Rogue Heart

Chapter One: The Longing Heart...Part I TATIANA I had been without my King of Fury for ten days while Horacio and Devlin took a group of young warriors out on maneuver—and it had been the longest ten days of my life. We had linked, of course. A lot, thanks to my pregnancy and Horacio’s continued concerns about the effects it was having on the balance of darkness that resided within my powers... The night my dark Fairy Queen side came out to play two weeks ago—I hated what it did to Horacio—feeling guiltier than he did after the lustful events. Afraid at first to do anything other than cautiously cuddle with me, even our family noticed something was off in him, despite his best efforts to hide his unease, blaming his upcoming trip for the return of noticeable broodiness, both of us wanting to keep the incident private between us. It was a highly unusual occurrence and one that had, in truth, had me concerned about the effects our pregnancy was having on my balance of immense magical forces, a struggle I had fiercely and diligently faced head on since the age of eight. In some ways, it made sense as my dark side was where the deepest part of my mate connection with Horacio lied, something we didn’t find out until I released it from a harnessed state to fully integrate with my ‘Tati’ side before battling my mortal enemy, Frieda, not long ago. But up until that night, it had seemed to be content with our shared space inside... What I hated more than anything was the fact that after finally convincing him that all was once more safely reintegrated and well, we had made love again—something both of us wanted, needed, and desired more than anything—only to have Horacio leave out the very next morning for his excursion. My only solace being the return of our playful, wicked banter during our many daily links with one another... Making little care packages of coffee and pastries every morning and his favorite oatmeal raisin cookies with a little love note every night had managed to provide a momentary distraction, but it wasn’t enough. I missed Horacio. Desperately so. The feel of his touch—his immense warmth—upon my skin. The ability to peer deeply into those blue-grey eyes while caressing Horacio’s handsome, stubbly chiseled face that I adored. In truth, while I was elated that we had been able to intimately reconnect with one another, that was what I missed most. My King of Fury’s face and presence gave my soul a calmness and stability that only he could provide... Smiling as that thought brought forth an idea, I closed my eyes, locating my King, who, much to my delight, was sitting with Devlin taking a small break, providing me with the perfect moment to send him a special little reminder of my love, receiving a link moments later that had my heart overflowing— I love you, beautiful—and I love this more than you will ever know. Thank you, love. This week can’t be over quick enough for me—nor can seeing you walk down the aisle happen fast enough. That’s how I get to sleep at night, you know—dreaming about our wedding day—that and envisioning our tiny princesses. Have some fun for me this afternoon with whatever our family has planned for you—but behave and stay out of too much mischief—and eat for me, please. I love you, Tati. My fingers pressed against my lips, I lovingly returned, I’m glad you liked your little surprise, and I will at least try to fulfill every request, though you know my penchant for mischief. I can’t wait to marry you, Horacio, and I love you—so very much, love. Be safe and like you, I hope the rest of the week flies by so you can hurry home to me. I sneakily conjured up a vision that allowed me to see Horacio’s reaction, which was even better than I anticipated, as was Devlin’s, which made me laugh. Then, realizing the time, I headed to the kitchen in Aruna’s wing for my next scheduled activity. My dear family had been working so hard to keep me busy and occupied during Horacio’s absence, constantly checking in on me—especially Tink and Jace—and much had been accomplished. Final plans had been put in place for our delayed nuptials and reception, as well as starts, fittings, and finishing touches put on dresses for upcoming weddings of several of my beloved Rogue Eight sweethearts—but despite their best efforts, all of it was merely a distraction, my pining for Horacio unwavering and unrelenting. And I wasn’t alone—our girls who were currently fluttering around in my womb missed their Daddy too... Currently, however, my sweet girl and her snarky, twisted sense of humor that was always on full display was providing a much-needed bout of uplifting laughter as Tink and the others in our new Mommy’s Club sat around me in the kitchen, impatiently waiting to taste test one of the surprises I had in store for my beloved when Horacio returned home... Shifting uncomfortably on the stool at the kitchen island, Tink looked down at her vastly growing belly, which was visibly full of activity—the children animatedly rolling and distorting her stomach—chortling out, “I seriously think these kids are going to come out with teeth and skip the liquid stage altogether. The only one not doing crazy backflips off my internal organs while waiting to taste test this new intoxicatingly aroma-filled treat is my sweet mini-Beast, Titus.” “I’m rather jealous, honestly. I’ve just now started to really feel the boys moving and can’t wait to be able to share it together with Jace,” Constance yearningly murmured, her hand slowly gliding over