HAVING THE WOLF’S

BABY
SHIFTER SURROGATE PROGRAM
BOOK 1
MILLY TAIDEN
 CONTENTS
About the Book
Having the Wolf’s Baby
1. Sara
2. Xavier
3. Sara
4. Xavier
5. Sara
6. Xavier
7. Sara
8. Xavier
9. Sara
10. Xavier
11. Sara
12. Xavier
13. Xavier
14. Sara
15. Xavier
16. Sara
17. Xavier
18. Sara
19. Xavier
20. Sara
21. Xavier
About the Author
Also by Milly Taiden
 This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are
fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any
way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or
organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://millytaiden.com
Having the Wolf’s Baby
Copyright © 2023 by Milly Taiden
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden
August 2023
Created with Vellum
 ABOUT THE BOOK

Sara yearns for a future filled with children. With a past

peppered with the scars of disastrous dates and failed
relationships she’s disillusioned by love. Then a chance
presents itself to be a surrogate for a shifter. If this is her only
way to get her baby, she’s going for it. What she didn’t
expect for the baby’s father to give her the dream of a
happily-ever-after.
Xavier, a leader bound by responsibility, must produce a
legacy that only an heir can secure. He’s yet to meet his mate,
so the next best option is to get an offspring in an
unconventional way. He signs up with a surrogate agency, but
ends up with more than he ever bargained for. A mate and
family fall right into his lap. Now he only needs to convince
Sara she’s the only curvy goddess he wants.
As their bond deepens, a prodigal sibling’s return and a
chilling threat cast shadows over their shared future. When
someone threatens the lives of Sara and their baby, Xavier will
do everything in his power to hunt the people responsible.
Together, they must cross a treacherous path to protect
their newfound happiness, their child and uncover secrets
that test the limits of love’s resilience.
HAVING THE WOLF’S BABY
 SHIFTER SURROGATE PROGRAM 1

NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING

AUTHOR
MILLY TAIDEN
—For my readers who love romance and babies,
Enjoy!
ONE
 SARA

Sara looked herself over in the mirror.

She was nervous, and part of her wasn’t sure if she should
even go through with this. What if she said she was sick? Or
she just canceled altogether?
“No, stop it. You want this, and that’s why you signed up
for it,” she muttered to her reflection. “Be brave. If it doesn’t
work out, then it doesn’t work out. But don’t be a chicken-
shit.”
Sara spun slowly, doubting the best outfit she had.
The skirt of the dress fell just below her knees, fitting like
a true summer dress. She classed it up by adding a silver
draping necklace to match her sterling earrings with the same
design. The lilac color of the fabric complimented her creamy
skin tone but also helped her blue eyes pop against her auburn
hair.
It helped that the material was flowy, except on her hips
and breasts, which she thought were her best assets.
She usually allowed her loose curls to run wild, but tonight
she’d pinned them up in a messy bun with a few tendrils
hanging free. She felt like she looked good. It didn’t help her
nerves, though.
She’d never met this Xavier character. He was a wolf-
shifter and the alpha of his pack, which was intimidating
enough. He had picked the restaurant where they would be
meeting this evening … a fancy, high-end place that would
certainly max out her credit card. He had to be well off to
afford that kind of establishment. But that was all Sara knew
about him.
The Reproductive Services Placement agency had said
Sara was the perfect surrogate for his purposes. The whole
point of this “meet and greet” was to confirm that.
He wanted an heir. Sara wanted a baby. She was tired of
failed relationships and douchebags who said one thing and
did another, and she didn’t need a man by her side all the time
to do that. This seemed like the best opportunity for her to
carry a child of her own without the added drama of a
relationship.
Sara had her doubts about this whole thing, but she needed
to follow through. She couldn’t complain about things if she
wasn’t willing to step out of her comfort zone, even when it
ventured into the unknown.
She glanced at her watch.
“Shit!”
She grabbed her purse, locked the front door, and headed
to her car. She wanted to be earlier than her date. Mainly so
she didn’t have to go through the embarrassment of
introducing herself to the wrong person.
No, thank you. She had enough to worry about as it was.

THOUGH SARA HAD NEVER BEEN to Maurice’s, the

designated restaurant, she’d heard of it. But when she pulled
up, she just about freaked out at how high-class and ritzy it
really was. The mandatory valet parking was just the
beginning.
The sun shone through the glass building with black-and-
gold embellishments and sparkled in the majestic water
fountain out front. Inside the entrance, glass teardrop
chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings, glowing like sunlight.
 When her eyes finally floated to the host standing with his
head tilted, waiting for her attention, she almost blushed.
“Sorry,” she squeaked, then cleared her throat. “Sara
Michaelson. I’m here to meet with Mr. …”
“Yes, Mr. D’Point. Please, right this way, Ms. Michaelson.
You’re early, but I will sit you at his usual table.”
His usual table? Good God, who can afford to come here
that often? she mused as she tried to keep her jaw from
dropping as she looked around the vast dining area filled with
sparkling, jewelry-clad women and sniffed the expensive
colognes. And this wasn’t even dinnertime.
Her anxiety and uncertainty ramped up so quickly she
could throw up.
This Mr. D’Point was obviously wealthy. Why would he
choose someone like her to be a surrogate for his child? Why
not some model from Paris? Obviously, he could afford
anyone he wanted. She wondered if something was wrong
with him. Would this affect her child?
Sara pushed her negativity to the backseat as the maître d’
pulled out her seat at a cozy little two-top against the window.
“Would you like a glass of wine while you wait?”
Sara wanted to say yes, but she also didn’t want to calm
her nerves by becoming sloshed before Xavier even arrived.
“Oh, no. Thank you. Water will be fine.”
He smiled and returned to his station, nose in the air.
With a sigh, she turned to the one-way glass window,
drawn to the oblivious crowd going about their day without a
clue to her curiosity. Faces etched with stories, laughter shared
among friends, and fleeting moments of intimacy against the
backdrop of an urban landscape.
Why had she not been able to find her one true love, that
elusive prince that her childhood fairy tales had promised?
Why …
“Sara?” a deep voice said next to her.
 Startled, she jumped, her knee slamming into the underside
of the table, sending the dishes and silverware clattering. “Oh,
shit,” she muttered, her eyes darting around to see if anyone
noticed. Of course, they did. God, just let her die now.
She glanced to the side to see who belonged to the velvety
voice. Whoever he was, he was handsome beyond a doubt.
Not just handsome, but hot.
His hair was a sexy jet-black mess. His smooth, olive-
toned skin looked as if he had just come off a yacht in Greece.
The shadow from the tabletop candles highlighted the lines of
his face. His form-fitting suit drew attention to his muscular
body.
And his eyes … his eyes were the greenest Sara had ever
seen.
She hadn’t realized that she was staring at him until a
smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. “You are Sara, aren’t
you?”
“Oh, yes! Yes, I am.” She stood to shake his hand. As she
reached out, Xavier flipped his hand under hers and lifted it to
his lips, kissing it in the most chivalrous way.
Her face heated, and her heart melted. The sweet spot
between her legs tingled as his lips brushed her skin.
“I’m Xavier. So glad that we could meet.” He slowly let go
of her hand.
Sara steadied her breathing and quickly attempted to pull
herself together. “Me too,” she said, taking her seat again as
Xavier sat across from her.
Within a second, the maître d’ was back, and Xavier
ordered a bottle of the highest-priced red wine they had
available.
When they had been left alone, he spoke again. “I hope
you don’t mind. I didn’t even ask if you partook in alcoholic
beverages. But it is genuinely refreshing, and you at least have
to try it. Plus, I feel like we both need to have the edge taken
off a bit.”
 His smile was just as captivating as the rest of him.
Sara reminded herself to breathe and that this was as much
a business interview as a date.
Then again, aren’t they usually the same thing? she
thought as the waiter returned, pouring them both a glass.
“Leave the bottle,” Xavier ordered with a smooth tone.
She was impressed he was able to demand things without
sounding like a snooty asshole. He knew what he wanted and
didn’t want to be questioned. He sounded like an alpha.
“I hope it didn’t appear that I was on edge. I simply lost
track of time watching the busy streets,” she responded, taking
a small sip of the wine.
He was right. The drink was beyond refreshing. Either that
or she desperately needed some liquid courage.
He chuckled. “I understand. But I was nervous myself, so I
tossed you under the umbrella to make myself feel better.”
Her shoulders relaxed a little. “You’re nervous? About
meeting me?”
“Of course. This is the first time I have done anything like
this. I wanted to do it right and wasn’t sure what to expect.
I’ve been busy for longer than I care to admit with pack
business, among other things, so when I have a chance to get
out, it’s usually by myself, and I do exactly what you were
doing when I arrived.”
Wait. Had she heard correctly? “You’ve never had a date?”
He smiled at that. “No. Not really. There aren’t many
females in my pack, to begin with, let alone any I care to
spend my time with. And as for humans, I prefer them to
already know the situation before a date, and that requires time
beforehand. You, for example, know what I am and what I do.
There’s no surprise and no stage of uncertainty before we get
down to things.”
His candidness was refreshing. “True. So, why the
surrogacy now?”
 Before he could answer, their waiter arrived to take their
orders.
She let him order for her, given she had never been there
before. She liked that he asked instead of just assuming,
though.
Usually, guys who took control were cringeworthy and
thought they knew best. He was willing, but only if she wanted
him to. She liked that.
When they were alone once more, Xavier answered her. “I
just feel like it’s time. I have the patience and knowledge, and
I want a child of my own to carry on the pack. And my line.
As I said earlier, none of my own pack members mesh well
intimately with me or my standards. The available ones that is.
So, I found out about the Shifter Surrogacy and figured, what
the hell? What about you?”
Sara took a moment to think. Xavier was being
straightforward with her, so she may as well pay him the same
respect.
“I want a baby. I’m tired of dating and going through all of
that. I know I can handle raising a child, but my biggest thing
is I would like to be in its life, not just carry it to term. I can
feel how ready I am to be a mom, and this is what has been
missing for me. So, with all that, I have to ask if that’s even
possible on your end. To allow me to be as involved with the
child we share as much as I can be.”
Her nerves faded as a grin stretched across his face.
“Not a problem at all. In fact, I would love that. Having a
partner to raise a child is always easier, and maybe tonight,
before we sign off on anything, we can discuss our ideas of
parenting and wants for this fictional child. If they mesh, we
let the agency know we want to proceed. How does that sound
to you?”
“I think it sounds like a solid plan.”
They clinked glasses in triumph.
Their food arrived, and they spent the remainder of their
evening discussing how things would work and their ideas for
parenting. With all of that came the talk of their childhoods
and why they believed in the things they did.
The night was effortless and filled with laughter. Sara was
surprised at how easily her smiles came with Xavier.
As the night ended, he waited with Sara as the valet
retrieved her car.
“I think this went very well,” he said.
She smiled back at him. “So do I. I don’t know the last
time I laughed so much.”
Her car pulled up, and the valet gave her the keys.
Xavier kissed her hand again but held on to it this time. “I
would like to continue getting to know you. May I take you
out tomorrow for the day?”
“Yes, I would love that.” Sara reached into her purse and
scribbled her address on a scrap of paper. She handed it to him
and tried to refrain from a creeping blush.
“I’ll pick you up around nine.”
“Sounds good,” she replied, getting into her car.
She slowly drove off, watching as the handsome man
faded into the darkness. Sara felt more positive that this had
been the right choice for her. Hot or not, he was a gentleman.
She glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror and
congratulated herself for not being a chicken-shit.
TWO
 XAVIER

Xavier spent most of his night cleaning his entire house after
his evening with Sara. “If you’re going to start a family and
impress a mate, a clean house is the way to start,” he declared
out loud. “Who would want to live with you in a dump?”
He was beyond thrilled that she’d spoken openly about
how involved she wanted to be in their future child’s life.
When he approached her in the restaurant and saw her aura, he
knew there would be no other way he would have it.
Sara was his mate.
Of course, he wasn’t going to tell her that right now. No
way in hell. He wasn’t sure how far she wanted to take this
besides having a child together. He didn’t want to scare her
away.
He wanted everything perfect when she came over later,
which was his plan for after their outing. After everything that
had happened last night over dinner, he wanted her to live with
him. It also helped that his inner wolf was restless from not
having his newfound mate by his side, so sleeping was
pointless anyway.
Xavier looked around his house, then went back to the
guest room he wanted her to occupy, should she agree, and
decided that everything was as good as it was going to get.
He jumped in the shower to get ready for his date.
As he went about his morning routine, he smiled as he
thought about how smoothly this plan was progressing. He had
initially had a lot of reservations about using a surrogate, but
knowing and sensing that Sara was his mate had made every
decision that much easier.
“But you can’t tell her that yet. She might not really
understand what a fated mate is. She’s not a shifter, after all,”
he reminded himself in the shower. “Worse, she might not be
interested in having one. Who’s to say it means as much to her
as it does to you?”
Fated mates could be a hard thing for non-shifters to
comprehend. He knew from the second he sensed her
importance how he felt about her, but he also knew he’d have
to win Sara over the old-fashioned way. Simply declaring her
as his mate was unlikely to work.
That was his biggest reason for not telling her immediately
about his inner feelings for her. He needed to ease her into
falling for him and see what she wanted from this whole thing
as well. As long as she was near him, he would be patient and
let time make it all come together.
Or at least he would try.
Xavier sprayed himself with cologne and pulled on a gray
T-shirt along with his dark-washed jeans. He jumped into his
silver Camaro and shifted it into gear after looking up her
address one more time.
It had been a long time since he was out doing something
he wanted to do. No pack business and no hiding in his house
to be left unbothered by other issues. It was a clear, sunny day,
and he was going to embrace it, especially with someone who
actually piqued his interest and stimulated his mind.
It didn’t take long for him to find Sara’s little home tucked
in between other homes that looked identical to hers.
Oh, she’ll be thrilled to have the space that I have and get
the hell out of here, he thought, looking at the squashed-
together houses.
He walked up to her door and rang the bell.
Within a minute, she was there with a warm smile.
 His inner wolf calmed at the sight of her. It took sheer
force to not kiss or nuzzle into her neck and take a big whiff of
the lavender and vanilla perfume she wore.
“Hey, glad you could find the place.”
He was taken aback by how breathtakingly beautiful she
was.
Of course, she had been gorgeous last night, but now she
was dressed comfortably with a loose skirt and tank top. Her
hair was loose and caressed her perfect shoulders as strands
teased Xavier’s eyes toward her cleavage.
“Are you ready to go?” She asked.
He noticed that her purse and keys were already in her
hands, so she obviously was.
That made him smile. It meant she had been ready and
eager to start the day with him a while ago … a great sign.
“As long as you are,” he said with a smile.
She nodded and shut the door behind her, ready to be taken
away.
Xavier walked to his passenger door and opened it for her.
Her eyes widened. “This is your car?”
“Yep. I don’t get to take her out as much as I’d care to, but
today seemed like a day to finally get it done.”
She slid in, and he noticed her stroke the black suede seats
before buckling in.
He chuckled as he went to the driver’s side and revved the
engine to life.
“You like this car?” He asked.
“I’ve never been in something so nice. I’m scared to even
sweat against it.” She laughed.
“Eh, don’t even worry about it. What good is a car if it
doesn’t look like it gets used? Enjoy the ride, and let me know
if I scare you.”
 A sexy smile flashed across her face, and his groin
tightened.
“Oh, don’t you worry about me … I’m ready.”
“I bet you are.” He shifted it into gear and sped off toward
their destination.
As they drove, he couldn’t help but glance her way every
few seconds. Their windows were down, and the wind danced
through her hair.
She was gorgeous and clearly comfortable in her own skin.
Her vibrancy radiated through her. He really admired that.
Sara must have caught his wandering eye.
“What?” She asked, looking almost self-conscious.
“Nothing. I just can’t stop admiring how beautiful you
are.”
Her cheeks reddened as she tried to push her unruly hair
behind her ears. “Well, you’re sweet. I just threw this together.
I wasn’t sure what we were doing since you never told me, or I
might have dressed better.”
“No, no. I really mean it. You look gorgeous, Sara.
Comfortable and happy is beautiful on you, and it makes it
hard to keep my eyes on the road.”
Her smile spread over her face.
Interesting that she wasn’t used to compliments. He would
change that. He would always be honest with her, which meant
saying exactly what was on his mind, including her sexiness.
“So,” she changed the subject, “where are we going
anyway?”
He gave her a devilish smirk. “It’s a surprise.”
A few minutes later, Xavier pulled up to a field packed
with other cars.
Sara looked around as he turned off the ignition. He
watched her, waiting for when she would notice.
 Her eyes brightened when she saw the banner hanging
over the entrance.
“A literary festival!”
“Have you ever been to one?”
“No. I’ve always wanted to go, but I was either working or
just heard about them too late. How did you know this would
be something I’d like? It’s so … nerdy.” She giggled with a
slight grimace.
He laughed at her face. “I have my ways. Also, when I
asked about you at the surrogacy office, they mentioned how
voracious a reader you are and that you may or may not have
written a lot of poetry as well.”
Her hand went to her face in exaggerated dismay. “Oh my
gosh! I need to pay attention to how I answer questions. They
asked me that when they were building my profile and getting
to know me. It was so laid back. I think I may have answered
too honestly.”
Xavier laughed even harder now. “No, you answered
perfectly. It was one of the intriguing things about you. It
shows you have an imagination. It helped you, don’t worry.”
He got out of the car and came around to open her door. “So,
would you like to go here? I know I would. A little secret.” He
leaned into her ear, purposely breathing heavily into it. “I’m a
nerd too.”
His eyes caught the slightest shiver, and goosebumps rose
on her neck. He smiled at her reaction.
“You are not.”
“I cross my heart. I don’t let just anyone know that, but
you’re special, so you get to keep that little tidbit to yourself.”
“Reading doesn’t make you a nerd,” she teased as they
approached the entrance.
“I read, I write, I know Shakespeare’s sonnets and poems. I
may have written some of my own.”
“Seriously?”
 “Seriously. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to read some
sometime. Of course, that’s a hard maybe, and only if you
share yours as well,” he teased.
“Deal.”
He paid for their admittance, and the morning flew by.
It was one of the best days Xavier had had since long
before his parents had passed, and he had taken on the role of
alpha.
In fact, he hadn’t been to one of these festivals since he
had come with his sister and parents long, long ago.
But that was a story for another time to share with Sara.
Today was about her and him bonding over a shared interest. It
didn’t need the woes of long ago to cloud the clear day.
By the time they had attended all the poetry readings, visits
with local authors, and readings from both famous and non-
published books, it was well past lunchtime.
“I think we have hit all there was for the day. Are you
starving yet?” he asked after one of the last readings.
Her bright eyes turned to him in shock. “You know, I
hadn’t even thought about food until you mentioned it. What
should we get?” She looked over at the vendors offering a
plethora of fair food.
“I have a better plan. If you’re ready to go, that is.”
She looked at him curiously but nodded. “Let’s go.”
They headed back to the car, and then Xavier drove them
to the dead end of a dirt road near his house.
He reached behind the seat and pulled up a basket. “Does a
picnic by the river sound all right to you?”
She laughed. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
The river flowed behind a small thicket of trees.
“This is perfect!” Sara exclaimed as she headed to the
shade near the river’s edge.
 Xavier threw a blanket down and spread out their food.
They sat and talked while nibbling on the finest meats and
cheeses.
This was even more intimate, filled with more stories than
the previous night. Xavier decided that if he hadn’t felt the
mating pull to her, he would have fallen for her anyway.
“So, what’s it like to be a wolf?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It’s hard to explain because I don’t have
anything different to compare it to. It’s freeing and challenging
at the same time. It’s two natures fighting over who’s the
strongest sometimes. Like urges and stuff that trigger a wolf
can set my human side on edge even more than it should.”
She grew quiet. “Can I see it?”
“My wolf?”
She nodded hesitantly.
The request made him surprisingly joyful. Usually, humans
were scared of that. They liked to pretend the wild half didn’t
exist at all.
“Absolutely. Don’t be afraid, but I do have to get naked.”
She giggled nervously and covered her eyes.
Xavier stripped down and shifted. He laid down and
whined to get Sara’s attention.
She opened her eyes and looked shocked but not scared.
Slowly, she approached him and held out her hand. He nuzzled
her but stayed with his belly to the ground.
“You’re beautifully intimidating,” she said in awe.
Pride flowed through his wolf that she was taken with his
form. He knew his shaggy black form with yellow eyes could
run off the best of them. But there his mate stood, enchanted
by him.
He stayed that way for a while, allowing Sara to play and
become comfortable with his altered form. His heart rejoiced
to see his fated mate accept every part of him with no fear.
 Xavier finally felt at peace. It had been so long since he
had felt this way he had almost forgotten how good life could
be. And it was all because of Sara.
THREE
 SARA

