Maya’s POV
My eyes opened to blurry visions of white walls rushing past me and doctors in blue scrubs screaming inaudibly before I crashed into blackness. Again, I woke up to immense pain before passing out cold when I saw only red everywhere. Blood. My blood. My kids’ blood.
After roaming in the dark depths of my mind for eternity, my heavy eyes opened to another blurry sight of a silver-haired man with three pups in his arms by the glass window.
What happened? Did I survive? My babies?! Did they survive?
My eye lenses tried to focus multiple times but all I could hear was the man gasping the words ‘triplets’, ‘pups’ and ‘imprint on me’. I couldn’t make out the man’s features as he stood against the sun with three tiny wailing cubs lying against his broad, highly chiseled, round shoulders.
It was a sight to behold!
The man looked in my direction on noticing my agitated state and quickly shifted after putting down the crying newborns in a crib.
Were they … were they … were they my- my babies?
I noticed a large, blue beast catching a pup by the scruff of his delicate neck with his teeth carefully and depositing the small ball of fur near me. I couldn’t bring my face muscles to cooperate and smile at the pink, tightly blanketed pup, but from the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of two more identical pups being deposited on either sides of my arms.
The delicate care that the blue beast showed, was in utter contrast to his huge, aggressive feral form. A blue paw lovingly cupped my cheek as tears of gratitude sprung into my eyes. The cold paw sent a shiver down my spine, but I couldn’t care an ounce. Golden eyes looked down at me with affection and they teared up too!
I was thankful that my saviour had not only managed to save me from a crazy she-wolf, but also protected my babies. However, toe-curling pain shot through my entire being before I could express my feelings of gratitude, and it became increasingly difficult to stay awake.
The world around me spun again as blackness started coating back my vision. The last thing I heard was the blaring beep of a machine and nurses rushing to my side before I lost consciousness for good.
I finally woke up to the wet swipe of a tongue on my cheek and heaviness on my chest and arms.
“You should go back to the palace and sleep, Alpha. I will let you know when she wakes up.”
The voice sounded familiar. And that is when it hit me! Zayn!!
“No!”
“Don’t growl at me, Titan!”
“Hear me again, Beta. Grrrrr.”
“Titan,” the beta gritted out, his patience clearly getting tested. “Let Rhyghyr out.”
“Go away.”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“Titan. Stop brewing trouble and making things harder for me. Shift back and let Rhyghyr out.”
“Oh! Mate is about to wake. Could you please grab the tissue box from the bottom drawer?”
“I am not falling for that trick again! You pushed me and locked me inside the cupboard last time,” Zayn growled. “And stop rolling your eyes at me.”
“Grrrr. How many times do I tell you that it was an honest mistake?”
“Honest mistake? All five times? Really?” Zayn asked incredulously. “Why are you shifting into your lycan form here? And look at you, stop snooping in the medicine box. You dropped the cotton wad with your filthy snout,” he groused as he turned his back to pick up the roll.
A blue furry blur spun around at the same time and, a split second later, the Beta’s yell resounded in the sound proof-room.
“TAAAIIIIITANNNN!!!!!”
An injection fell out of the royal lycan’s mouth and his tongue rolled out happily, panting. Giving a contented hum, he trotted back towards the medicine kit and nosed his way into it. He came out with another syringe triumphantly and Zayn’s eyes widened in fear.
“Titan no! Not another one!! Why would you do that?” Zayn screamed.
“Your ass was right there under my nose,” the lycan shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea.”
“Well, your throat is right there. Do you see me slitting it?” My guardian asked, sarcastically.
“No. Do you want to?” Titan asked.
“Yes!”
“Oh!” Titan exclaimed. “Too bad, you are going to die now.”
“What?! What did you inject in my ass?” The Beta asked, horrified, while rubbing the punctured spot profusely.
“It says ‘Annes-pizzeria-thong-asia’,” the lycan replied, seriously, a frown of concentration forming on his lycan face.
Zayn snatched the syringe and read the label himself before screaming.
“You illiterate bungle-headed dumbass! You injected me with anesthesia and put me to- to- tooo sleeee-uhhhh-pppp,” he faintly said and fell on the floor, unconscious, like a heap of boneless puddle. Titan happily purred and used his beta as a step-ladder to get on my bed, making Zayn grunt under his weight even in his unconscious state.
The royal lycan carefully circumvented all the wires and pups attached to me and slowly laid by my side. He nuzzled his way towards my neck, and gave me a soft, wet wolfie kiss before licking my leaking eyes. I was in a lot of pain and unable to comprehend my surroundings completely, but the breathing and living radiator of comfort and love by my side soothed my body and put a balm on my soul.
His constant purrs of happiness and contentment lulled me to sleep. His tail wrapped around me and my pups in a protective wrap and its warmth was enough to bring down my body’s defenses and approach peaceful sleep.
“I love you…belle.”
I think my mind conjured the last line before I dreamt of a blue lycan on top of a huge rock and the supernatural kingdom bowing down at him, while he picked up three white alpha cubs who had imprinted on him and proudly showed the world with his arms outstretch, amidst chants of ‘Long Live The King! Long Live The King! Long Live The King!’
