The Shadow Wolf

by G. Bailey

  And with our life, that isn’t the fucking weirdest thing I have ever seen. We fly for a good twenty minutes before I flip the autopilot on and climb out of my seat. Alex and Mason are covered in blood, and on the floor is a body covered up with stray coats. Raine’s cries mix with the babies’ and the sobs of so many on this helicopter.

  Hugh is dead.

  “Who killed him?” I ask.

  “Bethany. I came to his cabin to see where he was, and she had him dead, under her foot as she sat in his chair,” Alex says, swearing under his breath. “She told me to take the body to her sister and tell her she will be seeing her soon. She let us go.”

  “Fuck,” I say, rubbing my cheek. Hugh didn’t deserve this, and how do we tell Ana that her sister has killed another person? I look to the back of the helicopter, and the animals we could get on board all together have their heads bowed almost mourning with us. Raine’s phoenix catches my eye, and I wonder if there is a chance like a phoenix that we will burn and rise again stronger after all of this.

  But how can you pull someone so lost in their own darkness out if they don’t want saving? By doing this, it’s clear Bethany does not want help. She wants destruction.

  It will devastate Ana to learn her sister is beyond saving. The darkness has her now.

  Chapter 6

  Anastasia

  I’m not letting them leave again.

  Holding the tiny photo in the light, I stare at it like it can answer all my questions swimming in my mind. Like the sonogram photo of my baby is going to show me who my baby will be. If it is a he or she. If the baby will look like me or one of the guys.

  The main question smacking against my mind...will I be a good mother? Am I a bad mother already because I’m bringing this baby into a world where it is not safe?

  All these questions I somehow wish the scan photo could answer for me, but no matter how long I stare at it, not a single thought pops into my mind other than an instant love for a tiny little almost-baby-looking black and white image. Someone knocks the door of the cabin, and I jolt, climbing up off the window cushion and nearly tripping over Shadow on the floor behind me. He slowly wakes up and stretches before following me to the door as I open it up. Mum smiles at me, the wind blowing her loose hair all over her face as she tries to push it away and fails.

  “A group of helicopters have been spotted very close. They will be landing on the beach, and I thought I could drive you there,” she says, and I look over her shoulder to see dad standing by the car. In the last day, I’ve mostly spent my time alone inside of the cabin after I saw the doctor, who confirmed the baby was strong. The scan was mainly to put my mind at ease and to find out how far along I am. Smiling, I slip my shoes on as fast as I can and give Shadow one single look that says everything. He will follow the car, just in case.

  “Thank you for getting me,” I tell my mum as I close the door behind me and follow her down the deck. We get to the car and dad smiles at me, but they both look almost nervous. I wonder if they are scared of Phoebe’s reaction. The baby they left, who does not remember them even a little bit like I do. I climb into the back seat and do my seatbelt up as my parents climb in the car.

  “How did you sleep?” mum asks me. “Are you getting morning sickness? Ginger tea used to help me when I was pregnant.”

  “I do feel sick in the mornings, to the point it wakes me up early, but I haven’t actually been sick. Thank you though,” I say, looking at her blonde hair and remembering how I loved to brush it when I was little.

  “Please don’t take this offensively, but you look ever so tired. Are you not sleeping?”

  “More like I fear sleeping. My dreams can be—”

  “Daunting,” dad answers. “That, I’m afraid, you get from me. The future is not a dream we ever choose. I am glad one of my children has developed the gift.”

  “You get dreams as well?” I question him, leaning closer. “I started getting them when I turned into a familiar. First I thought they were nothing more than vivid dreams, but then I saw things in the past, things I shouldn’t have been able to see. Now the ones that haven’t happened yet...I fear.”

  “As you should,” is all dad says. Mum looks at him, and after a pause, she sighs and looks away. Whatever that was, clearly I’m not a part of it. I settle back into my seat and bite down on my lip as we get to the forest. The drive is uncomfortably silent, and all I can think of is seeing my guys again. And Raine, Skye and Phoebe. Okay, well, I worry more about Phoebe and how she is going to take all of this. I trust that Alex would have been as supportive as he could be...but she needs her sister. She needs both her sisters, but one is on the crazy train to take-over-the-world-ville, so she is stuck with me. Even then, I’m not sure I’m one hundred percent in the sane category.

