Their Unexpected Fate (BOOK 3 of His Unexpected Mate)

CHAPTER 1

DYLAN'S POV

    It's another beautiful day for my beloved wife and me. She is now in the second month of her pregnancy, and she has come up with a new routine.

    Every morning after eating her breakfast, she goes to the garden to sit and relax under the oak tree to read a book. And adding to my habit of waking up earlier than my usual time to watch her tummy while she's sound asleep, it also becomes part of my morning routine to watch her for a while from the garden entrance before I go for training. I will never get tired of staring at her.

    As I observe the progress of Cai's pregnancy, I notice that she's becoming more beautiful; her beauty blossoms like a flower blooming in spring.

    Her cheeks are naturally reddish, and her skin becomes softer and smoother. It's impossible to take my eyes off her because my mate is freakin' irresistible!

    One more reason that's keeping my eyes glued to her is that bump on her tummy—the bump that keeps on growing, which carries the fruits of our love.

    Knowing that my son and daughter are there makes me the happiest man in the world. If only I could stay with them 24/7, I'll do it, but I have a pack to run.

    As I continue to watch my lovely wife, she looks in my direction and gives me her most charming smile.

    I smile back then she resumes reading again.

    After the Moon Goddess appears in front of Cai and me, our day always passes peacefully. No problems, no threats, no traitors, and no death.

    Death... It's been two months since Cai's mom died, but she never talked about it. I'm not sure if I should feel happy or worried, but all I can say, based on my observation, she seems fine and happy. I believe the pregnancy helps her move on fast, and maybe the locket has something to do with it too.

    But one thing I can't understand is why granny has to stay at the white witch kingdom for so long?

    We didn't hear any news about her aside from the letter she asked Adela to give to us, informing Cai and me that she will be staying at the white witch kingdom for a while, plus the necklace with a locket that contains a picture of Cai and Olivia. My mate never takes it off ever since she got it.

    Speaking of a necklace, another thing that I have to deal with. I don't know what I will tell granny if she'll find out that I gave it to Alexander. I know she strictly told me to give it to her once Cai is pregnant, but I thought of giving it to Alexander to finish the issue with the dark witch queen, which I presume works because so far, we have a peaceful life for a couple of months. Never we encountered any trouble, not even a single problem. The Moon Goddess finally shows us some mercy.

    I still hope there's a way to reach granny even though I'm pretty scared because I disobey her order, but she should know about Cai's pregnancy, that she will become a great grandmother.

    Anyway, I'll think about it later. I'll focus on my family first.

    I open the mind link between Cai and me. "My love, I'll go for training now."

    Cai looks at me and smiles. "Ok, my love. Take care." She replies through the mind link.

    "I love you so much!" I say.

    "I love you so much too. WE love you so much!" Cai says in the mind link while holding her tummy, and those words are enough to make my whole day perfect.

    Cai waves her hand to say goodbye, and I did the same. Then she proceeds with reading while I stir towards the main door.

    The moment I turn, I can see Phelan approaching. Something must have come up since this doesn't usually happen. I always see him at the training ground.

    "What's up?" I ask.

    "Alexander is here. He said it's important." Phelan informs me, and I feel that Alexander is about to tell me something that could ruin my perfect day.

    "Where is he?" I inquire.

    "He's waiting in your office," Phelan answers.

    I nodded. "Thanks, Phelan. I'll meet you at the training."

    Phelan nods to acknowledge what I said and strides in the direction of the front door.

    I look back to take a final glimpse of my wife and catch her turning a page. She seems pretty calm. I hope whatever brings Alexander here will not affect our peaceful life and keep that calmness on my mate's face.

*****

    Alexander is sitting on the couch when I open the door to my office. His back on me. When I step inside, he stands up and turns his body in my path.

    "Hi, Dylan! Sorry for coming here without notice." He apologizes.

    I march beside him. "It's ok. Phelan told me it's an emergency."

    "It is. I was planning to come here for a long time, but I got caught up with tons of things at the council. Adding to it, George, the Alpha King, keeps on bugging me about the parents of the babies who possess the power of the crescent moons. "My eyes bog out at what Alexander said, then he looks at me sharply.

    "How did you know?" I ask in disbelief.

    Alexander runs his hand through his hair with furrowed brows. I can clearly see how frustrated he is, no doubt about it.

    "Do you have any idea what you've done when you gave me that useless necklace?!" He mutters under his clenched jaw. Then Alexander sighs and flops on the couch.

    I take a seat on the couch opposite him. "Useless? What did I do? Wasn't it a good idea? Look at us now; we are living a life with nothing but peace."

    Alexander scoffed. "That's what you think. I hope you are right but what you're experiencing right now is the calm before the storm."

    "What do you mean? And why are you so angry?!" I'm starting to get annoyed by Alexander's behavior. If I knew that he came here to scold me, I would've asked Phelan to kick him out without meeting him.

    "Because you lied to me! And because of that lie, you put the life of your pups in danger!" Alexander is furious, and that proves that I really made a huge mistake. But how did it put the life of my pups in danger?

    "What are you talking about?" I ask, completely lost in what he's saying.

    "Cordelia knew that the necklace had lost its power the moment she saw it. And she also knew that it had already been passed on to the chosen twins." He explains.

    "How did she know it's a twin? Does she also know who carries the twins?" Panic begins to rise inside me after hearing the information about Cordelia.

    "To be honest, I don't know how she knew that. And I'm starting to wonder why only the dark witches knew well about this prophecy if it applies to the whole supernaturals. And regarding your second question, no, she doesn't know who carries them. I was able to find an excuse on how I got the necklace that doesn't lead to Cailean. She can only find out once the twins are born. Only then can their power be detected. Dylan..." Alexander pauses and leans closer. "Why did you lie to me? We could've avoided this problem if you were just honest with me from the beginning." He continued—his tone and his expression screamed disappointment.

    "I didn't know. I thought I made a smart move to fool the witch. It didn't click my mind that she could find out." I answer truthfully. The disappointed look on Alexander's face got replaced with sympathy.

    "How's Cailean doing?" He asks all of a sudden.

    "She's doing great. She's doing perfect! But I think I'm about to ruin that." I utter in dismay.

    He reaches for my lap and gives it a couple of taps. "Don't worry, Dylan; we will find a way to save your pups. Can I talk to Margarette?"

"She's not here. She's still at the white witches' kingdom." Only at this moment, I understand why granny told me to give the necklace to her immediately once Cai conceived.

    "But does she know about what happened? That Cai is already pregnant with the chosen ones?" He explores.

    "Granny doesn't know yet. I don't know how to reach her." I say.

    Alexander rubs his chin. "Hmm... Let me handle it. I'll talk to Margarette; she'll probably come up with something or maybe the queen itself."

    "What if granny didn't?" I don't want to be negative, but I must think of all possibilities, whether good or bad.

    "She should." Alexander locks his eyes with mine. "I don't want to scare you, but the truth is, Cordelia threatens to kill the twins once she finds them. To stop the prophecy from happening." Anger courses through my veins after Alexander's words entered my ears.

    "I'll kill her first before she could lay her hands on my pups!"

    "Cordelia is powerful, Dylan. She deals with dark magic, and the best thing that we can do as of this moment is to seek help from the white witches. After all, they were the ones who created the crescent moons, so they definitely know what to do." Alexander is right. Since they made it, they know how to protect it.

    "I'll leave it on you then," I say.

    Alexander stands up and rests his hand on my shoulder. "I'll go now; I can't waste more time. I'll fill you in with all the information in case Margarette still can't come back.

    "Thank you, Alexander," I tell him, and Alexander shakes his head.

    "No need to thank me, son. You're family to me, and so are those twins. I will do everything in my power to protect them from any form of harm and danger." Alexander's statement sounds reassuring then he draws his hand from my shoulder.

    "I better get going. Catch you later." He adds.

    "I'll be waiting," I tell Alexander.

    He bobs his head and turns on his heel, about to leave the room, but then I suddenly remember something.

    "Alexander, wait," I call him, and he twirls to look at me.

    "What is it?" He asks.

    "About the Alpha King. What does he want from you, and why was he asking about us, the parents?" The Alpha King showing interest in my family worries me as well.

