Chapter Fifteen: It’s Happening

His eyes switched rapidly between hazel and black, before settling on a black that had me shaking in fear. I had never seen him like this before. He looked so monstrous. He was beastly. The first snap of a bone resounded in the room, before the rest followed. Soon enough, we were faced with a midnight black wolf and he was growling menacingly.

He was growling menacingly, at me.

“It’s happening!”

***

It was bright.

It was bright, and it was silent.

Until she screamed.

She screamed so loudly that we all had to cover our ears. Her spells on everyone and the pack lands were broken. The light died down, but she was still screaming. At least I could now see her, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Her pale skin was now covered with scratches and claws marks. At first, I wasn’t sure why that was, until I realized that Max had banished her to the Land of Lost Souls. She probably had enemies that she, herself, had banished there, and now they were getting their revenge on her.

I didn’t envy her.

“This isn’t over! I will come back and kill you all,” she said so lowly, that I almost missed it, before she was gone.

Silence washed over the room as Max changed back to his normal state. I changed back too before heading to Mateo, who had his arms open wide for me already. I couldn’t help my tears and the pregnancy hormones weren’t helping much.

Dayton, Royce and Saila were frozen in place, eyes wide. I realized that they were literally frozen in place when they started struggling. One of the magical beings in the room was clearly holding them down. By the looks of things, it looked like it was Merlin.

“Where to begin, where to begin!” Boris smirked, breaking the silence in the only way he knows how.

“What just happened?” Mateo was next.

“Well, a recap should be totally fun! Odessa’s spell failed, her lovechild was revealed, her old lover was revealed, she’s been banished to the Land of Lost Souls where her enemies are probably having a field day with her, the spell was cast by Max, who we just learnt is also a Naturalist witch, even though he is a wolf as well, Mateo didn’t die, we’ve caught three snakes, everyone is safe from Odessa for now, and June probably learnt the biggest secret of her life,” Boris listed.

At his last words, my head snapped to the direction of my mom, who was being cradled by the man I now knew was my biological father.

It made so much sense now!

“Pumpkin...” he trailed off. My mom was watching us curiously as I stepped out of Mateo’s grasp and headed towards them.

“Dad?” I whispered.

“You figured it out,” my mom whispered in shock. At her words, only then did everyone else who didn’t already know, figure it out.

“No way!” Mateo said, disbelief dripping in his tone.

“Dad,” I said, this time with strength in my voice. He gave me a small smile and that’s when I flung myself at him. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me too.

“How?” I asked when I pulled away. He pulled my mom into his arms again.

“Everyone, you may leave if you wish to do so. There is nothing keeping you here,” Mateo announced. That’s when I realized that all the other Alphas were still around.

“How about we take this back home?” Max suggested. We were all for the idea.

None of us were comfortable on Litmus territory.

“What about those three? And what about the pack? They don’t have an Alpha,” Alpha Ferguson asked in reference to Dayton, Royce and Saila.

It relieved me to know that I wouldn’t have to refer to Dayton as my father anymore.

He never was my father to begin with.

“They do have an Alpha,” Boris said, just as we were all teleported to the old warehouse on Vistas territory.

The warehouse was the perfect place to talk because the pack members wouldn’t come near it. Mateo took off his jacket and wrapped it around me. I smiled and put my arms through the sleeves, his scent engulfing me like I’d expected.

My brother walked into the warehouse and I realized that he must’ve been linked to come through. Most of the other Alphas and Lunas had already left, leaving us (I mean my family and friends) with Alpha and Luna Ferguson, Alpha and Luna Pope, Alpha and Luna Goulding and Alpha and Luna Vargas. They’re the Alphas and Lunas that we trust from around the world since the Gouldings are Australian, the Popes are Welsh, the Fergusons are English and the Vargas are Spanish.

We all watched as some form of recognition fell onto Dayton’s face at the sight of Mark. It went from recognition to pure shock as he paled in the hold he was in. Mark raised an eyebrow at him as he crossed his arms.

“It can’t be,” Dayton whispered.

Boris smirked. “It seems like there’s a lot that ‘can’t be’ tonight, huh?”

“Who is he?” Alpha Goulding was the one to ask.

“Mark Evigan,” Mark replied, looking straight at Dayton.

“Evigan? As in Dayton Evigan’s son?” Luna Ferguson guessed.

“And a thousand points for the one of most respected Lunas on the block!” Boris and Max cheered.

Trust those two to be idiots at such a time.

“She was killed,” Dayton whispered to himself.

“She actually wasn’t. Yes, she was kidnapped, but she only died when she gave birth to your son,” Boris was the one to break it to him.

