an ultrasound for us to see if he could tell if our second baby was going to be a boy or a girl. I guess we were never going to break the line of boys for our own children. Thirteen adopted boys and now soon to be two biological. Our second baby was going to be our fifteenth son. If we ever do have a daughter, she is going to have a whole gang of overprotective brothers standing guard behind her. Maybe it''s best if we don''t have a daughter. The boys can all protect their cousins and aunt. They didn''t need to go psycho on their sister''s boyfriends in the future. That would probably cause all the guys to run away screaming.


    Did I mention yet that I was the happiest man in the world with the best possible family there ever was? This was truly the best life I could be living.

 Chapter 209 - Epilogue 3

    <strong>[Baby, Again]</strong>


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Queen Gloriana wanted us to visit for the Yule celebration this year since we hadn''t been able tost time. Star was too far along then, and we didn''t want to risk it. Well, this time Star was literally due during the time of the celebration so we weren''t able to go this time either. We would need to go and visit her soon though.


    I wasn''t sure how close to the due date Star was going to get this time. She had made it almost all the wayst time, and she was due on the sixteenth this time. During the entire month leading up to the day that she would have the baby, I bought or made a different gift for the baby and the boys. There were now so many little presents and ornaments for the tree that Star was yelling at me everytime that she saw a new one.


    "Artemis!"


    "What?" I would say when she yelled my name.


    "We do not need anything else for under that tree." She would scold me.


    "But honey, it''s the first Christmas for BOTH of the babies. I have to.


    "Artem." She gave me a stern re, but smiled as well. "What am I going to do with you?" She shook her head as she held Brayden in her arms. "What do you think, Bray Bug? Is Daddy silly?" We had taken to calling Brayden by the nickname Bray Bug. No one really knows how it got started, but it seemed to fit him so well that we couldn''t help it. It was actually perfect for him.


    "Dada seesee." Seesee was Brayden''s way of saying silly. We had figured that out because he was repeating what some of the other boys were saying one day. "Dada seesee boy."


    "That''s right, Daddy is a silly boy." Star smiled at him as he giggled in her arms.


    "I''m not silly, I am a loving and doting father."


    "Yup, sure you are." At that point Star leaned over to kiss me, awkward as it was with a baby in her arms and in her belly at the same time.


    "Dada no." Brayden pushed my face away from Star''s when I kissed her. "No Dada, mine Mama." He pushed me until I was no longer near Star''s face and kissed her in my ce. "Mine Mama."


    "Daddy loves Mommy too, Bug." I pouted at him as he held onto his mommy''s face. "Can''t Daddy give Mommy kisses too."


    "No! Mine Mama."


    "You know, I''m worried he will be too possessive when Jodan gets here." Star looked at me with eyes that showed how nervous she was. "He loves his mommy a lot, and I am afraid he won''t share me with him very well."


    "He will be fine. He only has a problem when Daddy kisses Mommy. He is fine when any of his brothers are with you."


    "Yeah, that is true." Sheughed when she heard that. "He''s just jealous of his daddy, that''s all.


    We continued how we were for a few more days. We sent the boys to school on the sixteenth of December, not expecting anything, but knowing that the baby coulde at any time.


    It seemed like the minute that I got back from dropping the kids off Star''sbor started. She had went and tried to pick up Brayden, who was a tall, skinny boy for his age, but he still had a good amount of weight to him. The moment she tried to pick him up, she set him back on the floor and cried out. I had just walked into the room and saw it all happen.


    "Star?" I called out to her and ran to her side.


    "Oh, boy." She groaned as I held her against me. "It looks like our baby wants toe out soon." She grinned at me. "And it hurts like hell."


    "Smiling through the pain?" I smiled at her. "You always try to make things seem like they''re not that bad for you even when they are."


    "What can I say? I like to focus on others." She tried to smile, but there was too much pain for that.


    "I know." I bent down to pick up Brayden then swept her up into my left arm, carrying them both at the same time.


    "You''re so strong." She giggled, but stopped and sucked in a breath when another pain hit her.


    "My love for you would make me stronger than anyone." I purred the cheesy lines at her.


    "Oh please, just stop. If you do that, our sons will both grow up to spout those horrible lines." She rolled her eyes at me and grinned.


    "You fell for them." I wiggled my eyebrows at her.


    "Yeah, but I literally didn''t know any better." She countered with another giggle.


    "That''s cold." I pretended to pout andugh at the same time.


    We were bothughing when we made it to the second floor and saw Chay and Bailey.


    "Uh oh, is it baby time?" Bailey grinned at us as he held Ka in his arms.


    "Yup. Can you take Brayden." I asked my sister, and she took him immediately.


    "Looks like he should be here in time for his brothers to get home from school. At least he should be." She was grinning at me. "Doc isn''t in the clinic, but I will go get him."


    "Thanks." I nodded at them as they continued toward the stairs.


    "No ChayChay, mine Mama." Brayden called after us as they walked away.


    "It''s OK, Bug. Mommy needs to be alone for a little bit. You can spend time with Aunty Chay and Ka. And we can get Sage to y too."


    "Yay, mine Sage."


    "Yup, your Sage."


    I took Star to the clinic and waited for Doc to show up. We had been through so many deliveries this year that we were all pros at it now. Doc, having delivered his own twins for his wife, was starting to be more of an OB GYN than anything now.


    "So, it''s time, huh? I am actually surprised. Star is the only one to go almost all the way to her due date each time. I really didn''t expect it. I mean today is actually her due date, andst time she was only a couple of days shy."


    "Well, I guess I just do my best to follow directions." Star joked with him before wincing in pain again.


    "Yeah, I guess you do. Welle on, let''s get you hooked up to all that lovely machinery." Docughed.


    Just likest time and with all the others, the contraction monitor, fetal heart monitor, and a few other devices were all hooked up to Star. It didn''t take long for her water to break, and then about two hours after that she was ready to push.


    It went just as smoothly this time as it didst time. There were no problems at all and just after noon, our fifteenth son and second actual baby was born. We named him Jodan, and he was so adorable. He seemed to take after me more, but it would take time to tell.


    The family had gotten to see him while the kids were in school, all except Reed, Bailey, and the triplets. Our parents, Grandfather, and everyone else had their time though. So when the boys got home, and we instructed Reed and Bailey to bring them all straight to our bedroom, they were surprised and happy to see that their new little brother was here.


    We had brought Brayden to see the baby before the boys got home, and he seemed to be fine.


    "Mama dat beebee?"


    "Yes Brayden, that is the baby." I confirmed for him. "That is your baby brother." I watched as he just stared at the baby for several minutes while kneeling on the bed next to Star. After a little while though, he leaned forward and I was nervous for a second. It was fine though since he just kissed Jodan on the head.


    "Mine beebee."


    "I think he loves his brother already." Star smiled.


    "Yup, I think he does." I smiled and kissed Brayden''s head, then Jodan''s.


    "No Dada, mine beebee."


    "Oh,e on." I scoffed with augh.


    "Mine." Brayden hugged his brother and red at me.


    "If he is this protective of you all, I have to wonder what he is going to be like if he even has a sister." Iughed.


    "I would have to be on the other end of his possessiveness." Docughed from the other side of the room.


    All in all, our happy little family just got a little bit bigger that day, and in time for Christmas as well. I know that Jodan was too young to appreciate it, but he got lots of handmade and store bought ornaments that we all made and would use every year. I even made just one more, and this time Star didn''t yell at me. That''s probably because for the new one I had put paint on Jodan''s feet and stamped them onto the ornament. Then on the other side of it I had written ''BABY''S FIRST CHRISTMAS'' with the year and his name. It was adorable and a keepsake that we would always remember. I had made one just like it for Brayden too, only his footprints that were stamped onto the ornament were a little, or a lot, bigger.


    I really couldn''t believe that the two of them were celebrating their first Christmas together.

 Chapter 210 - Epilogue 4

    [A Call From The King And The Queen]


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Less than a month after Jodan was born, we got a call from Trinity and Reece. That was aplete surprise, but a good one at least.


    "Hey, what''s up?" I asked them, as I put my phone onto speaker so that Star could hear as well.


    "Oh my gosh, Trinity, Reece, I''ve missed you both so much." Star gushed as soon as I held the phone out.


    "Star? Oh my gosh. I heard that you just had another baby. I didn''t get the message until I got back, but I am so happy for you. Congrats." Trinity was gushing the same way, and I was d that they had stayed friends.


    "We''re both happy for you." Reece added with augh.


    "Yeah, we''re happy for you guys as well. The pictures you sent us of the twins were adorable." OK, I was gushing too. We hadn''t seen them in a long time and a lot had changed.


    "They''re getting big too. And look at you two, having another one so soon. Couldn''t keep it gloved, huh, Artem?" Reeceughed at me. Anyway, let''s get to the point of our call. We need you guys toe to our ce for a little while."


    Reece''s voice was full of seriousness now. It made me sit up straighter and beads of sweat drip down my back.


    "Is something wrong? Is this like thest time that you called people to you? We weren''t part of that battle because we hadn''t been called. Is there another fight?"


    I could hear the slight panic in my voice. I would fight if I was needed, that wasn''t the problem. I was just worried about leaving my family behind.


    "No, there is no battle right now." I heard Reece''s words as well as the tone in his voice. And thatst part ''right now'', told me that they expected that there was going to be a battle, and soon.