  I hear the helicopter’s engines before we come out of the forest and onto the sand. I rush, taking off my seatbelt as I stare at the dozen helicopters lining the beach, one much closer than the others are. The door slides open, and Estelle climbs out, a tiny baby in her arms, which must be one of the twins. Alex climbs out next, reaching up and helping Skye out. She sees me first as I get close and runs my way, wrapping her arms around my stomach. I hug her back as Alex helps Phoebe out. Phoebe looks past me, rubbing her tiny hands together as she sees our parents for the first time. Her gaze snaps as Mason climbs out next, another one of the twins in his arms in a strange carrier. Seeing him with the tiny baby does something to my heart, making it pound harder as I try not to give away how I am feeling.

  “Ana,” Mason sighs, walking right to me as Liam climbs out behind him. Skye lets go of me so I can hug Mason around the baby who seems happily sleeping on his chest. Liam and Alex look over at me and nod once to Mason. “Raine needs you. Hugh was killed by Bethany.”

  I freeze at his words as I watch as Raine climbs out of the helicopter, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stands back. I rush to her, and she bursts into sobs, heartbreaking sobs, on my shoulder. Over her shoulder, I see Alex and Liam carrying a body covered in coats out of the helicopter and onto the sand.

  “The children should be taken out of here—” mum starts to say, and Phoebe screams. I let go of Raine, spinning around to see mum in front of Phoebe, dad at her side.

  “You are not my mum or dad! You are bad people!” she screams at them, her tiny fists shaking with anger at her sides. “I hate you both. I hate you!” She runs right past them, straight down the beach, and I struggle with what to do. I don’t want to leave Raine while she is so upset, and I also don’t want to leave Phoebe.

  “Phoebe!” mum shouts and kicks off her shoes, running after her down the beach. Good luck with that, Phoebe is quicker than she looks.

  “I should—”

  “Be with your friend. Phoebe deserves to be angry at us, and we will accept what has been due to us for a long time,” dad claims and walks back a few steps. He claps several times, catching everyone’s attention as I hug Raine, watching our people flood the beach around the helicopters.

  “I am Clive Dawn and the leader of this island with my wife, Diana Violeta. We welcome you, and we will find you each a home, a job of your choice, and you will be safe here. The only rules of this city are as follows...”

  He pauses as whispers break out around us, so many eyes bouncing between me and my guys as they surround us. Shadow catches my eyes as Silver, Ki-Ki and Hex join him in their hawk forms. They stand so proud together, and I can’t help but look at them instead of my dad as he makes his speech. “Murder, theft, violence of any kind against another person or animal is a death penalty if proven by a fair council. In some cases, there is a prison you will spend your life inside of instead. The rules of the island and our people will be given to you to study today. Now, familiar families will temporarily house you. Please wait here near the woods until cars arrive shortly.”

  No one moves.

  No one looks to him. They all stare at us. Alex, Mason and Liam look around before meeting my eyes. Som
ehow we have become their leaders, and this moment proves loyalty is something you earn, you don’t buy it.

  Knowing I need to say something, I let Raine go a little to stand straight. “This is my father, Clive Dawn, and I believe he means only good for us. The city here is like nothing I have ever seen in the ways of peace and tranquillity. Please relax and wait for the cars by the woods.”

  Everyone moves, and dad simply stares at me as they move around us. Whatever he is thinking, I can’t read in his eyes, and I turn away. I hug my best friend, letting her mourn her father who was a good man.

  And Bethany stole his life away. How can I ever forgive her if she is hellbent on destroying everything and everyone in my life?

  Chapter 7

  Anastasia

  One secret for three men.

  Phoebe and our parents sit together on the beach near our hut, her tiny little body squished in the middle of them both, and her laughter drifts to my ears. It’s been two days since the guys brought her back, and they have played happy family literally from the beginning. A tiny part of me is happy for her, to see the joy in her eyes, but another side is worried. She was so attached to Aunt Courtney, and she let her down; now our parents could very well do the same thing. Warm arms wrap around my shoulders, and I immediately know it’s Mason even before his deep grumbling voice whispers to me. “We have the house to ourselves for possibly five minutes. Any chance I can steal you away to the bedroom?”

