Chapter 103 by Cara Anderson

Ch. 103 A Mother-Daughter Moment

Mallory’s POV

Weeks of planning had all culminated in this day. I was exhausted, worried my dress would need to be let out again, panicking about the food, the music, and the centerpieces of all things. My nerves were shot! But I couldn’t remember when I’d ever been more excited.

I didn’t need all the fanfare for myself, personally. I went along with it because it was expected of me in accepting the Luna role. And also because Luna Erika and my mother would be gutted if I spoiled their fun. But ceremony or no, I was tied to my mates for eternity and that was all that mastered to me.

My mates were who I was truly excited for. Alpha Carlton was handing over the Alpha title to them tonight as well and I couldn’t be more thrilled for them. Black Moon would be blessed to have three amazing Alphas and they deserved to be celebrated.

“Good morning, darling.” Cary slipped into the steamy shower with me. “You seemed deep in thought. Are you nervous?”

“Nervous your mother is going to have me waxed, plucked and pampered to within an inch of my life before the day is over.” I rested my head back on his shoulder and enjoyed the way he caressed circles on my expanding belly.

“Mmm. I’m all for the waxing bit. I quite like you bare.” He teased a finger along my labia, eliciting a moan.

I turned in his arms and leaned in to capture his lips in a dirty kiss. It was getting harder to get close when we faced each other. At nearly four months pregnant with three babies, my stomach was already as big as a full- term single pregnancy. But my guys still managed to always make me feel sexy.

“Fuck, you taste delicious.” Cary groaned, backing me up against the shower wall and caging me in with his arms. “And these,” he cupped my heavy tits in his hands, “I’ll never get enough of these.”

He dipped his head and sucked one hardened tip into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue and making me squirm. My tits were huge, having grown a couple cup sizes with the pregnancy, and all of my mates were obsessed with them. But Cary most of all.

“Yes! Aah!” My head fell back against the wall and my fingers threaded through his hair, holding him to me as he tormented my extremely sensitive nipples.

“Gonna make you come just like this, darling.” Cary murmured against my aching flesh.

He twisted one tight bud, pinching and pulling at it while he laved the other with his tongue. Thanks to my raging hormones, my nipples had become extremely sensitive. Cary took it as a personal challenge to bring me to orgasm just by playing with them. And he was usually successful.

“Mom’s here.” Clay announced, joining us in the shower. “Colton is trying to distract her but the woman is on a mission.”

A pitiful whine left my lips and my head dropped to Cary’s chest. We may have been in a hot shower but Clay’s words were like a splash of cold water.

“Fuck,” Cary grumbled.

“This is actually perfect. Now you’ll be aching for us all day. Just think how explosive your orgasm will be tonight after being denied all day long.” Clay tipped my head up and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips, grinning at me wickedly.

“You’re sadistic!” I grouched but he just chuckled at me.

Clay was the king when it came to using denied orgasm as a form of torture. I rolled my eyes at him but that only earned me a swat on the ass. Albeit a gentle swat. He was much more careful with me as the pregnancy progressed.

“Let’s get you washed, little wolf.” He said, working the soap into a lather.

He and Cary cleaned me thoroughly, if not a bit too formally for my taste. I did enjoy the soothing massage while he shampooed and conditioned my hair though. They all swore they’d never done it before me but I would never get over how good those three men were at washing a woman’s hair.

“Guys, I can’t hold her off anymore.” Colton poked his head into the steam- filled room. “She’s going to come in here and get her herself if you don’t send her out in the next thirty seconds.”

I pushed the glass door open and moved to step out, accepting my fate. Colton rushed over with a towel and dried me from head to toe. It was especially adorable when he dropped to his knees to dry my feet but kissed my belly first, saying “good morning, babies.”

I walked into my bedroom to find my mother-in-law standing there holding a fluffy robe out for me to slip into.

“No need to get dressed, sweetheart. We’re just going next door to our suite where you’ll just need to undress again.” She explained. “And don’t worry, Carl will be out the entire day. His honey-do list is so long, we won’t see him again until the ceremony.”

I tossed my mates a pleading look over my shoulder as their mother dragged me from the room. Not one of the traitors moved to rescue me.

“Make sure she eats, mom. And don’t have her on her feet too long. She needs frequent rest periods. Call me immediately if she starts feeling unwell.” Clay rattled off instructions.

“Of the two of us,” she pointed between herself and Clay, “I’m the only one who has actually had triplets. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of your mate, son!”