    "OK." I was slightly relieved, but not fully.


    "We''re inviting all the Alphas to the castle for a visit." Trinity''s voice was much calmer than Reece''s was.


    "Castle?" Star and I both said that word at the same time.


    "Well, we are royalty." Reece chuckled.


    "Anyway." Trinity almost sounded like she had rolled her eyes at Reece, that was how much exasperation there was in her voice. "We need you toe as well. There are some important things we need to discuss with all of the Alphas, but we''re making a personal call to you two because you''re friends of ours as well. We want you to bring all the kids with you so that we can spend a little bit of time talking when the meetings are all over for that day." There was excitement and hope in Trinity''s voice.


    "Don''t worry, we will send a ne for you. We know that there are a lot of people that will being. Oh, and we need to talk to Leelin too, so could you bring her too. I''m sure Doc will want toe as well. There is just so much that we need to talk about with all of you."


    "Can we bring a few other people?" Star asked with excitement in her eyes. "And, can we see Uncle Griffin while we''re there?"


    "Yeah, no problem, Griffin is living at the castle anyway." Reece sounded overjoyed.


    "Hey, just so you know, we''re talking about like twenty-five people here. Do we need to get a rental or something?"


    "Nah, don''t worry Artem, we''ve got you covered." I couldn''t quite figure out the meaning behind Reece''s words, but still, he said we were good so hopefully we were.


    We had to take all the boys out of school for the time that we were going to be gone, but that would be fine. They were smart, and could make-up the work. It''s not like they were going to be gone for two weeks or anything.


    We packed up and prepared to leave right away since, apparently, we were needed as soon as possible. This also meant that Hanna had to miss school too and Leelin wasn''t very happy about that, but she epted it because Trinity was her Queen as well as ours.


    True to his word, Reece sent his private ne for us so that we could fly all the way to Colorado Springs infort. We apparently just needed to find the people that were waiting for us when wended, and they would drive us to the house. I know that Reece and Trinity called it a castle, but it couldn''t possibly be an actual castle here in Colorado.


    I stand corrected. Holy fucking shit, that is huge! As therge ck SUVs that were driving us made their way up the driveway, I could barely keep myself from yelling out what had just gone through my head. This looked like one of those French castles that were more like a giant mansion. Holy fucking shit, they weren''t lying!


    When we pulled up in front of the castle, because that was literally what it was, we saw a few familiar faces waiting for us. The guards that hade with Trinity and Reece were there, as well as Star''s Uncle Griffin, and this was going to be a major shock for him. We hadn''t even thought about inviting people from here toe visit us in a while. And even though it''s been a little over a year since she was found alive, Vivian still hasn''t talked to or seen her brother.


    In all honesty, she was terrified to see anyone from here. She thought they were going to hate her for leaving the way that she did. Getting Vivian on the ne with us was incredibly hard, and she was sitting there in fear the whole time. I am sure she is still scared, but she was in a different SUV with Star. My job was to set the stage for them.


    I opened my door and stepped out before any of them had gotten the chance.


    "Hey guys, how have you been?" I had taken Brayden out with me and carried him in my arms.


    "Hey, long time no see." Vincent called out to us with a wave, and I saw Gabriel smile at us.


    "It''s been good. I hear things are going well here as well. Hey Griffin." I waved at him.


    "So, is that my great nephew?" He smiled. I can''t believe that I have a niece who has a baby, and I am only in my forties." He chuckled.


    "Yeah, did you hear we had another one?" I grinned at him.


    "I did. A little fast there, huh?"


    "Oh, I have another surprise for you as well." I grinned at him. "Wanna see it?"


    "I''m not sure, with that look in your eyes, but I am sure that I will see it regardless so go ahead." Griffin looked calm as he spoke.


    "Alright."


    I went to the door of Star''s SUV and opened the door. She came out with the car seat for Jodan, and then Aaron came out with Sage. Lastly, Vivian stepped out of the car and looked at Griffin. I saw the shock on the man''s face. He had been smiling and waiting patiently, but the moment he saw the woman who hade out of the vehicle, his face fell.


    "Vivian?" He whispered her name. "Viv? Oh my Goddess, Viv is that really you?"


    Griffin was walking slowly toward his sister, his steps halting and unsure.


    "That can''t really be you, can it?" He stopped right before he could touch her, and I could see tears in his eyes. "Vivian, they told me you were dead. H..h..how is this possible?"


    "Hello Griffin." She just smiled at him, her face covered in the tears that she was shedding. Griffin''s tears burst through the moment that Vivian confirmed who she was.


    "Vivian?" They hugged each other then, and I could see the two decades worth of lost love crush them as they fell to their knees on the ground with their arms still around each other. "My sister, I can''t believe you''re still alive."


    "I''m sorry for leaving, Griff."


    "It''s OK, I''m just d that you''re back with us for now. Oh Goddess, Vivian, I have a daughter named after you, you know?" Heughed as he pulled away from her. "And a son named Dominic as well. They''re twins, almost a year old."


    "I have another baby too." Vivianughed while wiping tears from her eyes. "Another girl, her name is Sage."


    "I need to meet her. Where is she? How old is she?"


    "She is almost a year old as well. That''s her there, in my mate''s arms. That is Aaron, Star''s father."


    After that emotional greeting, we all went inside and had to wait until it was time to meet with Trinity and Reece. During that time we talked with Griffin and Lana, and everyone got caught up on what had been happening over thest year and a half. I couldn''t believe how well this had gone. And it was amazing to see how happy this had all made Griffin and Vivian.


    Oh, and the boys thought it was cool to be in a real castle. Even Brayden was happy to see the castle. He thought it was cool because it was big.


    Oh, and I couldn''t wait until he met Trinity and Reece''s twins. I just knew that he was going to love ying with them. Even though we were cutting it close to Brayden''s first birthday, I didn''t care. I was happy that we had alle out here. We can throw him a party when we get back if it''s a littlete.. This trip was needed for all of us.

 Chapter 211 - Epilogue 5

    <strong>[Nobility]</strong>


    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    After we had made all of our greetings, we were taken to a door along the side of the castle. It was just like the doors that were in the Fae castle and apparently function the same, ording to Dad.


    "I did not expect to see Fae magic here."


    "Fae magic?" Mom asked him. "What makes you think that this is Fae magic?"


    "These doors, they are not leading to actual rooms. Instead they will lead to a magical home like the ones back at the Faepound."


    "That they will." Gabriel smiled at his response. "Just go on inside, and it will make itself into a home that will suit you all whenever you are here. This is your personal residence for when you are here."


    "We get our own residence here?" I was a little shocked to hear that.


    "There will be other times that you are called here for visits, and we would like for you to befortable when you are here."


    "OK." I was confused by Gabriel''s wording, but I opened the door and entered the home we had been given.


    As soon as I passed through the door, I felt the magic that was in the room. And the moment we went inside, I saw that we were in a house that was like a smaller version of our pack house back home.


    As we walked through the space, I saw that there was more than enough space for us all. We took a little tour of the space with Uncle Griffin and Gabriel with us. There were twenty bedrooms and a nursery that was set up for both Brayden and Joden. There was a kitchen where we could prepare food, but we were invited to eat in the dining hall with everyone else as well. All in all, this ce was perfect, and we were told that it would grow with us as we needed it to.


    We didn''t get to see Trinity and Reece that first night because they were busy, and there was a meeting with them right after breakfast the next day. Only Artem was allowed to go to that meeting though, which was a little sad for me. It would be fine though since Uncle Griffin was spending time with Doc, Leelin, Mom, Dad, me, and all of the kids.


    We explored the castle and talked about different things while we waited for the meeting to be over. It was winter time here, and the kids had only ever seen snow that one time when Dad made magical snow fall for us all at home. They were enjoying it now though, running through the garden that was in the middle of the castle behind the throne room and towers. It was really nice, and we were all enjoying our time there.


    After the group meeting that Artem attended, he came to see us with a shocked look on his face. I could tell that something had happened during the meeting that he hadn''t expected.


    "Artem, what''s wrong?" I asked him with a worried tone to my voice.


    "Trinity said that all Alphas are now nobles." He was shocked when he heard the words. "And she is part Fae as well."


    "She is?" Dad was surprised to hear that. "No wonder there is Fae magic here." He was smiling. "I wonder who her lineagees from?"


    "I guess we will find that outter." I smiled. "This is just another thing that is connecting us."


    Later that afternoon, actually it was almost evening time, we were called for the ''private'' meeting with the Queen. She had been having these meetings with all of the nobles, but we were being called upst so that we could spend more time with her than the others. We were also supposed to be having dinner with them in the Royal Tower. That was going to be interesting as well.


    As soon as we entered Trinity''s office, I saw someone I didn''t expect. Apparently so did Dad because we both said the same thing at the same time.


    "Uncle Valerian?"


    "Wee." He smiled at us.


    "What are you doing here?" Dad asked him with bewilderment.


    "Can''t I be here with my Garin¨ªon?" [1]


    "So Star, I see that you have met my Athair m¨°r." [2] Trinity smiled at me.


    "I met him when I went to the Faepound. He is Aunt Glory''s brother."


    "Yes, indeed he is our aunt''s brother." I was so confused by her words right now.


