I woke up to the feel of a tongue tracing the line of my spinal column. Firm, steady hands massaged and rubbed my sore muscles as that talented tongue tasted my skin. I smiled into my pillow, the scent of Hector's vanilla jasmine scent filling the air. It mixed with the musky, salty scents of our sweat and dried cum from last night's claiming. Sniffing, I smelled something else that wasn't supposed to be there.

Focusing on it, I picked up a hint of coconut and vanilla along with some other intangible scent blend. It was right there, just beyond what I could smell. Hector's voice came from behind my shoulder, where he was licking the muscle.

"You are inhaling rather deeply, lindo. You smell them too?"

I flipped around to face him, my brows drawn together as I took another sniff. Then it hit me. I looked at Hector and saw the confirmation in his face.

"We actually conceived last night? Are you fricking kidding me? From just that one time?" I couldn't help the idiotic smile that was covering my face.

Hector quirked a brow and replied with a smirk."Obviously with a virile alpha it doesn't take more than once." He moved closer to nuzzle my claiming scar. "And if we're being honest, I'd be surprised more if I hadn't bred you as hot as that was last night."

I pushed my bottom lip out into a pout. "I don't remember. Let's do it all again so you can remind me."

With a big grin, Hector gave me a loud, smacking kiss then sat up. He turned to face me, sitting cross legged while he spoke. "I would love that, lindo. However, you need to be fed. The little ones will need all the sustenance they can get."

I sat up and stared at my mate. "Wait. Multiple? Oh, shit. You didn't put a whole litter of kitties inside me, right?

Hector fake glared at me imperiously. "I know that you really did not just compare your majestic jaguar mate to a common house cat. Are you hoping for another spanking, lindo? Of course you're not having a litter. We're having twins."

My jaw dropped as my brain tried to make sense of what he was saying. "Twins? As in two? Two babies?" I threw myself backward onto my pillow and dropped my arm over my eyes dramatically.

I heard Hector's chuckle as he lay down beside me and nuzzled into my armpit. "Stop," I giggled. "I'm stinky and I need to shower." I peeked out from under my arm to look down at his grinning face. "Is this licking, rubbing, sniffing thing because you're a cat or a horny perv? Not judging, just curious."

Hector held my contact as he licked my armpit and moved over my shoulder to my neck, crawling over me until he was settled on top of me with his weight braced on his hands and knees.

"Yes, lindo. We cats are tactile shifters. You'll get used to it. Although, free tip? Do it to me and you'll have me purring and agreeing to anything you want." He winked.

Shaking my head, I pushed him back by the shoulders as I sat up. "First things first. I need to shower, but my clothes are upstairs. Then I need food." Right on cue, my stomach growled.

"Okay, my darling. You go start the shower, I'll call the front desk and see about having your things brought down here."

"But, nothing is packed!" I wasn't used to others doing for me. I was the one who did for others.

Hector shrugged. "You'll get to it. Longer lifespans and shrewd business skills mean that my family has accrued incredible wealth over the generations."

He stood and held a hand out to me to help me up. Taking his hand, I stood to my feet in front of him. Hector leaned closer and rubbed his nose against mine before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into a hug.

"I will take care of your every need, lindo. You just grow our cubs and be my mate, okay? Anything you want to do or study or explore, just name it. But please don't feel badly because I'm willing to tip a beta maid to go pack your things."

I nodded and hugged him back. "You know, the shower would be a lot nicer if I had some company."

Hector snorted in my ear. "Now who's the horny one? Don't worry, lindo. I have every plan of meeting you in there."

It wasn't long before the shower door was opening and my sleekly muscular mate was stepping in to join me. I was just picking up the shampoo, but he took it instead. After pouring a little in his hand, he reached up and began to rub it into my wet hair. His firm hands massaged my scalp while he told me that my things would be delivered soon.

