Audrey

We got out of the car after Thomas stopped in front of the castle. I smoothed out my dress as we began to walk. On our way to the entrance, he intertwined our fingers. "You'll be fine" he assured me.

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "Jacobs!" I chirped, seeing the older man. He grinned, holding his arms out for a hug.

I moved away from my mate to hug Jacobs. "Hello, little wolfie" he muttered, patting my head. I scowled at him, regretting giving him a hug. "How's the mated life treating you?" he asked as we walked into the castle.

Shrugging, I grabbed Thomas' hand again. "Pretty good" I informed him. "How's Hope?"

"Pretty good" he repeated my words. I rolled my eyes at him. "It's been awhile since we've had a chat. Do you mind if I steal away your mate?" Jacobs asked Thomas.

My mate shook his head. "Don't be late for dinner" he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. Thomas walked off and Jacobs started walking down a different hallway.

We were half an hour early, so that was enough time for a small chat. "Is there something specific you wanted to talk about?" I asked Jacobs.

He shrugged and slowly nodded his head. "David officially adopted Riley. And a few people have been asking me about his heir to the throne" Jacobs informed me. His unspoken question was very clear. Would Riley be the next Werewolf Queen?

She would be his daughter, but she's not his blood. She wouldn't be a werewolf. How can a non-werewolf rule all werewolves. It's not exactly sensable. I know that a lot of people would be against it. But it's not their choice. "It's up to Dave" I stated. He gets to choose how it works out. He makes the rules as the new King.

Lila is pregnant, so the baby will be about ten years younger than Riley. If Dave decides to give Riley the throne at the normal 18 age, then the baby would probably be eight. It's too young for them to even argue about it. But if he waits until the baby is the right age to give them the throne, Riley would be in her twenties. I don't know how she would feel about not being chosen. She could either be understanding or jealous. It could work the same way for the baby. If Riley is given the throne when the child is older, they could be fine with it or they could try to sabotage.

"She's a good kid. We've been trying to get her to mature a bit more" Jacobs told me. I nodded my head. She does act a bit younger than she actually is. "She has a habit of teleporting to her room when she's mad though. It drives Dave crazy"

I sighed. "I'll talk to her about it" I offered. "Anyway, did you hear everyone's pregnant?" I asked. He nodded, looking at me with an apologetic smile. "I'm fine" I assured him, a smile forming on my face. "Honestly, I cried for a few minutes after I found out. But I'm okay now" I admitted.

He smiled and nodded his head. "Would you want a boy or a girl?" Jacobs asked. I looked down, imagining a big belly. A boy or a girl. It was a simple question. Most people had already thought it out already. But I didn't really mind either way.

They would be my baby. I wouldn't care if it was a boy or a girl. "I don't have a preference" I stated. Jacobs nodded. "Have you and Hope ever tried for a baby?" I asked.

His face fell. "Yeah, for a couple years. It didn't work" he said sadly. I gave him a small smile, which he returned. "Come on, little wolfie. We should head to the dining hall" he suggested.

Nodding, I followed him down a different hallway. I felt nerves bubbling up in my stomach. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed them down and tried to find a distraction. "When are Gardenia and David going to officially take their roles?" I questioned.

"Probably soon. Before the girls get too far along" Jacobs told me. He opened a large door, revealing a huge dining room. "Come on" he urged. We walked through the crowd of people, greeting some here and there. There were a lot of people. I wasn't expecting so many.

Sure, it was a celebration for the heirs and what not. But I honestly thought it would be some family thing. A hand wrapped around mine, surprising me. Thomas gave me a concerned look. I smiled at him. "I'm fine" I assured him as we both followed Jacobs to a large table at the front.

I greeted my parents, siblings, and their mates. Mom directed me to my seat and I sat down. Slowly, the chattering stopped and everyone went to their seats. "We are all here to celebrate the newest editions to our three packs- Blue Moon, Royal Pack, and Midnight Howlers. Since it is Father's Day, we are celebrating the soon-to-be fathers as well" Dad's voice rang in the room. Thomas reached over and grabbed my hand, I clutched on to his, taking a deep breath.

There was cheering before Dad held his hand up to silence everyone. "If the couples would please stand when I announce you. Gardenia and Marco. Lila and David. Samantha and Jesse. Veronica and Samuel-" Thomas snickered next to me. Sam glared at him as I hit my mate's chest. My father even chuckled a bit.

I managed to suppress a smile. I never heard Sam being called 'Samuel'. I honestly didn't know that his full name was Samuel. "Thank you all for joining us today" Dad's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Knowing that his speech was about to be over, Thomas pulled us both up to our feet. "Audrey and Thomas" my mate declared.

Everyone stared at us and I gripped Thomas' hand harder. "I knew it!" Stacy exclaimed, running to us for a hug. "I'm gonna be a grandma" she sang.

