FOUR DADDIES’ SECRET TWINS
DANIELLA WRIGHT
C ON TEN TS
Prologue
1. Andrea
2. Richard
3. Andrea
4. Richard
5. Andrea
6. Richard
7. Andrea
8. Richard
9. Andrea
10. Andrea
11. Richard
12. Andrea
13. Richard
14. Andrea
15. Richard
16. Andrea
17. Andrea
18. Richard
19. Andrea
20. Richard
21. Andrea
22. Richard
23. Andrea
24. Richard
25. Andrea
26. Richard
27. Andrea
28. Richard
29. Andrea
30. Richard
31. Andrea
32. Richard
33. Andrea
34. Richard
35. Andrea
36. Richard
37. Andrea
38. Richard
39. Andrea
40. Richard
Epilogue
Volume 1
More By Daniella
Sold To The Kylen Prince
Sold To The Werewolf Prince
Sold To The Dragon Kings: A Romance Collection
PROLOGUE
I
Andrea
’ve always been a rebel.
It’s long been clear to me how those who have power use fear to
manipulate those who don’t. Why? Because I’ve watched my father all
my life. As the City Lord of New Yorka, my father is one of the most
powerful men on Earth, and he wields his weapons without hesitation.
The trouble is, that being able to see through the lies means I’m always
sceptical of what he says, so when he told me that werewolves are dangerous
and I should keep away, of course it piqued my curiosity. I wanted to see for
myself.
Like I said, I’ve always been a rebel. But this time, I think I’ve gone too
far.
“You went where?” My father’s face is red, the veins popping on his neck
and temples.
“You can’t always trust your advisors, father.” I roll my eyes. “I mean, so
far as I’m aware, none of them have ever even been to a werewolf
community, of any sort, let alone a huge city. As if they’d have any idea! But
the werewolves are really just like us. Crescent Mountains is an amazing city!
The mountain has been hollowed out, and they’ve built these incredible
structures out of stone and wood. One building has a petrified tree trunk as
the central support for an enormous room. You’d love it.”
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. My father loved architecture, that was
certain, but I suspected the werewolves’ form of architecture was probably a
bit outlandish even for him. Still I hoped diverting the subject ever so slightly
might take his attention away from me. We all know my father’s ‘advisors’
merely ‘find’ the evidence he requires to back up his often outlandish claims,
but I thought it would allow him to save face, give him the chance to back
down.
It didn’t work.
“You have been told time and time again how dangerous werewolves are.
And you went directly into their city?” His arm is raised now, finger pointing
in the direction of my previous night’s fun. Not that I can remember a lot of
it, I had a little too much to drink. The pounding headache I’m left with isn’t
really helping my memory either.
But! I have come away feeling good, which has to count for something!
His arm drops to his side. “If you had to see for yourself you could have
tried to meet one here, better still I could’ve taken you to the Correctional
Facility, where you could have watched many of them through the
surveillance system, completely unbeknownst to them. It would’ve been
safer!”
“It would’ve been a poor sample of a massive group of people. It would
be like visiting a human prison, and claiming the prisoners there were a good
example of humans.”
Now his eyes narrow. “They aren’t people. They are animals, and you
would do well to remember that.”
“The werewolves I met last night were very much people, Father. Kind,
funny, caring. Just like you used to be, before all this power went to your
head.”
His eyes are bulging now, and I know I’ve gone too far. But I can’t help
it. Those men I danced with were just like human men. I would never have
known they weren’t except for the fact they live in the biggest werewolf
community on the planet. And that they were far more gentle than many of
the human men I’ve been with.
“You were seen by several media outlets, do you realise that? You have
no idea how much money I’ve paid to have this hushed up. You have no idea
how this makes me look, do you? The City Lord of New Yorka rallying
against the werewolves, while his daughter goes behind his back and sleeps
with them!”
My eyes widen at this, as his narrow.
“You were followed, Andrea. There are photos of you, footage! Fucking
four werewolves. All at the same time!” His face is red, spittle flying from his
lips as he speaks. “Can you imagine the headlines if that got out?”
My cheeks flush, but I refuse to back down. “This isn’t just about you,
Dad. Your policies are ruining the lives of thousands, probably millions of
people. You can’t judge a whole race based on the actions of a few!”
“Human women are being kidnapped, Andrea.” My father keeps his voice
even as he speaks to me. “Last night, while you were cavorting with beasts,
twenty human women disappeared from the city. People are furious! There
was a lynch mob, they attacked and killed a werewolf living in the inner city.
In the process they injured several human residents. We can’t have these
creatures living in our cities, and you cannot be seen going behind my back
on this!”
I raise my chin ever so slightly. “I’m an adult, father. I have been for
several years now. I’m free to make my own choices.”
He shakes his head. “No, Andrea, you are not.”
He nods to the guards, perpetually on duty, and before I’m aware of
what’s happening they’ve grabbed me by my arms and are manhandling me
out the door, and down towards the cells.
“What are you doing?” My voice is higher than I want it to be, showing
the fear I’d rather keep hidden.
Father chuckles, and he calls out to me as I’m forced along the corridor.
“Time out – like when you were a child and you misbehaved. Except this is
the adult version.”
I struggle, but these men are tall and strong, trained to deal with criminals
their own size. At 5 foot 4 I don’t have either the height or muscle to go
against them.
“Sorry Andrea, but we have our orders. You are to stay in the cells until
you see sense.”
“Sense? My own father is locking me up and I’m the one who needs to
see sense?”
They push me into a tiny room, a narrow bed along one wall, a toilet and
sink in the corner, everything else a speckled white.
Before I can even turn around the thick glass door has sealed itself shut,
and the guards have disappeared down the corridor.
“Bastards!”
I watched my father plan these cells. They were examined by the best
minds, made to be inescapable. How will I ever get out of here?
My finger links under the bracelet Richard gave me, running my finger
along the blue swirly line imprinted on it. I remember that much at least –
one of the werewolves was called Richard, and at the end of what must have
been a pretty special evening he gave me this bracelet. The other
werewolves… I frown, trying to remember. There were three others, I think,
and my face flushes at the memory of someone inside me, someone else
sucking on my breast, someone in my mouth, and another man pulling
himself as he watched. The memory is making me so horny – I had no idea
being fucked by four men would be so amazing.
I just wish I could remember more of the experience.
I stand, the bed is too hard to sit on for long, and take the five steps across
the room until I hit the door, and then five steps back to the bed. Surely my
father isn’t going to keep me in here for long. I understand why he’s angry,
he’s genuinely convinced that werewolves are dangerous and I put myself in
the thick of it. I just wish he’d give me the chance to explain!
I slump on the bed, head in my hands. When I was a child he always took
the time to listen to me, whether it was excitement over seeing a caterpillar
emerge from a cocoon, or because I’d fallen and scraped my knee, he was
always there with a hug and a listening ear.
He’s changed so much since he became City Lord, always so focused on
his career and his reputation.
And that’s another reason I’m certain he won’t keep me in here for long.
He can’t.
Imagine the headlines–New Yorka City Lord Imprisons Own Daughter!
It’d be the end of his career.
I pull my phone from my pocket and glance at the time. My appointment
with my father was at one pm, it’s now four. Does he really think forcing me
to sit here and stew is going to make me see things his way?
I sigh, and sit on the bed again. I’ve already tried calling my brother, but
there’s no service down here. It’s, again, deliberate. All mobile reception is
blocked so criminals can’t contact the outside world, so there’s no point
trying to call again. I can’t check my email, or the news stream. I’ve never
felt so bored in all my life!
Suddenly there’s movement by the door, and I stand. Before I can cross
the room the guards have let someone else in.
“Doctor Jones is here to take a blood test,” my father’s guard tells me.
I frown. “Why?”
The doctor looks at me. “You’re father is concerned that you may have
caught something when you were attacked last night.”
“I wasn’t attacked.” I frown, but hold out my arm anyway, rolling up the
sleeve. At least when the test results come back clear I’ll be able to show my
father that there really is absolutely nothing to worry about.
The needle pricks my skin, the syringe filling with dark red liquid. It’s
making me feel woozy just looking at it.
As the doctor packs up, I roll my sleeve back down.
“Can I go now?”
The guard shakes his head. “You’re to stay here until the test results are
back. You might be contagious. Your father doesn’t want to risk you
infecting anyone. It could harm his reputation.”
I raise an eyebrow. If I was genuinely infected with something, it would
help his case, not harm it. He’s been pushing to have werewolves banished
from New Yorka for years now. This, along with all the human female
abductions we’ve had lately, would be more than enough to push the city folk
over the edge.
“How long will that take?”
The doctor shrugs. “A day or two.”
“A day or two!” My brow furrows, and I raise my voice. “My father
really thinks he can keep me in here for a day or two?”
The guard nods. “He can, and he will. So, if I were you, I’d get settled in
and make the most of this quiet time you have to yourself.”
By the time my sister and brother arrive, an hour later, I’m fuming.
“Have you come to let me out?”
Matthew shakes his head. “Father’s furious! I can’t believe you did
something so stupid.”
“Stupid? There was nothing stupid about it. The werewolves are perfectly
normal people. Their cities are so much like ours it’s not funny. If they didn’t
change form once a month you’d never know there was a difference between
us.”
“We know the werewolves aren’t dangerous, Andrea,” Ellen speaks up.
“But to go against father like that – that’s the stupid bit.”
“If you know they’re not dangerous, why don’t you say something?”
“And end up in here like you? You can’t make change from inside a
prison cell, Andrea. Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue and bide
your time.”
“Right, bide your time, while he makes laws that ever so gradually
decrease the rights of werewolves right across the city.”
My hands clench into fists as anger courses through my body.
“Father never said expressly not to go to the werewolf cities. But he’s the
only person I know who’s so against them. So many people have no problem
sharing space with the werewolves.”
“Might have something to do with the fact we get all our fresh water from
their rivers,” Ellen tries to joke, but I shake my head.
“It’s more than that. There’s a respect for werewolves among a lot of the
older people. Everyone says these recent attacks are unheard of. It’s just
because fertility rates are dropping, and everyone is so against mixed-blood
children. If there wasn’t such animosity about that, then I’m sure we could all
live in peace.”
“You were sure about that?” Matthew asks. “Before you went into the
werewolf city?”
I shrug. “I just wanted to go and see for myself. I was fairly sure
beforehand. Now I’m absolutely certain.”
Matthew shakes his head again. “What if you were wrong? No wonder
father’s mad—”
“No, Matthew! Father’s mad because I went and saw the truth for myself,
and he can’t control me anymore. That’s all that he’s mad about.”
“Right. So, you went, and saw, and were seen, and now father’s so angry
he’s threatening to keep you locked up in here for good.”
“Pfft. As if he’d do that.” The instant the words are out of my mouth an
icy fear grips my heart, and I search out my brother’s gaze. “He wouldn’t do
that, would he?”
“I don’t know, Sis. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s busy concocting all
sorts of stories to cover up the fact you were seen out, including one that you
were drugged and had no idea what you were doing.”
“I thought he paid off all the media.”
“He did. But you know him, he always likes to be prepared, just in case
there’s a leak. You’ll want to hope that blood test they did comes back clear.”
“You know about that?”
Matthew nods, as Ellen comes to sit beside me, putting her arm around
my shoulders.
“There’s something else you should know,” she says. “He’s also getting
them to do a pregnancy test.”
“What? Everyone knows our fertility rates are dropping off to nothing.
It’s almost impossible for anyone to fall pregnant, or to impregnate someone,
for that matter. Humans and werewolves alike.”
“Yeah, almost impossible. Which means it could happen.”
I shake my head. “As if I’m—” But I can’t finish the sentence. What if I
am pregnant? I was so drunk, I can barely remember anything of the night. I
certainly can’t remember anyone pulling out a condom, and I never thought
to go to the pharmacy for a morning after pill before returning home to flaunt
my night in front of my father.
“You think you could be?” Ellen’s eyes are wide, and I can see she is
shocked by the possibility.
I shrug. “It’s not impossible,” I admit in a small voice.
“Oh, Andrea.” Ellen shakes her head, and I feel a stab of irritation.
“What would it matter if I was? That would be a miracle, all around.
Something we should all be celebrating. Besides, it’s not like I’ve only slept
with werewolves recently. It could be a human father.”
Ellen raises an eyebrow. “We’ll just have to hope for your sake it is.”
I’m so angry that my siblings aren’t standing up for me that part of me is
pleased when Ellen and Matthew leave. But then the moment they disappear
from sight it’s like the whole world has disappeared. The quiet is somehow
deafening. There’s a rush in my ears, and it takes me too long to realise it’s
the sound of blood rushing through my veins, the regular pounding of my
heart giving it away.
I lay down on the bed, but the mattress is so thin, I can feel the slats
underneath. Certainly too hard to get comfortable on. Instead I pace the room,
my chest tightening every time I reach the wall or the door. I feel like I’m
going to vomit, but when I perch by the toilet, almost willing it up, I don’t.
I wish Ellen and Matthew had thought to bring me something to read.
The guards come back and forth, delivering food and water, collecting
plates, informing me it’s ten minutes until lights out.
I lay on the bed again, the sudden darkness a relief, a change in
surroundings in what has otherwise been an unchanging environment.
As the time passes my phone battery goes flat, the screen fading to
nothingness, but no matter how much I bang on my door the guards don’t
come. All I want is a charger. Then again, I realise there are no power ports
in this room, and I don’t want them to take my phone. I’ll probably never get
it back.
I can’t sleep, so I pace in the darkness. I only knock my shoulder into the
wall twice, and my shin on the bed once, a splitting pain that causes me to cry
out. Not that anyone comes. Soon, I learn the size of the space, and keep my
strides to the right length. I can’t believe my father would treat me like this.
His child, like some sort of criminal. I’m his favourite. I always have been. I
remember him sneaking extra lollies to me at bed time, after my step mother
had sent me to bed for not eating dinner. He always brought me the most
expensive gifts when he went travelling, and always made time for me, even
when he might tell Matthew or Ellen or John he was busy with work.
I’d always known I was the favourite. I didn’t know whether it was
because I was also the oldest, or the first daughter. This change in behaviour
is such a shock to the system. He’s always forgiven me easily before this.
Then again, being the favourite gives me so much further to fall…
The next day passes much the same, and I wonder how long it takes a
person so go mad in a place like this. I start doing star jumps. It’s the only
way I can exercise without the constant twisting and turning as I reach the
door, then the wall, then the door again. If I close my eyes I can imagine I’m
outside, and I start running on the spot, hoping to trick my mind into
believing that I am actually outside.
It doesn’t work. Running on the spot is nothing like running for real,
stretching out legs into long strides, feet pounding the earth, hair streaming
out behind me, and I can’t trick my mind into pretending that it is.
I’m brought back to the present by the slide of the glass door, and this
time when I open my eyes, I’m so pleased to see my father.
“Dad! You came!”
He holds up a hand, the expression on his face grim.
“We got your test results back, Andrea.”
My heart sinks in my chest, and I know straight away what he’s about to
tell me.
“You’re pregnant, and blood scans show the child is carrying werewolf
DNA.”
I sink onto the bed.
“You will, of course, have an abortion—”
“What?” I shoot straight to my feet.
He glares at me, but doesn’t falter. “—and then you will stay hidden from
public scrutiny until I feel you have learnt your lesson.”
“I won’t have an abortion father. It’s so hard for anyone to fall pregnant
these days and even harder for the werewolves! You have no idea what this
will mean to the werewolf population in general. The existence of a werewolf
child. It will give them so much hope—”
My father grabs my shoulder, and I cringe. “You want to carry and give
birth to a monster? Just to give a group of monsters hope?”
I realise my mistake and try to change tack.
“It’s not just that, Dad, it’s me, too. I never ever expected to fall pregnant.
I gave up ages ago on the idea that I might have a child. And what about you?
It’ll be your grandchild! How good will it be for your image, how blessed
will you seem if you have a grandchild – if your genes are the ones that are
being carried forwards into the future?” I was babbling now, desperate for
anything to change his mind, but I could see from his closed eyes that he
wasn’t listening.
“No half-werewolf monster is ever going to be seen as my grandchild.”
He shakes his head, arms folded across his chest. “I worried this might
happen. I’ve prepared a bunker for you. You can stay there under armed
guard until your abortion is complete and you are healed and well enough to
be seen by the public once more.
1
ANDREA
“H
appy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy
Birthday Jenna and Li-am. Happy Birthday to you!”
The twins lean forward as one and with a great big puff
blow out all eleven candles on their birthday cake.
They glance up at me, their eyes shining, and I plaster a smile on my face.
They don’t get many special days. I won’t ruin this one for them.
“Look, Auntie Ellen and Uncle Matthew have brought presents!” I bring
over the bag, bulging with gifts not only from Ellen and Matthew, but also
from our other brother John. “How spoilt are you guys, hey?”
Liam looks up at me with those big serious eyes, a shade of brown that is
so light sometimes it looks like gold. Not wholly human eyes. I suppress a
shudder and force my smile wider.
“What is it, Li?”
“I don’t think being trapped in a bunker for our entire lives makes us
spoilt.”
My heart plummets, but I hold that smile on my face for all it’s worth.
“No. But you did get some great presents from people who love you guys so
much.”
“Shame our grandfather doesn’t love us. Shame our father doesn’t even
know we exist.”
I give Liam a hug, swallowing back the lump in my throat. “I know it’s
hard, my boy, more than you think. But this won’t be forever, I promise. I’ll
get us out somehow.” I think back to my own childhood and the great
relationship I had with my father all those years ago. Where is that man,
now? Buried under the power that’s gone to his head. I wonder if he will ever
break out again.
Behind Liam, Jenna is tearing at the wrapping paper of her gifts, pulling
out the usual suspects, books, paper, pencils, teddy bears and jewellery.
There’s a pile, as always, and if it wasn’t for the annual clean out I have
every year in the weeks before their birthday, the bunker would’ve been filled
to the brim with toys by now. Guilt presents from my siblings, who won’t do
anything to get us out, and try to make up for it by bringing as much of the
outside world in as they can.
I shake my head, pushing away those thoughts. That’s not the way to
think. Ellen and Matthew have no control over my father. I’m lucky he lets
them visit. He could order his guards to keep them out, after all, and then
we’d have no one but the monthly grocery delivery guy to speak to.
But after eleven years of seeing the sun only through a skylight, or seeing
grass and trees and flowers only in picture books, my patience is beyond
wearing thin.
Ellen cuts the cake and hands out pieces to the twins, before bringing one
to me. Matthew sits down with them and they open the jigsaw puzzle Liam
has been given, a waterfall, cascading down rocks, ferns and moss-covered
trees lining the spray.
“This is a tricky one,” he says. “All this water spray is going to be hard.”
“We’ll do it easy, Uncle Matthew.” Jenna, as always, is confident in her
abilities to do anything, and I don’t doubt her confidence on this matter. If
there’s anything being in a bunker is good for, it’s giving you time to practise
all those skills.
“They’re so precious,” Ellen says, watching them. “I’m so glad you
refused to have an abortion.”
“I’m so glad you were there to stop me drinking that tea.” I pick up my
now cold cup of tea and take a sip. This one I’ve made myself, unlike the one
I’m referring to, over eleven years ago, that my father brought me. He was
trying to make amends, he said. Ellen and Matthew stopped me just in time.
My father hasn’t been back since. In many ways I still don’t want to see
him again, but then if he saw his grandchildren… surely his heart would
soften to them, and he’d change his mind about the werewolves. He was such
a wonderful father to me growing up. Surely that man is still inside there,
somewhere?
“Coming outside?”
Ellen nods, and we head out into the courtyard. It’s not really ‘outside’.
There are walls, and a roof, but this is where the single skylight is, a large
square of glass that gives us some sense of the outside world. I don’t know
what’s above us exactly, some obviously guarded patch of garden is my
guess, because although we sometimes see a bird fly by, or if it’s really
windy twigs and leaves, we’ve never seen a person, or even any other animal
through the glass. It’s father’s guards who clean the glass, inside and out, and
he’s kept them on a strict timetable, the same dozen or so men, cycling
through the day, watching us as we eat, and sleep, and play.
Matthew soon joins us, the twins now engrossed in their puzzle.
“You’ve got to get us out of here, Matt.” I can feel my tears welling up as
I take his hand. “I can’t stay in here much longer, I’m losing my grip on
reality.”
In truth I probably already lost it, long ago. There’s only so much a
person can do in six rooms. We’ve rearranged them, many times, over the
years, swapping bedrooms, making the lounge room into a bedroom, or all of
us sleeping in the court yard. That was fun, actually, and I wonder if it’s time
we tried that again. Being able to see the stars at night was soothing, for a
while.
But Matthew is shaking his head. “You know I can’t do that, Andrea.
Father would have a fit! But we’re working towards something, Ellen and I.
We just need more time.”
“More time? How much time do you need?” I glance back at my children,
now old enough to realise they are prisoners. Sometimes I long for the days
when they thought the stories in their books were make believe – that grass
and trees and animals were all fantasy. It was easier, then. I choke back a sob.
“I promised them the day they were born, that they would be out by their first
birthday. Eleven years ago, Matthew.” I search out my brother’s gaze again.
“My children have never breathed anything but filtered air. They’ve never
rolled on the grass or picked a flower. They are eleven years old, and they’ve
never climbed a fucking tree!” My hands are clenched into fists and I’m
panting.
“Hey, calm down.” Matthew wraps an arm around me and pulls me into
him, and I let it all out, sobbing into his chest. “We’re doing what we can.
And they’re doing all right. They’re fairly well-adjusted kids, considering.”
I pull away, disgusted. “Well adjusted? What are they going to be like
when they get out? They’ve never known anything but these rooms. How will
they possibly cope living in the city, let alone the rest of the world?”
He shrugs, and the anger wells inside me as it has so often lately. “You
know father won’t let your children live anywhere they can be seen by the
public.”
“Then smuggle me into the werewolf city. I’m sure they’d welcome me.”
“What?” Ellen spluttered on her cake. “You haven’t seen the news,
Andrea. The werewolves are out for blood just as much as the humans are.
It’d be suicide.”
“The werewolves are only reacting to what father has stirred up.”
“No.” Matthew shakes his head. “They’re becoming dangerous. There are
groups now who are quite vocal about their animosity towards humans.
There’s no guarantee you’d be safe.”
I open my mouth to point out that werewolves are desperate for children,
that we’d be welcomed with open arms, but I realise my siblings won’t
believe that, either. I shake my head. “Get out, both of you. Just go.”
Ellen lifts an arm as though to give me a hug, but drops it when I turn
away. Instead they head in to see the twins, giving them hugs and kisses, and
promising to be back to visit soon.
I cross the courtyard and head into the bathroom, where I tear a towel
from the rack and scream into it. It’s the only way I know to get rid of this
anger, screaming and jumping up and down like a two-year-old, chucking a
tantrum.
I can’t ever let my children see me do it though. They see enough of my
anguish without witnessing that.
So many of my nights have been spent dreaming ways of escaping from
this place. Of breaking out through the sky-light, or better still, having
Richard or one of the other wolves find out about us and break in to save us.
That’s the most foolish of all my dreams. We exchanged nothing but first
names. As if any of them could ever learn I’d given birth to part-werewolf
twins. One of those men is the father of my children, and my heart aches at
the thought, not only of my children, missing out on a relationship with their
father, but also the werewolf, who is missing out on a relationship with his
kids.
When I’m spent I stare at my splotchy face in the mirror. My children
look so much like me, the same dark brown hair, the same narrow nose.
They’d easily pass as human. No one need ever know they have werewolf
blood. They have a higher forehead than me, and those luminescent brown
eyes, but you need to be up close to see that. Even passing them in the street
it would be easy enough to convince yourself you’d imagined that quick
reflective glance.
My father has stolen the childhood of his grandchildren, based wholly
and solely on fear. And it’s not even fear of werewolves. Not really. It’s
worse than that. It’s fear of losing face.
2
RICHARD
I
watch the human news broadcast from my desk, rubbing my temples as
I listen to the tirade of lies their City Lord is spouting about the
werewolf population. He can’t stop with it, stories about how we are all
time bombs, waiting to go off, suddenly, inexplicably, unable to control
ourselves and becoming some sort of frenzied blood-thirsty monster that
can’t be held back.
He has no idea about us, not even the faintest clue. If he did, he would see
that it’s most likely young adolescents, with no idea about their werewolf
ancestry, who’ve never been taught a thing about themselves. They’re the
only wolves who would be uncontrollable; people who never knew they were
going to transform, never even knew it was a possibility that they might, and
who therefore have been taught nothing about how to control themselves.
I don’t see why the New Yorka City Lord doesn’t just leave us in peace.
We’ve had no children born in at least twenty years. Sooner or later we’ll die
off, and he and those humans who support him can have their planet all to
themselves.
I close my eyes. I don’t know how I can hold off this war anymore. The
number of werewolves keen to fight the humans is growing every day. I’ve
done everything within my power, even gone as far to pay people to hold
their tongues, to stop calling others to fight, but I can’t do it for much longer.
The City Lord is so effective at stirring up hatred that werewolves aren’t
safe anywhere anymore, and every crime and upset is blamed on wolves,
whether they are responsible or not.
My father’s words from the night before echo in my mind. “We’ll have to
start kidnapping human women, like the other clans do. Without children, we
have no hope for the future. Without children, we have nothing to fight for.”
I pick up the remote and shut off the news stream. Part of the reason this
human has gained such power is because other clans started stealing women,
in the hope that they could breed with them. It sent a fission of fear
throughout the human community and fractured once healthy humanwerewolf relationships.
And what good has come from it?
I know of one or two mixed births among the other clans, but they are so
few it seems pointless. Surely the angst stirred up by these kidnappings is not
worth the children they produce?
There’s a knock at my door. When it opens, James peers through.
He takes one look at me and a grim smile crosses his face. “You’ve seen
the news then.”
“Which bit? The bit celebrating the fact that they’ve finally managed to
rid New Yorka of any and all werewolves, or the bit where they’re angry that
we have retaliated by refusing to trade with them?”
“They’re a strange bunch, that’s for sure.”
I shake my head, and my mind wanders back to an experience James and
I, and two of our friends, shared.
“Do you remember that human woman, all those years ago?”
James grins. “The one who was so keen to learn everything she could
about werewolves.”
I grin back. “That’s her.”
“She was so open to other possibilities, other ways of life. It’s a shame
there aren’t more humans like her.”
“I wonder what happened to her. She promised she’d come back, and
then she never did.”
James shrugs. “Maybe she wasn’t so open and accepting after all.”
“Mmm. Maybe.” I shake my head. It seems so strange, how enthusiastic
she was on that night, even before she’d had any drinks, to then disappear off
the face of the earth. And I know, because I searched for her, afterwards. I’d
given her my clan’s bracelet, so she could come and go in the werewolf city
safely, and she’d never used it. Nor had anyone else. No one had seen it, and
none of my contacts in the human cities had ever seen anyone wearing it. She
just disappeared.
I need to think about something else. But I can’t forget about that woman,
how lively and wild and free she seemed. If we’d had more interaction like
that with humans, there’d be no need to kidnap them. But that would require
them to be told the truth, instead of a whole bunch of fear-mongering lies.
3
ANDREA
J
enna and Liam have developed a game between them.
It’s the other thing boredom does, gives the mind free rein to think
up a million wonderful and terrible ideas, marvellous possibilities, and
gut-wrenching fears.
Mostly, the children’s new ideas are wonderful and innovative, and I’m
left marvelling at how children whose lives have been so sheltered and small
have such an amazing capacity to adapt.
This game is mostly wonderful. It helps them burn their seemingly
infinite amounts of energy. But it also scares me, just a little bit, because it
shows just how much werewolf DNA they carry in their blood.
It’s a race. It’s a race that involves them listening for my breath, to see
which room I’m in, and then racing to come and find me.
Now, there aren’t a whole lot of rooms that I could be hiding in, so you
might say this game is nothing special. But I hear them, counting down from
five, and within seconds they’re both by my side, barely out of breath.
The thing that scares me is not just their speed, which is getting faster by
the day, it’s that they can hear me breathing through closed doors.
I’ve been aware of it for a while, this super-human-hearing. They’ve been
able to tell me when a guard is coming, minutes before the guard appears.
They can hear a bird and know if it is going to be flying above our skylight,
and they will race to stand under that window and see it. It’s put a stop to the
night-time solo activities I used to do to ease my raging libido, which has
been terrible for my mood.
