TWO

Gina wasn’t about to get her hopes up, but after ten years of living in a new kind of peace, she couldn’t help it. She and Quinn had tried to have a baby for five years after their mating. When nothing had come of it except countless disappointments, they’d stopped trying. She’d gone on birth control, and they’d spent ten years protecting their Pack and raising Jesse. She’d watched the rest of her siblings grow up as well as her countless cousins, and she’d never once regretted stopping the pain of trying. If she had continued to try, she might have gone down a dark hole she wouldn’t have found a way out of.

Instead, she’d learned her new role as Enforcer of the Redwood Pack and had found a deep sense of happiness with her mate.

Quinn was her everything, and nothing would change that.

And now, she had him by her side as the Healers—past and present from two Packs—worked together to find a way to help her. Them. The three had come close in the past year or so since Finn, her brother and Heir to the Pack, had needed their help to Heal his wolf.

Since Gina was a half-wolf, she couldn’t go through typical fertility treatments like humans. And thanks to the fact that she was also half witch, sometimes typical Healer connections that went between a Pack member and the Healer went haywire.

“Don’t be scared,” Hannah said softly. “We’ll take as long as you need.” Gina’s aunt leaned close, and Gina inhaled her honey and crisp apple scent. She loved that scent. It smelled of home and healing. “You know it took me a while to get pregnant with the twins, and I had two men in my life.”

Gina nodded and let out a breath, calming herself. “I do, and I will always remember the way you held me after each time the stick never went the right color.”

“Quinn was there for you, too, and I know he’ll be right here by your side.”

Gina knew that with every breath of her soul, and that’s why she felt confident enough to do this. “So, what does this entail?”

“We’re going to put you to sleep and try to find the connections between you and the goddess that might be fraying,” Hannah said simply. “We might be in a highly technological age, but we’re still of magic. And both of us are witches.”

Gina smiled. “Then let’s do this.”

Hannah kissed her temple. “Let’s do this.”

All in all, she didn’t feel any different. She’d gone to sleep one moment, and had woken up another moment with Quinn’s arms around her. She hadn’t been awake for the chanting or candles or the way her bond to the Pack had been plucked and played with during the procedure. If she’d been human, any of this would have sounded crazy, but she wasn’t, and this was her life now.

Quinn kissed the back of her neck, and she grinned. “You feel okay, little witch?”

She rolled her eyes and turned in his arms. “I’m fine. Though I don’t know if I should be. I mean, I did just let myself be put to sleep while people chanted over me.”

Her mate chuckled roughly. “We’re a different breed. That’s probably why the humans are a little afraid.”

Gina pushed the thoughts of the upcoming battles out of her mind and tried to focus on the present. She’d fought for her Pack and her son, Jesse, for so long, that she knew it was okay to be a little selfish now.

Instead, she kissed her mate’s chin and bit down softly. He growled, and she couldn’t help but shiver in his arms. Goddess, she loved this man, loved him more now than she had when she’d first mated him.

As soon as she was about to push him against the wall and have her wicked way with him, someone cleared their throat behind them.

She closed her eyes and had to hold back a laugh.

“That damn pup of ours has horrible timing,” Quinn growled.

Gina kissed her mate’s chest before turning in his arms to look at their son.

Jesse smiled softly at them, his dark hair in need of a cut and coming dangerously close to covering his eyes. Though no matter the hair, she could still see the secrets in those eyes.

Their son was hiding something. Something that pained him, and there wasn’t anything Gina could do about it. He was of age now, an adult in his own right. She couldn’t force him to tell her everything. He loved her like his own mother, even though his mom still lived.

Helena had been banished from the Pack during the initial stages of Gina and Quinn’s mating. Yet Jesse had accepted Gina, full stop, with no boundaries.

She would always be grateful for that.

Just as she would be grateful for the time when Jesse finally told them what was on his mind.

She had her son, her mate, and, she thought as she put her hand on her belly, one day soon, she might have another child to call her own.

She was happy.

She just hoped she’d stay that way.