    "Wait a minute." I looked at Trinity with wide eyes. "Aunt Glory is your aunt as well? Does that mean that we''re family?"


    "Yes. Valerian here is my great great great grandfather." She looked at him and smiled after she spoke.


    "I found out that my son fathered a child of his own before he passed away. A son that he didn''t even know about. And now, I have a family of my own." Uncle Valerian was smiling so happily. I couldn''t believe my eyes; when I had met him before he had seemed so angry and sad.


    "I''m so happy for you guys." I could feel the love bubbling up within me.


    "Uncle Valerian, this is amazing. It looks like we both found our long lost family." Dad was grinning as he went to his uncle and hugged him.


    We now had something more to talk about with Trinity and Reece. We were rted, we were cousins, and that meant that our children were family as well.


    "I can''t believe that I have family in your pack twice over." Iughed at the craziness of it all. "Oh, doesn''t this mean that Acacia is rted to both of us as well?" I smiled at Trinity.


    "It does. And that makes one of my best friends family to me because of it."


    "This is amazing. So much family, so much love to go around. We should visit Acacia while we''re here. She needs to meet my mom since she is here now."


    "Yes, I saw that. Griffin must be so happy to learn that his sister is alive. It is wonderful to meet you, Vivian. I would have considered you family just because of Griffin, but you are also the mother of my cousin so that makes you even more a part of my family."


    "Oh, uhm, th..th..thank you Q..Qu..Qu..Queen Trinity." Mom''s nervousness caused us all tough.


    "It''s OK Mom, Trinity is a friend as well as the Queen. You don''t need to be so nervous." I tried to calm her.


    "No, Star, you can''t be too familiar." Her face was pale, but her cheeks were bright red with embarrassment. It was like she was scared and embarrassed at the same time.


    "She''s right, Vivian. When we''re here alone like this, it''s OK to treat me like a friend. There is no one else around to see how we treat each other."


    "O..o..oh O..OK." Mom looked even more nervous now, if that were even possible.


    While we were talking and discussing what was going on, Brayden began to show just how tired he was of this situation.


    "Mama y." His words cut through all of the talking that was going on around him.


    "I know honey; you''re bored." I took him from Artem who had been carrying him.


    "I see you have two now as well. Congrats on the new little boy." Trinity got to her feet and walked toward me. "Would you like to meet my twins now." She smiled at me. "Do you want to y with your cousins?" She reached a hand toward Brayden who grabbed onto it with a smile.


    "y."


    After that, we were taken to the Royal Tower, and the main living room and sitting roombination. Trinity''s mom and mother-inw brought the twins in, and I set Brayden down. Mom also set Sage down who was able to walk now as well. The four little ones looked at each other with smiles while the veryrge group of us watched on. Reagan and Rika, Trinity and Reece''s twins, made the first move by walking toward the others.


    I was happy to see that all of the little ones were getting along. We were able to enjoy a nice evening together and talk about everything that had happened over the past year and a half since west saw each other. Uncle Valerian was even very excited to learn about all the new nephews he had. He enjoyed talking to all of my boys from the seventeen year old, Julian, down to eight year old, Dalton.


    It was such an amazing visit that I wished it could havested longer; however, we would be back. Artem, even though our pack was small, had been made into a High Noble because of the dedication he had shown to his people. This meant we were responsible for governing all the other wolf packs in our area anding back to the castle every three months to deliver information and get the new royal orders. This also meant we would have plenty of opportunities to see our family, and the kids would all get to know each other. That was such an amazing thing.


    After just two nights in the castle, it was time for us to go home. We flew back on the private ne Reece had lent to us and were back in time to throw Brayden''s first birthday party. I admit, we might have gone overboard on the party just a little bit.. Oh well, it was hard to stop Artem sometimes, and I was really excited as well.

 Chapter 212 - Epilogue 6

    <strong>[Graduation Party]</strong>


    ~~


    Julian


    ~~


    I really couldn''t believe what had happened to me. The moment that I was rescued from my Uncle''s hidden room, my entire life changed. I never once in the nearly ten years that I was beaten and abused did I even think that I would ever live to have a dream about the future. Now here I was living my life free and happy and in love.


    I had turned eighteen a little after the start of my senior year. I had taken every AP course I could, and I had even done dual enrollment. And right there next to me the entire time was my boyfriend, Spencer.


    We started to crush on each other the day we first met. I just felt drawn to him. He was the only person I truly wanted to spend time with outside of my new family. And Spencer seemed to feel the same about me. And best of all, our families didn''t disapprove.


    I was adopted by loving parents who weren''t all that much older than me, but they were the best ever. Spencer was the fourth of seven boys, but he also had two older sisters and two younger sisters, so that made him sixth out of eleven kids. Dead center and nowhere near the focus for who the next Alpha should be.


    Thankfully, Spencer and I had been given full blessings to be together and in turn had spent thest two years together. Now though, it was the day of my graduation party and since Spencer''s family had taken him on vacation for his eighteenth birthday, it would be the first time that I saw him since he turned eighteen. Today was going to be the day that told us if we were true mates or not. I was nervous and excited at the same time.


    My parents had spent a lot of time nning out this party for me. I was happy for that, I really was, but until I saw Spencer I couldn''t feel that joy that I wanted to. I was literally pacing the house nervously all morning as I waited for the party to start.


    "Jules, you need to calm down." My Papa Aaron joked with me. It was weird seeing him and thinking about any word that was rted to grandpa or grandfather. He still looked like he was noter than twenty-five or thirty years old.


    "I know, Papa, I know." I tried to smile for him.


    "Rx my boy." He came over as he hugged me with one arm around my shoulders. "I am sure that all will work out." His smile was always so cheerful that he was able to make us all feel better so easily. "Now, tell me, what color flowers should I make for you?" Heughed softly.


    "Maybe orange." I smiled at him in return and he squeezed my shoulders again.


    "Good choice."


    With a wave of his hand he filled twenty different centerpieces with orange flowers and crafted several benches scattered across the backyard with the same orange flowers.


    "See there, doesn''t that look nice?"


    "Yes, Papa, it does."


    "Now,e with me. Grandpa wants to give you a gift as well." Grandpa was another enigma. He was already one hundred and eighteen but still seemed so lively and did so much on his own. He seemed to have stopped aging at some point. Maybe it was Papa''s influence. He was Fae after all.


    When I got to where Grandpa was setting up a table full of food that our Chef, Kieran, made for the party along with Grandma Gabby and T¨ªa Criztie. The three of them had officially be the joint chefs of the house, always cooking together every chance they got.


    "Hey Grandpa." I called out to him.


    "Julian, my boy." He smiled at me, and I felt a warm, loving feeling spread through me. That was Grandpa''s special ability, making you feel loved and wanted. "I wanted to give you my gift before the others got a chance."


    "You didn''t need to get me anything, Grandpa." More than three years with them all, and I still got nervous over gifts when someone tried giving them to me.


    "Nonsense. You graduated high school, and after what you''ve been through, you deserve the reward."


    He walked over to me with a small wrapped gift that he held out for me.


    "Here, this is for you."


    "Thank you Grandpa." I took the package with a sense of nervousness. At least it wasn''t too extravagant. Well, too big at least.


    I unwrapped the small gift and looked at the item in my hand. It was an antique pocket watch. I had seen and admired it so much over thest three years, but I never thought that I would ever have this as a gift.


    "Grandpa?" I was in shock.


    "I know how much you love that watch." He smiled at me. "I had it cleaned, repaired, and inscribed for you."


    "Oh my Goddess, Grandpa, thank you so much." I hugged him and felt like crying.


    "Read it, boy. Don''t just gawk at it." Heughed at me, and so I opened the watch to see the words he had them engrave in it for me.


    To Julian,


    You may not be my blood,


    but you will always be part


    of my heart.


    -With love,


    Grandpa Daniel


    "Oh, Grandpa, I love it."


    "I''m d." He rubbed my back gently as he hugged me tightly.


    Following the gift from Grandpa, it was time for the party to start. That meant that I would have guests arriving any time now. I was excited because that meant that I would see Spencer soon.


    "Jewel." Brayden, my baby brother who was two and a half years old now, was running to me. He couldn''t say Julian yet so he called me Jewel.


    "Juju." That one was Jodan, my other baby brother who was one and a half years old was running at me as well. Being even younger, he had a harder time saying Julian, so he just called me Juju. That was what he called me when he was almost one, and it stuck. I had lots of nicknames from the family depending on who it was that was talking to me.


    "Hey you two." I bent down to pick them both up and hugged them tight.


    "Jewel, it''s your party."


    "Juju''s party."


    "That''s right, it is time for my party. Do you want to say hi to everyone with me?"


    "Yes."


    "Yeah." They grinned at me, their tiny little cheeks puffing out with the wide smiles they gave me.


    The pack members that had epted the new order easily were the first to arrive. They lived the closest after all. Then the kids from school that wereing. There were some humans here today as well, so we all had to make sure that no one did anything too off the wall while they were here.


    After the humans started to arrive, the members from the next pack over were showing up. We had all started being really close to them, considering that my dad was the High Noble of our area and had to govern all the other packs around here. They had taken a liking to the way things were and were friendly with us all.


    I saw Spencer''s dad in the distance, and I knew that meant that Spencer should be here as well. And sure enough, there he wasing around the house with a big smile on his face.