They prefer meat, the juicier, the better.
I know very little about werewolves, but I do know that they first begin to
shape-shift when they reach puberty, and for my two, that’s getting closer
every day.
It’s a week before Ellen and Matthew return. Out of all my family, these
are the only two I’ve seen over the past eleven years. My mother died when I
was a baby, leaving me and Matthew, and when father remarried Ellen and
John were born. But my step-mother never liked me very much, and John
took her side in everything. Ellen was always the peace-keeper, but perhaps it
was simply because I was her only sister. I know the thought of a sister
helped quell the jealousy that my father was starting another family, and
when she was born I loved her on sight.
Matthew steers the kids into the lounge room to see the 3000 piece
puzzle, already completed.
Ellen reaches out and squeezes my shoulder.
“We’ll do it.”
I frown. I’m too tired for games. “Do what?”
“We’ll sneak you out of here.”
My eyes widen. “Really?”
Ellen nods. “Matthew pointed out just how many werewolf traits the
twins have. I’d never really thought about it – after all, they’re locked inside
all day and all night. They’re bound to be a little different to other kids.”
I raise my eyebrow, but she ignores it.
“But they’re getting faster. And Matthew said they told him when a guard
was coming, and—” her face flushes here. “What we were saying last week,
at their birthday party.”
I close my eyes. I don’t even remember what we said now, but I feel a
fool, not even thinking about the fact that they would be able to hear us, a
room away. I must have been tired.
“So wo talked about it, and we’ll help you. But we need something from
you. We won’t smuggle you into any werewolf city unless we know you’re
all going to be safe. We need the name of the twin’s father.”
My hand immediately goes to my wrist, where I still wear the bracelet
Richard gave to me, all those years ago. I don’t want to part with it. It’s the
only link I have to him, the only thing I could pass on to the children of their
father, and yet I know it’s the only way to find him.
“His name is Richard,” I say, as I unclasp the bracelet. “He gave me this.”
Ellen takes the bracelet.
“Please don’t lose it.” I’ve worn that bracelet every moment of the past
eleven years and nine months, and I feel naked without it. “It’s all I’ve got.”
Ellen frowns, but nods. “I’ll do my best.”
We go in and see the twins, and they carry on as though nothing is
different in their world. But when Ellen and Matthew leave they stop, their
heads tilted to one side in what I’ve recognised is their listening stance.
“Ellen thinks you’re crazy, Mom,” Jenna says, watching me. “She says
you don’t even know our father’s name. And all you’ve got is a bracelet he
probably bought at a jeweller’s, that no one is going to recognise eleven years
after the fact.”
I sigh and close my eyes. They’re probably right. It’s probably available
everywhere, probably means nothing to anyone. When I feel a hand on my
knee, I open them again to find Liam at my side.
“We know you’re not crazy, Mom.” He wraps his arms around me, and I
realise just how tall he’s grown, almost my height now.
“If they fail, we can come up with something else,” Jenna says, and they
share a look that tells me they’ve come up with more of their innovative
ideas.
I can only hope that the bracelet means something to someone, and the
symbol I’ve rubbed my fingers over so many times over the years, is
identifiable to someone. I don’t see how else Matthew and Ellen could
manage to find Richard. It’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
4
RICHARD
W
hen James comes to the door to tell me there are two humans
who want to talk to me about a bracelet, I think he must’ve had
too much to drink.
He ushers them in. They hold out the bracelet, begin to tell me a
convoluted story about their sister disobeying their father, and ending up
locked in a bunker for the last eleven years raising her mixed-blood children.
They’re terrified, whether of me personally, or just because they’re so
deep in werewolf territory, I can’t tell, but it’s making them stutter over their
words. I can’t understand anything until they utter those last words.
“Wait. Children? Mixed-blood children?”
The woman nods.
“Our father tried to have her abort them, but she refused, and he’s locked
her down there ever since and—”
I hold my hand up, and, thankfully, the woman stops.
I rub my forehead with my other hand.
“Are you telling me that there is a human woman, who has had werewolf
children?”
“Yes. And she said that someone called Richard gave her this bracelet.”
A glimmer of hope is sparking in my chest, and I think of the human
woman from all those years ago. But I have to push that hope down. I can’t
let myself get excited over nothing.
“Well, my name is Richard.” I hold out my card for them to see. “Can I
see this bracelet?”
I hold out my hand, but the woman is hesitant to hand it over. “She wants
it back. Even if you don’t want anything to do with her, she wants to be able
to give it to her children, as something of their father’s.”
I sigh and agree that I will give the bracelet back.
When she finally holds it out I don’t even need to take it. The bracelet has
my clan seal on it. It grants protection to the wearer from any werewolf, of
any clan. No one will hurt another person – werewolf or human, bearing this
seal.
Instead of taking the bracelet, I hold out my hand, palm down, and show
them the cygnet ring that I wear. It bears the exact same symbol as the one on
the bracelet, and I see their eyes widen in recognition.
“This is the symbol of my clan. The bearer of such an item is instantly
under my protection, and any who see this, know it, and are likely to stay
away.”
I’ve handed out a dozen of these over the years, but there is only one
woman who comes to mind when I see this bracelet.
“What is your sister’s name?”
“Andrea.”
“Andrea.” The name is like a breath of fresh air, and I wonder how I
could ever have forgotten it. “She is trapped in a bunker you say?”
They nod.
“With my children.”
They nod again.
“Then we must break them out.”
Relief washes over the face of the woman, but the man frowns. “I want
your guarantee you won’t harm her or the children.”
I almost laugh. I point to the bracelet. “That guarantees no one will harm
her. That bears my seal. It shows she’s under my protection. As for the
children, do you have any idea how they will be welcomed? More and more
of our women are infertile with every passing generation. No one in my
family has children. They will be treated like gods.”
“Right.” He coughs. “That might not be good for them, considering
they’ve been locked up—”
“Matthew!” The woman glares at him. “Would you rather they stay
locked up forever?”
“Of course not!” He looks and me and sighs. “I’m sorry.”
“So,” I say, keen to get back to the matter at hand. “How do we get her
out?”
5
ANDREA
W
hen Matthew and Ellen return to tell me they found Richard,
and he is a Werewolf Prince, and is overjoyed at the discovery
he is a father, and is desperate to have us with him, I almost
collapse.
I’ve held out hope for so long that we might escape this place, never
knowing how it might happen, never certain, despite my words, that we
would be welcomed by the werewolf community, that to actually have a plan
is almost too much to bear.
Ellen puts the bracelet back around my wrist.
“You see this image here,” she says, pointing to the blue circle and lines I
have traced so often with my fingertips. “This is Richard’s clan seal. When
he gave it to you, he did so because it would protect you whenever you went
to the werewolf city. This bracelet is a symbol of his protection.”
Tears well up at Ellen’s words, and I blink them away.
“I had no idea.” I look up at her. “I remember so little about that night. I
remember his giving it to me. I don’t remember him telling me anything
about it. If only I’d known!”
Ellen wraps her arms around me. “You do now. Better late than never,
right?”
I give a teary nod, wishing for the millionth time I hadn’t drunk so much
that night.
Matthew runs us through the plan. In two days he will arrive under orders
from our father to pick us up and move us to another facility. They’ve already
bribed father’s secretary, so if the guards question him he will say the order
comes from father. Then we’ll be driven off to the werewolf city and
freedom.
It sounds simple, but I’m terrified. If father’s secretary changes his mind
then we’re all stuffed.
The two days are the worst of my life. Somehow the walls feel even
smaller than ever before, and the children have such a nervous energy they
can’t stop running and chasing each other – loops around the kitchen table,
than out to the courtyard where they try their latest game, running towards
the wall at high speed, then jumping up and pushing off against the wall to do
a flip in mid air and land on their feet.
By the end of the second day they have managed to run part way up the
wall and leap from there to grab the edge of the skylight.
I want them to stop – if they hurt themselves it could ruin all of Ellen and
Matthew’s plans, but they can’t sit still for longer than ten minutes before
they’re up and bounding off the walls again.
When Ellen and Matthew arrive they handcuff the three of us. It’s part of
the show, but I still don’t like it.
Ellen has a small backpack, which she squashes a few of the children’s
favourite toys, and Jenna’s favourite jewellery, into.
We can’t take much and part of me is grateful for that. The less there is to
remind me of this place, the better.
The plan runs smoothly, though my heart is in my throat when the first
guard stops us going out the door and calls father’s secretary. He has the
power right now to destroy all of us, ensuring that Ellen and Matthew are
locked away as well.
But the secretary says what he’s been paid to say, and the guards wave us
through. As soon as we’re in the transport van Ellen releases our cuffs, and
Matthew drives us off.
There’s a tiny grate between the back of the van and the driver, and I
strain to see something of the outside world. How much has it changed?
It feels like hours before we pull up. My leg is bouncing up and down,
nerves so high I can’t keep it still. For once the twins are still and silent. I
don’t think I’ve ever seen them sit like this for such a long time, and I realise
that they are nervous, too.
Finally, the van pulls over. Matthew calls a ‘goodbye and good luck’
through the grate, and then two new guards climb in. Jenna and Liam sniff
the air, and their eyes brighten, and somehow I know it’s two werewolf
guards. I close my eyes, and for the first time in my entire life, I pray to
whatever being might be out there, listening. I can only hope I’ve done the
right thing and not sent us straight into some sort of trap.
6
RICHARD
I
’ve gathered James, Edward and Tam together, to tell them the news,
and await the arrival of Andrea and our children.
“I’m still not sure about this, Richard.” Edward peers out the
window, arms folded across his chest. “What if it’s a trap?”
Edward has always been overly cautious. I appreciate it, most of the time,
but moments like these make me think he doubts my ability to check these
things for myself.
“If it’s a trap it’s a pretty poor one.” The words are snapped, and I take a
deep breath. “Seriously, Edward. What are they going to do? Strap explosives
to a woman and two children and blow us, and them, up?”
“I wouldn’t put it past them.”
I shake my head. “The story checks out. Ellen and Matthew are the
children of the New Yorka City Lord, and they’ve started their own faction
against their father, though it’s still building numbers at the moment. I’ve
seen photos of Andrea—she’s definitely the one we slept with all those years
ago, and I’ve looked into her past. She vanished directly after our night
together. Her bank cards have not been used since she bought herself a drink
at the pub where we met, her flat was emptied within the week after that
night, she, or someone, resigned from her job. Her father spread rumours at
the time that she’d been raped by werewolves and had fallen pregnant. He
claimed she was having an abortion and needed time to rest and recover. No
one has seen her since.”
Tam shakes his head. “I still can’t believe I have a child.” There’s awe in
his voice, and I know he has wanted the role of fatherhood more than any of
us.
“Two,” I say. “Two werewolf children. After decades of none. It’s a good
sign.”
“They’re here.” James is watching through the window too, and there’s a
twinge of excitement to his voice.
Edward stiffens again as the human van pulls up. My guards open the
back and help three people emerge.
They just stand there, blinking, and then the woman begins to cry and the
children’s eyes widen in wonder. The girl spins around, slowly taking in
every sight, while the boy just stares at the mansion.
“They certainly look like people who’ve been locked up for the past
eleven years,” James says.
I recognise Andrea instantly. She’s older now, of course. Her face carries
lines it didn’t last time we met, and her brown hair is longer now, pulled back
in a pony tail. There are a few grey streaks, but it doesn’t take anything away
from her beauty, if anything it seems to enhance it. She’s strong, if not
physically then certainly mentally and emotionally, and I’ve always found
that attractive in a woman. The children look like their mother, and I feel a
hint of disappointment that there isn’t anything obviously werewolf about
their appearance.
I walk out the door, and the children look up at me. At first their eyes
seem too brown to be wolf, but then a glimmer of gold flashes across them
and I know without a doubt these children are mine.
I kneel down. “Jenna and Liam, am I right?”
They nod, and there’s a moments hesitation as they lean in towards their
mother.
“I’m Richard. I’m your father.”
They squeal and run to me, arms thrown around my shoulders and neck,
and I inhale that musky werewolf scent and my heart constricts.
I pull back so I can look at them again.
“I am so sorry for what you’ve been through. I had no idea I had children,
let alone that they were imprisoned. If I’d known, you never would’ve been
trapped there.”
Jenna nods. “We know, father. Mother always said you were a good
person. She always wanted to get word to you.”
I glance up at Andrea who’s wiping her face with the back of her hand.
“Andrea.” I stand and hold my arm out.
She walks towards me, a bit unsteady on her feet, it seems, and holds her
hand out. I take it and pull her into an embrace. “I wish I’d known. How
different things could’ve been.”
She nods. “And that’s the reason we’ve been locked away. My father—”
I shake my head. “Never mind that now. You’re free. Come inside, we’ve
prepared rooms for you. You’ll be safe here.”
Inside, the children are in awe at the size of the entrance hall.
“Can we race in here?” Jenna looks at me.
“You could, but you’d probably prefer to race outside, wouldn’t you?
Come and see your rooms first, and there are three other people I need you to
meet.”
The children glance at their rooms, and we head out into the yard at the
back. Jenna instantly drops to touch the grass, running her fingers through it.
Liam taps her shoulder and points to a tree in the distance.
“Race you!”
And they’re off. They move so fast. I’d forgotten how energetic children
are, how full of life, especially in those early years when they’re werewolf
traits are first kicking in.
Edward, James and Tam appear with food and games, and the children
gather round as I introduce them all. Then they’re off again, James and Tam
starting a game of soccer between the adults and the children. Edward offers
to be the umpire, but I can see it’s his way of holding back and watching,
before he commits himself too deeply.
“Edward, James and Tam.” Andrea says the names out loud, as she
watches these men and her children.
“Do you remember them?” I ask.
She glances at me. “They were there that night, weren’t they?”
I nod, a smile spread across my face. “It makes them all the fathers of
your children.”
Andrea frowns. “I beg your pardon?”
I smile. She’s not the first human to be shocked by our strange ways. “In
our culture, any man who has sex with a woman that results in a pregnancy,
or while she is pregnant, instantly becomes the father and care giver for the
child born, or in this case, children.” I look back at the group. “There are
fewer females being born to us, and even less who are fertile. Multiple
caregivers means the whole family has more support, the children have
numerous parents to rely on, and the parents themselves have more than one
other adult to receive support from.” I pause while she takes this information
in. “There have been no children born to my clan for over twenty years,
Andrea. Your children are so precious to us, you have no idea how important
they are. And how important you are, for raising them and teaching them
what you could about us, and not turning them against us.”
“I could never do that. It would be like turning them against themselves.”
I take her hand. “Some could. Your children are our hope for the future.
They’re proof that mixed human and werewolf children can exist, that they
are healthy and happy. They and you are proof that humans and werewolves
can coexist side-by-side. We don’t need to live in separate cities and fight
each other all the time. We’re the same, we can live happily, together.”
She rests her head on my shoulder, and I can’t help but feel a flush of
warmth at her touch.
“That’s exactly what I’ve hoped for, for so long.” I can hear the waver in
her voice, and I tilt her face up to look at me.
“I tried to get my father to see reason. It’s why I came here, that time. I
wanted to see for myself. I thought if I went back and told my father all the
good I had found, that he would see sense, that he would stop spreading all
those lies and fears.” She shakes her head, the ends of her mouth turned
down. “Instead, I’ve been locked away for almost a third of my life, and my
children have never known any of this amazing world we live in.”
We turn back to see the children, wrestling each other for the ball, rolling
over and over in the grass.
They are so full of life, are themselves a promise of life, the
personification of hope for the future. For so long I’ve doubted we
werewolves would ever make it. I’ve been convinced we are a dying breed.
And yet here, now, children of my very own.
And I’ve missed the biggest part of their childhood because their human
grandfather locked them away.
I take a deep breath, and push down the anger that’s boiling up at the
thought. It won’t help anyone right now.
I cannot fathom how a man could do that to his own grandchildren. To
lock them away, never to experience the sun on their face.
“We have a lot of years to catch up on,” I say, wrapping my arm around
her shoulders.
“We do. But I’m ever so thankful you were able to take us from there.”
7
ANDREA
T
he afternoon is a blur.
I’m officially introduced to Edward, Tam and James. Tam and
James are both clearly excited to see me and the children. They are
warm and welcoming, and I feel at ease, straight away.
Edward is different. He nods his hello, he says very little during the entire
afternoon, and I can’t help but feel that he is watching my every movement,
waiting for me to mess up.
Something about these men triggers some sort of recognition in my brain,
though if I had passed them in the street I probably wouldn’t have realised
they were the men I’d slept with. They all look fit, but James is clearly the
strongest. He’s taller than the others, the muscles in his arms and chest well
defined, even through his shirt. He’s the only one who hasn’t shaved in the
last few days, and I have to admit I like it, that short bristle covering his chin
and the sides of his face.
Richard, Tam and Edward are all clean-shaven. Richard and Edward are
fairly equal in physical build, not quite as tall as James but still strong. Tam is
shorter and quite slim. He’s the only one with blonde hair, though Richard’s
is so dark it’s almost black.
At dinner the children are informed about the werewolf culture of having
multiple male care-givers, or fathers. My heart is pounding as Richard is
explaining it to them. What if they don’t like the idea? If they can’t accept it,
will we have to leave here, too? All I want to do is close my eyes until it’s
over, and I have to force myself to watch them, to try to gauge their feelings
from their expressions.
Their eyes widen, and then their whole faces light up.
“We have four fathers?” Liam whispers the question, looking at each of
the men in turn.
“How do you feel about that?” James asks.
Liam is shaking his head.
“I can’t believe it. We’ve gone from having no father at all, to four!”
Jenna squeals her pleasure and runs around the table, hugging each of the
men in turn.
“It’s like a reward for all those years we were unjustly punished,” she
says, glancing at me. “Four fathers to make up for having none.”
I nod, relieved the children accepted it so easily. Then again, they didn’t
really have an upbringing in human society, where such a thing would’ve
been frowned upon.
Dinner is delicious. Fresh produce, cooked by someone who clearly
knows what they are doing. It’s so much better than the packet food we were
given in the bunker.
Conversation between the adults is a bit stilted, though the twins more
than make up for that, excitedly chatting away, their tendency to speak over
the top of each other showing up more than usual, which is the only
indication that they are nervous, or excited, or probably both, right now.
Otherwise they appear normal. There’s no other indication that today has
resulted in our entire lives being thrown upside down.
Finally we can go and attempt to settle in to our rooms. James proudly
leads the way, with Richard holding my arm, keeping me back.
“There is something you need to know.”
My heart sinks.
“In order for you and your children to be seen as legitimate members of
my family, we have to be married.”
“Married?”
My mind is a whirl of thoughts and emotions. On the one hand, I’ve
missed affection for so long that the thought of consummating the wedding
has me horny in a heartbeat. Richard was so good last time. Well, I assume
Richard was good. I guess those feel-good, happy vibes could’ve been one of
the other men. Richard might’ve been lousy. I blink, dismissing those
thoughts. But then fear sticks its nose in and gives me a rundown of all the
terrible possibilities, that once I’m married I’m a captive, again. I couldn’t
leave if I wanted to, not easily, and I’d have to share a bed with a man who,
let’s be real, I don’t even know.
“I know it’s a huge thing to have to think about right now, but with your
father’s actions, and the humans of New Yorka all worked up against the
werewolves here, your presence could be seen as a threat, as a trap, maybe.
But if we were married—”
I catch his eye. “Then I’d be seen as genuine.”
He nods.
“I know it’s a huge ask. You barely know us, after all. But it really is in
the best interests of yourself and the twins.”
“What if I didn’t want to?”
“I’d do my best to protect you, but…” Richard shrugs. “There are many
different clans and factions. As the largest, I have control over much of the
population, but not everyone, and there are many who are angry at the hatred
stirred up by your father.” He pauses for a moment, watching me. “They may
find you an easier target.”
I swallow the lump of fear in my throat and nod.
“But it’s not only that. When your father learns you are here, he will do
anything to turn your people against us. If there is no indication that you are
here of your own free will, then that could be enough to tilt the balance
against us.”
And that is exactly what my father would do. My heart sinks at the
thought of the danger I’ve brought to Richard by being here. “Okay. So if I
marry you, what then?”
Richard hesitates. “It wouldn’t just be me you’d be marrying. It would be
all four of us.”
My eyes widen. “All four of you?”
He nods. “As for what happens after. Well, nothing has to happen. We
can continue to learn more about each other and let the relationship develop
as it will.”
I nod again. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Great.” He offers me a relieved smile. “I’ll send someone up to you in
the morning to help with preparations.”
“In the morning?”
“We’ll have to have the ceremony tomorrow afternoon. The sooner the
better, really. Oh, and one other thing. It will be filmed. So that everyone can
see you are here by your own choice.”
I feel numb as Richard leads me to my room, and then even more so
when I see the size of it.
It’s bigger than the entire bunker.
In the bunker I had a single bed. Here it is king-sized. The children’s
rooms are next to mine, and they also have a door between their rooms, so
they can visit each other without disturbing me.
But I can’t bring myself to close the door between us. I’m so afraid this
will all turn into some terrible nightmare where they are taken away and I
never see them again.
On that first night, they sleep with me in my bed. We snuggle up together,
arms wrapped around each other, everything else too strange to be
comforting.
I can’t sleep. The shock that my children have four fathers has now been
outstripped by the fact that I now have to marry them, and tomorrow! I know
I should sleep, that turning up looking exhausted is not going to help matters,
but I can’t stop thinking about the fact that until everything is made legal
there could still be some backlash from the human community.
I don’t know if I can look excited about marrying four men who I barely
know, but I can understand the reasons behind it. I’ll have to do my best.
There can’t be any doubt that I want to do this, or else father will have more
ammunition to use against the werewolf community, more reasons to go to
war.
Richard also wants me to go public with what my father put me and my
children through, but I’m just not sure I’m ready for that right now.
8
RICHARD
A
ndrea is beautiful.
There is no denying that. But it is also plain to see that she is no
longer the carefree wild spirit she was, all those years ago. She’s
quiet and drawn, very watchful and nervous, her eyes darting around the
landscape, as though she’s afraid.
She’s quiet through dinner, struggling to take in the fact her children have
four fathers, I assume. Her heart races when I bring it up, and she is staring at
them so intently I’m not entirely sure she is happy with the idea. I briefly
wonder if she wants the children to object to the whole situation, not that it
would do her any good. This is the way things are here, and if she wants
amnesty here, from her father, then she has to accept our ways.
But then when the children show such pleasure in the fact, pure joy, I’d
go so far as to say, she relaxed, the furrows in her brow smoothing away, and
her shoulders dropping.
It wasn’t a dislike of our ways, then. Just a fear of how her children
would react.
Of how our children would react.
I’m still not sure it has sunk in yet, that I am actually a father, of two
children. It doesn’t matter how often I say it, either to myself, or the others,
it’s still taking me a while to believe it.
Though hearing the children call me father certainly warms my heart.
Andrea is clearly tired, but I have to tell her about the wedding before she
goes to bed. I can’t spring it on her in the morning, and I want to present it to
her as though she has a choice, though really she doesn’t. A human, living
with the Prince of the Crescent Mountains! There are many amongst the other
clans who will be horrified that I’ve married a human, to allow one to live
freely in my house without marrying her would be worse.
Luckily when I explain my reasons, she understands and accepts.
I leave her and go to speak to my head housekeeper. I’ll have to hire more
staff, I think, someone to help Andrea when she needs it.
The housekeeper assures me that we already have a selection of suitable
clothing attire. I had warned her what was happening, and as usual she is
prepared, with a selection of sizes for the children and for Andrea.
I just hope that the wedding goes off without a hitch, and that, above all,
I’m doing the right thing, by her, and the children, and us.
The next morning is a rush of activity, and in keeping with tradition, I
don’t see Andrea until the wedding itself, early in the afternoon.
The children appear first, a bundle of nerves as they walk down the aisle
towards myself and the three other men who I’m about to become Andrea’s
husband with. Then Andrea appears, and my breath catches, and for the first
time in many years I find myself speechless. She’s in a simple red dress that
hugs her breasts and waist and then cascades out to whirl around her ankles
as she walks.
James lets out a soft ‘Woah!’ beside me, and I know I’m not the only one
to feel this way.
This woman is beautiful.
Her heart is racing. I can hear it from a mile away, and there’s a faint
scent of fear in the air, but none of that is visible to the naked eye as she
floats down the aisle and reaches out to take my hand. Up close I see her eyes
are wide, and I give her hand a squeeze and smile, in what I hope is a
reassuring manner.
The Celebrant drones on a little –despite how rushed this is, it still needs
to look good for the audience, and it wouldn’t if we skipped all the boring
bits –and I’m fairly certain Andrea’s attention fades in and out as he speaks.
Not that it matters. The Celebrant met with her this morning to brief her on
the words and vows and agreements. She knows all the important bits.
When the time comes she takes each of our hands, two at a time, and
repeats her vows to us, as we in turn speak our vows to her. The children
watch solemnly the whole time, seeming far more mature than their years.
9
ANDREA
T
he next morning comes far too soon. The children and I are given
beautiful clothes, and the purpose of the ceremony is explained to
the twins, and then I am led through the vows and phrasings of the
ceremony, so I know what it is I am agreeing to. The twins aren’t the slightest
bit put out that I am going to have to marry all four of their fathers today,
men I knew for less than twelve hours, over eleven years ago.
But what other option do I have? Return to my father and the bunker he
had us in? Never. Never, ever, again.
Richard has assured me I will be free. That the marriage is for the public
only, and I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do.
The ceremony is brief, and I’m so nervous I’m barely aware of any of it.
It’s held in Richard’s extensive gardens, with a single film camera, and a
dozen or so witnesses. They are well dressed, but I assume they are mostly
Richard’s staff.
The men are all dressed up in suits and ties, and they each wear a red rose
that perfectly matches the red of my own dress. Liam also has a suit and tie,
and Jenna has relented to wearing a maroon knee-length dress. I tune in and
out to hear the Celebrant speak about commitment, and the joys of
parenthood, and how exciting it is that my children have brought us together,
so many years later. Then Richard, James, Tam and Edward take turns
promising to care for me and our children, and I promise to be loyal to the
clan, and to each of my husbands.
The family has a dinner afterwards, which is where I learn that most of
the witnesses were the families of my husbands. It makes sense, really, as if
they would be without family, like me. There is Edward’s father and sister,
James’ parents, Tam’s mother. Richard’s parents and siblings are also
present, including his two sisters who I learn cannot have children of their
own. It takes them no time to bond with mine, who are taking their newfound
extended family in their stride, as though they always knew they had a big
family. Maybe they did. Maybe there is something in their genes that made
them aware of it.
At every turn I want to cry, mostly out of sheer relief and joy. Everyone
welcomes me, everyone loves my children. It’s all I can do to hold it in and
not spend the afternoon and evening sobbing like some sort of deranged
person.
But I’m also feeling so overwhelmed. There are so many new faces. New
names to remember, connections to understand. After years of only seeing
two other people, I’d be lying if I said the experience wasn’t exhausting.
As the days turn into weeks, Jenna and Liam thrive. They meet other
children from other clans and form friendships. They bond with their new
fathers so quickly. They have no trouble accepting the news that they
technically have four fathers and seem to take a shine to each of them.
It’s as though they’ve never been locked away at all.
But it’s not so easy for me.
Richard catches me lurking on the veranda one day, watching Jenna and
Liam play.
“This is hard for you, isn’t it?”
I shake my head. “It’s wonderful. It really is. I’ve dreamt of this for
eleven years. I hoped every day it would be as easy as it has been.”
“But?”
I turn to look at him, his golden eyes shimmering with concern.
“I can’t shake the feeling that something is going to go wrong. That the
children are going to be taken from me.” I hesitate. “I know it’s foolish. I do.
I used to love being outdoors. But now I just can’t get used to all that space.
I’m scared of what could be out there, of them getting lost, of me getting
lost.”
Richard puts his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head,
and I’m so grateful for being touched that I nearly burst into tears.
“There is nothing foolish about that, Andrea. You’ve been imprisoned for
over a decade. That can’t have been good for your mental health. It’s going to
take time, and we can work with that. We have time now.”
I feel such a weight lifted from my shoulders that tears threaten again and
I have to blink them away.
“James would like to take you for a drive around the city. You can stay in
the car for the whole trip, if you feel safer, or you could take some of the
short walks. It’s completely up to you.”