her small bump. “Same here and Nicholas is growing just as impatient to feel Alaric and Adara’s move as I am to eat—which is all the time now,” Madeline dismally drawled out, performing the same maneuver with one hand while popping the last bite of a clementine scone in her mouth with the other. Mockingly scoffing, Tink retorted, “Don’t be too jealous. According to Talon, the reason I can feel our Roly Polies bouncing like crazy is I’m carrying four record breaking babies in my belly. Not shocking, considering me and that huge hunk of testosterone of mine are their parents, but all of them are already over ten pounds each! I know he keeps saying that I’m built for this, but I’m potentially going to have to deliver over a hundred and twenty pounds of brawny bones and blubber!” “Over a hundred and twenty pounds of pure sweetness,” Aruna enthusiastically sang out, coming in just as I pulled the round cooking sheet from the oven, placing it down on the island in front of the girls, whose eyes all lit up as we all took in a deep whiff of my trial run... “Ohhhh, Auntie,” Madeline exhaled out in delight, greedily clapping her hands in front of her face, “I can already tell you that Horacio is going to love this—and so will I.” “Mmmmm—I think we all will. I know Rani can’t wait for me to dig in,” I happily hummed out in agreement, “As well as the dessert that I plan on having us test next. Horacio’s mother, Scarlett, said they were his two favorites growing up and hopes they will be favored by the girls as well. She is such a lovely woman and though it is unfortunately from beyond, continues to be a doting mother and a very proud grandmother. She was excited to share the secret family recipes with me during our visit in my dreams a few nights ago.” Remembering a promise I made, I giggled, “For another reason as well”, before linking Lorenzo to inform him that I needed his presence, bringing him forth mere seconds later. The moment my brother appeared beside me, his dark eyes caught sight of the pan on the island, leading him to excitedly query, “Tati—is that—oh, please tell me that is what I think it is.” “Scarlett sends her love, brother,” I laughingly returned, “And you may want to go ahead and tell Alastor to handle everything at Spirit Walker this afternoon after I tell you about dessert.” Sensing his presence, Rhiannon and Rani decided to greet Lorenzo as well, two tiny beams of green light extending out from my side to wrap around his arm and wrist—a broad smile crossing his face as he elatedly enthused, “My sweet nieces have already informed their Zo-Zo of your plans. And though shocked at my sudden departure and news of an unexpected extended stay, Alastor has just been told that I’m taking the rest of the day off.” There was a sparkle in Lorenzo’s eyes as he lovingly suggested after a slight pause, “Perhaps I can have his lovely mother brought over to join me, if my dear sister wouldn’t mind. This was one of Priscilla’s favorites too and gives us the perfect opportunity to talk with you about another surprise we’ve been discussing for our Horacio.” ************ VIVIAN As I was finishing up a training session with Vivian’s Valiant she-wolves, Alastor linked, sounding unusually stressed, requesting that I hurry to Lorenzo’s office when I was done... Opening the door and walking in, I was caught off guard at the sight of my tall, dark, and handsome future Alpha. Sitting in his father’s high-back leather chair, Alastor was hunched over a large mound of papers, his head sideways in his hand, fingers gripping his thick black hair tight as my mate’s dark hazel gaze darted over to me with a look of helplessness I had never seen before... Holding up several pieces of paper, Alastor’s usual confidence was nowhere to be found as he despairingly complained, “The old man suddenly decided to take the afternoon off and steal Mother away, leaving me in the pits of hell, Vivvy! I’m starting to remember part of the reason for my reluctance to become Alpha. All these tedious financial reports, requests for funds, and whatever else has been stuffed into this mound of parchment. I’m a warrior, but this battle—it’s pure torture, Vivvy. However, I do have good news, my little beauty. The first thing I signed off on was the transfer of additional funds for your Vivian’s Valiant program. Just don’t ask me where it is in the pile right now.” Softly laughing under my breath as I strolled towards him, I pushing my long auburn hair to the side, leaning down to lightheartedly reply, “Thank you very much for that, Alpha. Now, let’s see if your Luna can find a way to help organize this a little and ease her gorgeous mate’s tension.” The papers were in such a chaotic mess, I ended up sitting down on top of his lap, arranging the mounds of parchment by subject and priority as Alastor wrapped his arms around my waist, tilting his head to lean against my shoulder, “I should warn you, my Luna. Mother says I take after Father in matters like these and it took her years to help him figure out and master a system after he took over as Alpha. Truthfully, at times, he still isn’t really good at it, which is probably why he didn’t mind dumping this all on me today.” Shaking my head, I amusingly replied, “Good thing I love you and am good at this sort of thing. You and I will work together to find a system that works for you. And if that proves too difficult, we will just do as we are doing now—work through the messy and tedious part of being an Alpha together.” “Thank you, Vivvy, and