    "Look, Jewel, Spen."


    "Spen Spen, Juju look, spen spen." My brothers were happily pointing him out for me.


    "I see him, I see him."


    "Jewel go kiss Spen?"


    "I want to." I smiled at Brayden.


    "Go Juju, go." Jodan encouraged me.


    "I will see you in a minute." I kissed their cheeks and set them next to Flint who was standing nearby.


    "When did I volunteer for babysitting duty?" Heughed at me, then saw Spencer. "Ahh, I see how it is." Theugh got louder, but he didn''tin at all.


    "Spencer!" I called out to him. Not seeing him for a week had nearly killed me.


    "Julian!"


    Spencer came running at me when he saw me. That wasn''t what had me grinning like a fool though. I could hear my wolf in the back of my head. It was howling with delight and panting at the sight of Spencer.


    "He is my mate." My wolf kept repeating. "I can see it in him now. He is my mate." I was overjoyed.


    "Julian!" I ran into Spencer''s arms as soon as I got close enough to him, and he called my name again. "Julian, I feel it."


    "Me too." I was grinning as he lifted me up and spun me around.


    "You''re my mate. You''re really my mate. I''m so happy."


    "I know, Spencer. Isn''t it the best moment of our lives?"


    "I''m happy for you." I heard my dad''s voice behind me.


    "As am I." Spencer''s dad was right there by him, shaking hands with my dad.


    "Oh, my boy has his mate." Mom looked like she was going to cry. "Julian, I am so happy for the two of you."


    Needless to say that the rest of the party was a really good one. I spent the rest of the day practically glued to Spencer''s side. And the best thing of all was the gift that I had gotten from him. He had hoped that this would happen and nned ahead. He brought with him a set of matching white gold bands. They were promise rings for each other. I preferred to see them as engagement rings.. I was going to be with Spencer forever, and this just told me that we would be getting married at some point in our future.

 Chapter 213 - Epilogue 7

    [Off To War]


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    Just under a year after my son Julian graduated high school, in April, I received a summons from Trinity and Reece. Only this summons wasn''t to get me toe to their castle in Colorado. No, this time I was being summoned by them to go to the Faepound.


    Apparently, there was a war starting, and we were being called in as reinforcements. I had to set off with as many abled body fighters as I could. It was not the typical way that things were done for us shifters, but there was absolutely no time to waste.


    I was going to be leaving with Aaron, since he was Fae, Dad, Kent, Toby, Morgan, Reed, Bailey, and four dozen other men and women from the pack. None of our mates wereing with us because they were staying home with all the children. And Doc was going with us, but not as a fighter, he was to be a medic in the field.


    I knew that since I was going off to war, there was a chance that I might note back. For that reason, I left my bracelet which tied my life to Star''s at home. I didn''t want to be wearing it if I was gravely injured.


    I also took advantage of the night before we left. I was able to give my darling wife a night full of passion and love. I knew that I needed to be with her onest time just in case I never made it back. I wanted her and I both to feel that touch onest time. I wanted her to know how much I loved her, inside and out.


    We flew out toward thepound the next day. The seats on the ne werepletely filled with all supernaturals of different kinds. I saw Will among the others as we were waiting to board.


    "A fight is ahead of us." He said as he gripped my wrist and showed me his respect. I did the same in return as I spoke to him.


    "That it is, my friend." We had spent a lot of time together over thest year, and our boys were even living together as they attended college. He was family to me now.


    "I hope we all make it back safe."


    That was another thing that had me worried. It wasn''t just me that might not return, but everyone in my pack that wasing with me. There were so many families, so many lives that could be ruined with this battle we were heading off to; however, there was no way any of us could have refused to go.


    When wended, there were severalrge military-looking vehicles that were painted all ck, which were waiting to take us all to thepound in onerge caravan. We piled in and sat patiently waiting for them to deliver us to where we needed to go.


    We were divided into regiments and addressed by the two Queens. There had been more than a little strife that had caused major discord within the Faemunity. There was a powerful enemy that was trying to seize control.


    Apparently, the enemy wouldn''t be a problem under normal circumstances. However, this particr enemy had garnered the support of all the dark Fae that had been banished centuries ago.


    It was these dark Fae, and the monsters that they could call upon, that we were to fight against. There were shifters, magic users, vampires, and Fae all banding together for this fight.


    "Thank you all for responding to this summons so quickly." Trinity started to address us before anyone else since she was the Queen to most of those standing before her. "This is a dire time that we find ourselves in. I have called you all here to lend aid to the Fae. They are our friends and allies, and they need our assistance. This will not be an easy mission that we are embarking on, but I am confident that we will seed."


    From there, Trinity and Queen Gloriana went on to exin where the battle was to take ce, how we were going to get there, and what we were expected to do when we arrived.


    I didn''t know what type of monsters to expect during this battle but we would do what we needed toplete this mission and return home as soon as we possibly could.


    We were teleported to a ce that looked as if it were in Irnd, but was supposedly still within the confines of the Fae realm. This was what the entrance to thend of the Dark Fae looked like. And since the Fae realm used to be located in Irnd this ce still looked like its former home.


    Almost as soon as we got to the Dark Fae entrance, all hell broke loose. It was as if they were waiting for us. I hate to say that it was like an ambush, but that is exactly what it seemed like.


    Hideously dark beasts started to pour from a crack in arge ck boulder. There were winged beasts that looked like they were made of nothing but sludge and bones. Giant dinosaur looking beasts that had thick armored skin yet looked like they were mixed with animals such as elephants, crocodiles, whales, rhinos, and more. There were huge, monstrous serpents that were more than big enough to swallow any of us whole, two or three at a time even. And there were more that I just couldn''t think of the words to describe them.


    We had all been given weapons to fight with, but most of us didn''t use them. Most of the shifters were morefortable fighting in our animal forms than anything else so we shifted and did what came natural to us.


    I used my ws and teeth to rip apart the beasts that came before me. When I fought like this, I typically went into what I called a berserker mode. The longer that I fought, the more enemies that I faced, the stronger that I became.


    I was tearing through a line of monsters one after another. I had lost sight of everyone that was in my regimen as I just went about my business. I tried my best to be the wolf they needed me to be. I was fighting for my Queen, and both of Star''s Queens. That meant that this was a battle that I felt passionately about, and I was pouring every ounce of my strength into it.


    I tore a snake''s head from its body. I ripped the bones out of the sludge monsters. I dismantled the armor of those dino freaks and destroyed what was underneath them.


    As chaotic as this scene had appeared to begin with, there weren''t many casualties on our side. I didn''t think that there was any just yet.


    That was until the Fae who controlled those beasts showed up. We needed to destroy them, or the monsters would never stop.


    We regrouped once the Fae actually showed up. My men and I formed two groups to attack with. Morgan, Kent, and I banded together while Toby, Reed, and Bailey formed another team.


    We started to attack the Fae together. We didn''t want to get cocky so all six were attacking one Fae at a time. One group drawing the magic attacks while the other attacked the caster of said magic.


    That approach was working well for a while, but after about eight Fae had been eliminated Morgan was hit with a spell. We don''t know what it was that the spell was supposed to have done, but he stopped moving immediately.


    "We need help over here." I called as I shifted back to my human form to check on Morgan. Doc came up immediately and told me that he had it under control and to get back to the fight.


    After my friend had been hurt, I felt my anger intensify at least tenfold. I was pissed and someone needed to pay. I don''t remember what happened after that, but I was told that I single handedly took out another half a dozen Fae before that wave of the battle ended.


    Morgan didn''t make it. The spell killed him instantly, and I felt that rip the heart right out of my chest. It was almost enough to ruin me. I had known him my entire life and now he was dead. The Dark Fae were going to pay.


    The battlested several more days, but in the end, we won. That was good and all, but I now had to take Morgan''s lifeless body, along with six others from the pack, back home for their funerals. That was not a pleasant experience. I didn''t know what to tell Dakotah, I didn''t know what to tell the families of the others that had lost someone. I didn''t know any of it, but I would figure it out, one way or the other.. I was the Alpha, and that was my job.

 Chapter 214 - Epilogue 8

    <strong>[Home From Battle]</strong>


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    The entire trip home from thend of the Fae was nothing but one long guilt trip for me. I had taken my men, my friends and pack mates off to war with me. I had taken them into thend of the Fae and I had promised them that they would make it home safe and sound.


    Counting me, fifty-six men and women left that day to fight against the dark Fae that were threatening the world. Fifty-seven if you count Doc who had been called in for his special skills instead of to fight. But only fifty of us were returning alive.


    We had lost seven men and women to that war. Seven men and women who hadn''t needed to die. Why? Why had they been taken from us? All because of the Fae?


    OK, I know that wasn''t fair. If we hadn''t stopped them, if the dark Fae would have won then they wouldn''t have stopped with just taking over thend of the Fae. They would have grown too ambitious and would have attacked the world. They would have wanted total world domination. I just know it. They wouldn''t have been content after winning just one victory.


    I know that was why we had fought, I know that was why we had all put our lives on the line. Still, that doesn''t make it any easier for me. I was heading home with seven dead bodies and it was my responsibility to tell their families. And it was my responsibility to hold their funerals and give the speeches.


    How was I going to do this? What was I going to say to them all? Why was this happening to us?


