Evelyn POV
“Did you brush your teeth?” I call out to Elspeth as I place her pyjamas out on the bed. She was a nightmare for cleaning her teeth and the amount of sugar consumed this evening is a prime example of why rotted teeth isn’t a good look for a beautiful little girl.
“Yes Mummy…” She moans from the bathroom as I then hear her turn her child friendly electric toothbrush on. Ah I knew it, cheeky little munchkin.
The room was incredible. I think we were given the superior room. It was decorated with cream wallpaper and rich cream curtain drapes over the windows. It had a large super king sized bed, an ensuite and a large balcony with outdoor seating. For the cold nights it even had an outdoor heater which really for a werewolf race was, in my opinion, an unnecessary purchase.
We didn’t really get cold, but having said that, since having the twins I was prone to temperature changes. Sometimes Noah would find me wrapped up in a blanket reading through my emails. He would say I was pushing it and needed a break, I suppose just like him and his glasses.
“There Mummy…” “She breathes out on to my face so I could smell her minty breath.
“Good girl, into bed.” I gesture for her by pulling back the covers. Her and Rex would be in here tonight and although the bed was spacious enough for me also, I quite like the idea of sleeping out on the balcony. The day beds looked very comfortable.
After Elspeth falls asleep I walk out on to the balcony and make myself a warm drink. Did I mention the hot drink machine in the room! Perhaps Alpha Ivo would let me come back for a retreat break. Although soon it will be Alpha Milo and Luna Candice.
I wonder how that would go down with the local packs, a beta training to be an alpha. To me it didn’t matter, I was an alpha’s daughter that became the top wolf as it were. But a born status, such as Reuben’s doesn’t mean it is any easier when you become alpha. The work and responsibility remains the same no matter what your birth. But I could feel Rex was an alpha in the making and anything less for him would be inadequate as a grown male.
With my hot drink in hand I look out of the balcony to see that flashing lights for the party were still going on down below. The soft octaves of a romantic song accompany the poetic night sky with stars twinkling next to the moon’s glow.
I hear giggling to the left and see Rex and Reuben playing with a football, passing to one another before Reuben pretends he is a goalie and dives to save the ball.
My heart squeezes as he chases after Rex who can not outrun an alpha male, before Reuben picks him up in his arms and flips him upside down. Rex’s chuckle reminds me of when he was a baby and used to find me blowing on his belly hilarious.
Reuben looks younger playing with Rex. My cheeks blush at the reminder of our closeness in the garden earlier. I didn’t want his hands to stop, or his kisses. He kissed me like I was the only woman he ever wanted to kiss for the rest of his life.
Why couldn’t things have been like this when we first married? What made him hold back then? Why wasn’t I more confident back then like I am now?
Why didn’t I realise those tingles when he hardly touched me were from the mate bond, why didn’t I fight for him also? Why did I run away? Why didn’t I stand for what was mine? We both made mistakes, granted his list was more than mine but he didn’t know back then that Vicky had an ulterior motive. 2
With Elspeth fast asleep in the bed and Rex playing outside with Reuben, I sit on the day bed and finish my drink. My mobile beeps next to me and I open it to find another message from Donnie.
He had been quiet and was too far away for the mind-link to work, that I was starting to get concerned for his safety. If I hadn’t heard from him by the time we returned home, I was going to ask Beatrice to mind-link him. The mate link had no boundaries in location but Donnie and I had agreed he would keep his block up, as not to concern Beatrice or weaken her pregnancy.
His earlier message updated me to say that he was in a secure location and was visiting a town that she had links with before leaving the Red Stone pack. What did that mean, links with a town?
I open the message to find that he has sent me a pin of his current location. I had messaged him back at the party asking him to give me an exact address of his location. The address was an old shipping town to the north of the country, why would he be there?
Why would Vicky have links with a shipping town… Especially when she was part of the Red Stone pack and then moved to her mate’s pack and became the Luna.
I put my phone down next to me and rest my head back on the day bed, enjoying the luxurious seat. My eyes stung with tiredness. I suppose a lot had happened recently and a lot of truth bombs had been revealed from both parties. I feel tingles on my lips that move to my cheek, across to my ear and neck, returning back to my mouth.
“Evelyn, wake up.” His lips vibrate against mine as I open my eyes sleepily to find Reuben tracing kisses across my neck and collarbone.
“Reuben…” I start to protest that he would kiss me so openly in front of the children when I sit up to find both of them fast asleep in the big bed.
Rex had traces of mud on his face but Reuben had managed to put him to sleep by himself. I wasn’t going to strip him of the big proud grin on his face by asking whether Rex managed to brush his teeth before bed. Judging by the marks on his face, I would say no.
“He went out like a light.”
“He did?” I look to Reuben with surprise. I had struggled to settle Rex into sleep every night since his ordeal. I wasn’t an expert in the matter, but I would say he didn’t want the memories to return in his dream every night.
“Why are you sleeping out here?” His eyes trail down my body.
“I was just resting my eyes, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” But I was right about wanting to sleep out here, Rex and Elspeth were laying like starfish in the bed, I had no chance of getting in there now.
“I think this will be my bed for the night anyhow, look at them.” I chuckle only to be cut off by Reuben who places his thumb under my chin and pulls me into a soft kiss. He doesn’t kiss me like earlier, he knows the setting was very different. This was a soft sensual kiss.
“We need to talk about earlier…” He says when he climbs on to the day bed and sits next to me. He angles me closer to him, placing my legs over him. His hands stroking up and down my bare legs. I hadn’t even changed out of my pink designer dress.
His strokes build a pleasurable rhythm that continues to rise up my thighs, under my dress, into my lower core. He senses the desire within me and smirks, before stopping and resting his hands on my knees. He was a cocky bastard, he knew the affects he had on me. Perhaps soon I should test the affects I may have on him…
“How would it even work?” I look to him, my eyes displaying my complete vulnerability at the concept of starting something only for it to not work. I couldn’t fall so deeply that it would break my heart, I don’t think I could recover from him again. And I think he has the means to make me fall deeply for him again. If I have ever truly recovered from him that is.
I remember when I named Rex, an R jumped into my mind. As if I hoped in the future that Rex would have a relationship with Reuben, even though I hated him at the time. Subconsciously perhaps I wasn’t as over him as I had thought I was.
“Do I need to show you how it would work?” He teases arrogantly as his hands start to stroke up my legs again.
“I mean with the alliances.” I slap his hand away. “There would be ways around it. But let’s not worry about that just yet, not get ahead of ourselves.”
His response doesn’t do as he had hoped. It doesn’t quell any uncertainty in me. It makes me more anxious if anything.
Perhaps I was thinking more long term than him. Was he only in this for now, for the short term. To build a relationship with his children and then walk away from me?
“You’re overthinking again…” He brings me out of my thoughts.
“You just indicated that this wasn’t long term.”
“I said no such thing. I just said let’s worry about that when the time comes. If anything I don’t want to scare you away. You’re the one that ran out on me remember.” He gives me a pointed look before pulling me onto his lap and placing a kiss on my shoulder.
“I want to come back to the Silver Moon pack with you.” He says, his fingers now tracing circles around me knees.
“Are you sure? You’ve already spent a long time away from the Red Stone pack as it is.”
“I am very certain Evelyn.”
“What about the twins? When do we tell them?” I tuen my head behind to the sleeping beauties before looking back into his ocean blue eyes, that remain fixed on mine.
“We will tell them the truth.” He offers. “And what is the truth Reuben?” I give him a questionable look. “That I fucked up but you are mine as are they.”
