[Mike]Lunch was awkward. Austin kept watching Beth and me closely. It made me nervous in a way I really shouldn’t have been. I was a Beta, but the way the omega watched me felt more like I was prey of some sort. That pack had really fuсked the guy up. He was scared, suspicious, and slightly menacing. It was obvious that he didn’t trust what my sister and I said.Still, it was nice to see my sister. Carmen had asked Queen Maeve if my mom could come to the fae lands for Thanksgiving dinner at their house. She wasn’t inviting most of our family, just mom and us. Gemma said she would be there, too. Some of Rock’s family was also coming. “Trolls don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but I remember doing things in elementary school for it. Most of my family is coming, though, because you don’t turn down a feast at someone else’s expense,” Rock chuckled. “We invited all of Rock’s friends, too. Since trolls don’t celebrate it, we figured it was a meal they would be interested in and maybe we could start a tradition. So far all we know is Mica and his mate will be in the troll village that week, visiting family, and Jett wants to have a couple quiet weeks before his family starts bugging him about visiting for the New Year,” Carmen added. “Will Pyla be coming?” Beth asked. She had gotten entirely wrapped up in the story of Forrest and Pyla. Carmen talked to her about it and she was always going on about how romantic it was that they were falling in love before finding out they were mates. She was praying extra hard for them to be mates. I think her heart would be broken if they weren’t. It was almost like a soap opera among the people of the packhouse. Carmen would call and talk to Beth, relating all of the Forrest and Pyla news along with whatever else happened during the week, Beth would tell Darla and Lily, then they would tell their assistants and us. It would spread until everyone in the packhouse knew. I don’t think the goddess had gotten this many prayers for a couple to be mates in the history of the world. The story was slowly spreading through the pack lands, as well. Even though there was so much else to talk about, the whole pack was beginning to follow this troll love story. “I talked to her and she said that she wouldn’t be there. She is going to the fae lands to visit her family. Any excuse to get out of her mother’s house. Apparently, the pressure to sleep with Forrest has been getting stronger and her mother is being a real bіtch about it,” Carmen answered. “Right, because she thinks that the bond will get even stronger if they sleep together. But the bond is growing already. If it weren’t, Forrest would be getting bored with a relationship where he didn’t get to have ѕex,” Beth said. “Don’t you think so, Rock?” “I generally try to stay out of my friends’ love lives as much as possible, but I have heard Forrest say stuff like he was going to wait, then someone came along and he decided not to. This is probably the longest he’s been committed to it and the first time he has ever committed to one person. Even when he thought Shayle was likely to be his true mate, he didn’t commit to her.” Beth grinned and bounced in her seat. “Because Pyla is his true mate!” I chuckled. My mate was so adorably invested in the lives of these trolls. It made me really happy, because those trolls were my sister’s friends and her community. Carmen felt as if her life with Rock was even more accepted when she knew we were interested in more than just her relationship. When we finished with the meal, I helped Rock clear the table and talked to him about the plans for Thanksgiving. He was telling all of his friends and family that this holiday required guests to bring something to add to the feast. It wasn’t something normally done in fae households, but they were interested in how our culture worked. We said our goodbyes and headed out to the car. Rock said he was working on the last bits of the new cribs and would bring them next weekend when they were finished. He used the original crib as a template for the other two. Beth and I would use the original to hold all three pups until they were big enough that they could sleep on their own. We were already getting the nursery ready, even though it would be another three and a half months before the pups were born. We were too eager for them to come and wanted to have everything perfect. Once we got to the packhouse, I took Beth to our quarters and sat with her until she fell asleep. Being pregnant with triplets made her more tired than I’d ever seen Lily or Darla. They were both pregnant now as well, a month or so behind us. Trent and Ben were happy to have more pups. They loved all of their children and really loved making their mates happy. There would still be a five year age difference between my pups and the Alpha and Gamma’s first one, but we weren’t banking on our pup being the Beta of the pack. I had already decided on how I would find my replacement when I retired. The pack would be cared for and I would have my family. When Beth was finally napping, I linked Trent and Ben. They wanted a report on the omega at Carmen’s house. Trent really wanted to bring him into the pack and ‘show him what a real pack is like’. He had been pissed when he got the report from Queen Bellamy.We met in Trent’s office, but I knew I had to make it short. It was the weekend and, now that things had evened out for us, we were only having a short briefing in the morning and spending the rest of the time with our mates and families. It had taken a while for us to get back to schedules like this after all the activity in the spring and the work we had to do in the summer. Not that we regretted our new alliances. Already, we were seeing some benefit to it. Carmen told me about the charm the fae healer had made for her and how they were hoping to supply them to their allies. It would change how the pack worked, maybe how every pack worked. Trent would be excited when I told him. It was all part of my report. “Alright, Mike. How’d it go?” Trent asked as I closed the door to his office. “He was scared and untrusting. When Austin realized I was the pack's Beta, he went from being relaxed to being tense. I offered