“How do you know this?” Dayton asked him.

“We were there when she died,” my dad told him.

“You probably killed her yourself! This was your revenge against me for taking your mate!” Dayton spat.

“I didn’t know you then, Dayton, so you are incorrect. I only met you two years later,” my dad pointed out. Dayton scoffed, which actually pissed me off. I may not know what the situation was, but I still knew the truth.

“You kept my parents apart! You took my mom away from her mate,” I growled, my voice low and menacing.

“I don’t know you,” Dayton said, frowning, and Saila looked just as confused, but realization seemed to dawn on Royce.

“Juniper?” he said unsurely.

“In the flesh,” I told him, my eyes probably darkening in anger.

Mateo sighed. “Baby doll, you need to calm down.”

“Son, I wouldn’t tell her to calm down. At least not yet,” Merlin spoke as a ring of fire formed around the three soon-to-be prisoners.

“You are not that worthless child,” Dayton said as he rolled his eyes. I slapped him with a gush of wind.

“It really is you...” Royce trailed off. He must’ve retained the memory of when I did that to his body while Jacob was in it.

“You are delusional boy! This girl here is not Juniper!” Dayton growled at him.

I frowned at him. “Why? Because I’m not helpless?”

“Exactly! Besides, you have a wolf. That useless thing didn’t shift when she was supposed to,” Dayton ‘explained’.

“Well, that ‘useless thing’ didn’t shift at thirteen because she’s a hybrid,” I stated smugly, drawing the flame closer to Dayton. He looked composed, but the fear in his eyes was as clear as day.

“That’s not possible,” he muttered.

“It is actually,” my mom spoke.

“You knew about this?” Dayton asked her.

My mother smiled. “My mate just told me, and it’s fascinating what your evil has created.”

“What evil?” Mateo, Max and I asked.

“Well, you see, a lot of things went down about twenty-one years ago. This was not Odessa’s first attempt at causing trouble, and neither was it Dayton’s. Balthazar had just found me, and you can imagine how happy we were since he was already five hundred and eighty-four, and I had just turned four hundred and eighty-nine. We were beginning to rightfully think that we would never find each other, but we did. Unfortunately, our happiness was short-lived because of Odessa,” my mom said with so much anger it was felt in the entire room. She was beginning to look healthier and I gathered it was because of the medication Mama Deo had given her while she’s been in my dad’s arms.

Dayton again rolled his eyes. “You make it sound like you had a horrible life here.”

How old is this guy?

“I hated every moment and you know I did because you were controlling me, and every opportunity I got I reminded you just how much I hated you. You made my daughter think that I hated her. You almost had her killed when she didn’t shift, even though you knew very well that there was a big chance she wouldn’t!” my mom spat.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Chase asked.

My dad’s whole mood darkened. “Because my mother and Dayton did one of the most despicable things that hadn’t been done in centuries.”

I had never seen him like this before.

“What?” I whispered, already afraid to hear the answer. Both my parents looked too angry to speak, so Mama Deo took over.

“Long ago, it was discovered that werewolves had the ability to turn humans. While it was a revolutionary discovery, it had one major flaw in it - the human never lived long after shifting for the first time. They had ten days at most after that and then they would die. When the royals of the werewolf world were made aware of the drastic deaths occurring around them, they knew they had to stop things before they got out of hand. They banned all werewolves from ever turning humans. The crime was said to be punishable by death, but as time went on, the whole idea of turning a human was forgotten about. That was, until nineteen years ago,” she explained, before giving us a break to take in what she’d already said.

“Odessa had already killed off those of her kind, and she was notorious around the world. She was basking in the glory of it all until she heard that her spell hadn’t worked on the one person she hadn’t seen or heard from in years - her son. Since Balthazar is a hybrid, the spell she used to kill all the other Naturalist witches failed because his father’s sorcerer side protected his other half. Odessa was fuming, and she paid Balthazar a visit. At the time, he and Gail had only been together for a little over two years and they had plans of getting serious. When Balthazar saw his mother, the last thing he expected, was to be told to commit suicide,” she continued.

“She actually told you to kill yourself?” I asked, turning to my dad in disbelief. He nodded solemnly, his lips pressed into a thin line.

It really unsettled me seeing him like this.

He sighed. “Like Deondrameda said, I didn’t believe it. I thought she was out of her mind, but she went on to explain that I was ruining her plan by staying alive. Obviously I told her to bugger off, but being my mother, she didn’t take very well to the dismissal. She then threatened Gail, and I made the biggest mistake by calling her bluff.”

“You know I don’t blame you for any of this, right?” my mom told him as she cupped his cheek. It was overwhelming to see this side of her.