Xavier pulled into his long driveway as she thought back to

how the day had progressed. Their time together had been
going so unexpectedly well with the festival and similar
interests that they shared that she just let the ease from last
night flow into the rest of the day.
She had been excited and nervous to spend so much time
with Xavier getting to know him better. She hadn’t expected to
connect with him on such a personal level in so many ways.
She certainly hadn’t anticipated meeting his wolf.
She’d been hesitant about even asking him about his other
side, but thankfully curiosity and comfort had won out, and
she’d built up the courage to ask. He had received it so
welcomingly and been more than willing. It was as if he had
been happy with her request.
Sara figured she’d be scared initially, but not an ounce of
fear entered her, even when she looked at his massive black
wolf form. Yes, he’d been intimidating, but she hadn’t been
afraid. He was beautiful and everything an alpha should be.
How could a man be so sexy as a human and a wolf?
They pulled up to a big house that looked like a whole
family could easily live there, with more than enough room
and then some.
“Do you live here by yourself?” she asked as she stepped
out of the car, staring up at the beautiful brick home.
“Yep. It was my parents’. I grew up here and never felt the
urge to move out.”
 “How could you? You probably could have roommates and
never see them while staying here.”
He chuckled and walked up to the porch. Xavier stopped
and turned toward her as she took her first step up.
“I have some of the pack here in the back. I wanted them
to meet you since we hit it off so well the other night. I hope
that’s okay.”
Sara’s heart picked up slightly, but she smiled. She had
enjoyed meeting his wolf but meeting other shifters was
worrisome. It was like meeting your boyfriend’s family for the
first time. What if they didn’t like her? What if they thought
she wouldn’t make a good mother? In any case, she hoped
these other shifters were as accommodating and welcoming as
he had been.
“Of course,” she replied, “I’m sure you need to see how
we all get along in order for us to proceed.” Fear seeped in that
maybe she could still be rejected.
“No, not at all. I just want them to know who you are and
that you are to be treated with respect. I don’t need their
blessings in this. It’s my choice, and they will abide by it.
They are here as a favor to me and to welcome you.”
Sara looked at the fierceness in his eyes behind his words.
He meant what he said. He was already willing to stand up for
her against his own pack by ensuring she was put first. Not
only was he a true alpha, he was going to make a great father.
She could already see that.
A thought occurred to her as she took another step toward
him. “How did you know I would come back to your house?”
She wasn’t upset, but it had been presumptuous of him.
He smiled. “I didn’t. I had hoped. But either way, they
would have been here for me to catch up on pack news. It’s a
weekly thing.”
“Oh, how convenient,” she replied with a smirk. Sara was
feeling comfortable enough that her smart-ass side was shining
through, a clear indication that she was relishing this moment
of playful banter.
 She climbed to the top of the porch, and they entered the
house together. The place looked immaculately clean. She
gulped. It wasn’t that she was a slob, but the thought of
keeping such a huge place like this spotless with a baby in tow
was a bit daunting.
She heard a faint laugh with muffled voices and turned
toward a huge picture window overlooking a manicured lawn
(of course) and a vast forest not far in the distance. Out in the
back, folks milled about. The pack.
Sara took a deep breath and followed Xavier to the sliding
doors that led to his group.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked before opening
the door.
She nodded, plastering on a fake brave smile. “Now or
never. I’m already here.”
His grin looked proud as he slid the door open, allowing
the conversations to flow through uninterrupted.
The pack turned in unison. All seemed to smile and
welcome their alpha and guest.
“Thank you for coming,” he greeted. “Sorry I’m late. As
most of you may know, this is Sara.” He turned to face her, his
face beaming. She shyly waved at the group.
“She will be my surrogate and will be treated as such.
Welcome her and make sure she feels at home. You will be
seeing a lot of her, and I expect nothing but the best from you.
Human or not, she is with me.”
Sara tried not to flush at his sudden words.
“Now, Carlos, catch me up on what has been going on.”
Xavier walked over to a burly man with a bushy beard and put
an arm over Carlos’s shoulders as they huddled.
Sara didn’t have a moment to think about feeling awkward
as several females flocked to her.
“So, you’re Sara. It’s so nice to meet you. We were so
curious who the agency would set Xavier up with,” a blonde
woman, slightly older than Sara, gushed.
 Another one, a brunette, hugged Sara. “Welcome! If you
have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask. We girls have to
stick together.” She winked.
“Yeah, there aren’t too many of us. As Xavier probably
already said. That’s why he reached out to the agency,”
another said. She looked younger than the rest but just as
confident.
Sara smiled, trying to remember the faces and keep up
with the warm welcomes she received. She was surprised at
how nice they all were.
“Thank you. I don’t mean to be rude, but can you tell me
your names so I can attempt to remember them?” she asked
with a nervous giggle.
“Oh, of course, honey,” the blonde answered. “I’m
Calliope. This is Alison,” she pointed to the brunette. “And
this is Teresa.” She ended with the younger one.
“It’s so nice to meet all of you.” Sara smiled as genuinely
as she could. The butterflies swirling in her stomach began to
settle. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she initially feared.
Alison grabbed Sara’s hand. “Tell us about you. We want
to hear about what will happen when the baby is here and just
who you are.”
“Absolutely,” Calliope joined in. “We would love to help
in any way that we can. That’s what we are here for.”
Teresa even smiled. “We really are. There are more of us,
and you’ll see just how involved we all are with each other’s
lives, especially our alpha’s. But since it was just a small
gathering made for a pack gossip meeting, or at least that’s
what I call them, some are out making the rounds or running
errands.”
Sara was blown away by the sudden support and
friendliness. They all seemed interested and hung on every
word she had to say, even about herself. She spent the next
hour answering questions and filling in the blanks that they
had about her and her role.
 They made Sara feel as if she could truly be a good mother
here, no matter the doubts she may have had. It was a great
feeling to have, given her past tribulations of inner sabotage.
With the weight of self-doubt lifted, she embraced the
newfound confidence like a beacon guiding her toward
brighter horizons.
Xavier eventually made his way over to the group of
women.
“Hello, ladies. I just wanted to inform you that our little
gathering will extend into a pack cookout. Calliope, can you
contact the rest of the pack and let them know they will be
having dinner here and meeting Sara as well?”
Calliope’s brown eyes lit up. “I’ll get right on that.”
“We’ll start getting everything ready.” Alison jumped up
from her lawn chair. She grabbed Teresa’s hand and headed
into the kitchen.
Sara turned to follow, but Xavier pulled her back.
“You don’t have to follow them.”
“But I want to. I don’t mind helping, really.”
He smirked at her and shook his head. “No, you don’t
understand. You won’t be helping them.”
Sara was confused. She didn’t want the women to
suddenly not like her because she wasn’t going to help. What
if they thought she thought she was better than them? She
couldn’t have that.
“Really, it’s okay.”
“I get that. But you are going to play the alpha female role
in this pack. You are now tied to me, and you don’t need to
help. It isn’t expected or required.”
“It’s only fair, though. I’m brand new here. I don’t want to
give the wrong impression.”
Xavier’s head went back as he laughed. “Seriously? You
aren’t going to give any wrong impression. It would be weird
if you did help, not for you to sit it out. I respect your
reasoning, but today you need to relax and have fun. Use this
time to mingle with me among the males so they get to know
you better too. The more they know you, the more committed
they are to protecting you personally. Not just because I say
so.”
He wasn’t standing down on this, so she accepted. Besides,
who was she to go against the leader of the pack?
As the night progressed, more of the pack showed up.
Xavier was her guide and never left her side as they met each
and every member.
Later in the evening, Sara pulled Xavier aside.
“Is everything all right?” His furrowed brow and eyes
filled with worry told of his concern, a silent testament to the
genuine care he held for her.
“Yes. Honestly, I am really enjoying this. Everyone has
been so great.”
As the tension in his shoulders eased and his eyes softened,
a visible sigh revealed the soothing embrace of relief.
She glanced around to see if anyone was paying them any
attention. “I just wanted to suggest something.”
His eyebrow raised. “Oh?”
She was nervous to ask, but this was her shot. It had
worked so far. “I know you agreed that I can be as involved as
I want to be with the baby. But what about me moving here for
the duration of the pregnancy?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I mean, I think it would be best for the baby and…”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“Really?” That was easier than she thought.
“I do.” His lips curved gently, a warmth spreading across
his face as his eyes met hers, a silent connection shared.
A wave of immense relief washed over her, a soothing
balm to the anxieties that had gripped her heart. Staring into
his sharp green eyes, she found solace in their depth, a refuge
from the uncertainties ahead.
At that moment, unspoken understanding passed between
them, a reassuring bond that needed no words.
Her next thought slipped out instead of staying in her head
where it belonged. “Plus, the fun part of all this is trying to get
pregnant.” She almost choked on her own words when she
heard herself say it out loud.
Xavier’s smile grew bigger. “Hell, yes, it is.”
FOUR
 XAVIER

“I didn’t mean for that to come out so forward,” Sara

apologized, her face turning tomato red.
Xavier shook his head. “Don’t apologize for speaking the
truth. It’s not like I disagree with you.” He pulled her closer to
him, not caring if anyone was watching. What did it matter
anyway? She was going to have his baby, and soon enough,
hopefully, she would know that she was his mate.
Intense warmth radiated from her, a palpable reminder of
their proximity. He relished the sensation, loving the impact he
had on her.
“I know.” She giggled nervously, her admission scenting
the air with vulnerability. “But I didn’t mean to come across as
so crass.”
He chuckled, drawn to her unfiltered honesty. “Don’t hold
back,” he urged, his desire to truly know her deepening.
Xavier’s longing surged as her blue eyes locked with his.
The urge to kiss her was irresistible, like an electric charge in
the air. Her gaze kindled a primal yearning within him,
igniting a passionate spark. If it were up to him, they’d start on
the business of baby-making right away. Screw the barbeque.
Sara seemed to have sensed his desire and narrowed her
eyes, really looking at him. “What are you thinking, Mr.
Straightforward?”
He had already told her he was all about honesty, so he
said exactly what was on his mind. “That I want you right
now. Fuck this party. As you said, the creation is the best
part.”
Sara’s grin faltered. Xavier’s wolf heard her heart beat
faster and harder against her voluptuous chest. Another part of
her he wanted to acquaint himself with.
“Are you serious?” she breathed rather heavily.
He leaned down to her ear and breathed his reply, just
enough to move wisps of hair. “Absolutely.”
He saw goosebumps rise on her neck and took advantage
of her silence. “I’m going to wind this place down so you
don’t feel so bad for abandoning our guests. But why don’t
you say your goodnights, and I’ll make the excuse of how
tired you are? My room is upstairs and to the right. It’s the
master bedroom and ensuite bathroom. You get yourself
comfortable, and I’ll meet you up there.” He brushed her
lower back as he walked away.
He could feel her eyes on him before Sara headed to make
her own rounds.
Xavier went through the goodbyes as if he were a well-
programmed robot. They all understood and nodded, thanking
him for the food and hospitality. His replies were polite but
short. No one would raise a question about him bidding them
goodnight. He wasn’t much of the party type, especially
anymore.
He was known to be more business than pleasure. Sure, he
enjoyed his time with others, but being at such a young age
when so much responsibility was thrown at him had matured
and aged him much faster than his pack mates.
As the last of the pack made their way out, Xavier noticed
that Sara had been gone for a while. She must have been quick
with her goodbyes and dashed upstairs.
A smile crept to his face at the thought.
The charged atmosphere crackled with unspoken desire,
like an electric current that pulsed between them. He read the
longing in her eyes, a mirror to his own yearning that had
grown especially potent tonight.
 This moment marked a promising beginning for their
connection, a precursor to the potential their shared future
held. Yet, he understood the delicate balance required. He
recognized the need to maintain an air of mystery, subtly
asserting his claim as her mate, allowing their bond to deepen
while still keeping a hint of intrigue alive.
As he methodically went about the task of shutting off
lights and securing the premises after the departing crowd, a
growing sense of exhilaration coursed through him. Sara’s
words from earlier echoed in his mind, each syllable sinking in
like a sweet melody.
The weight of her meaning began to settle, infusing him
with newfound purpose. With each turn of a key and every
switch he flicked, the thrill of her desire for him seeped deeper
into his consciousness, igniting a fire of anticipation that more
than thrilled him.
She had declared that she wanted to stay at his house and
live with him for the duration of the pregnancy. And she didn’t
balk when he suggested they should start now in making a
family.
A subtle smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he
contemplated the path ahead. While Sara remained oblivious
to the connection they shared, he held the certainty close to his
heart. Patience, he realized, would be his greatest asset. This
would be a test of his resolve. An exercise in genuine restraint,
as he recognized the need to build their bond without rushing
it.
He understood the delicate balance between revealing his
true feelings and giving her the space to grow her emotions at
her own pace. His desire to be near her, to call her his own,
burned hot, but he was willing to let it smolder quietly in the
background, allowing her the time she needed to discover their
connection on her own terms and timeline.
He felt very confident that she would. He could tell, not
out of cockiness but by knowing that the fates wouldn’t be
cruel enough to pair him with someone who couldn’t love him
back. Or so he hoped.
 He knew he just had to take things one step at a time. Play
the couple game, especially with a human.
He chuckled to himself at the irony of it all as he headed
up the stairs.
They may be taking it slow for them, but looking in, they
were doing it backward from other couples.
First comes sex, baby, love, then marriage. Way to keep it
original, he ruminated to himself as he approached the door to
his room.
It was slightly cracked open. He peered inside.
Sara lay on the bed, fiddling with a chain around her neck.
Her shoes were off, and her hair was loose, but she looked
tense.
He pushed the door open. “Are you relaxed?”
She started at his words, obviously lost in thought. “Oh,
ah, no. Not really.” She gave a meek smile. “I really wasn’t
sure what you wanted me to do.”
Xavier sat on the edge of the bed facing her. “I don’t want
you to do anything that you don’t want to do. It just felt like
we both wanted the same thing. I can take you home if you
would prefer.” He hoped to God that she wouldn’t.
She shook her head and answered quickly. “No, I don’t.
I’m just not … used to doing things this way.”
“Neither am I. But I want you to be comfortable and
happy.” He leaned over to stroke her cheek. Her eyes closed,
and a soft smile played on her lips.
“I am happy.” She grabbed his shirt and pulled him on top
of her, pressing her lips against his when he lost his balance
from the gesture.
His entire body zapped to life when their lips met.
Xavier’s pants tightened instantly as heat overwhelmed
him. If there had been any doubt before that she was, in fact,
his mate, it couldn’t be denied now.
Her lips burned into his as he melted against her.
 His tongue pushed through her soft lips, yearning to taste
her.
She was delicious.
He pressed his erection against her leg as he turned his
body to completely be on top of her. She moaned into his
mouth, causing a vibration to ripple through his body that
shook him to the core.
The need to be inside her and claim her as his own was
overwhelming. He couldn’t mark her, not yet. But he could
claim her in every other way.
To his surprise, Xavier felt Sara reach for his shirt to pull it
over his head. He lifted himself up so she could accomplish
the task. Before she could move on to his pants, he pulled at
her shirt, lifting her up.
He undid her pants and then his own before he laid back
on her and kissed her neck hungrily.
Her fingers ran down his back as she arched her body
underneath him, pressing her hips and breasts against him.
Xavier controlled himself enough to not bite too hard onto
her shoulder. Instead, he made his tongue venture down to her
full breasts, which were practically popping out of her black
bra.
Black? Mmm, someone besides me was hoping for this. He
gently kissed one and used a free hand to pull the cup down
and popped the exposed nipple into his mouth.
“Ah, fuck,” she moaned and bucked her hips against him.
Encouraged, he sucked harder and moved his hand to the
back of her bra to unhook it.
He finally got it free, and Sara eagerly ripped it off her
shoulders and tossed it to the side. She grabbed his head and
pushed it against her chest.
Xavier grabbed her breasts in both hands and squeezed.
Then he did what he had been wanting to do. He buried his
face in between and licked her everywhere.
 She moaned as he kept laving and sucking on her nipples,
making sure each had its turn.
His excited cock soaked the inside of his briefs, but he
didn’t care. He loved making Sara moan the way she was.
She reached down just then, slipped her hand inside, and
grabbed hold of his dick.
“You like that?” he asked teasingly as he kept his mouth
close to her breasts.
“You’re so smooth and hard,” she said as she stroked him,
rubbing his pre-cum down his shaft.
“I want you. That’s why.”
“Then fuck me.”
His cock got harder at her command.
He sat up, pulled her panties down, and then released
himself from his own underwear.
She spread her legs, ready for him, but Xavier had to wait
a second and admire her gorgeous, fertile body. She had thick
hips and full breasts, and she was definitely in shape. Her
pussy was pink and calling his name as it glistened in the light
of the setting sun, wet with need.
He put his hands by her shoulders and positioned himself
to slide right into her opening. Xavier leaned down and kissed
her on the mouth hard. Sara met his desperation, then pushed
her hips up as her hand grabbed his dick and pushed it inside
her.
He almost came right then and there.
She was tight, wet, and everything he wanted. She moaned
loudly as his entire cock made its way to the base.
“Holy shit, you feel so good,” he groaned. He tried to pull
it together and start pumping slowly, but his need to finish was
almost suffocating. Her pussy was like nothing he had ever
experienced.
Her hands went under his arms and dug into his back. “So
do you. Please don’t stop. I’m already so close.”
 He obeyed, not wanting to let her down, especially if it
meant he could release inside this glorious piece of art.
Sara pushed her pelvis up and slammed into his every time
he drove deep inside, causing greater penetration and more
friction. Something they both wanted and needed.
“Oh, fuck, I’m going to come,” he moaned, unable to slow
down, even if he had wanted to.
Her screams grew louder and louder, begging for him to
come for her.
There was no stopping it. He released hard and kept
pumping. Sara climaxed with him. He felt her pressure against
him, her breath high and thin, and then her pussy pulsed
tightly around his unyielding cock.
He just finished, but with her around him, he was ready to
go again already.
Sara seemed to sense it herself.
She smiled up at him as he looked into her blue eyes.
“Again?” she smirked.
With one word, his hard-on was back. “Again.”
FIVE
 SARA

Sara wasn’t feeling too good. Her cornflakes were not sitting
right in her stomach. “Excuse me,” she said to Xavier,
hurrying out of the kitchen.
They’d been sitting at the breakfast bar as they did every
morning. It was nice. It was the only meal they were
guaranteed to be able to eat together, and it had become an
important part of the day.
She’d just made it to the bathroom before the cornflakes
came back up. This was the third morning in a row.
“Are you okay in there?” asked Xavier from outside the
bathroom door.
“Ugh, I feel awful,” she replied. “I’ll come back to the
kitchen soon.”
She heard Xavier depart as she washed her face and
brushed her teeth. Could this be it? She’d read about morning
sickness, but was it meant to make you feel this dreadful?
Maybe she was coming down with something.
When she got back to the kitchen, Xavier sat there with an
expectant look on his face. “Does this mean you’re pregnant?”
he asked with a hopeful light in his eyes.
“I don’t know,” replied Sara. “I don’t think it’s meant to
make you feel this bad. I am due for my period today, though.”
Xavier obviously wanted her to be pregnant by the look on
his face. “I can’t wait,” he said. “Let’s do a test!”
 “Really? Do you think it would work this early?” she
asked.
“There’s only one way to find out,” he said.
“I certainly hope morning sickness isn’t as bad as this,”
she said, already feeling her stomach turning again.
“My cousin was sick for weeks with her first one,” Xavier
said knowingly.
“Ugh, that does not help,” she replied. “I’ve got a test in
the bathroom. I’ll do it right after I finish getting sick again.”
She left the room in a hurry.
Five minutes later, she returned with the test in her hand.
“How long do you have to wait?” Asked Xavier.
“About three to four minutes,” she said.
Their eyes met. “Oh, my goodness, what if I’m pregnant?”
she said, a lump rising in her throat.
Xavier beamed. “You would make me the happiest man
alive,” he replied.
She couldn’t help but smile at that. She felt so nervous.
“And what if I’m not pregnant?” she asked with a worried
frown.
“Oh, well, that would be a shame. I guess we’d have to
have more sex,” Xavier replied, raising one eyebrow, a wicked
smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
Sara burst out laughing. “That would be a shame, wouldn’t
it?” She laughed.
“What’s it doing?” He asked. “Has it changed yet?”
She looked down at the stick, and her stomach turned, not
from nausea this time but from excitement. “It’s turning blue!”
She said. “I’m sure it is. Look.”
She thrust the stick under his nose. “You peed on that!” He
exclaimed. “Sensitive wolf nose, remember?”
She laughed. “Sorry,” she said, holding it a little farther
away. They both saw the blue line on it clearly now. Sara
squealed. “I’m pregnant. Xavier, I’m actually pregnant!”
He grabbed her around the waist and spun her around the
kitchen, the peed-on stick completely forgotten in their
excitement. Xavier lifted her and howled his pleasure. She
could see the wolf in his eyes, just below the surface. She felt
an overwhelming sense of protection emanating from him.
“Right, I’m taking you to the healer,” Xavier said when
they’d both calmed a little. “Let’s check just to be sure
everything’s okay.”
“Don’t you have to work today?” Sara asked.
“Work? On a day like today? You must be kidding. This is
way too important. Work can wait.”
It pleased Sara to see how passionate Xavier was being
about it. When she’d first agreed to this surrogate deal, she had
thought she would be facing most of it on her own. Having
Xavier involved made her feel much more confident about the
situation.
“Okay,” she said with a smile. “I’d better get dressed
then.”
When she got out of the shower, she stood naked in front
of the full-length mirror. She examined her flat stomach,
placing her hands tenderly upon it. “Hello, little baby,” she
said, a tear of love welling up in her eye. “You are going to be
the most loved baby in the world.”
The moment was ruined somewhat by another wave of
nausea rising. “Though I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t
make me too sick,” she added.
She dressed quickly and rushed downstairs to join Xavier.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “I’ve called ahead, and she’s
expecting us around ten. I hope that’s okay?”
“That’s absolutely fine,” she said. “I’m so thrilled.”
“I am too,” he said. “Are you hungry? You threw up your
breakfast. We could stop in at The Hungry Horse on the way if
you like?”
 The Hungry Horse was a shifter diner that specialized in
large steaks and plenty of carbs. It was a very thoughtful idea,
but the mere idea of it made her gag. “Um, no, thanks. I think I
might avoid that kind of food for a while.”
Xavier must have seen the color drain from her cheeks at
the prospect. “Ah, okay,” he said. “Some soft fruit then?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “That sort of thing for now, I think.”
When they got to the healer’s, there was no one there
except for them. Xavier told her that he’d asked for privacy, so
she had shuffled her appointments around to accommodate
them. “We don’t want word getting out until we’re ready,” he
said.
Sara was relieved. She hadn’t liked the prospect of waiting
in a packed waiting room to be seen. There were definitely
perks to carrying the alpha’s baby.
The healer was a middle-aged woman with graying hair
pulled back in a long braid that reached down her back. Some
of her hair had worked its way loose and fell in gentle waves
around her face. Sara instantly warmed to her.
“Come in and sit down,” she said. Even her voice had an
air of reassuring comfort.
Sara sat and looked around her exam room. It was not very
different from most exam rooms she’d been in. There were the
usual anatomy posters on the walls and an examination table
in the corner.
However, there were also jars of herbs and bottles of
colored liquids in glass-fronted cabinets. The shelves that lined
the walls were filled with books, not only on human ailments
but many that would look more at home in a veterinary clinic.
Sara guessed it must be very different treating shifters. She
wondered if carrying a shifter baby would affect her
pregnancy.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Annie Parker, but you can call me Annie,” she
said by way of an introduction. “And you must be Sara?” She
held out her hand.
 Sara shook it, feeling a little awed. “Pleased to make your
acquaintance,” she said.
“As you can see, things are done a little differently here,”
said Annie. “Let me reassure you that I’m a human doctor as
well as a shifter healer. I’ve had many years of experience
bringing both human and shifter babies into the world,” she
added with a smile of encouragement.
The room gained a serene energy, a sanctuary of
understanding and trust. She instinctively felt that as long as
Annie was part of birthing her shifter child, she could face the
uncertainties ahead with renewed strength and optimism.
“First, let’s do some checks and confirm that you’re
definitely pregnant and that everything is all right with the
baby,” Annie went on. “Do you think you could give me a
small sample?” she asked, waving a bottle in the air.
“Yes, of course,” Sara replied, taking the bottle. She was
so nervous, it wouldn’t be difficult.
“The bathroom is out in the waiting room,” Annie told her.
Two minutes later, Sara returned with the specimen jar full
of urine. “Well, that’s nice and clear. That’s a good sign,”
Annie said. She took the sample to a counter and pulled from
the cabinet a white strip that looked similar to the pee stick
from earlier.
“Isn’t that just the same as the pregnancy test we did
earlier?” asked Sara.
“Very similar,” replied Annie. “But this is a lot more
sensitive. I’ll also test for a bunch of other stuff while I’m at it.
It will make sure your body is responding properly to the
pregnancy and confirm that you’re nice and healthy too.”
Annie’s voice, soft and steady, washed over Sara like a
soothing balm. She hoped all the tests came back negative.
“I’m going to need to take some blood also. I hope that’s
okay?” said the gentle healer.
“Yes, I’m fine with that,” Sara replied.
 “That’s great. Obviously, you won’t get the blood results
back right away.” Annie fiddled around with the tests as she
spoke, then turned to them with the pee stick lookalike. “Well,
you were right,” she said with a smile. “You are definitely
pregnant.”
Her eyes collided with Xavier’s, and twin smiles danced
across their faces, mirroring the happiness that radiated within
her. Her heart skipped a beat as she observed the way his eyes
crinkled at the corners, a telltale sign of the genuine happiness
he felt too.
After Annie had taken the blood tests, she asked Xavier to
leave the room while she performed an examination. It was a
bit uncomfortable, but Annie was as gentle as she could be.
“Everything looks fine,” she said. “You can get dressed.”
Sara was overjoyed. She had been given a clean bill of
health from the doctor. Then came another wave of morning
sickness. “Is there anything I can take for this nausea I keep
feeling?” Sara asked. She’d had enough already.
Annie gave a little chuckle. “That’s the age-old question of
pregnant mothers everywhere,” she said. “How do you feel
about ginger? Do you like it?”
“Yes, I love it. Why?” said Sara.
“That’s very lucky for you, then. It’s the best thing you can
take for morning sickness. Ginger tea, ginger cookies, ginger
ice cream. From now on, ginger is your best friend,” Annie
answered. As the doctor spoke, she tidied the area. “If it gets
too bad, I can medicate you, but for now, using a natural
remedy is the best thing for both you and the baby.”
Sara felt as if she were in the kitchen of an old friend. She
half expected Annie to offer her a drink or get a pie out of the
oven. She liked the older healer immensely. She was very glad
Annie would be guiding her through this pregnancy.
Annie called Xavier back into the room and explained to
them the best practices for a healthy pregnancy. “Exercise is
fine,” she said, “as long as you get plenty of rest as well and
try not to get too stressed with everything happening in your
life right now. Stress is the worst thing for your health and the
babies.”
“Is there anything, in particular, I should eat? Apart from
ginger, that is,” she asked. Xavier gave her a questioning look.
“Ginger’s great for morning sickness, apparently,” she told
him.
“Ugh, rather you than me,” he said, then frowned as the
two women exchanged a laugh.
“It’s lucky you’re not the pregnant one, then,” Annie told
him. “You can eat pretty much anything, really,” she went on.
“Make sure fish and poultry are well cooked. You don’t want
to get food poisoning. Eat plenty of protein and fresh fruit and
vegetables. I’ll give you a leaflet. Don’t feel like you’ve got to
remember all this.”
By the time their meeting concluded and they stepped out
of the office, a palpable sense of reassurance enveloped Sara.
The discussions had been illuminating, addressing their
concerns and providing a roadmap for the journey ahead.
A renewed confidence infused her step as she and Xavier
walked side by side. Her nervousness was evident, yet beneath
the veneer of apprehension, there burned an unyielding
determination. The challenges of pregnancy lay before them
like an uncharted terrain, but they were united by a common
resolve to conquer it with grace and diligence.
She would face it with her new partner, drawing strength
from their bond and a shared commitment to getting it right.
It sounded good, anyway.
SIX
 XAVIER