  I chuckle, turning around in his arms and running my palms up his chest over his jumper. “I could be persuaded.”

  “I love you, you know that?” he softly tells me, making my heart flutter uncontrollably in my chest. “I feel like I don’t tell you that often enough.”

  Smiling, I lean up, brushing my lips across his. “You don’t have to tell me, I just know it, and that is far more important than words could ever be. I love you too, Mason.”

  “There you two are!” Liam shouts, and Mason grumbles as we turn to see Liam and Alex walking up the deck.

  “Where is Skye?”

  “Your parents are having Skye and Phoebe overnight and taking them to some carnival,” Alex tells me, not looking or sounding impressed. “I don’t trust them, but I couldn’t say no to her. Whatever you and Skye do that makes me forget common sense and give in to your wishes, should be made illegal.”

  “It’s called girl charm, and it’s a natural effect of being this awesome,” I tease, making all three of them laugh.

  “So we have the place to ourselves for the night?” Mason asks, linking his fingers with mine as we head inside.

  “Yep. I got us a movie and food. The markets here are incredible, everything is fresh,” Liam declares, his voice full of wonder. “And our people have just fit in here like it’s meant to be.”

  “Raine is struggling,” I remind them. I spent the day with her, but she has gone into some kind of denial and is just loving the twins with her boyfriends. They have a cabin near the woods, and Estelle is staying with them all to help out with the babies. Hugh’s loss weighs heavily on her, and I’m sure it will just take time to heal. Time heals all wounds, but not in the way we expect. Time teaches us how to hold our wounds and not let them weigh us down or let their lessons be forgotten.

  “How is she coping?” Alex asks as he sits on the couch, and I join him. Mason kisses the top of my head, going into the kitchen to see Liam. From the couch, I can see them both and know they are listening.

  “Like any girl who lost her dad. But the twins seem to give her a light in the darkness,” I admit, remembering how she looked at them, how she sings them songs and tucks them in with the blankets. The little loving gestures that are everything. “Raine is going to adopt the twins with her mates. They also want to get married. It’s so sweet.”

  “That is a good idea,” Liam replies. “I’m happy the little twins have such a good home and parents. Has she come up with some names yet?”

  “Yeah, baby one and baby two is confusing. They look exactly the same,” Mason adds in.

  “They did. Baby one is called Hugh after, well, you know. Baby two will be called Alexia, after you,” I nudge Alex, and he smiles for a moment until it drops into a frown.

  “Why did they name the girl after me and not the little boy?” he asks.

  “Raine didn’t say why,” I smile, trying not to laugh. “Maybe because two Alexes would be confusing, and now it’s Alex and Alexia. Also Hughina is a weird name.”

  “Fine,” he grumbles, and I chuckle as I snuggle into his chest. Shadow and Silver make their way in as Mason and Liam cook us all pasta and salad. We eat on the sofas, watching a cheesy comedy romance with Adam Sandler in it, and it makes us all laugh. When the film ends, a knot of fear clogs in my throat as I click the off switch on the remote and stand up in front of Silver and Shadow sleeping on the floor.

  “I need to tell you three something I’ve kept a secret, only because it never felt like the right time to tell you and I’ve only known for a few weeks,” I blurt out, trying to slow my voice. I look down as I cover my stomach with my hands on purpose. I can’t look at them as I try to get the next words out. “I’m pregnant.”

  The silence that follows my two words hurts my heart more than a little bit, especially with the fact no one moves closer to me. Eventually, I tell myself I need to see their faces, and I lift my head to meet Mason’s eyes first. His eyes are wet with unshed tears and shock. Next, I look to Liam, who is looking confused and also something else I can’t read. Lastly, I turn to Alex, who is shaking as he stares at my stomach, a mix of wonder and anger burning in his eyes.