“I know you’d like me to say yes, but it’s going to take a long time before I can forgive myself for all that you’ve been through,” he told her truthfully.

It sounded exactly like what Balthazar would say.

“So, what happened next?” Max asked eagerly. I sent him a look, to which he shrugged at.

“Well, Odessa left us alone for two weeks before she struck. She didn’t strike Balthazar first though,” Boris was the one to speak up, anger in his voice.

“Auriela...” I trailed off in a whisper. My parents and Boris nodded, while Mateo, Max, Chase, Mark, Maya, Dante, Royce, Saila and Dayton looked confused; the other Alphas in the room as well. Only Merlin and Mama Deo looked clued up.

“Odessa goes to extremes when she wants something. She already knew of my close relationship with Balthazar, and when she found out that Auriela was the last of her kind, her plan fell into place. She took my mate from me. She knew then, that she had truly caught Balthazar’s attention, but she wasn’t done yet. A week later, after we had frantically been searching for Auriela, Gail went missing as well. That’s when we knew that Odessa had been at work. She visited us a month later to tell us where Gail and Auriela were. She’s kept them both prisoners in different ways,” Boris said.

“Why take Auriela though? What’s her role in the bigger picture?” Mark asked.

“Since Auriela is a pure oracle, Odessa chose to keep her close to her, while Gail was given to Dayton, who had just lost his mate. Now Dayton here, despite having a mate, had a sexual affair with Odessa, and when the witch promised him that she could deliver him a new and beautiful Luna, he was all for it. Gail was spelled to always appear and act differently to different people, and Dayton was the only one who knew what she really looked like. Fortunately, Gail was already pregnant when she was taken. Dayton passed the baby off to his pack members as their new heir, after he and Odessa failed to kill the baby,” Boris explained.

“What do you mean they failed? Shouldn’t it have been easy since I wasn’t even born yet?” I asked curiously.

“Honey, you come from two very powerful parents. You basically used your own magic to protect yourself from being killed by them. They tried for months, until you were eventually due,” my mom explained.

Whoa!

“I’m still lost about the despicable thing,” Mateo pointed out.

“I was getting to that. Before June was born, the members of Litmus started to realize that Gail wasn’t a werewolf, and they began to question her capability as a Luna. Dayton couldn’t have that since he was already enamored with Gail’s beauty and he knew how powerful she was, and that’s when he told Odessa of his new plan,” Boris said before pausing for effect I guess.

“They turned you?” Chase asked my mom in horror. She nodded.

“I was not born a werewolf. I was born a sorceress. The two of them didn’t care that there was a potential that I would die from the turning. In fact, to them, it was the perfect way to kill my baby, except, we both survived. My sorcerer side died when my wolf took over, but that wasn’t just it. Because of my sorcerer side and June, my wolf became powerful and she was the first white wolf in centuries. Dayton was more than happy about that. When June didn’t shift at thirteen, he obviously lost it,” she said sadly. That’s when I knew that she didn’t know.

“Mom, I got my wolf Star then. Sure, I didn’t shift then, but my wolf was there. I only shifted when I got to Vistas a few days after leaving here. If it wasn’t for Mateo, I wouldn’t have made it,” I told her.

Dayton looked like he didn’t believe a single word I was saying. Hell, he didn’t look like he believed that I was Juniper to begin with. Royce looked highly confused though. My mom, on the other hand, looked awed, before turning to my husband.

“You’ve hated Dayton and I for as long as I can remember. Why help our daughter?” she asked him curiously. He smirked and wrapped his arms around my waist. The fire around the prisoners died out as I was surrounded by his scent.

“At the time, I didn’t know she was Juniper. She was Caroline to all of us except my sister and my third in command’s mate. I was drawn to her from the first moment I saw her, and Zeus claimed her as his, despite the curse on my family. When she shifted, it was early in the morning and she was burning up. I honestly only helped her through it because she was still Caroline to me, until my sister called her Juniper. Strangely enough, knowing who she was didn’t deter my feelings for her. She finally told me the truth about everything, and I figured I couldn’t hate her because not only had I already fallen for her, but she was also a victim on Litmus, so I looked the other way and instead chose to listen to my heart. Best decision I’ve made by far!” he finished off before kissing my shoulder.

I had to seriously keep from jumping him.

Dayton chuckled to himself. “Now that right there, is enough to prove that this girl isn’t that useless thing you people keep referring to. Santiago wouldn’t just welcome a rogue onto his land like that, let alone mate with her.”