“What about the twins?”
“I’m going to spend some time with them now, and Tam is coming up
this afternoon.”
“But—"
Richard put a finger to my lips.
“I am told that a mother’s sanity depends on the time she gets to spoil
herself, to not be on alert every minute of every day, to have some time with
adults, and no children. They will be safe.”
I glance at the guards stationed around the perimeter of the yard and take
a slow deep breath.
“Just for an hour or two.”
Richard grins. “Perfect.”
10
ANDREA
J
ames is a perfect gentleman. He drives me around the city, showing me
the major landmarks and giving me a rundown on the history and
anything else that may be of interest. Afterwards, we head just out of
the main city centre, where we stop at an enormous park, and he
convinces me to come out for a walk.
I feel so exposed.
With the wedding televised everyone seems to recognise me, and while
some are friendly and offer a smile and a wave, others seem far less happy
about my presence.
One man shouts something. His words are so slurred I cannot understand
what it is he’s trying to say, but I can tell from the tone of voice it’s not nice.
“Never mind him,” James says, putting an arm around me and leading me
away. “He’s from the Blood River Clan. They’re also having trouble
conceiving. I guess they’re just jealous we’ve found children of our own.”
We take the path up and around a small lake, stopping to buy ice cream,
then sit on a bench overlooking the lake to eat it.
I take a bite, cringing against the icy cold on my teeth.
“I forgot about that bit,” I say, through laughter.
“It’s been a while since you’ve had ice cream?”
“Almost twelve years.”
I close my eyes, licking it this time, savouring the fruity sweet flavour.
“I’m going to cry again.” I look at James, wishing I could hide from the
world and cry all my tears out at once.
“There’s nothing wrong with crying,” James says, his eyes crinkled in
concern. “You’ve got a lot of years of bottled emotions. They need to come
out somehow.”
“Don’t say that!” I give him a gentle punch as the tears flow. “Now look
what you’ve done!”
But I’m laughing through my tears, and he wraps an arm around me.
“I knew you were special from the moment we laid eyes on you in the
pub.” He grins at me. “A human, dancing freely in a werewolf village, not a
care in the world.”
“I was a bit naïve, wasn’t I?” I cringe at the memory. I’d sauntered into
the werewolf city, confident that the werewolves were just like humans, and
I’d come to no harm. And I hadn’t. I still don’t know if that is because I was
right about the werewolves or if I’d just been lucky.
“Not at all. You were trusting. You were accepting. You knew that all
those lies spread about us were exactly that, and you didn’t let false fear get
in the way of having a good time.”
I blush. “I didn’t let much stop me from having a good time, back then.”
He laughs. I like it, so deep and throaty. “I think that’s pretty normal.
Most people are like that in their younger years. It’s only when we get older
and start to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, that we start
worrying too much about everything else to really have a good time.”
“Oh, that sounds depressing.” I laugh. “But so true.”
We sit in silence for a moment, watching as a family of ducks swims up
to the shore and begin waddling up the grassy hill.
“Do you remember much of that night?” I haven’t been game to ask
anyone this question, in case I was the only one who was so drunk I can’t
remember anything. I’m so scared I’ll learn that I made a complete fool of
myself on that night.
James tilts his head to one side. “I remember a few things,” he says,
smiling at me. “I know we all had a lot to drink. I remember it was Richard’s
idea that we have a gang bang.”
“Was it?”
He nods. “You were flirting with everyone, though some men were a bit
suspicious about your motives. You did mention at least once who your
father was, and there were some who thought you were either lying, or you
were there to cause some sort of trouble. But I could see you were honest,
and I took a liking to you.”
I put my head in my hands. “I can’t believe I mentioned my father! What
an idiot!”
He grins. “You were very insistent that you were not like him and that
you were here to prove to him how wrong he was.” He shrugs. “That piqued
my curiosity, and if I’m honest, I did consider how we could help you prove
him wrong, but then when we got to talking, I realised how intelligent and
beautiful you were—” He stops and catches my gaze. “Are.” He corrects
himself. “And so that sparked my attraction.”
He pauses to lick his ice cream before continuing. “You and I were
getting rather cosy, and Richard, who, I should add, trusts my instincts even
above his own, well, he saw that I was keen, so he wanted in on the action,
too. Edward and Tam were also hanging about. You went quiet when he
suggested it, and I thought he might’ve scared you away all together, but then
you agreed.”
Pieces slip back into my memory, me dancing close with James, picturing
a future with him, wondering how my father would feel if I introduced him as
my new boyfriend, who also happens to be a werewolf, when Richard asked
if they could all join in.
“Lucky you were all hot,” I tease. “I don’t know I would’ve ever
considered that otherwise.”
James laughs, and I sense he wants to lean in for a kiss, but something is
holding him back.
Suddenly that’s all I want to do too, but we’re out in public, and I’m
living in Richard’s house. Is that even allowed? I mean, I know James is my
husband, but wasn’t his main commitment as care-giver to my children?
Nothing about fulfilling any of my needs, or being loyal to me. Maybe that’s
not how this works. I want to ask, but I’m too scared the answer will be that
they’ve only married me because of the children, and that answer will break
my heart.
Still, I remember that fearless girl I used to be, and I know she managed
to attract James, once upon a time, so I’ve got to try.
I lean in, but James clears his throat and looks away.
“We should probably keep going,” he says, standing up, and holding out
his hand so I can stand too.
I feel my face flush.
“Some things shouldn’t be rushed,” he says, smiling at me.
Nice for him to say, but after close to twelve years without any sort of
intimate contact, that one conversation has me hot, and horny, and desperate
for anything.
James drops me off at home. He lives elsewhere, and though I long to
suggest he take me there instead, I nod and give him a peck on the cheek.
“Thank you for today,” I say. “It really helped.”
His grin widens, but there’s something in his eyes I can’t read. “Anytime,
Andrea. Anytime at all.”
11
RICHARD
T
he last time anyone in my clan had children was when I was in my
twenties myself. I spent my fair share of time looking after
younger siblings and nieces and nephews. But time tends to bring a
forgetfulness about things, and when it comes to children, that forgetfulness
tends to cover things like how much work it really does take to look after two
kids, being constantly aware of where they are and what they’re doing and
keeping things at their level so it’s fun for them. By the time Andrea gets
back from her trip with James, I am exhausted.
“They’re so active.” I’ve set them racing each other, and they’re happily
doing laps around the yard, trying to better not only each other, but their own
personal best.
Andrea laughs. It’s such a joyful sound, one I can’t imagine she’s made
much over the past years. “They’ve been trapped in a tiny tiny bunker for
their whole lives, they’re making up for it now!”
“They certainly are.”
James hovers in the doorway. When I return his gaze he jerks his head
towards my office.
“I need a toilet break,” I say to Andrea. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” She laughs again, and I realise how much I like it, as she
turns back to watch the twins.
In my office James gets straight to the point.
“There was a man from Blood River clan,” he begins. “He shouted at us.
Claimed the twins aren’t true werewolves, just humans we’ve dressed up.
Said he’d kill them if he got half a chance.”
My heart is in my chest. “Did Andrea hear?”
James shakes his head. “I don’t think so. She was unsettled, but not
upset.”
“Thank goodness. She’s had a hard enough time as it is.” I start to pace
back and forth across the office. “I’ve heard a few reports now that there are
doubts about the twins. We’ve got to try and protect her from the worst of it,
but if she doesn’t allow them to be seen then it’s only going to get worse.” I
stop, my decision made. “I’ll talk to Andrea about it.” I clap James on the
shoulder. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Back outside I touch Andrea’s shoulder, and then reach out to take her
hand. “I wanted to run a couple of things by you.” There’s a hesitation in
Andrea’s eyes, and the smile drops from her lips. I feel a pang in my chest.
She’s so vulnerable, really, despite how strong she seems. I squeeze her hand.
She’s been the sole carer for these children for such a long time, and I don’t
want to take that away from her, but as one of their father’s, and prince of
this clan, I want to step up and take some responsibility for them. I just fear
she won’t like my suggestions.
“I was thinking about their education—”
“I don’t want to send them away—” She’s quick to interject.
“No, no. Nothing like that. I thought we could hire a tutor. Someone who
could come here. They can clearly read and write well, but I thought we
could work on other things too, history, geography, culture, that sort of
thing.”
She visibly relaxes.
“That would be great. I taught them what I could, with whatever Ellen
and Matthew could bring, but we didn’t have a great deal of resources.”
I squeeze her hand again. “Considering your life up to this point, you’ve
done a marvellous job.”
She smiles.
“The other thing—” I pause when her smile drops and fear shifts in her
eyes again. “The public would like to see more of the twins.” She opens her
mouth, and I know she’s going to say no, so I hold up my hand and hurry on.
“Just on television, not necessarily out and about, not in person, though that
will help too, but if we could have some footage of them, especially showing
off their werewolf traits, I think that would do a lot to help our cause.”
I can see Andrea is warring within herself – she wants to keep them safe
and hidden, as they have been all their life, but she can see the sense in what
I’m saying.
“Some people doubt they are actually werewolves. It’s not obvious from
their appearance – they look so much like you, and you need to be up close to
see that golden luminescence in their eyes. If we could catch that on
camera…” I shrug, hoping she can understand my reasoning.
Finally she relents.
“All right.”
I stand and give her a hug. “Thank you. I know this must be so hard for
you, but I want to help. We all want to help. We want to be there for the
children, and for you.”
She smiles up at me, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“I know,” she says. “I do. And I’m trying to let go. It’s just going to take
some time.”
I smile back at her. “Like I said the other day, time is something we have
plenty of.”
12
ANDREA
R
ichard, James, Tam, Edward and I are all present at the children’s
first lesson.
The tutor is someone Richard has picked, and he certainly looks
the part; his plaid shirt is tucked neatly into his trousers, shoes shined to
perfection.
I’ve never tested the twins on all the things we’ve studied. They always
seemed to pick everything up so easily, so I really have no idea what they’ve
retained, and I’m curious to see exactly how much they have learnt. I assume
the men are present to see for themselves what Jenna and Liam know.
“I always like to start at the beginning.” The tutor takes out a history book
and taps the cover. “What do you know about our shared history?”
“Where do you want us to start?” Jenna jumps in first.
“Start with the earliest that you are aware of.”
“A couple of hundred years ago the world was very different to how it is
now. The forests had been cut down to make way for crops, and the grassy
plains were over eaten by the herd animals people kept for food. Cities and
urban landscapes were scattered all across the land, though they were
probably much the same as ours. A human leader got cranky with another
human leader, and he thought he could solve all the world’s problems by
setting off a giant bomb.” Jenna paused to take a breath, and Liam jumped in.
“But the bomb didn’t just destroy his opposition’s land. The bomb caused
all sorts of damage across the whole planet. People who were rich had
bunkers to shelter in, and some people who were poor had known that this
sort of event was coming, and they’d prepared for it, building bunkers, like
the one we lived in, and stocking up on food and supplies and learning how
to survive without supermarkets and shops and things.” Liam’s eyes were
wide, and I could see he was as shocked today as he had been the first time I
taught him this history. “But most people didn’t believe something like this
could ever happen. They were caught, out in the open, with nowhere safe to
go, as a dark cloud spread over the earth and blocked out the sun, and all the
living things began to fall ill and die.”
“Some areas survived better than others.” Jenna continued. “Here, in
America, it was mostly the lands belonging to the werewolf communities that
was least affected, and so that caused terrible wars, which the werewolves
won.”
“Yes. Because werewolves are stronger, and better, than humans,” Liam
said matter-of-factly.
“Woah, there.” Richard put up his hand. “I am so impressed with what
you kids know, but there’s one fact you’ve got very, very wrong.”
Liam’s eyes are wide as he asks what it was they got wrong.
“Werewolves are not better than humans, and humans are not better than
werewolves. We’re all different, and we all have our own strengths and
weaknesses. Look at yourselves –you’re part human. And what about your
mother – she’s completely human, and look at how well she survived living
in a tiny bunker, with two growing werewolf children. That’s some pretty
impressive strength right there! I know some werewolves that wouldn’t be
able to cope with that.”
I feel a flush of something, pride, embarrassment, pleasure, at Richard’s
words, and when the twins both get up to hug me I think I love him, just that
little bit.
“Sorry, mom,” Jenna says. “We didn’t mean to say our dads are better
than you.”
“Yeah.” Liam wraps his arms around my waist. “You’re the best.”
I find myself tearing up again as I kiss them both on the tops of their
heads. “Back to your seats, now. You haven’t finished telling your tutor
everything you know.”
They sat back down and continued with their recital, talking about how
the poisons from the bomb affected both human and werewolf fertility rates,
and how rare it is for human and werewolf DNA to mix. They’re quite proud
of that, as though their existence is proof of some strength only they have,
and Richard reminds them, again, that no one person is better than any other,
for any reason.
They talk about how many children who did come of mixed parents were
killed, because many people liked to keep things pure, and I’m reminded of
how hard it was to teach them that particular lesson.
“You mean people want to kill us?” Jenna had asked me. “Is that why we
live here, so we can be safe?”
I had hugged them both, and shook my head, and told them no one
wanted to kill them, but their grandfather had old fashioned notions about the
world and he didn’t want people to know that his grandchildren were mixed.
I’d assured them on that day that if their grandfather ever met them, he
would love them as much as I do. I still cling to the hope that it’s true.
“Wow.” The tutor has been listening intently, and now he’s shaking his
head. “I’m not sure I’ll actually have anything left to teach you! How did you
learn all this stuff?”
Jenna shrugs. “There wasn’t a lot of ways to fill the time in the bunker, so
we read, a lot.”
Liam looks at me. “There was plenty of time for talking, too. Mum told
us everything she knew about the world.”
The tutor looks at me. “Your children are amazing. You’ve done a
wonderful job.”
“Thank you.” My cheeks burn. It’s ridiculous, but I’m embarrassed at the
attention. But I can’t hide the smile on my face, either. So often I wondered
how I could possibly do the best for my children, locked away as we were,
that to have validation that I succeeded is a wonderful thing. “I should say
though, that none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for my
siblings, Ellen and Matthew, who came to find Richard for me. They brought
books and toys and posters, anything and everything I asked for. If they
hadn’t done that, well, who knows what state we’d be in now.”
Richard smiles. “I hope I have the opportunity to thank them, one day.”
“So,” the tutor continues, looking back at the twins. “You know that
while some communities had policies on destroying mixed blood children,
many of those have relaxed those policies over the years?”
Jenna nodded. “Like our dads’ clan.” She beamed at Richard. “That’s
why we’re here.”
“Exactly.” The tutor smiled at Jenna. “And up until the last twenty years
or so, werewolf and human relations have been okay, not perfect, by a long
shot, but at least tolerant of each other and our differences.”
“Until our mother’s father started to declare war on the werewolves.”
“Well, he’s never directly declared war.” The tutor raises an eyebrow.
“Not yet.” Jenna held the tutor’s eye. “But that’s what he’s working
towards. He’s banished werewolves from his city and caused the cessation in
trade. There is no fresh water in New Yorka, it’s all brought in in huge
tankers, from various werewolf territories. Humans have to drink desalinated
water, which tastes disgusting, and is only limited, so there is water rationing
throughout the city, too. People are already calling for blood. He’s hoping it
will lead to war without his actual direct involvement, but every single thing
he’s been doing has been directed at this one aim.”
“Woah!” Now it’s my turn to speak up. “I never taught you any of that!
Where did you pick up on that?”
Jenna tapped one of her ears. “Super-werewolf hearing, Mom. Uncle
Matthew and Aunt Ellen were always talking about that stuff when they came
to see us. We could hear them halfway down the hall. And you talked about
some of that with them too, when we were only in the next room. You knew
about our hearing.”
I feel my face flush. “I did,” I say. “But sometimes when you’re tired and
angry, you forget those things, and let vent to whoever will listen.” I glance
up at the men, watching our interaction. “I’ve learnt first hand the truth of
that saying, ‘little wolves have big ears’.”
Everyone laughs, and the tutor is still impressed, though I wonder how
different his reaction would have been had we all been humans, living in a
human city.
13
RICHARD
M
y children are geniuses. It’s all due to their mother, of course,
and I guess if I’m honest, I should give some credit to their
grandfather. After all, if they hadn’t been locked in a dungeon
their entire lives, they would’ve spent much more time outside, climbing
trees, and playing sport and racing, and a whole lot less time inside, reading
and discussing history and philosophy, and learning about, well, let’s face it,
about everything.
There seems to be no stone left unturned. They know their geography,
and geology, they know their mother’s family history, they know as much as
any human could know about werewolf history in general. Everything is well
above standard when it comes to the education they’ve had. It’s just up to me
now, with Edward, and James and Tam, to teach them about the one thing
their mother never could, all the ins and outs about being a werewolf.
We combine our first training day with the day the cameras are allowed
on the palace grounds. We test their speed, their hearing, their sight. Their
traits are way more pronounced than in pure werewolf children, which is
something I’d heard from someone else, that mixed children are somehow
stronger werewolves.
Perhaps it’s a combination of the best of both races.
The footage is shown on the nightly news, and the feedback I get is
amazing. Everyone is so buoyed to see healthy, happy werewolf children.
Edward says he watched it with his family, and there was a collective sigh of
relief when the camera zoomed right in to their faces and their eyes gave a
golden flash. Their very existence gives us all hope, that we have a future
worth fighting for, and we shouldn’t just give up. No matter how few
children we have, we have to make sure the future is brighter for them.
Everyone is so happy with the outcome, and for a day or two we’re all on
cloud nine, even Andrea, who has ventured into town again, and been openly
welcomed by more people than ever, praising her on her beautiful children.
It feels like we’ve won a battle.
But as with all battles, there are wins, and then there are losses.
Andrea receives a letter from her siblings.
She’s so happy to have news from them, and I leave her in peace to read,
but moments later she bursts into my office, fuming.
“Father has put out a news report that I was kidnapped. He says I have
been suffering from some strange illness ever since my abortion, which,” she
lifts the page to read directly from it. “’Doctors fear is some sort of werewolf
disease, dangerous to humans.’ He says he’s been keeping me in a private
hospital all this time, under his close care, and now I’ve been kidnapped. He
put one of his doctors on tv, with footage from our wedding, pointing out
how pale and tired I looked. He said it was proof of my ‘illness’.” She begins
to pace back and forth. “Of course I’m pale! I haven’t seen the sun properly
in over a decade! How else should I look? How does anyone look after being
imprisoned for twelve years?”
I walk around my desk to wrap my arms around her and smooth her hair
with my hand.
“Why does he do this?” She’s crying into my shirt, again. “How does he
manage to ruin everything?”
I pull away and wipe at her tears with my thumb.
“He can only ruin everything if you let him.”
She looks at me and frowns.
“You’ll just need to go public. Tell the world the truth, that you never had
an abortion, that you have never been sick, that you escaped because your
father kept you locked up – that he kidnapped you from the men who love
you, that he stole not only your life, but the young lives of his grandchildren.”
“It was one night. How can you say you loved me?”
I shrug. “I was attracted to you. I was fairly confident you were attracted
to me. That’s why I gave you the bracelet.” I lift her wrist, where she still
wears that very same bracelet. “I told you to come and find me. I knew you’d
had a lot to drink, but I thought you would remember that. I should have kept
you here for the night, waited until you sobered up. I regret that now.” He
shakes his head. “Anyway, my point is that if our relationship had been given
the time and space to grow, maybe it would have become love. And that is
the point we are making to the media. Whether or not we had all fallen head
over heels in love with you in that one night is not the point. The point is
what could have been. And with you falling pregnant so easily, there would
have been a lot more effort put into building this relationship and making
sure it worked best for everyone.”
She hesitates, and the fear that is ever present is there again. I shake my
head.
“You don’t need to be afraid of him, Andrea. You are safe here. There’s
no way he can get through to you, or the twins.”
She bites her lip, her eyes meeting mine.
“I know this is ridiculous,” she begins, shaking her head. “But I’m not
scared of him, not in that sense.” She closes her eyes and tears trickle down
her cheeks.
“I’m scared that if I do this, he will never forgive me.”
My blood is pounding in my ears. “Forgive you for what?”
“For ruining him. For destroying everything he’s worked so hard for. I
just want him to meet his grandchildren and see how wonderful they are. I’m
certain if he met them, he’d love them just as much as we do, and he’d stop
all this foolish posturing.”
It’s all I can do not to clench my fists. “This man locked you up, and you
want him to meet our children?”
“When I was a child, he was a wonderful father. He was always there for
me, always! But then he ran for office, and he got more and more powerful,
and the power went to his head. I just want to save him from himself. I want
to find my father again.” She bites her lip again, and I pull her close to me.
The man is a maniac, and any heart he once had must’ve died years ago,
but how on earth can I tell Andrea that?
“Sometimes,” I say, fighting to keep my voice level. “Sometimes, power
corrupts. And often, when that happens, there’s no coming back.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t believe that, Richard. I can’t. I can’t give up
on him.”
14
ANDREA
I
t’s Tam who takes me out next, sweet Tam, who the children love so
much. I don’t need to be alone with him to see why. He’s patient and
gentle, listening to their concerns and joys, giving his full attention to
all the things that seem so little to adults, but are actually quite big and
important to children.
He takes me to a reserve where we follow a path along the river until we
reach a narrow waterfall cascading over a tall cliff side.
At the base, away from the spray, is a small clearing, and Tam spreads
out a picnic blanket and sets out salad sandwiches and fizzy drink. I almost
feel like I’m back in high school, but it’s a feeling that gives me the warm
and fuzzies inside. When he pats the empty space on the blanket beside him,
I’m quick to sit down.
“Richard said you need some time out and about with people,” he says.
“But I’m not much of a people person, so I hope this is alright.”
I smile. “This is perfect. I never knew such a place existed, except in
pictures. I’ve never been to a waterfall myself.”
“Really? I thought you were the wild and adventurous type, once.”
I grin. “Yes. But my wild and adventurous was more going out and
partying in strange werewolf cities, rather than heading out into the actual
wild.”
Tam grins back. “I don’t know, I’d say werewolf cities are probably
scarier than the actual wild. Not much out here that can hurt you, anymore.”
He’s referring to the fact that when the humans stuffed up, all attempts at
saving animals focused on the ones useful to humans; food animals, working
animals, pets. Creatures like bears and wolves were wiped out, never to be
seen again. Werewolves, of course, don’t count.
“Richard said you’re hesitant to speak up against your father. To tell the
humans what he did to you.” His eyes catch mine and I realise just how close
all these men are. There are no secrets between them, none at all. It should
make me feel uncomfortable, that no matter what I say it will be shared
amongst them, but for some reason it doesn’t. It makes me feel safer. If these
men can work together in this strange relationship we have, then anything is
possible.
My face burns and I shrug, looking down at my food. “I know how daft it
sounds. He imprisoned us for eleven years! I just find it so hard to forget the
man who brought me up. After my mother died he was wonderful, and even
when he remarried he still found time for us. In fact I’d say he neglected his
second wife just so we would know he still loved us, that her presence didn’t
change anything about our relationship. It’s probably why she hates me so
much.” I force a laugh. Then shake my head, reverting back to my original
thought. “It’s so hard to know what to do.”
“My father was quite a brutal man,” Tam says, pausing to take a sip of his
drink. “Unlike you, I don’t remember a good side to him, though my mother
did. She was convinced that if she was there for him, through good times and
bad, he’d come to see how much she really did love him.”
He glances up at me.
“My older brother challenged him to a duel one day. He was so sick of
him beating my mother. They both died. My brother got in the killing blow,
in the end, but he had so many injuries he died of blood loss soon after.”
“I’m so sorry.” I reach out and put my hand over his.
“What I’m trying to say, and I admit I don’t know all the answers, but I
think that sometimes that good person gets so lost, that they can’t find their
way back. But if you don’t stand up to them, and show them the terrible
things they’ve done, they’ll never ever see it for themselves. They’re so
convinced that their actions are right, and everyone around them is just
reaffirming that, because they’re so scared to do otherwise, that they never
ever see where they’re going wrong.”
I swallow back the lump in my throat, as I realise what he’s getting at.
“You think if I tell the world what my father did wrong, he’ll change his
ways?”
Tam shakes his head. “It is so painful to say this, Andrea, because I really
don’t want to hurt you, but from what I’ve seen and heard of your father, I
think it’s too late for that. But I’m certain that if you just go along, and don’t
counter what he is saying, that nothing will ever change, and too many other
people will get hurt in the process.”
I nod. Tam’s right, and I know it, I’ve known it all along. I just hoped we
could find a less conflicting way to deal with it. I’ve always just hoped that
my father would meet my children, his grandchildren, and see how
wonderful they are. But he’s not interested in that.
Now I just have to find the courage to follow through.
15
RICHARD
I
don’t know what Tam said to Andrea during their date, but whatever it
was, it’s worked.
She came home with a determined clench to her jaw and told me
she would agree to go public with what had happened to her.
It’s a relief to me, because I had already planned press releases with the
information, whether she was going to stand by them or not. I wasn’t going to
let this man get away with imprisoning my children for the bulk of their
childhood and then accusing me of doing the very same thing to his daughter.
I organise a camera crew to come to the house. They take more footage of
the kids, and with Andrea’s permission, we ask them about their life before
they came to live with me. They are very blunt and to the point about their
experiences, and I can’t help but cringe as I hear them speak.
Then it’s Andrea’s turn.
She’s calm throughout the entire process. It’s like something has clicked
in her, like she’s taken all that sorrow, and all those tears, and channelled it
into something else, something that is not quite anger, but a strength of sorts.
She looks directly down the barrel of the camera, and she describes, in
minute detail, exactly how her life has been. She talks about enduring a
pregnancy trapped in the bunker, with no mother to guide her through the
process, only a sister who’d never been pregnant herself, but who brought
every book and supplement she could to make the experience as comfortable
as possible.
She spoke of going into labour, and not being allowed to call for that
same sister, of spending hours pacing the bunker, back and forth, and her
sister finally arriving for her visit as Andrea was bearing down, as the
children were making their way out into the world.
“If she had not arrived then, I think I would have died,” Andrea says. It’s
the only time I catch a hint of a tear in the corner of her eye. “Liam was
breech, and Ellen helped him out, based on advice she’d received from a
midwife.” She pauses for a moment. “I was not allowed to have a midwife
attend me or a doctor. I was not allowed any tests, or anything to confirm my
babies were healthy. I had no idea I was having twins until Jenna was born
and the contractions didn’t stop.”
It’s all I can do not to drive to the human city and rip this man’s heart out
with my bare claws.
How could anyone do this to their child, their grandchildren? What sort of
monster has no heart for family?
Andrea continues, but I can’t stay and watch. I disappear from behind the
scenes, giving Tam’s shoulder a squeeze as I pass by.
“I’ll stay,” he says, and I nod my thanks.
Outside, I pace. I feel like fathers must when they’re waiting for the
children to be born, utterly helpless against what is going on. But I’m also
proud of Andrea and the strength she’s shown.
I never expected her to go this far. To delve so deep in the horrors of her
past, and lay them out like this, for all the world to see. I thought she would
just confirm that her father had imprisoned her, that that would be the end of
that. I see now why she feared this so much, if this is what she had expected
she had to do, and I see too, the strength she has, to have survived so much
and to have raised such healthy children in the progress.
It really is a miracle.
Edward arrives, late, but here, and I fill him in on the progress so far.
He nods. “I’ve seen it.”
“You’ve seen it?”
“It’s being aired live, all across the city. It’s on every screen, every wolf
and whatever humans still live here are completely entranced. Though I have
to say, I don’t know if it’s helping your cause.”
I frown. “Why not?”
Edward tilts his head back towards the city. “They want blood. They’re
angry that her father locked her up purely because she wanted peace with us,
and they’re even more angry that he locked up werewolf children when he
knows how much our fertility rates have dropped in recent years. They want
justice for what happened to Andrea and the twins. They’re more willing to
go to war than ever before.”
I close my eyes, and rub my temples. That was not what I wanted. I only
wanted the humans of New Yorka to see there is another side to the story
their City Lord is spreading. I can only hope I can calm everyone down,
before it’s too late.
16
ANDREA
“T
his is what hatred does.” I stare into the camera, and yet I’m
not seeing the camera.
I’m seeing my father. I’m seeing all the people that work
for my father, I’m seeing my siblings, my friends, old acquaintances, and
random people in the street. “It makes us hurt the people we love the most.
