The Ripple Effect

Regina purred inside my head. I pictured her lying in bed, twisted in the bed sheets as she puffed contentedly on a cigarette. It would seem that we were complete opposites.

I rubbed my throbbing neck where Orion's jaw had been clamped only just last night. Though the site was swollen and painful, my body hummed approval. I glanced over to Orion, but he was rubbing his neck as well. It pained me that I had hurt him... Yet, there was a soft smile on his face. I could not bring myself to regret the bonding, even if there was some discomfort. So maybe I did share some common ground with my brash wolf: we both agreed on our mates.

Regina surely loved Rex, and I was quite fond of Orion as well. Regina told me that she had loved Rex since she was born. Apparently she had been waiting for him ever since I was a baby, but she had given up on ever seeing him because she couldn't seem to get my attention. She said she was responsible for the sparks whenever I touched Orion; it was the only way she could make herself known, when she had the strength of contact with Rex.

"Mama!" Rein cried, suddenly barreling into my stomach with so much force that an Oomph! slipped past me. My arms instinctively wrapped around my wailing son.

Regina growled. She didn't like it when he was upset. So maybe we had that in common as well.

"Sweetheart, please don't cry," I murmured into his curls, running my fingers through his soft hair. "I can't stand to see you sad."

"But you were hurt, Mama! I thought I'd lose you!" he blubbered as his tiny hands gripped the life out of my blouse. Rein sniffled some more, tugging with all of his might as he tried to scramble even farther into my lap.

"Baby, I'm okay, I promise." I brushed the tears from his face. "Would I lie to you?"

"N-no..."

I opened my mouth to further convince him, but then another sobbing boy ran into the room and rammed right into my stomach. A gasp ripped past me.

Thank goodness Orion hadn't let them into the hospital room: I'd be dead!

"Maman!" he screamed, effectively piercing my eardrums.

"Boys!" Orion bellowed, pulling Rein and Jonathan from me despite their horrible fit of squirming. "Your mother is fine, but she won't be if you keep gutting her like that. I understand that you're happy she's okay, but be easy on her." Orion smiled apologetically to me.

"Orion, they don't have to be gentle anymore..."

"Is it true, Maman?" Jonathan asked, wriggling and pushing against Orion until he freed himself of his father. "Are you a werewolf, too?"

I nodded, smiling softly. "I suppose I am."

"Then... Then you know about how much Dad loves you?"

"Jonathan!" Orion groaned, snatching the boy from the bed and slapping a hand over his mouth. "You are a little pest!"

"So, Mama, my Papa wasn't your mate, but Orion is? So you're not sad about my Papa leaving?"

Orion threw his head back and mouthed curses to the ceiling, but I just smiled and reached out to drag Orion's hand away from Jonathan's mouth. Rein wriggled more to get my attention back.

"Rein, I'm very happy with where I am right now. I have two wonderful sons, a brilliant little brother, devoted grandparents..." I glanced shyly to Orion. "And a mate, whom I love very much."

Orion's eyes shot to me then, and I smiled coyly as a deep red stained my cheeks.

"You—you do?" Why did he all but breath the words? I had marked him! This couldn't be news to him!

"Orion, I agreed to bond myself to you forever. Why would I do that if I didn't love you—if I didn't want to join this barmy family with you?"

The huge grin on his face reminded me of the smile of a kid on Christmas.

"Then, we can make this official?" he asked, scooting toward me on the bed as Jonathan and Rein tumbled onto the floor. I noticed how they scurried out, snickering, and how they shut the door with an almost painful amount of care.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm Alpha of this pack, Sophie. My 'dogs,' as you so elegantly put, have been nagging me incessantly about if you're my mate or not. I kept quiet because I didn't want to force you into anything... But if you accept me, if you'll have me, then I can make the announcement that we are bonded as mates—and you'll be the Alpha female at my side."

"What exactly does that mean? Alpha female?"

"Well, we're the lead pair. Now that you know about it, I don't have to sneak around with my business anymore. And you can meet my Beta, Daniel. He's been hounding me about you for the longest, actually." A soft-spoken, more subdued smile formed on his lips. "He's like a brother."

To quickly change the subject and keep him from noticing how I paled at the thought of his brother, I said, "How do we make it official?"

"Really?" he whispered, leaning closer to me and pressing a chaste kiss to my nose. "You mean it? You'll do it?"

"Sure. Just tell me what we have to do." I kissed him quickly. "What do we do?"

"As second in command, Daniel verifies that we're bonded and makes the announcement. Then the pack will come back to the house, wanting to meet you. And my new son, Rein. Really, it's a simple process."

Suddenly, an incredible warmth rushed over me. Orion's hand pressed teasingly against the raised skin on my neck. Then sparks jolted throughout my entire body, and I had to fight to keep my eyes open as the pleasant sensation draped over me.

"Sophie, I love you so much," Orion murmured, kissing me gently and pulling me from my lullaby. "You're brilliant, do you know that?"

I batted him away, sure that I would stay here in his arms forever if we didn't stop soon.

"So, Orion, your father was Alpha before you?"

He nodded.

"It passes from father to his oldest son. So I don't have an heir. But if something happened, Jonathan—as my closest blood—would be Alpha. Until he was old enough, it'd be Daniel."

As his closest blood...

"You said it's the oldest son?"

Orion pulled himself from me quickly, and he stared forward with a blank face.

"Yeah... Luca was going to be Alpha. But he was exiled, and I was handed the title."

"And he was exiled for Lorena?"

"As an Alpha, he was supposed to only have a child with his mate—his heir. He showed up with Lorena, who was obviously pregnant... And my father was furious. Then he flitted away, fancying so many women. He was going to expose us. My father did what he had to, for the sake of our pack. There's no way of knowing all of the women whose lives he ruined."

I had an idea...

Orion sighed. "What's worse is that my brother told me, on the day he was exiled, that he had found 'the one,' his mate. And he said that she was already carrying his child. Another one... Whoever that poor woman is, I hope she got away from him. For her and her baby's sake."