    I basically wallowed in guilt the entire way home. From the caravan to the airport, I oversaw them loading the bodies, which had been magically preserved and put into beautifully carved coffins, onto the private ne that Reece had called in for my use this time. Then, the bodies were loaded into seven different hearses and we took another caravan back to the pack.


    Those of the group that didn''t live in the pack house were instructed to head home, and to please ask the families of the victims toe and see me immediately. After they left, I led the group into the house and the people waiting for us just inside.


    "Daddy?" Dalton, who was now ten years old and so much bigger than when I first met him four years ago, cried out when he saw me walk through the door. I had not called ahead and told them we wereing. I didn''t want them to n a big wee home party or any other celebration. I didn''t want to celebrate when one of my best friends had died.


    "DADDY!" He called out again, even louder this time, as he ran toward me and threw himself into my arms, I fell to my knees while I held him against me. "Daddy, I am so d that you''re home. I missed you."


    "I missed you too."


    His words had been heard by the others though, and we could suddenly hear the loud pounding of footstepsing from everywhere in the house. Star was the next one in the room, closely followed by Brayden and Jodan. Behind her all of my boys, aside from Julian who was away at college, came running into the room.


    Chay with her daughter Ka, Vivian with her daughter Sage running behind her and her new baby boy, Briar, in her arms following as well. Soon my parents and aunt, E, and Star''s Grandpa Daniel all made their way into the room. The only ones not here right now were the triplets, or so I thought. They had been in the back of the house apparently. Most likely baking away their worries. But they came into the roomst, smiles on their faces.


    Everyone was running to the person they most wanted to see. I was, of course, surrounded by the most people as there were more of my kids than anyone else''s. I peeked over their heads and saw that Dakotah was just standing there, lost and confused.


    It took me a minute, but I separated myself from my kids, wife, and family to make my way over to my cousin.


    "Dakotah?" I called her name when I was in front of her.


    "Is Morgan still on his way home? He probably had to ride in a different vehicle than you guys, right? Too many people in one truck." I saw her force a smile and give a bit of nervousughter.


    "Dakotah, I''m so sorry-."


    "No." She cut me off and didn''t let me finish. "He''s still on his way home, that''s all." I saw Larson, Morgan''s little boy standing behind his mom, looking at me with worried eyes. He was almost three years old and I could tell that he knew something was wrong.


    "Mommy?" He walked up to her and tugged on her sleeve. "Momm, where is Daddy?"


    "Daddy is-." She tried to talk, tried to say something. "Daddy is-." She tried again but still couldn''t speak, but the tears were starting to stream down her face. "Daddy is-." That time she broke.


    I caught Dakotah as she copsed. I took her with me to my knees as I held her close. Dakotah was my cousin and Morgan was one of my best friends. I loved them both and here I was, telling one of them that the other was dead. I couldn''t do this.


    "I''m so sorry, Dahotah." I cried with her as I held her against my chest.


    "NOOO!" She screamed. "Noooooo" She sobbed and screamed the word so that it was slightly distorted. "Why? Why Artem? Whyyyyy?" She was being destroyed by this news and I knew it, but there was nothing that I could do to help her.


    "I am so sorry, Dakotah." I repeated those words, they were almost like a defense mechanism for me at this point, but I had to say more. I had to help her understand what had happened. "He was a hero of the war. He helped us and protected so many people. He died a hero."


    "Why did he have to go? Why did he have to leave me?"


    "I don''t know." I cried as I held her and felt the eyes of everyone else in the room on us. The cheerful, happy return to home had be a quiet and heartbreaking event.


    "I want him back, Artem. Bring him back for me, please."


    "I can''t bring him back, Dakotah, I''m sorry. I''m so sorry."


    This went on for a very long time. Dakotah just sobbed in my arms until she couldn''t cry anymore at all. When she was somewhat calmed down I was able to tell her, and the others, exactly what happened. I told her that we would be having a funeral for all those that had been lost and they would always be known as heroes among our pack. That didn''t make her feel any better though. And what she told me next wasn''t going to make me feel any better either.


    "Why did he have to leave me now, Artem? Why? When we have another baby on the way. Why did he have to go?"


    I hadn''t known that she was pregnant before we left. I am guessing it either happened right before we left or they were just waiting to tell us all. Perhaps it was the night before we left.


    "I wish he was still here, Dakotah, but I will make sure that the baby and Larson both know what a great man their father was."


    "We were going to tell you all, the night that you got the call to go to battle. We were going to share the news but then he didn''t want to tell you yet, because he thought you would make him stay home with me. I want to go back in time, Artem. I want to make him tell you and have you make him stay home. I want my husband back." She was crying again. I had a feeling that the tears were going to be nearly constant for her for a while. We would all be here for her, though. We would all be here to help her through this, in whatever way she needed us.


    Telling the others didn''t go any easier. If anything, it was harder, because they weren''t close to me and neither were their families. I did my best though and tried tofort them. There were a lot of tears in my home that day.


    And there were even more three dayster when we had the funerals for all those that we had lost. I gave them the highest honor that I could for a pack burial. I made sure that they were all given a ce in the pack cemetery with especially carved headstones, made by Aaron himself.


    During that funeral, the entire pack hade, and every single person was crying aside from the young children who didn''t understand what had happened. That made it even harder in my opinion. The children didn''t understand what had happened and couldn''t convey the same emotions that we adults were. That was heartbreaking in and of itself.


    So many lives had been ruined that night. I just wish that it hadn''t happened, I wish that I could have saved them all.. I wish that I could have protected them all like an Alpha should.

 Chapter 215 - Epilogue 9

    <strong>[The Family Is Growing Again]</strong>


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    There had been something that we waited a little while to tell everyone. Something major that we didn''t want to make it seem like we were trying to lessen the tragedy of what had happened.


    I hadn''t noticed when I first got home because I was swarmed by everyone, their scents mingling together, but Star was pregnant again. She had apparently gotten pregnant the night before I left for the war. I had been a little extra passionate with her that night, just in case. I had known that dying was a possibility, we all had. And that possibility came true for one of us in the house.


    Still, I had been happy about the baby. I just didn''t want to show that joy to the others just yet. I wanted to give everyone time to grieve the loss. The night that we decided that we were going to tell everyone was the night that Julian came home for the summer. His semester ended in the middle of May, and Star was just about a month pregnant by then. We couldn''t hold off with telling people though, she was already starting to show, more than she had before.


    "Can I have everyone''s attention please?" I stood at the table full of friends and family. Julian had been getting so much love from his brothers and everyone else that he was flushed in the face and smiling happily. Spencer was here as well, having dinner with us since they had gone to have lunch at Will''s beforeing here.


    "I am so happy to finally have all my boys home with us. It has been a hard year for everyone, and we have missed Julian so much. I am also d to have my bonus son, or should I say my future son inw. Thank you, Spencer, for being part of Julian''s life. We are all lucky to have you."


    "Frankly, Mr. Cooper, I feel like the lucky one." I saw the way that he looked at my boy and smiled. It was nice to know that they were happy. And I couldn''t believe that in October Julian and I would both be in our twenties. That just sounded weird and made meugh.


    "That''s good. Now, Star and I have an announcement to make. Something that I don''t think we should wait to tell all of you."


    I turned to look at Star, at how beautiful and radiant she was. She had just turned twenty-two and I was about to announce that we were going to be having another baby. With the adopted boys this would make sixteen children. I wonder if anyone ever looked at either of us and thought that before I turned twenty-eight, or just a little after she turned twenty-two, that we would have sixteen children? I highly doubt it. Still, it was an amazing thing, to have this much love in our daily lives.


    "What is it, Dad?" Flint asked me. I looked at him, tall and strong and about to be an adult soon himself. He had the look of a confident and capable person, so unlike the scared little thirteen year old boy I met so long ago. And I am happy to say that he was still dating Reba, two years and counting now. I had a feeling that, like Julian, he had found his mate early. That was good, these kids deserve all the breaks they could get.


    "Well, Flint, I am proud to announce to all of you that your mom is going to have another baby."


    The uproar was instantaneous and deafening. Everyone started to cry out with joy and excitement. Even Brayden and Jodan, who were three and a half and two and a half years old now knew what we were talking about.


    "Mommy is having a baby?" Brayden cried out.


    "I want to see the baby." Jodan added. The two of them had been such early talkers, and their development was way beyond what you would normally expect. I guess that they had a lot of examples, lots of older brothers after all.


    "You have to wait until October to see the baby." I told them. "The new baby should be here by the beginning of the month."


    "No fair." Dalton joked with us. "I want to see my baby brother now."


    "It could be a sister this time." Benton informed him.


    "I want a sister." Gil was excited. "There are way too many boys already. Mom and Dad deserve a daughter."


    "I don''t know, it''s just been brothers for so long." Zackughed.


    "Yeah, but I think a sister would be nice." Timothy was grinning.


    "Yeah, I want a sister." Marcus was bouncing in his seat.


    "Yes, give them a break from all us guys." Rickyughed.


    "Yeah, and we can protect her." Will nodded at me as if that was a given.


    "I think a little baby sister would be amazing." Julian was grinning. "I can''t wait."


    "Yeah, no more brothers, bring on the sister." Cohen cheered.


    "Sister, sister, sister." Kevin chanted.


