by J. K Harper
Chapter 9
The Coronation
Christmas morning arrived with great fanfare. After Leesa and Bryce celebrated privately all night and into the morning, the pair joined the rest of the castle crowd to watch the coronation and celebrate the holiday with friends, food and drink.
Leesa introduced Bryce to everyone she’d met since arriving, and everyone welcomed Mac’s adopted father with open arms.
Enid’s daughters made room up front, so Leesa and Bryce could sit with them as Drake officially made Enid his queen, in front of most everyone in the kingdom. Though everyone’s eyes were supposed to be on their king and new queen, most were watching Drake’s daughter Mae instead.
“She looks so happy she’s practically vibrating with it,” Ivy laughed.
“Yeah, she’s come a long way from being pissed at Enid’s presence to welcoming her as her stepmother, huh?” Keelyn giggled.
“I’m just glad to see your mother so happy, speaking of people who’ve come a long way in their attitudes,” Bane added wryly, making everyone in hearing distance laugh under their breath.
“If Mae’s not careful, she’s going to…” Ivy muttered, watching the child carefully.
“The king has come a long way in his goals as well,” Bane continued. “He’s been determined, as long as I’ve known him, to join humans and shifters together in peace. This seems like a huge step. Just marrying Enid helps as that unites dragons with wolves, lions, bears and humans, all with one beautiful bride.
Hopefully this will just be the beginning, and this kingdom can lead others toward the same path.”
“Hear, hear,” Naythan said beside them. “Whatever will we do with our time, though, as the king’s security, if everything is peaceful?”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure you’ll have no problems keeping busy,” Bane teased. “A mate and cub will do that to you. Speaking of, have you seen your cub recently?”
Naythan looked at his Alpha with his eyebrow raised, as the question seemed to be a rhetorical one, judging from the laugh in his alpha’s words and the smile he was trying to contain.
He followed Bane’s gaze just in time to see Ash slowly inching up the stairs leading to where the coronation was currently taking place.
Ash obviously wanted to stand with his friend Mae, as the pair had been inseparable since the moment they met. He was slowly getting it accomplished, as he sneakily slid closer and closer while he hoped no one noticed.
They all watched from the front rows as he finally accomplished his goal. He stood beside Mae, and took her hand in his.
She hadn’t realized he was coming, so her friend joining her was a surprise. It looked to be a welcome one, though, as she squealed with delight.
“Oh, no! I was afraid that was about to happen,” Ivy laughed as the excitement resulted in Mae shifting into her half-dragon, half-lion form right there on the platform.
Ash shifted right after her, and he jumped and nipped in the air up at her as she flew in circles around the king and queen before deciding to share her joy with the entire room as well.
She flew overhead as people either screamed, laughed, cowered or pointed and Ash chased her on all fours on the ground beneath her.
“What is she called?” Bryce asked in a loud whisper.
“Mae,” Leesa answered.
“No, I mean her animal. Is she a chimera?”
“Enid calls her a FireCat, which she loves, but I think Drake has officially dubbed her a Dracolion.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she is. I got to hold her when she was sleeping,” she grinned.
They watched as Mae’s circling got less frantically excited and became more leisurely joyful. Drake had started to call her back to him, but as her flying now wasn’t as erratic and everyone in the crowd seemed to be enjoying her, he let her be.
She hovered over Bella as she held the baby that had been born late the night before, and the crowd awww’d its response as Mae dipped and placed a dragon’s kiss on Mac and Bella’s newborn daughter.
“That is high praise, Mae,” Bella said, grinning up at the FireCat. “Thank you.”
Mae dipped in an exaggerated curtsy response before spotting Ash’s wolf, sitting back up on the platform, watching everything from there. Mae flew to him, landed beside him, wrapped a wing protectively around him, and within minutes the odd FireCat and wolf pair were fast asleep as snow fell in wet, heavy, fat flakes all around the castle.
Before releasing everyone to eat, drink and be merry, Drake addressed the crowd, sleeping babes at his feet.
“It is my hope that very soon all the world will be as these innocent children are now, sleeping easy as everyone, shifter and human alike, usher in a new age of peace. Things won’t be perfect, I’m well aware. But I’d like to think that the next generation will teach us that it is far better to stand together than to tear each other apart.
“I consider today a new beginning, and I’m glad each and every one of you were able to join us this past month in celebrating our new family, new life, and new reign, and Christmas is a beautiful and perfect time to start it all off.
“Go! Eat, drink, celebrate this day until you, too, sleep as contentedly as the little ones here right now. Merry Christmas.”
My Wound to Bear
by Olivia Arran
Chapter 1
Jack
I cleared my throat, breaking the heavy silence. “He’s looking good, Catherine. A healthy, bouncing baby boy.”
The woman in question met my eyes for a brief second, something I’d worked hard for weeks to earn, then her eyes slid away, her fingers curling into the soft blanket and betraying her inner struggle for composure. “Thank you, Doctor,” she whispered, her lashes hiding her eyes from view as she stared down at her baby.