“What evidence do you want? Do you want me to give you an essay with all the times that you beat me? Of all the times that you overworked my little body until I passed out? Or would you like me to replay the fateful night you told me to leave your land after killing my grandmother, as her blood pooled at your feet? Do you want me to show you the scar that Jacob left on me after almost killing me because of you and that witch?” I screamed at him. His eyes widened as he seemed to finally accept who I was.

“WHAT?” my mom’s voice boomed throughout the empty warehouse.

I turned to her, wide-eyed. “You didn’t know?”

Her eyes were rapidly switching colors and I could see my dad trying to calm her down. She managed to shake her head, and that’s when it all made sense to me. Dayton only hit me when she wasn’t around, and he used to train me until I passed out, and then he would tell her that I was just exhausted. I used to believe that she didn’t care; that she knew what was going on and failed to do anything about it.

But she never knew anything!

And even the things she knew, she couldn’t do anything about it because of the spell on her.

“Jacob was possessed that day. He didn’t even want to fight me, but Dayton made him. He and Odessa clearly put the intent to kill me in him, because Jacob almost killed me. If it weren’t for the Elders, I would’ve died that day...” I trailed off, the tears in my eyes. Mateo growled rather loudly, and my mom sniffed. I realized then that she was crying.

“I hate you Dayton Evigan. I hate you so much I want to kill you with my bare hands, but I won’t. My mate and my child don’t deserve me doing something like that. I don’t want your filthy blood on my hands. I hate you, and I hope you die knowing the truth behind my words,” she said as she turned to the man in question. He looked unaffected by her words and just shrugged.

“So you lied to me?” Royce’s voice was heard. We all snapped our heads to him in confusion.

I scowled. “You’re kidding right?”

“You lied to me! I opened up to you like an idiot and you lied to me! You were with me the entire time!” he shouted, getting angrier by the second.

“You attempted to kill my mate, you asshole. I know what you did to Jacob as well. Hell, he’s living with us,” I informed him. He paled.

“He’s here?” he asked.

“He’s in the pack house, yes,” Mateo was the one to respond.

“Not that I’m not loving the drama, but can we wrap this up? Anything else can be discussed another time. Kiddo needs to rest, and so does her mom,” Boris announced. Only then did something hit me.

“Guys, where’s Faith?” I asked.

“She’s at the infirmary. Pete is working on her wounds,” Mama Deo informed me. I nodded in thanks.

I’d check in with her later.

“What are you going to do with them?” Alpha Ferguson asked.

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow. For now, they should be sent to the cells,” Mateo instructed.

Everyone was on board with the plan and Royce, Dayton and Saila were taken to the cells. My dad and grandfather transported all the other Alphas and Lunas that were still there back to Litmus to get their cars and head home or head to the hotels they were booked in at.

Chase didn’t want to leave, and we were okay with that, so Mateo had Orion set up a room for him. In fact, rooms were set up for Chase, my parents, Boris, Mama Deo and my grandfather. It was so strange saying ‘my grandfather’.

I was so sure that I had already lost a grandfather.

“Mi amor, are you okay?” my husband asked once everyone was settled in and in bed. We were back in our room.

“I don’t know to be honest,” I admitted. He came to help me get out of my dress, and naturally, his eyes darkened at the sight of me in my underwear, but he knew I was too tired for anything.

“How are the babies? I can’t believe none of us bothered to have that checked out,” he questioned.

“Don’t worry, they’re fine. I was only in pain because they thought that their daddy was dead,” I explained.

“That was a scary thing to watch you go through,” he said, sitting on the bed to undress.

“It was a scary thing to go through. I was worried we were losing them because of the rarity of twins,” I admitted as I went to the closet. I picked out his sweatpants and a T-shirt of his as well.

“That’s exactly what was going through my mind at the time. I felt so helpless since I knew I couldn’t very well help you. Tonight would’ve gone completely differently if I had,” he said.

“I know babe. I don’t blame you,” I smiled, getting into the bed. He was still taking his suit pants off and I couldn’t help but appreciate the sight. He got in and pulled me to his chest.

“What are you thinking about?” he whispered.

I sighed. “So many things.”

It was true.

I was thinking about everything I could possibly think about at that time. I was thinking about my kids, about my husband and mate, about my parents, about Mark, about Max, about my grandfather, about Odessa, about Royce, about my impending trip to The Vaulsino, about Auriela, about Mateo’s family’s secrets, about having to leave and about the chance that I may not come back.

All of that was running through my mind at the same time.

“I hate this,” Mateo suddenly said angrily.

“What?” I asked.

“This situation that you’re in. I know that no one says anything when they’re around, but the fact of the matter is that the fate of the world lies in your hands and there’s nothing any of us can do about it,” he mumbled.