I smiled and nodded my head. People began cheering and congratulating each other. Thomas pulled me into his side, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "I love you" I mumbled.

"I love you too" he replied, kissing my head. "Now. Let's eat!" Thomas exclaimed. Everyone hollered and dived into the food. "What's our baby craving?" Thomas asked, looking at the food.

I shrugged. "Nothing at the moment. I'm not really hungry" I informed him.

"Nonsense! You have to eat" Stacy scolded me. I glanced at Thomas. We were thinking the same thing. Stacy is back in crazy grandma mode.

***

"I'm exhausted" I groaned, plopping face down on the bed. Deciding it would be best not to lay on my baby, I turned and laid on my back. Thomas came over to the bed and took my shoes off for me. "Can you get me a shirt?" I mumbled sleepily.

He unbuttoned his dress shirt halfway before pulling it over his head. I sat up and attempted to unzip my dress. Thomas chuckled at me and climbed onto the bed. "Move your hair" he instructed. I swung my head, making my hair move to my front. Thomas unzipped my dress and ran his fingers on my bare back. "You're not wearing a bra" he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes and yawned. "My dress has padding" I took the shirt from him before slipping out of my dress and pulling on the shirt. I lazily kicked the dress off our bed and laid back down.

Thomas chuckled at me as he moved off the bed. I felt his eyes on me as I began to fall asleep. "As much as I like this view, you gotta button up the rest of the buttons" Thomas demanded. I sighed and looked down at my torso. Everything was covered. It was just a bit revealing. I waved him off and put my head on the pillows. "Fine. I'll do it"

His fingers brushed against my skin as he buttoned up the shirt. "Hey, Thomas?" I muttered. He hummed in response as he finished with the buttons. I felt his weight leave the bed, but he told me to continue. I could hear shuffling as I began to fall asleep, "My mom said we might have twins. It's hereditary" I informed him before yawning again.

There was no more shuffling, like he stopped moving. "Twins?" he repeated. I nodded, pulling the covers over me. "Like two babies at one time?"

I hummed. "Maybe triplets" I added.

The shuffling continued. "Can you handle triplets?" he asked me. I heard him switch off the light before he climbed into bed.

"Can you?"

Thomas carefully wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I felt his chest rumble as he chuckled. "I handled you. I could handle anything" he declared.

I clicked my tongue and weakly slapped his chest. Thomas grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. "I'm not a handful" I huffed.

He kissed my head. "I'd hate to remind you. But the first time we met, you were returning my car that you stole" he reminded me.

I pouted. "I didn't steal it. I-"

"Borrowed it. I know" Thomas said with a chuckle. "No more talking. I know you're tired" he decided. I nodded, turning around in his arms so we were face to face. Well, actually- face to chin since my mate is a freaking gigantic werewolf. "I'm not gigantic. You're just short" he pointed out.

I didn't have the energy to tell him to stay out of my head. "Happy Father's Day, Thomas" I mumbled.

He pressed his lips against my forehead, causing me to feel the smile on his face. "Thanks, Audrey" he said softly. I felt his arms tighten against me. "I love you, so much"

A smile formed on my face. "I love you too" I mustered up the energy to kiss his jaw before I closed my eyes. Thomas started to fall asleep, but my exhaustion magically vanished. I started to think about the baby again.

That one minute of torture that we went through. We didn't even want to look at the test after the minute was over. I remembered how I cried when the minute was up. I didn't want to look at the test because I didn't want to be disappointed. Thomas clutched onto my hand while he picked up the three tests. He read all three before telling me the results. I started crying again. But it was because I was happy.

The first thought in my head was about me being a parent. I wanted to be like Anthony. He was a great father before I knew everything. I wanted to be a good parent like he was- just minus the kidnapping part obviously.

"Happy Father's Day" I muttered, hoping that he heard me somewhere. A part of me hated him for lying to me my whole life, but at the same time, I was grateful. No one knows what my life would've been like if I wasn't kidnapped.

I would have obviously known Thomas before all of this. I would be closer to my family. But we probably wouldn't have that whole birthday bash. And they wouldn't have met their mates. Riley wouldn't be in our lives as well as the others from Anthony's 'pack'. I wouldn't have met Keith.

So as crazy as it sounds, I was glad to be kidnapped by Anthony Reynolds.

_______________

"There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met"

­-William Butler Yeats

Comments like these are ones that make me remember why I love you guys so much. All of your support inspires me to continue writing. Some people thank me for updating and writing these stories. But I should be thanking you guys for giving me the motivation to write.

P.S. This is the first time I added an in-text picture. It looks really big. So sorry if it's bothering you.

Kayyyzzz Byeeezzz

~A.J.