Perched on her knee, the little boy gurgled and smacked his lips, seemingly oblivious to his mom’s struggle, but I knew better. Children were a sponge for emotion; hidden or not. But he was a resilient kid, barely four months old and already doing his best to lighten his mother’s load. He didn’t fuss or cry for no reason, or demand attention. He watched the world through big brown eyes with an awareness well beyond his young age.
I bit back the sigh that threatened, knowing from experience it would only make the poor woman jump a mile and retreat even further, and settled on gathering my equipment back into my black leather bag. Straightening up from my crouch, I offered a smile. “You’re not doing half bad yourself, Catherine. Give yourself time to heal, you’ve been through hell and back.”
Not receiving an answer, and not expecting one, I left her to her thoughts, her knee bouncing the baby automatically, her eyes not really seeing the world around her.
She’d be okay. She had people who cared for her; who would look out for her. And the kid. The Smithrock pack were good people. In the short while I’d been coming out here I’d gotten to know the wolf shifters well, and the new Alpha pair who ran the pack only wanted the best for their people.
“Everything okay here, Doctor?”
I turned toward the voice, my smile widening at the sight of Amanda, the Alpha of this pack. Speak of the devil. “The baby’s fine, and Catherine just needs time. She hasn’t thought of a name yet?”
Joining me on my walk through the house, she shook her head, sending her blonde ponytail bouncing. Frown lines bracketed her mouth, pulling it down into a frown. “No. I suppose I should be thankful she’s taking care of him.” The strain of pack leadership weighed heavy in her voice.
I clasped her shoulder, catching her eye. “In my opinion, she’s doing fine. She was kidnapped and held captive for her breeding capabilities. The fact that she’s actually caring for the child tells me that she’s bonded. She just needs time. It’s only been four months.”
“The other women—”
I held up a hand, cutting her off. “The other women weren’t in labor during the escape.”
“Is my mate worrying again?” Tarq�
��s deep voice came from the living area.
“It’s my job!”
The other man pulled her into his arms, hugging her against his chest as he stroked a hand in soothing circles down her back. “The weight of the world isn’t yours to carry alone, babe.”
“I know, I know. But I can’t help it, you know me.” Her words were muffled against his chest, as she sought comfort in her mate.
I looked away, partly to give them their privacy, and partly because I couldn’t bear to watch. It had gotten worse lately, the need that had lived curled up inside of me rearing its ugly head at every opportunity. Worse—it was looking distinctly green. Jealousy.
Yup. I had it. I’d diagnosed myself, double and triple checked, and every time the verdict was the same. I was a bear shifter without a mate. Nope, scratch that. Not even the sniff of a mate.
Leaving them to it, I made my way through the house and out onto the porch. Sucking in the crisp, winter air, I blinked at the dazzling sunlight, the fluffy white snow catching and reflecting the light until it was almost blinding. My chest tightened then relaxed, the dull ache fading until it was back to a more manageable level. It was good to be home; the rugged landscape of the mountains welcoming me back into the fold as though I had never left. Craggstone town itself had barely changed, new faces for sure, but at its core it was still the same. The spirit of the town stood through time, along with the shifters who guarded it and called it home. The humans living there a part of something they didn’t—
Wait. Some of them knew. The thought still knocked my socks off, the revelation that we weren’t the big secret anymore was hard to take in. My brother Ryan, the town’s Sheriff, had found his mate earlier in the winter, in an event that had also caused him to reveal our secret to his deputy, John. A secret that John had admitted he already knew, that a few of the town’s humans had guessed.
How many…who knew?
It hurt my head following the threads, but we were out of the closet, you could say. It was kind of a relief. The not aging thing got a little hard to explain after a while.
A high-pitched giggle cut through the air.
Scanning the courtyard, I spied small footprints embedded in the snow, leading around the back of the fountain that stood center stage.
Two seconds later I was spitting out snow, the first snowball rapidly followed by a pounding flurry from all directions.
Grabbing the handrail, I vaulted off the porch and landed in a crouch. “Oh, you’ve started something now!” I mock growled, stalking through the snow and ducking my head against an answering snowball.
“We’ll never surrender!” was the answering cry, followed by another giggle.
Scooping up a handful of snow, I smashed it between my hands into a round ball. “Last chance!” I called out, unsuccessfully trying to keep the chuckle out of my voice.
“Wolves never surrender!”
“This bear has got you cornered.” I crept closer, following their scent on the wind. Two children, and, from what my nose was telling me, I was guessing little Lottie and her stalwart protector, Josh, which wasn’t a surprise as the two were inseparable. A fraction of a second later my mistake hit me.
As did the snowball, right between the eyes.
Blinking away the snow, I peered down at Lizzie, who stood with a hand on her hip, auburn hair glowing against the bright white surrounding her.
“Got you!” she crowed, a cocky grin splitting her face in half and revealing two missing front teeth.
With a whoop, Josh sprung up from behind the fountain and proceeded to perform a complicated victory dance involving an exuberant Lottie and lots of high fives.
Arranging my face into a mock scowl, I growled at the children.
Their eyes widened, the celebratory dance freezing mid-wiggle.
Shit. Too much, too soon.
