by Sky Wilde
My mom smacks my head. Ow...
“You would try to prove your Alpha prowess on your own children?” She yells at me right through my ear.
I clutch my ears and mutter back, “Not me... never me... it was the shifter.”
She smacks my head again, “A mother will defend her children with her life. If she thinks you to be a threat, she will not stand back because of your mate bond. By seeing what had happened, she didn’t...”
I lower my head more. “Yes... she didn’t stop from hurting me...” I force my magic into healing and whisper, “If not for my mate bond, she might have even killed me, right?” My mom gives a tight nod at my assumption.
Damned shifter... I can understand that he saw everything as a threat when December was sprawled unconscious on the ground. But hurting the little child was too much...
My mom continues, “I just think, from the report you gave, some life force of your mate had passed over to her new son when she tried to save him.”
Yeah, December did say that she prayed to Nyx and healed the boy.
“What does it mean?”
“It means... she is now sharing a motherly bond with him. Just like when she gives birth and transfers some of her life force to the progeny and acquires a motherly bond with her child. December shares the same with the new boy, and by extension, his sister. Even I don’t share such a strong bond with you... Maybe the way she got them strengthened it, like they had spent a century together.”
My mom smacks me again.
“Sorry, mom...” I whisper. She shakes her head, stands up and pulls me by my ear. Ouch...
“Take her inside. Take care of her and apologize to the children. Do anything they want you to do. Then you shall be free; don’t rest before that.” She scolds me and leaves the place.
Motherly bond. Is a motherly bond powerful than a mate bond? I got to ask my mom this question... But, my mate comes first. With December in my arms I re-enter the house as I cover both of our naked bodies with the blanket mom placed over me. Ordering the maids to clean up the mess, I take my mate to her room and place her in the bed. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I sit down beside her.
Whew... She was just so, sooo powerful.
Throwing me like nothing, through so many walls...
Well, my ego and pride is the only things which took heavy assault. My bones have already knitted together and wounds have healed completely. Still, I deserve it. I must never have allowed my shifter to take full reins and I must have stopped him from hurting Aiden and Lara...
My December looked like an avenging goddess at that time. Floating down from the sky to protect her children—our children— from her own mate. That feels like something straight out of a movie. Where my Dee plays the protagonist part.
I look over to my December to see that her face has worry lines. Her hair is a mess, and her dress is mostly burnt out. Yet, she is the most beautiful woman of the whole world... for me. Now that I notice closer, her mouth is moving, and I can hear faint whispers from her. I bring my face closer to hers and I can now distinctly make out words. I listen for some time, and it seems she is repeating the words again and again.
“Change. Change is inevitable. Change to the whole world is going to shake the system with war. A sorcerous soulmate with a bigger heart to hold five mates with her. Will. Be. The Key piece. Be safe my children...”
I quickly note it down. My mom had said something about this kind of prophecies from the vessel of Nyx, an Oracle. But... War? A war is coming? Let’s hope it brings only the best of results for all the soulmates.
I press a chaste kiss to her and she lolls her head to the opposite side, away from me... instinctively or not, on purpose or not, it still hurts me.
I will get back her trust. I will get our children’s trust back.
With that, I leave the room, ordering the now terrified maids to calm down and leave December alone.
Who knows what she is going to do when she wakes up...
*December*
FLOATING IN THE VOID now feels like I am home. Darkness comforts me now. No temptation to give in to... No responsibilities... Just a happy, free space.
“December. You are a mother now. You can’t abandon your responsibilities.” Nyx, my mother, floats beside me.
“I trusted my mate with them... but he had hurt them...” My voice feels like a shell to even me. How could he do that? Especially when I was out cold.
Thank god that Void is bendable. I always have my real body senses even down here, just muffled and ten times louder or powerful, yet also distorted.
When I heard Aiden whine from pain and Lara scream in fear, I lost it.
