by Sarah Blake
Brax phoned the Alpha of Chloe’s old pack there and then, explaining the deal he had. As he guessed, the man was eager to get more land. Brax said he would get all the information ready and be in touch in the next few days to arrange a meeting time and day. “Right, that’s that part sorted. Danny, I want you to head down to here,” Brax said, pointing to an old abandoned warehouse on a map that was spread across his desk. “Get things set up. I want places for four groups of six to hide. Need something to hide their scents as well.”
* * * *
Sarah had a great time shopping with Chloe. She had a feeling they would become good friends, and she hoped Chloe would join the little group her, Kirstie and Brian had formed. When they returned home, the men unloaded the groceries while Sarah and Chloe looked through the clothes Chloe had bought for herself and Lux. Sarah had taken Chloe into Naughty Angel and laughed at the redness that had stayed on the blonde’s face for over an hour after. Sarah had bought some outfits to wear for her men, a schoolgirl outfit including pants with the words “spank me” on them, a naughty nurse, police woman, and an air hostess one. She couldn’t wait to get dressed up and see her men’s faces. When everything was put away, they all gathered in the den, chatting and watching a basketball game. Brax had told them the plan for meeting with Chloe’s former Alpha. Sarah started worrying as soon as he had finished explaining.
Jackson, Kirstie, Brian and a few others turned up after dinner, and they all sat chatting in the dining room as there was more room. As the talking turned to families, Sarah started thinking about the fact that she was now part of a family that she truly loved and was loved back. She was so happy she felt like the luckiest person in the world. As the talk then turned to babies, Sarah was asked when she wanted one. She replied she would think the closer she got to her heat. But in truth, she couldn’t help but picture Brax and Conner holding their babies. That image sealed the deal for her. She would try and get pregnant on her first mating heat, but not tell the guys until then. When talk turned to Trish about mating, the redhead turned away, looking almost sad about it. Sarah hoped the good doctor would find a mate and soon, even though she seemed like she didn’t want one.
The next day, to Sarah’s amazement, things were all set for the meeting. Danny and the soldier he had taken worked through the night getting the warehouse ready. By the time breakfast was finished, Brax, Lux, and Tyler were ready to go. Although the meeting point was only an hour away, they wanted to be there early and get a good look around. The four groups of soldiers had left at four in the morning with Joshua and Liam to get into place. Lux would wait in the car, hidden as Brax had ordered, until and if he was needed. Sarah and Chloe were pacing the floor of the kitchen within five minutes of them leaving. Conner was staying home with Sarah to keep things ticking over. Sarah was annoyed he wasn’t more worried. He had laughed and told her that Brax had faced bigger threats, with fewer men and even less notice, and made it home in time for tea. Sarah wasn’t as convinced. The meeting was planned for one o’ clock. By the time Conner dragged Sarah out to the ranch at two o’ clock, he was surprised she had any hair left. At three, she tried calling the phone of everyone who went. They were all turned off. By five o’ clock and still no word, Sarah grabbed her keys and was walking to the garage to drive down and see what the fuck was going on when Brax’s SUV came up the driveway. She let out a sob of relief when he stepped out of it. “Hey now, what’s all this about? Come on, Angel, I’m home now,” he said, trying to sooth a sobbing Sarah who had jumped on him when he got out of the SUV and was holding on for dear life. He carried her back into the kitchen where Tyler and Lux had already gone. Lux was holding a crying Chloe while Tyler was kissing the face off Kirstie. Conner came and joined Sarah with Brax as he sat at the breakfast bar.
“What the hell took you guys so long?” he asked, sounding as pissed as Sarah felt. “You could have at least rang to let us know what was going on. We’ve been going out of our fucking minds here.” Brax sighed as he accepted the can of soda from Lux who was handing them around.
“I’m sorry, guys. Things didn’t go quite as planned. Someone caught Lux’s sent before the meeting and things got a little ugly. Took us longer to overpower them seeing as they had a warning. Then we had to travel to their pack. Things didn’t go as expected there either. Turns out, half the pack were planning on killing Mark, their Alpha, anyway. I’ve left Danny and Liam down there with a few soldiers to sort things out. I’ll have to head down there in a day or two, get to know the place and the people. Luckily, most of their soldiers and sentinels are happy about me taking over, so that’s a major hassle off our hands.”
“What about my mom and stepdad?” Chloe asked softly from where she was once again on Lux’s knee at the table. Brax looked at Lux, silently asking if he should tell her, or Lux. Sarah only then realized how much alike the brothers were. Lux was a little shorter and not as built, but the resemblance was uncanny. Lux took up the floor to answer Chloe’s question.
“Kitten, I’m sorry, they sided with Mark. We would have let them go to start again in a new pack, but they fought. Even when they knew they didn’t have a chance, they fought us. They were killed. I’m so sorry, kitten.”