We lose sight over what it is that is truly important, our family, our children,
our grandchildren. Not these petty fears. Werewolves are just the same as
humans. They have their good days and their bad days, just like we do. Some
of them are violent, just as some humans are. Some have anger they can’t
contain, some struggle with unseen problems. But most of them, are like most
humans. They love their family and friends, they laugh and cry. Some like to
party, some prefer a quiet night at home. If we go to war, over lies, we do
ourselves and everyone else a great injustice. Because if we take a moment to
reject our fears, and actually make an effort to meet those who are different to
us, we find we’re not so different, after all.
“So please, I beg you, wherever you are, and whatever you believe, take a
moment, look within yourself, and tell me if you truly think it’s worth having
a war from which thousands of people will suffer, just for the sake of a few
bad souls.”
I stop and blink, suddenly aware of the camera and the cameramen, and
the deathly silence in the room.
Did I do good? I didn’t even plan anything, which I know is wrong, but
I’ve spent so much of my life planning what I might say if ever I got out of
the bunker and it all just seemed to be there, and it all came pouring out.
I nod to the cameraman and the blinking red light on the edge of the
camera stops, and suddenly the whole room is applauding. Tam, and Richard,
and Edward and Jason. And all the news crew, and the household staff who
stopped by to listen.
The noise swells and then dies off, and I’m feeling a little stunned by it
all.
Richard presses something against his ear and nods, and I see a wave of
relief cross his face.
All four of my husbands approach me, and I realise as the thought crosses
my mind just how much I’m starting to like the term.
“That was amazing,” Richard speaks first, reaching out to give my
shoulder a squeeze.
“It really was.” Tam beams at me.
“I was a bit worried there,” Edward says, his voice gruff. “At the start,
when you were detailing your experiences, I thought you might be trying to
draw us into your father’s war. Getting revenge, like. But you’ve ended
well.” He nods. “It was a well thought out speech.”
I’m about to admit that I didn’t really think any of it out at all, I just
spoke the truth of my experiences, and life as I saw it, when Richard agrees.
“I had some reports saying your words were stirring up a fair bit of anger in
town, where people were gathering to watch it together. But the way you
ended things has helped to calm people. I’m hoping they can learn from the
terrible experiences you and our twins were put through, and see where fear
and misunderstandings can lead.”
I nod and smile, and decide to keep to myself the fact that I went into a
press conference with no planning or preparation whatsoever. Once I
would’ve known to do that, I’ve watched my father enough, but after eleven
years my memory on these things is a bit rusty!
I’ll just make sure if I ever have to do this again, it’ll be planned.
James steps forward now and gives me a hug. “You did great,” he
whispers in my ear, and I feel a thrill travel my spine.
“Thanks.”
“This calls for a drink,” Richard says, nodding to a nearby house servant
who disappears for a very short time before reappearing with sparkling
alcoholic drinks for the five of us.
Tam only stays long enough to join in the ‘cheers’ to me for being brave
and sharing my story, before he takes a sip and excuses himself to check on
the twins. I don’t think he likes too many people, and I wish I could escape
with him.
James doesn’t have much either, pointing out that he really prefers to
keep a clear head, and soon Richard is whisked away to deal with some
problem or other.
Which leaves Edward, who I can tell doesn’t like me very much.
There’s an awkward silence for a moment as I ponder whether I could use
checking on the children as an excuse to escape the room, before he clears his
throat.
“I owe you an apology.” He holds my gaze. “I wasn’t so sure about you,
and I need to apologise for that. It seemed an unbelievable story – a man
locks his daughter up because she has werewolf children. I mean, I know
there are some horrid people out there, but—” He shakes his head in
disbelief. “I thought it was some trap, that you’d trained the children up to
tell this sob story, to get inside information from our clan. Even when it
became clear that it was true, that this really did happen to you, I still
harboured doubts about you. When you started talking today, speaking of
things so terrible that you riled up half the city, I was convinced that this was
the moment you would declare war on your father. That you’d come to us
because you wanted revenge, and you knew we could be the ones to
implement it. Because if I’d been in your place, I would have wanted
revenge. I wouldn’t have cared who’s lives were destroyed in the process.”
He raises his glass to me, holding my gaze. “So, I apologise for that doubt.
And I need to acknowledge that you are a far better person than I am. I owe
you my respect.”
My eyes are watering, again. I lift my own glass to clink against Edwards.
“I don’t blame you,” I say. “It is a terrible story. If I had not lived it, I
probably would not have believed such a thing was possible either. In fact, I
find it hard to believe it, even though I did live it.” I catch his eye. “The man
who locked me up is not the father I remember from my childhood, and I
wish with all my heart that I could find that man again.” I swallow back the
lump in my throat. “Trouble is, I don’t know if I’ve just made the situation
worse, or better.”
17
ANDREA
I
t’s Edward’s turn to escort me into the city. After the amazing feedback
and support from my press conference, I feel so much more confident
about venturing out into the world. I want to have my hair and nails
done and pick out some new clothes for myself. Richard’s housekeeper has
done a great job of finding comfortable things to wear, but they aren’t all
quite to my taste.
Edward isn’t really interested in the shopping side of things, but he is
happy to chat with me as we walk through the city. His sister joins us, teasing
him for not telling her about me all those years ago and repeating several
times what a wonderful surprise it was to learn she had a niece and a nephew.
“Shame I missed the baby stage,” she says. “I would’ve bought you so
many toys and clothes, you would’ve been inundated!”
I smile, all too aware of the pang in my chest at her words.
“It would’ve been wonderful to have you involved back then. It’s been
such a shock for the children. I always told them they had one father, not
four! They’ve gone from having an aunt and an uncle, to suddenly having
more family than they ever would have imagined. But they love it, too.”
She shows me her favourite stores and introduces me to her favourite hair
dresser, and then leaves.
“I like your sister,” I say to Edward. We’re walking hand in hand. He’s
the first of my husbands who has reached out to hold my hand, and it gives
me a warm tingly feeling inside. He gives my hand a squeeze.
“I just realised I need to thank you for something else,” he says.
“What’s that?”
“Looking after my children, letting them know the truth about their
origins.”
I laugh. “I couldn’t very well not. Can you imagine how that would have
gone down? If I’d brought them up to believe they were human, and then all
of a sudden they start developing super human abilities.”
“Well, you were trapped in a bunker, for the rest of your life as far as you
knew. You could’ve told them anything. It’s not like they needed to ever
learn that other humans don’t have the speed and hearing that they do.”
I nod. “That is true, I guess. But I could never have done that. I could
never lie to my children about their origins. I always like to know the truth
about anything myself. It’s what brought me to this place twelve years ago. I
needed to know the truth about werewolves. Besides, what would’ve
happened when they started transforming into werewolves?”
“I need to let you in on a little secret, then.” He stops walking, and I turn
to face him.
“I was raised human. My mother was a werewolf and my father human.
They both thought it would be better if I didn’t know, if I just blended in.
Trouble is, puberty hits, and it’s not so easy to blend in after that.”
My eyes are wide. “Wow. What a shock that must’ve been.”
He nods. “My sister, who you just met, she’s older than me. She has a
werewolf father, and when he and my mother separated, she sort of bounced
between the two, until my mother met my father and they decided to live in
the human city. I didn’t know she existed either, until I was a teenager.”
“You never saw her transform, in all that time?”
“Nope. She used to go away once a month, supposedly on a women’s
weekend away, a chance for her to have some child-free time. And who
knows, maybe that is exactly what she did. Maybe they were all werewolves.
But that’s when she transformed. I don’t know why she never explained to
me the truth. She was so angry and upset that I’d found out the truth, and
worse still, reached out to my sister, that she cut me off.”
I shake my head. I haven’t felt close to Edward. He’s always kept his
distance, but now I can see why.
“It must be hard for you to trust others, after that experience.”
“Ha!” He gives a short, sharp laugh. “That is certain.”
We pass a flower stall, and Edward pauses to buy a single red rose, which
he passes to me.
“My appreciation,” he says. “For proving to me that not all humans are
the same.”
“It’s beautiful.” I beam, bringing the rose up to my nose, breathing in the
sweet perfume, and brushing the soft soft petals against my nose as I do.
We walk back to Edward’s vehicle in silence, but I feel a warm fuzzy
feeling growing in my chest. Edward is sweet too, really. I just needed a little
more effort to get through his tough outer shell.
“Hey, bitch!”
I glance up to see Edward’s clenched jaw as he glares at someone behind
me, and then I turn around.
There’s a man sitting in his car, with the door open, someone else in the
driver’s seat. “Your brats aren’t true werewolves, they’re an abomination!”
Edward is racing towards them, but he slams the door and they speed off
before Edward gets close, tires squealing.
The guy puts his head out the window and shouts as the car disappears
around the corner. “Mixed kids ought to be killed at birth, and if I get half the
chance, I’ll make sure the job’s done like it shoulda been!”
Edward shouts something after them and then turns back to me.
“Are you okay?”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “But the twins.”
“They’ll be fine.” He puts his arm around me. “There’s no way they can
get past Richard’s guards.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m certain.” He lowers his head so he’s looking me in the eye. “Nothing
can get past Richard’s security, okay? Nothing. Not even me, or James, or
Tam. If Richard doesn’t want someone in his home, they don’t get to step
foot across the gate.”
We head home anyway, and he escorts me inside so we can see the twins
are safe and happy and unaware of the dangers outside their new home.
Richard takes one look at my face and his smile of greeting drops into a
look of concern as his eyes flick from my face to Edward’s and back again.
“There was a man in the city. Said the twins weren’t true wolves,”
Edward says.
“He said they ought to be killed!” My voice wavers, and I swallow the
fear in my voice.
“They can’t get in here,” Richard says, and though I know he believes it
to be true, I can’t help but feel like maybe my father inadvertently created the
safest place for my children to grow. The bunker might’ve been lonely, but at
least I knew for certain no one could get to us there.
18
RICHARD
W
hatever sense of safety Andrea felt in being here has been
shattered by a dickhead who can’t keep his backward opinions
to himself.
She won’t be parted from the twins now. She insists on being able to see
or hear them at every moment. It’s not good for her mental health. Every time
one of the children goes to the toilet, she panics that they’ve been taken. If we
are sitting in the room next door and they fall silent, she’s up out of the chair
so fast she knocks it over, just to make sure they’re still okay.
I try to gently remind her that while most werewolves are now welcoming
of the idea of mixed-blood children, there are still a minority of werewolves
who believe that mixed blood children are not okay, and that we are far more
powerful than any of them, and that they will come around eventually, but all
change takes time.
She nods, but I can see the haunted look in her eye. I don’t know whether
she doesn’t hear what I’m saying, or she just doesn’t believe.
But it’s when I hear her muttering about the bunker that I have to stop
her.
“Did you just say the bunker would be safer for them?”
She looks at me, wide eyed with surprise. Didn’t she realise she said that
out loud? Or did she just forget I am also in the room?
She shakes her head, then stops, and nods.
“No one knew we existed. They could’ve grown to adulthood, safe from
these psychos.”
I shake my head. “Andrea. You can’t seriously be saying this. I—” I stop.
Nothing I say is getting through to her. Might be time to show her a thing or
two, instead.
“Come with me.”
She shakes her head. “The twins—”
“The twins have a dozen guards on hand and dozens more if something
happens. You need to come with me.”
“Why?”
“Because I have to show you something important.”
She hesitates, but she must see the gleam in my eye, because there’s a
touch of fear in hers. She stands and walks out with me.
I take her by the elbow and direct her through my office, and out the other
side.
“Where are we going?” The fear is in her voice now, though I think she’s
trying to hide it. When I breath in I can smell it in her sweat.
“This is where I come to transform.”
The area is easily as large as the central yard where the children spend
much of their time racing each other across the lawn. It’s laid out in much the
same manner, garden beds of flowers and shrubs, a few trees offering shade,
and somewhere to climb, scattered across the space.
“Transform?” Her voice is almost a squeak, and though I hate that I’m
doing this to her, part of me is glad she’s scared. If she wasn’t, she would
never understand what it is I’m trying to tell her.
“I’d like to show you what happens when we transform,” I say, holding
her gaze.
She swallows, but nods. “Okay.”
“I first transformed when I was thirteen.” I take off my jacket and shirt.
They’re expensive, and I don’t want to damage them. Her eyes trail over my
torso, and I can’t help but feel that if she wasn’t so scared of me right now
that she’d have her arms wrapped around me.
I remove my shoes and socks, and unzip my fly.
Andrea takes a step back.
“What are you doing?”
I hold her gaze.
“I’m about to transform, and I don’t want these clothes to be damaged.
It’s too much of a waste.”
“Okay.” Her voice is small, though when I remove my trousers I notice
she looks away from me, her face flushed.
“Like I said. I first transformed when I was thirteen. I had older siblings
and parents to guide me through the process. I’d seen people transform my
whole life. I had an idea what was coming. But the trouble is, that when you
transform those first few times, you don’t really have control. It’s exciting
and new and makes you giddy and chaotic. There’s a surge of power, where
you feel you could do anything.”
With my clothes folded neatly by the door, I’ve left my underpants on. I
don’t want to stress Andrea out too much, and they’re stretchy enough. I
won’t be able to wear them again after this, but at least I’m covered in the
meantime.
I guide her to the central tree.
It’s an enormous redwood. Easily a couple of hundred feet high. The
lower branches have been trimmed so that the lowest branch is about 12 feet
above ground level.
“You mentioned that there was one window in your bunker, a sky light,
that looked outside.”
Andrea nods.
“Would it have been higher than that branch?” I point to the lowest most
branch.
She frowns. “No way. It was probably about 8 feet above the ground.
Certainly no more than that.”
I nod. “I’m going to ask you to trust me, now. This is probably going to
be terrifying, and in some way I’m showing you this because I hope it will be
terrifying. Over the next few minutes I want you to remember that I can
control myself in wolf form, and you will be safe. But I also want you to
think about the fact that most adolescent werewolves often can’t. And then I
want you to imagine being locked in a bunker with two of them, neither of
whom have ever had any guidance what-so-ever, nor any preparation for the
fact that in wolf form they are going to have two very strong, almost
overpowering instincts, hunt and eat. And that any living thing makes a
worthy prey.”
She nods again. I’m not sure Andrea’s eyes can get any wider, but when I
take a deep breath and let the animal within me rise to the surface, I see they
can.
I’ve been through this change a million times during my lifetime. Every
full moon, numerous times when I wanted to show off to some girl that I had
gone through the change, that I was finally a mature werewolf, and any and
every time that I wanted to fight. But I’ve never done it in front of a human
before. Never seen myself through their eyes, the fur sprouting from every
pore, the sudden growth in both muscle and height, the sharp fangs that push
their way from my gums and the claws that sprout from my fingertips.
Andrea is terrified. Her eyes are wide, and she’s shaking her head, and
she’s crying. I want nothing more than to return to my human form and wrap
my arms around her and comfort her, and tell her all will be well.
But I can’t do that, until I show her this.
With one flex of the muscles in my hind legs, I jump, and I land in the
branch that is twelve feet in the air. I reach the branch above, and I rip it,
effortlessly, from the tree, and then I’m up the tree and gone.
When I reach the top, I jump, and I see it takes her a second to realise I’m
leaping down towards her, and she falls backwards in her haste to get away. I
land over her, my legs either side of her body, my muzzle inches from her
face.
In that position I transform back.
“What do you think would have happened if your children had
transformed in the tiny space of that bunker?” I ask, and now her hands are
covering her face and she’s sobbing.
I feel terrible that I’ve upset her so much, that it was necessary to upset
her so much to get through to her the importance of this.
“Let me tell you, assuming they had enough control not to attack you, that
their instinct to look after their mother was stronger than their other instincts,
that humans are easy targets. If they didn’t attack you, they would have torn
that sky light out of the roof and disappeared through it, and caused god
knows what sort of devastation throughout the city, and your father would
have had them killed. And that would have ignited a war, quicker than
anything else he’s trying to do.”
19
ANDREA
A
s I tuck the twins into bed that night, I’m still so shell shocked by
what Richard showed me, that I’m barely aware of their questions.
“Mom! Are you okay?” Jenna frowns, and I’m torn back to the
moment.
I force a smile. “I am. It’s just been a long day, and I’m very tired.”
Liam’s eyes are narrowed. “Something is wrong. You can tell us.”
I give him a hug. “Nothing is wrong that can’t be made right by a good
night’s sleep.”
I see the distrust in his eyes and wonder if there are yet more werewolf
traits that I haven’t picked up on. Can they read minds? Richard mentioned
my heart rate the other day, and for the first time I wonder if werewolves can
read that the same way a lie detector machine can. Can they smell the sweat
when someone knowingly lies?
“Sleep well, okay.”
They nod, and I head straight to my own bed. I wasn’t lying when I said I
was tired. Trying to stay hyper-alert and aware of the twins’ every movement
is exhausting in itself. Richard’s transformation has just topped everything
else off.
I’ve never seen a werewolf in wolf form before. Not face-to-face, not in
reality.
I’d always imagined that the pictures I saw in the newspaper or magazine
were touched, that someone in the newspaper room sat with their computer,
adjusting the photos so that werewolves looked more fearsome than they
really were. I thought it was all a part of the fear machine.
Now I realise there was no need to airbrush photos. Werewolves do look
terrifying.
Richard looked so angry, so vicious, I was certain he was going to rip my
head off.
He told me he can control himself now, but the way his body rippled, the
way his fur sprouted from skin, and his face stretched and his teeth sharpened
into points, was like nothing I have ever seen before in my life. I shake my
head at the thought.
I was certain I was about to die.
And then he leapt that huge distance with such ease, and tore the branch
from the tree, a branch with a girth thicker than my leg, as though he were
plucking a flower.
All I could see were my beautiful children, turning into monsters.
The tears flow as I think those terrible words. I’m so ashamed of myself.
Richard is not a monster, nor is Edward, or Tam, or James, or any of the
other people in this household, or even in this city. And my children, most
especially, are not monsters.
But I can see why some people think they are.
I can see now where the stories came from that my father has shared. I
always thought he’d twisted them, made them worse than they were, or
worse, made them up. But if there were mixed blood children in the city,
mixed blood adolescents, who had no one to guide them through their
change, then that right there must have been the cause of any and all terrible
attacks my father pulled out to prove his point. I don’t know if he knows, or
if he genuinely believes that all werewolves are time bombs, on the verge of
going mad. I don’t know if I can get through to tell him. I have to believe he
doesn’t know. Because if he does… Does that mean he was going to use me
as evidence, the poor daughter he’d locked up with her part werewolf
offspring, now dead at their hands? Is that what he planned?
I shake my head. I can’t think like that.
I have to focus on what’s happening now, and I have to accept that
Richard is right. If we had stayed in that bunker, if we were still there when
they first transformed, we would probably all be dead, and if I wasn’t, I’d
probably wish I was. They would have become monsters, simply because
they would have had no idea what to expect, and no guidance on how to deal
with such a dramatic change.
I’d had no way to prepare them. What information I had, I’d dismissed as
being warped to fit a propaganda machine, and I’d deliberately watered it
down, thinking that even what I was saying was probably an exaggeration.
When Richard returned to his human form, and we’d walked back
towards his office where he had dressed again, minus the now shredded
underpants, he’d reminded me that every single person in this household was
a werewolf, and every werewolf under his roof was strong and fit and
healthy, and most importantly of all, his clan was the strongest of all the
clans.
“The twins will be safe,” he’d said. He’d reached out to trail his thumb
across my cheek and wipe away my tears. “You will be safe. Don’t ever
doubt that you made the right choice. There is no circumstance in which you
and your children would be better off in that bunker. None.”
I’d nodded, and as he pulled on his shirt, I’d fallen into his embrace and
sobbed.
Now that I was snuggled up in my own bed and could hear the soft
rhythmic breath of my sleeping children in the next room, my mind wandered
somewhere else.
To Richard’s form crouched over me when he transformed back into his
human shape. His muscles were bulging, trembling at his recent exertion. His
body was so warm, the heat radiated off his skin. He smelled so nice, like
spice, not at all the animal smell I’d been expecting.
I feel like I’ve been jolted back into reality, suddenly aware of the truth of
something that I’d not before realised. We were getting on so well, before I
let that stranger’s words scare me. If I’d not been so upset, so caught up in
fear for my children, maybe things would’ve progressed now. Maybe I
wouldn’t feel like I have to start over with him, with all of them.
I push the thought aside. Richard has never expressed any attraction to me
since I arrived. I’m over ten years older than I was when we had that onenight fling. He wouldn’t be attracted to me in that way, anymore. I’m sure of
it.
20
RICHARD
A
fter transforming in front of Andrea, I’m exhausted. It’s never worn
me out like this, usually, but I was so angry at her recent fear, and
all that anger and frustration rose to the surface. I didn’t hold back.
I don’t know whether I did the right thing or not.
She fell into my arms at the end, sobbing her heart out, before excusing
herself to put the twins to bed, so I can only hope that is a good sign, that she
doesn’t hate me completely for terrifying her in such a manner.
I just want her to see what her children will look like when they
transform, and what it might’ve been like had they not had any guidance
from other wolves. I want to make sure she knows all the facts, before she
starts thinking one thing is better than another or doubting her own instincts.
I head to the shower, turning it on full blast and arching my back so the
spray massages key spots.
I wanted to kiss her tonight. But I’m so confused. Her heart races
whenever we are around, but is that attraction or fear? She’s shown no other
interest in myself, or Edward, or James or Tam. Not that I can see, anyway,
and normally I’m sure I can see that sort of thing. Sometimes I feel she’s
holding back, and I wonder why she would do that, unless she’s only
attracted to us because she’s just so god-damned horny from eleven years
without sex, and she is actually horrified that she’s attracted to us.
Then again, she’s been locked up for such a long time. She’ll need time to
re-adjust to this outside world, before she has any desires to hook up with
anyone.
I can only hope when those desires finally arrive, it’s me she wants to be
re-acquainted with.
My cock is pulsing at the thought of her, her natural scent, musky and
sweet, the way her hair curls around her face, the tender look in her eyes as
she watches the children. She’s a beautiful woman, and such a strong, loving
mother.
I’m so lucky we had that chance encounter, all those years ago.
I’ve never experienced anything else like it, not before or since. Andrea
had had a few drinks, that was for sure. But there was only a moment’s
hesitation when I suggested a five-some. It’s something I’d always wanted to
try, and she seemed to be into all of us. I was partly joking. I never thought
for a moment she’d agree, but then she did, and it was so sexy.
My cock is twitching at the thought, and I wrap my hand around it,
pulling myself as I let the memories surface. I relive every moment of that
night.
Andrea was so adventurous and quick to speak up if something wasn’t
working for her. She must’ve orgasmed a dozen times that night, as we all
took turns in pleasuring her and being pleasured by her.
In no time I come, and I let the water wash my body clean before turning
off the taps and stepping out into the steaming bathroom.
That memory has been the fantasy at the source of many a night’s
masturbation, and there were so many nights I wanted to relive it. I still want
to relive it. I still hope that Andrea will be interested, even if not in sex with
the four of us, then hopefully at least one on one.
But until she makes a move, I just have to hold back, and hope.
21
ANDREA
T
he next morning the twins are up before I am.
The sun is streaking in across the blankets, and it takes me a
moment to realise that I’ve slept late.
I needed it though. I feel so refreshed this morning, so much better than
I’ve felt in days.
The twins are happily playing basketball with Tam, and James and I
marvel at how high they can jump now, how much faster they can move.
“It won’t be long and they’ll be transforming for the first time.”
I turn to see Edward strolling up the hallway behind me.
“I know,” I say. “They’re getting so fast and strong.”
“I’m heading out into the city.” Edward holds my gaze. “I know last time
didn’t go so well. I wondered if you’d like to join me again. I’ve got a couple
of things to pick up, but then we could go for a walk somewhere quiet.”
I hesitate. I remember too well the man who shouted such terrible things
about my children, but I can’t let that keep me inside forever. I may as well
have stayed in my father’s bunker if I’m going to let people’s words stop me
from getting out and about.
I nod and smile. “I’d love to.”
This time, Edward and I head to one of the outer suburbs, where I wait in
the car while he makes a quick delivery.
“It’s my sister’s colleague,” he explains when he returns to the car.
“She’s worked at that place for 20 years now. They wanted some photos from
her younger days to do a big surprise presentation/celebration for her. I didn’t
want to post them in case they didn’t make it – better to deliver them by
hand, then we know she got them in time. I’ll collect them after the big day.”
I smile. “That’s sweet.”
“Do you think so?” He shakes his head. “To be honest it’s really not my
idea of a fun time, being made centre of attention and having old photos put
up for all the world to see, but I know my sister loves that sort of recognition.
And—” he gives a wry smile. “I have to admit, I really enjoyed going
through those photos with her father and seeing her just before I found her
again. There are a lot of similarities between us.”
Something about the expression on Edward’s face makes my heart melt,
and I reach out to put my hand over his.
He glances at me in surprise, and then grins.
“Where to now?” he asks.
“Wherever you like,” I reply.
His grin widens. “I have the perfect place.”
We make another brief stop, where once again he asks me to wait in the
car while he enters what looks like some sort of café, returning with a large
basket that he puts in the trunk.
“Another delivery?” I raise my eyebrow, and he laughs.
“No, a surprise.”
We drive back through the city. We must be close to Richard’s place, if
my mental map of the city is accurate, before taking an old gravel road
through the woods to a clearing by a stream.
“It’s beautiful.”
Edward grins again. “I thought you’d like it.”
He takes the basket from the trunk of his car, and when he opens it, I
realise there is a whole picnic inside.
“Did you organise this beforehand?” I ask, as I help him spread out the
blanket.
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “The place we stopped at does these as part
of their service. You know, for those occasions when you suddenly find
yourself on a date, and you have nothing prepared.”
I laugh. “That is a brilliant idea. They should—” I trail off, and Edward
glances at me.
“They should?”
I shake my head. “Well, I was going to say they should have one of these
in New Yorka, but then I realised that they might, actually, already have one,
that I just don’t know about.”
I sigh, and Edward tilts his head to one side, waiting for me to continue. I
shrug. “I suppose I just realised exactly how much things change, and how
little of that change I’ve been witness to. My home town is probably nothing
like it is in my head.”
Edward pats the empty space beside him on the blanket and pours me a
sparkling wine. “Well, now you a part of the most important change in
werewolf history, because you are the mother of the heirs to the Crescent
Mountains Clan, and your children are going to be amazing leaders. I can see
it already.”
I accept the glass, and when Edward pours himself one, we clink them
together with a cheers.
“I don’t know what I imagined when I begged Ellen and Matthew to
approach Richard about taking us in. Well—” I give a little laugh. “I guess
there was one thing I thought I knew, and that was that the children would
have one father.” I glance at Edward. “But this has been so much better than I
thought. The twins have adapted so well to life here, and you are all such
wonderful role models for them. This whole experience has been amazing.”
Edward grins. “I’m glad.”
A shiver travels my spine. He’s watching me with that same gaze I’ve
seen Richard, and James and Tam looking at me. It’s like he might at any
moment lean over and kiss me, and I so desperately want him to do that, but
he doesn’t. He holds back, just like the others.
Is there something I’m missing? Some code of conduct that says that
werewolves can’t seduce the mother of their children? As if, that doesn’t
even make sense. So maybe it’s just that I’m not attractive anymore.
I glance away, all too aware of how red my cheeks must be. I take another
sip.
“Certainly is beautiful here,” I say, watching the sun’s reflection dance on
the water as is races over the rocks.
“Certainly is.” He echoes, and I look back and force a smile.
Edward must realise he’s embarrassed me because he takes a mouthful of
his wine, and then turns to the food.
The awkward moment passes, and our afternoon together is lovely,
though I feel like I run out of things to talk about once we get to the point
where my father locked me away.
Life after that became fairly routine, with very little change.
Edward happily takes over, filling in his childhood in New Yorka and
building his relationship with his sister.
I love listening to his voice, watching his face as he talks about learning
the werewolf customs, and how many werewolf traits he really did have.
“It was like a light went on. I’d always thought I was strange. I had some
friends in school, but mostly everyone thought I was a bit odd. But it turns
out those traits that made me odd among the humans were what helped me to
fit in perfectly among the werewolves. I found a place where I really did
belong, and it was the best discovery ever.”
