Children of the Moon: Book Six

by Yvonne Robertson

  “I had the same doubts as you do now because I thought Garrett had been mated to someone else and he was seeing me as second best, but I was wrong, Summer. Doubts are only natural, especially for people like us who didn’t grow up in the pack.”

  “If he feels as strongly about me as I do about him, it will kill him when I die.”

  “Then let him change you, Summer, become a wolf and you can live out a very long life with him,” India was always the pragmatist.

  “I may lose all or some of my powers if I do.”

  “There is also a chance you may not, but only you can decide what’s more important to you and be comfortable with your decision because there is no going back if you change and if you wait too long it will be too dangerous for you to transition. India actually gained the ability to detect lies and my visions became stronger when I transitioned,” Imogen said and stood up when the door opened and Seann came in.

  Summer watched the scary alpha’s face change when it rested on his mate and she saw the same expression on his face that she saw when Connor looked at her. She knew in her gut they were fated to be together but she was scared to death. She just needed to decide what to do about it now.

  “Don’t overdo it, Imogen,” Seann said softly as he bent down to brush a kiss on her lips. “There is enough here to feed an army.”

  “Yes and every bit of it will get eaten,” she smiled as she leaned up to brush her hand over his cheek and he closed his eyes and bent to kiss her lightly on the mouth before stopping in the living room to see his son and daughter on the way out.

  Other people started to come and go and the moment was lost for now and she arranged the cooled cookies onto trays and stacked them with the others in the large walk-in pantry.

  She cleared a space and began slicing tomatoes and cucumbers and chopping lettuce for the huge bowls of salad that would line the tables.

  “I convinced myself that I would be better off on my own and the thought of what I almost missed out on with Garrett and the kids makes me shudder.” India put her hand on Summer’s arm. “The intensity of your feelings for Connor are terrifying but the life you have with him could be amazing. My heart still skips a beat every time Garrett walks into the room, even after two kids and all the crap we have been through together.”

  Summer forced a smile as Bree came into the kitchen to help.

  “Addison is still out for the count and Cian and Ethan are sleeping too. Hope is keeping an eye on them and Anjelica took Kali and Everly upstairs to watch a movie. What can I do to help?”

  “Sit down,” Summer said, pulling out a chair.

  “My back hurts carrying this weight around with me all the time.” she groaned as she sank into the chair and Imogen made her some red raspberry leaf tea.

  “I would kill for a coffee. I haven’t had one in months,” she pleaded, screwing up her face at the cup in front of her, but Imogen was just as stubborn as Bree.

  “Then another few days won’t kill you, Bree. Coffee isn’t good for the babies. Summer said this tea will help tone and strengthen your uterus ready for the birth.”

  She rolled her eyes at her bossy sister-in-law and Summer couldn’t help but smile. She loved each and every member of this huge extended family and wondered how she had ever managed being completely on her own for the last couple of years.

  She didn’t remember it being lonely at all, but she knew she didn’t want to go back to that either. This pack was the closest thing to a family she had since her parents had died and it had just been her and Lukas. Not being able to let him know where she was after she escaped from Danvers had broken her heart and she knew he would never stop looking for her. She wanted to keep him out of the line of fire because Danvers had been capable of just about anything.

  She shivered and brought her mind back to the present and listened to Bree as she chatted about the names they were thinking about for their babies when they arrived.

  She finished with the salads and helped clear the table. Both dishwashers were full and India put them on to wash as Imogen brought out the last tray from the oven with several loaves of fresh bread. The smell was amazing and her stomach rumbled as she realized it was lunchtime.

  Hope came in to join them at the table and Summer nodded when Imogen offered her a bowl of aromatic minestrone soup she was warming up on the stove and she cut off a thick slice of the warm bread and buttered it. Like everything Imogen made it was delicious and Summer knew she wasn’t in her league. She was a passable cook, nothing more.

  “Everyone can fend for themselves today, there is enough soup to feed all the workers and then some,” India added as she put the coffee pot on the table, far out of Bree’s reach.

  “One little cup won’t hurt surely.” she looked miserable and her sister laughed.

  “Not a chance,” India said sternly. “Do you remember how you watched every bite I took when I was pregnant with Ethan, well this is payback, honey.”

  “I can make you some decaf,” Imogen offered but Bree screwed up her nose.

  “No thanks, I’ll drink my raspberry tea.”

  The back door opened as Liam and Kandis came in, home from the Danvers place and Summer could see Connor standing in the yard talking to Garrett through the open door. How long had he been here and why didn’t he let her know he was coming? Her heart lurched at the sight of him and when he turned to face her she could see a moment of uncertainty in his pale green eyes before he covered it up again. He was struggling with something as much as she was and maybe it was time they had a heart to heart.

  Why didn’t that thought bring her the comfort that it should have.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Connor

  He could see her at the table with her coffee cup lifted to her lips and she was smiling at something Bree said. When she laughed the sweet sound warmed something deep in the recesses of his soul and he wanted nothing more than to join her and put his arms around her but his guilt was eating him and she would sense it the moment he was near her.