Xavier stood in the doctor’s office exam room for a moment,

frozen by disbelief and elation, his heart pounding. The words
reverberated through his mind, echoing with a resonance he
could scarcely comprehend.
His fated mate, the one whose presence had ignited a
unique warmth within him, was now carrying the most
profound proof of their connection … a precious life created
by them.
On their drive home, a wave of pure joy washed over him,
an emotion so powerful that it seemed to lift him from the
ground. His eyes, usually so composed, shimmered with
unshed tears as he stared out the windshield, his heart bursting
with an overwhelming mix of emotions.
The weight of responsibility and wonder settled on his
shoulders, and a tender smile played on his lips. He felt a deep
sense of gratitude for the universe’s alignment, for bringing
them together in a way that defied logic and embraced the
realm of the extraordinary.
As he reached out to touch her hand, a surge of emotion
coursed through him. He marveled at how fate had led them to
this juncture, where their souls were intertwined in a bond that
now extended to the life growing within her.
Xavier’s overjoyed heart swelled with a sense of purpose,
a determination to cherish and protect both the woman he
loved and the tiny, miraculous being that was a testament to
their burgeoning love story.
 Both he and Sara agreed they should tell their nearest and
dearest first, but after that, they really didn’t care who knew
about it. They were both so happy that they wanted to sing the
news from the rooftops.
So as soon as they reached home from the healer, Xavier
called his closest friends and colleagues, and Sara called her
folks. He wished his parents were alive to hear the news. His
mom would have been delighted.
All the calls were made by lunchtime, and Xavier decided
they should go out for a celebratory meal. “Where do you
want to eat?” he asked.
“What about that place down by the river?” she replied.
“They have that lovely balcony outside where you can sit and
watch the boats go by. Peaches? Is that what it’s called?”
He knew exactly where she meant. “Yes, actually, it’s
called The Peachery,” he said. “That’s the perfect spot. Are
you sure you feel up to eating, though?”
“I think so. I’ve had my herbal ginger tea that Annie
recommended. Let’s give it a try,” she said, smiling.
At the casual eatery, they sat outside on the shaded patio to
eat. He was relieved that the menu contained a dish seasoned
with ginger. He didn’t know what he’d do if she couldn’t eat
properly.
Sara’s eyes kept darting to the side, and he glanced over to
see what held her interest. He caught the sight of colorful
equipment in a children’s play area. In a wistful tone, she
whispered, “We could bring Bobby here when he’s older,” she
said. “I’m sure he’d love it.”
“Bobby?” questioned Xavier. “I don’t think so. That’s too
soft. He’ll be an alpha one day. He needs a strong name. How
about Rogue?”
Her eyes rolled. “You can’t call a kid Rogue,” she said.
“That’s asking for trouble.”
“Rogue’s a good name. I had an uncle called Rogue. He
was great.”
 “And was he? A rogue, I mean?” she asked with an
eyebrow raised.
“I was just a kid. I just remember he was always good fun.
He’d always spice up a party.” Xavier was thoughtful for a
moment. “Okay, yes. Now that I think back on it, he was a
total screwball.”
Sara laughed. “What about Damien? Damien’s a strong
name.”
“And you said Rogue was asking for trouble,” he replied
with a laugh. “Besides, what if he is a she?”
“Hmm, you have a point. A unisex name then, like
Tracey.”
Xavier noticed she couldn’t keep a straight face as she said
it. “Or Sue?” he asked, trying not to smile at her. Hopefully,
she knew the Johnny Cash song as well as he did.
“Yes, Sue. The perfect name either way. Sue, it is.” Her
eyes twinkled with mirth.
The waiter came with their orders. Sara sniffed hers.
“Smells gingery enough,” she said. “Let’s see if Annie’s
miracle cure works, eh?”
They talked about how they wanted to raise the baby as
they ate. It was amazing how much their ideas lined up. Sara
wanted to be a stay-at-home mom as much as possible. She
was aware that some people would frown on the idea, but she
thought it was more important to spend as much time with
their child as possible.
“I think that’s wonderful,” Xavier said. “I promise to
always support you in whatever you want to do.”
Sara smiled widely, a look of relief passing over her eyes.
“Thank you, Xavier,” she said. “Both my parents were always
out of the house working when I was a kid. They were
completely career driven. I just remember a string of
babysitters to come home to. Some of them were absolutely
vile, I can tell you.”
 “I always remember my mom being around,” Xavier
replied. “Or my nan. There was always a matriarch looking
after me or chasing my ass for being late, or messy, or
something.” He remembered his childhood with fondness. He
felt bad that Sara had a different experience and made a vow to
always support her with her wishes.
“I’m looking forward to creating our own traditions around
Christmas and Thanksgiving as well. I think we’re going to
make a good family,” Xavier continued. Then he panicked a
little. He didn’t want her to feel trapped. They hadn’t
discussed the future that he believed they would share
together. He didn’t want to scare her away.
“Me too,” she said with confidence. Xavier was relieved.
“I loved both those holidays. They seemed to be the only time
we were a proper family.”
“Let’s put the baby in my old nursery,” Xavier said. “It’ll
need redecorating, but it would be great for him to be in my
old room.”
“Oh, I’d like that,” she replied. “That’s so exciting,
decorating the nursery. I want to go and buy paint right now!”
Xavier was so happy. Sara made everything so easy. She
was enthusiastic and fun. Having a baby with her was better
than his wildest dreams.
“I can see it now,” she went on. “Baby blue walls and little
fluffy clouds.”
“Are we going for the cliché blue for a boy and pink for a
girl thing?” he asked. He wouldn’t really mind if that’s what
she wanted, but he preferred something a bit more original.
“We could get someone to paint a mural of a woodland and
mountains.”
“You’re such a wolf,” she said with a laugh. “You’ll be
wanting to put out nice meaty bones soon.”
“Yeah, I guess that was a wolf reaction. How about I dig
you a den in the woods?” he offered.
“Um, maybe I’ll stick with the mural,” she replied, still
laughing.
 “How are you feeling after your meal?” he asked when
they’d finished.
“I feel really good,” she replied. “Wise old Annie and her
ginger trick. Maybe I’ll survive this pregnancy after all.”
“We’ll have to order some wholesale ginger products,” he
said. “We can’t have you feeling ill throughout the pregnancy.”
When they got home, they were met with a round of
congratulations and well-wishers, as by the afternoon, most of
the pack had heard the news.
Alison arrived first, bringing a cake.
“Thank you so much. I love cake,” said Sara. She and
Alison had become close over the past few weeks since Sara
had begun living there. “I’d better only have a small slice,
though. The healer gave me this pamphlet on healthy eating
during pregnancy.”
“A slice of cake won’t hurt,” said Alison, searching
through the drawers for something to cut it with.
“It’s so good to see you,” Sara said with a smile.
“I couldn’t stay away. As soon as I heard, I had to come
and see you,” Alison replied, brandishing a knife. “Lotty and
Francis won’t be out of school for another couple of hours.
They’ll be so happy when they hear. They love babies.”
“Did you hear that, Xavier? We have built-in babysitters
already,” said Sara.
“I’m sure we will,” he replied. “I’m worried they’ll want
to move in with us, knowing those two.”
“They would soon be fed up with getting up at three every
morning, don’t worry,” Alison replied with a chuckle.
The next ones to arrive were Alan and Nikki. Alan bought
beer, which pleased Xavier much more than cake. “I thought
we should toast the occasion,” he said, handing out bottles. He
came to Sara and paused. She shook her head and looked
down at her still-flat belly. “Fair enough,” he said and passed
her by.
 Xavier was worried that Sara would spend the next nine
months not being able to have any treats. But when he looked
at her, she had a beautiful look on her face. She didn’t appear
to mind missing out on beer or an extra slice of cake.
The afternoon slowly progressed into an impromptu party
as more and more of the pack members showed up at the
alpha’s house. He watched with interest as the party split into
the two sexes. The females naturally gravitated to Sara, and
she was soon surrounded by a small group of chattering
women.
The men spilled out into the yard. It was a beautiful day.
Several of the pack shifted and went for a run in the woods off
the backyard.
“Come on, Xavier, come out for a run with us,” one of
them called.
Xavier looked through the doors at Sara, surrounded by
her new female friends. Their eyes met. She looked a little
overwhelmed by the sudden attention. “Nah, you go on,” he
called. “I’m going to stay here today.” His heart felt full, and
he would have loved to shift and run for joy, but today was
about Sara and his unborn baby.
He sat next to Sara, surrounded by gifts and food brought
by well-wishers. The pack was obviously as happy as he and
Sara were at having a new member on the way. He felt an
overwhelming sense of pride well in his chest. Until then, he
had simply been their alpha. Leader of the pack. Now he truly
understood the love and support the pack had for him.
His musings were interrupted by his cell phone ringing. It
was Carlos, his beta. “Carlos, get over here. The pack is in a
party mood,” he said. Carlos had been one of the first people
he’d told. He felt a little uncomfortable because he knew
Carlos and his wife Calliope had been trying for a kid for a
couple of years now.
“Hi, man. I would, but there’s something I need to talk to
you about. Sorry to drag you away from the celebration,”
Carlos said.
 “Shit, okay, I’ll be right there.” Xavier’s brow furrowed in
concern, a flicker of worry dancing across his features. It
wasn’t that he doubted Carlos’s capabilities … far from it. But
the urgency of the situation must have been significant to keep
his beta away.
“Hey, Sara. I’ve just got to pop into the office,” he said
casually.
“Everything okay?” she asked with a frown.
“Yes, fine. Carlos just needs me to look at something
quickly.” He tried to keep the concern from his voice. “Are
you okay holding the fort here for half an hour?”
Sara looked a bit anxious but agreed. “Yes, of course,” she
said.
Xavier drove to the office as quickly as he could, a ripple
of unease creeping over him. His mind raced through various
scenarios, seeking to piece together the puzzle.
“What could be so important that it pulled Carlos away?”
Xavier mused aloud, his voice tinged with a touch of
bewilderment. His concern wasn’t born out of doubt in
Carlos’s choices but rather a genuine curiosity about the
unexpected turn of events. Whatever had transpired must have
weighed heavily on Carlos’s mind, enough to temporarily set
aside the party.
The bond between him and Carlos was built on trust and
camaraderie, and the idea that something significant had
prompted Carlos to ask Xavier to leave Sara’s side tugged at
his sense of duty.
When he stepped inside the office, Carlos was pacing the
floor. “What’s going on?” Xavier asked as soon as he got
through the door.
“We’ve got a problem with the Run River pack. Look,” he
said, handing him a printout of an email. The leader of the
rival pack had sent a death threat to Xavier. The email stated
that Xavier knew why.
“What?” said Xavier. “I know nothing about this. Is this
genuine?”
 “I’m afraid so,” Carlos replied. “My sources say there have
been some big changes at the top of the pack. According to my
lead, the leader was after some girl who ditched him. He’s
been threatening everyone ever since. My source has no idea
who this mystery woman was, though.” Carlos stroked his
bushy beard.
“I don’t see how this can have anything to do with us,”
said Xavier. “But it is worrying.”
“You see why I thought you should come in and see for
yourself?” said Carlos.
“You’d better call in some of the men and set up a patrol.
Be discreet. We don’t want news of this getting out until we
know what it’s about.” Xavier didn’t like the sound of it,
though, especially as the stakes in his world had just risen
dramatically. “Make sure Sara is tagged wherever she goes,
and I want a couple of extra guys with eyes on my house at all
times.”
“You’re taking this threat seriously then?” asked Carlos.
“I’m not taking any risks, that’s for sure.”
Xavier’s face contorted with anger, his nostrils flaring and
eyes narrowing in a simmering display of frustration. Today of
all days.
SEVEN
 SARA

The next morning, she stood at the door and watched Xavier
drive down the street to work. It was only just past lunch now,
and she felt exhausted. It had been a lovely celebration. She
wasn’t sure what time she’d finally gotten to bed, but it was
definitely on the wrong side of midnight.
There was a point when most of the pack had shifted, and
then they had circled the house howling. It was awesome. The
sound of it still vibrated through her bones and into her soul.
She was carrying a little shifter baby. One day, they would
be able to do that. She felt a little envious that she had been
born a mere mundane human. She wondered how she’d feel
watching her child shift for the first time.
She knew nothing about it. Could they shift from birth?
Was it something they grew into?
“How adorable would it be having a little wolf pup
around?” Sara remarked to herself. She resolved to ask Xavier
about it when she got the chance.
She put her feet up to read a book for an hour, justifying it
with the excuse that Annie had said to get plenty of rest. Then
the doorbell rang.
She hurried to the front entrance, expecting Alison or
someone she knew. She was surprised to find a stranger on the
step. The woman looked somewhat familiar. “Can I help you?”
Sara asked.
“Hi,” said the stranger. “I’m Xavier’s sister, Veronica.
Who are you?”
 Sara was stunned. Xavier had never mentioned a sister, but
there was no denying the family resemblance. “I’m Sara,” Sara
replied. “Do you want to come in?” If she wasn’t aware of
who she was, then Sara surmised that she hadn’t turned up to
congratulate her.
“I take it Xavier isn’t about?” Veronica asked, looking
around.
“No, he’s gone off on some pack business with Carlos this
afternoon. You’re welcome to come in and wait, though.”
Veronica looked hesitant. She looked up the street again.
Sara’s brows knitted as her gaze flickered across Veronica’s
face. There was an elusive unease in the visitor’s eyes, a
fleeting tremor perhaps. Sara’s mind raced, trying to decipher
the source of that hidden fear, but the answer remained beyond
her.
“Okay,” Veronica said. “If you don’t mind.”
Sara stepped aside so Veronica could enter. She was
intrigued to know more about her. A mystery sister.
They went to the kitchen and sat at the table. “Coffee?”
Sara asked.
“I’m fine,” said Veronica, still looking uncomfortable.
“Come on, I insist. I was about to make some, anyway, and
Xavier won’t be back for a while,” Sara pressed.
Veronica smiled. She really did look like her brother.
“Okay, then, thank you,” she said.
“Xavier didn’t mention he had a sister,” said Sara, hedging
for information.
“He didn’t, huh?” said Veronica. “That doesn’t surprise me
much. We had a falling out a couple years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Sara. “It’s a shame when
families have such problems.” Now she was desperate for the
details.
“We just had some differences, that’s all. Or I should
probably say we had too many similarities. We were rivals in
everything from an early age. He’s only a year older than me,
and everything was a competition between us. My folks used
to referee us a bit, but things came to a head after they died.
He became alpha, and I couldn’t compete with that. I guess I
acted out.”
“Wow. So you haven’t seen him for two years? That’s
sad,” said Sara, genuinely concerned.
“I wanted my freedom, to be my own boss. I knew I
couldn’t have that here. I would always live under his
shadow,” said Veronica, taking the coffee mug that Sara
offered her. “I thought life would be better out there, away
from Xavier and the pack that was so obviously loyal to him.”
“That must have been rough. I’ve only been involved in
the pack for a couple of months. I grew up alone without even
a brother or sister. I always wanted one, though. But I guess
they have their downsides too.” Sara laughed ruefully. “I really
love it here, being a part of something bigger than me.”
“So, what’s going on with you?” Veronica asked. “I take it
you’re Xavier’s fated mate?”
“Oh, no, nothing like that. Although I’d like it if I was. I
really like him.” Sara suddenly felt awkward saying this to
Xavier’s estranged sister, but she seemed really nice.
“So what are you to him then? Why are you answering the
door at the alpha’s house?” she asked. Veronica’s question was
not malicious, simply curious.
Sara wasn’t sure how much she should tell Veronica, but
none of this was a secret. Everyone in the pack knew what was
going on between herself and Xavier. Veronica wouldn’t find
it hard to learn this from another source if she wanted to.
Besides, Sara liked her already, and this was her baby’s aunt,
after all.
“We met through a surrogate agency,” Sara told her.
“Xavier said he needed an heir to the throne, as it were, and I
fit the bill to carry his child. I guess for me, I’ve always
admired the shifters and liked the idea of a shifter baby. I
wanted the support I’d get raising a child like this. I was ready
for motherhood, so our goals lined up, I suppose.”
Veronica laughed, her green eyes flashing so much like
Xavier’s. “I guess Xavier’s not the worst person to get tied to
for the rest of your life. Although I wouldn’t have said that a
couple of years ago. I’ve been out in the world and seen a few
things since then.”
Veronica looked pensive, and Sara wondered again what
Veronica was doing here. “Do you want some cake? Or pretty
much anything else you’d like to eat, truthfully? We had a bit
of a party here last night, and we’re a little overwhelmed with
food right now.”
“No, I’m fine, thank you. I had lunch at the Hungry Horse
on my way through.”
“Well, I can understand why you don’t want to eat
anything else then,” Sara joked. “You shifters certainly know
how to eat.”
“Yes, we can get a bit of an appetite. Shifting takes a lot of
energy. It’s true what they say that the wolf is always hungry.”
Veronica had an easy smile when she started to relax. Sara
hoped they could be friends. “So, what’s with the party in the
middle of the week?” Veronica asked.
Sara suddenly felt shy. She looked surreptitiously down at
her belly and its precious cargo. “Um,” she said. “We had a bit
of news that the whole pack was pleased to hear.”
“You’re pregnant?” Veronica’s voice carried a mix of
astonishment and disbelief as she uttered the question, her
eyebrows arching in surprise.
“Yes,” said Sara, beaming with pride.
Veronica sat back in her chair. She didn’t smile, just
looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she seemed to school
her face into a grin. “Great,” she said, although the smile
appeared forced somehow. “Congratulations. Maybe I will
have a slice of that cake to help you celebrate,” she finished,
suddenly seeming normal again.
 Sara was perplexed. What an odd reaction. Veronica was
the first person she’d told who wasn’t boundlessly happy for
her. “I don’t know how long Xavier’s going to be,” she said,
putting the cake in front of Veronica. She suddenly felt very
alone with this strange woman who she knew nothing about.
“That’s okay. It gives me an opportunity to get to know the
mother of my niece or nephew-to-be,” she replied, sounding as
if everything was normal again. Sara dismissed the strange
reaction. Maybe it had been her imagination.
“So, what brings you back here now?” Sara asked her,
wanting to know more about the mystery sister too.
A pained look crossed Veronica’s face. “I had a couple of
difficulties with the pack I joined last year. It turns out that
being part of a pack was more important to me than I thought.
So I got involved with one west of here,” she said.
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” pressed Sara.
“It was until I started having problems there. I think I upset
the wrong people. I came to see Xavier for protection. I just
need to lay low for a while until the trouble blows over.”
“Damn, that’s tough. Xavier seems to be quite a reasonable
man, though. I’m sure he won’t turn his back on his sister,”
she said reassuringly.
“I hope not,” said Veronica. “But he’s got a bit of a blind
patch when it comes to his prodigal sister.” Veronica sighed
and leaned back. “Anyway, enough about me,” she said,
changing the subject, much to Sara’s annoyance. “What’s been
happening here? Do you know Alison?”
“Yes.” Sara beamed. “She’s become a really good friend.”
“To me, too,” said Veronica. “I missed her the most when I
left. How is she? How are the girls?”
For a while, the topic of conversation changed to how the
pack was doing. Veronica wanted to know everything that had
been going on with them. Sara saw how difficult it must have
been for her to leave her friends and family behind when she
left. She wondered what could have happened to make
Xavier’s sister want to leave.
 Several times, she tried to divert the conversation back to
the pressing questions she had concerning Veronica, but every
time Veronica would turn the conversation around again. The
woman was like an open whodunit novel. She had seen a
glimpse of the tantalizing story behind Xavier’s sister, and
now Sara knew she wouldn’t be able to put the book down
until she knew it all.
The afternoon wore on in an easy conversation. They both
consumed way too much coffee and cake. Veronica was a very
easy person to talk to, and Sara warmed to her more and more.
Sara’s ears pricked up when she heard the key turn in the
front door. “It sounds like Xavier’s home,” she said with a
happy smile.
But Veronica had a completely different reaction. She
shrank back in her seat, looking afraid. No longer was she the
outgoing and bubbly woman Sara had been chatting to all
afternoon. Then her face changed to a look of determination,
and she pulled herself upright, straightening her back and
jutting out her chin.
Sara frowned. She could never have imagined Xavier
causing that kind of a reaction in someone. “We’re in here,”
she called, hearing Xavier’s footsteps in the hall.
Xavier walked into the kitchen, smiling a greeting, and
froze. He could not keep the look of shock from his face at the
sight of his sister. Sara swore she could see his wolf hackles go
up.
She hadn’t even realized that Veronica had stood, but all of
a sudden, she and Xavier were circling each other in the
middle of the kitchen. She sat back in her chair, listening to
them both growling in the back of their throats.
“Wait,” Sara said, surprising even herself as she hopped up
and got between the two angry shifters. She held her hands
out, pacifyingly toward each of them. “Veronica is here for
your help, Xavier. She doesn’t mean any harm. She just needs
your protection.”
 Xavier looked at her sharply, then back at his sister. “Is this
true?” he demanded.
Veronica visibly shrank, her shoulders slumping and her
head going down. “Yes,” she said. “I didn’t come here for
trouble.”
“But you’re bringing it with you,” Xavier growled in
response.
“Please, sit down, both of you,” Sara pleaded. “Let’s talk
about this. Xavier, you at least need to hear her out. She is
your sister, after all.”
Xavier gave a final growl, then relented, his shoulders
slipping lower. Sara exhaled heavily, uncurling her hands that
she hadn’t even realized were balled into fists.
EIGHT
 XAVIER