    "Yeah, I hope it''s a girl too." Leslie beamed.


    "I think most of us are in agreement then, we hope Mom has a girl. Oh, and we''re all very excited." Flint summed up the responses from them all.


    "Well, I am d we have the approval of all fifteen of them." Starughed. "Thank you boys, all of you. I love you so much, and I am happy that we can add one more to our family."


    "Yeah, us too Mommy." Dalton smiled. "I can''t wait to meet the baby, whether it is a boy or a girl." He nodded at her and that left the discussion open for the rest of them.


    Now, over the course of the next five months there were going to be two new babies in the house, since Star and Dakotah were both due around the same time. I just know this is going to be a positive for us all.


    "I should get the clinic ready and do some ultrasounds for you both soon." Doc beamed at them both.. "I have to do my job after all."

 Chapter 216 - Epilogue 10

    <strong>[Growing More Than We Thought]</strong>


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    It didn''t take Doc long to prep the clinic. He wanted to start doing the routine check ups on both Dakotah and Star. In truth, he wanted to start Dakotah''s already, but she had refused because of the grief she had been feeling. Now though, she was a little less oppositional than she had been. I think that she had been so scared to go through the pregnancy alone.


    Now that Star was pregnant as well, she seemed a little more easygoing about it all. I was happy to see that too. I didn''t want to watch her make herself sick or hurt the baby because of her grief. We needed to keep her moving forward, not just for her sake, but also for Larson and the new baby''s sakes as well.


    Kent and I took Dakotah and Star to the clinic the day after we had announced our pregnancy. Kent was chosen because he was also one of Morgan''s best friends, but he wasn''t married to one of the triplets so he was the one chosen since he wasn''t going to be standing in the middle of the sisters and their loss.


    "Come now, Dakotah, you first." Doc coaxed her, and Star was there to help encourage her as well.


    "It''s alright, Dakotah. Do you want me to hold your hand?" Star offered with a smile.


    "Would you?" Dakotah was still looking so lost.


    "Of course." Star smiled and held onto her friend''s hand.


    Doc started with finding the baby''s heartbeat on the doppler. I remembered how he had done that for Star before. After he located the quick yet steady heartbeat I saw Dakotah give the first smile that I had seen from her in weeks.


    "That''s my baby." She was grinning. "That''s part of Morgan." She was crying happy tears. "I n to name the baby Morgan." She said while looking at me. "It''s a universal name, male or female, so I want to give the baby his name so that I know that he left behind a piece of him when he died."


    "That is a very good idea." I took her other hand and squeezed it tightly. I think that Morgan would be happy to hear that."


    "He would, wouldn''t he?" She was still crying, but it was soft, happy tears now.


    After that Doc pulled over the ultrasound machine and started to check the baby on the machine.


    "Everything looks fine so far. You can see the baby right there."


    "A new little baby blob." Kent joked as he looked at the ultrasound. "It looks just like Morgan already." That helped to break some more of Dakotah''s tension, and sheughed, she genuinelyughed when she heard those words.


    "Morgan would have made a joke just like that." She giggled. "Thank you, Kent."


    "That''s why I am here."


    "I am happy for you." I squeezed my cousin''s hand and helped her to sit up now that her ultrasound was over.


    "This is going to be a good thing, you will see." Star beamed at her. "We are going through it together this time."


    "Yeah, preggo friends." Dakotah smiled. "Can I stay to watch your ultrasound?"


    "Of course. I would be sad if you didn''t."


    I helped my wife up onto the bed next. I was being a little too helpful though, cause when I tried to help her lean back she yelled at me.


    "I''m not that pregnant yet, Artem. Let me be a little independent." Everyone else in the roomughed at me when she snapped at me.


    "I was just trying to help." I hung my head sadly. "Sorry."


    "I know, but still, it was a little too much for right now. Save it for when I am further along."


    "OK." I grinned at her. She gave me permission to coddle her when she was further along, she just doesn''t realize it yet.


    Doc started by trying to get the baby''s heart rate on the doppler next. He had cleaned the other gel off of it and pressed it to Star''s belly. However there was a strange echoing from it.


    "What the hell?" Doc sounded frustrated. "It''s all messed up now."


    "Did it get messed up when you cleaned it?" Kent wondered.


    "It shouldn''t have." Doc shrugged. "No worries, I can just check the heartbeat on the ultrasound. I only use the doppler so I know where to focus the ultrasound." He shrugged and got right to work.


    Doc put that now familiar blue gel onto Star''s belly and grabbed the ultrasound wand. He pressed it to her belly, and it showed an image simr to what Dakotah''s was. Right there, that''s what I saw on Dakotah''s scan just a moment ago. That is the baby.


    Only, why is there more than one?


    As I was looking at the screen, I counted the items that Doc had pointed out before and said that it was the baby. OK, one, two, three.


    Three?


    Three?


    Are there really three babies in there right now?


    "Th..th..this is unexpected." Doc was a little nervous. but then heughed. "What the hell, Artem? Did you put in triple the effort or something?" He wasughing harder now.


    "What is it?" Star was looking nervous now.


    "Star, w..w..we''re having t..tr..tri..triplets." I was grinning like an idiot while Kent and Dakotah looked at the screen with bewilderment.


    "He is absolutely right." Doc confirmed. Congrattions Star, you''re having triplets. And they will be identical since they all seem to havee from one egg."


    That was news that we hadn''t expected. We were overjoyed though. Three more babies all at once. That would be fine, we could manage it. And when we told all of the kids and the rest of the family, they were just as happy as we were.


    Only now, I kind of hoped it was all boys. Could you imagine all the other boys if they had three sisters who started to date all at the same time?

 Chapter 217 - Epilogue 11

    <strong>[Fifteen Happy Boys]</strong>


    ~~


    Artem


    ~~


    When we told the boys about having not one, but three babies, they were overjoyed. They all started making ns on how they could help, and what it was that they needed to do for us. They truly were good kids.


    And then, a little over a monthter when we found out that we were having identical triplet girls, they were even happier. They wanted to immediately go and buy up everything that was cute and frilly and girly at the store. I think they were likely to go way more overboard than anyone else over these girls.


    They were used to having girls around the house, that wasn''t the issue. Hanna, Sage, Ka, Tabitha (Reed''s daughter) and Paisley (Toby''s little girl) have been here for years now, but they weren''t their sisters. This, ording to them, was more special because it was their actual little sisters.


    There was another baby shower, mostly just to celebrate that we were going to be having three girls at once. To be honest though, I think it was Dakotah, Criztie, and Sydney who were the most excited, being that the three of them were identical triplets as well. They already felt like kindred spirits with the babies, and they hadn''t even been born yet.


    Star was due at the beginning of October, but Doc said that she would have the babies early because of them being triplets. She needed to stay off of her feet and rest as much as she could when it got closer to the due date.


    Doc truly rmended that she go on bed rest at the beginning of September. He said that it wouldn''t be that bad considering that she would likely deliver sometime just past the middle of the month. He was predicting that she would go two to three weeks before the due date.


    Star did as Doc suggested and went on bedrest by the first of September. She was already getting really ufortable, and it was hard for her to walk around or move at all. The older boys were there to help her out a lot as well. Considering that they were all almost four years older than when Star was pregnant the first time, they were able to do a lot more.


    When we first got the boys, they ranged in age from six to fifteen, now they were between ten and neen. And next month the youngest and oldest would be eleven and twenty. So much time had passed that it was honestly a little surreal.


    While I went to work during the day, Mom, Dad, Aaron, Vivian, Grandpa Daniel, Aunt Criztie, and Chay were all at home to help with the younger kids and to help take care of Star. Dakotah, who was due at the end of September with her own little girl, was already taking time off. Criztie, Sydney, and E were handling the bakery.


    Star surpassed Doc''s prediction. She didn''t have the girls in the middle of September. When September the twenty-ninth came, and Dakotah had her little girl, which she did indeed name Morgan, Star was still holding strong with the three little ones still inside her belly.


    When Morgan was born, she looked so much like her dad. Just looking at her made me miss my friend so much. When I held her for the first time, I looked into her tiny little face and made a promise to her.


    "I promise, little one, that I will protect you. I will protect you like I wanted to protect your daddy. I won''t fail this time, Morgan. I promise."


    Star made it all the way until October the seventh before she went intobor with the girls. She tried to remain calm, but I don''t think that is possible when you''re having triplets. This time though, she knew what to do. Star was prepared for this since it was the third time she was having a baby. Well, the third, fourth, and the fifth time that she was having them.


    I swear it went by so much faster than the previous two. Star''s water broke, and it was almost like she had five minutes before the first little girl was out into the world. We were naming the first one Elise. Ten minutester and baby number two was here. That one was Isabelle. Another eight minutes or so and thest little girl was born. Olivia.


    Three little girls, who all looked just like my beautiful Star, and I was the happiest daddy in the world right now. I finally got to hold and see these sweet little angels. While Star rested, and we waited for the boys to get home from school, I got to just sit there with the girls and bond with them. Brayden and Jodan had already got to meet them, and I did a video call with Julian who was going to fly home this weekend to see his sisters.


    I sat back in the bed, propped up against the pillows, and held all three of them against my chest at the same time. They were so little, much smaller than the boys had been, but they were still strong and healthy, and so perfect.