Apparently, Liam had arranged for them to be packed up already and had just been waiting for us to call. If I were human I suppose that I would be embarrassed, but in the shifter world things are different. Finding a fated-mate is so special that it would have been more surprising if I hadn't come back to his room with him.

I took the body wash and washed Hector, taking my time to feel each bump, dip, and ripple of muscle as my hands learned his body. After my shampoo was rinsed out, I returned the favor and shampooed his hair. The whole thing was strangely intimate, in a different kind of way from last night's sexcapades and claiming.

I had just rinsed the last of the shampoo from Hector's hair when he stiffened, as if on alert. He held his head to the side, as though listening intently to something. Then after a moment, he turned to me with a smile. "There is someone at the door, lindo. It's probably someone with your clothing. I'll go."

He slipped out of the shower and slid into one of the fluffy robes that was provided with the room. After a brisk rubbing of his head with a towel, he slipped out of the steamy bathroom.

I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, toweling myself dry with a fluffy towel that I found hanging on a bar next to the shower. After I was dry, I made use of Hector's comb before pulling on the other guest robe and going out into the larger room.

Frankie and Liam were sitting on the little hard couch that was just inside the door with the twins on their laps and a stack of my suitcases off to the side. They both smiled when I came into the room.

Hector was seated in the room's only other chair. He looked up at me with a happy smile and held out his arms. "Come, lindo. I saved the best seat for you." Not even caring how needy I looked, I went right over there and let him pull me onto his lap.

Liam's eyes lit up as he smelled my secret. With a big smile to both of us, he said: "Congratulations, Hector and Drew, both on your mating and your little one."

Frankie looked confused, until it dawned on him what his mate meant. Shaking his head, the wolf shifter said: "I'll never get over how you bears and jags can smell a cub within hours of gestation. That's just crazy. But congratulations! Are you excited?"

"I was, until Hector told me that we're having twins. I see how busy you guys are, so it's a little scary!" I looked at their adorable babies, still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that we would soon have two of our own.

Frankie nodded at Hector with a grin. "I'd forgotten about that. After all the years that I've known Jules, you'd think that I would remember you cats and your insane hearing and that extraordinary sense of smell."

I turned to Hector. "That's how you heard the door knocking, even though the shower was running? You could actually hear it? I thought you were sensing it or something."

Hector threw his head back and barked out a laugh. After he was calm enough to talk, he smiled gently. "No, lindo. I'm not a psychic. I'm an empath. There are differences in our abilities. It was just the knock at the door that I heard."

"Wow, I bet it's hard to have a private conversation in your village," I said with a laugh.

Hector nodded with a grimace. "You have no idea."

He turned to Frankie and said: "What news do you bring? You are putting off a mix of emotional signals that tell me that you are both relieved and a little excited right now. I take it that this is not merely a social visit?"

Frankie's eyes lit up. "The alpha-bitch finally opened one of the old emails that I attached a worm to a few months ago."

He saw our curiosity and explained. "I had originally tracked her using a worm that was attached to a picture we'd texted her from the phone of a mercenary who'd been working for her. He was, shall we say, unable to stop us from using his phone at that point? After she opened it, my program then had free reign with her phone and especially her email account. After she escaped a few months ago, we had her phone in our custody. I went through her saved files and attached my worm to every email in her box. All I've been waiting for was for her to open one of them again. I had a feeling that she'd saved them for a reason, you know? Luckily for us, she finally did it. And she used her new phone so I'm now able to track her again."

Hector looked thoughtful. "This is good news. My mate has five months for his pregnancy, although with twins, it could be closer to four or four and a half. It would be good if we could leave here before he is too far along. I would like to get him settled in my village before then, so that he can get to know my family and the members of our pride. Not to mention the fact I would rather not have my pregnant mate at risk with these rogues around."

"I thought a group of lions was a pride, and cats were a clowder," I said randomly, purposely ignoring the whole helpless, pregnant omega in a war zone comment. I got up and went to get a bottle of water from the mini bar.