Xavier forced himself to sit at the table opposite his sister. She
hadn’t changed, turning up out of the blue and dragging
trouble behind her.
“Well, what’s all this about?” he demanded.
She looked like he’d slapped her. She sat back, her cheeks
flushed. She gave him the impression she was ready to bolt.
He softened. “Okay, Veronica. You took me by surprise
turning up here unannounced. Have you not heard of a cell
phone?”
“I had to ditch it,” she said. “I didn’t want them to trace
me.”
“Didn’t want who to trace you?” He found it hard to feel
sorry for her. This was exactly the sort of stunt she used to
pull.
“Don’t be mad at me, Xavier,” she said, sorrow in her
forest-green eyes. “I got involved with a pack out west. I
missed pack life. I missed home. But they weren’t like the
pack here. The leader was a psycho. I had to make a run for it
in the night.”
“Fuck, Veronica. You can’t just turn up here expecting my
protection. It’s been too long. Did Sara tell you we’re
expecting a baby?”
Veronica smiled wanly. “Yes, she did. Congratulations,”
she said.
 Xavier had to confess that he had never witnessed his
sister look so down or contrite. And a small part of him was
pleased to see her. He would never admit it, but he’d worried
about her a lot after she left. Still, this was seriously bad
timing. If she brought any kind of threat to his door right now
that put Sara in danger, he’d personally rip her throat out. It
was bad enough having the Run River pack breathing down
his neck without his sister and her problems landing in his lap
as well.
“This is bad timing, sis,” he said. “I don’t want trouble
here right now.”
“I only need to hide until it blows over,” she said,
desperation in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about Sara
and the baby until I got here. I should go. I’ll find somewhere
else to hide out.”
That was just like her to put him on the spot. He should tell
her to get out of here. She made her bed. She could damn well
lie in it.
“Please, let her stay,” chimed Sara. “I could never forgive
myself if you turned her out and something happened to her.
She is family and aunt to our unborn child.”
He felt outnumbered and almost turned her out just to
show these two who was boss around here. The wolf in him
wasn’t pleased to simply let the matter go. But Sara was right.
Veronica was family. “Okay, stay until the issue is over,” he
said.
“Thank you, Xavier,” she said quietly.
He glanced at Sara, who gave him a smile that warmed his
heart. He still felt uneasy about the situation, but what could
he do?
“I don’t know what I would have done if you’d turned me
down,” Veronica said humbly. “It wasn’t until after I left that I
realized what a big, lonely place the world could be. People
play by different rules out there. No one has your back, and
you just can’t trust people. We may have had our differences,
but we were always there for each other when push came to
shove.”
“It’s a shame you couldn’t have realized that before you
left,” said Xavier, still not happy that his sister had turned up
out of the blue and pressured him like that.
“I did, Xavier,” she informed him. “It was the rules I
couldn’t cope with. I didn’t want to be obedient like some
trained lapdog. I needed to be free of that.”
“All the pack laws are still there, you know,” he replied.
“Yes, of course. But now I see that they are there for a
reason.”
“As long as you understand, they still apply to you as well
as the rest of the pack.” Xavier could remember all too well
how Veronica had challenged everything before she left. Not
only the laws of the pack but him too. He’d been trying to find
his feet as a new alpha after his parents died, and Veronica had
put every obstacle in his way that she could.
She’d done her best to thwart his every action, and she was
completely underhanded about it too. It wasn’t until after she
left that he found out the true extent of her disloyalty. She had
tried to draw several high-up members of the pack to turn
against him. She had told everyone he was incompetent as a
leader and had done her best to undermine him.
He couldn’t quite remember how it had started. She had
probably disobeyed a direct order or something, but over the
following year, her behavior had become more and more
extreme. Until they had a showdown. A final reckoning. She
had called him out and challenged his leadership and his
decision-making. They had gone into the forest and fought. As
always, it had been a close call, but he had bested her in one-
to-one combat. As she had lain whimpering beneath him, he
couldn’t bring himself to make the killing blow. “Get out,” he
had whispered in her ear. “Get out and don’t come back.”
No one in the pack had heard about their final scrap, and
he had never told anyone that he had sent his sister into exile.
He had sentenced her to a fate worse than death. And now she
sat before him in his kitchen, wanting redemption. He was
aware of Sara looking uncomfortable as they faced each other
across the kitchen table. Maybe he should have asked her to
leave while he sorted this out with Veronica.
Veronica spoke first. “I am sorry for my actions before,”
she said. “Truly, Xavier. I’ve had a lot of time to think about
what happened, and I know now I should have supported you.
It was the one time you really needed my help, and your own
sister turned against you. I shouldn’t have left you as I did,”
she said.
He breathed out a sigh of relief, though even now, they
were stepping around one another, dancing a perilous dance.
His wolf paced restlessly inside him, uneasy.
“After Mom and Dad died, I felt trapped,” she explained to
him. “We’d always squabbled, but in a way, we were always
equals. But then you became alpha, and everything changed.
Suddenly you were my boss. You controlled the laws that
governed my life. I felt like you were lording it over me.” Her
face was full of sorrow as she said this, and Xavier got a
glimpse for the first time of what it must have been like for
her.
“I know I shouldn’t have gone as far as I did,” she
continued. “At first, I was just bitching about my big brother,
but then I noticed people listening to me. Everything got a bit
crazy.”
Xavier listened to his kid sister explaining herself. “I guess
I didn’t realize how hard things were for you either,” he said.
“But I still don’t like the fact that you have come back like
this, and you’re putting both the pack and Sara in danger.” In
fact, he was still seething mad inside, but if being alpha had
shown him one thing, it was that a responsible leader hid their
true feelings. “So, how much trouble are you in?” he asked.
“I pissed off the pack leader, so quite a bit, really. But I
think it will blow over quite quickly. I saw him get mad a few
times, and then he calmed down like nothing had happened.”
Veronica sounded quite dismissive, but he knew her well
and could tell there was something she wasn’t saying. He
decided not to press her right now. He would wait until later
when his mate wasn’t around.
“Okay, I’m going to put guards on both you and Sara at all
times for a while. Don’t leave the house without at least two of
my best fighters with you. And remember, Sara and the baby
come first, always. If anything goes down, it’s Sara and my
unborn child who will be the ones protected first.”
Veronica’s face lit up. “Thank you, Xavier,” she said.
“You’re the best big brother ever. And don’t worry, you will
not get any more trouble from me.”
Xavier had forgotten about that side of his sister. She could
be bubbly and vivacious as well as being awkward and
conniving. She could brighten up a room with her smile.
“Oh, I’m so pleased,” said Sara. “It will give us a chance
to get to know each other.”
Xavier’s heart sank. That was another thing he had to
worry about. He still hadn’t told Sara that he thought they
were fated mates. As far as he was aware, she still saw the
entire situation as a business agreement. He didn’t want
Veronica swaying her head against him.
But Veronica was here now, and this was the situation he
had to deal with. So he left the two women to get acquainted
while he contacted Carlos to sort out even more protection for
Sara. He wanted to ask him to investigate this pack his sister
had been involved with.
Much later that evening, he finally got a chance to be alone
with Sara. They were heading to their separate bedrooms when
he caught up with her in the hall. “Sara, can I talk to you about
something?” he asked, dragging her into his room.
“Sure,” she said. “What’s up?”
They sat on his bed. He longed to forget about his sister
and pull Sara under the covers, but he reined himself in with
an iron will. He needed to warn her about his sibling.
“I know you’re pleased to meet Veronica, and she seems
like a really lovely person.” He was not quite sure how to tell
her this. He didn’t want to say too much because that could
turn Sara against him. He didn’t want to say too little and
leave Sara not properly warned. “My sister can be a bit tricky
sometimes.”
“Are you sure that’s not just sibling rivalry?” she asked.
There it was. Veronica had already gotten to her. He felt
undermined already. “There is that, yes,” he conceded, “but
there is more to it than that. I’m not sure of her motives for
being here. She can be devious sometimes.”
Sara was obviously thinking about his words and about
how his sister had acted. “Yes,” she agreed, much to his
surprise. “She very obviously didn’t tell you everything. But
maybe it was awkward for her in front of me or something.
Just because she didn’t tell you her reasons doesn’t mean she
was being deceitful.”
Sara’s words sounded very reasonable, but Xavier knew
his sister well enough to know something else was going on.
“Yes, I can see that,” he said. “I’m just asking you to be wary
around her, that’s all.”
“Okay,” she said. “I will.”
He froze, caught by the hungry look in her eye.
NINE
 SARA

“Why are you looking at me that way?” Xavier asked, a goofy

grin forming on his perfect face.
Sara shrugged. “Just you, in general. I’ve never had
someone so protective of me or care this much about my well-
being.”
It was true. Sara had never experienced this kind of
relationship before. She assumed it was because she was
carrying his child, but it felt like more than that, especially
lately. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but maybe she
wasn’t.
Or it could easily be the pregnancy hormones. The doctor
had told her that her hormones would spike. She was always
horny for Xavier. He was good in bed and so damn hot. And
right now, she wanted him bad. Plus, they were already on a
bed in his room, so…
She ran her hand up his thigh, letting her fingers lightly
touch where his cock was tucked away.
“Just because we have accomplished what we were set up
to do doesn’t mean we have to stop altogether, does it?” she
asked innocently, batting her eyelashes.
His muscle firmed underneath her touch, and she noticed a
bulge quickly form.
“Not at all.” He groaned slightly. “The question is, though,
are you just trying to tease me?” he asked, his green eyes
almost glowing with anticipation.
 She loved how, even though she was pregnant, Xavier still
wanted her as much as she wanted him. Sure, this was a job,
but they may as well enjoy it to its full potential. The agency
hadn’t been wrong in deeming them very compatible.
She gripped his cock gently. “Why would I tease you?
That wouldn’t do either of us any good, would it? I just want
to show you how much I appreciate your concern for my well-
being,” she cooed.
“You’re my responsibility. I couldn’t let anything happen
to you.” His voice scratched out gravelly.
“I’m not part of your pack, though,” she murmured. She
liked playing this game of pillow talk. Her hand unbuttoned
his jeans and slid in to get a better grasp on his rising cock.
“No, but you are mine to protect. You are the mother of my
child and…”
“And?” she asked seductively.
Sara wanted to hear more. Her heart pounded in
anticipation, but she was also afraid of what he would say
next.
Instead of answering her question, he grabbed her neck
and pulled her face close to his as he kissed her hard, almost as
if to silence his response.
She didn’t mind the distraction or change of subject. Her
body instantly warmed what felt like another hundred degrees
as her pussy started to throb. Her eagerness wettened it in
anticipation for Xavier’s satisfying manhood.
Through their previous lovemaking, she knew Xavier liked
to have control, but this time, she wanted it. Something inside
her yelled that she knew exactly how she wanted to be taken,
and she was going to get her way.
Sara pulled away from his lips and knelt between his legs.
She pulled his pants and underwear down past his knees and
licked his dick from shaft to tip.
He groaned as his hands wrapped in the sheets to hold
himself back.
 Sara looked up at him and gave the best smile she could
with her eyes as he watched her take his whole member inside
her mouth.
“You take that dick so well,” he moaned, looking at her
bob up and down.
She let him hit the back of her throat, then slide down
before she gagged slightly.
She didn’t care. It was a turn-on to hear how deep she was
taking him inside her mouth. It meant he was large enough to
make her have to work for it, and men liked that. This wasn’t
her first rodeo.
She sucked and swallowed, making sure her tongue got in
on the action as she manipulated his cock into its hardest form.
As Sara sucked, she lifted her hand and, using her spit as
lubrication, wrapped her index finger and thumb around his
dick to keep the pressure and constant motion going when she
relaxed her jaw slightly.
“Fuck, Sara.”
Once her jaw rested after a few seconds, she returned to
her vigorous efforts of sucking deep. She wanted to take him
to the brink before she had her way with him.
She spread her knees as she leaned back on her heels,
allowing an upward view of her pussy. Her free hand slid
slowly down her body, making its way to the pink, plush
opening.
Sara made sure Xavier’s eyes were on her as she did this.
He was locked in.
She smiled, sensing his eagerness at her next move.
Her two fingers rubbed down her front and played with her
clit while she sucked him. Then she pushed her digits inside of
her and moaned around his growing dick. She pushed him to
the back of her throat and moaned again in pleasure, knowing
the vibration of the noise was tickling and driving his nerve
endings wild, along with the view.
 His eyes were hooked on the show, and his breathing gave
away how close he was getting.
He grabbed the back of her head and helped her motion so
she could take it all in. That’s when she knew he was getting
close. He wanted it faster.
She stopped and stood, pulling off her shirt as she did.
He looked at her with a desire to keep going, but his eyes
quickly fell on her naked body as she stripped down to nothing
right in front of him.
The start of pregnancy had left her body looking the same
for the most part, but it had definitely increased her breast size
to almost double already. They were sore, but she didn’t care.
She was going to use this body to get pleasure while she could.
She intended to take advantage of everything nature was
giving her.
“You like what you see?” she asked, knowing the answer.
She ran her hands over her breasts and down between her
thighs.
“Yes.” His hunger for her was evident. If she hadn’t been
so turned on herself, the desire pulsating off him might have
been intimidating. She was sure this hungry wolf would eat
her up. She didn’t care, though. That’s exactly what she
wanted.
Xavier still sat on the edge of the bed, right where she
wanted him.
Sara walked up to him, closed his legs as she swung her
own over them, and sat on his lap, looking into his gorgeous
pine green eyes. She kept his erection upright and pushed
against him. She wanted him to feel her heat but not enter her
yet.
Her breasts were perfectly lined up right in his face. She
pressed them into him as she ran her hands through his hair.
He instantly gripped them in a kneading motion.
“God, they have gotten so much bigger.”
“I figured you’d enjoy that.”
 “Yes, I do.” He kissed them all over. Sara’s head fell back.
They were much more sensitive, too, but it was only in the
best way right now. She became wetter as his tongue and lips
explored her growing mounds.
Sara was done with the foreplay.
She stood and maneuvered his cock directly underneath
her. She used her other hand to rub her clit and collect her own
lubrication to rub all over him before she slid him inside.
As she covered his dick with her juices, he let out a throaty
moan. “God, you’re so fucking wet.”
She flashed her best vixen smile at him. “Only for you, my
dear.” With that, she lowered herself onto his cock and slid
down onto his thighs, burying Xavier inside her. She was in
complete control of angle, depth, and thrusting.
His hands went to her hips as his fingers dug into the
dimples of her butt cheeks.
“How are you still so tight after everything we’ve done?”
he mused in wonderment as she slowly rose up and down on
him.
“Kegels,” she replied simply. “Glad to know they’re
working.”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his
neck as she ground against him.
His cock almost felt as if it were all the way up to her
chest, with how deep he was at this angle.
She rocked her hips forward, getting a little lift while
keeping friction on her clit.
“Fuck, I can’t believe how wet you are. Damn.”
He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back as he moved
to kiss her neck.
She could feel him growling into her, trying to conceal his
passionate moans from their newly acquired visitor.
 Sara was on the verge of completely losing control. She
was right there and wanted to come badly, but she also wanted
the sensation to last as long as possible.
They usually went more than one round, especially since
neither one of them seemed able to last long on the first touch
and always craved more. It was something else Sara
thoroughly enjoyed about her romps with Xavier.
Fuck it, she thought, unable to last any longer.
The pressure against her clit increased as she angled up-
and-down faster.
Xavier fed into this and placed his hands under her ass,
helping her with lift and pressure against him.
“Fuck, yeah.”
“Oh, shit. Yes, yes,” she groaned in his ear, trying to keep
her voice quiet.
She buried her face into his neck to muffle her moans as
she let herself go.
This was the first time Sara had felt a huge gush escape
from her upon release. It soaked Xavier and went all over the
floor, but she couldn’t care less at that moment. She just
needed to let it go and feel the pleasure course through her.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed in a raspy tone when he felt her
juices flood over him.
It must have turned him on enough to trigger his own
because he came instantly. He slammed up against her as she
came down and held her there as his cock pumped every last
bit of his seed inside her.
Sara’s body twitched uncontrollably under his grasp. She
felt exhausted and exhilarated all at once.
They sat holding each other until Sara found her voice.
“I’ve never done that before.” She looked down at the mess
she had made, slightly embarrassed now that the passion was
over.
 When she looked back at Xavier, he was grinning from ear
to ear.
“I liked it. I’d make you do that every time if I could.”
She giggled, thankful at his reaction.
He stood, having Sara wrap her legs around him. “Because
now, I have the pleasure of cleaning you off.” He playfully
kissed her neck as she laughed at being carried to the shower.
TEN
 XAVIER

On their way to the first birthing class, Xavier kept thinking

about how Sara was curvy, absolutely, but fit. A few weeks
had passed since the official word from the healer that a new
arrival was coming, so Xavier was trying to see how much of a
baby bump he could see on Sara’s body. He thought maybe
enough time had passed, shouldn’t there be a bump? Maybe
there was a bump, and he just couldn’t see it.
No, he wasn’t going to ask. He wouldn’t admit it, but he
was nervous, and his mind was racing.
The class had not started yet. They were parked outside the
building and were about to head inside. Xavier watched the
happiest-looking couples going inside. Vibrant, smiling,
beautiful couples. Almost all the women were clearly showing
a bump. Xavier wasn’t sure what he could see changed about
Sara. She looked beautiful, glowing, and fit.
“Why do they look so happy?” he asked.
“What’s that, babe?” Sara answered.
“All the others here for class,” he told her. “Look at them.
Shouldn’t they be nervous?”
“They look thrilled,” she told him. “I know I’m thrilled. I
want you to be thrilled, too, dear.”
Xavier climbed out of the car. Sara got out on her side.
They met in the middle in front of the car.
A handful of couples were walking in, and some others
were waiting and chatting out front. Xavier hadn’t seen any
shifter couples yet, and he doubted there would be any.
His wolf paced. The people in the class were too happy.
Relaxed, too, and this was the part that bugged the hell out of
Xavier. There were a lot of things that could go wrong with a
pregnancy. Some couples were showing a bump, and some
weren’t.
Sara grabbed Xavier’s hand, leaned over, and whispered in
his ear. “Let’s go inside, boo.”
He chuckled. “You really are feeling a good groove for
class tonight, aren’t you?”
“What I am excited about is that you and I are going to be
amazing parents. I know this will be the case from this
moment onward, no matter what happens.”
Then Sara gave the hand she was holding a light squeeze.
Xavier knew this was his cue from her to head into class. He
took a deep breath, and they walked in, shoulders back, heads
held high.
The alpha in his blood picked the seat choice when they
got inside. Front row but in a spot where he could always see
the main entrance to the room, even from his peripheral vision.
The class started friendly enough. The instructor was sweet
and welcoming. Once the teacher started talking, however,
Xavier knew that what lurked beneath the surface was perhaps
a demon.
The instructor, who had started slowly with her
PowerPoint presentation, morphed into an overwhelming
battle-ax by swamping Xavier, and likely the whole class, with
a litany of impossible labor positions.
“So here are some basic labor positions,” the instructor
chimed. “I will run through some of the more popular
positions, and then in a few minutes, we will break into couple
groups and practice some of these on the mats in the back of
the class.”
There was a quiet nod from the whole class as an answer.
 “Kneeling on a birthing ball, swaying, rocking, leaning
forward,” the instructor rattled on. Each position she named
came with a picture of a woman doing impossible things.
“Lunging, kneeling, squatting, on hands and knees, lying on
one’s side.”
The instructor named several other positions, and then she
finally stopped. His eyes had glazed over when she showed the
picture of a woman squatting in a warm jacuzzi tub of water.
Xavier felt so completely out of his comfort zone. The
wolf inside was hiding, cowering at the edges of his mind.
Whatever happened to a simple woman on her back, a piece of
leather or rubber between her teeth, pushing the baby out?
Simple. People didn’t do simple anymore?
After the slide show, they went to the back of the room to
practice on the mats. The focus was supposed to be on
technique and breathing. The instructor brought out giant
rubber balls for anyone who wanted to practice the position
where a woman leaned over a giant ball while pushing out her
baby.
“Look, kitten,” Xavier told Sara, leaning closer. “These
positions they’re covering here tonight, these are things they
do to people in the gulags in Eastern Europe.”
Sara answered by widening her eyes in shock.
“Yep,” he continued. “You see it, too. This is how they
torture people. Leaning over a ball with your butt in the air
when the baby’s on its way out? That’s trouble.”
“Will you please be nice?” Sara pleaded.
“I am being nice,” he whispered back. “This instructor
may have started her career with good intentions. Half these
positions have you imitating a stink bug when it’s threatened,
hissing and breathing hard with your butt sticking out.”
After they covered labor positions, delivery positions, and
techniques, they returned to their seats for another PowerPoint
on what to expect in the delivery room.
“Oh, I know exactly what to expect in the birthing room,”
Xavier whispered to Sara.
 “Will you shush, please?” Sara whispered back.
“I’ll be expecting Beelzebub.”
“The most prominent features to expect in the birthing
room,” the instructor began. She reached over and grabbed a
remote and dimmed the lights when she said this. “Calm,
comfort, and safety are what you can expect in the birthing
room.”
The first four pictures showed different versions of a room
with soft lighting and a Jacuzzi-type tub somewhere in the
room.
“Don’t you want a hospital bed, your legs up in the air, a
doctor right there to catch the baby? You are on your back and
pushing. Everything goes quick and easy,” Xavier asked Sara
in a hushed voice.
“I think you are overwhelmed,” Sara snapped, although
she made sure to keep her voice a low whisper. “What you just
described sounds kind of crazy. You want us to go back to the
1950s.”
“I’m not overwhelmed.”
“You sound flustered and flabbergasted,” she continued. “I
am not judging here. I want us both to be excited and
comfortable.”
“The next section I would like to cover is birthing
techniques,” the instructor bellowed. Xavier felt a little bad
that their whispering during class may have agitated the
instructor, as she had started talking a bit louder. He also
thought he saw her throw a side glance or two in his direction.
“Currently, there are six techniques in use right now that are
popular,” the instructor added. “Vaginal birth, natural birth,
scheduled cesarean, unplanned cesarean, vaginal birth after c-
section, and scheduled induction.”
“That menu of techniques is as clear as mud,” Xavier
whispered to Sara. “The instructor hasn’t mentioned it, but
there is a technique where the baby comes out head first. No
crazy stuff. That is the technique we will be doing.”
 Sara didn’t answer. She just kept her eyes and attention
aimed at the instructor. His wolf told him this was Sara’s polite
way of asking him to shut the hell up and listen.
The PowerPoint portion of the class ended, and the class
had a brief break, one in which Xavier did his best to stay
tight-lipped.
Class restarted with various theories on baby names.
“Gender-obvious names versus neutral names, symbols
versus emblems, and how to tell the difference,” the instructor
told the class.
“I think we can both agree a reasonably simple-to-spell
name is a good idea,” Xavier whispered, leaning over as he did
so. “Growing up, everybody tried to spell my name with all
manner of errors. It feels awful at birthdays when all your
buddies spell your name like it’s some kind of alphabet salad.”
Sara, again, didn’t answer but instead nodded in
agreement.
The class was asked to split into couple groups again. Each
person would take five minutes to write their favorite names
for the child on a sheet of paper this time. Then the partners in
each couple would trade lists and read through them.
By the end of the name section of the class, Xavier and
Sara both agreed on a short list of names that belonged to
royalty, were easy to spell, and didn’t rhyme or look similar to
the spelling of any type of body part or sex organ, which
would save their new arrival from having to endure
unnecessary bullying during the formative years.
On their way back to the car, Xavier shared his thoughts.
“I want our new arrival to be radiating your brand of
boldness.”
“Interesting. Boldness. I didn’t know I had my own
brand.”
“Your boldness is quiet, not noisy,” he told her. “As the
philosophers say, fortune favors the bold. I know exactly why
too.”
 “That is very interesting. Okay, I will take the bait. Why
does fortune favor the bold?”
“William Wordsworth first said it,” Xavier answered.
“Actually, Wordsworth wrote it. He wrote, ‘How does the
meadow flower’s bloom unfold? Because the little flower is
free down to its root, and in that freedom bold.”
“That is beautiful,” she said. “I think I get it. You’re
admitting that the big alpha male wolf was a baby in class, and
I toed the strength line for the three of us.”
“You are funny, and you are correct,” he replied.
“And what about eyes?” Sara asked.
“Oh, babe, you know our new arrival will have my eyes.”
“I should hope so,” she said. “I take that back. I know our
new arrival will have your eyes. Real love, the love we draw
our being from, I see that in your eyes. That love knows no
distance, no separation. Its eyes are for the stars. You have
those eyes.”
“My eyes reflect the stars? You are sweet, but isn’t that a
bit broad?”
“You know what I mean. Beauty is not something that is
seen. It is something you are inside, and it reflects in your
eyes. Your eyes reflect the infinite landscapes within you.”
ELEVEN
 SARA

