Semi tried to remember if Osei emitted any vibes when he asked her to track Cayden. Was he secretly anxious even though his voice had sounded emotionless? 
Well Cayden was back with Nicholae and that meant so was Danielle.

Valentina jumped up glad to hear that Nicholae was back.
'How far away are they?'

'Not very far. I just sent Cayden the message,
he's on his way.' She tried to add some cheer into her voice, but her best wasn't good enough since her tummy kept tossing and clutching, she placed her hand on her belly to calm it down.

'You felt something?'
Yes she felt something and even her child could feel how unsettled she was and thus was becoming unsettled as well.

'I think he's switched positions.' She laughed caressing her stomach and trying to calm him.

'You know it's a boy? How?'

Semi smiled, 'I hope it's a boy that way he can take after his father. Osei wants a girl, he says he wants a miniature versions of me running around here.' She sobbed and laughed at the same time.
'I would have checked the gender but Osei doesn't want us going to a hospital here, he's afraid something bad could happen to us. And he doesn't want me using any magic on them either.'

'Papa!' Niko's excited cry stopped Semi's heart for a split second. She just said they were close but she still wasn't ready for their arrival.

'Nicholae is here.'
Valentina went to the window to double check and then turned tail down the stairs.

She slowly lifted herself up and made herself go down stairs, forcing one leg to move at a time, suddenly her body weighed a ton and didn't want to do what she knew she had to.

All the wolves present gathered around and made way for their Alpha who walked towards Cayden and hugged him. The wolves were equally excited about the return of their brother.

There were two other girls beside Fauna, one she didn't recognize at all, and Danielle.
She looked absolutely amazing unlike Semi who was now kind of fat.

'I came as soon as I heard.' Nicholae explained shaking hands with Seth.

'Come inside.'

'Osei.' Danielle's soft voice turned all heads in her direction.
He should walk away, Semi thought.
But even as she thought that, she questioned how he could when that was his first love and his first mate.
She stepped closer and reached for his face. He didn't attempt to evade her touch he just stood there rock solid.
'I'm sor...'
A menacing growl stopped everyone in their tracks.
Semi saw that it had come from Loki.
'She dares to touch him too. Oh the bitch is just asking for it.'
'Loki, No.' Malaki and Osei yelled simultaneously but the black wolf was already bounding for Danielle. His sister Liza wasn't too far behind who looked equally as feral in her intent to maul Danielle.

Without hesitation, without a second thought, Osei changed into wolf form and planted himself protectively before Danielle. Like he'd done when Baron, their old nemesis, had fired the fate dealing bullet at Danielle.
Osei had learned nothing.

Malaki tackled Loki and Lupé went after his sister.
'No Liza. Stop.'

'Liza stand down.' Osei roared, sending Liza in a mode of submission.
The she-wolf's eyes went wide with terror, her brother hadn't ever yelled at her like he did now.
'Nobody touches Danielle. Disobey my order and you'll be dealing with me. Understood.'
All the wolves lowered their head.
Loki shook off his brother and made his way towards Osei.

'Loki, I'm warning you.'

'I'm not stupid Osei. I'm not going to kill her, we need her to save you.'
Malaki stood beside his brother.
'He understands Osei, it was a brief moment of insanity.'

'I apologize for scaring the lady.'
Loki nodded at Danielle.
'But after this is over... I'll gladly take her off your hands.'
Loki said sending a toothy grin which was just as scary as a warning Danielle's way.
Osei growled in his throat.

'Yeah yeah. Don't get your boner in a twist Osei, I'm going.'

'You're not going to touch her at all.' He said after Loki.

It was Malaki who turned around and replied to Osei
'I hope you know what you're doing this time.'

Semi called to Liza who came to her with her head hanging. It's said misery loves company so for now she'd soothed the hurt feelings of this young she-wolf.

Semi felt someone looking at her, it was Athen and the twin's mother. Their gaze was full of sympathy, they were the only ones who understood that she was there in the back suffering.
In that moment they understood what Osei had been keeping from them as an important piece to the puzzle just showed up.
'Yes. This is his first mate. She is the one who's blood doomed him.' She said to only them.
Who cared of Osei would be angry at her.

Semi turned away and would have walked away had she not felt a kick in her belly which made her wince slightly.
Cayden was the one who came to her side.
'Semi. I almost didn't see you there.'
That was the plan.
'The baby kicked.'
She took his hand and placed it on her belly to let him feel it.
'You look tired, you should go and rest.' He said to her.

'That was my mission.' She said with forced laugh.
From the corner of her eye, she knew that Danielle had spotted her thanks to Cayden.
'I'll go with Liza.' Semi said. It was obvious she wasn't needed here.

Cayden lifted her and out her on Liza's back and they went to find the twins.
Valentina was at her side, 'I'll go too.'
So Cayden placed her beside Semi.
She hugged Semi to comfort her.
And then whispered. 'I drank the vial.'

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loki, Malaki, Liza and Valentina sat together staring at the stars. Everyone was silent.

'You have to tell him before she does.' It was always Malaki with sage words.

'I don't think she should. At least not now, not when Danielle has returned and he's all goey eyed.' Liza argued and Loki agreed.

'I can't think of a way to tell him, 'Osei, I killed your child.'' Semi cried. She wiped the tears with her sleeves.