to let him tour the pack lands and talk to any omega he wanted to. I don’t know if we’ll be able to tempt him. We should prepare for a rebuff,” I advised. He nodded. “I see. He’s in his early twenties, so he lived more of his life as a slave than as a free man. It might take a lot to get him to trust us.” “You really want him to join the pack…” Ben said. “The man needs a pack. Omegas aren’t safe out in the world. I want to keep him safe and help him find his happiness.” “It’s the role of ranked wolves. You make sure they’re happy, I make sure they’re healthy, and Trent makes sure they’re safe. I just don’t think it’s going to be easy to make him happy or healthy. He’s been seriously wounded by his pack leaders and their families,” I told Ben. “So we’ll make sure he’s safe. I’ve talked to Queen Bellamy and Queen Maeve. He’ll have the freedom to enter the pack lands unaccosted. Maeve will let him remain in the fae lands as a guest. As long as Rock allows him to stay in his home, Austin is welcome. Queen Bellamy will help him get the education and training he needs to do whatever work he can,” Trent replied. “Rock is planning to let him work for his company over the winter and he plans to teach him how to fight. An omega might not be as strong as other wolves, but they’re still a werewolf. He should know how to protect himself. Maybe it will make him feel stronger and more in control of his life,” I said. “Good. We have time. Queen Bellamy said that Austin is going to be staying with Rock and Carmen all winter, so there are a couple of months to get him to the point where he believes that we’re safe enough to join. Anything else to report from the fae lands, or are we good?” Trent asked. “The fae healer who has been working with Carmen on her magic has made a charm to make it so Carmen doesn’t have a heat. She tested it on a werewolf in the pack who lives in the human lands and it worked. If it works on Carmen, then they are talking about making it available to their allies.” “Hmmm. Skipping heat until you’re ready for a family would be a great advantage for werewolves. Keep me updated on how it goes with your sister. How is she doing, by the way?” I smiled. “She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. I didn’t realize how much Carmen needed Rock until I started seeing how she grew. She’s practically floating with happiness. You’ll see at the baby shower. Carmen is looking forward to visiting with everyone.” “Well, let’s adjourn with all these things in mind. I want to get back to my wife and kids. We’re telling them about the pup tonight and Lily’s excited. She sees you guys going nuts, getting ready for the triplets, even though they’re still a ways off, and she wants to get started on the nursery, too,” Trent laughed. We got up and left the office. I stopped by the kitchens to get a dinner order in for Beth and me. Every night was like a honeymoon for us. Our spark had been rekindled when we were given our chance to have pups and it got even better as time went on and the pups grew in Beth’s stomach. Sometimes, I would order dinner from the packhouse kitchen and have it delivered. That meant more time for us to be together. Tonight, we would have a relaxing night in, because tomorrow, we had our family dinner at my mom’s house. Heading back to my quarters, I could feel a bounce in my step. Even if none of my children were Betas, I was happy. Having them and Beth would complete everything I thought my life should look like. I tiptoed into the bedroom and slipped into bed next to my mate. She rolled over and wrapped an arm around my stomach. I slid an arm around her and held her. Nothing was more precious to me than Beth and I had finally been able to give her what she always wanted. A family. I was happy that I wouldn’t keep disappointing her. Beth deserved everything she desired. As I lay in bed, stroking my mate’s back and feeling the bulge of her stomach against me, I smiled. This was perfect. “Well, well, isn’t this a sweet sight?” I looked over. “Rhett, what are you doing in my quarters?” The warlock grinned as he leaned against a dresser. He hadn’t been popping up as much, but that didn’t mean I’d forgotten him. “There’s something disturbing in the area and I can’t seem to locate it myself, so I figured it was time to use my connections. I feel a darkness building and I want you to find it for me before it’s too great for me to destroy.” “It’s not the darkness that Rock promised not to reveal, the one in the pack lands?” “No, I don’t want to destroy that one. I would like to ally with it. This is a different one. That rain back in September was created to feed it. Whatever it is, it will be a greater darkness than me and might even be greater than your little… secret weapon. You’ve figured it out, though, haven’t you?” he asked. “Harmony Aconitum. It was the only thing that made sense given your clues. She has a magic that is opposite her sister’s. It destroys things instead of making them whole. There’s nothing dark about her magic, but I could see you understanding it that way. Hurting Harmony is not in your best interest, though.” “Of course not. I would like to meet her properly and become her friend like I’ve become your sister’s friend. None of that is relevant at the moment. This darkness doesn’t just threaten me. It threatens everything,” Rhett insisted. “We can meet with you on Monday. Or will it be too late? I figured if you could wait until November to report on the rain, you could probably wait two more days….” He chuckled. “You got me there. I can wait until Monday, but you must promise to help me. If I can find it soon enough, I can stop it from being a problem. If not, we might need Harmony to help with it. I don’t think her family would be too happy about that.” “Let me worry about Harmony and her family. Go home. Get yourself in order and come back with as much information as you can possibly find. We’ll see you on Monday at ten in the morning,” I replied. Rhett disappeared in a swarm of shadows. He really had to learn about appropriate forms of communication. Beth was still deeply asleep. I thanked the goddess for that. I didn’t want her upset about him appearing in our room whenever he pleased.