“Are these … these guards are going to be on our tails the

entire day?”
Veronica wasn’t used to having guards. And her general
mistrust of everyone and their prying ears and eyes wasn’t
helping the situation.
Sara looked behind them at the two pack enforcers, looked
ahead, and chuckled. “Oh, don’t pay them any mind. Your
brother wouldn’t let me leave the house without him if they
weren’t with me. It’s just standard operation, Xavier told me,
for the pack alpha. Let’s concentrate on having a fun day at the
mall. Okay?”
Sara looked warmly at Veronica and gave Xavier’s sister a
one-armed hug.
Veronica’s stern look melted, and she offered a meek smile
back.
“Okay, I get it. Ignore the goons at our six. Now, which
store are we headed to first?”
“Baby Wonderland. It’s a wonderful place. It has
everything mommy and baby could desire. I figure we’ll use
Xavier’s credit card until it burns in the cashier’s hand.”
The women both laughed and headed straight for the
double glass doors.
“Holy gopher meat! You weren’t kidding. This place is
baby central. Look at these nursery room furniture sets.
They’re solid wood.”
 Sara walked over and picked up one of the hanging price
tags. Her eyes popped. “A solid price too. If I picked this out,
Xavier might have a heart attack.”
“Meh, my bro can handle it. Pick away.”
Veronica wandered farther into the store to explore items
for the nursery. Meanwhile, Sara chose the furniture set … a
lovely, solid, colonial maple set with a crib, changing table,
and a chest of drawers.
“Hey, Sara, what do you think of this wallpaper? I’d love
to help you decorate the room.”
Sara looked at the paper. “Oh, that is lovely, but no. I
couldn’t possibly impose on you like that.”
“But I’d love to help.”
Sara simply smiled and said nothing more. Veronica
quietly re-shelved the paper. Sara wondered if she should have
accepted Veronica’s offer as it did seem genuine, but the two
of them were hardly besties yet.
Undoubtedly, there still was some friction between the
siblings. It made sense to Sara that there would be, given what
Xavier had told her about Veronica and her need to interfere
and cause havoc within a pack. Sara was determined not to
cause any rift between Xavier and herself. Their relationship
and the baby’s future took precedence over Veronica and
whatever familial or pack plan she was cooking.
An hour or so later, with the two enforcers’ arms full of
bags and boxes, the two women hit the mall café for a breather
and time to talk. Sara made sure to pick seats around the mall’s
circular fireplace, a handful of yards away from the guards’
ears.
After getting two lattes and two slices of carrot cake, the
women sat, warming themselves by the open flame. Sara
merely enjoyed the comfortable surroundings, though she
noticed Veronica’s eyes scouting out the place, homing in on
areas of egress and boisterous shoppers. Sara assumed her
sister-in-law’s behavior was a built-in reflex, standard for
wolves and especially wolf families of alpha leaders.
 Veronica’s eyes finally stopped roaming, and she leaned
forward to focus her attention on Sara. “So, what has Xavier
told you about me?”
“Honestly, not much at all. As I said the other day, until
you showed up, I didn’t even know he had a sister. Since your
appearance back in his life, all he’s said is that the trust
between you two is a little weak.”
Sara worded her response in a way to dampen any offense.
She needed the brother and sister to get along, at least while
she was pregnant. Sara didn’t want to give any stress to the
little one growing inside her.
Veronica took a sip of her latte and rolled her eyes. It was
not so much a look of disdain but seemed more like slight
embarrassment. “Ah, well, that would mostly be my fault.”
Sara took a bite of her carrot cake. “How so?”
“I think I’ve played down just how awful I was to him,”
Veronica admitted. “I’m not trying to make excuses for my
behavior. But it was a confusing time for me. My parents were
gone, and my brother was suddenly my boss. You know?”
Veronica shook her head, frowning a little. “If you could
have seen me back then, you probably wouldn’t even be
talking to me now. I’m lucky Xavier is, to be honest, after
everything I did to make his life hell, to ignore his orders, to
interfere with his authority as alpha. Honestly, it’s
embarrassing now to admit it. I can’t even make myself say
some of the horrible things I did because I’m so ashamed of
them.”
“Oh, Veronica…”
Veronica laughed. “Sure, I know you like to keep the
peace. And I appreciate that about you, certainly. I’m lucky to
have someone like you in my brother’s life. I promise you,
Sara, I’ve matured in a big way since those days. I’m back
because I love my brother. Always have. And I want to make
things right between us. Mend the hurt and help him in the
pack if I can. If he’ll trust me again.”
 Sara put down her coffee and laid her hand on Veronica’s.
Her heart opened for the first time since she met Xavier’s
sister. Everything Veronica said sounded genuine and truly
honest for the first time. Trust was building, at least from her
side.
For the rest of the coffee break, while the enforcers waited
patiently behind them and yawned in between coffees,
Veronica regaled Sara with tales of her and her brother’s
childhood.
“Oh, Sara, you should have seen us back then. What a
feisty pair of kids. It’s a wonder our parents didn’t die sooner
trying to keep us acting properly. Everything was a
competition. And I mean everything. Whether we were
building pine bow forts in the forest or roasting marshmallows
at camp. Who was the quickest and the best? And you know,
nobody trained us to be that way. We simply were. But no
matter who won or lost, Xavier and I always laughed and
contentedly fell asleep together. Neither one of us felt safe
without the other around.”
“And you miss that, don’t you?” Sara sipped at her latte.
“Oh, you don’t know how much. Xavier and I were two
peas in a pod. Where one went, the other was surely close by.
So, all this time apart, well, it’s been like half of me was
missing. And then, when I screwed up recently with the other
pack, I had to return. I needed Xavier’s protection. Maybe
more so his emotional support. We are both feisty still. But I
wanted my brother beside me.”
“Veronica. All that, your past with Xavier, is water under
the bridge, right? The family must always come first. If you’re
honest with him, he will take you back into the fold. I have no
doubt. And knowing Xavier and his generous ways, after the
trust is rebuilt, he will definitely look at you as a pack
confidante. And you two can go back to being together and
competing over who roasts the best marshmallow.”
The women laughed.
Sara glanced back at the guards. She could see they were
losing patience. So, they both finished their coffees and cake
and rose, signaling it was time to go. The relief on the men’s
faces was comical to Sara, but she stifled her grin.
“So, Sara, where to next?”
“I think I’ll get the guards to load up the car while we have
some girl time at the spa. What do you think?”
“You read my mind. There’s a spa in this mall?”
“Yep, and it’s a good one too. Hot seaweed wraps while
sipping champagne. It’s non-alcoholic for me, naturally.” Sara
laughed.
“Lead the way. I need some seaweed and champagne.”
Veronica weaved her arm around Sara’s, and the pair giggled
and strode off to the Boreal Beauty Spa.
Sitting in the waiting room, dressed in plush velour robes
and sipping their elixirs, they continued their chat.
Sara leaned over and nudged Veronica. “Listen, girl, I’ll do
everything on my end to help you two reconcile. Family
means so much to me. It always has, but even more so now.
Have patience with your brother. It may take a while. But I’m
sure all three of us will get there in the end.”
For the first time since Veronica arrived, Sara saw a
genuine and full smile on her lips. The alpha’s sister happily
sipped at her cocktail.
The pair yammered on as they enjoyed their treatments.
Veronica gave Sara tips on how to handle a baby shifter, from
keeping the diapers on to training them to not inadvertently
ruin carpets and upholstery with their claws.
“Holy cow. I never thought about those things.” Sara’s
eyes stayed wide.
“Yes, shifter toddlers are the worst. Four legs that go like
the wind but have no coordination. Picture a furry freight train
barreling around your house when they’ve yet to learn when to
shift and when not. I think Xavier and I ruined every good
thing our mom had in our home.”
“Okay, before we head home, we had better buy pads for
every furniture corner and boxes to pack away breakables. I
thought all I needed was a stair gate and some electrical outlet
covers.”
Veronica laughed. “Oh, are you in for a surprise! Yes,
basically transform your place into a pleasant-looking rubber
room. At least until the monster appreciates the words ‘no’ and
‘stop.’”
“A pleasant-looking rubber room. Swell.” Sara laughed
and happily shook her head.
“Okay, ladies, your seaweed baths are ready. Follow me.”
A spa representative waved the two women in.
“Oh, and Sara, one last thing. There’s a play school for
baby shifters too. I imagine Xavier has kept it going in the
pack. Toddler Haven, I think it used to be called. Once your
baby is walking, they will take them and begin training them
to discipline their emotions so they don’t accidentally shift.
Believe me when I say the fee is well worth it. Our mother got
back her sanity once Xavier and I were trained.”
So many things Sara realized she needed to know. But
instead of fear or doubt, the unknown seemed exciting. She
was more than ready to be the mom of a wolf shifter pup, no
matter what was torn by flailing claws or broken by excitedly
wagging tails. All in the life of a mother of a baby alpha pack
leader.
A couple of hours later, the women, with their guards in
tow, headed home. Xavier’s credit card didn’t burst into
flames, but it was mighty warm.
TWELVE
 XAVIER

Xavier dropped the newspaper he was reading, his wolf

jumping to attention at a distant sound. A moment later, he
knew he had not been mistaken. The car was approaching.
He left his chair and headed out to the front porch, as
anxious as his inner wolf to see Sara. Though he didn’t
begrudge her having a day to herself, he had missed her more
than he knew he could. It left him feeling uneasy in a way he
couldn’t describe.
On the porch, he watched as the car pulled up. The two
enforcers he had asked to watch over the women sat in the
front while his mate and his sister occupied the back.
By the looks on the enforcers’ faces, all seemed to go well.
Xavier’s breathing eased. He was new to this game of having a
mate and having her pregnant. He knew he was being
paranoid, but he worried every moment Sara wasn’t by his
side. And every moment she was with his volatile sister, he
worried more.
Xavier saluted the guards and watched as Sara and
Veronica got out of the car, laughing and physically chumming
around as they made their way to the front door. By their body
language alone, he knew the proverbial ice had been broken
between the two. The mall foray for some retail therapy was
apparently the best medicine for two female strangers.
To the pack leader, the result was a good sign.
Yet, despite what his senses absorbed, Xavier was still
wary of his sister. He had every right to be. But he knew with
the guards escorting them, no harm would come to Sara. And
that was the main thing. If he were lucky, maybe Sara’s
pleasing nature would have gotten Veronica to come clean as
to why she had suddenly shown up at his door.
Xavier flashed a welcoming smile at both women. But his
spidey sense was still on high alert. If his head had been a
beacon, it would be flashing red.
“Hey, you two. Did you leave anything in the mall for
other shoppers to buy?” Xavier waved at Veronica and hugged
Sara.
“Uh, maybe one or two items, yes. Here’s your card.
Careful, it’s hot to the touch.” Sara winked and giggled like a
misbehaving schoolgirl.
“Oh, geez … I feel a big bill coming on. But hey, that’s
okay. Anything my shifter baby momma wants, she gets.”
“Including the spa treatment we had at the mall, too, bro?”
Veronica crooked an eyebrow with a playful smirk on her lips.
Xavier chuckled. “Yes, that, too. A relaxed mommy-to-be
is a happy baby-to-be. But geez, I get now why husbands go
white in the face when their wives say they’re going to the
mall.”
“Get used to it, bro. Retail therapy is in our blood, shifter
or human.” Veronica smirked.
Xavier and Veronica play-punched each other’s arms. The
two women walked inside while Xavier helped the guards lug
in all the items. The alpha broke a sweat and looked at the
guards in dismay. “What the devil? All these boxes and crates.
What were those two doing at the mall? Sucking the place
dry?”
“Well, sir, they made a dent in the place. The two have
quite the knack for vacuuming their way through stores. Yes,
sir,” the one guard said, puffing as well.
Once the boxes and packages filled the foyer, Xavier
dismissed the guards so they could escape their torturous day.
He headed for the living room, where he heard the two women
happily chatting.
 Xavier stood back for a moment, peeking around the door
frame to take in the scene. He was struck by his sister’s
demeanor. It was not defensive in the least. Her look was easy
and relaxed. And he hadn’t seen her fully smile like that since
they were kids. It was as if she were a completely different
woman. But his gut was still on the alert.
Looks can be deceiving, especially with Veronica. Maybe
she has changed. Maybe she’s not the confrontational brat she
used to be. If she had to grow up fast in another pack because
it was a hardline group, maybe she now appreciates my vision
for the D’Point pack. The one our parents developed and the
one I carry on to this day.
Xavier turned around, grabbed two glasses of cold
lemonade from the kitchen for the girls, and headed back in.
With an amiable smile on his face, he handed a glass to his
sister. A lingering thought bounced around in his head. If she
makes one move to hurt or upset Sara, our unborn child, or
the pack, she’ll be gone from this realm quicker than she can
howl for help. Bloodline or not.
With the help of the gardener and the housemaid, Xavier
moved all the parcels up to the nursery. Sara, Xavier, and
Veronica spent the rest of the day unwrapping and arranging
all the items. From musical boxes playing baby slumber songs
to outfits and tiny pairs of booties, the room was finally
coming together.
The reality of having a baby really sank in for Xavier.
While the women oohed and aahed at every item they bought,
Xavier, with a drill in his hand, put together one piece of
furniture after another. He had never seen so many screws and
wooden plugs in his life.
Taking a break from the construction, the alpha wiped his
brow. “Well, I guess this is part of being a dad, huh? Putting
together stuff the female family members bring home.”
Rocking back and forth in Sara’s new nursing chair,
Veronica chimed in. “You betcha, bro. Shifting and carousing
around the realm, that’s for your single boys now. It’s all about
family cars and assembling furniture and midnight feeds for
you.” Veronica happily winked.
“Thanks, Ronnie. You’re such a pal to remind me. NOT!
But honestly, I’m okay with becoming a dad, doing dad things.
I’ve sowed my oats, as they say. I’m ready to settle down and
start a family. I guess a man comes to a crossroads in his life,
leaves the past in the past, and decides to make a future of his
own. Especially being alpha. Creating an heir and a spare.”
The women laughed.
“Sara, is it okay if I speak privately with my sis? You stay
here and keep setting out your items. I’ll take Veronica
downstairs.”
Sara looked up quizzically at Xavier. “Uh, sure. No
problem at all. I’ve hogged Veronica enough for one day. Now
it’s your turn.”
Sara was trying to make light of his request, so the mood
wouldn’t grow too heavy between the three. He appreciated
that about his mate. She was always putting family first.
“Thanks, Sara. I’m not excluding you. Just some sibling
talk, that’s all.”
“Honestly, I think I’m done here for today. A bubble bath
and a good book are what I need. I’m headed to the tub.”
“Sure, honey. That’s a good idea, actually. Relax. Even if
your day at the mall was fun, the baby probably would like
some bath time.” His mate smiled warmly, and without
thinking, he quickly kissed Sara on the lips like he had done it
a thousand times before.
Only Xavier had never kissed her like that. Not once. It
wasn’t their normal kiss of passion. It was the soft, simple kiss
of an old married couple.
He quickly got to his feet, headed for the door, and turned
in time to see Sara lightly touch her lips, her expression full of
surprise and wonder.
It brought a smile to his face and hopeful thoughts to his
mind.
 Sara’s look alone tells me I could tell her I want us to be
mates. I could explain it to her, and I don’t think she’d be the
least bit scared. We could go through the entire ritual and
make it official. Permanent. A genuine family, like she’s said.
No more questions. No more doubts.
Until that point, Xavier wasn’t sure Sara wanted the same
thing. Yes, in words, she had said as much. Seeing her
expression just then. It sealed their future for Xavier. Her heart
was completely on board. No questions remained. All
lingering doubts flew off with the wind.
Veronica followed Xavier down to the main floor. When
they got to the landing, Xavier saw she was on edge by how
she fiddled with the cuffs on her blouse. She had done that all
her young life. If nervous or apprehensive, cuff fiddling. It was
a tell only he recognized and one which he wasn’t about to
make her aware of. It was too useful. It could be a future hint
of what may be going on with his less-than-transparent sister.
“Can we do this in the kitchen? I need a coffee. Bad,”
Veronica requested.
“Sure, yeah. Wherever you want.”
The pair headed for the kitchen, which Xavier still
remembered was their go-to for having spats. The battleground
had always been in that room, to the dismay and frustration of
their mother.
The walk down the hall took longer in Xavier’s mind. In
those several yards, he flashed back to when he and Veronica
were kids. Their childhood was a revolving door of debates
and disputes. No sooner had one battle been quelled when
another fired up. For his parents, he figured it must have been
like living with two presidential candidates on a permanent
debate stage where the throwing of mud pies and arm punches
overrode spat-out words.
Xavier didn’t want to cause more trouble. But Veronica did
show up unannounced. And as the pack leader, he needed to
know way more about this so-called pack rift she had either
started or was a player in.
 Despite their estrangement, word got around the shifter
realm. Xavier knew Veronica continued to be a firecracker,
saying or doing things to rile up whatever leadership she felt
had their thumb over her. He never thought to intervene. She
had her life. He had his. And that was a mutually beneficial
pact until she showed up at his door.
The hall finally met with the kitchen, and the pair walked
in. Veronica strode straight to the coffeemaker. Xavier went to
the fridge for a Red Bull. He figured he needed wings for this
talk. If only to manage a psychological escape route.
If there had been a musical backdrop to the scene, it would
have been a sixties Western movie score. Something that
signified high noon and two cowboys with holsters unclipped
and guns loaded.
Xavier turned around to see Veronica leaning against the
counter on the opposite side of the room. She was staring
straight into her brother’s eyes while slowly … ever so slowly
… sipping her coffee.
Yep. I was right. This is a showdown. Veronica and I are
literally adults now, but I guess habits die hard. Where are the
mud pies when you need them?
Xavier leaned against the counter and offered his sister an
angelic smile. With eagle eyes, he stared straight back, slowly
… ever so slowly … sipping his energy drink.
The moment could go well, or it could go bad.
Would this be a human battle?
Or one with razor-sharp teeth, honed claws, and bites,
literal and figurative, which could leave everlasting marks?
THIRTEEN
 XAVIER

“Ronnie, we have to face the nine-hundred-pound elephant in

the room with us. I mean, it’s great to finally see you, but why
did you leave your pack?”
Veronica sighed, lowered her shoulders, and plunked into
one of the kitchen table chairs.
“Xavier, what a mess. The alpha wanted me as his mate.
But I turned him down. I didn’t tell him in so many words, but
he and I simply weren’t fated. He’s not a nice person, Xavier.
Not like you want in a mate. And knowing that, there’s no way
I can bond with this shifter for the rest of my life.”
“Holy shit, Ronnie. Are you nuts?”
“Hey, I didn’t ask for this, you know. The guy came on to
me. I was minding my own business in the pack, keeping my
head down, trying to stay on the straight and narrow.”
“What did the alpha say after you kicked him to the curb?”
Veronica found a pen on the table and twirled it round and
round. “It’s not so much what he said. It’s what he had his beta
do. I was banished from the pack just like that. I was given
half an hour to pack up my belongings and get out of there.
After all the time I spent there and served him. Poof. Gone.
Like I never existed.”
The two of them sat at the table with only silence between
them. It was a lot for Xavier to take in.
Xavier knew his sister’s words could come back to haunt
them both. It was rare for alphas to be rejected. It’s
understood. If you belong to the pack and you are chosen as a
mate for the leader, it’s considered an honor. Maybe love
comes later, but the request is never denied.
Xavier wasn’t a fool. There would be repercussions to the
D’Point pack. He just didn’t know what they would be.
But Xavier also knew to take it easy on Ronnie. I can’t
make this sound as bad as it is. She might fly off the handle
and make things worse. Keep calm, man, and treat her with
kid gloves.
“Ronnie, I am so sorry this has happened to you. And I get
your sadness and fear. It’s hard to be rejected by a pack. Heck,
as an alpha myself, I can see being hot under the collar after a
mate’s rejection. But to go that far and banish you? The way I
see things, sis, is you got out of there in the nick of time before
things, well, got any worse.”
“Actually, even though I cried the entire time I packed, my
wolf screamed at me to be gone and be gone fast. If I had
stayed, there was no telling what some of the rougher
members could have done. Cornered me in the woods on a
shift. Bite me, hurt me, or worse. I don’t know. And I didn’t
want to know. I packed what I could, and I ran. And I ran to
you, Xavier. I ran home.”
Xavier got up. He needed time to think, to form the right
words. His wolf growled at the thought of his sister being
mistreated, but his head told him to be cautious before falling
for her story too fast.
“Hey, you want a refill? I’m going for another drink
myself.”
Veronica turned around. “Yeah, I’d love another. But not
coffee. Something stronger.”
“You read my mind. Follow me. Let’s hit the wet bar in the
lounge. I believe the yardarm is over the horizon somewhere.”
“Geez, Xavier, still quoting Dad, huh?”
Xavier chuckled. “Yeah, sometimes it’s on purpose, but the
older I get, the more automatic it gets. I guess the wolf pup
doesn’t stray far from the shifter tree.”
 Veronica got up, and the pair headed for the lounge. The
expansive gray-on-black furnished room faced west, so a
slowly lowering ball of orange sunlight greeted them and
painted their faces an eerie, fiery hue.
Xavier played bartender while Veronica plunked down in
the half-moon sectional, the highlight of the room. She pushed
the button on a remote, and a line of even flames lit inside a
built-in glass fireplace.
“Thank you. What did you pour us?” Veronica happily
took the crystal tumbler.
“Scotch rocks. From an oak barrel aged twenty-five years.
It goes down like silk but will blow your mind.”
“Perfect. More drinking, less thinking.” Veronica took a
healthy swig and instantly coughed.
Xavier laughed. “Told ya. And while we’re on the subject.
Wasn’t it that motto, more drinking, less thinking, which got
you in most of your trouble as a young brat?”
Veronica smirked. “I could say no, but then we’d both
know I’d be lying.”
“Listen, Ronnie, here’s what I can officially say to you as
alpha of this pack. You know, any action I take involves the
safety of all. As long as you promise to keep your head down
and toe the line, you are welcome to stay here. But one false
move…”
Veronica’s eyes sparkled with glee. “Yes, of course. One
false move, and I’m gone. I get your responsibility to the pack
and to Sara and the baby. I do. But I swear I’ll walk the
straight and narrow. All I ask for is a chance to show you how
much I’ve changed.”
Xavier silently nodded. His senses remained watchful, but
they weren’t howling as badly. He hoped for everyone’s sake
he had made the right decision.
Veronica slid over and gave her brother a big bear hug and
kissed him all over his face.
 “Get off me, you freak! Ew! Sister cooties. Yuck!” Xavier
wiped his face with the back of his sleeve.
“Oh, my God. You haven’t changed a bit! I bet ya I could
still jump on you and tickle you till you screamed for
mommy.”
“Hey, now. I’m an alpha,” Xavier said with a laugh.
“Alphabets, you mean, or more like Fruity Pebbles.”
Veronica stuck out her tongue.
“Yeah, yeah.” He chuckled.
“So, is this for real with Sara?”
“Yep. I mean, we haven’t made it official yet. But from
where I’m sitting, Ronnie, she’s the one. We are definitely
fated mates. I knew from the moment I laid my eyes on her. I
don’t think she was feeling the same, maybe not at the start.”
“Knowing you, you probably scared her to death. She was
too afraid to even feel amorous feelings. You can sometimes
be a bit of a bull in a china shop.”
“Yeah, nothing has changed on that front. Especially when
I see something or someone I so desperately want. I thought
you’d be more shocked or surprised by this.”
Veronica slowly turned the tumbler in her hands. Xavier
watched how the firelight caught in the crystal engravings as
she turned it.
“Not really, honestly. You’ve kind of been like this your
whole life. I saw the same look in your eyes now that I saw
back then. The same one you’d flash when we’d shift, and
you’d find your prey and race after it in the woods.”
“Ah, geez. Not that bad, I hope.”
Veronica laughed. “No, of course not. With Sara, the look
isn’t lethal. It’s loving. I don’t think I’ve seen you act quite
like this before. Your expression, your way. It’s a mix of deep
love and protection. Kind of like our dad with our mom, come
to think of it.”
“Do you think Sara feels the same way?”
 “Oh, my God. A thousand times, yes! It’s you who are nuts
now for being blind. She’s completely head over heels for you,
Xavier. I mean, at the mall today, she couldn’t stop talking
about you. How much you’ve done for the pack. How gentle
and understanding you’ve been with her through this mating
and pregnancy. At one point, I thought she was talking about
someone else. But she’s right. When I see you with her, your
roughness and aggressiveness simply disappear. It’s so lovely
to see.”
Xavier got up and refilled their tumblers.
“Well, saying that, do you think Sara will be happy when I
ask her to mate for life?”
Taking back her filled tumbler, Veronica answered. “Just
simply tell her your feelings. She’ll handle it if she is as strong
as we both think she is.”
Brother and sister drank up. Despite the liquor going down
strong and taking his breath away, Xavier hadn’t breathed so
easily in so long. As he took his leave from the lounge to
check on Sara, his step was lighter, and his shoulders carried
less emotional burden.
Xavier took the stairs in twos to the upper landing. He saw
the bathroom was empty. He looked from room to room and
finally found Sara in the nursery. To his surprise, she was
sitting in the nursing rocker and reading a bedtime story out
loud for the infant nestled in her womb. With one hand, she
held the storybook. The other she laid on her stomach,
caressing the baby shifter inside.
During the time he had been talking with Veronica, Sara
must have had her bath and then finished decorating and
sorting out the nursery. A carousel of little baby wolves slowly
twirled above the crib. A baby-wolf-themed side table lamp
glowed a soft white. And glow-in-the-dark cut-out stars,
planets, and jumping sheep filled the ceiling overhead.
Xavier’s heart overflowed with joy. The scene he saw was
a house turned into a home with everything and everyone he
could ever want or love.
 “Hey, sweet thing, what are you doin’?”
Sara looked up and blushed. “Oh, I guess getting in some
practice. How do you like the place?”
“It’s beautiful, Sara. Enchanting. I can’t believe we’re
really having a baby. But looking at you in here, it’s all sinking
in, and in such a way I can’t even describe.”
Xavier entered the nursery and took a seat on the ottoman
next to Sara. He sat facing her and took her hand in his.
Xavier swallowed hard, hoping what he was about to say
would come out as he had dreamed.
“Sara?”
“Yes, Xavier.”
Xavier put his finger to her lips. “No, please stay quiet
until I get this all out.”
Sara silently nodded. She didn’t smile.
“Sara, I want you to know exactly how I feel. Please know
my feelings for you haven’t changed since the first moment
we met. Sara, you are my fated mate. There is no question, no
doubt. I have considered you mine since the start. And I will
consider you mine forever. If you’ll have me as your fated
mate too.”
FOURTEEN
 SARA

Sara sat there in disbelief. She didn’t know what to say or do.
His fated mate? She thought, bewildered.
She had heard the term before and knew what it entailed,
but she didn’t understand it enough to fully comprehend the
weight of this. Just that it was heavy, and he had no choice in
the matter.
The last part stung a little as she thought of it.
Maybe he didn’t even want me around, but his wolf sense
told me he had to and gave him no choice.
She had to ask, no matter how unpleasant the answer
would be. “So, fated mate. I know that means that you are
destined to be with someone, but does that mean you have no
choice, even if you didn’t want me?”
Xavier’s laugh caught her off guard.
“No, that’s not it at all. It’s hard to explain, but I do get to
choose in a sense. I am attracted to you, desire you, and want
you in every way. I have no doubt I would feel this way
anyway, even if the pull wasn’t there. But the fact that it is
allows me to know without a doubt that we are supposed to be
together.”
He scooted closer, keeping a hold of her hands. “I want
you by my side forever. When you aren’t around, I feel restless
and incomplete. It’s hard to explain, but I get why you would
think I have no choice. But believe me, I want this and you.
Always.”
 Sara took a slow deep breath.
She thought back and put together all that she had learned
about fated mates when she had been educated about the
shifter world and the surrogacy plans. It made sense. In fact, it
seemed to be staring her in the face once she actually thought
about it.
Sara recalled how she felt when they first met. The
memories hit her like a truck as she thought about what Xavier
was saying to her now and how she had felt as well. They had
been on the same page since the beginning.
Her being human had just made her question everything
because she didn’t have the blaring signal that Xavier had.
She was also reminded of how much she liked that he had
been so protective over her since the beginning, like with
Veronica. It had turned her on every time he stood up for her
or put her first, but she thought that was just the bad-boy-alpha
persona. Was it also the fact that her subconscious knew that
he was destined to be her future?
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to
kick herself for not seeing it sooner.
She looked up at Xavier and saw him watching her closely.
Her heart hurt seeing how unsure he was of her feelings and
the vulnerability he had to overcome to tell her all of this.
He was scared of losing her, and she saw it.
She kissed him hard and grabbed his face. Tears ran down
her face.
“I knew I shouldn’t have told you,” he said distraughtly as
he wiped the tears from her eyes.
“No, you idiot. You should have told me sooner. Then I
wouldn’t have been second guessing myself about what I felt
and what you felt for me.”
A smile formed on his lips. “You aren’t scared by what I
said?”
“Not at all. I get it, especially now that you told me. It
makes sense, including how I feel about you. This has always
felt right.”
He pulled her into a hug and buried his face in her hair.
“I love you, Sara.”
She took a deep breath to steady her voice and hold back
the new onset of tears. “I love you too.”
She gripped his shirt, and tears fell, staining his clothes
darker.
He pulled away after a moment. “I never want to lose you.
I can’t. This may have started with me looking for an heir, but
it ended with me finding my forever.” His thumb stroked her
tear-stained cheek.
Sara felt the same way. Everything he had said since
walking into the nursery was a mirror of her own feelings.
She stood and pulled him up with her. Without saying a
word, she led him out of the nursery and toward the master
bedroom, where they had shared all of their intimate moments.
This night couldn’t just end. She wanted it imprinted
forever in both of their minds. And with him confessing to her
about being mated for life, she knew what should come next.
Once they were in the bedroom, Sara dropped his hand and
walked over to the bed. She turned around and undressed
slowly, letting his eyes take her in.
“I want you to claim me as your own.”
His eyes shot from her body to her eyes and locked in.
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
He slowly came to her and slowly stroked his hand down
her bare arm. “Are you sure?”
She sucked in a breath as his hand went to her lower lips.
“I’ve never been so sure of anything. I’m not going anywhere
without you.”
Xavier pushed his fingers inside her, causing her knees to
almost buckle. He pulled her head toward his and kissed her
hard, biting her bottom lip. “That’s all that I want as well.” He
pressed his mouth onto hers again and pushed his fingers
farther in.
Sara was instantly wet. Her nipples perked up as
goosebumps scattered over her body.
Xavier watched her writhe under the influence of his hand
for a bit before removing it.
“Lay down,” he instructed as he pulled off his own clothes.
Sara sat and scooted back on the mattress.
When Xavier dropped his pants, she started to rub herself.
He was almost fully erect, but she wanted to encourage him
with what was waiting when he pushed his way inside her.
She spread her legs and ran her fingers over her clit and
around her lips to spread and show how wet she was by simply
thinking about having sex with him.
He groaned and stroked his cock with encouragement as he
watched her fingers dance around her pussy.
She ran her other hand over her breasts, tweaking her
nipples, with breathy sighs as she purred her desire through the
room.
Xavier knelt over Sara. He kissed her shoulder and neck,
then rolled her onto her side, her back toward him. He
straddled her right leg and pulled her left into a curl around his
left side.
Sara was very comfortable and not sure how this would
feel or if he was going to stay in once he entered, but she let
him maneuver her the way that he wanted, happy to oblige.
She braced herself on her right arm and looked up at him
as he slid his cock inside her. She bit her lip at the feeling of
his ridges and hardness penetrating her as deep as he did.
He was so far in and at such an intense angle that she felt
everything. Not only that, but he was pressed so hard against
her clit that the sensation was intoxicating.
 She hadn’t had stimulation like that to her clit before as he
thrust up at an angle, making her take his entire cock.
Their eyes stayed glued on each other as she lay there
while he did everything.
She had never been one to just lay back and enjoy the ride,
but she could get used to this, especially with how good it felt.
Sara laid her head down, unable to keep it up any longer.
Her eyes closed as she moaned louder. Her breath became
high-pitched and short of air.
She had never blacked out from sex before, but this might
be the first time.
“Fuuuuck. You feel so good like this,” she moaned. His
pace increased just barely, but the pressure intensified.
“So do you. God, your pussy feels amazing.” He leaned
over her again, causing his dick to push deeper. He reached her
neck as a low scream came out of her throat and kissed her
right above her collarbone.
Feeling his tongue on her neck as his cock stimulated her
clit was about to do her in.
She pushed her face into the covers to give her something
to bite down on since she had no body part of Xavier’s close
enough to silence her growing screams of intense pleasure.
“God, I’m so close! Don’t stop,” she yelled into the
comforter. Her fingers dug in, pulling it around her face even
more.
“Fuck, so am I. Come for me, baby!” He pounded harder
against her, vibrating every nerve inside her.
He pushed against her, seeming to know, unlike so many
other men, what would trigger her, and grabbed her hips to
grind her clit hard against his pelvis.
Her hips only circled once against him, and that was all it
took.
Sara climaxed so suddenly and so intensely that stars
clouded her vision as waves of stimulation crashed over her.
 Her body shook as if she had lost all control and there was
nothing she could do about it.
The energy left her body along with her come. She had
never felt more drained and pleased all at once.
Then came Xavier. Her ending was the beginning of his.
He bent his head again over her shoulder and bit down
hard as he came. She felt his growling release against her skin
as his cock pulsed violently, getting out everything it had.
Sara moaned as his teeth sank into her shoulder. It didn’t
cause her pain but gave her a high.
She was still on her side but used the hand she wasn’t
laying on to grab his thick black hair as he finished. He still
hung on to her with his mouth. She felt his mouth slowly
release her shoulder as he pulled out and turned her over onto
her back. He snuggled into her, laying his head on her breasts
as she stroked his hair. Their chests both heaved.
“I think this may be the first time I don’t have the energy
to go for another round,” he commented. His breath was still
ragged.
She nodded. “Me as well. I feel drained but in the best
way.”
“Mmm, good.” He nuzzled her neck and kissed her before
laying his head back down.
She looked at him and smiled. His eyes were closed, and
his face was at peace. A mark on her shoulder that he was
laying on caught her eye. It was his bite from his climax.
There was no pain, just a deep bite mark that she knew would
be there forever now.
It was his claim to her. The mating mark.
Sara smiled as she closed her eyes and held her man in her
arms. Her forever man.
FIFTEEN
 XAVIER

How can I be more nervous than Sara? She’s the one carrying
our baby. I really need to get a grip. We are doing all the right
things. Sara is eating well, sleeping well, and the sickness has
passed. For an alpha, I sure am acting like an omega in all
this.
Xavier stood at the bottom of the stairs, wringing his
hands. He had been waiting for Sara to get ready so they could
head out to their first ultrasound appointment. Every kind of
conceivable pregnancy disaster rolled around in the alpha’s
head.
Xavier shook them away and pasted an easy smile on for
his mate. She didn’t need extra worry, thanks to his runaway
fears.
“So, do I look okay? I know, pretty dowdy, huh? But I
thought I should wear easy-fitting clothes for the
examination.”
Sara’s look was one of apprehension. His reaction to her
was one of awe.
“Darling, you could swan down those steps wearing a
potato sack, and you’d look beautiful. But yes, good outfit
choice. Track pants and a loose-fitting hoodie seem ideal for
the agenda. The main thing is for mommy and baby-to-be
comfortable, right?”
“Xavier, I know we both want to know our baby is healthy.
But are we ready to know if it’s a boy or girl?”
 Xavier laughed and gently hugged her. “Hey, I’m ready,
but I’ll leave that up to you when the technician is ready to tell
us. I am beyond in love with you and our baby, no matter what
sex they are.”
Sara looked up at her mate. Her expression was still full of
doubt. “But Xavier, as an alpha, you want a boy, right? To
carry on the lineage of the D’Point Alphas?”
Xavier took Sara’s hand and guided her to the sofa in the
lounge. Their appointment arrival time would have to be
delayed a bit. Sara’s confidence had to take precedence.
With Sara’s hand in his, Xavier looked straight into her
eyes with all sincerity. “Sara, no, beauty. You have it all
wrong. With your inner strength and my outer, you know
whichever sex our baby is, they will have the moral fiber to
lead in any situation, in any position in the pack. What’s
important moving forward is that the pack is supported,
protected, and cared for. A good leader of any ilk can do that.”
Sara’s frown turned, and her sunny smile lit up the room
and Xavier’s heart.
Xavier had done his job and relieved Sara’s concerns. He
believed what he said.
But with the rival pack sniffing around, he couldn’t deny
it. A male alpha was needed in such perilous times. All he
could hope for was that peace for the pack was truly and
forever restored by the time their baby became an adult. He
wanted to imagine his child, boy or girl, would have no such
worries by that time.
“Okay, are you ready to meet our child?”
“Completely ready.”
And hand in hand, Xavier led Sara to the car and to their
most special appointment.
In the waiting room, Xavier was one big bodily vibration.
Hands tapping, legs jumping. Sara laughed at his display of
nerves.
 “You’ll be worn out before we’re in the examination room,
silly.” Sara put a hand on his knees and hands.
Xavier blushed and chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right.”
A technician dressed in sea-foam-green scrubs and
sporting a big smile came out from the room. “We’re ready for
you now, Sara, Xavier. Come on in.”
Xavier rocketed out of the chair as if a starting pistol had
been shot for a foot race. He strode to the door in no time.
Then he realized he had forgotten something and turned on his
heel … Sara.
The woman laughed at his enthusiasm, even as the wolf
inside him whined. Xavier quickly returned to Sara’s side and
put an arm around her waist. He smiled sheepishly at the
technician as they passed over the threshold. The tech’s slight
grin said that she’d experienced silly would-be fathers before.
“Okay, Sara, lie back and just relax. This won’t be
uncomfortable at all. I’ve even managed to warm up the gel a
bit, so you won’t jump from the temperature we keep it at.”
Sara hopped up on the bed. Once comfortable with the
pillows where she wanted them, she looked at Xavier, who
was still one big ball of shivering jello sporting a smile from
ear to ear.
Xavier couldn’t take his eyes off Sara. This moment would
be locked in their memories for all time. He didn’t want to
forget one second of the occasion, where two fated mates went
from lovers to parents with so much love to spare.
As the technician readied the equipment, Xavier took one
final moment to caress Sara’s exposed belly. The peanut was
far too small to be felt, but he wanted their little one to know
its father was there and would be there every step of the way.
“Okay, are you ready, Sara?”
Sara silently nodded. A big smile was still painted on her
face.
The technician applied the gel. Sara jumped a little. Xavier
put a finger in the gel. It wasn’t too cold. He figured she
jumped merely from the excitement of it all.
Within seconds, an image appeared on the monitor. The
technician hit a button for the sound as well. And there before
the couple was their tiny baby. Xavier could make out its head,
but much of the image was still too small to decipher. But the
heart, that beating drum. There was no mistaking the sound.
“Sara, listen! What did I tell you? Our baby is strong!
Listen to that beat!” Xavier’s happy eyes filled with tears of
pride and overwhelming love. His inner wolf howled happily
inside him.
“Yes, you were right. With you as its father, it will be
mighty, regardless of the sex or size.” Sara’s tears had long left
her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
No matter what the future brought to the pack, no matter
the joys or hardships, this moment before him would be the
most glorious he would ever experience. The most love, the
most pride, the most ebullient joy.
There were no words. And even if there had been, Xavier
would have had to spit them out between sobs of pure, thick,
vibrant, and sparkling emotions.
“Do you two want to know the sex? I can tell you if you
wish.” The technician glided over Sara’s stomach. She had
seen the couple’s reaction before and sported a happy smile of
her own.
Xavier looked at Sara. Sara whispered. “Is it healthy,
Nurse?”
The technician glided over her belly once more, taking a
second look. “You two have one extremely healthy baby. The
most robust heartbeat I think I’ve ever heard. Everything looks
perfect. But, of course, we will want you to come in for
successive appointments to ensure all remains well for your
little one.”
Sara smiled, inhaled, exhaled, and turned to Xavier.
“I think that’s all we need to know. At least for now.”
 Xavier nodded in agreement. “Thank you, Nurse. For
everything. You have truly given Sara and me a day to
remember.”
The technician smiled and helped Sara clean up. And soon,
Xavier was guiding his mate back to the car. He was walking,
but his footsteps felt as if he floated on air.
Once in the car, Xavier made sure Sara’s seat belt was on
properly.
“Oh, Xavier, you fuss too much.”
“Maybe so, but let me fuss. You and our baby are my
everything. I couldn’t be happier if I tried.”
“It’s like we’re on top of the world. Isn’t it? Did we walk
to the car?”
“You feel the same way as I do. I think we flew out here
on a cloud. Nothing could ruin this day for us. Not a single
thing.”
Xavier belted up and started the engine. He kept it idling
as he looked at Sara one more time.
“Honey, after all this today, I want to tell the whole world
about our good news. I want to celebrate our fortune with an
official mating ceremony. What do you think?”
“I want what you want, Xavier. I’m not saying this to
placate you. You and I are a team now. Where you go, I will
follow. You know best about pack traditions. Please, take the
lead. Maintain the traditions. From the start, I want our baby to
sense we are a powerful union leading a powerful pack.”
Xavier smiled but dared not say another word. If he tried,
he might choke on them. The emotions in him were far too
immense to hold back and be a disaffected man.
He wheeled their sedan out of the parking lot, then Xavier
took the scenic route home rather than the ugly freeway. The
splendor of the day demanded more beauty heading home.
The country road was a winding, tree-lined single lane
each way. Xavier cracked the windows a bit for Sara to inhale
the arbor mist.
 “This is our home, Sara. And someday, it will be our
baby’s. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is. The enormous green trees, the big leaves. And the
scent. So much better than a concrete jungle. Our baby
couldn’t have a better life anywhere else.”
Xavier smiled. His right hand held tightly to Sara’s as he
steered, swinging the wheel left and right to make each
snaking curve.
Sara closed her eyes. Her contentedness filled the air, but
weariness too. He took the quiet time to fall into his mind’s
eye and think back to how his life had changed so fast and in
such miraculous ways.
Just a few months ago, he had signed up with the Shifter
Surrogate Agency and hoped for the best. And as a result, all
his dreams had come true. It was more than Xavier could’ve
ever imagined. In the space of time that seemed to speed
forward in flashes of pure joy, the lonely alpha, still grieving
the loss of his parents and sister, went from an unfulfilled
leader to one who couldn’t be any more satisfied.
Xavier gazed out at the winding vista. He viewed the
majestic trees with their thick branches, which slowly swayed
and cloaked the wondrous land. He took in the bright, beaming
sun and the gloriously blue sky that, soon, his baby would be
here to appreciate as well. All was so right with his world that
he could barely breathe.
And then headlights almost on his rear bumper flashed in
his rearview mirror.
Xavier grabbed the wheel with both hands.
Fenders collided. Metal screamed against metal.
His head jerked forward. Tires swerving. He felt the car
swerve out of control.
The sedan careened off the road and into the ditch.
The hood accordioned, hitting straight into a massive oak
tree. The crumpled chassis sat at a dangerous tilt.
He heard airbag explosions.
 Then a blaring horn.
Everything was black and thick and heavy, but he could
still smell the engine smoke overtaking the cab.
He was too dazed and disoriented to process or respond to
any of it, his brain barely registering in and out of
consciousness. The last thought he had, trying to fight off the
blackness that gripped his mind, was that the scenic route
wasn’t so scenic after all.
SIXTEEN
 SARA

Sara threw the bottom of her sweatshirt over her mouth to

block the smoke and felt for Xavier. By his mere posture, she
knew he was out cold. Nevertheless, she gently shook him to
get him to wake up.
“Xavier! Xavier! Do you hear me? Wake up! Wake up!”
Sara felt no movement coming from Xavier’s body. Panic
set in. Their baby!
With her right hand, Sara examined herself. Forehead,
arms, legs, all moving, all okay. She hesitated to touch her
belly. Fear of … fear of … oh, God knows what settled like a
fog in her mind. Eventually, she examined her belly with her
hand. No spasms, no contractions, no pain. Good. And no
wetness. No signs of blood.
Relief welled inside her. Sara reached out to move
Xavier’s body when cold air instantly hit her.
Her door opened. Hands, big, strong ones, tore her from
her seat.
In the smoke and sunset shadows, Sara was lifted, carried,
and placed on a rough carpet surrounded by the smell of
gasoline. A car trunk!
The lid slammed down.
Before she could scream, utter one word of help, or cry out
for Xavier, the car sped off, tires squealing as they hit the
asphalt.
 Sara jerked her head around the coffin-like space. It was
all an inky abyss. Her hands had to do the seeing for her. She
desperately felt around. There were strange objects in the
trunk, but nothing she felt would work to defend herself or
attack with.
Rage and panic mixed and mingled in her harried mind.
But rage was winning.
Who ran us off the road? How dare they attack the alpha!
Who do they think they are?
Then fear eventually reigned.
Why did they do this? Purposely hit us like that. Oh my
God, is Xavier alive?
Tears welled, and her emotional weakness made her angry.
Angry at herself.
Girl, stop it. Stop that blubbering now. Xavier depends on
you. Keep your head so you can get him help.
Sara fished in her hoodie for the pouch pocket. By mere
chance, she had tucked her phone in there on the way out of
the ultrasound clinic and not in her purse, as was her usual
habit.
She fumbled for the button to light up the screen.
It works! She checked the signal bars. Full. Thank God!
In the blue haze, Sara dialed the house and the pack office.
No one answered. No one was there.
Sara let the phone go to black to save the battery. She
prayed someone would notice Xavier and she were nowhere to
be found, and calls would flood in. They needed help in the
worst way.
Carlos knows about the rival group issue and how the
D’Point pack might be in danger. Xavier confides totally in his
beta. Surely, he’ll be on alert for anything odd concerning
Xavier. Once Carlos realizes we have disappeared, he’ll sound
the alarm and send out the pack. It’s only a matter of time.
 Sara’s reasoning was sound. Yet she wasn’t sure if she
believed her own words.
The ride was harrowing. It seemed whoever was behind
the wheel was taking the corners on two tires. She rocked back
and forth, her body jerking. She feared being sick or worse.
Sara didn’t dare click on her phone to look at the time.
Must save the battery at all costs. Wherever they’re taking me,
I’ll need it to get help.
The ride suddenly smoothed out as if they had reached the
main highway. Every second, her abductors were taking her
farther from those she loved. She prayed Xavier wasn’t dead.
She prayed for a miracle.
Suddenly, the car slowed and turned, and the road became
bumpy again. They were taking her somewhere she’d never be
found. When they came to an abrupt stop, Sara rolled forward
and hit the back of the trunk.
Then came light. Glaring light. She sat up and put a hand
over her face to let her eyes acclimatize.
Soon the glare dissipated, and her gaze lay on a small
group of wolves. All of them had gunmetal-gray fur and
vicious teeth on display. This was it. She was going to die
before she ever got to meet her baby.
She cleared her throat. Fear had clogged it for too long.
“Who are you? Why did you push us off the road? Is
Xavier all right? Is he alive? Where is this, and why did you
take me?”
The barrage of questions didn’t faze her onlookers one bit.
All five wolves sported menacing looks and dagger eyes. A
couple even threatened a low growl. Sara felt the bass
reverberation in her belly.
“Infrasound. Oh, my God, please tell them to stop that. It’ll
hurt my baby. I’m not a threat to you.”
The lead wolf, who Sara assumed was the alpha, put up a
paw, and the unheard noise stopped. Sara breathed a sigh of
relief. But she was delaying the inevitable.
 From the corner of her eye, movement caught her
attention. Another shifter, one far larger, far more ferocious,
soared into the crowd. The beast, howling with all his might
with his serrated teeth bared, landed on the alpha and tore the
shifter from limb to limb.
More wolves erupted from the woods, snarling and ready
for battle. Paws, claws, gnashing teeth, and clenching jaws.
Ripping and shredding.
Yelps, screeches, and dying cries.
And blood, so much blood.
Then, a wolf battalion bounded forth from all directions on
the desolate woodland trail. The newcomers raced, jumped,
and smashed into the remaining kidnappers.
A brawl. That was what it was. A pure two-pack fight
where blood flew in all directions and wolves’ bodies careened
hard into the ground.
Sara cowered in the trunk, lying in a tight fetal position to
protect her baby inside. Every so often, wet drops like warm
rain hit her cheek. She felt them, looked at them. Red. Blood,
and thankfully not hers. She kept her eyes shut and prayed for
the attack to end.
The cries and screams and yelps soon ebbed.
Silence at last.
Sara dared a peek. Darkness fell over the trunk opening.
Over her stood the shadow of a massive shifter. The huge wolf
breathed hot air. She shut her eyes tight and screamed.
“No! No, Sara. It’s me. Xavier. I’m here. You’re safe.”
Sara shot open her eyelids to see he had resumed his
human form. The man before her was, most certainly, a naked
Xavier.
“Xavier! You’re alive!”
In sobbing wails, all from sheer relief, Sara reached her
hands upward so her mate could free her from the ghastly
confines. Her mate carried her away and set her in one of the
pack’s SUVs. The car was warm, its heater humming.
Xavier put a blanket over her shoulders and offered her a
bottle of water. Then he hugged her so gently as if he were
handling fragile glass.
“Sara, my beauty. Are you okay? Is everything…”
“Yes. I’m … we are fine. Shaken, shocked, but okay. But
are you?”
“I am now, Sara, after seeing that you’re all right.”
Sara looked up at his forehead. There was a deep gash, and
his skin was caked in spots with dried blood. But he seemed
unharmed in any more permanent, more devastating way.
“Xavier …” Sara nuzzled against his chest, “I was so
scared.”
“You must have been. I’m so relieved you’re okay. The
pack and I would’ve hunted your captors until we found you.”
“I thought you were dead. How did you find me?” she
asked.
“For once, I’m glad for my paranoia. I’ve had one of our
enforcers discreetly tailing us whenever we leave the pack
lands. He was a short distance back when he saw us forced off
the road and called in reinforcements. He followed them, and
we were able to catch up and were ready when they stopped.”
Sara nodded, quiet tears flowing. All she could do was hug
Xavier and quell her own fears with the sound of the solid
beating of his heart.
She gazed up at her mate. And although Xavier said he
was okay physically, she feared his mental state. His eyes
looked like a hunter’s, dilated and dark. His body was rigid,
sensing all. She was no expert with wolves on the attack, but
she sensed this battle, whatever it was, was not over. Not by a
long shot.
There were so many questions she wanted answers to. But
those would have to be dealt with another time. All she wanted
was to bask in her mate’s warmth, feel his strong limbs
holding her, and know her little family was safe and sound.
Yet even with her eyes closed, her mind wandered. And it
veered back to Veronica, Xavier’s sister, and the questions
mounted in her mind once again.
A rival pack. Veronica’s need to flee. Forcing the car
crash, taking me, and hurting Xavier … has it got something to
do with her?
Sara remembered what Veronica and Xavier both had said.
It’s a rarity for a mate to reject an alpha. To do so most
certainly invited revenge.
But why attack them? And if that alpha wanted revenge
and to take a mate hostage, why her? Why not Veronica?
None of it made sense to Sara.
She was dazed and traumatized, and maybe that was why
nothing lined up. But the questions remained. They floated
around in her mind as she replayed the scene over and over.
Had we been tailed from the ultrasound clinic, and we
didn’t even realize it? Had our pursuers thought the female
was Veronica and not me? Or am I losing my mind, and this
attack has nothing to do with that rival pack or Xavier’s
sister? But who would want to harm us or drag me away?
As Sara stayed close to Xavier’s chest, a newfound fear
welled up inside. The dangers of being the mate of an alpha.
Sara had never considered the idea before. She had come from
common stock. She never had any reason to be considered so
valuable as to be someone’s stolen treasure.
Their baby. Would it experience the same risks?
Sara didn’t respond, not even in her mind, for she knew the
answer.
Of course, their small little family would face perils. To be
at the head of any pack would invite rivals. Jealousy, blind
ambition, an unquenchable thirst for power.
Sadness, helplessness, fear, and complete exhaustion hit
Sara.
 No more thinking. No more feeling, sensing anything.
“You okay, sweet pea?” Xavier looked down at his charge.
“Yes. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me ever again. Not for
any reason. Any reason in the world. Our baby, it needs you. I
need you to be okay. I know you said you are, but Xavier, I’m
scared you won’t be.”
Xavier rocked Sara like a babe in arms to quiet her fears.
She was grateful for the love and attention he showed her.
But there were too many unanswered questions. And too
many fears. Too many rival shifters were waiting in the
shadows to attack again.
Blood was shed. And if Sara was right, more would be.
She remembered those warm drops. She felt for her cheek.
They were still there, dried and caked on. Some flaked off
with her nails.
Blood was indeed shed, and blood lust enlivened friend
and foe.
The harrowing night was surely over, but what would the
morning bring?
SEVENTEEN
 XAVIER

There really were no words. There was rage and more rage. It
was very, very difficult to even see straight and focus. What he
heard when his thoughts weren’t racing were the bare facts.
The bare facts were that someone ran him off the road into
a tree. He had been inches from losing Sara and the baby. He
got her back, and some bad actors were taken out during the
process. Hopefully, the perpetrating group lost their alpha, and
they had a whole lot more hell to pay.
When he rescued Sara and the baby and carried her from
the trunk of the abductor’s vehicle to the SUV, she had asked
him one question. “Are you okay?” And he had been sincere
when he answered in the affirmative, now that he had her and
the baby back.
But that wasn’t the truth. That was the biggest lie, though
it took him a few minutes to realize it. Still, long before they
arrived home, he knew he was in trouble. His rage was rising
uncontrollably. He would find who did this and paint the Earth
red with their blood if he had any hope of ever feeling normal
again.
The first thing he did once Sara was in the SUV and they
were racing home was call Annie, the healer.
“I need you,” Xavier said to Annie once she answered.
“Just you? Or Sara too?” Annie asked. “You guys had an
ultrasound today. I know it went well. Did you get to see the
heart beating?”
 “Sara. Sara and the baby need you. I just need you to see
Sara. Look at her. I’ll catch you up on the other stuff later. I
have no doubt Sara will fill you in on everything from the
ultrasound.”
“This sounds and feels urgent,” Annie remarked calmly.
“If you need emergency services, go. I can find you at the
hospital.”
“No. No,” Xavier snapped. “We are headed home, and I
want you there.”
“I will get there as fast as I can,” Annie confirmed.
“How fast is that?”
“Top priority.”
“Thank you, I know you will hurry,” he told Annie and
hung up.
The SUV was navigating the drive home quickly, and they
were just about there.
He called Veronica next.
“I am almost home,” he told her. “We’re coming in hot. I
need you to be there. I need your help with something,
Ronnie.”
“I will be there when you get there,” Veronica answered.
“Tell me what you need from me now?”
“I need you to call the enforcers,” he told Ronnie flatly and
firmly. “I will call a few before I get there. But I need you to
call as many as you can think of.”
“This is serious. I feel it through the phone, between your
words,” Veronica told him. “What’s going on? Is Sara okay?”
“I am not going to talk about it until I can talk to my
enforcers. And you are going to help me rally them. I will call
Carlos. There is a certain … population of my enforcers I want
you to focus on. Call them first.”
“Okay. Tell me more about them,” Veronica answered. Her
voice was almost somber. Xavier could tell she was trying to
sound that way so he could rest assured she was being serious.
 “As I said, I’ll call Carlos. He and some of the pack helped
me, but we need to call a meeting at the house. There’s pack
business that needs to be dealt with. I want you to call the
enforcers who are most … loose. Hot-headed. Prone to
violence. Hair-trigger temperament. Call the most merciless
and violent enforcers you know.”
Veronica was silent for a minute. “On it.”
The SUV pulled up the drive and parked. “I’m hanging up
now, Ronnie,” he told Veronica.
Holy hell, it felt wonderful to carry Sara into the house and
to her room. Holding her in his arms was a mixed blessing.
The task momentarily distracted him from his rage and then
exacerbated it more.
“Where are you going?” Sara asked after he set her on the
bed.
“Nowhere, babe,” he answered. This was the truth too. “I
will be right on the other side of this wall.”
“The whole drive back, you were on the phone.”
“You know why,” he told her. “Because of what happened,
and I can’t even say what happened, isn’t going to happen
again. There need to be consequences for the responsible
parties.”
“You are putting things gently,” she told him.
“I promise I will be on the other side of this wall. I have a
meeting with my enforcers. Ronnie will be here if she’s not
already. Annie is on the way.”
Xavier leaned over and kissed Sara, and hugged her. This
made his blood boil even hotter. Images of the crash, the tree,
the kidnapping, the rescue. He was bursting at the seams. It
was hard just to focus. The wolf inside was snarling, pacing,
ready to come out. Nothing would inspire his wolf to quietly
accept the bloodlust and bloodletting of those who ran him
into that tree and subsequently abducted his Sara and the baby
in her belly.
 The meeting of enforcers gathered quickly. Veronica and
Carlos were a big help. Enforcers guarded all the doors. The
healer would soon be here. It was time to start.
Xavier’s challenge would be channeling his personal
venom into a workable and successful plan for identifying who
ran him into a tree. Why had the perpetrators chosen to do
that? Where were these scums of the Earth right now, and how
could he track them?
“First, thank you for coming on such short notice,” he told
those gathered for the meeting. There were nods and murmurs
of encouragement. He inhaled sharply before he continued
speaking. “I need your help.”
Xavier waited a moment after saying this. This gave the
room a buffer of silence, so pack members could settle in and
really be present.
“The good news is, I got to see a picture of our new
arrival, who will be here in a few months. I got to hear the
heart beating. This was very surreal. The bad news is that we
were enjoying our drive home, and somebody ran me off the
road into a tree. Deliberately.”
Xavier let another moment of silence settle in with the
group. He scented the tempers rising.
“Being left unconscious at the steering wheel, or maybe
left for dead, my attackers went after their real target. What
they were really after. Our Sara and the baby in her belly. The
baby whose heartbeat was strong and so real.”
Two of the enforcers stood and moved closer. Xavier let
this movement settle before continuing.
“Here are the brass tacks,” Xavier continued. “Who did
this? Why’d they do this? More specifically, why’d they target
Sara and my baby? And the most important question is, where
are they now?”
Hands went up among the enforcers. Xavier pointed at a
pack member to let them know to ask their question.
“These were shifters that did this?”
 “Oh. I am certain. While rescuing Sara, a shifter was killed
whom I am pretty sure was someone’s alpha. Others were also
put down. I want them all dead.”
Xavier fielded a few more questions. One or two came
from Veronica. In fact, Ronnie was clearly asking leading
questions.
“I want to hear what you have to share, Ronnie,” he told
his sister. He invited her to take the floor and share what she
knew.
“I don’t know anything,” Veronica told the meeting. “I
really don’t. I have some theories.”
“Ronnie, please,” Xavier added.
“You want me to say some of what I think, so I will,”
Veronica answered. “I would not put any money on this being
the work of Run River.”
The room got dead quiet. Xavier wondered if everyone
agreed with her or if Veronica had just crushed their working
theory.
“Ronnie, just spill the beans. Please,” Xavier told her. The
whole room was rapt.
“What you described, and what Sara described the brief
few minutes I was able to talk to her,” Veronica told the
meeting. “Don’t you think it sounds familiar? Too familiar.”
Everybody sat quietly and stared at Veronica.
“I think they’re rogues. A group of rogues. This pack I
used to run with had a similar situation. A pack of rogues
turned out to be the problem. Everything I’ve been hearing
tonight sounds like it’s the same guys.”
“How did you guys handle them?” someone asked across
the room.
“We had to deal with them several times,” Veronica
answered. She fiddled with her blouse cuffs when she said
this, which let Xavier know she was nervous. “We dealt with
them using blunt force. That’s really the only way to get to this
group if they are who I think.”
 Several more pack members shared their thoughts on
Veronica’s theory.
“We are in agreement then,” Xavier added. “A group of
rogues.”
Next up was Carlos, who took suggestions and ideas on
how to track the rest of them down.
“What I would like to see,” Xavier added. “I would like to
see these rogues interrogated. I say this because I doubt my
ability to hold back. But some of you can hold back enough
that we can get information out of them.”
“These rogues, they’re morons,” Veronica added. “You
won’t get anything out of them of value. All they want is
chaos and any power they can get from it.”
“I want to know why they wanted my mate. It takes a
really disturbed personality to target a carrying mother. What
were they hoping to gain?”
Carlos brainstormed a rather pragmatic and precise
blueprint for tracking down and dealing with the group of
rogues.
Xavier took solace in how violent and definitive the plan
was. It was the only thing that would make him feel better
right now.
EIGHTEEN
 SARA

“I’m fine!” Sara said, exasperated and irritated. She knew

Annie was just trying to do her job, but her adrenaline was too
high to handle the questions being thrown at her.
What she really wanted was to listen to the meeting on the
other side of the wall.
She knew Xavier had a plan, and she wanted in. Not that
she could do as much as the shifters themselves, but because
she wanted revenge.
Those fucking assholes kidnapped her, put her baby in
harm’s way, and she had to just sit and let it get sorted out?
Fuck that shit.
“Honey, let me just do my job, okay? If not for you, then
for your little one,” Annie said in her soothing voice.
Sara forced herself to take a deep, cleansing breath and
nodded. She relaxed on the bed and let Annie check her vitals
along with anything else that could show signs of distress or
internal bleeding.
Once she had checked the baby’s heart rate and beat, along
with movement, she smiled at Sara.
“Okay, dear. Everything looks good, just like you said. I
know you’re angry about what happened. It doesn’t take a
healer to see that. But just try your best to put yourself in a
calm state and relax. Your baby has already had an upset. We
don’t need any more if you can help it.”
 “You think I caused this upset?” Sara snapped. She wasn’t
usually confrontational, but being on edge with everything
going on made her a touch more sensitive than usual.
“No, that’s not at all what I’m saying. Just relax. Xavier
has this handled, and you’re safe.” Annie stayed calm and
smiling as she pulled two essential oil bottles from her bag.
“This is a calming lavender scent. It will help you either
relax or sleep, depending on your preference. It is also a clarity
formula, so it should help ease the tension and thoughts
webbing their way through your preoccupied mind.”
Sara forced a smile and thanked her as she took the bottles.
“I appreciate it.”
Annie patted her leg and walked to the door. “Ring if you
need anything, dear. I’ll be on call for you until things get
cleared up.”
When she left, Sara let out a loud breath and threw her
head back in frustration against the pillow.
Sara felt the rage roll over and over inside her as thoughts
kept replaying the scene of the trunk being opened. She
wanted to kill them at that moment but had also never felt
weaker.
Angry tears started to build.
She uncorked one of the vials of oils and took a deep
breath in.
It smelled wonderful, but she was still too pissed for it to
have any effect on her.
Her head whipped to the door as it creaked open.
“Sara?”
She bolted up. “Xavier! What’s going on? Did you figure
out who did this? What are we going to do?”
He came over and sat beside her, placing his hand on her
shoulder. He offered a smile before kissing her forehead. “I
like your spirit. You really are an alpha’s mate. First things
first, though. What did Annie say?”
 Sara rolled her eyes and showed him the vials. “That the
baby and I are fine, but I need to relax and chill. These should
help me do that. Eventually, I guess.”
“Good. She’s not wrong. But I’m happy to hear that you
both are doing well.” He bent over, kissed her stomach, and
then rose to kiss her lips. He stared at her intensely.
Sara sensed the fear inside of him from almost losing her.
Then anger flashed through the green, and it almost made her
smile. He was, of course, as pissed as she was. She almost
imagined she could hear the wolf in him growling.
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked again.
“The enforcers and I are going to head out to track down
the rogues. We think it’s a group Veronica’s old pack had
tangled with a few times, so it’s our best lead. We need to find
out why they did this, especially targeting you. None of it
makes sense.”
“What can I do to help?”
“You can stay here and do just as Annie said. We don’t
know their numbers, and I’m pretty sure we killed their alpha
when we got you. I’ll come back safe and sound, but I can
only do that if I know that you are safe and protected at
home.”
Sara wanted to argue but knew better. Instead, she
clenched her hands, bit her lip, and nodded in agreement.
He smiled as he cupped her face in his hand. “I love you. I
love that you want to get who did this, but I promise I will take
care of it and you. I will come back safely with answers, and
there will be justice. It must be made clear that no one fucks
with my family.” The sincerity in his green eyes spoke louder
than his words.
A shiver ran down Sara’s spine.
“Good.”
He kissed her lips again, a long, gentle kiss. He pulled
away and stood before her. “I will always protect you. I love
you, Sara.”
 “I love you too. Stay safe … but be vicious.”
He chuckled as he walked to the door. “Always.” And then
he was gone.
Sara didn’t have time to wallow and figure out a way to be
of use before her door opened again.
“Knock, knock.” Veronica smiled hesitantly as she peeked
around the door.
“Hey, come on in.”
“I know you’re probably going crazy right now with
everything that is going on, but I’m here to help ease your
mind.”
“Oh? Are we going to go find the rogues ourselves and
give them a good beating?” Sara asked hopefully, yet doubted
that Veronica would go along with it.
Veronica laughed. “Well, no. But I’m gonna stay with you
to make sure you and the baby stay safe. We can keep
ourselves distracted while the men go kick ass. They are well
beyond bloodlust right now.”
“I bet.” Sara sighed and stood. “Okay, fine. I guess that
means snacks and a movie are needed in order to have a
proper girl’s night. You know, the old-fashioned way of trying
to distract ourselves from problems.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Veronica said, following Sara
out of the room and down to the living area.
When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Sara heard the
vehicles racing out of the driveway. She rushed to the giant
windows to get a last glimpse of the pack tearing out to find
the perpetrators.
Frustration fueled her again. “I don’t see why we couldn’t
go and at least watch them rip their throats out,” she huffed
before turning back to the kitchen.
Veronica stared at her for a moment. “You know, you
sound a lot like me. Funny how you’re Xavier’s mate when he
and I butted heads for so long for those exact reasons.”
 Sara smiled at that. “Well, I’ll take it as a compliment.”
They grabbed bags of snacks and chips until their hands
were full.
“At least if I feel bloated and fat enough, I won’t feel as
determined to go out and do something stupid,” Sara
remarked, staring at the air-filled bags in her hands.
“True. So that’s our goal? To be so miserable we aren’t
capable of doing anything drastic?” Veronica asked, humor in
her eyes as they dropped their load all across the coffee table.
“Yep. It’s the only thing that will work. And maybe these
oils Annie left for me.” She pulled out the bottles from her
pockets.
“Couldn’t hurt. Let me pour one into the bowl and light a
candle. Get some calming shit going on in here.”
Sara laughed as she got comfortable on the massive sofa.
She was still irritated about what had happened and that
she had been left behind, but she was happy that Veronica was
here with her. She couldn’t imagine trying to distract herself
with no help.
Veronica plopped onto the couch and threw a blanket over
them. “There. Incense lit and food galore. Now what do we
watch?”
“Comedy, obviously. I don’t think I could stand anything
else right now.”
“Fair enough. Let’s see.” She scrolled through the channels
as Sara opened a few bags of candies and chips.
“Found one.” Veronica hit play, and the two females
settled into their homemade nest while they tested all of the
food and watched mind-numbing stupidity in order to take the
tension away from reality.
About thirty or so minutes in, they had each slowed
slightly on the snacks but still had bags open between them.
Sara looked around her and thought she should be full and
miserable right now with all this junk, but apparently, the baby
was not.
She wanted to keep eating, especially the salt.
“I keep thinking I can’t eat another bite, then I find my
hand inside the bag again and again,” she complained,
reaching for more chips.
Veronica laughed. “Me too. I’m going to say it’s to make
you not feel so alone.”
“Oh, gee, thanks.” Sara giggled sarcastically.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Sara and Veronica shared a curious look as they paused
their movie.
Without a thought, Sara stood and went to see who was on
the other side.
It was a female she recognized, Matilda Blakes. She hadn’t
gotten to know her well but knew she was one of the few
females in Xavier’s pack. She’d been a latecomer to the
barbeque on the first night.
“It’s just Matilda,” Sara called to Veronica. “She probably
heard the news and wants to see how I am, like everyone
else.”
“Okay, sounds good. I’m gonna use the bathroom and be
right back.” Veronica brushed the crumbs off her clothes and
walked out of the living room.
Sara opened the door. “Hey, Matilda. Come on in.”
Matilda smiled, and Sara closed the door behind the
visitor. “Before you ask, I’m fine. The baby’s fine. There’s no
need to worry, but you can join …” When she looked at her,
Matilda had a deadly look in her eye and had not stopped
watching Sara.
A wicked grin played across her lips.
“It’s too bad they couldn’t finish the job themselves.” She
let out a dramatic sigh. “Who would have thought those
shifters couldn’t take care of a pregnant human before her
alpha showed up to the rescue? Oh, well. I guess that just goes
to show that you can’t send a man to do a woman’s job.”
NINETEEN
 XAVIER