“Lux, if you ever apologize for them being killed again, you won’t get laid for a month. You know how much I hated them, what they did to me. I had more love for TV than I had for them. In fact, I’m glad them and Mark are gone. Now we can start living our life, happy and free.” Sarah had tears in her eyes by the end of Chloe’s speech. She had not suffered the abuse Chloe had by her own parents, but she knew what the other woman had gone through being emotionally neglected by the people who were meant to love you unconditionally.
She walked over to the shorter woman and knelt in front of her. “Chloe, I want you to know something. I was abused by my parents for years. Not physically or the way you were, but emotionally. I know how you feel right now, happy that they are gone, but if you ever need to talk to someone about what happened, someone not as close to you as Lux, you come see me okay? I’ll always be here with an ear for you.” Before the last words were out of her mouth, Chloe wrapped Sarah in a hug.
“Thank you.” Sarah knew in that moment that the two of them would become good friends and be there for each other.
When everything that had happened throughout the day had been told, Brax stood, finishing his second can of soda off.
“Well, I’m gonna run up and get a shower. Tyler, I’ll see you in the morning. I want to hold a meeting at ten. Lux, I want you there as well. Now you’re finally home, you need to work with your pack. You’re a sentinel now, just like before you left. Chloe, don’t wear my brother out too much tonight,” he said with a wink. “I need him fit and ready for tomorrow.” Chloe turned as red as she had in the adult store as Lux laughed and carried her to bed. “Night, guys,” Brax said and kissed Kirstie’s cheek as she and Tyler left. He then turned to Conner and Sarah. “I’m going to take a shower. By the time I’m finished, I want you both naked and kneeling in the playroom. Is that understood?” he asked, using his Dom voice.
“Yes, Master,” Conner and Sarah replied together, racing each other to get down the stairs to the playroom. All worry had vanished from Sarah, now replaced with lust and excitement. Whatever was going to happen with the new pack would wait till tomorrow. Tonight, she wanted her men more than her next breath. She wanted to be marked. For it to last a few days. She wanted to please her Master. When they were in position, and Brax walked into the room, locking the door behind him, she felt her pussy juice run down her inner thigh as she watched him pick up the mini whip.
* * * *
Three Months Later
Sarah paced the bathroom floor as she waited for the test results. It had been just over a month since she had gone into her first heat and although it was still early days, she needed to know if she was pregnant. Her men were out. Conner was busy at the ranch waiting on a delivery of a new mare he had purchased, and Brax was at
a meeting with a few pack members.
Checking her watch, Sarah made her way to the counter. She took a deep breath and looked down at the test. Tears of joy sprang to her eyes when she saw the smiley face, confirming she was pregnant. She had always wanted children and now she was going to have one with the two most amazing men in the world. Quickly washing her tears away, she grabbed the test and headed into the bedroom to ring her mates. When she opened the bathroom door, she was swept into Conner’s arms. The two of them were then squashed together by Brax when he wrapped his arms around them.
The smile on their faces told her they already knew the good news. “How did you know?”
“We could smell the change on you, Angel. We’ve known for a few days now. Brax wanted to tell you, but I thought you would prefer to find out yourself.” The tears of happiness were flowing freely down her face and she didn’t bother to stop them.
* * * *
Sarah looked at the front door of her childhood home. Memories came to her mind of her playing alone in her room or the back garden. She had tried for years to get her sister or parents to play with her, but by the time she was around ten, she gave up. She used to dream of helping her father to build a tree house, or of him pushing her on a tire swing. Of her mother attending one of her doll’s tea parties on the lawn. None of that had happened. Sighing at old memories, she ran the bell. Brax and Conner behind her gave her the strength she needed to do this. Now came the part Sarah was dreading. She hadn’t wanted to come back to this house full of memories of loneliness and no love. But she had to. When she had left all those years ago, she hadn’t taken her two boxes from the attic. They weren’t filled with expensive items when it came to money value. Their pricelessness came from where they were from and what they meant to Sarah. They were filled with blankets, toys, and photos and such from her grandparents. Until they died in a house fire when Sarah was seven, they were, in her mind, the most wonderful people in the world, showering Sarah with love and a sense of family she hadn’t received from her parents. The blankets and toys, mostly stuffed animals, Sarah wanted for her own child. That was the only reason she was back here in Michigan. When the door opened, Sarah was shocked to see a small brown-haired girl, only about seven or eight. “Hi,” she greeted them with a smile.
“Hi,” Sarah replied, unsure of what was going on. “Is Carl or Marie home?” she asked, naming her parents. Just then, a woman came to the door. The little girl was the spitting image of the woman and Sarah knew she was the girl’s mother.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked.
“I’m looking for Carl and Marie Hadley. They used to live here,” Sarah said, wondering what was going on.
“Oh,” the woman said, looking down at the little girl and telling her to go play for a few minutes. The woman then stepped outside onto the porch with Sarah and her men. “I’m sorry, you mustn’t have heard. Marie sold the house and moved into a small apartment across town after the funeral.”
“What funeral?” Sarah asked, even though she could guess at what the answer would be.
“Of her husband’s. Did you know the two well? Carl died about two months ago in a terrible attack at his office. The police think it was a gang of some sort looking for drugs.”
Words wouldn’t come to her. She stood silent in shock at the news and she was grateful when Brax spoke for her. “Do you happen to know her new address?” The woman looked at the three of them suspiciously, so Brax continued. “This is Sarah, Carl and Marie’s youngest daughter. She and her parents had a falling out some months ago and haven’t spoken since. I’m afraid she didn’t know about her father’s death.”
The woman looked at Sarah with sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear that Sarah. And I’m sorry to have had to break the news about your father. If you give me a moment, I’ll go and get you your mother’s new address. The poor woman still hasn’t changed her address so her mail still comes here. I drop it round for her when I can.” Sarah’s mates surrounded her while they waited for the woman to come back. When she did, Sarah’s mind came through the shock and she found her voice. She didn’t know why but she still asked about the boxes in the attic.
The woman shook her head. “No, the place was empty when we moved in. I’m sorry again about your father.”
Making their way to the downtown apartment, Sarah was shocked to find it was a rather rundown place and not somewhere like the high class apartment she used to work, which is what she had imagined her mother now living. When they were outside her mother’s door, Sarah decided she couldn’t go through with it and went to turn away when the door opened and a ghost of her mother looked at her.
“Sarah?” the woman asked. She had lost a good forty pounds. The roots of her hair were gray and she had black bags under her eyes which had sunk into her face. “Sarah, oh my, I’m so happy you’re here.” She engulfed her in a hug and began crying. “I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry. Please forgive me. I tried to get your father to tell Anthony no, but he wouldn’t listen. All he was worried about was his damn company.” She sobbed, not letting Sarah go.
Sarah peeled her mother away, looking at her in the eye. “What else?” she asked, feeling angry all of a sudden. “Are you sorry for letting him kick me out? For pretending I didn’t exist? For not loving me like a mother should?” Her mother broke down even more, sliding down the door to the floor. Conner came forward and picked her up, taking her into the apartment and placing her on the sofa. Sarah and Brax followed. Half an hour later, Marie had told Sarah what had happened to her father. When her father had cancelled the deal with Anthony, he had looked for new investors. Unfortunately, he asked the wrong people. When he couldn’t supply the drugs the person wanted, they killed him. Sarah froze when her mother mentioned that Anthony hadn’t been seen or heard from in a number of months. Her mind flashed back to the night he had taken her. Even though she knew he was dead, she couldn’t stop the panic running through her body. Before the memories had a chance to completely overtake her mind, Brax had an arm wrapped around her and she was breathing in his scent. It had an instant calming effect and she used that to push through the horror of what had happened. Marie had sold the company, giving most of the money to the person who had invested, even though the man had killed her husband. Sarah’s anger slowly faded from her body. She tried to feel sorry for her mother, and did a little, but not enough to forgive her. When she asked for the boxes from the attic, Brax went to the spare room where Marie told them they were. Marie went and made them all drinks, trying to apologize to Sarah again.
“Where’s Amanda in all this?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, I don’t see your sister anymore. When it was revealed that your father was involved with drug dealers, she didn’t want to know me. She didn’t want to be associated with the widow of a drug maker. I haven’t seen her since your father was killed. She didn’t even come to the funeral. I’ve been trying to find you, Sarah, I even hired a private investigator, but when the money ran out, I couldn’t afford to keep paying him. I’m so glad you’re here. You look honestly wonderful.” She smiled. Sarah noticed the smile was actually genuine.
“Thanks, Mom,” she said before introducing the men. “This is Brax and Conner, they’re my husbands. Well, they will be in a few weeks.” Her mother couldn’t hide the shock at that announcement.
“Oh, oh well. Congratulations, to all three of you.” She smiled again.
“Also, I’m pregnant,” Sarah told her.
“Pregnant? You’re having a baby?” her mother replied. “I’m going to be a gran?” To Sarah’s shock, her mother jumped up and hugged her. “I’m going to have to go shopping. Do you know what you’re having yet? What do you still need to buy? Can I buy the crib? Or stroller. Oh lord, I’m so excited.” She rushed to a drawer and pulled out a pad and paper, starting to make a list of items she was going to buy them.
“Mom, calm down, I’m only a few weeks along.” Sarah laughed, and it was the first laugh she had made since leaving fo
r Michigan. They spent the next hour talking to her mother. Sarah was surprised at how much she enjoyed the woman’s company. It was the first time in her life she was actually sad when her mother said she had to go to work. She had made them promise the three of them would come over for dinner tomorrow evening. When they left, they dropped her mother off at her job, working at a café, cleaning tables and washing dishes. Her mother was a little embarrassed, but when Sarah had told her that people in her situation did whatever job they had to in order to pay the bills, her mother smiled and walked into the café.
The next night, Sarah still felt nervous as they made their way to her mother’s apartment. She still couldn’t believe it was the same woman who had raised her. When they reached the front door, it was again open before they could knock. “Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home. Dinner will be a few minutes. It’s only burgers I’m afraid. I have to confess I’m not a very good chef.”
