VIOLETS POV I called my Mom as soon as wel left the cells. She confirmed me theory; Jennine was back. Hearing it out loud, I was more determined than before to catch the b***h whoâd been terrorizing my family. But Jasper wasnât having it, demanding I go home and rest. I only accepted because I knew Iâd need a shower after being down there in that hole. And I did feel better afterwards. And apparently more exhausted than I thought. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
I woke up to find Jasper sitting on the bed, combing his fingers through my hair and trailing along my neck.
âHey. Did I wake you?â He asked softly.
âNo.â
We were silent for a while, just looking at each other. Eventually, I couldnât hold it in anymore.
âIâm scared.â I whimpered.
âI am too.â He settled in next to me, sitting with his back against the headboard, and pulling me into his arms. âI wonât let anything happen to you. Or the babies.â
âWhat about the pack?â I whispered. âWe are not equipped to deal with mutliple rogue attacks.â
âIâve been discussing that with King and Ashwell. The warriors your Dad left here are going to start rigorous and thorough training, starting tomorrow. Iâll be joining in too. Iâve also doubled the border patrols.â
âShe could just teleport herself in here, if she really wanted to.â I reminded him. His arms tightened around me.
âIâll think of something.â He promised. âI wonât let that b***h come anywhere near you.â
A knock on the door made us look up. It cracked open and Tracys face peeked inside.
âSorry, I know you said you didnât want to be disturbed. But there is a man here wanting to see you.â
âA man?â
âHe says your Grandpa?â
Jasper and I looked at each other. And then we were both scrambling to get out of bed, and rushing to the door.
âWhere is he?â I asked.
âOutside.â Tracy ran after us.
I raced down the hall, as fast as I was able to go, and into the foyer. Throwing the door open, I gaped for a second, as there indeed, stood my Grandfather. He was casually looking around, dressed in blue jeans and white shirt. When he saw me, he smiled widely.
âHey kiddo.â
âGrandpa!â I hurried down the steps and practically threw myself into his arms.
âEasy there! Youâre carrying a precious load.â He laughed.
âIâm so glad to see you!â I looked over his shoulder. âIs grandma with you?â
âNo. You know how she doesnât like to travel.â He replied sadly. I nodded.
âHello Gideon.â Jasper came up to us. âItâs nice to see you again.â
âAnd you. I heard youâve had quite a lot of your plate since leaving.â
âItâs been rough at times. But weâre doing alright.â
âWhy are you here?â I asked.
âYour Mom told me.â He gave me a knowing look. âI came here as⦠how I should I put it? Your backup?â
âLetâs go inside. We can talk more openly there.â Jasper suggested. I nodded, taking Grandpas hand.
He whistled lowly as we walked up the stairs to the office. âNo offense you two, but this place is prettyâ¦â
âWe know.â I interrupted. âWe want to build a new packhouse. But more important things came up first.â
âI can help with that.â
I walked into the office first, taking a seat. âHow?â
âItâs pretty basic magic actually.â He caught my eye. âHave you been practicing?â
âNo. I didnât want to without you or Aunt Clara.â
âFair enough. I was coming to visit soon anyways, for that reason. Weâll start tomorrow.â He walked to the wall, placing both palms against it. âUntil then, Iâll work alone fixing this place up.â
He whispered something under his breath, the sounds and syllables mixing together. I jumped when the room started to transform before my eyes. The dull looking walls rippled, becoming brighter and cleaner, as if a fresh coat of paint had been applied. The carpet under my feet changed from a dark blue to a lovely golden brown. Grandpa leaned away from the wall, flicking his fingers seperatly at three of the chairs. They flew against the wall, one lined up beside the next. Waving his hand, they appeared to melt together, resulting into a soft looking white sofa.
âAnything else?â Grandpa asked, grinning.
âIâd ask you to do something with the desk, but I already ordered a new one.â Jasper laughed.
âIt doesnât look like thereâs anything wrong with it.â
âIt was Warricks. I donât need anything of his.â
âAh. In that caseâ¦â I watched as the center piece of the room started to shrink. It didnât stop until it was the size of a kitten. Jasper walked over and picked it up.