    As predicted, the boys were all going gaga over them when they got home. They fought each other on who got to hold them first. They gushed over how much they looked like their mom, and they were already talking about how much they were going to love and protect their little sisters.


    Two days after the girls were born Star said something that surprised me.


    "Artem, I think we should be done having kids." She looked at me with sincere eyes and a crooked smile.


    "Why do you say that, baby?" I couldn''t fathom what it was that she was getting at.


    "We already have so many. Fifteen boys and three girls. It''s a good amount, don''t you think?" She smiled at me. "Plus, as much as I love being pregnant, it''s so hard on me at the end." She did have a point there.


    "OK sweetheart, we''ll be done." I kissed her cheek and felt a slight rush inside of me.


    My family was done? No more babies would be added in the future. That was kind of nice in a way. It meant that I knew just how many people were going to be in my family. Besides, I could always just wait for the grandkids in the future, and there were going to be other babies from my family and friends that surrounded us.


    I admit it was a little sad, knowing that I would never see my seed quicken inside my mate again; however, that didn''t mean that we couldn''t have lots of fun together while we practiced the art of baby making. No one ever said that we needed to be trying to have a baby to make love. And since I know that she will never be pregnant again, there will be no reason for us to go a few months without sex again. That''s always the hardest part for me, having to keep my hands to myself from the end of the pregnancy and for a while after it was over.


    It was time to focus on our future though, since our not so little family was finallyplete.

 Chapter 218 - Epilogue 12

    <strong>[Sweet Sixteens Part 1]</strong>


    For some reason, when the Cooper girls decided to tell their boyfriends about their sweet sixteen birthday party they were a little nervous about it. Even though they had all three asked them at different points during the day, they all three acted in a simr manner.


    Elise, the oldest of the three and therefore the self proimed leader of the trio, had met her boyfriend first thing in the morning when she got to school.


    "Brad!" She called out to him while running up to his side, smiling happily. Brad, a junior and one year older than Elise, always loved it when he saw his girlfriend. He was hoping that when they both turned eighteen they would be mated for real.


    "Elise." He swept the beautiful girl off her feet and into his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to her fair cheek and looking into her beautiful blue eyes while he stroked her long golden hair. She was, in his current opinion, the love of his life.


    "I missed you." Elise hugged him tight with her arms around his neck.


    "So, what is going on? You look like you want to ask me something."


    "Well, I do." She giggled at him. "My parents said that I could invite you to my birthday party this weekend." She was excited, and he knew why, this was a major birthday so there would be a lot of people there. And her Dad was the High Alpha of the area. That meant that he was a Noble, and so was she.


    "That''s amazing. I wouldn''t miss it for the world."


    Isabelle, the more shy and reserved of the three, loved sports and was therefore at practice first thing in the morning. She was ying ser with a team that was mixed, half boys and half girls, and she was currently the MVP of the game. Her boyfriend, Tyler, was ying with her. Once they were done, however, she decided to call him over so they could walk to ss together. They had been dating for about a year and were both sophomores.


    "T..T..Tyler?" She tried to start but was a little nervous.


    "What''s wrong?" He grinned at her to let her know it was OK to talk to him.


    "W..well, my parents said that I could invite you to my birthday this weekend, so, d..do you want toe?"


    This shocked Tyler because in the year they had been going out, just after the start of Freshman year, he had never met her parents. She often talked about them, but she would just say my brother this and my brother that. He knew about her sisters of course since they were triplets, but she apparently has a couple of brothers too. One of them had been in the school as a senior the year they were freshmen.


    "I would love toe." Does this mean that she thought that they were true mates? Bringing him home to meet her family finally.


    Olivia, the most outgoing of the three, who was always surrounded by friends, had told everyone that she wanted some time alone with her boyfriend, Nn. His eyes went wide when he heard that, but was grinning by the time that everyone had left them alone.


    "So, why did you want to be alone with me?" He was smirking at her and looking rather hopeful.


    "Well, as you know, my birthday is this weekend, and my parents said that I could invite you." That shocked him a lot, he had never once met her family. They were like an elusive and mysterious entity to him. The High Alpha and his family. They were so far above poor little Nn that he didn''t know what he should do about it. Or that was how he had felt.


    "Yes, of course I wille meet them." He was happy and nodded his head excitedly.


    "That''s good." Olivia beamed at him. "My sisters are asking their boyfriends as well. If they all say yes, then we wille pick you up the day of the party. Meet us at the park, OK?"


    "You can''t drive yet." Heughed as he reminded her.


    "I know that. We will have someone drive us to pick you up." She was d that he said yes, but she also knew that he didn''t really understand what meeting her family was all about.


    All three girls told their parents that their boyfriends said yes to meeting the family.


    "That''s wonderful news." Star, who was now almost forty but didn''t look a day older than twenty-five, pped joyfully.


    "Yeah, but did you tell them about our family?" Artem, who was actually forty-three years old now but only looked like he was thirty, looked at his three little girls with skeptical eyes.


    "We''ve mentioned you to them before." Elise was being evasive.


    "Yeah, it''s not like they think that we''re orphans." Olivia added as a joke. Artem grinned at them and eyed the middle daughter, the one that was more reserved, more quiet, and more honest.


    "Isabelle, do any of these boys know just what they''re walking into?"


    "I..I..-." She faltered for a moment then hung her head. "No Daddy, they don''t."


    "Oh, this is going to be fun." Brayden pped his hands together as he smiled evilly.


    "Very fun." Jodan added, matching his brother''s look.


    As Artem looked around the room, he saw that the six sons that were currently at the house all wore almost identical looks of pure mischief.


    ''Oh, what were these knuckleheads thinking?'' Artem thought to himself. ''They need to hide this better, or Star is going to see right through them. They won''t get their chance to grill these boys alive if they''re too obvious about it. ''Come on guys, don''t ruin this for me.''


    "Now, none of you better give those boys a hard time." Dammit, see? Star knew just what they were nning.


    "We won''t, Mom, we promise." Jodan kissed Star''s cheek and left the room.


    "Yeah Mom, we''ll be good." Cool it there, Brayden, that looked so evil that for a second I thought you were holding a red balloon and wearing a clown suit.


    "We''re just excited to meet them, that''s all Mom." Cohen added as he followed his younger brothers out of the room.


    "Yup, just excited." Dalton left next.


    "Don''t worry about us, Mom." Benton grinned.


    "We won''t do anything to them." Gil smirked, nearly ruining it all as he left after the others.


    "Those boys are up to something." Star red at the door.


    "Don''t be ridiculous." Iughed and tried to wave away her worries. If she is on guard too much at the party, then I won''t be able to have any fun when meeting my precious little girls'' boyfriends for the first time.


    ''Heh heh heh.'' The evilugh was all for the inside of my head. I promise they will survive the party, but I would make sure that they knew what would happen if they were to mistreat my little girls. And her brothers would be there to help me drive home that warning.. Oh, in situations like this, having arge family was the best.

 Chapter 219 - Epilogue 13

    <strong>[Sweet Sixteens Part 2]</strong>


    The following weekend, the Cooper girls rode into town with their Uncle Bailey so that they could pick up the three boys who were walking right into their doom, I mean joining the Cooper n for the birthday celebrations.


    I mean, it is possible that they weren''t going to bepletely ughtered by the fifteen overprotective brothers and the berserker dad who has never had the misfortune, I mean, pleasure of meeting his daughters'' boyfriends before.


    Oh, if only those poor, unfortunate boys could hear my words right now, they would be running for the hills, screaming in a panic so that they didn''t need to fear for their lives. But, s, they cannot hear me, and so they are indeed walking right into a trap.


    "Good afternoon, boys." Bailey grinned at the boys as he and the girls got out of the car at the park.


    "Good afternoon, Sir." Brad grinned at him first and shook his hand.


    "Good afternoon to you as well, Sir." Tyler held out his hand and shook Bailey''s hand next; they were being very polite and respectful as any proper young man should be.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Sir. I am Nn. Are you Mr. Cooper?" Bailey grinned as thest boy shook his hand.


    "I am afraid not. I am the uncle to these three lovelydies. Bailey Westbrook."


    "It''s nice to meet you, Mr. West-."


    "Ah ah, just call me Bailey, or Uncle Bailey. All the kids that I know that call me Mr. Westbrook are my students."


    "Oh, I get it. Sure thing, Uncle Bailey." Bailey smiled, he thought the boys were nice, pleasant, and eager to please. Artem was going to eat them alive.


    The seven of them piled into one of therge SUVs that the family had. It wasn''t the same one that Reece had given them years and years ago, but it was simr. That is to say that it was ck, would seat eight people easily, and perfect for either luxury or rugged terrain. And with all the advancements they had made with technology over thest twenty years since they met the King and Queen, the car practically drove itself. It was quite amazing really.


    "So, boys ,I hear this is your first timeing to the house." Bailey didn''t need to say this; he knew it was true since he and Chay still lived at the pack house.


    "That''s right."


    "Yup."


    "It is." The boys offered their responses quickly, and Bailey smirked.


    "Then I do hope you enjoy your visit with the ''entire'' family." He put an emphasis on that one word, and the boys noticed right away.


    "Entire family?" Nn looked confused.


    "That''s right, didn''t the girls tell you boys how big their family is?"