Liam snorted as Hector looked over at me with that now familiar blend of amused arrogance. "A group of house cats is a clowder, lindo. Jaguars are like lions. Our groups are considered prides."

Frankie stood and walked over to Hector with the baby that he was holding. "So, in an obvious change of subject, I want you to meet Clark. He's the twin with the the gold flecks I told you about, maybe you can get a feel of his possible power? Now that you're about to be a dad, you might as well get used to holding one of these tiny things anyway, right?"

I walked back over as Frankie was leaning over in the middle of passing Hector the cub to hold. When Hector's hands touched the cub, he accidentally brushed his hand over Frankie's while they both held Clark with the other.

Hector went completely still as a purplish haze seemed to hover over him. Unlike his usual purple glow, this one had sparkling bits of gold around here and there.

I walked closer, and it looked like he was completely zoned out. Frankie caught my eye as I approached, and shook his head as if to tell me not to speak. Hector was staring into the cub’s eyes, his own growing purple. The golden bits in the pup’s eyes were also glowing like bits of shiny glitter sprinkled in his irises.

Liam and the other twin sat there quietly, observing just like I was. After what seemed like an hour but was probably more like a few minutes at best, Hector blinked and took the baby to cuddle.

Shaking his head with wonder, he looked at Frankie, who was now squatting in front of him excitedly. "Your cub, he is a powerful one. His powers feel clairvoyant, although I would not rule out the possibility of dreamwalking after he comes into his full powers with adolescence."

Frankie nodded solemnly. "He showed you something? Even at a month old?"

Hector looked down at the child adoringly, then back at his father with a thoughtful shake of his head.

"No, I think it was the physical connection from me to him through you. The combination of our powers allowed me to borrow from his gift."

"What did you see?" Frankie asked with curious dread.

"Drew and my cubs will be born here. The conflict ends six months from today, until then we have much to prepare. In my vision, I saw a field to the south of here, a bit distant but not too far. There were many rogues there, prepared to kill the people of your den and even a few bears that live among wolves in a neighboring pack. Men, women, and children, none are safe from the alpha female's fury who is behind this war."

Liam sucked in a breath, but Hector shook his head and continued. "The two Alphas will join together, and your communities will fight as one. Only in this joint solidarity will the evil be vanquished."

Liam asked then: "If she doesn't want her brother's place, why is she doing this? What good does killing everyone do for her? I don't understand."

The purple was still glowing, albeit a bit dimmer, in Hector's eyes as he spoke. "I truly believe that was her original intention. She is a madwoman, with a thirst for blood. No treaty or accord can be reached with her. No. I must speak with your Alpha, and the wolf Alpha as well. Can this be arranged?"

Frankie nodded and stood to his feet. Reaching for Clark, he said: "I'll call Jules now. He's the one who will make it all happen."

Hector grinned. "Tell him have fun with the twins. His mate stood next to Drew in my vision. Each one held two infants in their arms."

Frankie laughed out loud then. "Oh, for the love of Fenris! I cannot wait to tell him that one. They're already the fathers of triplets, you know."

I shrugged. "The more the better. Our kind is a dying breed of shifter, and the new cubs will both be jaguar. Please be sure to tell him that part too, it's always fun to give those military type alphas the heebie-jeebies."

Frankie laughed as he and Liam made their exit. I went back and crawled into my mate's lap, cuddling into him. "Do we really have to be here, alpha? I don't want our family to suffer."

"We'll be fine, lindo. We have to be here. This war will not end without Frankie and I both there with the Alphas. And our two sets of twins, ours and Frankie's, that is, they are important to our future on a grander scale than we can now imagine, but only if the war ends as I have foreseen."

I pulled back, searching his eyes as I asked: "My babies! Will they be okay?"

Hector stroked a hand up my back and pulled me back against him. "Our cubs will be fine, lindo. In fact, they will help save more people than I will. But their story is for another time and generation. This current battle is for us to handle."