Xavier, Carlos, and the entire battalion of warrior shifters

arrived at the rogue’s den, where Veronica thought they would
be. Shifters were positioned on Xavier’s twelve and six and
either flank. Coming into a rival den could be fraught with
danger, even on diplomatic grounds. Invading an attacking foe
… deadly.
It took time for Carlos to triangulate the location, for the
den was situated in a deep ravine, nestled among great
lodgepole pines. Shifter sounds from inside the den were
easily drowned out by the raging river which sat alongside.
With torches lit, Xavier’s pack moved forward, streaming
through the woods. It would be just a matter of time before the
rogue’s lookouts caught sight of the invaders.
“Who goes there?” called out a disembodied voice.
“Xavier D’Point of the D’Point pack. Tell your beta I’m
the one your wolves shoved off the road and who took my
mate hostage.”
Xavier heard the sounds of shuffling. Lantern light shot
out of the cabin when the front door opened with a sonorous
creak.
Muffled words and staccato-like shots from inside the
cabin were heard, especially with his wolf senses. Moments
later, the same disembodied voice came again.
“Come forward. Only you and your beta. Get your pack to
stand down and stay back.”
 Xavier nodded to Carlos, and Carlos sent the word. The
pack remained back but remained at the ready. One call from
Carlos or Xavier would be all it took to storm the den.
The guard met Xavier and Carlos on the front porch.
Torches, which were lit to find the way, were extinguished.
“Follow me. The beta will receive you now.”
The big hulking brute lumbered over the threshold,
followed by Xavier and his trusted friend. Inside were a half
dozen shifters, all donning bandoleros and leather vests. They
populated what chairs sat in the front room, save for the
solitary shifter sitting behind a gnarled wood-carved desk.
“I don’t have all night. Tell me your purpose,” barked the
beta. Even after his words ended, he did not close his mouth.
A thin line of teeth still showed. Xavier knew it was a resting
threat.
Carlos stood by the door, his hands at the ready by his
holsters.
Xavier strode up to the beta, his chest puffed out. His head
was held high, his shoulders erect.
“My purpose? That’s odd coming from you. I came here to
ask you the same thing.”
“You are lucky I let you into our den. I could have had you
shot on sight for killing the alpha.”
Xavier took another two steps forward and leaned forward,
his chest creating a shadow over the man’s desk.
“Me and my pack could have killed you all for your
unwarranted attack on me and my mate. Consider yourself
lucky you’re still alive, and I only took down your alpha.”
The beta sat back in his chair. His body posture was
relaxed enough to act as a cue for Xavier to stand down as
well.
“Fine. State your business.”
“Questions need answers. First, why did you run me off
the road and kidnap my pregnant mate? I don’t know you and
yours from Adam. Why were we your target? Or do you skulk
around the winding roads at night, preying on whoever takes
the scenic route home?”
The beta smirked. He unfolded his arms and laid them
comfortably on the desk.
“Ah, well, it was a simple contract. My pack was hired to
do the job on you. You and your wrecked car were merely
collateral damage. The contract order was for your mate. Me
and my alpha fought about it. I was against such a hit, but he
was for it. He said we needed the money, and it would be an
easy job to run you two off the road and grab the girl.”
“Easy peasy, just like that, huh?”
The beast chuckled. “Yes, well, whenever my alpha said
easy or a slam dunk, my hackles went up. No hit is ever easy.
And I was on edge right from the start. And as you can see, it
was an unholy mess, and our alpha is dead because of it.”
Xavier rested his hands on the edge of the beta’s desk. The
beta waved one of his minions to free up a chair. Xavier waved
away the offer and kept standing, his hands firmly planted.
“Okay. Next question. Who hired you?”
“Well, now, that’s…”
Xavier leaned in. “Either you tell me or…”
“Fine. Okay. No need to get your undies in a twist. You
won’t like the answer, I suspect.”
“Hit me.”
The beta leaned in too. He and Xavier’s noses were mere
inches away.
“It was a shifter from your pack, pal. You have cancer
from within, it seems.”
Xavier stood back. His knees trembled. Thankfully, no one
could see them shake under the pant legs.
“Who? Who is this shifter? Give me his name!”
 The beta put his hands up as if in surrender. “Whoa, now. I
don’t have a clue. That was the alpha’s purview to know the
contact. I merely led the charge on the car wreck and
kidnapping. Seems it’s up to you and your goon over there to
uncover the mole and root him out.”
The beta smirked. Then he smiled. Then he erupted into a
belly laugh.
The group of shifters joined in.
Enraged, Xavier stormed for the door.
“Carlos, my house. Sara.”
“On it, boss. Let’s get after it.”
Alpha, beta, and the battalion raced through the forest, and
with every footfall, Xavier became more and more panicked.
He had left Sara having a quiet night in with Veronica. For
once, he had rescinded his standing order to have guards on
her at all times. Because he had taken the very men who would
normally act as her guards with him to get his revenge.
Veronica. Veronica. Oh, my God. Please tell me she’s not
the mole.
Xavier ran like the wind, his arms bracing against low-
hanging tree limbs. Nothing, not bruising or battering, would
stop the alpha shifter from being determined to get to Sara
before it was too late.
In no time, the pack arrived.
Xavier spied the front door open. He bulldozed through it
to see the living room trashed. Looking left and right, he saw
the entire house trashed. Unended furniture, lamps toppled
over and smashed, papers from his desk strewn around. Food
and snacks were tossed everywhere.
Xavier ran from room to room, his head on a swivel.
“Sara! Sara! Sara! Call out to me!”
Then he heard muffled words.
“Carlos, the basement!”
 The pair ripped open the door and raced down the rickety
wooden stairs to see Sara and Veronica standing under the
harsh light of a single, bare bulb. And to their right, Matilda
Blakes was tied to a straight-back chair.
Veronica cinched harder on the ties, and the woman
yelped. Sara slapped duct tape over the woman’s mouth.
Neither was being gentle. Both, to Xavier’s surprise, were
relishing the moment.
Seeing how his sister and his mate handled a spy and a
traitor to the pack filled his heart with such pride. He was right
to think that male or female, moral fiber was what led and led
well. Xavier rightly assumed the two women didn’t need him
and Carlos there to end the ordeal, but as alpha, he had to
announce himself and let the attacker know he was aware of
her evil deeds.
“Good work, gals. Carlos will take it from here.”
“Xavier! Thank God. You wouldn’t believe what
happened,” Sara called out and hugged her mate with all her
might.
“I have an inkling, judging by the mess upstairs. I gather
you two gave as good as you got. Sara is the…”
“Yes, I’m fine. The baby is fine. And Veronica. What a
badass your sister is. She went after Matilda like a rabid dog.
The chick and her nasty claws never got within three feet of
me. While Veronica gave her the fight of her life, I took charge
of two pots and gave the bitch quite the pounding until she
called it quits and stopped fighting.”
Sara smiled widely and proudly produced the two pots like
they were the best weapons in the world.
“Yeah, your mate here is quite the hitter. A pot bull’s-eye
every time. After Matilda gave up, we dragged her down here
to keep her on ice until you came back. We figured you and
the pack would soon discover who was behind the car wreck
and the attack on Sara and race back to give the traitor your
alpha justice.”
 Xavier chuckled. “Looks like all those times you and I
brawled as kids paid off, huh?”
Veronica wrapped an arm around her brother’s shoulder.
“You betcha. Who knew our separate battles would become
one?”
Carlos untied the woman and hauled her up the stairs. He
kept the duct tape on to quell her yelps and what sounded like
curse words to the amused beta.
The others followed. And when they reached the crisp
night air, a bevy of law enforcement vehicles filled the long
driveway, their flashing lights strobing blue and red all the
way to the shadowy tree line.
“You comin’, boss?” called out Carlos.
“You go on ahead and handle the arrest and processing. I’ll
be along shortly.”
Carlos waved and shoved the attacker into the back of one
of the cruisers and sped off into the inky night, lights and
sirens echoing through the valley.
Xavier turned on his heel and strode to the front porch,
where Veronica had her arms around Sara to keep her warm.
Xavier put his hands around Sara’s waist and kissed her
gently on the lips.
“I know I keep asking you, but are you okay? And I mean
you, not just our baby.”
Sara smiled. “Truly, Xavier, I am … we … are fine. To tell
you the truth, after the initial attack, it was more fun than
anything else when I knew I didn’t have to be scared. I always
wanted a reason to hit someone over the head with a pot. And
I had my chance. Countless times.”
“Bro, don’t ever piss off your mate. Have pot, will
pummel. She was a beast.”
Xavier smiled. A beast. My beast. This beautiful creature
is having our baby. A baby shifter boy or girl. Sara is one of us
now, in loyalty and in love.
TWENTY
 SARA

Sara looked herself over in her off-white dress.

Most women wanted to be fit and perfect for their wedding
day. Sara loved herself more now than she ever had as she
rubbed her growing baby bump.
Her belly was swollen just enough underneath her dress to
be able to see it. Everyone who would be attending the mating
ceremony knew she was pregnant, and even if they didn’t, she
couldn’t care less.
She loved her current state. It made her feel more like a
woman than ever before. And now, not only was she carrying
a child, but it was with the man she was going to spend the rest
of her life with. Someone who would protect her and their
child at all costs, and that meant more than all of the money in
the world to her.
“You’re absolutely glowing,” Veronica said as she came in
from the hallway.
Sara smiled, knowing that it was true. She couldn’t
remember ever being as happy as she was now. Everything
had fallen into place in the most unconventional way, but it
seemed to suit her.
She twisted and twirled as she admired her swelling body,
knowing it was for the best cause.
Veronica laughed. “I hope I’m as blissful as you if I were
to ever get pregnant.”
 “Well, you just gotta make sure you really want it is all.”
Sara laughed as she grabbed her bouquet of lilies. “Shall we?”
Her soon-to-be-sister-in-law smiled at her. “Xavier’s going
to have a tough time keeping his shit together when he sees
you. It’ll be great.”
Sara smiled but rolled her eyes as she passed by Veronica.
“Don’t make fun of him if he does.”
“Nope. Not making that promise.”
They walked down the stairs, and Sara peeked into the
backyard where she had first met the pack.
It was now decorated with lilies that matched her bouquet
on the centers of all the small round tables. There was a
makeshift archway made from bending green limbs to the
form needed and tied together with hemp twine. A white cloth
draped over it with more lilies stuck through it and the twine.
The sun was setting just beyond the trees, but the warmth
of the day had decided to stay for a while longer.
It was simple and perfect. Because in the end, she would
be married to Xavier, and they would have a full family, even
before this child entered the world.
Their little one would know a loving family from
beginning to end and what a strong relationship, as well as
love, looked like.
Sara’s eyes started to water at the warm thoughts.
“Stop that!” Veronica instructed. “We don’t want to ruin
your makeup right before you go out there.” She dabbed Sara’s
eyes with a tissue.
“I’m fine, really. I have waterproof mascara on.”
“I don’t care what the bottle says. Everyone can tell if tears
have been shed.”
Sara stopped fighting and let Veronica take the helm while
she could.
 She looked out again and saw the seats filling as the pack
settled in. She caught a glimpse of Xavier as he walked to the
front to stand in the archway.
He was so handsome. He had on the suit he’d worn the
first day they’d met.
That time rushed back to Sara.
It seemed so long ago when in reality, it had only been a
few months.
“God, your brother is drool-worthy.” Sara sighed as she
watched him adjust his tie.
“Gross, Sara. I don’t want to hear that even from his
mate.” Veronica gave her a dramatic, sickened look before
laughing.
Sara suddenly felt nervous. It wasn’t that she was having
doubts, but the fact that soon she would have to walk in front
of everyone and be on display. That never sat well with her.
She just had to keep in mind what the end game was.
She and Xavier united as one in front of the pack.
“Thank you for being here with me,” she told Veronica.
“In all seriousness, it means a lot. Especially after everything
that you and your brother have gone through with each other.”
Veronica’s eyes mirrored the exact color of her brother’s. It
was as if Sara was staring at him for a moment, and she felt
more comforted.
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.” Veronica
rubbed Sara’s shoulder in a big sister’s way and looked
outside. “Looks like everything is set. Are you ready?”
Sara nodded as her heart quickened.
Veronica slid open the drapes that had blocked the door
and walked out to take her position.
Sara heard the music play from one of the speakers. She
took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
 “You’ve got this,” she told herself as she attempted to
control her heartbeat.
She saw Veronica reach the arch. It was her turn.
Sara gripped her bouquet a little tighter and stepped out
into the fresh evening air.
The guests stood as she descended from the few steps and
headed toward her mate.
She thought keeping her eyes set on Xavier would help
her, but it almost made it worse.
Veronica had been right.
His eyes were starting to mist, and his smile was one of
pure joy.
It made Sara even more emotional than she had been
already. Now this, plus the pregnancy hormones, almost made
her vision blur with tears as she tried to calmly make her way
to her spot.
She didn’t know approaching her future would affect her
this much.
He was the love of her life, and she was his. They had a
baby on the way, and all of their friends and family were here
to witness their life-long bond.
She finally approached the archway, and Xavier reached
out for her hand, pulling her toward him.
“You are absolutely stunning,” he whispered as she handed
her bouquet off to Veronica.
She looked into his green teary eyes and saw such
happiness. The emotion mirrored her own.
“And you look dashing,” she managed to say without
choking up. Now all she had to get through was the vows, and
she would be good to go.
The ceremony passed quickly. Sara actually had a hard
time remembering anything that was said because she was so
lost in her own thoughts and busy watching Xavier. They had
kept mouthing things to each other in the hopes of keeping it
light and stopping the other from losing it while they were up
there.
All she knew for sure was that they had pledged their lives
together, and it had been sealed with rings and a kiss.
Veronica whooped as everyone else clapped after their
ceremonial kiss.
Sara laughed, the threat of joyful crying long gone. Xavier
smiled and let out his own war call that matched his sister’s as
he grabbed Sara’s hand and held it high in the air.
Shortly after, everyone gathered around the laid-out food
and free champagne at the reception.
Sara had already eaten a plate and more when Veronica
approached their table.
“Have you two had your fill?”
“Of food? Maybe,” Sara joked.
Xavier had one plate and was sitting back with his arm
draped over his new wife.
“No, not food. Of the party.”
Husband and wife gave Veronica a curious look.
“What do you mean? It’s our party and house.”
“I know that,” Veronica said sarcastically. She leaned
forward on their table and slid a key toward them.
“What’s this?” Sara asked.
“I got you two a suite down the road. That redone cottage.
I figured you could use it as a getaway tonight and make it feel
like a real wedding night. I’ll take care of the place here and
make sure everything gets cleaned up and that there’s no
shenanigans. But you two split when you want and enjoy each
other as man and wife before that baby gets here.” She
smirked and then waved goodbye before they could protest.
Xavier stared after his sister while Sara stared at him.
He looked back at her and gave a devilish smile. “Want to
ditch this party?”
 Her mouth was full of food still, but she stood quickly and
grabbed his hand in answer.
They had done their share of visiting, so they didn’t feel
bad for sneaking away into the darkness to enjoy some alone
time.
The cottage was just down the road and lit up just for
them. It was small and cozy.
Xavier scooped Sara up and carried her to the door as she
unlocked it so they could enter the old-fashioned way.
A fire was lit, and the lights were low. It was beyond
perfect.
Xavier set her down and shut the door behind them.
“This is amazing.” Sara walked over to the soft shag rug
that lay in front of the fireplace. She knelt and ran her hand
across it, deciding that she needed to lie down on it.
Xavier chuckled when he looked at her.
She patted the rug seductively, inviting him over.
He took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and lay beside her,
facing her and the fire.
“Now, this is romantic,” she said.
“Yes, I have to agree. Veronica did a good job.” He ran his
hand lovingly from Sara’s shoulder down the side of her body,
resting it on her hip.
Sara felt her temperature rise, not because of the fire at her
back but by the way that Xavier was looking at her.
“I love you, Sara. I will always love you and protect you
with everything that I have.”
Sara’s breath came short. He always caught her off guard
with his sincerity.
“I love you too. And I know you will. Today was the best
day I’ve ever had. And I know my life will be filled with the
joy I had today as long as I have you by my side.”
 He smiled and cupped her face, pulling her into a slow,
melting kiss.
Her body tightened, and her nerves were at attention. Their
tongues ran slowly over one another as she scooted closer to
his chest, letting their desires take over, consummating their
bond.
Sara had no doubts, no worries about life or what was in
store for her. Not anymore. Those fears were long gone.
She was safe in her mate’s arms from any and all things.
Xavier was hers forever. She had been lucky enough to find
the one person who could make her truly happy.
TWENTY-ONE
 XAVIER

All the time the baby had been in her belly, it had not quite
seemed real. He had logically been aware that a baby was
growing there, but nothing could have prepared him for the
physical reality. The last two weeks since Aiden was born had
been incredible, intense, challenging, and oh, so wonderful, all
at the same time.
Xavier could not believe how protective he felt toward this
utterly defenseless little being that was his son. His paternal
instincts had gone into overdrive. He could barely take his
eyes away from his perfect little baby.
He loved Sara even more for bringing Aiden into his life.
To think he had almost lost them. The memory still sent
shivers up his spine. He had been more careful about who he
trusted after finding out all the trouble came from within his
own pack.
The trial of Matilda Blakes had been harrowing.
The trial had not taken place straight away. They had held
her for weeks to try to get to the bottom of the plot she was a
part of, but she had stubbornly held out against giving them
any information.
“Things needed to change!” she had said over and over.
“Everyone says how bad things are, but no one ever does
anything. I decided to change things myself.”
It had gone on for weeks, and still, she gave no details of
who else was involved in the attack.
 Finally, she broke. “It was just me,” she had said with a
sob. Xavier had thought she would continue with the same
spiel she had used. But that time, it changed. “I love you,” she
had declared to Xavier. “I’ve always loved you, and you never
noticed me.”
Xavier had been shocked to the core. No, he had never
noticed her. Well, never more than any other member of the
pack.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he had said. “You attacked my mate
and unborn child because you were jealous?”
She had grown angry then. “Not jealous!” she had said.
“She usurped my rightful place. It should have been me! I
should have been mated to the alpha. I should have been
bearing your baby. She had no right!”
She had hurled it in his face. It was such a shock. It made
him feel hollow and nauseous inside. The woman was
obviously crazy.
“Have I ever given you any sort of sign that we could have
a romantic relationship?” he had asked, leaning away from her.
“I could tell by the way you looked at me. I knew you
wanted me too.” She had looked ravaged, like someone
holding onto her sanity by the tips of her fingers. The story she
had obviously told herself unraveled before Xavier’s
unforgiving gaze.
“That was never the case, Matilda. I’m sorry if you felt
that way,” he had told her as gently as he could.
His words had broken her. He could still hear her wailing
in the cell as he walked away. That noise would live in his
memory for a long while.
The trial took place two days later. The council was
assembled. Five pack elders and himself, and Sara was by his
side. The rest of the pack had crowded around the cage that
held the condemned woman. Her family was there in the
crowd, looking distraught.
Justin, the eldest member of the council, had stood and
read out the charges. “Attempted murder of the alpha’s mate,
Sara, and their unborn child. Conspiring with an enemy pack
to bring harm to your own pack,” he had accused with his deep
bass voice. It was a voice that held no pity for this woman who
clung to the bars of the cage amid a sea of angry faces.
“It should have been me!” she had screamed at them.
“Look at her sitting there in my place! She can’t even shift.
She’s an outsider!”
The crowd had growled at her statements. There were boos
and angry comments from the assembled pack. Her claims
very obviously had no support from them.
“Does anyone here speak for the accused?” Justin called
out once the crowd had quieted down. He looked very
pointedly at Matilda’s family as he said this.
They shook their heads and walked out of the hall one by
one. Every one of her family members had disowned her.
She had broken down then. Her fabricated world was
obviously falling down around her ears. She had thrashed
against the bars and then shifted into wolf form, her clothes
ripping away from her body.
She had sat in the center of the cage and howled. It was a
deep, mournful cry that had etched itself into his memory.
The jury was unanimous. “Matilda Blakes. You are
banished from the pack. From this day forth, you may never
return to pack soil, on pain of death,” declared Justin.
The crowd had gone wild, howling and yipping. It would
appear Matilda had no favor to curry with any of them.
She had changed back into her human form then. She
stood naked in the cage in the center of the room. It seemed
she had finally realized where her actions had led her. With a
tear-streaked face, she looked at Xavier. “I understand,” she
had said. “You will get no more trouble from me.”
He hoped she meant those words. Not that she would be
tolerated on pack turf if she ever showed up again. For a
moment, he had felt sorry for her. But then she had turned a
look of pure loathing toward Sara, and his heart had closed.
 “Get her out of here,” he had said. “If anyone lays eyes on
her again, show no mercy.”
Just then, Sara rocked the baby in her arms. It broke him
from his memories. Today was not a day for bitter
reminiscing. Today was the day of celebration. The pack was
gathering for the presentation ceremony. The day when they
all pledge fealty to Aiden, the next in line to be their alpha.
Sara looked stunning in a black velvet dress that fell to her
knees. She was radiant and had been since the birth of their
son. Aiden had been dressed in a onesie that looked like a tiny
suit, complete with a bowtie.
Xavier stood and held his arms out to her. He gently
hugged her to him, being careful not to squash her precious
load. His heart was full of love and pride.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I think so,” she replied. “As long as Aiden doesn’t have
any little accidents in the next couple of minutes.”
Xavier laughed. “Then we will just present him smelly,” he
said. “I don’t think the pack will wait much longer.”
Outside, the pack was going wild. All they could hear were
howls and singing and carousing. They were holding the
ceremony at a nearby shifter hotel with huge grounds that they
could run around on. A large marquee had been set up on the
lawn for the band and the dancing later, and the great hall
behind them was set for the feast.
Sara hooked her arm through his and smiled up at him,
making his heart race with love for her. Together, they stepped
outside and climbed the steps to the podium.
The noise from the pack was deafening. More than half the
pack had already shifted and were in full cry. But little Aiden
wasn’t upset by the noise. In fact, when Xavier glanced at him,
he appeared to be smiling.
They stood at the top of the podium, waiting for the wolf
pack to quiet. Finally, silence reigned, and all the wolves’ eyes
were turned expectantly to their alpha and his mate.
 Xavier carefully took his son from Sara’s arms. “My
pack,” he called out. “I present to you my son and your future
alpha, Aiden!” Once more, the assembled wolves erupted into
howls and cheers.
With more pride in his heart than he ever thought possible,
Xavier held Aiden above his head and let his own howl merge
with that of his pack.
Into the silence that followed, the only sound was the
rumble of Aiden filling his diaper. Everyone roared their
appreciation, and with a laugh, he handed Aiden over to Sara.
“Oh, so he’s my son all of a sudden, is he?” she said,
grinning and taking the happily smiling boy from his arms.
“Well, share and share alike,” he replied.
While Sara dealt with the messy diaper situation, Xavier
took his opportunity to shift and run with the pack. Never
before had he felt so alive. His wolf senses, which were
always keen, seemed even sharper than normal. The earth
beneath his feet was cool and damp, and his sensitive nose
picked up the scent of every member of his pack.
He always preferred wolf form to human. The world was
so much simpler to his wolf senses. The pulse of life was so
much more vibrant.
He ran with his pack until hunger drove him back to the
scent of the feast. There were two sides of beef roasting in a
pit, and the grand table was covered with a smorgasbord of
choices.
He found his mate sitting to one side. She had a group of
women surrounding her, all happily passing the baby between
them and commenting on how beautiful he was.
“Come,” he said, holding out his hand to her. “Leave the
baby with Alison for a while.”
He led her back to the podium, where he called for order.
“I want to thank everyone for coming today,” he called to
them. “Sara and I are overjoyed to be hosting this happy
celebration. We know you’re all hungry, but I want to take the
opportunity to tell you that it is an honor to be your alpha and
for Sara to be your matriarch.”
There was much cheering at his words. “I know we’ve had
some challenges recently, and I want to thank you all for your
support. You are a great pack, and together we are strong!”
Again his words were met by howls of approval.
“So now,” he called out to the expectant crowd, “let the
feasting begin!”
There were even louder howls and clapping at his final
announcement, and the assembled pack filed into the great hall
to eat.
He sat at the head of the long table with Sara and the now
clean and peacefully sleeping Aiden and watched his pack.
“I think this has to be one of the best days of my life,” Sara
said beside him. “You have made me an incredibly happy
woman.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “I couldn’t be happier
either,” he replied.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Hi! I’m Milly Taiden. I love to write sexy stories featuring fun, sassy heroines
with curves and growly alpha males with fur. My books are a great way to satisfy
your craving for paranormal romance with action, humor, suspense and happily
ever afters.
I live in Florida with my hubby, our son, and our fur babies: Speedy, Stormy
and Teddy. I have a serious addiction to chocolate and cake.
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 ALSO BY MILLY TAIDEN
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