âYou can just toss it. I promise it wonât unshrink.â
âThanks.â Jasper tossed it in the trash can near the door.
I sank onto the sofa. It was as comfortable as it looked. âYouâre doing this for our room next.â I said cheekily.
âI can do the whole house if you want.â
âIâm holding you to that.â
âNow,â He crossed his arms, âTell me whatâs been happening.â
We told him everything, from the time we left B***d Moon. I let Jasper do most of the talking, only filling in the gaps when needed. I was seriously happy to see my Grandpa. It was an extra hand in this fight, a hand we needed. Being a Dark witch, Jennine wasnât bound by the same rules as regular witches. Grandpas knowledge and skill was in short supply around here, and undoubtedly useful.
âI think I can help at the border. I can make it so nobody can cross without being invited in.â He told Jasper.
His shoulders sagged in relief. âYou have no idea how much that would help.â
âDo they know?â He looked at me. âAbout you?â
I shifted in my seat. âWeâre going to tell them.â I evaded the question.
âSo, thatâs a no. When are you telling them?â
âSoonâ¦â
âViolet.â He came to kneel in front of me. âYou cannot keep this from the pack. Youâve done so much good here, but if they find out youâve been lying to them? All that good wonât matter much anymore. Youâll just be another Luna who kept stuff from them.â
âThis is pretty complicated Gideon.â Jasper spoke up. âHow do we just announce that?â
âSimple. You just announce it.â Grandpa looked at him. âItâs going to come out sometime. And it should come from you two.â
âHeâs right.â I sighed. âWe both know I canât keep my magic bottled up inside; Iâll have to use it at some point. Iâd rather not try to explain to the pack after another incident like the stairs.â
âI think the sooner the better.â He patted my knee.
I g*****d. âFine! Jasper, call a meeting. Weâll gather everyone in the Hall.â
âWhen for?â
âTonight.â
He raised a brow at me. âYou sure?â
âYeah.â I looked between them. âYouâll help me, right?â
âOf course.â
âAlways.â
I smiled at them, even though my stomach was churning in knots. Telling the pack I was a Hybrid was very low on my priority list. Iâd been putting it off for a while, too long. But if I was being honest, the chest in my mind had been rattling more frequently, and I was restless at times. Often lately, I thought about going out to the woods and unlocking it. But I was scared of what I could do, scared that I wouldnât be able to control it. My magic should be a bigger part of my life, but I was keeping it locked away, trying to forget about it. Pretty much doing exactly what Grandpa and Aunt Clara had told me not to do.
However, now that Jennine was back, I felt a new fondness for what I was. If I could learn anything, it might just help us win against her, bring her down. For good this time.
âDone.â Jasper sat next to me. âIâm not worried, really. Except for Warricks old pals.â
âWeâll deal with it. Iâm more worried about Jennine.â
âWe should head to the border.â Grandpa said. âI want to get that shield up as soon as possible.â
âGood idea.â
âWhat about me?â
âI donât mean to soundâ¦.controllingâ¦â Jasper trailed off, looking uncomfrotable.
âYou want me to stay here?â I guessed.
âYeah. Just until your grandpa puts up that shield.â His eyes pleaded with me to not be angry.
âAlright. Iâm getting hungry anyway.â I stood and stretched.
And someone stretched back.
âAh!â I gasped. My hands flew to my stomach.
âWhat?! Whatâs wrong?!â Jasper was on his knees in an instant, his hands fluttering around my torso anxiously.
Gently, I guided his hands to my stomach, breathing deeply. Waiting.
âThey moved. I swear they did.â I grumbled.
Without answering, Jasper rolled my shirt up. Sparks flickered when he laid his hands back down, and just like a before, I felt a nudge from inside. And then another. And another! Jasper looked up at me, his eyes lit up with wonder and love.
âHello boys.â He said softly. âYouâre quite energetic, huh?â He kissed my skin softly.