In a long, long time, I looked forward to the future where the vision might come true. This was clearly not a figment of my imagination. It was a message from the Moon Goddess!
A dollop of saliva trickled down my cheek and I stirred awake. A low rumbling, crying sound jolted open my eyes as I felt the vibrations throughout my chest. My babies!
I forced my arms up to cup the little furry pup’s back. My arms felt like lead, but my overwhelming motherly instincts and love took over any pain or fatigue I had. I scooped the three little munchkins on my sides and chest, and just…cried.
My miracle babies.
The background noise went quiet. Only my silent tears blared through the room while I looked down at the goddess’ gifts in my arms.
‘I love you,’ I mouthed, my throat choking up. I pressed the three wolf cubs closer to me. They would shift back to their human forms after a week and then shift to their wolf forms again after 18 years.
The pups took on my white fur, but they clearly carried the Alpha blood like their sperm donor. I refused to call him their father. He had lost all his rights the moment he took away my dignity and home.
Home.
My father, brothers and sister.
Memories of their white-sheet covered bodies came crashing out of nowhere and panic surged into my entire being. My crying spell was turning into a nightmare of depression, and I suddenly found myself struggling to breathe.
No!
I couldn’t die right now. Not when my babies were on this plane.
Who would take care of them if something happened to me?
“I will take care of them. And nothing will happen to you. Breathe for me, angel. You have got this. We need you. We…love you.”
I gasped at the low, husky voice. My eyes widened in shock. And body felt on fire as sparks burst everywhere.
He hugged me from behind and carefully pulled me towards his muscular, highly ridged chest as he promised in my ear, “I will never let anything happen to you. I promise.”
I couldn’t see the man’s face behind me through the opaque screen of my tears-laden eyes, save for the thickly tattooed, muscular, veined arms holding me like bands of strong steel, but the scent of my pups on the man was unmissable. They imprinted on him!
That meant he was my…
“Win me over, mate. Please. I am waiting for you.”
I nodded lightly in agreement and leaned against the royal, basking in his soft ministrations of love. His long, slender fingers lightly tread over my face, my eyes, my nose, my cheeks and my lips, forcing me to softly close my eyes and listen to his sweet, cooing voice.
“ … I want you so bad, but I can’t show my face due to the Luna Trials yet. Please forgive me,” he softly cooed in my ear, while nudging his long, soothing-cold nose lightly against my cheek. My neck tilted to one side on its own accord and the supernatural supremo didn’t hesitate sliding his nose along my neck. “God, I want you. Have always wanted you for a long time since I first saw you all those years back.”
Long time? Years? Wait a sec. We knew each other?
I tried to rack my brain through the long list of patients I had seen and the high-profile people I had met as a Luna, but I couldn’t recall anyone with sparkling sliver hair, and those dangerously alluring, black, thick tattoos.
Oh! But royals got silver hair only when they matured and came of age to take the throne. So I must have met a man in his twenties by the latest.
However, my thought process was interrupted when a pup spit and yelped, a baby wolf grin forming on his face as the royal played with the palm-long baby. Guess, the pups already liked my mate. At least I had their approval. Pups were usually greatly perceptive of a man’s character and if they liked him, I could trust the man to some extent.
However, after Aragon, I couldn’t be sure. What was I doing? Laying against a stranger, who refused to show me his face or reveal his identity?!
“They imprinted on me,” he whispered as he rocked the three pups together, using my hands too. “I hope you are not mad. I was the first one to hold them after birth and they bit me together all of a sudden. I swear I didn’t know, or else I would have asked for your permission.”
“Buh-buh,” the pups gurgled and laughed as if they understood that their pseudo-father was talking about them and their antics just after coming into this world, making me smile in spite of my insecurities. I would have chuckled if I was not in so much pain.
“I know we haven’t properly met, or rather, introduced ourselves, but I am asking you, nay, begging you to give me a chance to earn your trust and repay your kindness for what you did for me all those years back. I will never hurt you or the pups. I promise. I want you. I want you all. It has been just a few hours, but I will kill anyone who tries to harm you or the pups (Even Zayn, Titan helpfully supplied). Ju-ju- just promise me, you will find me, and stay by my side no matter what,” he asked, raw vulnerability cracking through his voice. I could tell that the royal was a hardlined warrior, who rarely showed this side, and it broke my heart that he felt so helpless in this situation.
I lifted my shaking pinkie finger and hooked it with his larger one.
I heard his breath hitch when I gripped hard on it and one of the pups bit on our entwined fingers, drawing blood out of them. A blood pact!
This was not a miracle. It was an indication. An indication of the universe. This was the universe screaming out loud that this was our destiny!
A tear fell behind my neck and slithered down my nape. He understood!
“I love you … Luna!” He choked.
And just like that, the silver-haired man with the thick black royal tattoo with my name imprinted on his back stood up and disappeared like a wisp of silver smoke. However, his back muscles stiffened when he read from the ball of paper I threw desperately when he was putting on his shirt.
‘I can’t say I love you yet, but thank you. I hope we will meet soon and you will name the pups. We miss you already.’
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *