Auren POV


    M號 58%飯


    Days passed fast and before I knew it, my twins were six months old. Lucien and I were nning on a quiet dinner to celebrate their six-month birthday. I had turned neen a few months ago. Summer had descended and there were blooms everywhere. The pack had beautiful meticulously crafted gardens with a variety of flowers. And the air was thick with the intoxicating fragrance of these flowers.


    The morning light filtered through the windows of my bedroom. Tamara and Bradley were ying on the rug, I had ced a lot of cushions around them. Giggles echoed in the room as Tamara, who was dressed in a sky-blue romper, sat wobbly on the plush rug, and she was pping her hands with delight after chewing a wooden wolf toy. Beside her, Bradley sat quietly, studying a wooden ring toy with intense concentration. He curled his fingers around it and flipped it to study it like it held answers to life.


    Iughed. "Tam, don''t eat that," I said as I picked up the drool-soaked toy from her mouth. Both my pups had started teething. And they were biting everything they could sink their teeth in, including my breasts. While Bradley was showing, signs of having wee fangs, Tamara wasn''t. She squealed in protest as I took her toy and wobbled forward. She toppled gently on the cushions. Iughed and lifted her into myp, pressing a kiss to her soft golden curls. "You don''t need it, sweetheart," But Tamara picked up another soft toy and started chewing it. Sigh...


    Lucien entered the room shirtless. His hair was damp after a quick bath. He was holding two mismatched socks in his hands. "Our daughter has flung these across the hall, bedroom and garden. Did you know I found one in the kitchen as well?" Tamara loved to remove her socks when sitting anywhere. She would remove them and y with them. Often, the maids had pulled out the socks from her hands before they entered her mouth.


    "She is testing her throwing arm. I do believe she is a warrior-in-training," I replied with a grin.


    He came to me and dropped on his knees. He leaned down to kiss me and then brushed his fingers against Brad''s cheek. "And this one? He looks like he is solving a riddle."


    I chuckled. "He is probably plotting how to overthrow his sister''s sock rebellion."


    We were both six months into parenthood, and nothing ever felt moreplete. I had forgotten about my past in the Crimson Howl pack. Bram and Maris existed somewhere on this. I didn''t care.


    All these months, there were moments of exhaustion, of confusion, of wailing cries in the middle of the night, of times when my breasts ached with milk overflowing, when I just wanted to wean my pups away. But then there was alsoughter, warmth, a bond that grew stronger between Lucien and me. We loved every moment of spending time with pups. Every little action caused happiness.


    Outside, the pack members had started treating my pups as treasures. Sometimes, they got gifts. The warriors bowed respectfully whenever I passed with my pups in my arms. At the heart of it, I no longer felt like the omega no one wanted. 1 felt like the Luna of my pack.


    Once when Lucien had taken the pups to the training arena, some of the warriors and younger wolves took a break only to coo at them. I stood behind them, enjoying it in silence.


    Sienna loved how things turned out. Myzy wolf sprawled and tossed around in my mind happily, wagging her tail. Sometimes, she went for a run with Remus and invariably, she would return riding on his back like a queen. And Remus- he loved to pamper her. He would proudly get her back home on his back.


    I had put the pups to sleep in their cradles and gone down to have lunch with Lucien and Tarian. While we were talking about the pack business and that two alphas wanted to meet Lucien, Vivi interrupted us. "Alpha Lucien, someone is requesting an audience with you."


    "Who is it?" Lucien asked, swallowing down the pie.


    "Tom''s nephew, Fred Danby," Vivi said with a choked throat.


    14:27 Sun, 20 Apr 92.


    47501


    I exchanged a nce with Lucien and nodded. He stood up, wiping his hands on


    a napkin "Ask him to meet me in the main ball


    Tarian also got up and followed Lucien in the main hall. I finished my lunch and curious, I also followed them. A man stood waiting for us. Lean, with auburn hair and familiar green eyes that poked at my memory, Vred looked like a model walking out of a fashion magazine.


    As soon as he saw us, he bowed. "Alpha Lucien," he said, ncing at me. "I''m Fred Danby, Tom''s nephew


    Lucien stared at him with surprise. He waved at the sofa behind him. "Please sit"


    As we settled into our seats, I found Vivi watching Fred with a nervous expression.


    "How''s Tom?" I asked. "I hope he is feeling well"


    Fred''s eyebrows jumped to the hairline. "You didn''t know?" When he saw our puzzled faces, he added, "He died a few months ago. Didn''t Mirabelle say anything to you?"


    Shock rippled through me as my eyes widened. "Died? Mirabelle? What are you talking about?" Goosebumps lined my skin. I whipped my head to look at Lucien who had narrowed his eyes as he stared at Fred.


    He said through the mind link. ''It was Tom who had rmended Mirabelle aka Sable!


    Fred nodded gravely, "Yes, Luna. I''m sorry toe without notice, but I''ve been searching for someone. My uncle had put a girl instead of him as a chef in house, Mirabelle. Belle came here and just two dayster my uncle died. I am looking for her,"


    Vivi gulped audibly. "Tom died?"


    I tried to search for a hint of maliciousness in Fred. There was none. What was going on?


    Lucien leaned forward, and said, "Fred, can you tell me more about Mirabelle and Tom''s connection?" He looked lethal, like he would kill Fred in an instant.


    Fred looked pretty flustered, but he revealed everything. Right from how Mirabelle met him to how she got in contact with Tom, who helped her join as our chef.


    "After Uncle Tom died, I contacted her. I asked her to leave her job ande to live with me, but she said she had promised you that she would find a recement and then she woulde. I waited a few months. She didn''t call. I thought she moved on. But now I can''t shake the feeling that something bad happened to her. Since she was your cook, I thought... maybe you know where she is?"


    My head reeled as my thoughts raced. Mirabelle. Belle. Sable. The mask. The disguise. Memories of that terrible night of fire and betrayal, of knives and blood, flooded my mind.


    Fred continued, "I really can''t get over her. Please, if you know about her, tell me." He was getting anxious.


    Tarian took a deep breath in. "Fred... you may want to drink water." He looked at Vivi who was already crying silently. She nod


    "WI