    "He asked me if I knew anything about the chosen ones and who exactly bears the babies. When I told him no, he requested me to look for them. He never mentioned the details, but he was also determined to find the twins. He strictly ordered me to find them before Cordelia did." He wants to find my pups before the dark witch does? What is he planning to do with my pups?

    "I don't know if that's good news or not. I should..."

    Alexander interrupts me. "I'll find out what he really wants and update you as well. I'm currently on it."

    "Thank you, Alexander, and sorry for dragging you to my problems." I'm quite ashamed for putting a lot on Alexander's plate, which is supposed to be my plate. I'm so lucky to have him by my side.

    "Not a big deal at all. I better hurry, Dylan. Every second count." I nod to agree, and without wasting another second, he flees the room.

ALEXANDER'S POV

    The vibe of the white witches' kingdom is far different compared to the dark witches. Far better because it feels more welcoming; aside from that, setting foot at their gate doesn't give me goosebumps which I always get whenever I'm around at the dark witches' premises, especially when I'm around Cordelia.

    They are even more organized here. Instead of taking me to the throne room, one of the guards ushers me to the waiting area for guests.

    I sit down comfortably in one of the white tufted couches as I wait for Margarette.

    Shortly, I hear a baby cooing, and then Margarette enters the room with a baby in her arms.

    "Whose baby is that?!" I ask instead of greeting her. I don't know much about this kingdom, nor with the dark witches' and honestly speaking, I tend to distance myself from them because, in the end, they are still the folks that deal with spells and magic. But because of the current situation, I have no choice but to keep myself close to them, especially with Cordelia.

    Margarette takes a seat beside me. "This is Emma. Princess Emma Amana, the daughter of the late princess Emmanuela."

    "Late?"

    "Yes. A month after Olivia's death, Emmanuela died while she was on the way to meet Emma's father, who happens to be a human." Margarette elaborates.

    "That's horrible. Who did it?"

    "Aurora believes it's Cordelia's doing, but since we don't have any proof, we couldn't hold her accountable for it." She explains.

    Then I stare at the baby; her sapphire-like blue eyes catch my attention. "How old is Emma?"

    "She's two months old."

    "And the father, where is he now?" I pry.

    "Living a miserable life trying to find Emmanuela and his daughter. Aurora locked her daughter here in the palace when she learned about Emmanuela's relationship with a human. And a month ago, she tried to escape to see him, which led to her tragic death." Margarette's tone becomes pretty sad as she tells me the details of the princess' heartbreaking love story.

    "Is Emma the reason why you did not come back to the Triton Moon pack?"

    "The one that really kept me here was Aurora; I needed to stay by her side because she couldn't think straight. She was facing so many problems, first the power of the crescent moons, then her daughter, lastly, dealing with a mixed-race princess. She was a mess." Margarette sighs. 

    "But now, yes. Emma is the one keeping me here; I couldn't leave her. Queen Aurora has become worse since Emmanuela's demise, and she doesn't want anything to do with the child because Emma reminds her of her daughter."

    "I get it—poor child." My heart breaks for Emma, and I wish there's something I can do for her. For this unwanted innocent child.

    Emma extends her arms towards me, and I offer her my index finger, which she immediately grabs. I could feel a wide smile spread across my face from Emma's reaction, and it reminds me of a baby that I couldn't have and my mate that I never found.

    "By the way, what brings you here, Alexander?" Margarette asks. I got distracted by Emma, and it makes me forget the reason why I'm here.

    I let go of Emma's hand and gave my full attention to Margarette. "Cailean is already two months pregnant, and after a month, she will give birth to your gifted great-grandchildren."

    "I'm such a terrible grandmother for leaving Cailean alone after Olivia's death, and what's worse, I haven't checked on her," she says in a tone with an enormous amount of guilt.

    "Cailean will understand, but you must help her to protect the kids from Cordelia. She knew that they already exist, and once they are born, she will find out exactly who they are and where they are." I anxiously tell her.

    "How did she know? Unless she was able to get a grasp on the necklace."

    "She did!" I blurted out.

    "How come? I told Dylan to give it to me as soon as Cailean gets pregnant?!" Frustration flashes across Margarette's features.