I had pushed through the natural boundaries of Void, and even before I knew what I was doing... I had hurt my mate... badly. I had broken his bones, almost burnt him from inside out; in lieu to my magic burning his flesh. If he hadn’t spoken to me and brought me out of the trance, I... I would have killed him... killed my own mate.
I would have killed myself if it had happened, I know that... But, why did it even come to that!?
“Damn it... why did it have to happen, mother? Isn’t mate bond supposed to be all powerful? Then, why did I ignore it for this new motherly feeling...?” I clutch my body tight. I know that I took them under my wing and I feel all motherly towards them, but my mate must have been first...
“December... Mother is not some post to have. When you asked me to heal the little one’s life force, you transferred your own life force to him... just like you would when you create a baby.” I cock my head at her.
“Yes. He is your own son now. Even if you didn’t give birth to him, he is one of your own. His sister is also your own now, because of the bond she and her brother shares.” Nyx adds before I even voice my question.
“And yes, a real mother bond is powerful than a mate-bond. There is a huge difference between your other half of the soul and your own soul... and by it... mother bond is powerful, as long as it is true and strong.” She answers the other question.
That answers everything. I can’t say that I am not disappointed, but I am just bursting with happiness.
I am a mother now.
“How did I end up here this time?” I remember tucking in Lara, then a sudden dizziness, and my son’s face in front of me before being pulled into void.
She presses a cold palm to my forehead, and multiple pictures assault my body. I can’t even comprehend a thing from them, but I can feel my real body whispering words, “Change. Change is inevitable. Change to the whole world is going to shake the system with war. A sorcerous soulmate with a bigger heart to hold five mates with her. Will. Be. The Key piece. Be safe my children...”
A Prophecy? The cold palm moves away from my forehead, and reality rushes back in. With force. And it makes me clutch my temples... damn, it hurts.
Nyx hugs me from behind and sings a lullaby. The pain recedes slowly.
“You know, it feels so weird for me to get hugged and hear lullabies... especially from a goddess.” I whisper with a giggle.
She laughs and presses a kiss to the back of my head. “You are my child, December. The mark of Nyx means I am with you... Don’t worry; everything will fall back into place. Now go back and take care of your children.”
My children. It brings so much joy. “You mean your grandchildren...” I grin and nudge her.
“Nope. Well, maybe...” She shakes her head, “You are the first one to ask me that. But I could say... they are going to grow into quite a handful...” Her face tries to hide a smile, but fails.
I giggle and whisper, “You mean their futures, I presume...”
“Be well, my child. Your little family is going to go through change. Remember, I am with you." She disappears into thin air.
Without answering my question.
Well, the future is fun when it is a surprise at every turn. So, I let it slide and focus on leaving the void. Slowly, I return to my conscious and I can feel my own body. I roll
over to my side and find that even the sun is setting. “Oh my God,” without my consent I yell out loud.
A maid pokes her head through the door, her eyes land on me and she abruptly closes the door with a wide-eyed expression. I can’t help but laugh at it.
She thinks I am dangerous.
I tread over to the closet, looking for a change of cloth. Mine are burnt obviously, showing a lot of perfect skin. Well, I could go like this for my mate... but since I have children now— yes! I can’t still comprehend it, I have children— I must be well dressed.
I put on a conservative top and a long maxi-skirt with it, and close it. Smoothing the hem of it, I feel much older than my nineteen self. I have a son of age seven or so, and it puts me in other’s view that I have given birth to him at the age of eleven or twelve... I shake my head at that thought.
Still, with this dress I feel like mid-twenties.
But, my height betrays the feeling. Being short is never easy, and I wonder... whether they will listen to me, when they grow up to be taller than me. Well, I got to raise them right... And I would have air to float over them, if they do not see me as an authority figure.
When I leave the room, a scream fills the air. I look over to see that the nearby maid has taken cover behind a plant and the many more maids are already on the run. I giggle and yell, “Don’t worry! I am back to normal.” The maid looks over from behind the plant and I offer a smile. She returns it with a faint one of hers.