“Is that how Jenna and Liam feel, do you think? They’ve been so happy
since we arrived, and I thought it was just being free from the bunker. But
perhaps it’s more than that.”
Edward nods. “They might not necessarily think of it that way. After all,
there were hardly any humans around which to feel strange, but I would
guess that is part of it. They’ve adjusted better than I would have ever
imagined for children whose formative years were spent underground.”
Too soon the afternoon comes to an end, and we have to pack up our
picnic and head back to Richard’s. I realise part way home that I’ve got my
hand resting on Edward’s thigh, but it feels so… right, that I leave it there.
Edward drops me off at the steps of Richard’s mansion, and I stand there
and wave as he drives away.
I’m feeling so much lighter than I ever have before, like an enormous
weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
My children know their fathers, I am reconnecting with the men who
gave me the most amazing experience of my life, and, dare I say it? I think
I’m falling for all of them.
The thought sends a shiver down my spine. I’ve slept with these men, not
that I remember a whole lot about it. They’ve seen me naked, they’ve seen
me in the throes of orgasm. There’s a tingle between my legs as I struggle to
recall the few remnants of memory I have of that night, and I’m beginning to
wish I could remember more. What were they like?
For the first time in a long time, I’m wondering what it would be like to
sleep with them, all of them, again. And this time be sober enough to
remember the experience.
22
RICHARD
I
turn to see Andrea walk out the door. I’ve been talking to the twins
about transformation. They’re so close to experiencing their first
change, I can feel it. It’s something about all the pent-up energy they
have, there’s a bristling under their skin, a sense of their fur and claws and
fangs, just waiting to burst out. I’m trying to prepare them for what the
process might feel like and how they might feel when they’re in wolf form.
I’m building up to transforming myself, it’s almost a full moon, but I don’t
know whether transforming in front of them is going to scare them too much.
They have been raised human, after all. When I was a boy, my entire family
changed around me, regularly. It happened even before I have memory of it,
so there was never a first time, when someone I loved changed and freaked
me out.
I know that did happen with Edward, though, so I’m cautious.
“You look well,” I call.
Andrea raises an arm to block the sun shining directly in her face, and
soon sees us across the lawn. She smiles and waves.
“I’m feeling better than I have in a long time,” she says, her smile wide.
“I’m glad.”
She reaches us, and I step forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.
Jenn and Liam race over to give their mother a hug.
“Have you had a good afternoon?” she asks them.
They chorus a “yes”, then turn to me.
“Can we have that ice cream you mentioned, Dad?” Liam asks, his eyes
shining. There’s a hesitation there, just before he says the word, but still my
heart almost bursts with pleasure at hearing it. I can’t keep the smile off my
face.
“Absolutely.”
They both cheer and race across the grass to the kitchens where I’ve
already instructed the cook to let them have an ice cream each. Now they’ve
discovered it, it’s their new favourite treat. I’m so happy to learn of their
existence I would give them anything, but I know that’s not responsible
parenting, so I hold back on the gifts and focus on spending time with them
instead.
“They’re so happy now.”
I wrap my arm around Andrea’s shoulders as we watch them go, and she
leans her head against my chest. In truth, this feels almost as nice to me as the
knowledge I’m a father, this sense of being given a woman’s trust, not only
to care for her children, but also as someone who is a comfort to her. I don’t
know whether she thinks much of our time together, when we conceived such
amazing creatures, but I hold a hope she will want to repeat the experience
again one day, even if it is only with me. I can’t say anything though. She’s
been locked up for such a long time, I don’t want her to feel pressured, or that
I only accepted her and her children in the expectation we would have
intercourse. I have to wait until she is ready, until she suggests it.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
She glances up at me and I smile at her, all too aware of the floral scent of
her perfume and the slight musky smell of Edward where they’ve been
holding hands. Underneath it all are her own body odours, unique to her, and
it is those smells that are turning me on the most right now. But I hold my
focus on her smile and her eyes, and I will myself not to show it.
“It was okay when they were small children,” she says. “They weren’t
really aware about what it was that they were missing. But I always
encouraged Ellen and Matthew to bring us as many books as they could, on
every possible topic, so when they learnt to read is about the time everything
got so much harder. They asked about their father, so often, and I had to
admit that you didn’t know they existed. I didn’t expect there would be four
of you, of course. But now—” she shakes her head. “Now they’re
experiencing everything they’ve missed out on, and so much more.” She
glances at me again. “I was scared we might be putting ourselves into some
sort of trap, coming here. I didn’t know whether contacting you had been the
best thing. I only wanted to get us all free of that bunker. I realised almost
straight away it was the best thing to do, but I didn’t realise it would be so
good, so quickly. This has been amazing! Thank you, again, a million times
over.”
I laugh softly, and pull her into a hug, placing a gentle kiss on the top of
her head.
“I couldn’t have done anything else,” I say, and it’s true. Even if those
children had not been mine, I would have rescued them, and done everything
in my power to protect them from their power-hungry grandfather. Every
werewolf child is precious, no matter who their father is.
She hesitates.
“I want to thank you for last night, too.”
She must sense my surprise because she hurries on before I can say
anything.
“I know that sounds odd. You terrified me! But I needed that fright, I
needed to be jolted into reality. I’d never really thought about what it might
be like when the twins finally did transform. I mean, part of me was aware
that they would, eventually, especially when they started showing more and
more werewolf traits. But mostly the thought of the actual process, and what
that might be like for me and for them, never crossed my mind.” She looks
away to the children for a moment, before returning her gaze to me.
“So thank you. You’ve really helped me with my fears.”
“I’m glad.” I smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “That was my
hope, though the way you sobbed last night I was a bit scared it had gone the
other way instead.”
23
ANDREA
B
eing so close to Richard, smelling that deep musky scent of him, it’s
sending every signal in my body haywire. I want to reach up and kiss
him, and yet I feel like he’s holding back. He hasn’t made a single
move toward me, and we’ve been here for weeks now. Does he not want me?
I’m over a decade older now, my face creased with stress-lines from all those
years underground, my hair is now more grey than brown. I know I’m not as
attractive as I used to be. But aren’t we married now, Richard and James and
Tam and Edward and I? Shouldn’t we be able to do all the things that married
people do?
I don’t know what to do about it. I feel like the others are attracted to me
in some small way at least, and yet they are holding back too. I thought it was
because of Richard, because I live with him in his house, and perhaps there
was some sort of rule about that sort of thing. But he is holding back too.
I can’t ask because that seems too forward. What if the attraction I sense
is just wishful thinking? They’ve made no real indication that they want
anything more from me, just the odd gaze, and that sense I get when I’m
alone with any one of them, that they want to be closer.
What if it is just in my head? What if it’s just that I haven’t had sex in
over a decade and my body is so desperate for something it hasn’t had, that
it’s projecting those emotions onto the men around me?
I sigh, a huge big sigh that has escaped before I’m even aware of it.
“What’s the sigh for?” Richard asks, pulling away and peering into my
face.
My cheeks begin to burn, and I shake my head, grateful for the growing
dusk. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” He raises an eyebrow. “It didn’t sound like nothing to me.
Sounded like a whole lotta sadness in that sigh.”
My eyes prick with tears as I smile. “I think I have plenty of excuse for
sadness, don’t you?”
Richard nods. “I just hoped you wouldn’t be experiencing sadness while
you were in my arms, I guess.”
I shake my head, holding his gaze. “Your arms give me a safe space to
process it all, I’d say. And in the processing, the sadness gets released
through sighing.”
He raises a brow again, and I realise how much I love that little quirk of
his. “Sadness releases through sighing, does it?”
I grin. “Sounds good to me.”
He laughs. “Well if that helps, maybe I need to wrap you in my arms
more often.”
I lick my lips, nervous now. Is he just being friendly and caring, or is he
hinting at more? “I would really like that.”
A cautious smile breaks out across his face. “You would?”
I nod. “I would.”
“Well then.” He straightens and pulls me into an embrace again. His chest
is so firm, his arms so strong about me, I don’t think I’ve ever felt safer. I
close my eyes. Right now, I don’t care if he doesn’t want any more than this.
If he is happy to hold me like this, I can find some other way to deal with my
urges. Even if it means pleasing myself for the rest of my life.
“What are you thinking?” he murmurs the words, his voice a deep
vibration in his chest.
“How safe I feel,” I say, my face burning up, ever so glad werewolf traits
don’t include reading minds.
“Your heartbeat just increased.”
I pull back slightly, and he looks down at me, a gentle smile on his face.
“I’ve been so caught up in my own thoughts, that I probably wouldn’t have
noticed. That’s not usually what happens when some feels relaxed.”
I give him a wry smile. “What made you think I was relaxed?”
“You were, to begin with. Your heart rate slowed right down, your
muscles relaxed, you sort of sank into my hug. And then your heartrate
increased.”
He’s watching me, and I sense he’s trying to get more information out of
me. Now my heart really is pounding as I contemplate actually telling him
my thoughts.
Can I do that? Can I admit I want to fuck him, and the three others, all at
once? Can I actually admit that out loud?
“You know you can tell me anything, Andrea.” His gaze is boring into
mine. Now that the sun has dropped and the sky is darkening, I can see even
better that golden luminescence in his eyes, and it doesn’t scare me at all. It
just makes me want him more.
I lick my lips and lift myself up on the tips of my toes, until we’re
properly eye-to-eye. His pupils dilate and I press my lips against his, and then
he’s pressing back and I realise, for fucks sake! I’m crying again! The salt of
my tears mingles with the taste of him as he parts his lips and his tongue
seeks out mine. I know for certain I’ve never felt this happy in all my life.
He pulls away. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
“Ah! Damn emotions.” I laugh, wiping away my tears with the back of
my hand. “They’re happy tears,” I reassure him. “Very happy tears.”
“Well I’m glad to hear that,” he replies, leaning in close again.
I reach up to press my lips against his, and his kiss is so soft and so tender
I never want it to end.
24
RICHARD
A
ndrea’s lips are so soft.
That’s the first thought I have. Followed very soon after by the
realisation that the salt I can taste is from her tears, but when I pull
away, she reassures me she’s happy. We kiss again, and she wraps her arms
around me and weaves her fingers through my hair. She holds me close, and
if she wants me to keep kissing her, then by all means that is exactly what I’ll
do.
I’ve never experienced so much longing in one kiss. If I was a weaker
man, I’d tear off her clothes there and then, so obvious is her desperation. But
I’m conscious enough to know her children aren’t too far away, and there are
at least half a dozen guards stationed around the perimeter of the yard who
can all see us quite clearly.
But that’s not all that’s holding me back. She hasn’t been intimate with
anyone for over a decade. I don’t want to rush her. I want to make sure she
actually wants me and not just any man. I need to be sure she won’t regret
further action the next day. Aside from that, I want to make sure the
experience is perfect for her.
“Ahem.”
A cough behind me breaks us apart, and I frown, turning to see one of my
guards.
“Sorry to interrupt, sir.”
“What is it?” My senses are on high alert. Are the children injured? I
can’t hear any crying, and I can’t smell any blood, so whatever it is, it can’t
be nearby. But my guards never interrupt me, at anything, unless it is of
absolute importance.
“I’m afraid Edward has been injured in a tussle with the Blood River
clan.”
Andrea’s fingertips dig into my shoulders, and I’m relieved to feel her
concern. She and Edward are so much alike, it seems to me. I wasn’t sure
whether that would be enough to keep them at odds with each other. It
wouldn’t have been a huge deal, necessarily, as long as Andrea didn’t object
to Edward having visitation rights with the twins, but it would have made
family gatherings quite tense.
“Is he ok?”
The guard nods. “He’s been taken to the hospital for observation, but I’m
told it’s nothing more than a few scratches that went too deep. He’s lost a lot
of blood.”
“Thank you. Can you collect a car for us? We’ll head over to the hospital,
now.”
The guard nods again and twists on the spot to march away.
“Will he be okay?”
Andrea is looking up at me, her eyes wide.
“Werewolves heal fast.” I lower my face to hers and give her a slight
peck on the lips. “You have nothing to worry about. Now, we need to make
sure the children are comfortable and cared for, and then we can check on
Edward’s condition for ourselves.”
Andrea nods, and we walk together through the house, finding the
children still devouring ice cream in the kitchen.
I reassure them that all is well, but their mother and I need to go out for a
little while. I confirm with Sarah, the house maid, that she is able to watch
them for that time.
In less than half an hour we’re by Edward’s bed.
He opens first one groggy eye and then the other. I feel Andrea waver on
her feet at the sight of all the tubes and machines and oxygen mask.
“It’s all right,” I say to her. “They’re just giving him blood, replenishing
what he’s lost, and the machines monitor the entire process. It looks worse
than it is.”
She nods, but her face is still a sickly pale colour. I direct her to sit down
by Edward’s bed.
Straight away she reaches out to take his hand. “Are you okay?”
He nods and winces. “I have a cut across the back of my neck,” he says,
his voice a haze through the mask.
“What happened?” I move the only other chair to sit next to Andrea.
He shrugs and winces again. “The alpha of Blood River suggested that
the twins aren’t really werewolves. He was only trying to rile me up, I know,
and I should never have listened to him. I wouldn’t have, either, except then
he said if they really were werewolves, he was going to take them for
himself.”
Andrea stiffens on the chair next to me, and I reach out a hand to cover
hers.
“It’s all talk,” I say, though I can tell she isn’t sure. “Blood River can’t
possibly get into our home. They would never dare.”
I turn back to Edward. “You should know that, too.”
Edward closes his eyes. “I do. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let them
get to me.”
I shake my head. “No. Blood River have been causing problems for years.
It’s about time I did something about them.”
Andrea’s eyes are wide again. “What do you plan to do?”
I hold her gaze. “I need to issue an Alpha challenge to their leader. I
should have done it years ago, when this all flared up. They just constantly
pick and pick and pick. No more dangerous than mosquitoes, but still
irritating.”
“What does that mean? An Alpha challenge? Does that mean you are
going to fight their leader?”
“No.” I shake my head, and she visibly relaxes. “It means we send our
best fighters to fight it out for us.”
There’s a waver in her voice as she asks the next question, and I think she
must already know the answer.
“Who’s your best fighter?”
“James.”
25
ANDREA
I
t doesn’t surprise me. James is physically the strongest out of all of the
men, including Richard’s guards. But I do not want James to go and
fight, just so Richard can claim the title of ‘Alpha of the Blood River
Clan’. After seeing what happened to Edward against one of Blood River’s
not-so-good fighters, I dread to think how James will come back to us.
I want to argue that he is more important as a father, as a caregiver, than
a fighter. I want there to be others just as strong who could do the job.
But it seems that as wife and mother of James’ children I have no say in
the matter.
As soon as James hears Richard’s plan, he gives Richard his complete
support, and I am left feeling ill inside that one of my children’s fathers is
already in the hospital, soon to be followed by another. I refuse to think about
the worst-case scenario. I’m struggling with what seems to me to be the best
one.
It all happens rather quickly, too quickly, really. Richard issues his
challenge, and within an hour the alpha of Blood River has accepted it and
selected his champion. The following day we all head off to a large arena,
apparently set up especially for this type of thing, and gather on one side of a
huge ring, as members of the Blood River Clan who’ve turned up for support
sit opposite us, glaring across the field.
“Surely this could be sorted out in some other way?”
Richard laughs and wraps his arm around me to give me a squeeze.
“We’re werewolves, Andrea. There is no other way. Not unless you want to
lose credibility amongst the other clans. Now that would be suicide. It would
give all the werewolves the excuse to rise up, and then where would we be?
Infighting, all the way, fulfilling your father’s wish, without him having to
lift a finger.”
I can’t help but feel that this could be suicide as well, for poor James,
though he doesn’t look at all fazed as he warms up, flexing his muscles and
stretching, and running on the spot.
I’m not sure I can actually watch what is about to occur.
I wish I’d stayed home with Tam and the twins.
Across the other side of the ring the opposing fighter transforms, his gaze
never leaving James’ face as his body swells, tearing his clothes to shreds.
Black fur appears, claws extend, and he pulls his lips back to reveal a row of
sharp shiny white teeth. He’s scrawny in comparison even to how Richard
looked when he transformed, but that does nothing to allay my fears. Smaller
people can dodge easier and move faster.
A shudder travels my spine, and I glance at James.
I fully expected that he too, would have transformed, but he hasn’t. He’s
just holding his opponent’s gaze, a normal human-looking man, and I realise
that while his opponent has tried to psyche James out by transforming early,
James is trying to do the same by not.
Finally a bell rings, and the opponent from the Blood River clan lunges at
James. He drops to a roll, and by the time he’s standing again on the opposite
side of the ring, he’s fully wolf. There is no way I would have recognised
him.
His fur is brown, but a darker shade than his hair, and there is nothing
else to indicate that this is one of the men I married. The fight continues the
same way for a while, with James dodging most of the blows from his
opponent, almost strolling casually around the ring as the other wolf lunges
and kicks and punches. My heart races. It’s too easy for James, so far, and I
can’t help but fear that he’ll be badly hurt, or worse.
James’ movements send the other wolf mad, and he stops to howl in a
frenzy. That’s when James finally makes his move, jumping and kicking off
the wall to propel himself towards the other wolf, his back paw landing fully
on the other wolf’s chest.
But the other wolf is fast. He grabs James’ foot and twists, spinning so
that he drags James along the ground. He lifts him, he’s so strong! Now
James flies through the air towards the wire mesh that separates the fighters
from the spectators.
I see him hit, and then I see the wince, and when he falls away there’s
blood on his back.
I frown. Is that from the mesh?
I gather it’s not because Richard is on his feet, shouting at the umpire
about foul play.
The umpire says he didn’t see anything, so there’s no penalty given.
I don’t know what happened, but when James is closer to our side of the
ring, I see the cut is straight and smooth, like a knife, not jagged as I’d expect
if his skin got caught on a stray piece of wire.
James is panting now, just as much as his opponent, and he has the
problem of a freely bleeding wound. I see that with every punch the muscles
are pulled open and more blood trickles from the cut.
I move to stand by Richard, right at the wire. “Will he be okay?”
Richard nods, short and sharp. “It’ll take more than a cut to put James out
of action.”
The men in the ring are circling now, eyeing each other off. They dart at
each other, sometimes succeeding in a scratch or a bite, sometimes missing. I
hold my breath, wishing with all my might I could send James some of my
strength. The opponent’s support team is shouting, but I can’t bring myself to
do that. It’s like my throat has been blocked, and I couldn’t get anything out
if I’d tried.
It seems that James and the Blood River wolf are perfectly matched, and I
don’t understand how this match will ever end if one of them, if James, it has
to be James, can’t get the upper hand.
James manages to trip up the Blood River wolf, and then he’s on him.
There’s a scuffling and scratching, and they’re rolling about the floor over
and over, James on top, now the other fellow, now James. Punches are flying
and teeth are flashing and their growling and snarling echoes through the
building.
I cover my ears, though it does nothing to block out the sound. squeeze
my eyes shut, but I can’t avoid looking for too long. I have to see that James
is, if not winning, at least not losing, either.
They’ve broken apart and are circling again, eyeing each other off as they
catch their breath. I see a flash from the other side, like light reflected off
glass. James is blinded and the Blood River wolf charges. James is a second
too slow to dodge and is struck with the full force of the other wolf’s body.
Richard growls.
“What was that?” I glance up to see that someone in the opposing
audience has a shard of glass.
He grins at Richard and shrugs, mouthing an ‘oops’.
“What happened?” I ask again.
“They blinded James. Only momentarily, but still, it’s enough to give
their man an advantage.”
I watch the fight as it continues.
James and the other wolf bite and scratch and kick. Finally I sense that
the other wolf is weakening.
But James is weakening, too. A sharp kick to the stomach has him
staggering backwards to crash against the wall. The other wolf leaps. I’m
certain it’s going to be enough to knock James out, but at the last minute he
moves and the other wolf crashes into the wall. James uses that split second
to heave himself up and wrap his arm around the wolf’s neck, catching him in
a strangle hold.
He’s holding tight, and the other wolf is gasping for air. It occurs to me
that I might be about to see my first death, when the other wolf holds up his
hand and gurgles something through the choke hold.
James loosens his grip just enough so we can understand the other fellow
say he yields. Then the umpire crashes a drum, and the sound echoes through
the building.
“Crescent Mountains Champion is the winner!”
There are distinct noises of disappointment amongst the opposing team,
but still we all gather in the ring. The other wolves all kneel before Richard
and declare him as their new Alpha.
James is injured and needs stitches, so we head to the hospital where
somehow the news has already travelled that Richard is the new Alpha of
Blood River. The few Blood River werewolves we come across all kneel as
they see him and declare their loyalty.
“Is this going to happen a lot now?” I never realised how sudden the shift
would be. It seems too fast, too forced.
Richard nods. “At least for the next few weeks, until I’m certain every
Blood River wolf has accepted my role.”
“And if any of them don’t?”
He shrugs. “There’s exile, usually into the human cities, or death. We
start with exile, but if it turns out they’re trying to connect with other wolves
and start up another opposing faction, then that is instant death.”
He must see the expression on my face because his mouth twists.
“It’s not ideal, by any means. But sometimes you need the death of one
trouble maker to ensure the lives of thousands of innocent people are saved.”
He glances at me. “If your father gets his war, it’s not just the soldiers who
are at risk, who die. It’s all of us. Our children included.”
A shudder travels my spine because I know that Richard is right. I’ve
seen the weapons father has, the aircraft, the missiles. He wouldn’t even need
to leave his mansion to cause havoc on the werewolf cities.
I just wish I could arrange a meeting with my father. I wish he would just
look at his grandchildren and see what wonderful little people they are. I wish
I could remind him of the man he once was. Then he’d stop. Except I can no
longer say I’m sure of it. In fact, I’m doubting more and more with every
passing day. But I have to believe it, because otherwise I have to say goodbye
to him, and give up on him. I’m not sure I can do that.
26
RICHARD
I
t’s progressed. This war Andrea’s father wants to start. His fearmongering and hate has not been enough to set things in motion, so
now he’s started attacking werewolf traders, stealing their goods and
causing injury and damage to the staff and their vehicles.
I’m reading the report, and fighting the sinking feeling in my stomach
that says we will have to retaliate. That this man will not understand anything
but force.
But I don’t want it to get that far. I won’t let it get that far.
I write off a note to my head of security, instructing that guards be
included with every werewolf trader from now on. If I have to pull soldiers
out of retirement to protect my people, I will.
But something else has to give.
There’s a buzz in my pocket. I’m so tired and overworked that it takes me
a moment to realise it’s my phone.
I rub my face, answering with a curt, ‘yes’.
“You might want to check the news.” Tam is on the other end of the line,
and I’m pleased to hear him sound upbeat.
I turn to my computer and bring up the latest updates.
My eyes scan the headlines and I read aloud. “New Government Faction
Opposes Werewolf War.”
“That’s it. Thought it might interest you. I’ll let you read.”
I say goodbye and open the article, my eyes skimming over the text to
find the information I’m after.
It’s fantastic.
New Yorka hasn’t had a real government for years. Andrea’s father got
the seat and took control. Everyone has either been too scared or too
lethargic, to do anything about it.
But now. A tiny spark of hope alights in my chest as I read. It seems that
Ellen and Matthew, Andrea’s siblings, are funding this new opposition party,
and their policies are exactly what we, as werewolves, need.
They’re promoting acceptance and inclusion of all peoples, whether
werewolf, or human, or mixed.
They’ve publicly lambasted their father’s policies and recent actions,
confirming that he has been the one destroying werewolf traders. They
encourage all werewolves to reach out for protection and support, and any
supporting humans to stand up and speak up.
Best of all, in only a few days, a third of the cities’ populations have
signed up to offer support in whatever way they can.
This is the win we need.
My heart soars.
Outside Andrea and James are with the twins. James is explaining the
process of werewolf transformation, complete with photos. We’ve decided
that they need to see it happen, sooner rather than later, and certainly before
they change themselves.
Andrea glances up as I approach.
“You look happy.” There’s a surprise in her tone, and I realise I really
have been stressed lately.
“I have some amazing news.”
James glances at me, but continues his lesson.
I sit next to Andrea and take her hand.
“Your siblings are standing up to your father.”
Her eyes widen. “For real? You’re not joking?”
I shake my head. “They’ve funded another government faction, which is
speaking out against his policies and actions, and promoting the inclusion of
werewolf and mixed people into the human city.”
Andrea’s eyes search out my face. I know she’s looking for the lie or the
trick.
“I think they’ve realised how well you are doing here, you and the twins.
I think that has given them the strength to face your father.”
Andrea’s head begins to shake, ever so slowly.
“I can’t believe it.” She glances back at me again. “It’s true, isn’t it? We
won’t have a war. We won’t have to be afraid anymore?”
I grin.
“You never have to be afraid again.”
27
ANDREA
I
can’t believe the words that are coming out of Richard’s mouth.
I’ve come to know him well over these past few months, and he
doesn’t ever seem to lie, or tease, or play tricks. I don’t see why it
would benefit him to lie about this.
But I’m still struggling to believe Ellen and Matthew would actually
stand up to our father.
Then again, their letters have indicated how impressed they are by the
twins’ progress, and how well I am settling in. Maybe Richard is right,
maybe they’ve finally realised what I’ve been trying to say all this time.
After I see the news for myself, we decide to celebrate.
It’s only a small step, but it’s such an important one. Now both James and
Edward have healed from their fights, it seems a good time to celebrate
James’ win over the Blood River clan, too.
The children are bundled up into the far wing of the house, with several
staff to supervise them and keep them occupied.
James, Edward, Tam and I all meet with Richard in his private rooms,
where he’s had his staff lay out a feast. There’s alcohol, of course, and so
much food, far more than the five of us could possibly eat in one night.
Richard pours out the sparkling wine, and after handing out the glasses,
raises his in toast.
“To James, who’s strength and endurance won us control of the Blood
River Clan, and to Andrea’s brother and sister, Matthew and Ellen, who have
found their own strength to stand up against their father and be the voice for
the many people who wish for fairness and equality in this broad country.”
“Hear, hear!”
We clink glasses and take a sip.
The food is so good, sweet desserts, and spicy savouries, fruit and cheese
and meats of all descriptions.
I’m halfway through my glass when I realise I’m starting to feel lightheaded and slow down. There’s something about the buzz in the air tonight
that gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, things might progress a little
further.
And if that happens, I want to be clear headed.
I’m chatting with Tam when I feel it. Tam is talking about the children
and how well I did, locked up in the bunker, to not lose my sanity, and to stop
the twins from losing theirs.
I feel a prickle on my skin and turn to see Richard eyeing me up and
down.
I’m sure there’s nothing special to see. I’ve put on a dress for the
occasion, but it’s nothing too special, just something light and summery,
something that shows off my cleavage and narrows my waist.
Tam takes a good-sized mouthful of his drink and touches my shoulder,
pulling my attention back to him.
“Did you ever get lonely, in the bunker? I mean, I realise the children
were always there, but still. You must’ve craved adult company, some of the
time?”
I don’t even get to open my mouth to answer before James is beside him.
“Intimate company, is what I think Tam is referring to. Because of course
you did have adult company now and again, with your siblings visiting.”
“Well, yes,” Tam continues. “I realise Ellen and Matthew visited when
they could. But yes. You must’ve craved the touch of another person.”
I realise my face is very red, even though this is exactly where I wanted
tonight’s conversation to go.
Edward and Richard join the circle, both waiting expectantly for my
answer.
“Yes, well.” Suddenly there seems to be something caught in my throat,
and I cough.
All four men hold out their drinks at once, offering me something for my
throat.
It’s so sweet, that I hate having to shake my head, still coughing as I wave
them away.
“Thank you, but I think I need water.” I gasp the words, and they all nod
as one. Edward, who is closest to the table, grabs me a glass.
“You were saying,” he prompts, when I’ve had a few sips.
I shake my head. “Of course, I got lonely. Very lonely. And of course I
would’ve liked intimacy, though with the twins’ hearing as it is, I’m rather
glad I didn’t get it.” My face burns brighter, and I clear my throat again.
“But yes.” I make eye contact with each of them in turn. “The only thing
that got me through those nights was the memory of our night together. And
if I’m completely honest, that night is still very hazy in my mind.”
“You enjoyed it then, the night with the five of us.” James trails off, and I
nod.