  Garrett thought he was an idiot and he should come clean about his feelings but the honest truth was that he was terrified she would hate him when she found out what a selfish asshole he was. If Summer knew he wanted her to transition so that he wouldn’t have to live without her in the future she would despise him. Why couldn't he just accept things as they were and have a long happy life with her? When he thought she was in mortal danger from Danvers he had been willing to take her at any cost, what the hell was wrong with him.

  ‘Because I don’t want to watch you die,” he whispered softly to himself as she turned his way and her beautiful violet eyes met his gaze.

  Connor thought his heart may break in two when the corners of her lips turned up in an uncertain smile. He was already causing her pain and he knew he needed to put a little distance between them to sort out his feelings before they talked. She would be hurt and angry but he could see no other way, he didn’t want to be a selfish asshole but there was no denying that’s what he was. Garrett urged him to tell her it was a purely business trip and not have her worrying unnecessarily while he was away, but he wondered if he should just tell her the truth.

  He had already packed a bag and would leave in the morning to join Linc and the team. It had been a long time since he had been an active part of an operation and he would have been buzzed if not for the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He was more afraid of telling Summer he was leaving for a few days than he was of the drug baron he was about to bring down. She was sure to take it personally and he knew he couldn’t blame her. Maybe his father had been right about him all along.

  Summer didn’t know about the gap in his life when he had worked undercover and missions like this one had been his day-to-day normal routine. As his mate, she had a right to know everything about him and he had kept it from her. No one had ever known what he did, except Garrett and he had only told him this morning so that at least someone knew where he was if anything should
go wrong.

  He would tell her in the morning he was going and today he was going to have to put a brave face on it and enjoy the run with the rest of the pack. He owed them his undivided loyalty too, especially his brother.

  He watched her walking toward him dressed in a simple white cotton dress and her hair in a long braid hanging over one shoulder. He forced a smile and opened his arms as she got closer and he breathed in her signature scent mixed with the fruity smell of her strawberry shampoo.

  “You should have told me you were coming here,” she said with a smile.

  “I thought I should help them set up tables and chairs for tonight and work can do without me for an hour or so.”

  She was silent as he took her hand and they walked out toward the youth facility farm. Normally he would be comfortable enough with their silence but his own guilt was causing him to talk to fill the empty space and by the time they reached the barn he was babbling like an idiot.

  “What’s wrong, Connor?” she turned to face him.

  “I need to go away tomorrow, at least for a few days, maybe a week,” he blurted out.

  “Can I come with you?” she asked with a soft smile.

  “Not this time, darlin’, it’s work.”

  She started walking again and bent to pick a daisy, twirling it between her forefinger and thumb. She stopped at the chicken coop and leaned on the fence and Connor stood beside her and wondered how much to tell her.

  “I don’t even know what you do. You said you own a security firm, what kind of security? Do you protect people, do you move money, goods, what? You know pretty much everything about me and I don’t know very much about you at all. Don’t you find that a little strange?” Summers’s brows were drawn causing a deep line on her forehead.

  “No one knows what I do, Summer, not even Garrett, but I was going to tell you everything when I came back from my trip. You deserve to know who I am.”

  “Is it dangerous?” she asked astutely.

  “It could be, but I have done this hundreds of times and my team are professionals. I won’t take any unnecessary risks, I promise.”

  She gazed off into the meadow for an age, watching the horses and then eventually she came to a decision.

  “When you come back I need some answers, Connor.”

  “I will tell you anything you want to know, I should have before.” he said, taking her hand and they walked back to The Den in silence. Each of them caught up in their own thoughts.

  She wasn’t going to make an issue out of his going away but instead of making him feel better, he just felt like the worst person ever. He didn’t miss the look of disappointment on her face either despite her best efforts to cover it up. She was too damn good for him and the sooner he faced up to it, the better off everyone would be.

  Something was going on at the Den and as they got within earshot of the courtyard, there was a palpable excitement in the air and Lukas was hurrying toward them.

  “Summer, they need you inside, Bree has gone into labor and she is asking for you.”

  Summer ran the rest of the way with Connor on her heels and he followed her into the Den where Bree was propped up on the sofa and Nate looked perfectly calm as he helped her breath through a contraction. Hope was on her other side rubbing her sisters back.

  “Rafe is on his way, he said he will be less than an hour.” Hope said calmly but Summer could see the concern in her eyes as Bree groaned as another contraction hit her. They were only seconds apart, that couldn’t be good. Half an hour ago she was just fine, sitting in the kitchen begging for a cup of coffee.

  “Do you need me to get anything for you?” Connor asked her.

  “No, I suspect it may be too late to fetch anything now, but we should get her into a bed and comfortable. Do you have everything ready for the babies, Bree?”

  “Nate put my bag in the car, it’s in the trunk,” she gasped as another contraction hit her hard.

  “I can get that.” Kandis darted out the door.

  “Nate can you carry her?” Hope asked as Imogen led them upstairs to one of their guest rooms. He swung his mate easily into his arms and carried her upstairs to settle her in with Hope on his heels.