“Little mistress, the children were asking for you for the past six hours. But, they fell asleep just now. Don’t worry; we maids forced Grey out from their room. Mistress's orders.” She approaches me.
Little mistress? Well, that is some promotion.
I smile back, she bows and goes back to her duty— whatever that is— and I turn toward my children’s room, just a few feet away from my own room. Grey lives in the master bedroom, and we had plans to shift mine to his before going to the vacation.
I shrug to myself and slip silently into the room. Many of the room furniture will be arriving soon... Lara is clutched tightly in an embrace by Aiden.
I smile at his protectiveness. Walking over to the bed, his ears twitch slightly. I sit by the side of it and he pops open an eye. He smiles warmly at me and moves to hug me. I hug my son back. His sister also wakes up from all the movement and we are one happy family in embrace.
“What happened to you?” Aiden whispers— not that I will call him Aiden to his face before he accepts the name.
I pat him on the head and press my cheek towards Lara. “Just some problems. Nothing to worry.” Aiden looks at his sister and shakes his head.
I look over to Lara to see what made him do so. And was surprised to find that she had fallen asleep... wow, she is going to beat me with this. I used to sleep most of the time, and I was able to sleep in mere seconds. Not anymore... Never after my life went into a stir.
“Is... Grey... not happy with us... being here?” Aiden whispers softly, his eyes downcast.
I yell at my mate, “Grey! Get your butt down here," in his mind.
“December! You are awake!” Grey whispers back.
“Awake and angry. Get your butt here.”
I gently nudge Aiden’s chin with my finger, and he looks me into the eye. I nuzzle his nose with mine and whisper, “He agrees. Let’s just say... he didn’t like you standing up to him, especially when you stood between him and his mate— me...” His face falls sad.
I press a kiss to his forehead and add, “That was brave of you. To protect me. Thank you. He just fears that you will protect me more than he would, and thus winning more of my affection than him. Just some man ego problems. So don’t worry so much. I think I now love you more than I love Grey.”
His face lights up and he nods. I gently trace my fingers over Lara’s sleeping form and whisper, “She did well too. And what is your age? I wanted to ask.”
He replies, “Almost seven and a half. My sister is just three and a quarter.” I giggle; he is adding quarters and half to age.
My son also laughs with me, not knowing what the matter even is.
I couldn’t ask for a better son than Aiden, and a cute daughter than Lara.
I take them both in my arms, and use wind to hover towards the window. Aiden whoops at the floating sensation... but Lara just sleeps soundly.
I go out the window and gently lower myself to the ground and place them both with me, sitting under a tree. The sun is at the horizon, casting the world in orange shades. Aiden slightly giggles and whispers, “That was badass of you... Throwing Grey out through the walls and windows like that.”
I shake my head, but still smile at him. We talk and giggle. Lara pops a finger into her mouth and sleeps more soundly than ever. Even us taking and giggling doesn’t wake that little girl up. I gently let her down and allow her to sleep on the grass. We both stand up and walk.
Aiden presses into my back and mutters, as I look back at him, “I have chosen a name.” My heart speeds up. Will he really let me name him, will he choose my name? He presses his face further into my body and his answer gets muffled, but I hear it loud and clear, “I will choose your name... mom.”
Such happiness flows through me. I hug him tight and he groans, “There! I said it. Now, stop embarrassing me before Grey comes.”
I giggle and twirl him around. Air whipping around us, we make generous circles in the garden. We both laugh together, our visions going crazy. Finally, we fall to the ground and I hug him tight to me. “I have the best son.” I whisper ever so quietly, but he must have heard it, because his face lights up like a thousand suns.
I look around, waiting for my mate to come.
Grey appears in my eyesight after a moment. His features bathe in golden light from the sunset. He makes my hear flutter and I almost forget that I was angry at him. Almost.
Aiden notices my change in posture, and looks at Grey. He gently withdraws from my embrace and whispers, “Don’t throw him out the window again. If you still want to, next time, use the nearest window. Not the one across the hallway,” and leaves for his sister as I giggle at his advice.
