by Anna G Berry
“Just thinking what the world will be when the babies come. Did we do the right thing by having children?” I caught myself in the beginning of a rant.
“You did the right thing, don’t ever doubt yourself. You will be an amazing mother and Carson will be an amazing father. Like I keep saying, things are going to work out. Just breathe and relax.” She said as she grabbed my arm to get my attention.
I looked her and gave her a smile. I put my head on the table and took a deep breath. Why the hell does life have to be so goddamn hard?
The coldness of the table didn’t last long. I picked up on a scent that didn’t smell right. My head snapped up and I looked towards the woods. I saw movement and heard twigs snapping. I used my heat seeking ability and picked up on a small heat signature. I grabbed Lavender and she looked up as well.
The heat signature was that of a child. I looked at Lavender.
“I’m picking up a child. Let’s go over there and check it out.” I said as I got up very slowly and headed over toward the spot where I had picked up the heat signature.
She nodded her head and walked next to me. We got to the wood line and stopped, not wanting to scare the child.
“Are you lost?” I asked of the little boy.
“No, my mother and father got killed, so I ran away.” The young child replied back.
“Come out here so we can see you. We won’t hurt you.” Lavender said loud and clearly.
The child moved into view and stopped as it got about three feet in front of us. We could see that the child had tattered clothes, they were dirty and ripped. The young child had no shoes and the hair was disheveled. He looked cold and hungry.
“What is your name?” I asked as I started to feel my hormones go crazy.
“My name is Owen Reden.” The boy told us as he moved a bit closer.
I reached out my head for him to take it, which he did, and I said, “How old are you?”
“I’m going to be seven in a few days.” He told us as he took my hand and I pulled him closer so I could look at him better.
“Let’s get you some food and some new clothes and warm you up.” I told him as I wrapped my arms around him as we walked to the deck.
“Okay, will there be cookies?” He asked as he looked between Lavender and me.
I let out a giggle and nodded my head yes. He gave me a smile and hopped onto the deck. I opened the door and walked in first. The warmth of the heat in the house and the fire that someone started in the fireplace were comforting. I saw that Carson was sitting on the sofa with a few other Alphas, one of them must have lit the fire.
They all turned their heads as they caught the scent of Owen. All eyes were on him and I felt Owen go tense as he scurried behind me. I move in front of him hiding him from the view of all the other Alphas.
“Wait, I know that smell.” Lorren said as she came down the stairs.
“You do?” I asked.
“Yes, Reden.” She said.
“His name is Owen Reden.” I told her as I kept him hidden.
“Wait, where are Tammy and Bill?” She asked a bit concerned.
“His mother and father got killed. Lavender and I found him in woods.” I told her.
“That’s insane, I just talked to them a few days ago.” She said as she took a sit on the arm of the sofa.
“How do you know them?” I asked as I moved towards her.
“Tammy was my College roommate.” She said as she started to cry.
“Oh, Lorren. I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around her as she cried into my arms.
Ryden walked down the stairs and saw what was going on. He saw Lorren crying and he ran over and wrapped his arms around her as I let her go. I grabbed Owen by the hand and led him into the kitchen to fix him something to eat. I looked on the stove to see that someone had made a beef roast. I grabbed a bowl and scooped a spoonful into the bowl and grabbed a piece of bread. I walked over to the dining room table and sat it down.
“Come eat, Owen.” I told him as I pulled out the chair for him.
He climbed onto the chair and started eating like it was his last meal.
I walked back to Lorren and asked her, “Would you like to adopt him?”
“Oh, no I don’t think I could.” She said as she wiped her eyes.
“Are you sure?” I said.
“Yes, plus I think he’s taken a liking to you and Carson.” She said as she moved her hand to where Owen was eating.
I saw Carson sitting next to him, they were talking and laughing. I had a huge smile on my face. I looked back at Lorren to see a smile on her face as well. I reached over and gave her a hug. We sat there for a few minutes before we pulled apart.
I felt a tug on my shirt and I looked down to see Owen. His bright purple eyes shined back into my own. I didn’t notice his eyes before, but they were a bright deep purple.
“Lorren, did your friends have purple eyes like Paul and I?” I asked as I looked up at her.
“I think so. I thought Tammy might have been related to you guys.” She said as she thought about my question.
“I wonder if he could be related.” I asked aloud.
“There’s only one way to find out. Look in the book.” She said as she flipped it open.
We opened the book to the family tree and we saw Tammy’s name on the tree and next to it was Bill’s name. Underneath their names was Owen’s. We look above Tammy’s name to see an estranged uncle of ours was her father. I showed the book to Carson and Paul.
“That explains the smell, he smells like family.” Paul said as he looked up from the book.
“What are we going to do about him?” Abby asked as her eyes shone with a bit of sadness in them.
“We are going to keep him and raise him like he’s our own.” Carson said.
We all looked at him as he walked over to Owen and started playing with him.
“Are you sure?” I asked him.
