Loving Luna - All Grown Up

Chapter Seven - Stephan

❤Stephan – 2009

“Will the crying ever stop?” Stephan muttered as he pushed off the blanket and got out of bed. Jewel was snoring loudly, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her up. He headed to the nursery and rushed to pick up three-month-old Tala. Stephan gently patted her back before heading over to the changing table to make sure that she was dry and clean. He put her back in the crib but as Tala gurgled happily, it was clear to Stephan that she wasn’t going to sleep. He carefully picked her up again and wandered around the house. Checking in on three-year-old Liam and Andrea. The two of them were peacefully sleeping and for that he was thankful. He headed downstairs and sat down in the kitchen, softly singing to his pup. When Tala finally fell asleep, Stephan tiredly went to put her back in the crib and then headed to bed. This baby business was tiring, he thought as he got into bed and snuggled up behind Jewel.

❤Jewel – 2010

“What do you mean?” Jewel asked Nia as she cradled the mobile phone between her shoulder and chin. She was desperately trying to change Tala’s diaper and have a conversation with Luke’s wife and mate.

“I mean, he is so stubborn,” Nia complained, and Jewel rolled her eyes. Luke was more than just stubborn. “He refuses to be the better wolf and do what is necessary,” she added.

“If talking to him doesn’t work then try doing something to catch his attention,” Jewel advised. She managed to get Tala’s diaper changed just as Stephan came waltzing into the nursery with Liam and Andrea. He had his hands full and she wasn’t sure if they would be able to leave on time. “Sorry Nia, I’ve got to go but I’ll call you later,” Jewel said before hanging up.

“Is she ready?” Stephan asked as he glanced down at his baby girl.

“Yeah, her tummy is still a bit runny, do you think Felicity would mind if we canceled?” she asked her mate hopefully.

“Yeah, she would mind, it isn’t every day that her precious son has a birthday,” Stephan remarked dryly as they gathered up the kids and headed out. Jewel was worried about Tala messing herself again, but she didn’t have a choice.

“Felicity needs to realize that we all have our own lives now,” she muttered as Stephan helped her into the backseat of the SUV.

“True that,” she heard Stephan agree and she smiled.

❤Stephan – 2013

“Liam! Andrea!” Stephan yelled out to the two kids playing in the backyard. “Lunch is ready!” he watched as seven-year-old Liam, helped his six-year-old sister, Andrea, to her feet. They came running in and he barely had enough time to get out of the way. Tala, age four, was sitting on the floor eating the hotdog he had given her.

“Daddy!” Andrea suddenly called out and Stephan turned to see that she had fallen and landed quite hard on her knee.

“It’s ok,” he said as he hurried over to her. Liam was right there, and Stephan hid his smile. His son was eager to give a helping hand. Tomorrow Andrea would be turning seven, just months after her elder brother but Liam acted as if he was years older. Stephan gently patched up her scraped knee and got them all settled in for lunch. Jewel was still sleeping, and he was listening closely if their newborn pup, Leah, started crying. Liam and Andrea finished eating and headed back outside to play and Stephan tried to get Tala to finish eating the mushed-up hotdog. She refused.

“Gross,” she muttered out and he chuckled as he took it away from her.

“Do you want a new one?” he asked her, but she shook her head as she wiped her hands on her pink top. Stephan gowned as he watched in horror. Smears of yellow and red stained the top. Due to the fact that it is kiddy tomato and mustard sauce, he wasn’t sure if the stains could be washed out. He sighed as he wished Jewel was here to deal with this. Was he even supposed to be giving her that kind of thing to eat? Stephan wasn’t sure and as he was about to pick up Tala, she suddenly started rubbing her filthy hands on her head. Her soft blonde curls were getting dirtier by the second. Acting quickly, Stephan scooped up his daughter and rushed to the upstairs bathroom.

“Gross,” Tala said as he sat her down on the bathroom counter. With one hand tightly on her knee, Stephan turned on the water for the bath.

“Yes, gross,” he said as he took off her top and shorts. She refused to let him take off the pair of pink socks and he decided he didn’t have the energy to fight her on it. When the bath was ready, Stephan took his time bathing her. Making sure that the sauce was out of her hair and that her face and hands were clean. The only thing he couldn’t wash was her feet as they were firmly inside those damn socks.

“Mom!” Tala suddenly shouted out, causing Stephan to lose his balance and fall forward, splashing water everywhere. This made Tala giggle as she thought he was playing and smacked him on the head. “Dadda!” she cooed out as she continued to splash and smack him.

“What on earth is going on here?” Jewel asked curiously as she leaned against the bathroom doorframe and watched the chaotic scene before her.

“Help!” Stephan shouted out and Jewel giggled as she grabbed the soft fluffy towel from the railing and scooped Tala out of the bath.

“You let her bath in her socks?” she asked as Stephan let the water out and started cleaning up the mess.

“She wouldn’t let me take the damn things off,” he growled out.

“Language,” Jewel whispered before taking Tala to her room. Stephan rolled his eyes as the loud piercing sound of Leah crying filled the packhouse.