  “Is there something wrong?” Connor whispered so that the others wouldn’t hear him.

  “She is having twins and I am praying to the goddess she won’t need a caesarean before Rafe can get here, even then she should be in the clinic where all of his equipment is, but it’s too late to move her safely now. Hope should be able to deliver if it all goes to plan but if there is a complication as there often is with multiples, then we will need a doctor.”

  They hurried upstairs and Bree was already in bed with Imogen and Hope in attendance. Hope asked everyone else to wait outside while she examined her sister.

  Imogen opened the door after a few minutes to let them come inside and India brought a bowl of water and a washcloth. Hope wiped her sister's brow but the look she shared with Summer told Connor that she was more than a little worried.

  Imogen touched her lightly on the shoulder and Connor knew they were communicating telepathically so that Bree wouldn’t hear them.

  They stepped outside the door so that she could fill Connor in on what Imogen said.

  “Hope says she is worried that Bree won’t be able to deliver the babies safely as she isn’t fully dilated but the babies are getting distressed. She said they knew it was a possibility and Rafe wanted her to labor naturally and let things take their course, but that was when they thought it would be at the clinic and he would have been able to do a c-section if necessary.’

  “What can we do? Should we get her to the clinic and Rafe can meet us there?”

  Summer shook her head.

  “It’s too late, even if we get Bree there, Rafe may not make it in time, we need to do the best we can with what we have.”

  They slipped back inside the room and Connor’s heart lurched as he watched Nate try and stay calm for his mate’s sake but he looked tortured and sensed his wife was in danger.

  Hope helped her through her contraction and gestured for Summer to come closer.

  “We need to get them out now. The babies are distressed and Bree is getting a little confused. None of that can be good.”

  “I can try something, Hope but it’s not going to be pleasant for her.” Summer said as she remembered a story her mother told her about a young woman in the coven with a difficult birth many years ago. She could cast a spell to open the birth canal a little wider but it would be painful for Bree. She wished she had paid more attention to her mom’s stories.

  “Lukas, can you and Connor stay with us to help while we do what we can to deliver these babies safely. Everyone else needs to leave.”

  “I’m not leaving her!” Nate yelled.

  “It would be better if you did, Nate, this will be distressing for you,” Summer said.

  “No, absolutely not.”

  “Okay, then stay there and talk to her, hold her hand but don’t try and interfere or I will have you removed. Is that clear?” Hope raised her voice and Nate just nodded.

  “Everyone else out!” Seann said and they filed out without protest as he forced the weight of his alpha command behind his words.

  “Connor, Lukas, you need to hold her down while we get the first baby out. We need to work quickly.

  “Hold her down, now wait just a damn minute…” Nate started but Hope closed him down.

  “If you do that again, you will need to leave. Bree and the babies are in danger, Nate,” she said sternly and Connor knew this was torture for her too as she watched her sister in pain and had to be the one to do something about it.

  He muttered an expletive and grabbed hold of Bree’s hand and Connor thought he looked as if he was praying as his lips moved silently, but to who he didn’t know.

  He and Lukas took their places on either side and held the petite wolf down as Hope kneeled at the bottom of the bed. Summer put her hand on Bree’s sto
mach, closed her eyes and began to chant. He watched in awe as the room grew colder and Summers fine hair came loose from its braid and blew wildly behind her as if she were standing on the deck of a fast-moving boat. The pressure in his ears was almost unbearable as Bree moaned in pain and tried to kick their hands away from restraining her.

  He put his other hand on Nate’s shoulder and squeezed and watched the agony on the other wolf's face as he had to endure his mate’s pain.

  “Bree, honey I need you to help us now, we are almost there. Can you push for me?” Hope urged her sister. She gestured for Lukas and Connor to let her go and they stood back to watch from the door.

  “She has barely an ounce of strength left, I need to give her some of mine.” Summer opened her eyes and kneeled at her side. Just one big push, Bree. There is more than enough room for your babies to be born now, but you need to hurry sweetheart,” Summer begged her and put a hand on her head and the other clasped Bree’s free hand.

  Bree opened her eyes with a gasp as Summer sent a surge of energy into her body and Nate smiled at her.

  “You can do it, my love, bring our babies home, Bree.”

  Summer helped her tuck in her chin and she pushed with all her strength and then everything seemed to happen all at once. Hope was laughing and crying as she clamped the umbilical cord, wrapped a tiny squalling infant in a towel and handed it to Summer.

  “It’s a boy, Bree. Your little boy is here, now we need to bring his sister home safely too and then you can hold them both.”

  Summer wiped the baby’s face and handed the bundle to Nate as Hope urged her sister once more to push hard and Connor rubbed his face as Bree and Nate's little girl was born easily and wrapped before being handed to her exhausted mother to hold.

  He was overwhelmed with emotion. He had never seen a baby born before and to watch this incredible sight was more than he knew how to cope with. Summer was amazing and although he wasn’t sure what it was she actually did, he knew that she and Hope had saved three lives here today. He could never even hope to be that incredible, not ever.