  “Someone say something. I know we didn’t plan this, it’s a total accident, and I’m not sure even how it happened, maybe something to do with me being a demi-god. I just, I just—”

  “I’m happy. So fucking happy,” Liam announces and climbs off the sofa. He walks to me, cupping the back of my head and nudging me forward to meet his lips. Relief spreads through me as he lets me go, his hand covering mine on my stomach.

  “So am I. I will admit, I’m a little shocked speechless for a moment there, but a baby. That is a gift, not a mistake. Not an accident. A gift,” Mason firmly states, walking to me and wrapping his arm around my waist, kissing the side of my head.

  “I-I have to leave,” Alex’s cold words shock me silent as I watch him stumble to his feet. His eyes stay on my stomach all the way until he gets to the door, and then he turns around and just leaves. The door swings shut behind him, and even as Liam and Mason try to soothe me, try to tell me it’s going to be okay and Alex was just shocked...I can’t help but feel like I’m breaking apart.

  Chapter 8

  Anastasia

  Guilt is a hard pain to wash away.

  “Ana?” Liam softly calls to me as hot water falls from the showerhead above, washing away my tears that haven’t stopped falling since Alex ran away over two hours ago. The fact he didn’t come back right away hurt, like a knife digging deeper into the cut he made when he left. “Can I come in?”

  Knowing none of this is Liam’s fault, knowing that Liam and Mason have held me, kept me close and wiped my tears away doesn’t mean I’m not scared they are going to run too. That I’m going to be alone...well, not completely alone. My hands drift to my stomach where I regularly find them resting, comforting a baby who is no bigger than a grape at the moment. I know I’d protect her or him with my life. I love my baby already, even when we haven’t met yet.

  “Come in,” I shout back, turning off the shower. I climb out, grabbing a towel nearby and wrapping it around myself as Liam comes into the room, followed by the smell of brownies. Mason steps in after him, a plate of steaming hot brownies in his hands.

  “We don’t know if it is a pregnancy craving or an Ana craving, but you ate all the brownies you could steal from Skye and Phoebe the last few days. We thought you might like some of your own,” he nervously explains, holding the plate out. I can’t help but smile at them both, and the goofy sm
iles they give me back make me laugh. They join me until we are all laughing so much that we almost forget why there was tension in the first place.

  “I have been addicted to chocolate more than usual,” I admit, picking up my hairbrush. “Thank you. You are both so sweet.”

  “Can I brush your hair?” Liam asks, holding his hand out for the brush.

  “Sure, why don’t we sit on the bed, and I can eat the brownies at the same time,” I suggest with a grin that makes them both chuckle. Liam takes the brush as we head to the bedroom, and I don’t bother getting into pyjamas as I know I will end up with brownie crumbs on my clothes. At least the towel will catch them, as sexy as that is. Mason sits next to me, and we both eat a brownie as Liam kneels behind me, working his hands and the brush through my hair.

  “I hope it’s a boy. I want to teach our son how to play basketball,” Mason randomly comments after eating a whole brownie in one go. I nearly choke on mine, not expecting this conversation quite so soon.

  “It doesn’t matter if it’s a girl—our baby will play basketball in a pink princess dress if she wants,” Liam counters.

  “Who said she wants to play basketball? Or he?” I question with a soft smile.

  “If the baby is anything like its mother, they will want to beat us at every game,” Liam whispers in my ear, pushing my hair to the side.

  “I don’t have to win at everything,” I counter as Liam’s soft lips kiss and nip down my neck, and my sentence ends in a slight moan. Liam’s hands slide around my chest, cupping my breasts over my towel as he continues to kiss my neck. I open my eyes as Mason pushes the plate of brownies aside and moves in front of me. He kisses me, a deep, passionate kiss that makes me forget I’m with them both. Their hands are all over me, even as I undo Mason’s belt, desperate to take this further. Liam rips my towel off me and turns my head, kissing me and arching my back as Mason takes one of my breasts and flicks his tongue over my hard nipple. I moan, aching for more, and my guys, the men I love, know without a word being said. Liam moves from my back, laying me down as I help Mason take off his shirt, and Liam gets undressed. I don’t have a clue how to do this as Mason picks me up, cradling me as he places me over his erection on his lap, pressing into my thigh as I straddle him.