Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Returning Home ~~ One year since the fall~~

James.

One year.

It had been one year since the fall of the war, and Ivy still was not with us. My heart longed to see her again, and every day I passed where she slept on the bed, I contemplated if we would ever get her back, if the gods would ever release her from the prison she was in.

That was right. I blamed them.

They allowed her to do this, and they could have helped her out of this, regardless of what anybody said.

Her mind needed rest, yes, but a fucking year.

Something was wrong, and she needed help.

What killed me the most was that I couldn’t help her.

Standing in the kitchen, I grabbed the rest of the towels from the basket I had washed and slowly folded them. It was time for the twins’ bath, and even though Hale had just come down and said they were perfectly content in the crib, staring at Ivy, I couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous they seemed to know something we didn’t.

“I don’t know why you’re always such a pessimist, James. You used to be so happy all the time,” Talon growled with irritation at my latest comment.

“You’re not treating them right on the training field, and you know it. The war has been over. You have to give those men a break every now and again.”

“Last time I checked, you weren’t in charge of training anymore. You were playing Daddy because you didn’t want to get a nanny,” Talon snapped, causing anger to soar through me.

“Go fuck yourself, Talon. Those are our children. How dare you fucking say something like that?”

“Yeah, I know they are. But you know what… we each have to have time for ourselves, too. You’re literally up there fucking killing yourself day and night, and even at night when they’re sleeping, you don’t sleep because the only thing you do is sit in the chair and watch them and watch Ivy as if you’re hoping she’ll actually fucking wake up. She isn’t coming back, James! We should have laid her to rest already!”

Talon, suggesting Ivy was dead, pissed me off more than anything. I knew he was only lashing out because he was angry, because he was hurt. He prayed in the beginning to the goddess all the time to bring her back and cried at her bedside.

But day after day after day, he was let down because she still wasn’t back I could feel his pain through the bond. A pain I wish I could end for him. But Talon was the most messed up out of all of us.

At least he was until Damian woke up again.

Casting my gaze towards the small sitting room that led off of the kitchen, I watched Damian sit in the chair, his eyes staring out the window exactly the same as it was every day.

We were on our own now.

Ivy’s mother had returned to her pack and mate months ago, mourning the loss of a child who wasn’t dead. Kate had gotten pregnant, and now with the new baby around, she was back home with her mate being a mother.

Everything was continuing on as if Ivy wasn’t lying upstairs, missing out on life.

Knowing that upset me, because she deserved to be here.

“I’m going to go ahead and get the twins in the bath. We promised movie night tonight, and we’re going to keep that. It’s what Ivy would have wanted. Now, if you don’t mind, please finish setting it up.”

Talon sighed, nodding his head. The conversation was over, and as I headed up the stairs, I couldn’t help but think something about today was different.

Something about today that would change everything.

I just wish I knew what the fuck it was.

***********

Ivy.

Panic flurried through me as I felt myself gasping for air. I had to escape break free of the water holding me back. My mind trying to break through the surface of raging waves that pounded against me.

That is until I found the right moment and jolted my way to freedom. My eyes opened wide as I sat up, gasping and sputtering for air. A sense of joy and wonder filling me as I took in the surrounding room. Through the dim lighting of the room, I took in the fresh flowers and the smell of fresh cut grass that lingered through the air.

Someone had obviously been airing out the room often.

It wasn’t until I cast my eyes to the right that I saw Castor’s celestial orbs staring back at me with an excited expression. Her tiny hands clapped together frantically as she looked behind her to the dark-

haired boy with pitch-black eyes.

Pollux.

Both of my twins were standing there staring at me, but they weren’t the same small babies I had left behind when I went to save Damian. Instead, they looked well over a year old, and realized that my heart hurt.

“Oh, my sweet babies.”

I tried to move to get up from the bed, but unfortunately, my legs refused to cooperate. My time laid in bed caused the muscle mass in my body to weaken. It didn’t matter though, because I was determined to find a way.

As I stared back at my children, I saw Castor look towards the bedroom door and get excited again before she turned to her brother, who seemed to be indifferent to the situation.