“Hey, it doesn’t only lie in my hands you know? You guys are also there to help me through everything,” I pointed out.

“I guess, but the big things are still up to you,” he argued.

“Max is a Naturalist witch as well. This is a good thing. I’m not alone after all,” I tried to comfort him, but he still looked mad.

“Let’s just sleep, baby doll. Maybe I’ll feel better when we wake up,” he said.

I didn’t argue with him because I didn’t even have the strength. I closed my eyes and succumbed to a dreamless sleep, which I was actually grateful for.

I woke up to a camera lens staring at me. The sun was out and the birds were chirping just outside the window. The bedside clock said it was quarter to six in the morning, which made me frown at how early it was. I smiled though, when I realized that Mateo was the one behind the camera. He was clicking away, making me giggle.

“What are you doing up so early?” I smiled.

“Capturing moments. You look so immaculate when you’re asleep, mi amor. Eres la luz de mi vida,” he said as he gave me a breathtaking smile. He’d never spoken a full Spanish sentence to me before. My eyes must’ve darkened because he laughed at me. (You are the light of my life.)

“You’re insatiable, Mrs Santiago,” he purred.

“How can I not be when you’re being all sexy with your Spanish?” I pouted.

“Oh? So you like it when I speak Spanish?” he smirked. I could only nod.

“Eres hermosa de la señora de Santiago. Haces mi vida vale la pena vivir. No soy nada sin ti. Te amo aún más para llevar a nuestros hijos. Te amo más allá de los cielos. Quiero pasar el resto de mi vida amándote como te mereces que te amen,” he said, his eyes shining with tears, probably reflecting my own. (You are beautiful Mrs Santiago. You make my whole life worth living. I am nothing without you. I love you even more for carrying our children. I love you beyond the heavens. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you like you deserve to be loved.)

“I love you too. I don’t know what you just said, but I know you love me and I love you too!” I said before pulling him down for a kiss.

That morning, he made love to me like it was the first time. It reminded me of my impending departure. I cried from happiness, sadness and pleasure. He didn’t say anything - he didn’t need to say anything. He just kissed my tears away while getting me to reach the heavens and touch the stars. He kissed my stomach and told our children that he loves them and me. I was so overwhelmed by my emotions that I succumbed to the darkness while I lay in my husband’s arms.

I wouldn’t get to do this by tomorrow.

When I woke up again, it was early in the afternoon. Mateo was still asleep beside me, and I took the chance to be the one to mess with the camera. I took some pictures until his eyes eventually fluttered open. It’s when he looks most at peace.

“Good afternoon, Mrs Santiago,” he said sleepily.

“A good afternoon to you too, Mr Santiago,” I giggled as I snapped a shot.

He chuckled. “I see you’re still up to no good.”

“Me? Never!” I feigned innocence.

“Do you still remember your vows to me?” he asked as he took the camera from me. He also took my hand and showed my wedding ring to the camera.

“I do, why?” I asked.

“Say them again,” he requested as he pressed record on the camera.

“All of them?” I questioned.

“Just the important bits,” he laughed.

Hmm...

I said the parts that I felt were important, putting the same emotion in that I did that day. I looked straight into his eyes the whole time, captivated by the intense love in them as he listened to me. I could say my vows to him a million times over to live this moment over and over.

And luckily for me, my witch abilities make it possible for me to remember them word for word.

“I will forever remember those words, baby doll,” he said. I wished I could believe him, but our situation reminded me otherwise.

He wouldn’t remember after tomorrow.

“Do you remember your vows to me?” I asked him in return as I took the camera from him. I made sure he was visible, together with his wedding ring, as the recorder still went.

“I do, but only in Spanish,” he said slyly.

I blushed for no reason. “Is that right?”

“Well no, but I do want to relay them in Spanish, now that I know what it does to you and all,” he stated, wiggling his eyebrows.

“The floor is yours babe,” I said, keeping the camera on him. He took a deep breath before starting.

I could listen to my husband speak Spanish to me until the end of time, and never tire of it. His words caressed me, serenaded me, and as he smiled, wiping away my tears, I knew that he was well aware of the effect he was having on me. By the time he was done, he pulled me in for a deep kiss.

The camera was long forgotten as it rested next to us. It was still recording since I hadn’t pressed stop. All I could think about was Mateo’s lips on mine. There was an urgency within me to spend most of the day with him today - doing everything I knew we wouldn’t be able to do after tomorrow.

“Thank Goddess you didn’t say it to me in Spanish the first time,” I breathed onto his lips.

“Why?” he chuckled.

“Because, one, I wouldn’t have had any clue what you were saying, and two, I wouldn’t have really cared. When you speak Spanish, all I can think of is how badly I want you in that moment; how badly I want your hands to caress me the way your voice does,” I explained before kissing him again.

“Are we leaving the room any time soon?” he teased.

“Nope!” I giggled.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together. We had stopped the video and taken many more with different conversations and more pictures and all. We laughed and we kissed. We made love and we made wishes together. It was the kind of afternoon that you read about in novels, and I couldn’t have been more grateful to have lived the experience.

At six in the evening, we eventually left our room. We were both dressed in his sweatpants, T-shirts and hoodies. The hoodie I was wearing hid my pregnancy like I wanted it to. We got downstairs and could hear the voices in the lounge.

When we arrived, it was Rose, Max, Mark, my parents, my grandfather, Mama Deo, Boris, Maya, Dante, Orion, Valentine, Alexa, Trey, Sam, Anastasia, Jacob, Chase, Domitius, Leona, and King Paulo.

My family.

My eyes widened when they landed on Mark. Right next to him, cuddled into his side, was Faith. He was smiling widely, and she had a tinge in her cheeks. It was obvious that they were mates and I honestly couldn’t have been happier for them.

“June,” she whispered. She was the first person to notice our presence in the room.

“Fay,” I smiled, my tears rolling down my face.

She got up and ran to hug me. I held onto her tightly as she cried on my shoulder. I was doing the same. I hadn’t realized just how much I had missed her until that moment. She had been my first girl friend - my first true best friend and I had abandoned her.

“I’m so sorry Fay,” I whispered in her ear as the tears continued to flow.

“I don’t blame you at all, June. Mark already told me everything. I’m the one who’s sorry about what you had to go through,” she said as she pulled away. All eyes in the room were on us.

“Mark, huh?” I teased. She blushed a deep red, making him laugh.

“Yeah,” she giggled.

“Well, dinner’s ready, so we can head in,” Anastasia announced.

We headed to the dining hall and there were just about enough chairs for all of us. We passed the food around and dished up. We ate and spoke about trivial things for about four hours. It was great to just be normal for a while. We finished eating and moved back to the lounge after clearing the dishes.

“It’s nice to actually see the two of you,” Anastasia commented, referring to Mateo and I.

Mateo shrugged as he sat us down on a vacant two-seater couch. “Eh, we’re newlyweds with babies on the way. Can you blame us?”

My eyes widened when I realized that he’d just exposed us.

“NEWLYWEDS?”

“BABIES?”

Valentine, Anastasia, Sam, Jacob and Trey shouted. I only realized then that they were the only ones who didn’t know anything.

“Mateo!” I linked him angrily.

“I’m sorry, baby doll. I’m just so damn happy!” he replied before sending a pout my way.

“And you couldn’t be happy in silence?” I snapped.

“Why don’t you want them to know so desperately?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter now anyway!” I said before shutting him out of our link.

“Now that you’re done linking each other, explain!” Sam demanded. I brushed off the fact that he just commanded his Alphas.

“We got married in secret and I’m pregnant with twins,” I sighed, unzipping Mateo’s hoodie to reveal my swollen belly.

“Oh my Goddess!” Valentine gasped. I was still mad at her, which would probably explain why I rolled my eyes at her - something that didn’t go unnoticed by her brother. He sent me a raised eyebrow.

He clearly doesn’t know what’s going on.

“You got married in secret?” Jacob was the one to ask.

“Yeah...” I trailed off.

“When was this?” Anastasia asked.

“Yesterday morning,” Mateo informed, frowning. I frowned too when I realized how not so long ago it had been.

So much had already happened since then!

“Really? It was just yesterday? It feels so long ago,” Boris chuckled, voicing my thoughts.

“Right?” I giggled.

Valentine turned to her brother. “You got married without me there?”

“It had nothing to do with who was there and who wasn’t, Val. My only priority was making June my wife. Those who were there, were there, and those who weren’t, weren’t. Besides, June said you can plan the bigger wedding,” Mateo replied, clearly not aware of the blazing fury in his little sister’s eyes.

“It’s not the same Teo! I’m your little sister! I should’ve been there when you got married!” she snapped. At this point, Mateo was the only one who was oblivious to her anger.

“Even if it was just June, the officiator and myself, I still would’ve got married without you Val. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like you’re the only one who missed it,” he argued.

“Babe, stop talking,” I linked him.

“Why?” he asked.

“You’re only fuelling her anger by saying all the wrong things,” I pointed out. He looked confused, until he looked to Valentine and found her glaring daggers at me.

“I knew you were bad for him,” she said before storming out of the room.

Mateo scowled. “Bad for me? What the hell was that about?”

“Oh, you clueless Alpha! I don’t live here, and even I’m caught up with what’s going on,” Domitius chuckled.

“What’s going on?” Mateo asked in confusion.

“Basically, your sister hates your mate,” Max told him bluntly.

“What? Since when?” Mateo’s eyes widened.

“Since the day I came back from casting the spell on the vampires. Apparently, this has been going on longer though,” I replied.

“How come I don’t know about this?” Mateo asked.

“That right there is one of the reasons why Val hates June. Ever since you and June found out that you’re true mates, you’ve focused ninety-five percent of your time and attention on her. You haven’t checked up on Val as much anymore, and she feels neglected, but that seems to only be one of the reasons why Val hates June. The other reasons are a mystery to all of us,” Alexa explained. Orion looked baffled.

“You didn’t know about the feud either, did you?” Max asked him. He shook his head.

“She’s been distant lately, but she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. I had no idea she hated June,” Orion confessed.

“Well, now you know,” I said. Mateo looked like he wanted to say something, but was interrupted.

“Mommy,” Rose smiled, coming up to me. I beamed and picked her up, placing her on Mateo’s lap. Even he seemed to light up at the sight of her.

I caressed her cheek. “Hello, my angel.”

“I missed you and daddy!” she pouted. I felt guilty for not spending any time with her today.

“We missed you too, princess,” Mateo was the one to reply.

“Are you okay?” she asked us both. Mateo nodded.

“We are baby. You?” I asked her.

“I’m okay! How are the babies? Did you get them checked out after yesterday?” she asked. Mateo, Boris, my parents, my grandfather, Mama Deo, Chase, Maya and Dante’s eyes widened.

“Yesterday?” I asked her warily.

“Yeah! You had a pain right?” she asked.

“How do you know that, little girl?” Boris asked her.

“I felt it too. That’s when I sent Uncle Max to you,” Rose replied.

“You sent him?” Mama Deo was the one to ask. My daughter was suddenly in the middle of the questioning - with good reason.

She nodded. “Yep!”

Max shook his head with a smile. “She showed me some pretty insane things.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“She showed me the future June Bug. She showed me the future and all the different ways it could play out,” Max replied.

“She’s not a werewolf,” Mama Deo commented.

“And neither is she a vampire,” Leona added.

“She’s not a sorcerer either,” my father evaluated.

“And neither is she any kind of witch,” my grandfather said.

“She’s an oracle,” Boris mumbled. My head whipped in his direction so fast that I got a kink in my neck.

“An oracle?” I asked wide-eyed. He looked over at Rose further.

“Yep! She’s a pure oracle alright!” he concluded.

“Like Auriela?” I asked him. He nodded.

“Except she’s got more power than the average oracle, even the pure ones. I’ve never seen or felt anything like it,” he admitted.

Rose got off of the couch and walked towards him. We all watched on anxiously, although I doubt we would be able to tell you what it is exactly that we were looking for. She put her hands on his head and his eyes closed. There was silence for a few seconds before his eyes shot open, disbelief written all over them. She came back and sat on Mateo’s lap like nothing happened.

“What is it?” I asked him.

“I can’t tell you, but it’s major. It’s – it is incredible June,” he said, before a tear escaped his eye.

“What’s it pertaining to?” Mateo asked him.

“Everything! The future, the present and the past,” Boris replied.

“So, she’s definitely an oracle then?” Max asked. Boris nodded.

“This is just a time of revelations,” Mark commented, breaking the silence that had formed.

“Mark...” I trailed off when it finally hit me.

He and I aren’t related.

He sent me a small smile. “You’re still my little sister, squirt.”

“You’re still my big brother,” I returned the smile as the tears pooled in my eyes.

Mateo turned to my grandfather. “How did you end up with Odessa?”

“Believe it or not, she wasn’t always so evil. I was her first love and she was mine, but her hunger for power was greater than the love she had for me, so she didn’t fight it. The only thing that she wishes she could terminate is our son, but she can’t kill him because I won’t allow it,” my grandfather replied.

“I can’t believe my father is the Balthazar Beinvenido, my grandmother is the Odessa and my grandfather is the Merlin!” I giggled.

My mom rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. “Gee, I feel special,”

“Sorry Mom,” I giggled.

“She’s right though! Those are some pretty powerful people you have there,” Boris commented.

“Shouldn’t you have a sorcerer side as well if that’s the case?” Sam asked me.

“She has some sorcerer abilities, but her most dominant sides are her werewolf and Naturalist witch sides,” my father explained.