“Yes, what is one more? We already have two on the way, anyway.” He said as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay, let’s ask him if that’s what he wants to do.” I told him as I looked over at Owen.
“Owen, is it okay if Carson and I become your new mom and dad?” I asked as I bent down to ask him.
“I’d like that. I really like you too.” He said as he looked up at me.
I wrapped my arms around Owen and as I did, Carson did the same and we all wrapped around each other like the big family we were becoming. I pulled Owen into my lap as he began to fall asleep. Carson gathered Owen into his arms. We walked up stairs and into one of the empty rooms that was in between ours and Brooklyn’s. I opened the door and Carson gently placed Owen on the bed and covered him up. I kissed his head and walked to the door. Carson soon followed me as well.
“We are going to have to get him some clothes and other things, like toys and stuff.” I whispered as we closed the door.
“We will when he wakes up but let him sleep. He needs all the sleep he can get.” Carson gave me a kiss on the head as we made our way back down the stairs.
We made our way back down to find Paul looking at the book. I looked at Abby, she looked away. I made my way towards Paul.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I placed my hands on his back.
“Look, it says that Abby and I will have children, but when?” He had a bit of sadness in his voice.
“It’ll come, don’t worry.” I rubbed my hands on his arm trying to calm him down.
“I hope so.” He started to relax and gave me smile.
“Actually, I’m pregnant. I just found out today.” Abby said as she got up and walked towards us.
“Wait, what?” Paul said as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Yes.” She said as she let out a giggle.
He picked her up and spun her around, she broke into ecstatic giggles. Carson wrapped his arms around me as we took in the sweet moment.
“Would you guys watch Owen for us tonight when we do the blood
ritual?” I asked as things died down.
“Of course, we don’t mind.” Paul said as he gave me a wink.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know how long it will take.” I said as I let out a big sigh.
He gave me a big smile and another wink. I couldn’t help but shed a few tears. I felt my cheeks getting wet as I brushed them away. Carson unwrapped his arms as he went and sat down on the sofa. I sat down next to him. He pulled a blanket over us and pulled me closer.
I rested my head on his shoulder as we waited for the moon to get higher like it was told in the book. It was a bit nerve racking just waiting. I grabbed the remote and turned on the tv, the late news was on. Emmett and Bleu came down and sat on the other side of the sofa.
The room started to fill up with other people and the tv got changed to some movie. I wasn’t really paying attention to know what movie it was. I started to doze off, but I needed to stay up.
I walked over to Lavender and asked, “Is there something I can drink to keep me up?”
“No, go take your nap. I’ll wake you up when it’s time. Look at Carson, he’s sleeping now. You should do the same.” She gave me a small smile as she walked outside to her shed.
I let out a sigh and walked back over to the sofa and took my seat again. I pulled the blanket back over myself and put my head back on Carson’s shoulder. I closed my eyes and let sleep pull me under.
I got pulled into a dream. I was sure it was a dream and not a memory. I knew it was a dream because everything was fuzzy.
I was in Congaree walking the trails and enjoying the day. As I walked to the end of the trail I was on, there was a few people that were standing at the end. I tried to call out to them, but nothing came out of my mouth. I tried to run to them, but it felt like I was moving in slow motion. I looked to left and saw that the trees were all blurry and they were moving back and forth. I looked to right and the same thing was going on to my right. I didn’t know what was going on and it was freaking me out. I tried to grab a tree branch and it turned out to be a leg. I screamed as I realized what it was. I jumped up and wake up to see that everyone was gone, and it was only Carson and me.
I look over to find Carson was still asleep. I look outside to find Lavender. She was talking to someone or something. I shook my head and looked at the clock. It read ten thirty pm. There was the tea kettle on the stove. I walked over to find that it was still warm.
There was a note that said: There are two tea bags on the table, pour water in cups and place tea bags in cups. Drink until empty. Love Lavender.
I placed the note down and went to the cupboard and grabbed two teacups. I placed them on the counter. I saw the two tea bags and placed them in the cups. I then grabbed the tea kettle and poured the warm water over the tea bags. I made my way back over to Carson and I sat the cups on the table and sat down. I decided to wake Carson up as the teas cooled off enough to drink.
I shook his arm and said, “Hey wake up. Drink the tea I made for us. Lavender told me how to drink it.”
“Huh?” He said as he rubbed his eyes.
“Here’s some tea for you.” I said as I let out a giggle.
“Oh, thank you.” He asked as he grabbed the tea off the table.
“Your welcome, love. We have to drink all of it.” I gave him a smile and took a sip of the tea.
It tasted so good, it was Dandelion, Ginger and honey. It also had hints of grapefruit and blood orange. It was sweet and spicy, floral and citrus. I drank the whole thing in one sip, not coming up for air until the cup was empty.
I sat the cup down as Carson gave me a look while he worked on his tea. I cocked my head as I looked at him for a few seconds. He took his cup and finished his tea with a big gulp. I let out a giggle and gathered the cups and put them in the sink.
“Hey who is Lavender talking to?” Carson asked me as he looked out one of the back windows.