    "Dylan doesn't know the consequences of what he has done; the kid thought he made a smart move; adding to it, he doesn't know how to reach you." I defended Dylan.

    "You are right. I'm at fault too." She worriedly says, then Emma starts to become fuzzy.

    Margarette stands up and gently swings the baby in her arms. "This is a big problem, Alexander. She will kill them if she finds them." Margarette's eyes widened in terror. 

    "We must act fast once they are born." She added. Then her eyes land on Emma, staring at her intensely.

    She stays like that for a while before she returns her gaze to me. "I must hurry back to Cailean."

    "What about Emma?"

    "She has no choice." Margarette stares at Emma with great sorrow.

    "I have no choice. I must help my granddaughter and her kids." This must be difficult for Margarette, but she's right. She has no other option.

    "Alexander." Now she's looking at me with so much eagerness.

    "I need your help to protect the twins," she firmly says.

    "Gladly! What do you want me to do?" I ask, but she provides me with an indefinite answer, keeping me hanging in the air—a typical witch. Rarely you'll get a precise response from them.

    "I will tell you the details once I'm back in the pack house." 

CAILEAN'S POV

    As always, sitting under this oak tree provides me peace and comfort, and it gives me a chance to mourn for my mom.

    As soon as Dylan leaves, I put the book down on my lap, remove the necklace, open the locket and stare at the picture. Mom chose the best picture of us together. We were both smiling widely in front of the camera while hugging her from the back and her hands holding my arms.

    Every day, I'm doing the same thing over and over again. I used to cry a lot, but as days go by, it seems like my tears have run dry because no single tear escapes my eyes, but I'm still hurting a lot from the inside.

    I hope my mom will visit me in my dreams one day and say our proper goodbye to each other.

    I put the necklace back around my neck and close the book as I get ready to go back inside the house. And as usual, I will go straight to the kitchen to grab something to eat. 

    My appetite keeps on increasing parallel to the growth of my babies. The development of werewolf pregnancy indeed is fast.

    When I reach the kitchen, I walk straight to the fridge to grab some milk; then, I sit on the stool in front of the countertop to eat the cinnamon rolls Jean baked for me. Since I got pregnant, I always craved this, so she decided to learn how to make it, and she did a great job because it tastes so delicious! She made it just like a pro.

    After swallowing the last bite of the mouth-watering cinnamon roll and finishing my milk, I thought of visiting the pack on their training.

    It's a long walk, but Will told me that walking is good during pregnancy.

    As I reach for the knob of the front door, it turns, and when it opens, Mia shows up.

    "Cai!" She gets startled when she sees me standing.

    "Hi, Mia! I was about to go to the training ground." I smile at her.

    Mia enters and closes the door behind her. "No need. They will come in a while, but Dylan told me to go ahead to check on you."

    "Thank you, Mia, but Dylan doesn't need to do that. I can handle myself." My husband is always worried about me even though I'm perfectly fine. I will not be surprised if he will get me a nanny one day.

    "I'm happy to do it!" She exclaims happily and bends at the level of my tummy.

    "Hello there, little fellas! One month to go, and you will finally see your BEAUTIFUL Aunt Mia." She cheerfully says while stroking my rounded belly.

    I burst out laughing. "Do you really have to emphasize the word "beautiful?"

    Mia straightens up. "Of course! They should only see beautiful and handsome faces the moment they open their eyes."

    "Are you sure you're one of those faces?" I tease her, making her pout.

    I laughed. "Just kidding! I'll wait for Dylan in the room. Catch you later, pretty Mia."

    Mia smiled. "Alrighty!"

    I playfully pinch Mia's cheek and head to the stairs. As I take the second step, I stand still and hold on to the handrail tightly. I touch my tummy with my free hand; it feels abnormally hard. And I couldn't take another step because of unexplainable severe pain.

    "Mia!" I scream her name.

    She quickly sprints beside me. "What's wrong?!"

    "It... It hurts..." I stutter as the pain keeps on getting worse. After a while, I could feel something flowing on my legs.

    "And... I think my water broke." I inform Mia. 

    She looks down to check then returns her gaze at me. A panic expression flitters across her face.

    "It's not your water, Cai. You're bleeding!"