Origins: Silver Mountain

Chapter Twelve

Renée

As much as I had prayed to experience motherhood, I was clueless. Two tiny werepups depended on me for survival. It was scary. I loved them both. But I was so scared I would do poorly. My parents were decent, but they had flaws. A couple of werewolves, who were stern and strict, both lost their fated mates for different reasons and then chose one another. Things around the household could get rocky from time to time. My father passed when I was still a baby, so my stepdad was the only father I had known my whole life. I loved him regardless of our relation. He did everything he could to fill the void. But he could be cruel to my dear mom, as she was to him.

As I became older, I understood that they were both consumed by grief. I always knew, once I found my own mate, that I would do anything to never feel that kind of grief. I prayed for a loving family; a kind and caring mate. And the Moon Goddess placed Augustus right in my path.

Amitayus grunted and interrupted my thoughts. I sighed and finished laying out their little outfits. Apple was smiling up at me as I dressed her in a cute peach-colored sundress. Their green eyes never ceased to captivate me. I placed a matching headband with a large flower onto Apple's head and moved on to dress Amitayus. He had a royal blue baby romper. He kicked as I tried to get his legs into the long bottoms. I chuckled to myself. He was a fighter, indeed.

Augustus came into the nursery and scooped Apple up, planting a kiss on her forehead. She cooed, settling her head onto his chest. My heart melted at the sight.

"Ready?"

I smiled and nodded. We wrapped the twins in the carriers, each pup snug against our chests and set out for our secret place.

We gently pushed the twins through first. They were small enough, so it was easy. Afterward, we each stripped, pushing our clothes through next and then shifted to squeeze through ourselves. I caught a glimpse of Amitayus's widened eyes as he reached for his dad's shiny grey and white fur. We shifted back. Apple's soft whimper immediately grabbed my attention.

"I think we scared them. Well ... maybe just Apple." I scooped her up as Amitayus stared between me and his dad; his green eyes filled with curiosity.

Augustus chuckled, lifting our big pup from the grass. Apple had calmed down and was smiling up at me. We followed the sound of the trickling water to the spring. I laid out the blanket I had bought and we placed the twins down. Augustus cupped his hands and dipped them in the spring, taking a sip.

"Refreshing." He repeated the action two more times. I was hesitant, but didn't want to miss out, so I followed suit. It was refreshing. A crisp, cold drink. I inhaled. The air felt so different in this pocket of the mountain. We could make this our home. Sure, we would probably be isolated, but this place was magical. It was like nothing I had ever seen. It was what I imagined the Kingdom looked like.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed as the twins slept and my mate told me stories of his childhood, but I was certain we should begin heading back. I stood to stretch and felt a strange surge throughout my body. I blinked really hard and fast before shaking my head. Augustus didn't notice.

A rustling noise made my attention go toward the thick of the forest. Augustus sat up, his eyes scanning the trees. I stood, ready to shift at any minute.

"Reveal yourself!" Augustus's deep voice bellowed into the darkness of the trees.

Nothing.

I crouched, going into my bag for my dagger, while keeping my eyes on the forest in front of us. Augustus stood tall, waiting.

A familiarity between us and the trees began to set in.

I glanced at Augustus, who stood firmly and unafraid of the unknown. The twins were still sleeping soundly.

"Renée? Augustus?"

"My Goddess ..." Augustus's demeanor changed. He was more relaxed, but his face read pure shock. I turned my head slowly to see Judeah, staring at the twins in amazement.

"Two pups? The Moon Goddess blessed you both."

He looked and sounded healthy; in fact, he looked much younger than he had when we last saw him.

"Well, how have you been?" He seemed in such good spirits, I had so much to ask. He gave us a soft grin. That was all I remember before I blacked out.

***

Augustus was patting my forehead with a wet cloth. I groaned.

"Are you ok, my love?" He looked concerned. I tried to speak, but couldn't get any words out, so I nodded.

"You gave us quite a scare." The voice was familiar and I shot up.

So I wasn't dreaming. Judeah was here, in the flesh.

"I-I-I don't... I don't understand." I gulped. My mouth felt dry.

"I will explain. But tell me ... How did you find this place?" He raised a brow, waiting for either of us to answer.

"I found it when I was out for a walk one night. A small opening is located on that end. My wolf squeezed through. I eventually bought Renée to see it."

"Have you been here all of this time?" I could finally speak clearly as the shock began to wear off.

"Oh, Renée ... There is a lot I must tell you both. We can talk over some beef stew. It's near supper time."

We nodded, gathering our pups and following him into the forest. As we walked deeper into it, our amazement only grew. There were five cottages, each with its own porch, crafted beautifully. Judeah led us to the largest one.

"Did you build these?" Augustus was observing the surrounding land.

"Yes. Every single one. They're not all furnished, but ..." He shrugged.

His humble abode was more than enough, considering the type of wolf he had always been. He motioned for us to have a seat on a wooden bench at a table in the front room. He took a seat in a rocking chair, facing us.

He picked up a mug that was sitting on a tiny roundtop table of sorts and took a sip, leaning back.

"So ... where should I start?"