“I did. I mean, I don’t remember a whole lot about it, like I said, but I
came away from that night feeling, well, feeling absolutely fantastic about
myself, if I’m completely honest. I’ve never felt so good after a night out, so
I figured that was probably a good sign that things went well, even though I
couldn’t remember much.”
“So, you’d do it again, if the situation arose?” Richard asks this time, and
I have to fight not to laugh. As if we are not in the situation right now! Still,
I’m pleased he asked and didn’t just assume.
I hold his gaze. “I would.”
“And if that situation happened to be now…” This time it’s Tam who has
trailed off. But it’s not hard to see what he’s asking. Everyone’s eyes are on
me, and it’s as though they are collectively holding their breath, waiting for
my answer.
I take a deep breath myself and force myself to be brave. “If that situation
happened to be now, I would say yes.”
There’s an audible sigh as all the men exhale together.
“Are you sure?” Edward asks.
“I’m positive,” I reply.
“With all of us?” he asks again.
“With all of you.”
“You don’t have to, you know. Just because we are all here. You can say
yes to some of us and no to others. That will be fine. You don’t need to feel
pressured into this just because we’re all standing here, staring you down. It’s
been years for you. You could start with one of us at a time and ease into it.”
I laugh. My heart is pounding, but there’s such a sense of giddy relief, of
joy, that finally I’ve said what I’ve been thinking for so long, and that they all
feel the same way in return, and that I’m safe here, that I know they will
listen to me, and stop if I need to.
Edward looks a bit put out, and I put a hand on the side of his face and
kiss him.
He’s surprised, at first, but he relaxes, and then he returns the kiss.
James is cheering in the background, and I break off the kiss, flushed and
smiling.
“I want all of you. I’ve wanted all of you again ever since that night we
had together. That was so hot! But since I’ve met you, and gotten to know
you all, properly, as people, not just as men, I’ve wanted you even more.”
Richard trails a hand down my arm and kisses my neck from behind.
“You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that.” His voice is husky,
and I close my eyes at the shiver that travels my spine in response to his lips
on my skin.
I turn my head to kiss him, reaching out for Edward’s hand as I do to
place it on my breast.
Soon Tam has lowered the strap of my dress, and his mouth is on my
other nipple, as Richard’s hand hitches up my skirt to find I’m already wet
between my legs. He murmurs in appreciation as James moves closer, to lay a
trail of kisses across my shoulder.
I moan as their touch overpowers my senses and I have no idea which
way to turn. Instead I let things happen, reaching my hands to stroke the
bulge in Edward and Tam’s trousers, giving them a squeeze as their cocks
pulse in reply.
But it’s been so long since I’ve been touched and since I’ve touched
another person. Having four people surrounding me, four people touching
me, is a bit too much to take. Soon I’m overwhelmed again, and I have to
shake my head.
“No. Stop. Wait.”
Almost as one they pull away, jerking back as though they’ve been burnt.
“Are you okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Sorry.”
I squeeze my eyes shut as tears threaten. I will not cry in front of these
men. My husbands. I won’t make them feel bad for my body betraying me.
I take a deep breath, sucking air in through my nose, holding it in my
chest until it burns, and then pushing it out through my mouth. Finally, I get
control over my wayward tear-ducts and I open my eyes.
They are all looking at me with such concern and care that the tears well
up again and slide down my cheeks.
“Bloody tears!” I rub my face with the back of a hand and laugh.
“Let’s sit down,” Richard says.
There are only two chairs in this room, so the men carry those and we
head through to Richard’s bedroom, where I perch on the end of the bed with
James and Tam either side, and Edward and Richard on the chairs in front.
I shake my head again, wiping my eyes with a handkerchief Richard
passes to me.
“I’m so sorry.” I feel such a fool.
“Don’t be,” James says, squeezing my shoulder.
“We’ve rushed into this, we should’ve taken our time,” Richard says.
“We’ll wait until you’re ready,” Tam adds.
“But I am ready!” I catch each of their eyes in turn. “I’ve been dreaming
of this ever since the night it happened! I’ve wanted it so much. It felt so
good, it really did. I just—”
“You just haven’t had any sort of intimacy with anyone for so long, that
we overwhelmed you.” Richard’s gaze catches mine.
I nod. “Yes,” I say with a sigh.
“Then we will wait.”
I shake my head again.
“I don’t want to wait. Who knows when this opportunity will arise
again?”
“We’re here, always available. It could be tomorrow night if you wished
it.” James smirks and I can’t help but laugh.
“Maybe. Maybe something else could pop up to prevent it.”
“Then what would you like?”
I close my eyes and take another deep breath.
“I think I need slow.” I open my eyes again, to see the men nodding in
agreement. “Maybe be one person touching me at a time, until I’ve warmed
up a bit, and then someone else can join in.”
They all nod. “We can do slow.”
Richard pulls me to my feet, and wraps his arms around my waist, and
kisses me. Slow pecks that become deeper, tongues flicking between lips,
then delving in deep. I close my eyes, focus my attention completely on the
sense of touch, the softness of his lips, the gentle pressure of his tongue.
My breasts are rubbing against his chest, and my nipples harden. There’s
a dampness between my legs when Richard pulls back, a thumb stroking
gently down the side of my face.
“You’re still a beautiful woman, you know that?”
I blush. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” I say. “But I’m glad you
think so.”
“I think we all do.” James enters the room carrying a small tray of food,
with Tam and Edward behind him with some more food and drink.
I hadn’t even realised they’d left the room.
James brings me a drink over, and I take a large mouthful.
“Whoa! Easy there.” James smiles at me. “Don’t want you to get yourself
too drunk to carry on with this. We can stop.”
I nod. “I know.” But I don’t want to get drunk. I want to remember this
experience in vivid detail, every moment of it. What I do want is just enough
alcohol to numb the butterflies dancing in my stomach. I don’t want to let
fear get in the way of this experience I’ve been dreaming of for so long. I’m
sick of letting fear win out.
I pass my glass to Edward and take a tentative step closer to James. He
smiles down at me as I rest my hands on his chest and stretch up to press my
lips against his.
He smells so good. Richard smells of aftershave, which is nice enough,
but James smells of hard work, a musky body odour that has lingered even
after a shower. I can smell the faint vanilla scent of his soap, dulling down,
and making palatable the sharp scent of his sweat.
James hasn’t trimmed his beard for a few days, and the prickle of his
whiskers tickles my chin. I break off the kiss to rub my cheek against his, my
eyes closed to better enjoy the sensation.
“I forgot I liked that,” I murmur.
“Like what?” His voice is husky.
I grin. “Several days’ growth on a man’s chin.”
He nuzzles down into my neck, tickling me, and I giggle.
“Now there’s an advantage I have that you fellows don’t.” He’s grinning,
teasing them, but he’s right. The other men are all freshly shaven, their
cheeks and chins smooth and hair free.
“I’ll have to grow a beard,” Edward says, winking at me.
“How hairy do you like your men?” Tam is rubbing his chin in an
exaggerated gesture. Richard seems to pick up his point and he laughs.
“We could all become very hairy, very fast, if that’s your thing.” He
winks, too, and now it’s my turn to laugh.
“Thanks, but, no thanks. I like skin on skin contact, thank you very much.
I imagine full body fur would get in the way of that!”
“We could always test it out.” Edward grins again, and James steps away.
I move forward to wrap my arms around Edward.
“Honestly,” I say. “Richard showed me a proper transformation recently,
and I think I much prefer human form. It’s a little less terrifying.”
Everyone laughs.
“Fair enough,” Edward says, leaning in for a kiss.
He also smells of aftershave, something spicier than Richard’s, and while
nothing compares to the more natural scent of James, I still find the scent
turning me on. I push my tongue between his lips to kiss him deeply.
By the time I turn to Tam I’m lightheaded and breathless.
My whole body feels alive, tingling in anticipation of the touch that must
be coming.
I direct Tam’s hands to my breasts. At first he simply rests his hands
either side, his thumbs cupping my nipples. But then he begins to trace circles
around my nipples with his thumbs and to gently squeeze my breasts between
thumb and forefinger. He kisses his way down my throat, his hands sliding
down my sides to cup my bottom.
I open my eyes to see the other men watching, their desire, their need to
be part of this so strong, I can feel it in the air. I reach out a hand towards
Richard, who approaches from behind.
“Are you sure?” he whispers, and I nod.
He brings his lips to mine and kisses deeply and slowly. Meanwhile Tam
has exposed a breast, and when his tongue flicks against my nipple, I moan
into Richard’s mouth.
“What do you like?” Richard pulls away to ask me.
I have to shake my head. “I can’t remember,” I answer honestly.
“Well, we’ll have to find out for you, won’t we?”
28
RICHARD
“Y
ou can’t remember?” It shouldn’t be a surprise to me, but
somehow it is, and my heart aches for this woman and
everything she’s been through.
“Then we’ll have to rediscover that for you, won’t we?”
I lean in to kiss her, and I can feel it, smell it on her, the need for this
intimacy, the desperation to know, through touch and kiss and caress, that she
is loved.
I slide the other strap of her dress slowly across her shoulder, my
fingertips barely brushing the surface of her skin. There’s an electricity about
this sort of touch. It builds anticipation, expectation, and I can sense by her
increased heart rate and shallow breathing it’s working on Andrea, too.
I lean in her kiss her lips again, and then trail kisses along her jawline
until I reach her ear. I pause, just for a second, and then blow, ever so gently
behind her ear, sending another shiver along her spine. I brush my lips across
her ear lobe, and then reach out my tongue to flick and circle, and then pull
her lobe into my mouth to suck.
She lets out a long low moan.
“You like that then?” I’m deliberately keeping my mouth close to her ear,
my voice low. It’s a technique that works for many women, and from
Andrea’s response, it’s working for her, too.
She nods. “Yes.”
I grin and continue to kiss and suck on her ear. Tam is working his way
down her body, but now James has tapped him on the shoulder and he’s
stepped aside. James is lowering Andrea’s dress and continuing to kiss down
her torso.
Edward has moved to sit on the floor and he has her feet in his hands, his
fingers applying expert pressure.
She moans again, deep and breathy.
“That feels so good.”
“Which bit?” I ask.
She opens her eyes to catch each of our questioning gazes.
“All of it.”
Tam seems helpless for a moment, until he takes one of her hands and
begins to massage that, and Andrea opens her eyes to look at him. “So nice,”
she says.
My cock is pulsing against my trousers, I’m desperate to release it and
release some of this building pressure, but I can’t, not yet. I bring my kisses
down her neck and reach out to roll a nipple between my fingers.
Andrea has closed her eyes again, but she’s pressing out her chest and
widening her legs for James, who has just reached her cleft.
He slides the dress down, over her knickers, his thumb brushing over her
clit as he pushes it down to Edward, who slides it over her feet to remove it
completely.
James removes her knickers and brings his mouth close to her. He blows
gently across her pubic hair. He’s teasing her now, and then turns his head to
give gentle kisses up the inside of first one thigh and then the other.
She trembles at his touch and when he turns his head to flick her clit with
his tongue, her whole body jolts and she cries out.
He stops. “Is that okay?”
“Don’t stop.” She’s spread her legs wider, arching her back, and James
gladly resumes his task.
It’s too much for Tam, who has dropped her hand and taken a step back
to release his cock. He’s pulling it now, panting as he watches us.
29
ANDREA
J
ames’ mouth on my cleft sends every other sensation to the
background.
His breath is warm, his tongue soft, and he traces my lips and clit
so gently it feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I’m melting at his
touch. My whole body is sinking into the bed, and my legs are spreading
wider of their own accord, welcoming him in, inviting him, begging him, to
continue.
His tongue finds my entrance, he pushes in, and I gasp. He thrusts with
his tongue, and then I’m suddenly aware again of Edward’s mouth on my
breast, Richard nibbling my ear, and my hips begin to grind against James’
face. The thrill travels my body all the way from my cleft to the top of my
head, and I’m in ecstasy. I don’t want it to stop!
I moan, long and low, and throw my head back, which is when I catch
sight of Tam, pulling himself as he watches us. For some reason that is
enough to send me over, and an orgasm rips through my body, sending my
back arching. I’m so stunned by its intensity and how quickly it built up. I
was barely expecting it. Then again, I haven’t been with a man in over eleven
years. Let’s face it, a hand is nothing when compared to four buff men, all
lathering me with their attention.
When it’s over I sink back into the men all around me.
“That worked, then?” Richard asks, a grin on his face.
“Oh, yes. That worked.” My eyes are closed, my body still soaking up the
sensations.
“Do you think you’re ready for cock?”
I open my eyes and grin up at Richard. “Thought you’d never ask.”
James stands up, wiping his mouth on his shirt, and Richard comes
around to my front, to stand between my legs.
He kisses me. I pull his shirt out of his pants and slide my hands up
underneath, to enjoy the feeling of his strong chest. I fumble with his pants,
undoing the belt and the button and the fly, until I release his cock, thick and
hard and pulsing, into my hand.
He groans as I wrap my hand around him, gently squeezing and pulling,
getting a feel for his length and girth.
Someone comes up behind me on the bed. It’s Tam, I realise, and he’s
reaching around to cup my breasts, circling and squeezing the nipples.
“Before we go any further,” Richard starts, and I look up at him. “We
should talk about protection.”
“Protection?” I reply, momentarily confused. Doesn’t he have a whole
house full of guards?
He raises a brow. “Condoms. I have a packet in my drawer.”
I contemplate that for a moment.
“Are you all healthy?”
There is a chorus of yes’s.
“So am I,” I say, though I realise how pointless that is, seeing as I’ve
been locked away for so long.
“What I’m wondering, though. Is how you feel about falling pregnant
again?” Richard gaze is holding mine, and I sense a shared holding of breath
as the men wait for my response. Do they want more children? Or are two
enough? And what about me?
The thought of another pregnancy, this time surrounded and cared for by
the fathers, with full support from a range of people, and the possibility of
siblings for the twins almost makes my heart burst.
“I would be happy to fall pregnant again,” I say, catching each of their
gazes. “But if you guys don’t want any more children, then you can use a
condom.”
There’s an out rush of breath and grins all around. “I’d love more
children,” Tam says, grinning at me, and everyone else is in agreement.
“Alright then.” Richard grins. “Back to it.”
He presses his cock against my cleft, his gaze holding mine as he eases
his way in. I spread my legs wider, wrapping them around his hips to give
him easier access. His arms are around my shoulders and he holds my gaze,
his pupils wide, as he slowly and gently fills me up.
“God, you feel good, Andrea.” His voice is gruff, and I feel a thrill that I
can still affect a man in this way.
“You feel amazing yourself.” My voice is breathy, too, my focus
completely on the sensations riding my body, the fullness between my legs,
when Richard begins to slowly withdraw.
I close my eyes. I’d forgotten how good this felt, to be so close to another
human being, to be embraced by them, safe and warm and loved.
His movements are slow and steady, and I can feel the orgasm building in
me again, just as slow and just as steady, but desperate for more.
Tam has moved away, and Edward comes up behind me now.
I twist my head to kiss him, and his hand caresses the side of my neck. He
pulls away, holds eye contact.
“Have you ever tried anal?”
I shake my head.
“Would you like to?”
“Um, actually-“ Richard interrupts, pausing mid thrust. “You have tried
anal, with us, about twelve years ago.”
My eyes widen. “I did?” Of all the things to forget!
“You seemed to like it,” James says. “There was certainly a lot of
moaning going on, and from memory you came, several times in quick
succession.”
“Do you want to try again?” Edward asks.
I take a moment to think about it. I mean, I know I was always curious
about anal. It was something I always wanted to try, but never had the
opportunity to. At least, that’s what I always believed! To learn now I have
done it before, and apparently enjoyed it, is kind of irritating, and I’m even
more angry than I was before with my younger self, for her reckless drinking.
Still, if I enjoyed it before, at least there’s a good chance I’ll enjoy it again,
right? But first I want to be sure I’m on the same train of thought as Edward.
“Right now?”
He nods. “You could be on top of Richard and I could be behind you. If
you’re up for it?”
The thought of being filled by two men at once must have brought some
sort of memory to my brain, because my whole body tingles like I’m
desperate for it.
“Yes, please.”
Edward moves from behind me and Richard lifts me up, manouvering so
that he sits himself down as far onto the bed as possible. He lays down,
pulling me down on top of him, and bringing me straight into a kiss as his
hands caress my body.
I feel Edward come up behind me. His hands are warm on my hips, but he
leans up and across, to kiss the back of my neck.
“Any time you want to stop, you let me know.”
I nod, breaking off the kiss with Richard to answer.
“I will.”
I kiss Richard again, and Edward trails kisses all the way down my spine,
until he reaches my backside. When his tongue circles the hole between my
buttocks, a shiver travels all the way back up my body. I close my eyes and
moan.
Richard thrusts gently inside me, and then James is kneeling near my
head, holding his erection.
I glance up, reaching out to pull him towards me, grinning as we make
eye contact.
“You are so sexy, you know?” His voice is husky, as I close my mouth
over his cock and begin to suck.
Behind me Edward’s tongue presses into me, and I moan around James’
cock. Richard’s cock is so thick, I feel so full already, and with Edward
working my backside I feel like I’m going to come again at any moment.
When Tam squirms his way onto the bed, laying between Richard’s body
and James’ legs, to take my nipple in his mouth, another orgasm rips through
my body, sending my eyes rolling back in my head.
Edward waits till I’m relaxed again and places one hand on the small of
my back.
“I’ve got some lube, here, okay?”
I release James’ cock to nod my assent.
“It’s going to be cold.”
I raise an eyebrow. “They haven’t invented warm lube, in all that time
I’ve been locked away?”
They all laugh, and Edward makes an exaggerated sigh. “Sadly, no.”
An icy cold liquid sends a jolt up my spine and I shudder.
“Sorry,” Edward says.
“I don’t remember it being that cold. Do you fellas keep your lube in the
fridge?”
“No. But next time we’ll remember to warm it up before we use it.” He
presses his cock against my back entrance, the warmth of it somehow
soothing after the cold of the lube. I wiggle slightly on Richard, offering
myself up to Edward.
I reach out to take James’ again, running my tongue around the head, and
up and down along the soft skin on the underside of his cock.
“We’ll take this nice and slow,” he says, resting a warm hand on my
lower back. “Okay? Whenever you want me to stop, just tell me.”
I release James’ cock again. “Just fuck me already, Edward!”
The men laugh.
“Is that how we get you to talk dirty?” Richard asks. “Just make you so
desperate you can’t handle the wait anymore?”
I laugh and take James’ cock in my hand. I want to focus on this
experience as best I can, and I can’t focus completely on Edward if I’m
sucking on James.
“Alright,” Edward says. “Now just relax.”
Richard is still underneath me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath,
letting it out in one big whoosh.
Edward pushes his cock in. It’s so tight I can feel the skin stretching, not
hurting, not yet, but I’m scared it might start to hurt soon, and for a moment I
want to tell him to stop. But my curiosity gets the better of me and I breathe
through the stretch, arching my back so he has easier access.
He’s so slow and gentle, and as he eases his cock into me the stretch
eases, and soon his cock is deep inside me. He’s leaning across my back, his
arms stuck out either side of me and Richard, supporting his weight.
“How’s that?” he asks.
“Amazing,” I breathe the words, my eyes still closed, aware of the press
of both men’s chests above and below me and the fullness of their cocks
inside me.
“Shall we continue?”
I nod, and Edward begins to withdraw, sliding almost all the way out
before pressing back in again. Soon his thrusts speed up, and Richard begins
to move in time, and then James has pressed his cock against my face and
I’m opening my mouth to take him, Tam has moved to kneel next to James
and is pulling on his cock, and it’s all so overwhelming and yet so incredibly
satisfying.
“Fuck this is sexy,” James murmurs, running his fingers through my hair.
“I forgot how damn fine this was, the first time around.”
“You got that right,” Edward replies. “You are one amazing woman,
Andrea. You’ve given me so many experiences I never thought I’d have.”
“Two orgies?” Richard asks.
Edward laughs. “Well, yes two orgies, and two children. They’re pretty
much at the top of my ‘things I never expected to ever happen’ list.”
Everyone laughs, and I let James’ cock fall from my mouth.
“Glad I could help.” I wink.
30
RICHARD
W
atching Andrea suck James’ cock, feeling Edward’s cock
moving inside her, through the wall of her vagina, it’s more
than I can handle. I pound harder, faster, thrusting with all my
might to fill her with my seed. She releases James’ cock and I see her eyes
roll back in her head. She moans, and then I’m coming, and she’s coming,
and James and Tam announce simultaneously that they are about to come,
and she gestures with her hands for them to move closer and she closes her
mouth over the tips of both their cocks as they come together and then
Edward announces that he is coming and then we all collapse on the bed.
Andrea is giggling. She’s collapsed onto my chest, and her whole body is
rocking, and she is actually giggling.
“Are you okay?” I ask. It seems a silly question to ask, after all, she’s
laughing. But it’s not an effect I’ve ever had on women before. I’m not
entirely sure whether the laughter is a good or a bad thing.
Andrea nods, taking several deep breaths to calm herself.
“It tickled,” she says eventually, pushing herself up so I can see her face.
“When Tam and James both came in my mouth it sort of crossed each other,
and sprayed and tickled the inside of my mouth, and then I had an image of
you and Edward’s semen doing the same thing and I just felt deliriously
happy that this has finally happened for us, and it all just seemed so funny.”
She’s wiping her eyes, now, and takes a moment to look at all four of us.
“I really did have quite a lot to drink, the first time we did this. I can’t
remember a whole lot, except that I felt so satisfied afterwards, more fulfilled
than I’d ever felt before. I always wanted to try it again, especially with all
those nights, trapped alone in a bunker. I never imagined the opportunity
would ever arise again. I’m so glad it has.”
“I think we’re all pleased we’ve found you again, Andrea.” James sits on
the bed next to us. “Because I do remember that night, in detail, and I’ve
relived it every night since, hoping for a replay.”
“It’s certainly been the first to come to mind whenever I need to relieve
myself,” Tam says with a wink, and we’re all laughing now. I take that to
mean that we’re all in the same boat there.
Tam goes to get more food and drink. We manage to fit ourselves on my
very large bed and drink and eat, and reminisce about the past and plan for
what looks to be a particularly fulfilling future.
One by one Tam, and James, and Edward disappear off to their own
rooms, leaving Andrea curled up in my bed.
“I guess I should go too,” she says, as Edward says his goodnights and
disappears out the door.
“You don’t have to.” I lay on the bed with her, marvelling at the turn of
events that has led to her being here.
A slow smile stretches across her face, and she reaches out a hand to rest
in the centre of my chest.
“You’re saying I can stay? All night?”
I nod, taking her hand to kiss her fingers.
“Don’t you have work tomorrow?”
I shrug. “I doubt having you in my bed will affect tomorrow’s work.”
“But what if I’m not sleepy?” There’s a suggestive glint in her eye and I
grin.
“I’m sure we can find other ways to spend the time.”
She leans over, her lips pressing softly against mine. Her voice is husky
when she speaks again.
“Glad to hear it.”
31
ANDREA
L
ast night was amazing. I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve been so
long without sex, or if it is because it really was the best sexual
experience of my life, but, I have to say, it is most definitely the
best sexual experience of my life. Four men, pleasuring me. Wow!
And then after that, when they’d all gone, it was just Richard and I. He
was so gentle and sweet. I think that moment is when I properly fell in love
with him, for real.
I’m on cloud nine.
I wake up in Richard’s bed, in Richard’s arms, and not only do I
remember every single intimate detail about the night before, I feel so warm,
and safe, and loved.
Last night I admitted to Richard that I wasn’t sure if it was okay to sleep
with the others, because although we are all married, I am living in his house.
I was so worried about losing my children that I’d held back from asking,
which I know was silly, but after years living in a bunker, your mind does
start to doubt what might be real and what might not be.
Richard told me he and the others had held back because they didn’t want
me to feel pressured. None of them wanted me to feel like I had to have sex
with them again, just because I’d done so in the past, or because we were
now married. He told me that I could have sex with any of them, at any time
and the only person I had to worry about was me. That he, and James, and
Tam and Edward, would all worry about themselves and decide for
themselves how they felt in any one moment. I only needed to worry about
myself and not a bunch of other adult men.
As soon as he said those words, for the first time in my life, I feel free.
I am no longer solely responsible for two children. I have four husbands
to help with every aspect of parenting them. I no longer have to stay within
four cramped walls, just to feel safe, as I am surrounded by people who love
and care for me and my children, and will protect us with their lives.
There’s just one little blemish in all of that.
My father.
The thought puts a dampener on my previous sense of relief.
I remember all those times as a child he would come home from work
and we would go for walks to the park, or he’d read me a story, or build me a
go-cart. I remember feeling safe in his arms, or riding on his shoulders,
knowing that no one could harm me because my father would always be there
for me.
Richard reluctantly excuses himself from the bed to dress for work. He’s
already had a coffee I’ve learned he has one delivered every morning. It’s
both a wakeup call and a caffeine hit, and now I follow him to the bathroom,
where he brushes his teeth.
“The children have gone with Tam this morning,” he tells me, rinsing out
his mouth before turning to give me a kiss. “He’s gone to show them the
museum, take them on an excursion for the day.”
“So, does that mean we’re free?” I raise an eyebrow in what I hope is a
suggestive way and Richard laughs.
“Rediscovered your libido, have we?” He places a hand on my waist and
kisses me, long and deep before pulling away, a twinkle in his eye. “As much
as I would love to join you, I have a whole string of meetings I can’t possibly
get out of today. You might have to check with Edward and James.”
I feel a stab of disappointment and dismiss it. Silly, when I have several
men to choose from. The thought makes me giggle, and Richard places a kiss
on my forehead as he fixes his tie.
“You have a good day now,” he says with a smile.
“You too.” I grin.
I head to the dining room to find the last of breakfast available in the
warming pans. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and fried mushrooms fills me,
with a fresh coffee to top it all off.
I feel a bit lost. I have not ever not woken up with my children, or served
them breakfast, or discussed how well they slept or what our plans were for
the day.
I wander aimlessly for a while. I’m not entirely sure where James and
Edward would be at this time of the day, and now that I’m awake properly
and have had breakfast, I feel a bit more like I should do something
productive with my day, rather than lounging about in bed for most of it.
I head to my room, pleased to find two new letters from Ellen and
Matthew. They’ve confirmed that they are funding the government faction
that is opposing father’s, and all the gossip that’s arisen over that. Apparently
they got hold of my heartfelt speech. Ellen says she was in tears watching it
and apologised profusely for not being truly aware of what I was going
through.
They say they are going to try and get my speech aired throughout New
Yorka, as in most places it was broadcast, it was cut off very soon after it
started. No one saw or heard the story. Their faction is polling at almost
exactly 50% of the votes, and they’re convinced that if more people heard it,
then support for their faction would grow. They’d be able to overthrow my
father easily.
It gives me an idea, and I set about writing back to them, and pondering
how to put it to Richard.
32
RICHARD
M
y day is long with meetings, first informing me on various
pockets of rebellion that are starting to pop up over the werewolf
city, and then on how best to quell these rebellions.
There are those who feel that going to war with the humans is the only
way to deal with Andrea’s father. Werewolves won in the last human against
werewolf war, and these groups are arguing that there’s no reason we
wouldn’t win again. We’re still stronger than humans, and on top of that, we
control all access to fresh water, while they have to rely on desalination
plants. To make matters worse for the humans, there aren’t enough
desalination plants to keep up with the needs of the people, and there are
water restrictions all across New Yorka and even in the outlying towns,
Those arguments are probably right. There is absolutely no reason why
we wouldn’t win, but winning a war still means losses for many people, and
I’m not about to risk the lives of millions of innocent people, human or
werewolf, just because one human has let power go to his head and wants to
rule everything.
Getting this through the brains of some of those present is easier said than
done, however, and by the end of the day I’m exhausted from repeating
myself over and over again about the importance of staying strong against
such juvenile tactics.
Andrea’s siblings’ faction doesn’t seem to have made much more ground
since they first appeared, attracting any one who was going to support such a
party within the first few days, and not able to convince any one else since.
That’s how the numbers look at least.
I arrive home, and the first thing I do is shower, washing the sweat and
grime of filtered recycled air off me, and changing into something more
comfortable.
I’ve never looked forward to coming home after work. It always seemed
ridiculous to have an enormous house with no one to fill it, but now I have a
family waiting for me, children who babble over each other in constant
conversation about their day and their thoughts and plans and wishes, and
I’ve never been happier to shed my suit and make my way to the dinner table.