know that I love you—especially right now—beyond measure, for eternity,” Alastor exhaustively sighed, dropping his head down to kiss my arm just below the sleeve of my yellow t-shirt. The next couple of hours went by quickly as we worked through the large pile of work, my broad-shouldered, muscular mate falling back once the last piece of paper was signed, bringing me with him as I eyed the neat stacks piled on his desk, proudly gushing, “See? That wasn’t so bad. Plus, it gave us a better insight on a few things that need to be done at Spirit Walker.” Placing his finger under my chin, Alastor turned my face towards his, reverently murmuring against my lips, “I’m glad you see it that way, Vivvy. As for me, again—that was pure, unadulterated torture. At least it was until my little beauty’s arrival and rescue. Further proof that I will always need you by my side—and in my bed. Speaking of my bed, I am officially done with work for the afternoon. What do you say I take you upstairs and show you my appreciation for all the ways you make my life better?” My fingers lightly tracing over my mark on his neck, I playfully nipped at his lower lip before giving my alluring reply, “We could go upstairs. But I find myself wondering if skinny dipping in the pond may be a more satisfying endeavor—a little payback for being abandoned by your father?“ Grinning wickedly, Alastor huskily exhaled out, bringing his hand up to run his fingers through my auburn tresses as I did the same through his thick black hair, “Oh, my dear Vivian! I do love your intuitiveness, intellect, and at times, sinful little mind so! And the fact that you know me so well and feed into my own twisted thoughts! I can’t wait for our wedding day—the day I declare in front of all that you are forever MINE!” Our lips crashing together in a fervent kiss full of desirous passion, Alastor sent word to his patrol that distance needed to be given at Lorenzo’s pond, as I linked Raven to assist us in quickly sneaking out for a little late afternoon splash of love-filled fun... ************** TATIANA After receiving a disheartening message from Carson, who relayed that Charlotte was struggling greatly with fatigue and nauseousness following the first dose of my second phase of potion to help them conceive, I appeared in front of their door with some special fruit tea and dinner for my darling duo... Carson immediately answered my knock, kissing my cheek and taking the platter from my full hands before nervously greeting, “Hey, Auntie. Not that I don’t appreciate it, but dinner wasn’t necessary. I’m just glad you were able to put together something quickly to help Lottie feel better.” Making my way towards their bed where Charlotte was leaning back against a pile of pillows, I adoringly replied, “Both of you need nourishment and I’m in need of another opinion on this recipe—after my sweet Charlotte drinks some tea.” “I’m not sure I will be able to stomach anything, Auntie,” Charlotte weakly greeted as I sat down beside her, “Currently, even toast is my enemy.” Placing the clear thermos in her hand, I softly encouraged, “Let’s see if this will help, hmmm? Small sips, alright? The aftertaste will be a bit bitter, I’m afraid.” Doing as I asked, Charlotte slowly drank half of it while I informed her that her wedding dress would be ready for the first fitting soon. News that brought a beautiful smile of excitement to her face, much to my delight—and soon, Carson and I were overjoyed as her appetite returned... Dipping the homemade bread in the special sauce, Carson adorably fed Charlotte a bite, animatedly complimenting, “I have no idea what you put in this to make it taste so good, but this is awesome stuff, Auntie. And that dessert looks awesome! Really cool surprise for Horacio, making his favorite childhood meals. You, Larissa, and Lorelei have always been my favorite cooks. Poor Mom couldn’t cook at all, which is why I burn water. Another reason why Lottie couldn’t stomach the toast earlier. In my defense, at least it did look like charcoal this time.” It was rare for Carson to mention his eccentric parents, leading me to kindly ask, “How are Sabrina and Otto? I was sorry to hear they couldn’t make their intended trip back to Crescent Moon not long ago.” Though his eyes reflected an inner sadness that I had seen often in his youth when his parents were mentioned, Carson’s tone remained carefree as he replied, “The folks are good. Their study of some fungus in Shadow Moon has them pretty occupied as of late, so they decided to delay their planned short visit. You know them, Auntie—science is their happy place. They’re always on some sort of new exploration. I’m hoping they’ll make it back for mine and Lottie’s wedding, but we’ll see.” I did know Carson’s mother and father well and remembered their many absences as he grew up, often leaving him for prolonged periods with his grandmother until she passed and then, Larissa, who—much like we did—loved the sweet young boy with all her heart. All of us doing what we could to provide much needed stability in Carson’s life that, unfortunately, his parents were incapable of giving him. It wasn’t that Sabrina and Otto didn’t love their only child—they did—but in their own unique way. Something Carson outwardly seemed to understand and accept. But I knew inwardly, it was difficult for him—then and now—knowing that, as my darling boy said—science was their happy place and trumped all else... While he unsurprisingly changed the subject back to Charlotte’s