    "No, we just know that there are the three of them, their parents, and a couple of brothers." Tyler added this info for Bailey.


    "Ladies, you know it''s not nice to lie." He smirked at them in the mirror. "Shame on you."


    "We''ve not lied." Olivia flipped her hair. "We just didn''t tell them how many there were." She giggled and so did the other two.


    "How many what?" Brad wondered out loud.


    "How many brothers that they have." Bailey was still grinning.


    "How many do they have?" Nn looked at Olivia with an inquisitive look.


    "Not an overly excessive amount." She batted her eyes and looked right back at him.


    "How much is not excessive?" Brad asked as he looked at Elise.


    "It''s fine, sweetie, don''t worry about it."


    "Isa, how many brothers do you have?" Nn asked Isabelle who was a lot more honest than her sisters and couldn''t lie to him.


    "W..well, we, uhm, we have fifteen brothers."


    The silence that followed that deration was so thorough that you could have heard a pin drop. All three boys were wearing matching looks of pure shock.


    "F..f..f..fi..fi..fif..fif-." Brad couldn''t get the word out so apparently Tyler took up the reins and tried.


    "F..fi..fif..fiftee..fif..fif-." Nope even he couldn''t do it, let''s see if Nn has the guts to say it.


    "Fi..fi..fif..fifteen?" Oh, that''s a good boy. You can always count on Nn, he seemed like a nice level headed boy.


    "THAT isn''t an excessive amount of brothers to you?" Tyler demanded thenughed.


    "Oh, Goddess." Brad buried his face in his hands.


    Be strong boys, it''s far toote to turn back now. You just need to stay strong and push through it all.


    A few momentster, Bailey was pulling the car up to the house. He didn''t want to give the boys a chance to get out and run away so he had pulled all the way up and was almost around the back of the house where the others could see them already.


    In the distance, Bailey could see that all of those brothers and that protective daddy were looking their way. They had spotted the vessel that was delivering their prey.


    ''Oooh, it looks like the fun is about to start.'' Bailey thought to himself as the sixteen testosterone fueled bodyguards, I mean, family members were stalking their way.


    The girls were the first ones out of the SUV, and they practically had to coax the boys out with promises of food and other rewards just to make them slide out after them. Artem was standing nearby with a wicked grin on his face, and so were all of his sons.


    It was funny how even the kids that weren''t his biologically were wearing looks that were identical to his. They had assumed his physical traits or something over the years. Even sweet and gentle Julian was looking at the three young men with an evil protective look. Oh and look, Spencer, Julian''s husband, had just joined them. I guess these girls would never have enough protectors. Especially since Reed, Kent, Toby and Aaron just joined them as well. Bailey would have, but he had already done his job by going to get them. That had been really fun.


    If Bailey would have joined them, it would have ruined the aesthetic of it all though. There were three girls, three boyfriends, and twenty-one protectors. All multiples of three now, isn''t that funny?


    Most of the party guests, which were just family right now, were watching on with gleeful smiles as the group was prepared to give the boys hell.


    "I hear you three are dating our sisters." Flint was the one to start the conversation.


    "Yeah, who said you could do that?" Cohen asked them with a slight amount of fabricated malice.


    "I don''t remember saying any of you could touch my sisters." Jodan, the evil little child killing clown, was giving them a look that would earn him a role in a horror movie on the spot, no audition required.


    "Oh stop it, all of you." Star swooped in to the rescue, saving the poor boys from more mental scars than they had already gotten.


    "We''re just letting them know that we all love the girls very much." Aaron smiled at his daughter. "We can''t have them disrespecting them now, can we?"


    "W..w..we won''t!" Tyler was scared shitless.


    "W..w..we promise that we won''t." Brad added as he sweated bullets.


    "Y..y..yeah, w..w..we will be g..g..good to them. We sw..sw..swear." Nn rounded them out.


    "That''s all we wanted to hear." Artem gave them his berserker look, and all three boys gulped. "Treat my babies right, and we won''t have a problem."


    Thank the Goddess after that little scene the party was able to move on properly. The other guests arrived, and everyone had a good time. Even the three traumatized boys had fun. Though they could all swear that they kept feeling someone ring at them the entire time.


    That must just be their imaginations, right? No one was really looking at them with murderous intent as they danced with the three pretty girls. No one was truly thinking about the best way to make the three boys disappear from the picture so that they didn''t do anything inappropriate to them. And surely none of them thought that these three upstanding, proper young men were anything other than perfectly respectable. I mean, they would have to be pretty stupid to do anything to these girls.


    It''s a good thing that they all loved the girls very much and nned on sticking with them forever.. And it''s a good thing that two yearster all three girls mated with those boys and those boys were going to be part of the family forever. Lucky for them, right?

 Chapter 220 - Epilogue 14

    <strong>[Grandpa''s Big Birthday]</strong>


    ~~


    Star


    ~~


    I can''t believe how long it''s been. Artem and I have been together just shy of thirty five years. I was about to celebrate my fifty-third birthday. Artem himself was already fifty-eight. Later this year, our youngest children; Elise, Isabelle, and Olivia, were going to be thirty one. Man, time flies.


    Between all of our eighteen children, who were all mated and married, we had sixty-three grandchildren. That was a lot to keep track of. The average was three and a half from each of our kids, but since that wasn''t a possibility, it was obviously not how it went. However, they ranged from two to five kids each.


    Today though, March the fifteenth, was my great great grandfather''s birthday. This man, who had been vital in giving useful information back when Artem needed to save me, had tried to save as many of his kids and grandkids as possible, and it was time to celebrate this man.


    I couldn''t believe that he was still here at one hundred and fifty years old. And the crazy thing was, he had stopped aging long ago. We all had really. Once we got to a certain age it was like time slowed down so much that we barely looked any older. I was over fifty but I still looked like I was in myte twenties or early thirties. The same went for Artem, Mom, Dad, all our cousins. Even Artem''s parents and Aunt stopped aging.


    And it wasn''t just us either. All the wolves around had stopped aging. Will, from the next pack over, was approaching seventy-five, I think, but he still looked the same as when I met him. Trinity and Reece, the wolves all over the world, as well as all the other shifters, had seemingly be immortal. I wonder if this had something to do with Trinity or if the Gods and Goddesses had stepped in for us.


    Still, thesest several years, actually more than just several since it''s been three and a half decades; however you wanted to look at it, they''ve been amazing and wonderful.


    When I met Artem, I had been scared, terrified, really. I thought my life was over, and I was going to die. Then I learned that he would not only protect me at all costs, but kill to defend me. He did everything for me. He made my life special and gave me a purpose.


    He gave me my children. The biological ones, as well as the ones that we adopted. If it hadn''t been for him, neither me nor those thirteen of our boys would have had a chance at life. Artem was, and always will be, our hero. I just know that I will never be able to do enough to thank him for all that he has done.


    Moving on from all of that though, we had all been trying our best to make sure that this party for Grandpa was special. I mean, he was the first person that we personally knew, aside from Leelin, that had made it to their one hundred and fiftieth birthday. Leelin didn''t count in this aspect though, since she was a witch and was past that age when we met her. Plus, she didn''t look like she was that old at all.


    Everyone in the family wasing for the party. There were over a hundred people. I loved having arge family, but even I got dizzy when I thought about just how big that family of ours had gotten. Just imagine when Artem and I have great grandkids, how many of them are there going to be then? That was mind blowing, honestly.


    There were balloons everywhere, streamers and a huge cake that was actually going to have one hundred and fifty candles. Dad and I were going to use magic to light them all at the same time so the wax didn''t melt while we lit them one by one. There was a mountain of gifts, and so many kids that none of us knew what to do.


    Grandpa, surrounded by his great, great, great, great grandchildren, looked like the happiest man alive. It isn''t often that someone is around long enough to see that many generations together all at the same time.


    The party got underway, and we were all enjoying the day. I couldn''t have been more happy with how things were going. The love of my family, friends, and my mate was all surrounding me at this moment. What else could I ever want out of life?


    That night, after the party, I was standing and watching the sun go down from the back of the house. The mess from the day had been cleaned up, and you couldn''t even tell that there had been a party here earlier.


    "Hey there, beautiful." Artem slid his arm around my waist as he came to stand next to me.


    "Hey there, handsome" I returned his greeting.


    "What are you standing here thinking about so intently?"


    "Just reminiscing on our life so far. I can''t believe it''s almost been thirty-five years. Can you?"


    "Hell no." Heughed as he answered me. "If I think about it I start to wonder why I still look pretty much the same. This whole immortality stuff is sort of weird."


    I saw him look down at his wrist. It was bare, no bracelet from Aunt Glory to help him stay young with me. He had taken it off when he realized that no one else was aging anymore. He didn''t need that gift to stay with me forever.


    "I know. It''s a little surreal to think about. And the fact that I can remember the day we met like it was just yesterday." I smiled at him.


    "Oh, you mean the day that I swept in hoping to be your knight in shining armor, and you passed out, terrified, at the very sight of me?" Heughed. "Yeah, I still remember every second of that day too. I remember all of our moments, the good and the bad. And I am happy to say that over thest thirty-five years there have been way, way, way more good moments than bad."


    "That''s all thanks to you, Artem." I told him as I kissed his lips softly.


    Oh Goddess, I love this man so much.


    THE END


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