'I'm equally as responsible Semi. I gave you the spell, I pushed you to do it when you were angry.' Valentina cried along with her.

Loki sighed.
'This doesn't look good Semi. This miscarriage you forced on Danielle, I understand why you did it, for all we know she might have done it herself. We all heard her when she wanted to cure Osei and how she called him a monster.'

'I don't think she feels that way now.' Semi cried harder.
'What have I done?'

Valentina tried to console her but she was also crying, and now Liza has joined in.

The twins sat closer to the crying ladies.

'I'll tell him right now. I'll tell him that I made Danielle lose the child she was carrying. And then I'll leave.'

Everyone did a double take turning and looking at her.
'Why? you can't.' Malaki argued.
'You'll break his heart.'

'He'll be fine, he has Danielle.' Loki said, his anger towards his brother not yet subsided.

'Exactly.' Semi acknowledged and Loki's admittance turned her crying even uglier.
'He loves you Semi.' Liza licked away her tears.
But he'd never said those words to her and seeing as how their relationship even began... Semi would leave that thought right there.
'He's been looking forward to becoming a father. You can't take that away from him.'

'I won't.' And she didn't explain any further than that.

'You told me true love forgives mistakes, shouldn't you give Osei the benefit of the doubt that he has actually come to love you?' Valentina said.

'Osei isn't as rash as he used to be, and you've played a large part in that change Semi. I won't believe anyone that says Osei isn't in love with you.' Those words from Malaki meant the world to her and Loki's agreeing to it made her feel all the more confident in a love she felt had been one sided for a long time.

Semi stood up.
'I'm going to talk to him.'
Valentina stood too.
'I'll come along but only so far.'

As they retraced their steps back to the cabin, Semi decided to not focus on what she was about to do.
'Look at me Val, so engrossed in my issue I forgot to ask about your memories. What can you remember.
'The recent ones. You calling me back into the realm of the living. Nicholae kidnapping me..' she giggled at that. Now she actually thought him refusing to let her go was romantic. She remembered their kiss in the cell, where she'd woken up, his words to her that touched her heart more deeply than it had then. She had a lot to discuss with her husband.

'He kidnapped you? explain.' Semi listened to Valentina's story with half her heart, the other half was dedicated to finding Osei.

'He told me he couldn't find the picture.' Semi laughed.

'And he told me you never got round to discussing me. I felt very hurt.'
The two ladies shook their heads at how Nicholae had played them.

'There He is.' Valentina pointed ahead of them.
Osei paced back and forth and was suddenly approached by Danielle.

'I'm sorry. Osei, I'm sorry for what I did. Please listen to me.'
She grabbed his hand before he could walk away from her.

'There's nothing to be said between us Danielle.' He spoke still facing away from her.
'Don't forget that I'm a monster.'

Danielle cringed at her words being thrown back to her.
'I didn't understand anything then. But after I lost our child, it was like a veil was torn. I actually wanted to raise our child regardless of what he was, I would have loved him.'

Osei turned around his mouth working to speak but nothing came out.

'It was with that second loss that I realized I never stopped loving you.'
And then...

and then...

Danielle kissed Osei.
It was not innocent but it was with a passion that Semi knew all too well.
He didn't push her away from him. And Semi waited. But he didn't.
Their kiss was interrupted by Nicholae.
'I need to sit down.' Semi said to Valentina but her eyes wouldn't meet Val's.
'Could you do me a favor, could you tell both of them that I need to er... talk to them? I'll be in the meeting room.'
She didn't even wait and with her speed she ran away from them.

Valentina saw Nicholae look in their direction, he'd seen Semi as well. Osei now looked where Semi had disappeared to buy Nicholae stopped him.

'She said to meet her in the great room. She'll be there.'

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She'd composed herself, as much as she could. The hardest thing in the world awaited her.
Upstairs Valentina was moving her things to another room for her.

She opened the door and found the two of them waiting. She could feel the others nearby. She'd make this quick.

'Danielle was pregnant with your child and I am the one responsible for Danielle's miscarriage.'

Danielle frowned, suddenly recollecting her final meeting with Semi. She moved further out of her seat gripping the armrests.

'Why did you do it?' Osei asked.
He didn't even call her babe this time.
Semi pressed her lips in a thin line. Did the why even matter?
'Why?' He asked again his voice lower and even more chilling.
'Because...' Liza started to answer.
'I don't believe I was talking to you.' Osei said shutting her up. Semi met his eyes with a defiance of her own.

'Because I was mad, because she tried to kill you... and.' Her voice shook but she cleared her throat.
'I thought she would have done it anyways, I only quickened the process.'
Semi said succeeding in sounding remorseless when the guilt was eating her up inside.

'How could you do this to me?' Danielle cried.
She shot out of her chair gunning for Semi's face. Osei grabbed her before she got close enough to do some damage.

'I was so angry! How could you do that to him!' Semi screamed in return.
'He had suffered enough without your added bullshit.'

'That's enough Semi.' Osei shouted.
Danielle turned into his arms and bitterly wept her heart out.

'Don't worry. I won't be a bother anymore. I'll be staying in Valentina's room until I find somewhere to go.'
Semi turned around and stood before the door ignoring the other wolves protest.

'I'll be waiting for the rejection. Since your one true love has returned you don't need your rebound anymore now, do you?'
The slamming of the doors echoed through the room's. Semi didn't cry until she was far away and on her own in the woods.