“I’ve got it,” he mumbled as he got to his feet and rushed off to the nursery. Why did they have so many pups again?

❤Stephan – 2020

Stephan watched as Tala hugged Freya’s legs and he couldn’t help but smile. His daughter had taken a liking to Freya and he couldn’t blame her. Freya had taken the time to play and joke around with his kids. He was grateful to have a few days of peace. Now that Freya was leaving, he would miss the extra pair of hands.

“You’ll come back, won't you?” Tala asked as she gazed up at Freya with adoring eyes.

“Of course,” Freya promised. Stephan shifted slightly as he had six-year-old Leah on his hip and four-year-old River in his free arm.

“We’ve loved having you here, Freya,” Stephan said honestly. It was still amazing to him that she had turned out to be such an amazing young female.

“It’s been lovely being here,” Freya said as she leaned forward and kissed River’s forehead and ruffled Leah’s soft brown curls. Freya smiled warmly at the pack members before she left.

“Liam, Andrea, let’s go,” Stephan called out to his eldest kids, Liam had just turned fourteen, and Andrea’s birthday was in a couple of months. Stephan headed back inside and smiled over at Jewel, who was now standing in front of the stove, preparing dinner.

“Why don’t you put a movie on for the kids?” she suggested, and he nodded. Stephan headed into the sitting room and put on an animation movie for his kids. However, as he left the sitting room, Liam followed him.

“What’s up, son?” Stephan asked him as they both headed outside.

“Dad, when can I join the army?” Liam questioned eagerly. Stephan stood still as he thought about his son’s question. He had started an army alliance with Warren many years ago, but it had only really taken off about three years ago. The Great Guard had been born and it would seem that his son was quite eager to join. Stephan smiled proudly.

“When you turn sixteen, in the meantime, you can train,” Stephan said, and Liam smiled happily as he followed his father to the training grounds. “Cliff!” Stephan called out to his Beta.

“Yes, Alpha?”

“Let Liam train with the others,” he said, and Cliff nodded. Stephan turned to face his eager son and smiled. “Now, it isn’t going to be easy, so if you feel you aren’t ready, don’t push yourself too hard,”

“Ok dad,” Liam hurried over to Cliff and joined the other younger males to start his training. Stephan knew that his son was the youngest to join but he was too proud to say no. He headed back inside and ended up sitting with his other kids watching the sing-song animation movie.

❤Jewel – 2020

“I’m sorry, you did what?” Jewel turned around to face her husband, who had just finished putting their kids to bed. Stephan had just told Jewel that he let Liam join the teen wolves training.

“What? Is it wrong?” Stephan asked as he started getting ready for bed. Jewel huffed out as she went over to him and placed her hands on her hips.

“You’ve let our fourteen-year-old boy train?” she asked, wanting to make sure she had heard him correctly.

“That’s what I said,”

“How could you? He is still a child!” she cried out, throwing her hands up in the air. “He isn’t due for training for at least another two years!” she pointed out angrily.

“Babe, it's what he wanted,” Stephan argued as he put on his PJ bottoms.

“So? If he asked you for a car, you’d give him one?” she asked as she got into bed.

“No, don’t be absurd,” Stephan said as he rolled his eyes. “I’d teach him how to drive first,” he added as he got into bed next to her. Jewel reached out and slapped his bare arm.

“Don’t do that,” she hissed out. “He is too young,”

“Jewel, when we discussed the creation of this army, you knew that Liam may want to be a part of it,” Stephan started to explain but Jewel’s eyes went wide as she started slapping him repeatedly.

“The army! You are letting him join that godforsaken army?” she screamed out. “My boy!” Stephan grabbed her and pinned her down on the mattress. Using his own body weight to keep her down. She was crying hysterically, thrusting around underneath him, trying to break free.

“Jewel, stop!” Stephan roared out, using his Alpha voice. Jewel stopped thrusting around and looked up at her mate.

“How could you?” she asked, and Stephan shook his head as he leaned in and kissed her nose.

“I didn’t, all I’ve done is let him train,” he said softly. This seemed to calm Jewel down as she stopped crying.

“We can’t let him join that army,” she whispered.

“Why not? How can we expect other sons to go into battle but not our own?” he asked her seriously. Jewel was quiet as she thought about it. She suddenly wished that her only son had been born a female.

“We can’t lose him,”

“We won’t,” Stephan promised, and Jewel didn’t quite believe him. Yet, she knew that she didn’t have much of a choice. Her boy was growing up and already he was showing signs of being a great leader, a true born Alpha, and his qualities as a warrior would soon come to light. He was built for it already, even at his young tender age of fourteen. Jewel squeezed her eyes closed as she silently prayed that her son would change his mind. “We have to trust him,” Stephan pointed out softly and Jewel nodded.

“Ok,” she whispered. She would trust her son to do the right thing. In the meantime, she still had two years to change his mind. She didn’t want him to go to war or to join any army. She wanted him at home, safe and sound. Stephan was right though, they knew when they started the army that their son may want to join and now that the time has come, Jewel would just have to accept his decisions. Stephan rolled off her and she lay there staring up at the ceiling. She would think of something.