Evelyn POV
“Wake up!” My eyes shoot open as my body involuntarily starts to bounce with the moving bed, making me wake with a chuckle.
“Come here you rascals.” I playfully growl at my two children who scream, trying to hide under my duvet away from my tickling hands.
The claw was one of their favourite games. They start to giggle from anticipation as my hand takes on a mind of its own. Sometimes Elspeth would laugh so much that the claw didn’t always need to make contact with her. She would enjoy the build up far more.
“No Mummy, no.” Rex uncontrollably chuckles as my hand tickles his rib cage.
“Run Elspeth, I’ll protect you.” He commands at his sister in between his childish laughter.
Elspeth yelps as she makes her way out of the bed but I manage to wrap my arms around her and pull her back playfully.
We remain like this until I hear the unmistakable growl of Rex’s tummy rumbling, ready for breakfast.
“Rex, are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry Mum…” Isn’t that the truth. This boy would keep on eating if I didn’t physically remove food from his reach.
His wolf was already showing signs of being present, quite early for a child but then I knew his true bloodline. He would certainly keep me on my toes during his teenage years.
Elspeth was the more innocent amongst the two. Most of the time she spent her day in dress up or the land of the fairies.
To her life was sweet, the sun always shone. Whereas, I could tell Rex knew the world was slightly darker, that tough decisions had to be made.
“Come on kids, I’ll make some pancakes.” I hear Noah call from the hallway.
“Coming Daddy…” Elspeth jumps off the bed and rushes into the hallway. In her haste to beat her brother she trips and falls.
She is such a clumsy child, always rushing in not thinking of the consequences…it’s what made her so lovable, so pure.
She starts to sob as she picks herself up off the wooden floor. I go to move off the bed but Noah has reached her before me, scooping her up in his arms and planting a kiss on her head.
“What happened?” He asks her softly, as always being extremely patient with her.
“I fell…over…Daddy.” Her words are broken up by sobs that were getting more thick by Noah’s attention.
“Ah did my princess hurt her knee… let’s get you some strawberries for your pancakes shall we?” He glances at me with a smile as he takes her into the kitchen to soothe her tears.
Rex scoffs as he jumps down from the bed, dragging his feet as he slowly follows them. He clearly doesn’t want to go but his stomach has spoken.
“What’s wrong darling?” I sweep the top of his hair, taking his long blonde hair out of his eyes as he walks past me.
“I don’t like her calling him daddy.” He sulks as he heads out of the door.
Later in the morning, we have returned back to the pack grounds and Miss Smith is helping me unpack from the lake house vacation.
“Mum can I go ride my bike out around the pack grounds?” Rex asks as he is already putting his trainers back on, having only just taken them off. This boy!
“How far out?”
“I was thinking the field over looking the woods.” He shrugs at me.
“That’s too far out on your own. You’ll have to take someone with you.” He meant the field just by part of the border which didn’t offer the best natural security due to the woods.
“I’ll take you…” Noah offers looking up
from over the laptop.
As soon as he walked through the door he wanted to check on the emails. To see if anything needed our urgent attention.
I see Rex tense by Noah’s offer, I’m not sure what was happening with him at the moment. I’ve always made it very clear that Noah was their uncle but Elspeth just naturally saw him as her daddy.
“Actually I wanted you present at the pack meeting Noah…” I notice Rex’s shoulders relax and he exhales a deep breath.
“Miss Smith, would you mind taking the children to the fields? Just for an hour or two while I have a meeting. I’ll let some of the men know to keep any eye on you all.”
“No Alpha, of course not.”
“Have fun kiddo, I’ll go set up the office.” Noah completely unaware of Rex’s behaviour walks off heading towards the location of the office. I use the opportunity of being alone with Rex to crouch down at his level.
Miss Smith had gone to gather Elspeth and no doubt her dolly or teddy that would have to attend as a necessity.
“What’s going on?” I whisper to Rex, placing my hand on the back of his head.
“Nothing…” He tries to shrug my hand away from him.
“Rex?” I more sternly say, standing up straight and slightly releasing some of my aura.
“My wolf is just becoming more present that’s all.” He tries to brush off my concern. He always seems far too advanced for a four year old.
“That’s because you are my successor. You will take my place as Alpha of the pack one day when you are older. You will make a fine alpha Rex, but you need to learn to keep your woll in control. Perhaps we should start you with some training?” This was foreign to me. I was born from an Alpha and Luna, but the only child.
I didn’t start any of my training until I was in more teen years and even then I mainly sat at the back of pack meetings, listening and watching.
“Can I attend the pack meeting?” He looks up at me with keen interest.
“Maybe a tad too young.” I chuckle placing a kiss on the top of his head as Elspeth walks towards us holding a giant bunny teddy, followed by Miss Smith.
“Oh good, are we playing hunt and kill the bunny?” Rex teases his sister as he snatches her toy from her hands and runs out the front door.
“No Rex!” She screams giving chase.
“I’ll be as long as you need..” Miss Smith muses watching the two beautiful souls leave the house.
“Thank you.” I place my hand on her shoulder.
I’d be lost without her too, she was perfect with the children and offered that grandmother type figure that they missed out on.
I was sitting in my office, which was large enough to accommodate a round meeting table. I was joined by my four head warriors and Noah.
With the pack’s expansion into a new alliance I was requiring head warriors to train a section of warriors and pack members, and provide four rotating shifts of border security.
Donnie, the original head warrior, had been with me since the beginning, like Noah.
In fact he was the pack member that tried to block me from entering the alpha house to find my dead parent’s. He was just as protective of the pack members as me and was ruthless in his planning of security details.
“How were things?” I ask, keen to know if there was any breach in security at the borders during our absence. For the most part, we didn’t have too much to worry about. Just a few rogue stragglers every now and again but they were always intercepted by Donnie and his men, then driven away to keep my identity a secret.
“All fine, it’s been quiet really.” He responds from across the circular table. Judging by his facial stubble he has been on the night watch and hasn’t rested yet. I’ll make sure he does after this meeting.
Donnie is a few years older than Noah and myself, he is thirty-one in comparison to our twenty-four years. His mate is younger than me, Beatrice, and they have a boy two year’s older than Rex. Rex idolises Harry and often ends up playing at their house. It was a struggle to make him come home sometimes.
“No rogues?” Noah asks.
“No Beta, nothing.”
A beta born, Noah just automatically filled the spot as my beta. I couldn’t imagine anyone else fulfilling the role and he was well liked amongst the pack.
At times when the pack doctor was away he would be called upon for his medical experience, most of the time it was to support a female in labour.
“Are you okay!” His voice enters my head as Donnie starts to report the usual information.
“Yes, Rex said his wolf is becoming more present. It’s earlier than I expected…” I frown, but continue to show a supportive expression to Donnie.
“He was born to be the King of Alphas…. his wolf will be very dominant.”
“I think we need to start his training early…help him keep control of the anger!”
“I’ll put something in place and discuss it with Donnie.” Noah offers through the mind-link.
“Nothing too strenuous, he is still my baby.”
“And Reuben’s…” My wolf growls to me, making me gasp.