“I’m not too sure.” I said as I looked out the same window.
“Let’s go find out. Plus, it should be close to the time we need to head out the tree.” He said as he got up and headed to the back door.
“Okay.” I said as I kept my eyes on her.
We made our way toward Lavender and the person she was talking to. We found out that it was Vukan. I could hear them talking about the blood ritual and what had to be done. I tried to keep myself together as we got closer and I could feel Carson trying to do the same. Vukan was one very seductive demon and was very good at what he did. He looked at both of us and licked his lips as he looked us up and down. I could feel Carson’s grip tighten around my hand and I started to rub my thumb on the back of his hand.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I looked at Lavender trying to ignore Vukan.
“We’re talking about how we are going to go about the ritual.” She said as she looked from Carson to me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The book said that it needs blood from the both of you, but I think the blood of Vukan might help with the outcome.” She said as she looked at Vukan.
“Will it affect the babies in any way?” Carson asked before I could.
“No, the only way it will affect the children is if Claudia drinks my blood. Only then will it harm one or both.” Vukan said as his venom dripped from his mouth.
“I don’t need to do that right?” I asked Lavender.
“No, I don’t see any of that, but I’d prepare myself for it just in case.” She said as she consulted the book.
“Okay, thank you. I hope not, but I’m willing to do anything to save them both and myself if possible.” I said as I looked at her, then Vukan and then Carson.
“Did you drink the teas that you needed? Did you get enough sleep? Did you have enough sex?” Vukan asked us as he continued to lick his lips and looked from Carson to me.
“Yes, we have done all that.” We told him.
“What does sex have to do with keeping my mate alive and my children alive?” Carson asked a bit annoyed.
“Sex has everything to do with the blood ritual. Sex binds the both of you. Which is very important, this type of thing you can’t just do without having a very strong bond. Sex isn’t something you do because you feel like it, it’s something you do because you love that person. Am I right or wrong?” Vukan said as he spread his wings out and flapped them some.
“Yes, you are right. So, this is all based on Claudia’s and my bond?” Carson asked.
“Yes, this is all based on the bond that you share,” Vukan said.
Carson and I looked at each other in a bit of shock.
“Let’s get to that tree before we miss our chance.” Lavender said as she headed off into the woods.
We gave her a nod and headed off into the woods after her. It was quite the walk until we came to the meadow. We had to stop because I needed to take a break and my feet were starting to hurt.
“We need to hurry up. Carson can you carry her?” Lavender asked as she saw me rub my feet.
“Yes, I can do that. How much further?” He asked her as he lifted me off the ground.
“Just a bit we have to cross through this and walk a bit further into the woods, take a right then a left and the tree is right there.” Lavender said as she started walking again ahead of us.
“Okay, do we need anything?” He asked as he started to follow her.
“Nope, I have everything we need right here.” She said as she patted her bag on left hip.
“Okay, let’s go then.” Vukan said as he walked past us both.
Carson started walking, trying to catch up with Lavender and Vukan. We got up to where they had just been standing only to lose them as we got to the next turn.
“Is this where we have to turn?” Carson asked me.
“Put me down. Yes, we turn right here. Use your nose to smell Lavender.” I told him as I got a little aggravated.
He put me down and I turned right and walked a few steps before sniffing the air to smell Lavender’s scent or Vukan�
��s scent. I caught Lavender’s scent and headed towards it. I could hear Carson right behind me as I used her scent to find her, Vukan and the tree.
It was quite the distance until we found them both and then the tree came into view. I walked over to Lavender and gave her a small smile. She gave me one back and looked over my shoulder to see Carson coming up behind me. He gave a small wave and stopped right next to me. They both gave him a wave back and a smile, too.
“Is there anything that needs to be done with the tree?” Carson asked as he looked over to Lavender.
“Let me check the book.” She said as she pulled out the book and flipped to the page, “It says here that Claudia must drink the tea I gave her, oh shit I forgot to give you the amulet, here go run and bury it in the back yard and then lastly we must spill blood on the tree roots. That should do it.” Lavender said as she handed Carson the amulet.
Carson took off in a full sprint back towards the house. I took a seat on the ground by the tree. Vukan took a seat on the ground next to me and gave me a smile. His smile would normally give me chills, but it didn’t, instead it was warm and welcoming.
“I don’t normally make people feel the way I’m making you feel.” He said as he gave me a sideways glance.
“Wait, really? Why is that?” I asked as I was a bit confused.
“It could have been the fun we had or that you needed me to help you with Waylon.” He said as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Oh, or it could be both?” I said as I got back up I saw Carson making his way back.
“What are you getting up for?” Lavender asked.
“Carson is coming. I can see his heat signature in the woods.” I told them both.
They gave me a nod as they got up and Lavender brushed her dressed off. When he came back his hands were covered in dirt. He looked at us and walked up beside me. He gave me a kiss on the head and looked at the two of them.
“Should we get started then?” He asked as he looked around
“Yes, let’s get started.” Lavender said as she pulled out a small dagger from her bag.