wellbeing, there was no doubt the reason for his unexpected mention of his parents—there was always a part of Carson that wanted his parents to be in his life more—and more than anything, he wanted them to be at his wedding to Charlotte, which also made it my greatest wish for him... ***************** ORALIA Slowly closing our bedroom door behind me following my lunchtime visit with Igor, I walked towards the great room where Temora, Theodora, and Josie were waiting for me, my all-consuming impatience resurfacing as I hastily greeted, “There is still no change after administering the latest batch of potion from this supposed expert of Romulus’. I want another physician brought in to examine Igor.” Theodora opened her mouth, no doubt about to voice out her argument against my wishes, but Temora quickly placed her hand on her sister’s leg to silence her, sympathetically replying, “I will work on locating another physician, Oralia, but I fear you won’t like what they say any more than you have the previous six doctors who have examined Igor or Romulus’ resident healer, Bliant. As you have been told by all of us countless times, unfortunately, time has been shown and proven to be both a friend and an enemy in this case.” Closing my eyes, I dropped my head down while throwing my hand straight up to stop her vile words, harshly seething, “And as I have told all of you countless times, I don’t care what has been seen in Romulus’ visions, how many potions Bliant has to make, or how many physicians it requires—I will not stop trying everything I can to return my husband to me!” Amazingly, the one source of true compassion and adoration for me now was Josie, who leapt off the couch, rushing over to supportively wrap her arm around my shoulders. I hadn’t expected the closeness that had quickly formed between us. The young girl surprising me in so many ways, becoming quite a valuable asset to not only me, but our cause. To the point, there were many nights I lay awake, discussing with Igor how Josie had become the child I always dreamt of having—instead of the reprehensible son I raised who, in the end, betrayed and abandoned me in, literally, the blink of an eye. All thanks to the traitorous Ursula’s magic and influence of the Fairy Queen, Tatiana, and The Council—not to mention his sister, Jade, and Spirit Walker mate, Kishi... “I’ve been able to make many contacts through our new endeavors in the rogue forests. Perhaps they can help me find someone to bring our Alpha back to us, Luna,” Josie sweetly offered, hugging me tight as she guided me to the couch. Patting her hand, I affectionately whispered, “Thank you for always being so willing to assist me, Josie. How did you and our girls do today? I hope for her sake that Esita heeded our little warning and made her required quota—or does she need a little visit to Romulus’ ship?” After assisting me to sit, the young girl snatched up a large purse, eagerly setting it in my lap, “All the girls did well, including Esita, especially after several of the other girls told her of their horrid experiences with the nasty water rats. Though, as usual, a great deal of the gold came from many who held a penchant for me, which required great patience on their part, but I more than made it worth their wiles, which boded exceedingly well for us in the end.” Holding up the heavy pouch, I enthusiastically lauded, “I should say so, my dear. You do have quite the talent for satisfying the urges of men and coaxing a small fortune out of them for your services—much to the dismay of the King of river rats, Romulus, who foolishly continues to carry hope that I will one day change my mind about sending my best girl to his revolting, mold-laden boat.” “Uncultured rogue men make it easy for me to avoid that disgusting fate as they are so easy to please. Simple caresses and enthusiasm during s*x is all they require—little else,” Josie kindly returned, her tone turning downhearted as she sighed, “There are so few men out there who appreciate she-wolves who are as strong, smart, and formidable as they are. Makes it hard for a girl to even entertain a long-standing relationship and when she does, there is always the fear of losing it.” Flashing her a warm smile, I softly encouraged, “You are still young, Josie, so there is plenty of time for you to find a man who appreciates and deserves a woman of your intellect and vast talents. Plus, we need to work through your pain of losing Arturo before you even contemplate giving your heart to another. But I will say this—it will take a very special man to earn my permission to claim you as his own.” “Thank you, Luna,” she graciously enthused, hugging me from the side. Clearing her throat, Theodora cautiously urged, “I don’t mean to break up your little moment, but perhaps we should begin discussing the pressing business matters at hand? Starting with how many men Josie was able to not only extricate funds from, but add to our army today?” As it turns out, Josie excelled in that area too—she and the other girls bringing ten new men into our fold thanks to their tantalizing proposals—allowing me to keep my promise to Igor—and that disgusting river rat. Our army would be vast and more formidable than ever before with enough money to fund our war and, if necessary, bribe whoever we needed to in order to finally tear down The Council, piece by glorious piece and if all went as I hoped, destroy the lives of Ursula, the Fairy Queen—and everyone else who had a hand in stealing my son away from me...