It’s no different tonight. Tam, James, and Edward have joined us, as is the
custom since we officially became family, and there is such a glow about
Jenna and Liam’s eyes, such excitement, that all my worries from the work
day are pushed into the back of my mind.
Andrea’s eyes are shining tonight too, and I wonder if she did hook up
with Edward, or James, or both. It’s hard to tell, the three other men all look
quite pleased with themselves, but that could just be because we had such an
incredibly sexy night together the night before.
As always the children provide most of the conversation and commentary
over dinner, discussing tonight how much they enjoyed visiting the Natural
History Museum with Tam today, and which bits were their favourite.
“The skeleton of the wolf mid-transformation was terrifying,” Liam is
saying. “There are broken bones, they look like they’ve exploded, and are in
the process of reforming into something bigger!” His eyes are wide, and I can
see he’s thinking about exactly how that process might feel, when you are the
one going through it.
“It looks terrible,” Tam says, he’s obviously thinking along the same lines
as me, “but the actual experience is relatively pain free.”
“Like a tickle,” Edward says, and James laughs.
“Yes. A tickle, or like someone very lightly running a finger over your
skin, except it’s happening on the inside.”
“It wasn’t terrifying!” Jenna interrupts, frowning at her brother. “It was
amazing! So incredible to see what our bodies can do!”
By the time dessert is devoured, I am exhausted, but Andrea says she
wants to speak to me. James is keen to read the children their bedtime story,
so we return to my bedroom so I can get ready for bed while she speaks.
“I have an idea for putting an end to my father’s ridiculous war
mongering once and for all.”
My ears prick up, and I’m alert in an instant.
“I got a letter from Ellen and Matthew today. They would like to air my
speech in New Yorka again. They’re hoping it might help their fight against
my father. I wondered, what if we work with Ellen and Matthew’s faction? I
thought perhaps we could go public, and let everyone know we are working
with them, and that none of us want to go to war, that we would rather work
towards peace. We could talk about the trade that has been broken and how
it’s affecting both sides to some degree, but the humans worst of all, and how
we can repair it. We could also do also something with the twins, so we can
show my father’s followers that they are just happy, healthy children.”
I’ve wondered so many times throughout my lifetime what was stopping
me from settling down, and marrying. While I know it was because no other
female werewolf ever fell pregnant, part of me cannot help but wonder if fate
really is a thing, because Andrea seems to be the piece that helps everything
else fall into place. There is no way any werewolf wife would be able to help
me in the way Andrea is helping right now.
Her plan could well prevent bloodshed and war, and save so many
people.
She’s watching me, and I can hear her heart racing in her chest.
“So, is that okay?”
She’s biting her lip, and I realise that I’ve been so overwhelmed I’m just
staring at her.
I reach out and pull her into a kiss. She doesn’t respond at first, but then
she wraps her arms around me and kisses me back.
When we finally come up for air, I grin at her. “That is brilliant!”
A smile spreads across her face. “You like it?”
“I do.” A thought comes to me, and my brow furrows. “What about Ellen
and Matthew though? Will they agree?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know, though I don’t see why not. I have drafted a
letter to send. I wanted to check with you first.”
I grin. “You’re perfect, you know that!”
Her smile spreads even wider, and she runs a finger down the centre of
my chest.
“So,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “Do I get a reward for my brilliant
idea?”
My grin widens, and I pull her into bed.
“You can have any reward you want.”
33
ANDREA
R
ichard is so hot.
I’m laying in bed, for the second morning in a row, watching
him dress. I have never, in all my life, felt so content with my
situation. Even as a teenager, and when I was in my early twenties and life
was marvellous, I never felt this happy.
Richard is fixing his tie, ready for another day of meetings, but today
there’s a spring in his step. I can see how excited he is to be sharing my idea.
As for me, I have to post my letter and hope my siblings can get back to
us, sooner rather than later.
I drag myself out of bed, enjoying a long hot shower before strolling
down to the dining room.
The twins and James are still there this morning, Jenna and Liam so
excited to see me they both race over to wrap their arms around me, almost
knocking me over.
“Good morning! How did you sleep?”
The conversation is the usual babble, with Jenna taking up most of the
conversation and Liam interjecting when he gets a moment.
Through the excited chatter I learn that James, who is sitting at the table
nursing a cup of coffee, is taking them on another outing today.
“Would you like to join us?” he asks, as I gather up my plate of food and
sit opposite him.
“Sounds great! Where are we going?”
“I thought we’d do a hike today,” he says. “Climb to the top of Crescent
Mountain.” He’s grinning, and I get the sinking feeling that this is a hike
that’s going to be too much for me.
“That sounds difficult.”
He shrugs. “It’s steep in places. But I can carry you.” He winks. “It will
be a good way for the twins to burn off some of their excess energy. Plus—”
James lowers his voice and leans in close. “We have a surprise for the three
of you. We could save yours for later, but—”
He’s got my attention now. Can I survive a day wondering about what the
surprise might be, or am I strong enough to climb a mountain to find out
today?
Jenna has scoffed her breakfast already, and is up, jumping up and down
on the spot. “So, you’ll come with us, Mom? I feel like I haven’t seen you for
days!”
“It’s only been one,” I say.
“One and a bit,” Jenna argues.
I laugh. “All right, true. One and a bit.”
“So, you’ll come?”
I pretend to think about it for a while, and then I nod my head. “Of
course, I’ll come.”
Jenna wraps her arms around me, squealing her joy right in my ear.
“Shh…” I say, rubbing the side of my head. “Inside voices!”
“Sorry,” she whispers, and giggles.
The twins hang around while James and I get organised, or rather, while
James organises the three of us. He has spare back packs and water bottles,
and has had the chef prepare lunch and snacks for us all.
We reach the carpark just in time for morning tea, though James
recommends we put it off for half an hour.
“This first bit is probably the hardest of all,” he says, pointing to the steep
and rocky path climbing the hillside in front of us. “You’ll be wanting to stop
of refuel when we get to the first plateau. You don’t really want to be
climbing and trying to digest food at the same time. It’ll take too much
energy away from your muscles.”
I take his word for it. It’s been a long time since I was free to climb
mountains, and even then I’m pretty sure I never climbed one as big as
Crescent Mountain.
“So, this is what the city is named after?” Jenna asks.
James nods. “That’s right. Many of our older buildings are carved right
out of the mountain itself, like the museum you visited yesterday. Of course
we’ve spread out over the years, but that’s how we started.”
Liam shoulders his pack and sets out along the trail.
“Beat you there!” he calls back to his sister.
“Don’t go too far ahead,” James calls. Still he doesn’t seem too
concerned about it, when the twins vanish ahead and I slow him down.
“Do you want to go after the twins?” I ask, puffing and panting. We’ve
been walking for ten minutes, only a third of the way, and already I’m
exhausted. “Perhaps I should go back to the car?”
He shakes his head. “You’ll be fine. Like I said, this first bit is the
hardest. It gets easier after this.”
I shake my head, but I’m too worn out to respond.
James helps me by taking my pack, balancing it above his own, and
finally we arrive at the landing James mentioned, forty minutes after setting
out.
I collapse onto a bench, my head in my hands. “I am so unfit!”
James laughs. “You’re fine! You made it, didn’t you?”
He sits next to me, his arm across my shoulders.
“Now, it’s time for morning tea. And the most important part of this
walk, the view.”
I lift my head, and my mouth drops open.
From this vantage point the country is spread out around us, from a dark
and dusty mountain range to the north, through what can only be a sparkling
blue ocean to the west, and down to dry yellow plains in the south.
I have never before seen the landscape from this sort of height. I can see
New Yorka from here, tall spires and grey buildings, their windows glinting
in the sun, and of course the city of Crescent Mountains sprawls out beneath
us.
It’s enough to make me forget how tired I am, and I stand up for a closer
look.
“This is amazing!” I glance at James, the grin spread across his face from
ear to ear.
The twins are super impressed too, though having arrived ten minutes
before us they have moved on from the view, and are already eating the
muesli bars and fruit James packed for their snack.
“Wait till you see the view from the top,” he says, handing me my
morning tea and a water bottle.
I eat sitting at the edge of the plateau, the mountain falling away beneath
my feet. I can’t imagine how any view could be any better than this.
“Ready?” he asks, when we finish eating.
“You bet,” I say, earning a cheer from the twins, who keep reminding me
they were ready ages ago.
The path up the rest of the mountain is much easier, meandering as it does
around the sides rather than aiming for a straight-up approach, and though
when we reach the top my muscles certainly know I’ve been exercising, I am
not as physically worn out as I felt on that first section.
The twins reach the summit before James and I, of course, and their
cheers and whoops of joy echo back down the hill.
“Guess they made it.” I smile at James, whose eyes crinkle back at me.
“Not far now,” he agrees.
We get closer, and I hear the babble of voices, the twins trying to talk
over each other, as usual. But then it dawns on me, they aren’t talking to each
other, they’re talking to someone else.
“Another walker on the track today,” I comment, and James raises his
brows.
“So it seems.” He’s grinning, and I can’t help but feel he’s hiding
something. When I round a shrub, I find the children sitting at a table, all
decked out with decorations and a birthday cake, Edward sitting with them,
his smile wide.
“The surprise!” I’d completely forgotten. I walk over to Edward and
slump into the seat opposite him. “What is this?”
“We’ve missed out on so many birthdays,” Edward says. “So James and I
thought we might surprise you with a party on top of the world.” He spread
his arms out, and now I finally take in the view. Of course there are still the
mountains to the North and the sea to the West and the plains to South, but
now we have a 360 degree view of the landscape. From here it looks like the
land goes on forever, forest and plains and mountains, all stretched out as far
as the eye can see.
“Pretty incredible, hey?” James is standing next to me, his voice soft.
“It’s breath-taking,” I agree, unable to take my eyes off the view. “I’ve
never seen anything like it, never imagined for a moment that this country
could be so vast.” I’m quiet for a moment, wondering about the people who
live beyond those forests and mountains. A joyful squeal from Jenna brings
me back to the present and I glance up at James. “Thank you for bringing me
here. This has been one of the best experiences of my life.”
James smiles, but then there’s more noise behind us, and we turn.
“Time for cake!” Edward calls out, lighting candles that keep getting
blown out by the breeze. The twins laugh, and we all cup our hands around
the candles, desperate to get them to light. After a few minutes, Edward gives
up.
“Oh well, the thought was there,” he says.
“And so much appreciated!” I give him a hug as the children groan in
disappointment.
He grins. “We can have another cake tonight and light the candles at
home. How’s that?”
There are cheers, and I turn to Edward.
“When did you plan this?”
Edward glances at James and shrugs.
“It’s been on our minds for a while. Just wanted something amazing,
something to make up for the thirty-three birthdays we missed.
“Thirty-three?” I frown.
“Yes. Eleven of yours, eleven of Jenna’s and eleven of Liam’s.”
I laugh, and James speaks up.
“It took a while to come up with this, but finally we decided that a party
at the top of the world, might make up for all those underground, inside the
world.”
My eyes well up with tears. “Oh, that’s wonderful. That really is the
best!” I reach across the table to give Edward another hug and kiss, then
move to do the same to James, wiping away my tears with the back of my
hand.
“Mom’s crying again!” Jenna rolls her eyes as she helps herself to a piece
of cake.
“Your mom’s been through so much. She’s allowed to cry whenever she
needs to.” James speaks up and I give him another squeeze.
“You’re all so sweet.”
34
RICHARD
W
atching the relationships of those around me develop and grow
is such a wonderful feeling, and seeing just how Andrea and
Edward and James seem closer than ever after yesterday’s
birthday party is fantastic.
James and Edward had invited me to the birthday party, and if it hadn’t
been for those meetings, I would’ve been there in an instant!
But preventing war is more important than anything else right now, and I
can’t miss a day of doing whatever it takes to put a stop to it.
If Andrea’s father gets his way, we might none of us be celebrating a
birthday ever again.
Last night Andrea didn’t stay with me, and I gather from the satisfied
grins on her and James’ and Edward’s faces, that the three of them spent the
night together. I feel a pang of jealousy and push it aside. I was so tired last
night, I probably would have turned Andrea down if she’d suggested sex, and
besides, I’m not the only husband in this relationship. I had her to myself for
two nights in a row. I need to share.
The thought takes my mind back to the night with the five of us. Just as
hot as I remembered.
To end up with children from it seems almost too lucky.
“Good day yesterday?” I ask, my smile spreading as Andrea shines her
sparkling eyes on me. My heart feels fit to burst with joy, to see the change
she’s gone through over these past few months.
“Brilliant!” she says. “Shame you couldn’t make it.” She winks, and I
laugh. I don’t remember ever laughing this much before in my life.
“I’ll have to make sure I get there next time.”
“You will,” she says. Then she changes the subject. “How did the
meetings go?”
The room falls silent as James, Edward, and Tam, who just arrived, tune
in to hear my answer. I can feel the tension in the air, their nerves buzzing
from the combination of hope and fear.
“Everyone is so pleased with your suggestions. They’re very excited to
meet with Ellen and Matthew, if they also agree with your idea, and start
working towards some sort of peace.”
“I’m so glad to hear that!” Andrea beams a smile that lights up her whole
face. “Now, we just need to wait for a response from Ellen and Matthew.”
As she speaks there’s movement at the door.
“There’s mail for you, mom! It’s from Auntie Ellen and Uncle Matthew!”
Jenna is waving a particularly large parcel in the air, and Andrea frowns. I
gather she’s not expecting anything like this. What on earth could they have
sent back?
They tear it open eagerly, and Andrea pulls out small gifts for Jenna and
Liam, and cards, saying how much Ellen and Matthew are missing the twins
and their mom. Finally, at the bottom of the package, a letter for Andrea.
She skims over it first, and I swear everyone in the room is holding their
breath as we wait to hear what it says. She smiles and begins to read aloud.
‘That is such a brilliant idea, Andrea! We have heard from our supporters
that there are many in the wider community who doubt our policies are
legitimate, that they truly are what it is we want to do. They think we are just
an extra arm of Father’s, pretending to be different to appease the voters. But
if we air your speech, and you film another one, just as you’ve suggested, that
will be perfect! We can come and meet with Richard and the others, and
show everyone in New Yorka how serious we are about fixing this problem
once and for all.’
“Oh, I’m so glad they’re on board.” Andrea’s eyes have been tearing up
and she wipes them now, her smile wide.
“That is fantastic!” We’re all in agreeance.
“Guess I better call another meeting then,” I say with a grin.
“Another meeting?” Jenna sighs and slumps on the table.
I ruffle her hair. “With a bit of luck, my meeting-filled days will soon be
over, and I can spend much more time with you! Which is what I’d rather be
doing anyway.”
She grins, and Liam frowns at her. “If Da doesn’t prevent this war, then
we may as well have never left the bunker. It’ll be just like we’re back there
again, trying to escape the bombs.”
He’s always so serious, and I reach out to squeeze his shoulder. “I hope it
wouldn’t be exactly the same. After all, you’d have lots of other people to be
with, but yes, that has been my fear, too. But your mother’s excellent idea
will put a stop to it, I’m sure. We just need to put her plan into action.”
35
ANDREA
I
feel a strange sense of deju va as once again Richard’s hall is set up
with television cameras and film crew. They have a desk and chair
brought in for me, and this time I have my carefully planned out and
scripted speech. We’ve just taken the twins to the park, where we filmed
them running around and playing on some very old equipment, cleaned up for
the purpose of the news piece.
Now we’re back in Richard’s press release room, and I am waiting for the
countdown to let me know I can start.
I take a sip of water from the glass in front of me and glance up to see
Tam watching me.
“You’ll be great!” He mouths the words, giving me a thumbs up. He must
be able to hear my heart racing in my chest. I take a deep breath to try to slow
it down.
Finally, the camerawoman clears her throat and starts the countdown.
“On in five, four.” She breaks off, indicating the last three numbers with
her fingers.
The red light on the camera clicks on, and I’m live.
I start with a brief rundown of my last speech. I doubt there are many
who have not seen it now. Ellen and Matthew have made sure to air it at least
three times over the last two days, paying someone in my father’s office to
make sure he didn’t have the signal squashed by his equipment.
But I still want to remind people what the twins and I went through.
When that’s done I turn to the situation now. My father has stopped trade
with the werewolves, which means that there are few human produced goods
in the werewolf city. It is an inconvenience for those who have always liked
those goods. But the werewolves’ trade was fresh water from their lakes and
rivers.
I know my father has a desalination plant, but it cannot process water fast
enough to fill the needs of all the humans in the city, and they have been on
water restrictions ever since the trade ban came into place.
“The werewolves are more than happy to continue to trade. They do not
want war, they never have, but my father, the City Lord of New Yorka, has
been promoting fear and hatred, by spreading lies and severely exaggerating
truths. Werewolves can be dangerous, no one is denying that. But so, too, can
humans, and the skirmishes that have arisen over recent months are in
retaliation to the aggression that the humans have shown in the first place.” I
stare directly down the lense of the camera. “The werewolves, led by Richard
of the Crescent Mountain clan, are more than happy and willing to work with
humans, to live peacefully and productively together.”
Off camera Jenna and Liam are given a prod by Richard, and they run up
to the podium to stand either side of me. I wrap an arm around them and give
them a squeeze, before turning my attention back to the camera.
“You’ve seen my children play. They are just the same as any other child.
There are no monsters here, any more than there are monsters among the
humans.”
The red light disappears, and the camerawoman gives me the thumbs up.
“Brilliant work!” she says.
I don’t have time to be pleased. The live filming has just jumped to the
cameras set up on the front lawn, where Richard should be waiting with Ellen
and Matthew so they can be filmed shaking hands and declaring peace. I
don’t want to miss it.
The twins and I, and Tam, who has waited with us, race out a side door
and around the front of the building.
We arrive in time to see the handshake, and then Richard spots us and
waves us in front of the camera.
It’s the first time I’ve seen my siblings since they rescued us, all those
months ago, and it’s all I can do to hold back from hugging them. The twins
have no such control and they race at their aunt and uncle, jumping up into a
tight embrace. And then I’m hugging too, and crying from the joy of it.
Richard finishes by speaking directly into the camera, inviting my father
to meet with him, any location, any time.
“All we want is to be able to work together,” he says.
The film crew seem to be happy with what they have, and they start to
pack up, but I’m barely aware of it, catching up with my siblings who seem
to have aged so much in the recent few months.
Ellen has grey hairs now, not many, just a few pale streaks in her hair,
and Matthew has so many frown lines across his forehead.
“You have no idea what we went through, afterwards,” Ellen says in
reply to my querying. “I didn’t want to say anything in my letters. I didn’t
want you to worry or feel bad.”
“It took him a while to realise,” Matthew adds. “It was at least a week
before your guards realised they were guarding an empty bunker, and then
some more time for them to learn you weren’t coming back. The first time
your groceries were delivered the head guard told them you’d been moved,
but then he checked the delivery address and came back and insisted he was
to deliver there. We paid a few people to lie about your whereabouts, which
slowed them down a bit, but then the head of that section asked if his men
could be given a better job than guarding an empty bunker, and a few days
later your speech was aired.”
“He was furious,” Ellen continues. “He’d had cameras installed in the
corridors, and he spent hours going back through them himself, to learn how
and when you’d escaped. When he found the footage, he wanted to press
charges against us, but to do that he would have to admit he was holding you
prisoner in the first place. His lawyers recommended against that as he would
look even worse than he already does, so he couldn’t. We’re so lucky he
values his reputation above everything else. If it weren’t for that we’d
probably be imprisoned now ourselves.”
“You should’ve told me!” I reach out and give her another hug.
Ellen shakes her head. “You have been through eleven years of hell, all
because we were too scared to stand up to him. I wasn’t going to let you
worry about anything else. Besides,” she pulls away, and I can see there are
tears in the corners of her eyes, “we are fine now, and you and the twins are
safe and happy.”
She turns to look at Jenna and Liam, currently tugging Matthew by the
hand, eager to show him their new home. “And their happiness is the most
important thing of all.”
Matthew gives in and lets himself be dragged towards the house.
“Are you coming too, Aunt Ellen?” Jenna calls from across the lawn, and
I laugh. “You go. We can catch up properly later.”
36
RICHARD
H
aving Andrea’s siblings come and show their support and
acceptance of myself and therefore all werewolves, has been such
a great morale booster for the city. I can feel it as I walk through
the streets, the level of fear for the future has dropped, and everyone is lighter
on their feet, less reserved and scared.
Ellen and Matthew stayed for a night, heading back to New Yorka the
next day. Andrea and the twins had been so happy to have them visit that I
made them promise to come more often, and they, in turn, invited us, all
seven of us; Andrea, the twins, and Andrea’s four husbands, to come and
visit them, too.
That was a very brave move on their part. I’d seen the way their eyes
widened when they realised that the twins had four fathers and that Andrea
had married all of us, but they’d kept whatever opinions they might’ve had to
themselves and treated us all equally. I marvelled at how such well-adjusted
humans had possibly been raised by New Yorka’s most infamous City Lord.
But a week passed since then, and I still had no response from the man
himself.
Ellen and Matthew wrote to say they’d been refused entrance to see him,
either at home, where their mother still lived as well, or at his public office.
I had a feeling I already knew exactly how this was going to go, but just
to encourage things along, I sent out another public request to meet with him.
This time the reply was short and sweet.
“Have a look at this.” Andrea found me in my office, drafting a new trade
agreement. She switched on the news to an image of her father, his hands up
to cover his face as reporters tried to get up close.
“You haven’t responded to the werewolf leader’s request to meet. What
are you going to do?”
“I don’t meet with monsters. Especially not ones who kidnap and
brainwash my daughter.”
Andrea stiffens beside me, and I glance over. I hate to say it, but I have to
speak up.
“I know you want to work things out for the better, but do you really
think he’s salvageable?”
She looks at me, her eyes filled with tears. “I know it seems impossible.
But I have to try. I can’t give up on him, not until he’s met his grandchildren
face to face and still won’t give up on his foolish ideas. I’ve written him a
letter. I haven’t sent it yet, I wanted to let you know, first. But I need to meet
with him.”
I nod. “Very well. But I can’t let you and the twins go alone, not with his
past actions. I missed out on my children’s infancy and toddlerhood, and
early childhood. I’ve only just discovered you exist. I won’t lose the three of
you to that man again.” My voice wavers, and I swallow the lump that’s
formed in my throat.
Andrea offers me a weak smile and nods. “Fair enough.”
It turns out Andrea’s father is keen to meet up with his daughter, though
when he suggests his home, with no werewolf presence, I refuse.
There ends up being a week of letters travelling back and forth,
negotiating places and times, and finally he gives in and accepts a private
meeting at a park, exactly half way between Crescent Mountains and New
Yorka, where I can have my guards, and he can have his.
It’s a tense situation. I’m terrified his guards will turn on the twins and
that something terrible will happen before we have a chance to move. To
show strength, and hopefully inspire some fear in the human guards, I have
half my men and women in werewolf form, ready and watching.
I want to come forward with Andrea, but she insists she should go alone,
with just Jenna and Liam by her side. Still Edward and James and Tam and I
are all present, waiting and watching.
I can hear Andrea’s heart racing even from across the park, though her
father doesn’t seem at all perturbed by our presence. I briefly wonder if he
actually has a heart, but then I hear it, a great lumbering bass with an odd
rhythm to it. He’s not long for this world. I can’t help but be pleased, that no
matter what happens, he’ll soon pass on to whatever after death, and Andrea
and the twins will be free of his madness. I listen in as she introduces the
twins, my fists clenching when he barely gives them a cursory glance and
then turns his attention back to her.
He gestures at my guards and makes a comment about us being monsters,
about it not being long before the children become monsters too.
Andrea cries, begging him to look into their eyes, to see their humanity,
but he refuses.
He tells her she needs to stop being so childish and come home. He says
she can leave the children with us if that’s what she wants, a statement he
follows with a warning about how by doing so she is only strengthening the
werewolf ‘pack’.
She clenches her fists and shouts at him, but it doesn’t matter. He’s made
up his mind, as the rest of us already knew he had.
She’s given up. Her fists are loosening, her shoulders sagging, and she
turns away. I can feel how heartbroken she is, how her hope is shattering.
I’m so caught up with how devastated she is feeling that I don’t notice the
two guards emerging from the City Lord’s car. Not until they have their
hands wrapped around Andrea’s arms and are pulling her back do I realise
what’s happening, and then everything that happens after is such a rush.
Andrea’s father’s guards fire on mine, who are ready for such an attack
and spring at them. Edward, Tam, James and I all transform, but before we
get close there are two other werewolves, smaller, faster, and far more agile.
They’ve torn Andrea from the guards and bundled the guards and Andrea’s
father up against the car, snarling and snapping.
We transform back, Andrea running to Tam who is the closest, sobbing
into his chest.
Our guards have the human guards disarmed, Andrea’s father sinks to his
knees and cowers against the car.
Before our eyes the children transform back into their human shape.
“You threaten our mother again, and you will have an entire werewolf
army after you.” Jenna is still in a crouch, teeth bared, her expression
ferocious even in human form, and I’m astounded at how controlled their first
transformation was. Have we prepared them this well, or is this just some
other special trait they’ve developed after being locked away for so long?
He nods, and I see he’s sobbing as he climbs into the car, he and his
entire entourage driving away without their weapons.
“What happened?” I ask anyone who happens to be listening. That all
went down far easier than I imagined was possible. “Is anyone injured?”
A couple of people are bleeding, where bullets skimmed past arms and
heads, but we have no casualties, and James is quick to answer the why.
“The humans were caught off guard by the children transforming,” he
says. “Some of them must’ve seen it and couldn’t look away, and then more
realised what had happened, so their attention was on the children, instead of
our guards.”
“We scared ‘em, didn’t we!” Jenna has a huge grin across her face. “They
left so fast! And the looks on their faces! They won’t be back anytime soon!”
“Can you smell that waft?” Liam scrunches up his nose. “From the scent
of things, I’d say some of them soiled their pants!”
The children are laughing, they’re so proud of themselves.
“You controlled yourselves well for your first change,” James says,
clapping them both the shoulder. “That’s really impressive. But you have to
remember we don’t want them to be scared of us, we want them to work with
us.”
“Well,” Jenna says, “it’s just like the guards mentioned the other day. All
the humans need to know what we’re capable of. They won’t respect us
otherwise. Now they know what we can do and what we’re not doing because
we want peace, and not war.”
“The guard?” I asked, my ears pricking.
Jenna’s face goes red, and she mumbles something under her breath.
“Seems I’ll have to have a word with my guards.”
37
ANDREA
I
’m so stunned. My children’s first transformation, and I didn’t even see
it until they were already tiny wolves, their small bodies strengthened
by eleven years of anger and frustration built up inside a bunker, and all
directed at my father.
But that is not what has stunned me the most.
Richard was right. Richard, and Tam, and Edward and James. They all
warned me about my father, but I couldn’t hear it. I wouldn’t hear it. I’d held
on so strongly to that memory of how he was when I was a child, that I
couldn’t see what he had become. I was so certain that if he just laid eyes on
his grandchildren, he would see how wonderful they are. His heart would
melt, and he’d regret all his past actions.
But he didn’t, and he doesn’t.
The worst thing is I can’t seem to let go of that. How can a parent not
love their child enough to at least make an effort to see things their way?
How can he look into the eyes of his very own grandchildren and not see
them for the wonderful little people they are?
Oh, that’s right. He can’t, because he couldn’t even look into their eyes.
I clench my fists at the memory. He didn’t even acknowledge them, not in
the slightest. It makes me so mad! How dare he stick to convictions that don’t
even make sense with what is presented to him and refuse to see what is
standing right there, in his face.
Typical arrogant arsehole.
“Well, that’s an improvement.”
I frown, glancing up at Richard. “How that that be an improvement?
That’s worse than before. He didn’t even look at them, Richard! He didn’t
even make eye contact.”
We’re in the car, driving back to Richard’s place.
Richard raises an eyebrow. “I’m not talking about your father, my dear
Andrea. I’m talking about you.”
My frown deepens. “What? Me? He’s made me so angry! How is
anything about this situation an improvement?”
“That’s exactly my point,” he says. “You’re all tense. Your breathing has
changed. You’re muttering under your breath.”
“I am?” My cheeks burn, but Richard doesn’t seem to notice.