With that, she pulled me from the room and toward my doom. Okay, it wasn’t actually that bad. My mom and Luna Erika kept me company, sipping mimosas while I sipped sparkling cider. And I was lying down or sitting through most of the day’s events so I got plenty of rest.

Then suddenly, it was time for the part I was most nervous for. The dress. No matter how hard she’d tried, the seamstress had been unable to predict how much my belly would grow. Every time I tried it on, it had to be let out a little more. Fingers crossed that today, it would still fit.

The dress was made of a silky white satin that felt heavenly against my over -sensitive skin. It had an off the shoulder neckline that dipped into a modest v-cut in the front and a scooped back. The center was ruched to accommodate my belly before smoothing back out into a mermaid skirt. Of the dozens I’d tried on, it was the only one that managed to make me still feel sexy despite my ever-growing waistline.

“Oh, sweetheart! You look so beautiful!” Mom gushed when I stepped out in the dress, dapping at her eyes with a tissue.

Luna pulled me in front of a full-length mirror and my breath caught in my throat. I didn’t recognize the woman staring back at me. After everything that had happened with Quade and the trial, not to mention the pregnancy, I’d felt so run down. I’d really leaned in to the casual, make-up free look. But this woman didn’t look run-down at all. She looked radiant.

My hair shone under the lights like midnight under the moon, falling in soft waves with the sides pulled back and a few strands framing my face. The muted tans and creams of my eye make -up set off my hazel eyes to perfection, making them sparkle like multi- colored jewels. The contouring highlighted my cheekbones despite the pregnancy-induced puffiness and the petal pink lip gloss made my lips look plush and kissable.

“The dress fits perfectly! You are a vision, sweet girl! My sons are lucky men!” Erika’s voice cracked with emotion.

“Thank you!” I whispered, not trusting myself not to cry.

“Erika, could I have a moment alone with my daughter before we have to go?” Luna nodded to my mother and slipped from the room.

“Come sit with me.” Mom pulled me to sit on the nearby sofa.

“Mom, I think it’s only fair to warn you that you’re taking your life in your hands if you’re about to make me cry. Luna will murder you if my makeup gets ruined.” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

To be fair, it was a preemptive attack. The affection in her glassy eyes was unmistakable and the way she was squeezing my hands in hers was just short of painful. The last few weeks had been hard for her as well, fearing for her daughter’s life then freedom. Now I was safely home only for her to have to give me away again.

“My beautiful daughter,” she sniffled, her voice raspy and laden with emotion, “I’m so, so proud of you. Your strength, your humility, your capacity for love and forgiveness… you’ve grown into an amazing woman. Those three boys are incredibly lucky.”

I snorted a laugh at her calling my three hulking Alpha mates “boys.” I think she said it on purpose to hold my rapidly building emotional display at bay.

“What?” She raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I’ve known them since they were ten years old. They’ll always be boys to me.

“Anyway, I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. I hate what happened to your parents and part of me will always carry some guilt that they had to lose their lives, lose the chance to know such an amazing daughter, while I’ve been so blessed to raise you, to see the woman you’ve become.

“But I will always be grateful they chose me when they had to trust their only child’s life to someone else. I have to believe that if you couldn’t be theirs, then the Moon Goddess meant for you to be mine. And there is no greater gift she could have given me.”

“Momma…” I choked back a sob.

“None of that.” She wiped the tear from my cheek. “We can’t have you looking anything less than perfect for your big day. I just wanted to make sure you knew that even though we don’t share the same blood, my heart will always claim you as mine, my precious little girl. I love you so much!”

“I love you too, momma. And that’s what you are. My mom. Part of me wishes I could remember them, that I could have known them. They sound like amazing people. But I wouldn’t trade the life I’ve had with you for anything. Oh!” My hand flew to my stomach where I’d just been kicked from the inside.

“What is it? Are you okay?” Her face was panic stricken.

“I’m fine. I think the little ones just want to say hi to grandma.” I took her hand a put it over the squirming minions.

“That never gets old.” She smiled at me, a look of pure wonder in her eyes. ” I can’t wait to meet them.”

“They’re going to be three lucky pups to have you in their lives.” I pulled her into a fierce hug, her hand still resting on my belly.

We sat like that for a moment, three generations connected. Then Luna Erika was there, poking her head into the room.

“I hate to break up this beautiful moment.” Her tone was hushed so as not to startle us. “But it’s time to make you our Luna.”