âMay I?â Grandpa stood in front of me, his hand outstretched. I nodded. The grin on his face as he felt what we felt made him look younger than he was, totally carefree. âAmazing.â
Jasper stood. âIâd love to do this all day, but we should get going. Iâm glad I was around for the first time they kicked though.â He tilted my chin, kissing me deeply. âI love you. All three of you.â
âWe love you too.â
He kissed me again and then they were gone. I sat on the couch for a little while longer, just enoying the feeling of my babies nudging and rolling around, until my stomach grumbled. Shuffling to my feet, I began to make my way to the kitchen. Halfway there, I ran into Tracy.
âHello Luna!â She greeted me.
âHey Tracy.â
âCan I help you get anywhere?â
âThanks, but Iâm still able to walk on my own for now.â I laughed. Regardless, she skipped along beside me.
âFor now. I remember when my Mama had twins. She could barely move by the end.â
âYouâre a twin?â I asked curiously as we took a corner.
âOh, no, not me. My brothers. Theyâre three years younger than me.â
I smiled. âIâm having boys too.â
âReally?! Awesome! Have you decided on names yet?â
âIâve come up with some, but I wanted to run it by Jasper.â I shrugged.
She skipped ahead, holding the kitchen door open for me. I thanked her, looking around and trying to decide what I wanted. Of course, I already knew.
âIs there-â
âIn the fridge, top shelf.â Tracy smirked. âI made some fresh yesterday for you.â She pulled down a container full of chicken.
I blinked at her. âThank you Tracy.â
âNo problem! Iâm always happy to help.â
She began humming to herself as she flitted around the kitchen, almost dancing. I rested against the wall, watching her work. Tracy really was the happiest person Iâd ever met; Nothing seemed to bother her. Her attitude was so different from everyone elses at Silver Moon. There was nice people, yeah, but even they had their fair share of problems.
âSo, Tracy.â I interrupted her humming. âHave you always been at Silver Moon?â
âOh, yeah. Born and raised.â
âDid you work in the packhouse before?â
She glanced up, smiling softly. âI can see where youâre going with this. Yes, I worked for the old Alpha and Luna. Lucky for me, I was assigned to look after the Luna.â
âYou count that as luck?â
âI was in charge of her day to day; Making her breakfast, making the bed, doing her laundry, etc. Which meant I hardly ever saw the Alpha. Sure, Anne was a b***h, but I think I got the lesser of two evils, you know?â
It was the first time Iâd heard her ever insult someone. And even as she did so, she did it with a smile. Her words and attitude were so different, it made me laugh.
âIâm not sure about that, but Iâm glad you werenât around him much.â
âActually, none of us were, a whole lot, except Stacy. The only times we were gathered together was at one his parties, or pack events.â She must have caught my look, because she continued. âStacy was the Alphas maid. Everything I did for Anne, she did for him.â
I thought maybe she did a little more for the Alpha as well, but I didnât vocalize my thoughts.
âDo you miss your old job?â I inquired.
Tracy shrugged. âI guess. The pay helped my family a lot, but we donât need to worry about that now. Most of us are just grateful you let us remain in the packhouse.â
She danced over to me, holding out a plate with a delicious looking chicken salad and macaroni on the side. I thanked her, my mind forming an idea.
Around a big bite of sandwich, which was as good as it looked, I asked, âHow would you like your old job back?â
She froze in place, regarding me with bright eyes. âWhat?â
I swallowed. âWhy donât you work for me? If you want. I can pay you the same as Anne did, but Iâd actually think you deserve a raise just for tolerating her that long.â I giggled.
âA-are you serious? You would let me work for you?â
âI donât see why not. You already have the knowledge of the job. Who better than you?â
Suddenly, her arms were around me in a tight hug. I moved the plate of food barely in the nick of time.
âThank you! Thank you!â She cried. Then she gasped, pulling away. âDoes this mean Iâm the official nanny too?!â
âOf course! I canât think of anyone else Iâd want.â I grinned.
She leaned down, pointing a finger at my stomach. âYou hear that you two? Iâm going to help your Mama look after you! Iâm so excited to meet you both!â
The twins kicked in my stomach, further cementing the theory that Tracy was a good, if not the best, choice for this job.