Diyasmiled at me. “Sucking fingers, making an O-shape with her mouth. Trying tobreastfeed over your shirt.”
Ilaughed. “Okay.”
Allof a sudden, I heard snapping noises. I gasped and looked down as fur startedpopping up all over Avery’s body. She was shifting.
“Ohmy God, is that okay?” I asked Diya.
Diyasmiled. “Perfectly normal. She is waking up. I’m tired. Text me if you needanything.” Diya left.
Averywas now a furry, adorable wolf cub wrapped in a blanket. Oh my God. Cutestthing ever! She gave a small growl and I picked her up and tucked her under myarm. She leaned into my shirt and bit my nipple. “Ow!” I yelped and pulled heraway from my body.
“Youlittle stinker. You hungry?” Making quick strides, I crossed the living roomand walked her down the hall into Emma’s room. She shifted again and gave a loudhuman baby wail.
Emmasat bolt upright. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?” She looked frazzled, her gaze dartingaround the room.
“Yeah,she’s just hungry,” I told Emma, sitting at the edge of the bed.
“Aurora,you’re here.” Emma smiled, taking Avery to feed her. I had seen Emma naked ahundred times. Breastfeeding in front of me or any member of the pack was nobig deal.
“Doesit hurt?” I asked Emma as her eyelids drooped.
“Kinda.But being full of milk hurts worse.” She leaned back, closing her eyes.
“Youfeeling okay?” I asked her, trying to keep her awake. She looked ready to dropat any second.
“Justtired. No one warns you about that. The sleep deprivation … Awful. Headache,hungr–” She fell asleep, her head rolling to the side. Her arm went slack and Ibolted forward, catching Avery and boosting her back up to latch.
God,being a mother was harder than I thought. Poor Emma. I had never seen her sotired. Not even after Devon died. We expected mothers to labor for hours andpush out a human being. Then, when their body needed to rest, we woke themevery two hours to feed that human. Yikes. Was I sure I was ready for this? AfterAvery was done feeding, I lifted her over my shoulder and instinctively pattedher back. She gave a big burp and I giggled, walking her back out to the livingroom.
Lookinginto her green eyes, and at her fuzzy red hair, I saw that she looked just likeEmma. “I’m your godmother and the coolest aunt you will ever have,” I told her.She scrunched her face and a huge rumbling sound came from her diaper.
Igrimaced. “Thanks, kid.”
*
Afterstaying the entire night shift, I woke on the couch to find Alexa shaking me.
“Hey,it’s my shift,” she whispered.
Ipeeked over, Avery was still asleep. Oh, man. I was exhausted. Avery had herdays and nights mixed up and only fell asleep an hour ago. I had been up allnight rocking her and cooing, taking her into Emma for feedings. How didparents do this every night without a pack to help?
Iextended my hand to Alexa for her to help me up and when my hand touched hers, Iwas pulled into a vision.
Aguy with short brown hair and kind eyes was chopping wood, a thin silver chaintied him to a nearby tree like a dog. Alexa’s mate, I knew it. He was in a packin California, in the Redwood Forest. His name was Jameson, someone called hisname and he turned to look at him, his Alpha. Seeing his Alpha made my stomachdrop. I recognized him. It was Dane’s old second in command. After Kai hadkilled Dane and taken over his Portland pack, his second went rogue and ran offwith a few of the others who didn’t want to join our pack.
Inthe vision, his Alpha barked an order at Jameson, who lowered his head and setdown the axe, walking towards him submissively and dragging the long chainbehind him like a slave. Then the vision changed and I was shown Kai andJameson’s Alpha locked in a brawl. Something filtered through the vision to me.A knowing. The Alpha didn’t want to give Jameson up because he had a very rare gift.He was a submissive who could amplify his Alpha’s dominance and strengthtenfold when they were close to him. His Alpha kept him very close, thereforeincreasing his strength. The vision went back to the fight and I saw Kai beingthrown hard against a tree. The tree broke and Anna rushed the Alpha, knockinghim over.
Icame out of the vision and Alexa was standing there with wide eyes and paleskin. Alexa and I were extremely close. I was the one who changed her and ithad made us more bonded than others. A tear lined my eye. “I found your mate.”
Herhand flew to her mouth. “Really?” It seemed that every time I found a mate,there was a problem.
“But… there’s an issue,” I told her.
*
Izzy,our pack member with two human children of her own, had rushed over to watchAvery while Alexa and I found Max and Kai. I knew we needed to find Layla andTara and deal with the RAIDOS attack but Alexa’s mate was in trouble. Beingtied to a tree like a dog with a painful silver chain was not okay. This had tobe dealt with now.
Kailistened to me as I recounted the vision. When I finished, he nodded. “We cango get him. My father is flying in from India and Shamus is driving down fromSeattle. By the time we get back, the meeting will be assembled and we can makea plan to get Tara back and find Layla.”