Peals of laughter split the air, lifting the crushing weight from around my chest. “You got me good.” Throwing them a wink, I shuffled away in mock pain, wiping the melting ice from my face. The children had been the first to bounce back from the ordeal. Their ability to find hope and happiness in their new situation lifted them above the abuse and neglect they had suffered at a madman’s hands. The madman who had held them and their mothers captive. It was one of the reasons I had chosen to go into pediatrics a long time ago. One of my many specialties, but the one I loved practicing the most. I loved kids. They saw the world through eyes unclouded by judgment or pain, and gave their love unconditionally and without restriction. Which was something many adults couldn’t do.
Grabbing my bag off the porch, I set off across the courtyard. I had one more house call to make before I could head back into town, and this one was a special one. James and Kara, the alpha pair of the Colstone pack, were pregnant with their first child. At least, you’d think James was the pregnant one with the way he was fussing and worrying over his mate.
Babies everywhere. Life continued to cycle, even if mine was standing still.
Josh ran up beside me, eyeing my bag the way some might eye a snake. “Are you going over to Colstone?”
“Yup. You coming?” Josh lived with his mother and stepfather at the neighboring pack, though from what I’d seen, he spent most of his time here.
He shook his head, sending his dark hair flying. “Nah. I’m going to hang here for a little while longer. We’ve got school and they don’t mind if I do my work here, or at home.”
Resisting the urge to pat his head—the kid might be six, but he’d been through hell and back, trained as a solider in a child army—I settled for patting him on the shoulder. “Is Lottie still having nightmares?”
The young boy’s eyes darkened, flecks of gold dancing in the deep brown as his wolf surged to the surface. “Yeah…though she won’t admit it.”
“She’s a brave little girl; she’ll be fine. Monica tells me she’s doing better.” Monica being Lottie’s adoptive pack mom.
Josh screwed his face up, his lips twisting in a snarl of frustration. “She’s hiding—”
“She’s coping the only way she knows how. Give her time.” And know how lucky you are, I added silently. To have found your true mate at the tender age of six? It was unheard of. “How’s Lizzie?” Sometimes, when a child was always happy, it was hard to see if there was anything hiding under the surface.
Silence met my question.
Sliding to a halt, I turned to face the young boy. “Josh, is something wrong with your sister?”
“She’s sad,” he said eventually.
If that was the only thing wrong, then—
“Her mom’s sad; so she’s sad.”
Ah. The elusive woman behind the whirlwind that was Lizzie. I cleared my throat, weighing the pros and cons of tackling this head on. Josh might only be six, but he remembered and knew more than he should. He knew why the women were sad.
“Not sad because of the past. Sad because of now,” he added.
Instinct had me turning around. “I’ll speak to her.”
“Lizzie?”
Looking back at the house, I eyed the darkened windows with a speculative gleam. “Her, too. I promise.” It was time to force a meeting with the elusive Gina.
Chapter 2
Gina
So what if I should? I don’t want to. The voice inside my head sounded suspiciously like a petulant child, but it had one thing right: no way was I going out there to speak to the doctor. Dr. Handsome. Dr. McMuscled. Dr— Okay, enough already! I gave myself a mental poke to behave.
It had been like this for weeks now, every time he visited I hung back in the shadows, watching as he tended to his flock— My hand flew to my mouth, stifling the snort as I mentally labeled the Smithrock wolf pack, sheep. But really, I was finding every reason under the sun as to why I shouldn’t go out there and introduce myself.
It was simple. I needed to have three reasons either in favor or against whatever I was thinking about doing. I had decided to live my new life using the rule of thre
e. If it didn’t satisfy my new rule, I either did—or didn’t—do it. I had been given a second chance, one I wasn’t going to waste with any more mistakes.
So, reason number one, I wasn’t sick. Good start. I mentally patted myself on the back.
Number two, I didn’t need a doctor. Okay, that was a lie.
No lying to myself. Another new rule.
Geez, who’d made up all these rules? This time the snort escaped and I did nothing to stop it.
Right, number two…he was too handsome for his own good? I weighed up the reason, trying it on for size. Nope, no lying, remember?
I’m scared. I sucked in a deep breath, a quiver of nausea running down my spine as the truth rang clear as a bell. Not wanting to examine my reason too closely, I mentally filed it under number two and carried on.
Number three. Tapping my fingers against the window pane, I followed the doctor’s progress over the snow, watching as he leaned down to scoop up a handful of snow. He had to lean pretty damn far, given that he was nearly as tall as a tree, his large thighs straining against denim as he straightened, but not before I’d been served up the treat of ogling his exquisitely well-formed backside. Large, capable hands deftly molded the snow into a ball as he scanned the courtyard.
From my vantage point on the second floor, I had a clear view of the children hiding behind the fountain. And of my daughter sneaking up behind the man in question, the glee in her eyes clear even from where I watched.
Think, Gina. Number three?
On his previous visits I’d thought up three reasons in a matter of seconds, the excuses tripping off my tongue and soothing my soul. But this time…I was struggling. It was as if he’d worn me down with his constant presence. Enticing me with his calm confidence. Not to mention the fact that he wore a pair of jeans like God had intended a man to—snug and fitting in all the right places.