“You’re not sad and weepy any more. You’re angry. And that is an
improvement because it means you’ve progressed through another stage of
grieving. You’ve been in denial, you’ve been sad. Now you’re angry. Good.
Work with that.”
“He doesn’t need us anyway, Mom,” Jenna says, her voice clear and
piping. “If he can’t see how awesome we all are, then that’s his loss. Not
ours. We have more than enough family. We don’t need him.”
Liam shuffles forward in his seat, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder.
“I’m sorry your dad is a meanie.”
I place my hand over his and catch his gaze. “Me too.”
Liam detangles his hand from mine and slides back into his seat.
“You’ve raised some pretty switched on kids there,” Richard says,
reaching out to take my hand.
“It’s a miracle,” I say. “Certainly nothing to do with me.”
“And how do you come to that conclusion?”
I shrug. “I’m not switched on. I don’t have all my shit together. How can
I possibly raise kids who do?”
Richard smiles again.
“It’s all about awareness, I think. You were aware of how terrible the
situation was, and you worked your butt off to make it the best it possibly
could be.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t aware of how blind I’ve been to my own father’s
lack. He’s changed so much, and he’s been this way for so long. I should’ve
realised it was too late, that the power has gone to his head. It’s now so
ingrained he can’t see anything else.”
Richard shakes his head. “You haven’t seen your father for eleven years,
Andrea, or twelve now! How could you possibly be expected to know how he
has changed over that time, or what he is like now? Although, thinking about
it, the fact that he locked you into a bunker should’ve been a pretty good sign
that his mental state is not the best.”
He grins at me again, and I can’t help but give him a playful slap.
“Don’t worry about it,” he continues. “It’s probably what kept you going
in that bunker, for all those years. The belief that he could be fixed. Because
you weren’t aware of any other ways of getting out.”
I nod mulling over his words.
Maybe that false hope I held is what kept us in there for so long. If I’d
convinced Ellen and Matt to find Richard earlier, then we might’ve been
saved all those years of imprisonment.
I shake my head. There is nothing I can do to change the past. I just have
to focus on the future.
38
RICHARD
T
he news is in.
We get to watch it live, after a phone call from Ellen to turn on
our screens and see the revolution that is happening in New Yorka.
The streets are overrun. Traffic has been brought to a standstill by the
massive number of humans who’ve taken to the streets, waving placards and
chanting for the removal of Andrea’s father, and in support of peace with the
werewolves.
I have never seen anything like it in all my life.
The camera, which must be on a high building to get the vantage point it
has, pans out to show what must be a million or more people, all packed in,
marching towards their City Lord’s office.
There’s some commentary on the movement, sweeping the city, and how
it takes only one person to stand up for what is right, or other people to find
the courage and inspiration to stand up, too, and then everything can change.
The view moves on to a different camera. Andrea’s father is behind a
locked door, the camera showing him escaping through a window and out
onto a fire escape. But it doesn’t save him. The camera changes again, to
another one, apparently waiting at the bottom of the fire escape. Guards
swarm in from all directions, clearly now taking Ellen’s directions, and they
take him by force.
In the excitement that camera is dropped and the screen goes fuzzy,
before we’re returned to a view of the people marching, and a promise to
keep the viewers posted as soon as they get another camera in.
By that evening it’s confirmed, not that we doubted what we’d seen.
Ellen and Matthew’s Government Faction has overthrown Andrea’s
father. He’s out of power, and what is even better, has been arrested, charged
with embezzlement and fraud, and for spreading lies that resulted in the
deaths of many people, human and werewolf alike.
In the weeks that follow, I watch the court proceedings. They’re made
public, to quell the gossip and rumours that spread so fast through the city.
Andrea comes and goes. She can’t stand to watch it all, just sneaks in for
a peak, before scurrying away again.
I don’t blame her. Her father is a heartless coward.
Even with all the evidence that is piled up against him, and all his former
staff members who are more than happy to speak out against him to save
their skins, and Andrea’s speeches, which she gave permission to be used in
court, he still claims he is the one who has been mistreated and
misunderstood.
Finally, the last day of the trial arrives. The jury has been locked away for
weeks now, unable to venture out and see what’s going on in the world
outside. They all looked tired and weary, and very much like they are looking
forward to having this whole show over and done with.
I ask Andrea if she wants to watch it with me, or even, by herself if that’s
what she prefers.
She shakes her head. “I don’t think I can bear it, Richard. Just let me
know how it ends.”
I squeeze her hand and give her a peck on the cheek.
“I can do that,” I say.
Through some strange turn of events, which I put down completely to the
fact that the former City Lord of New Yorka is drowning in wealth, Andrea’s
father is given the opportunity to give the jury one final speech.
I lean forward on my seat. He looks suitably remorseful, and I wonder if
he’s going to admit to his terrible past. But no. His tirade begins with all his
struggles, and after the fifteenth comment from him that, “This is all lies!” I
can’t bear to watch any more either.
I turn the sound down and sit at my desk, trying to focus on work.
It doesn’t work. I can’t focus on anything until I know for sure the results
of this trial.
I stand and pace the room, glancing at the proceedings, waiting, ever
more impatiently, for his face to be removed from the screen. Finally, it is,
and the jury disappears to debate the verdict.
This could take hours, and I feel I should leave the room, perhaps go
outside for a while. But I can’t. Something holds me there, and in moments
the jury is back, their decision apparently unanimous.
“Guilty.”
He’s sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment. At his age, I doubt he’ll be
coming out alive.
I heave a sigh of relief and go to find Andrea.
She and the twins and the other husbands are all gathered in the garden,
the twins busy with some game they’ve invented.
I wanted to tell Andrea alone, first, but as soon as I walk through the door
all eyes are on me, everyone wanting to know the outcome.
Andrea nods when I tell them, quiet amidst the cheers from her children,
and the general feeling of relief from everyone else.
She says she needs a moment and escapes out into the garden.
“Do you think Mom will be all right?” Liam slips his hand into mine, his
eyes watching his mother’s retreating back.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine, Li. She just needs some time. It’s the end of a
major part of your mother’s life, and she’ll need some time to register that.”
He nods solemnly.
We gather for dinner, and all four of us men put the children to sleep,
taking turns reading a story before we turn the lights out.
The children fall asleep quickly, but there’s still no sign of Andrea, so
Tam, Edward, James, and I head out to find her.
She can’t have gone far.
The guards all inform me she hasn’t left the property. Not through the
usual exits anyway, and even if I thought she might have escaped through
some other means, which I don’t, the fences are far too high for her to climb.
We take a wing of the house. I take the one where my bedroom and
private rooms are, and I start inside the building, checking all the rooms, the
bathrooms and bedrooms and offices. She’s not inside, not in my area at
least.
The only outside area accessible from here is my garden, where I
transformed in front of her that first time.
Straight away I can smell her, and when I focus, I can hear her heart,
racing in her chest. There’s also the faint smell of blood in the air, nothing
more than a scratch, but concerning none-the-less.
What has she been up to?
I move closer to the source of her heart beat. It’s so loud, right in the
midst of a stand of trees. We’re actually near the tree I first leapt up into that
day. But I can’t see her.
“Richard.”
Her voice comes from above me, and I glance up, finding her on an
impossibly high branch above me.
Somehow she’s managed to shimmy up this tall tree. Her skirt is torn, and
her knees scraped, hence the blood I can smell, but I would not have found
her there if she hadn’t called out. I would never have looked. I would never
have expected she could ever climb up any of the trees here.
“What are you doing up there?” I ask.
“Looking at the view.” She forces a laugh.
“And is it good?”
She nods. “It’s beautiful. The lights are on in the city, and it looks just
like a reflection of the stars. Just more packed, I guess.” Another hesitant
laugh.
“Glad to hear it.”
There’s silence for a moment, and I call out again.
“Do you want some help getting down?”
She sighs, closes her eyes, and then nods her head.
“Yes, please. It took me so long to get up here, but now I’m stuck. I have
no idea how to get down. I don’t think I can manage it the same way I came
up.”
I take off my shirt, I could do this in human form, but it would much
harder. I transform, leaping up the tree in an instant. I hug the trunk as she
climbs onto my back, her arms tight around my neck as I leap to the ground
again.
She’s shaky when she stands, and I see she’s been crying.
“What’ve you been up to?” I ask.
“Mourning the loss of my father.”
I nod. “It is sad when the one we love has died.”
She shakes her head. “But he hasn’t died, has he? He’s still alive. Still
fighting for his twisted view of reality. How ridiculous to mourn him.”
I cup her chin. “He may be physically still alive. The body you recognise
might be walking and talking and breathing. But the man you remember is
gone, and has been gone for a very long time. You are allowed to mourn that,
Andrea.”
She nods again, then steps in towards me, burying her face in the fur of
my chest.
“I’m so glad I found you, Richard.” Her words are muffled, but I can still
hear them, and my heart swells.
“I’m so glad you found me too, Andrea.”
I return to human form and lift her, carrying her into the bedroom.
As we walk she wraps an arm around my neck, pulling my head down so
her lips can meet mine. The other hand is splayed out across my naked chest,
but then drops to the buckle of my belt.
She fumbles with it, trying to loosen it. She doesn’t seem to realise the
jeans below are tattered, that they were ripped to shreds when I transformed,
but she’s not allowing me the space to breathe, let alone pull away and tell
her.
She’s so hungry, desperate for affection and love, and I am more than
happy to give it, fumbling with the door to get us through to my bedroom,
placing her on the bed and climbing over her.
Finally she undoes the buckle, and pulls the belt from the shreds of my
trousers, which fall away the moment the belt is gone.
She tries to slide her hand between my pants and my stomach, which is
when she realises there are no trousers to impede her, and suddenly her whole
body is convulsing as she’s wracked with laughter. She’s giggling, her eyes
are watering, and tears are rolling down her cheeks. I sit back and wait for her
hysterics to calm down before I speak.
“Nice to see you’ve cheered up,” I say, raising an eyebrow, but my words
just send her back into a fit of giggles. She’s shaking her head and
apologising, and then laughing even more.
“I’m so sorry,” she says. “It’s not even funny.” More laughter bubbles up
inside her. “I don’t even know why I’m laughing.”
I lay beside her and place a kiss on her forehead.
“You’re tired, and you’ve had a hugely stressful few weeks. That sort of
thing would catch up with anyone.”
She takes a deep breath, her gaze holding mine. “How was I lucky
enough to find someone so wise and understanding?”
I smirk and shrug. “Just lucky I guess.”
There’s a knock at the door, and I suddenly remember that I wasn’t the
only person looking for Andrea. Oops.
“Uh, yeah?” I call, and James’ head peeks around the door.
“Thought I heard voices in here. You found her then?” His eyebrow is
raised, but he doesn’t look angry. “Nice of you to let us know.” There’s
laughter behind James’ words, and now I know he’s not angry.
Andrea doesn’t seem to realise that though. “Sorry.” Her face is bright
red. “I just needed some space, and I went out and climbed a tree, and got
stuck. Richard found me, and I was so upset, and he was comforting me, and
—” She’s babbling, and Tam cuts her off.
“And you just ended up in bed, with Richard’s clothes mysteriously
vanished,” he finishes, with a grin on his face.
Edward picks up my belt, the few scraps of my former jeans hanging
from it.
“I think we can see where Richard’s clothes disappeared to.” He glances
back at Andrea. “So, you do like a bit of furry action?” He has a smirk on his
face, as Andrea struggles to defend herself.
“What! No. That was before—” She seems to finally realise they are all
joking and stops, a frown on her face.
“So,” James says, “can we join in, or is this a party just for two?”
I look at Andrea. This is her call.
“You’re all welcome, so far as I’m concerned,” she says, glancing at me.
“As long as Richard doesn’t mind?”
“Are you joking? I’ve been waiting for this to happen again. Feels like
it’s been forever!”
“Well, then,” she says, looking at me. “Where were we?” She reaches up
and pulls me down into another kiss, and I slip my hand in underneath her
blouse and trail my fingers across her stomach until I’m cupping her breast.
All around me the other fellows are getting undressed, and then Tam is at
her feet, removing her shoes.
“What happened to your legs?” he asks, and I glance up to see his hands
hovering near the scratches from her tree climbing escapade.
“I climbed one of the trees in Richard’s yard.”
Tam’s eyes are wide. “You what?”
I nod. “I found her, on the lowest branch of one of that grove of tall trees
in the middle. Not the tallest tree, but not the smallest either.”
Tam is shaking his head. “That is amazing. I don’t know how you
managed it.”
Andrea gives a small smile. “I wrapped my arms and knees around and
sort of shimmied up, I guess. I don’t know. I don’t know how I did it now
either. I was just so angry. I guess it fuelled my determination to get up, and
so somehow I did.”
“Woah! Let’s forget about the anger, shall we?” Edward speaks up. “How
about we focus on the love.”
“Right. Good idea.” James is at the bed now, and this time he moves in
close to kiss Andrea, while Tam gently presses his lips against her scrapes.
“We’ll have to be careful,” he says. “Don’t want to hurt you anymore
than you already are.”
“They’ll be fine.” Andrea shrugs. “They don’t hurt.”
“Not yet,” I say, holding her gaze. “So, we’ll make sure to be gentle.”
39
ANDREA
R
ichard unzips my skirt, easing it over my hips and kissing along the
outside of my thighs. James has tugged my top up and over my
breasts as we kiss, and now he breaks off the kiss to remove it over
my head. I arch my back, too, so he can slide his hands in behind me and
undo my bra.
It takes him a moment. There’s a delay as he can’t quite undo both hooks,
and he ends up poking his tongue out of the side of his mouth, brow furrowed
in concentration, which makes me laugh, and then him, laugh. Finally, it
unclasps and he slides the straps over my outstretched arms, tossing it onto
the floor with one quick flick as the other hand covers one breast.
“You’re so sexy, Andrea,” he whispers, leaning in for another kiss.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I reply, before arching my neck to press my
lips against his.
Tam is kissing my legs now too, though he is travelling up the inside of
the opposite leg to Richard, and the combined kisses are sending waves of
shivers up my spine.
When James moves lower to cover a nipple with his mouth, Edward
moves in, kissing my lips, his fingers brushing back the hair from my face.
They are all so gentle, so tender, even though I know from my experience
after our hike up the mountain that Edward and James can be rough too, that I
feel all my muscles relaxing, all the tension draining away from my body,
safe in the knowledge I will be cared for, that my pleasure is of utmost
importance in their eyes.
Someone, Tam I guess, has reached my cleft, his tongue darting in and
out to lap against my slit and my clit.
I moan into Edward’s mouth. It all feels so amazing, and then moan again
when someone else, Richard, I guess, kisses along the sole of my foot.
Tam flicks at my clit a few times, before pressing his tongue firmly
against it.
I close my eyes, savouring the pressure, and then he’s licking again,
pushing his tongue between the folds of my vulva, finding the entrance to my
cleft and pushing his tongue inside. James is now working my other nipple,
his tongue swirling as he sucks on the bud, a hand squeezing and rolling the
nipple on my other breast.
Edward has moved to my ear, nibbling and kissing the lobe, his hand
resting on the pillow around my head so his fingers are barely brushing the
earlobe on the other side.
I let out a moan as my whole body arches with pleasure.
I realise I’m panting, and my legs are spreading wider of their own accord
as Tam lifts my hips and his tongue begins to circle around my back entrance.
Someone’s hand begins to play with my clit, gently squeezing and pulling
and stroking, and then rubbing, harder and harder, and suddenly the tingling
from all the sensations, on my bottom, and my clit, and my breasts and my
ears all converge and I come, arching my back, and widening my legs and
screaming my pleasure into the night.
My orgasm seems to spiral for ages, and yet also be over in a minute, and
I sag back into the bed to see all the men are looking down at me, very
satisfied grins on their faces.
I close my eyes and take several deep long breaths to still my racing
heart.
“Are you sleeping now?” Tam is teasing, I can hear it in his voice, but
still I open my eyes to see the smile on his face.
“Hardly.” I laugh. “You guys have given me enough energy to last for
hours yet.” I give Tam a wink and he laughs in return.
“Glad to hear it.”
“I don’t think I’ve actually had sex with you, Tam.” I hold his gaze,
laughing when he raises an eyebrow. “I did wonder if you’d noticed. I know
there’s a lot of us. I’d understand if it was difficult to keep track.” He has that
smirk on his face, and I give him a gentle slap.
“Of course I noticed! Come here.”
Everyone slides away to allow Tam the chance to stand in front of me,
and I sit up, pulling him down for a kiss.
His cock is pulsing, longer and thinner than the rest, and I wrap my hand
around it, circling the head with my thumb.
He closes his eyes.
“Your hands are so soft.” His words are murmured, barely audible, but I
respond by kissing him again, catching his lower lip between my teeth and
gently nibbling.
He moans, and I pull him backwards with me, so we are both laying on
the bed, him on top, but then I push him, so we roll over.
“This is better,” I say, grinning down at him, my cleft resting directly on
his cock.
“I’ll say.” His gaze is on my breasts, and he brings his hands up to cup
them, circling the nipples with his thumbs. He pinches them, between thumb
and forefinger, squeezing and stretching them, and I close my eyes as his
touch sends a heat, not only from my nipples, but also from between my legs.
“You’re wet.”
I open my eyes to see him watching me and begin to slide along the
outside of his cock, rubbing my clit against him, feeling the beginnings of
another orgasm spiralling up inside me. He licks his lips, his pupils wide, and
I lift myself so his cock springs upwards, grazing my slit.
“Are you ready?” I’m teasing him now. I can feel that he’s ready,
desperate for just about anything the way his cock and abs are straining
beneath me.
“I’ve never been more ready in my life.”
I adjust him with my hands, bring his cock to rest on the opening between
my legs, and then ever so gently I slide my body down over him.
He gasps, and I stop, but he grabs my hips and ever so slowly begins to
rock his own, making slow even thrusts as his cock pushes deeper and
deeper.
I lower myself, so our bodies are touching, skin to skin, chest to chest.
He’s so warm, and smells of some sort of spice, and I inhale, holding his gaze
as I grind against him.
“This feels so good,” Tam breathes the words, his mouth slightly open as
his breath quickens. “You feel so good.”
I close my eyes, as James comes up behind me and begins to kiss down
the back of my neck and across my shoulder.
His touch is electric, and I wish I could just stay in this moment forever.
But I know the best is yet to come, and I lean forward, grabbing James’ hand
and placing it on my bottom, inviting him in.
He growls, deep in his throat, and a thrill travels my spine at the sound. I
glance back at him over my shoulder.
“That’s hot, do that again.”
He frowns. “What did I do?”
“That noise you made.”
“The growl?” He raises a brow and I nod.
“Yes. It turns me on even more than I already am.”
He holds my gaze as he makes the sound again, deep, and low in his
throat. “Grrr.”
I gasp, as another shiver travels my spine.
“God, I think I could almost orgasm on that alone!”
“Ha!” He laughs. “We might have to try that sometime,” he says with a
wink, kissing my spine, the bristles of his beard scratching and tickling my
back.
I try to focus my attention back on Tam, as I take a bit more control of the
thrusting. I arch my back a bit, so I can reach his nipples, and flick at one
with my tongue, before taking the other between my teeth and nibbling.
“Fuck!” He moans, his body writhing at my touch.
I glance up to see his eyes have rolled back into his head.
“God, that’s good.”
I grin, and almost purr into his chest. “Glad to hear it.”
Behind me James’ cock is pressing against my behind, and I have to stop
moving to give him the chance to slide in.
Once he’s there I give over control to him and Tam, and it doesn’t take
long for them both to come, and me with them, their cocks filling me inside.
James slides out, and Richard takes his place, and this time he rolls us
both over so that I’m on top of him, my stomach exposed to the air as I slide
off Tam’s cock and he rolls away.
Edward comes over, his eyes raking down my body, and I’ve never felt so
sexy in all my life.
He rubs his cock against my clit first, teasing me, before pressing the
head between my legs and sliding easily in.
He holds my gaze. “You’re amazing Andrea. Absolutely fucking
amazing.”
I’d reply, but I’m close to coming for the third time, the men’s thrusting
sending fireworks up my spine to explode out the top of my head.
I come, and in moments so do they, and we all sink on the bed, collapsing
in each other’s arms, shuffling in close so everyone can fit.
“You guys are incredible,” Tam says, looking from one to the other.
“Same from me,” James says, enveloping us all, as best he can, in a great
big bear hug.
Edward speaks up. “I’ve never felt more satisfied, that’s for sure.”
“I think we can safely say we are a very lucky bunch,” Richard adds.
“I couldn’t agree more, with any of it!” I add.
We snuggle in together, and somehow, despite the squash, we all fall
asleep.
40
RICHARD
S
omehow, we all manage to sleep through the night, a jumble of bodies
and limbs.
I wake, hot and sweaty from being crammed into a bed with four
other adults, my head pounding and my throat parched from dehydration. I’m
desperate for a glass of water, but I’m stuck in between Andrea, who’s head
is resting on my arm, and James, who has a leg thrown over me, and I don’t
know how I’m going to get out without waking someone.
In the end I try to ease myself out from under my sleeping companions
and slide my way down the bed, but before I get to the end there’s a
murmuring, and I look up to see two sets of eyes watching me.
“Sleep well?” James asks with a grin.
I nod. “Well enough, considering.”
James nods. “I tried not to smother you too much, but I was mostly
balanced on a precipice on the edge of the bed, and I didn’t want to fall off,
either.”
Andrea frowns. “Oh, we should’ve slept somewhere else. Maybe dragged
the blankets onto the floor?”
I laugh. “I think what I’ll do is get a bigger bed.”
Her lips twist into a smile. “Well, that does sound like a nicer option.”
“I’m getting some water. Anyone else want a glass?” I stand, and Andrea
and James both nod, shifting over in the bed so I can’t possibly see how I
ever fit in the space in the first place.
In the end I get glasses for everyone, and by the time I’ve returned they’re
all awake and sitting up in bed. Tam and James are either side of Andrea, and
Edward is perched at Tam’s feet. I sit at James’ feet, setting the tray carefully
in the middle of the bed.
“Got to stay still now guys. Don’t want to wet the bed now, do we.”
Andrea giggles. “That would be terrible.”
I pour out water for everyone, and we’re silent for a moment, gulping
down our drinks.
“How are you feeling this morning, Andrea?” James turns to question her.
She gives a sad sort of smile.
“I’m okay. No. I’m good. I have four husbands, who are all wonderful
and caring and generous, and are absolutely brilliant fathers to my two
children, when all I ever hoped for was one! I have happy and well-adjusted
children, and a beautiful home to live in, and I’m free to walk the streets if
ever I so choose, or climb a mountain, or walk in the park.” She met
everyone’s gaze as she spoke, but when her eyes fell on me I could feel the
love radiating from her.
“My life has been hard, and some of that has been from my own doing—”
She holds up a hand as we all begin to protest. “No, it’s true. These past few
months could’ve been much easier on me if I’d learnt to let go of my father
years ago. I can’t change him. I can’t change his perception of the world, or
his ignorance, or his lack of understanding. It’s a waste of my time and
energy to try. I’m sad the father I remember is not here anymore, and I’ll
probably grieve that for a while. But I’ve accepted that, and I’m ready to
move on with my life and focus my energies on things I can change.”
“Hear, hear!” James says, raising his glass of water. “A toast to Andrea!”
We all raise our glasses and clink them together. “To Andrea.”
She’s blushing now, and I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face
at the sight of it.
I lean across the bed, upending the almost empty water jug as I kiss her
full on the lips.
“You are so beautiful,” I say. “I am such a lucky werewolf to even be
sharing you as my wife.”
“Ditto,” Tam says, raising his glass.
“I think we all agree on that,” says Edward.
“I certainly do,” says James.
“I love you all,” Andrea says, pulling at the wet blankets. “But can we get
out of bed now and fix these sheets?”
EPILOGUE
T
Andrea
he men and I and the twins are all in the baby section of a large
department store. It’s tiny, which is not surprising considering
there haven’t been any children born into this werewolf
community for over twenty years.
What is surprising is that all of the stock looks new and modern, and not
like some sort of reject that has been sitting on the shelves for the past twenty
years, waiting for someone to buy it.
We’re spread out, as best we can be. The twins looking at and playing
with the selection of baby toys, Edward and James looking at a bassinette,
Tam and Richard and I checking out a pram.
It’s a publicity stunt of sorts, but also a celebration.
It’s a publicity stunt, because it’s a reminder to the wider community,
human and werewolf, just how well we can all live and work together when
we’re happy to make the effort, and it’s a celebration, because I have just had
it confirmed that I am pregnant again!
I feel so light, despite the now obvious bump in the front of my dress, and
everyone says I’m glowing. I can feel it, too, that marvellous sense that
everything is wonderful with the world. Everyone is excited, and I’m not sure
who is the most excited – the twins are looking forward to a baby brother or
sister (or maybe even one of each!), and the men are overjoyed to be involved
in the experience this time round, to feel the baby kick and move inside me,
and fulfil my strange cravings and weather my seemingly irrational mood
swings.
As for me, I’m excited, and if I’m completely honest, a little terrified, too.
It’s been twelve years since my last labour. What if I can’t do it again?
But then the thought of holding a precious little child (or two) in my arms
again just melts my heart. I remind myself that this time I have all the
midwives I could possibly want available to help me, and I look at my family
and my heart just overflows with love for us all.
VOLUME ONE
MORE BY DANIELLA
More By Daniella
Bring your ♥ to my newest BadBoys!
SOLD TO THE KYLEN PRINCE
Get It Here
I broke the rules and got caught.
The Kylens know who I am, and now their Lord is very, very interested
in me.
The trade is taking place, and I'm being sold to Argath - the most feared
and dreaded prince in all galaxies.
Curiosity killed the cat. Isn't that right?
Except I never thought I would be that cat.
I look like a mess, shaking and sweating as I'm being arrested and escorted to
the negotiation room.
It doesn't help I may know precisely what's coming up.
I've spent hours reading Kylen romance -my spare time guilty pleasure.
Stories about women being snatched up by warriors and being pleasured
immensely...
The Kylen are notorious for this -they are quite happy to have lots of
children.
And what could be too bad about that?
I mean, have you seen these things?!
They are like two meters tall, pure strength and muscle.
I can only imagine the size of...
Stop. Just stop you Jaime. Bad, bad girl.
Oh God...
After hours of stressful interrogation, I spot him back there in the shadows.
My eyes meet his, and for a moment we stare at each other.
"I'm Lord Argath"
I almost fainted.
"Don't worry, I intend to make better use of you than the humans ever will."
I'm definitely dying.
"You'll receive your first assignment tomorrow"
Uh... what...
What have I gotten myself into?!
SOLD TO THE WEREWOLF PRINCE
Get It Here
The collar on my neck reads Tamkin the Fourth.
I have been assigned to an alien Prince.
And I am to bear his child.
My ship was taken and my crew imprisoned.
They put us on trial. I watched others die in front of me.
Why would a prince be attending a trial?
I still don't know the answer, but that may have just saved my life.
Lucky, you may think?
Not so sure.
One wrong insult in the wrong place - and they'll execute me in the blink of
an eye.
Either I hold my tongue - or I'm gone.
Such a shame I don't do well with rules.
He wants a baby? He'll get a baby.
But wait until I'm pregnant and I can open my mouth.
What is he going to do?
Kill me? I doubt it.
I'm going to make his life a living hell.
SOLD TO THE DRAGON KINGS: A ROMANCE
COLLECTION
Get It Here
SOLD
By my parents, for a bag full of coin — and a bunch of chickens.
Now I belong to the Kings.
Embarrassing doesn’t even begin to cover it.
I woke up in a cage, with a water bowl next to it.
What the #$%^ do they think I am?!
A #$%$ pet?!
Before I made up my decision of assassinating every single one of them, I
realize I am surrounded — they are all stating at me.
I have caused a bidding war. Surprise!
And they are all trying to win me for their own.
On the right: The Dragon King.
On the left: The two Dragon Princess.
Who is going to win this stupid game?
Who should I kill first?
Let’s see…
1…
2…
3.
Welcome to my fantasies. This collection includes:
Sold To The Dragon King:
- Part I: Sold
- Part II:The First Gnome Wars
- Part III: Mondragon’s Revenge
- Part IV: The Return of the Necromancer
Sold To The Dragon Princes
The Monarch’s Property
© Copyright 2018 by Daniella Wright - All rights reserved.
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