“I do?” I frowned, in reference to the sorcerer abilities. He nodded.

“I discovered that when you cast the spell with the vampires. We also figured out that that’s why you’ve inherited a new appearance,” he explained.

“Do you mean the fact that she went from having blonde hair and green eyes, to black hair and blue eyes?” Maya asked. My father nodded.

“So this is what she’s going to look like from now on?” Trey asked.

“Until she dies,” Mama Deo confirmed.

“That’s pretty cool! So, do you know what you’re having yet? In reference to the twins that is,” Alexa asked.

“Nope! We just know that we’re having twins,” I replied.

“Adorable twins,” Mateo corrected. I rolled my eyes while everyone laughed.

“What happened with the prisoners?” I asked.

“They’re still locked up. I went to the pack earlier today. They were still a bit dazed from being freed from Odessa’s hold, but they were coherent enough to understand that I’m their new Alpha. They are actually all for it,” Mark smiled.

I beamed. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks, sis!” he chuckled.

“Wait, so do you also have to have an inauguration? I’m beginning to hate those things,” Chase joked, making us laugh.

“I’ll probably have one, but it won’t be as grand. It’ll be short more than anything,” Mark replied.

“Well, we’ll all be there,” Alexa smiled. Mark sent me a look before looking at Mateo. I knew exactly what he was saying.

Mateo wouldn’t be there.

Anastasia turned to Mateo and I. “So, have you guys decided on any names?”

“We have,” I smiled.

“Well, let’s hear them,” Maya poked.

“If we have two girls, they’ll be named Ceria Selena Santiago and Leya Auriela Santiago, and if we have two boys, they’ll be named Donatello Mateo Santiago and Diego Beinvenido Santiago,” Mateo said proudly.

“You’re going to name your son after me?” both Mark and my father asked.

Boris smiled. “You’re going to name your daughter after my love?”

“Yes, yes and yes!” I said to them. The three grown men looked close to tears at the revelation.

“Wait, which name belongs to Mark?” Max asked.

“Donatello,” Mateo replied. Mark looked surprised that he knew that.

Alexa frowned at him. “Why do you have a Spanish name?”

“My mother was Spanish,” Mark chuckled at the confused faces.

“I’m ashamed to admit that I found that out from Mateo,” I admitted.

“And to think I thought I was your beloved brother,” Mark mocked sniffed.

“I’m sorry. We can bond soon and then I’ll get to know all the weird and wonderful things about you,” I offered.

“Deal!” he agreed.

“How is the name splitting going to work if you only have one son and one daughter?” my mother asked.

“We didn’t think about that,” Mateo scowled, reading my mind.

“Well, the way I see it, you could always name your daughter Leya Auriela Selena Santiago, and your son Donatello Mateo Beinvenido Santiago,” Max suggested.

Mateo beamed. “That’s brilliant!”

“How did you know which name to do away with?” I asked curiously.

“It’s easy really. If your daughter keeps those names, then she has Auriela, her grandmother, and her nick name, which would be ‘Lee’, would be from your name ‘Lee-Anne’. That way, she has a little of all the important names. Same thing with your son - he would have the three important names with him, including the one from his daddy,” Max explained.

“That’s ingenious!” Boris chuckled.

Max shrugged. “I’m creative when I want to be.”

“You’re also a Naturalist witch! Any word on that?” my father asked.

“He’s a what now?” Alexa, Anastasia, Jacob, Trey and Sam asked.

“He’s a Naturalist witch. He’s the one who banished Odessa to the Land of Lost Souls,” Chase informed them.

“I have no idea about that really,” Max confessed.

“How did you know to come to Litmus?” Mateo asked him. Max looked to Rose, who was occupied with the patterns on her dress.

“She led you there?” I asked. He nodded.

“I felt a couple of pains, before I went down. Rose came up to me and showed me everything I needed to know. She unlocked that side of me I guess, before telling me where I needed to be and what I needed to do,” Max replied.

Before anyone could react, Mateo suddenly groaned beside me. I turned to look at him, but he only groaned louder. He abruptly stood up and clutched his head before screaming out.

“Mommy, move,” Rose whispered. I got up and moved away.

His eyes switched rapidly between hazel and black, before settling on a black that had me shaking in fear. I had never seen him like this before. He looked so monstrous. He was beastly. The first snap of a bone resounded in the room, before the rest followed. Soon enough, we were faced with a midnight black wolf and he was growling menacingly.

He was growling menacingly, at me.

“It’s happening!”

I shook my head, tears trailing down my face as I clutched my stomach. “That’s not possible!”

“It is June. It’s midnight.”