“Okay, you two… whose ready for a bath-”

James stepped into the room with a stack of towels in his hand, and as his eyes latched onto mine, he froze in his step. The only sound was Castor laughing and clapping her hands at the reaction before her.

“Hey, James.”

“You’re awake,” he mumbled as he glanced from the twins to me, and then back to the twins. “How “Do you really wanna know how, or are you going to give me a kiss?”

He didn’t waste a second before he was across the room, pulling me into his arms, pressing his lips to mine in a slow, deep, passionate kiss. To me, it was only yesterday I had kissed him, but to them… it had been much longer.

Pulling away, I smiled softly, wincing at the pain in my side. “How long have I been out?”

“It’s been a year, Ivy,” he whispered his eyes falling to my lap as he seemed to try and hold back the tears. “No one thought you would wake up… but I didn’t give up. I couldn’t.”

Running my hand over the side of his cheek, I kissed him again with a smile.

“Well, why don’t I surprise the others?”

Furrowing his brow, he smiled at me. “What do you mean?”

“Hand me my children, and I will show you,” I laughed.

“Oh, shit… sorry, sweetie,” he said, jumping to his feet and striding towards the twins. They were both eager at this point to get out, and were trying their hardest to escape him as approached the bed.

As their sweet faces came closer, they crawled onto the bed. Their arms wrapped around me as they snuggled into my chest, laying their heads against my breasts. They had missed me just as much as I missed them, and as the tears streamed down my cheeks, I thought of the others.

I’m home.’ I said through the link, causing James to smile.

It didn’t take but a second before I heard the thundering footsteps of the men racing up the stairs, heading down the hallway straight for me. My door burst open as Talon, Hale and Damian stood before me.

The twins had smiles upon their faces that brightened my own, and as they rushed to me, kissing the side of my head while they held me, I couldn’t stop staring at Damian.

The last time I had seen him, he died in front of me.

Loki had slit his throat, and his body laid lifeless upon the ground. A sob left my throat as my red-rimmed eyes, filled with more tears, stared at him. “You’re alive.”

Never once had I really ever seen Damian show so much emotion as he did in those two seconds after my words left his lips. He nodded his head in silence as he approached me. Almost as if he was waiting for me to disappear again.

“Ivy,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” I laughed through my tears. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“All of this is my fault. I should have done things differently from the beginning, but for so long, I kept you at arm’s length and didn’t realize what I had until it was too late.”

Looking to Hale and Talon, they moved over so I could get to Damian. He came close, sitting on the edge of the bed so I could wrap my arms around him the best I could with the twins still stuck to me. “You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m your mate forever and always. I love you, no matter what.”

It was a touching moment for us, and having them all back made my heart swell with happiness. The time ticked on as the men told me about everything that had happened since I was asleep, including the twins’ first birthday I wasn’t present for.

“We didn’t do anything big for them, James said softly. “Maybe we can, now that you’re awake.”

The guys all looked at each other in approval before looking at me. | smiled as my eyes drifted down to my now sleeping twins on my chest. “I think that’s a great idea. But maybe in a week or so, once ! have regained my strength.”

“Of course, Ivy. Why don’t we celebrate it during the upcoming festival?”

“Festival?” I asked Hale. “What festival?”

“The lunar festival to celebrate the gods,” Talon replied with a sneer. He wasn’t too happy about the festival, but as soon as I laid a soft hand on his arm, he seemed to calm under my touch.

“None of this was their fault,” I said to each of them. “We mustn’t hold grudges.”

“That’s easy for you to say, Ivy,” he replied with hurt in his voice. “We watched you basically wither away over the past year and wondering if that was the day you were going to stop breathing. It killed us.”

My heart hurt for them, but I could understand what they meant.

I, myself, hurt because of all the time I had missed with them, but now I was awake, and that was all that mattered. “Everything will be okay now. I just need to get my strength back.”

Nodding, they all agreed, even Talon, who was reluctant.

I wanted everything to be perfect, and I wanted to pack to know was still here for them. I was still their Luna, and would protect them no matter what.

“The festival is then. Let’s let the pack welcome back their Luna.”