He couldn’t believe how far he’d come in a couple of weeks. Hell, two weeks earlier he was freaking out not too long ago after finding out that he was pregnant and now he saw it as something that happened regularly. He and Alphonso decided to wait until after Valentine’s Day to tell the rest of the family about the baby. He was still scared as hell and didn’t think his emotions were going to calm anytime soon, not after the way he blew up at his mate a couple of mornings ago.
“I’m exhausted,” Grayson said cutting into his thoughts. “And I’m starting to look like I ate a big ass pumpkin. Good thing I’m carrying triplets, or I wouldn’t be able to use the excuse I’m eating for four.”
Sirius chuckled. “True. Your test results show you are doing great, so indulging in your favorite snack now and then is fine with me.”
“I know we never got close when I was interning at the hospital. Honestly, I never even knew you worked there, no offense. But I hope to change that now since we’re family.”
“None taken and I’d like that. This is all new to me. The whole family thing and living among shifters, so I’m taking things as I go.”
“That’s all you can do,” Grayson told him. “Are you ready for tonight?”
“For the ball or the ritual?”
It was Valentine’s Day, and Sirius was going to participate in the ritual that turned the moon blood red. He’d be skipping the festivities that followed since he was mated, instead of attending the ball at the mayor’s mansion.
“I’m a bit nervous, but I’m also anxious to see what happens,” Sirius told him. “How about you? Are you ready for the ball?”
“Yeah,” Grayson answered. “I’m pretty excited that I can finally attend one of my nana’s couple events.”
“Does she do this type of thing all the time?”
“Oh, dude, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Grayson said with a chuckle. “Our town motto should be ‘where holidays never die’.”
Sirius chuckled. “So, I should be prepared for the summer events then?”
“Don’t forget all the other momentous holidays that come in between.” Grayson smiled. “So, how are things with you and Alphonso?”
Sirius’ heart fluttered just hearing his mate’s name. Things between him and Alphonso were progressing smoothly. They were hot for each other, and he hated leaving his mate’s side. They’d signed the deed to their new home, and Alphonso was meeting with Quintus, the local contractor who would be doing the remolding.
“Things are going great. So great in fact, I think…”
He stopped talking when the door opened, and Chance walked in. s whatever he was about to say he needed to tell Alphonso first.
“Sorry, I’m late. I had a meeting that ran longer than I expected,” he said then walked over to Grayson and kissed him. “I need to think about finding a deputy mayor.”
“You will,” Grayson said. “Just have faith in Vale Valley to show you who it will be.”
“And you’re not that late. We just got started,” Sirius added. “All right let’s take a look at your little ones.”
Sirius squirted Grayson’s stomach and used the sonogram wand so that he could track the triplets progress. He was doing what he was supposed to as a doctor, but every so often he would sneak glances at Grayson and Chance, noticing how happy they were. It was patients like Grayson that was helping him deal with acceptance and made him realize that he didn’t need to freak out anymore. He just wanted to be content and excited about the birth of his child; the way his patients seemed to be about theirs.
* * *
Later that night,a couple of hours after sunset, Sirius was standing deep in the middle of the woods holding hands with Nicholas who was standing beside Bedwyr. In the center was a drawn runes in deep red. Sirius wasn’t sure how many witches were in attendance but, there were a couple of familiar faces he’d seen around town.
“We beseech thee, mother of earth and love…” Bedwyr started the spell as Sirius, and the rest joined in chanting the words after him. After a few seconds, their chanting grew louder as red smoke filled the air and he felt the magical energy ignite around him like fire. Through the thick red fog, Sirius could see the circle rune start to glow so bright that it was hard to look at it. He raised his head and was amazed to see the moon change to red.
Wow, magic is so awesome.
Soft growling beside Sirius caused him to look down to see Smoke his familiar standing next to him. Smoke was glowing, and Sirius assumed he was affected by the magic in the air just as he was. Sirius felt lightheaded and his vision blurred, and he suspected that it was also because of the spell. He looked back down at the other witches who were still chanting. Sirius hadn’t stopped either as their voices started to lower to a bare whisper. Once they were finished no one moved right away, until Bedwyr broke the silence.
“Thank, you everyone, for lending your magic to the power of love,” he said with a smile. “I can feel our magic getting stronger every year as a collective, Ermmaline would be very proud of us. And I'm that she can see and feel the love the brighter the moon shines."
Sirius noticed the other's smiling and nodding in agreement.
"And with that, I bid you all peace and love.” Bedwyr bowed his head respectfully, and for a second, he could see what his mother found interesting about the older man. He was handsome, and his quiet nature made you want to tell him everything.
“How do you feel?” Nicholas asked him. “I know that it can feel like you’re high?”