Grey sits down beside me. His eyes brimming with tears and body sagged with defeat. “Ugh. Don’t get carried away by his act. Give him a piece of your mind.” I scold myself and turn my stern gaze towards him.
To his credit, he doesn’t laugh this time at looking at my ‘stern’ gaze. But, his face drops more and he whispers lengths of apologies.
I don’t care about apologies. And I wait for him to say what I really wanted him to say. He didn’t wrong me. He didn’t make me feel unwanted.
“I really am sorry. I accept them both, December... but my fucking shifter conscious wanted to place his Alpha stake on our boy...” There he goes. He accepts them.
I whisper, “His name is Aiden.” My mate nods and adds, “Yes, my shifter did that to Aiden... I take full responsibility of him and am ready to face the consequences.”
I nod and stand up. He looks up to me. I pull him by his ear and take him to Aiden and the still-sleeping Lara. Aiden’s eyes widen at the sight of my mate, but he stands his ground. I smile appreciatively and push my mate to Aiden.
He kneels down and takes Aiden’s arm in one hand and Lara’s small palm in the other and whispers, “I am sorry for what I did. But, I wanted to say... I accepted you long before this... so, don’t worry. We might fight. We might spar. We might get hurt by each other.”
I pull his ear, and he grunts and adds, “Okay, okay, no hurting each other... But I consider you both as my own. So, will you forgive me and take me back?”
Aiden closes his eyes. Grey just watches him with such longing. Aiden opens them back again, and I can see a fresh resolve in his eyes. He puts out his hand for a handshake. Grey's eyes show such fondness and they both shake hands. Still, Grey mutters, “Never in the world did I think that I would have to shake hands with a little boy, my own son in that, to come to an agreement.”
&nb
sp; I laugh loudly. Aiden joins me, and Lara groggily opens her eyes, looks at us, and starts laughing. Cute. Grey groans and pulls them both into a hug.
I coo, “Aww... Look at my little family.” Everything is going to be fine now.
Obviously, I still am going to punish my mate.
Grey releases the embrace and his eyes widen, as he whispers, “Punishment?” into my mind.
I drag him by ear through the garden and yell back at my children, “Go to your room and sleep. No wandering the halls.” Aiden groans, “Seriously?”
I just laugh like any mom would— or so I think— and enter the mansion. I whisper orders to maids, while I still had Grey’s ear in my hand. That was kind of awkward for him. I was like sixteen inches shorter to him, and he had to bend awkwardly to cope up with it.
The maids giggle at the sight of their little master getting punished by their new little mistress, and scamper off to obey my orders.
Sometimes I wonder how many maids really are there in this place...
I drag Grey through the halls and into the master bedroom. I close the door, lock it, tip toe and pin my mate to me for a passionate kiss. He groans. I pull back and mutter, “Make love to me. Show me that you really mean your apology.”
He seems more than happy to obey me. He throws me over his shoulder and carries me to the bed. I squeal as he throws me onto the bed and as we interlace ourselves in another steamy kiss.
Before I know it, clothes are coming off and he starts kissing the sensitive spot behind my ear. I moan out my appreciation, “Yes. Show me your apology.” He growls and nips my earlobe with teeth. He moves down and assaults my buds and I moan louder. He nibbles it, kisses it, laps it and circles it around, bringing my body up in heat at least a ten notches. He pulls them hard with his teeth and the pain shoots directly down to my core, heating me up.
He, next moves down on me and, shows me his apology. He kisses my foot and gently places a trail of kisses from it to my inner thigh. He bites. I moan out my wordless encouragement.
Pain brings euphoria to me now, and he didn’t forget.
“Yes, Grey! Mark me! Make me yours!” I scream and squeal as he shows his apology to my flower with the right amount of pain and pleasure. When I fall over the edge, it takes my mind directly to a space, where all I could feel was his body on me and the gentle kisses he places on me.