#3 By the Light of the Silver Moon

Fox

“Alpha Torrin wouldn’t dare.” I growled after Marigold told me about her brothers’ visit.

“I think he’s too cowardly, but my brothers seem to think he’s potentially a real threat.” Marigold shrugged as we walked, hand in hand, through the woods on the edge of the training grounds.

“We’ll increase security and put his face out there so our pack knows who they’re looking for.” I said, my eyes dark.

“You already have the patrol and guard wolves pulling double and triple duties, and the warrior wolves running drills all day long. You can’t keep pushing them, Finn, or they won’t be strong enough to protect the pack if and when real danger comes.” Marigold sighed at me.

“They will be ready.” I replied dangerously. I would never allow my pack to be weak or for my Luna to be threatened. Marigold just shook her head at me as we approached the pond. I pulled off my shirt and started undoing my pants.

“Didn’t get enough earlier today, little mate?” I grinned wickedly at my mate as she admired my now naked body.

“Never.” She purred, licking her lips. I laughed loudly at her, gone was my shy, timid mate from the hospital so many months ago. She was replaced by this naughty vixen before me.

“Still want to see Hunter? Or do you have something different in mind now?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows mischievously. Marigold rolled her eyes at me,

“Poor Hunter has been kept away for weeks. It’s his turn to come out and play.” She said with a defiant hmph.

“As you wish.” I said before shifting into Hunter.

After Marigold told me she was pregnant I took her down to this very pond to shift into Hunter. She had seen me change only once before, after revealing her trauma with Alpha Julian. I thought that it was high time Hunter and Marigold had a proper meeting. I had no idea what I was so worried about because it couldn’t have gone better.

Ever since, Hunter demands to see Marigold every chance he can and Marigold demands I let him out to play all the time. Of course, I’m at her mercy and cannot deny her wish. To my surprise, Hunter generally behaves himself very well around our mate.

Today, Hunter rolled onto his back, showing our mate his belly. I rolled my eyes at him and accused him of being a puppy. Marigold loved it, giggling and running up to him in excitement. Hunter puffed his chest out proudly.

Marigold ran her fingers through the soft fur on Hunter’s belly before curling up next to him. She rested her head on his side and starred up at the sky. She was pointing out the clouds and what shapes they looked like while Hunter and I were simply memorized by her beauty and every single word she spoke.

“Ow!” Marigold yelped suddenly, quickly sitting up and rubbing her stomach. Hunter jumped up, on high alert.

“Everything’s fine, Hunter. The babies are kicking!” Marigold exclaimed, smiling wildly. It was the first time she had felt them kick.

“Quick, get Finn so he can feel this!” She ordered. Hunter trotted off and I returned fully clothed. I dropped down beside my mate and placed both my hands on her stomach.

“Woah, they’re strong.” I chuckled as I felt her tummy roll and contract with each kick.

“Little soccer players.” Marigold smirked.

“More like strong warriors.” I said proudly, earning a glare from my mate.

“Says who?” She snapped.

“Well, our son will be the next Alpha. He’ll need to be a strong fighter.” I said, running my hands over Marigold’s stomach as I tried to soothe her

“We have plenty of time for that. They get to be kids first.” She replied sternly.

“Of course, love.”

Marigold was very serious about the babies being able to enjoy their childhood, something she never got. She wanted them to be loved by their parents, protected, and enjoyed. I didn’t disagree with her, but I knew there were certain Alpha traditions I wanted our son to have. Learning how to compromise with what we both wanted out of raising our children was probably our hardest challenge yet.

“We should get you back to the packhouse for some rest.” I said, grabbing her hands and pulling her up.

“All I do is rest.” She pouted.

“You need your rest.” I argued.

“I need to not die of boredom.” She replied dramatically.

“What do you suggest then, my love?” I chuckled at her theatrics. She glared at me and then rolled her eyes,

“Well right now, I need to rest.” She snapped. I knew better than to laugh or say I told you so.

I helped Marigold back to the packhouse and to our room. She settled into bed and I tucked her in, giving her a kiss on the forehead before returning to the office for work.

I mindlinked the pack a picture of Alpha Torrin and informed them of the potential threat. I told the patrol, guard, and warrior wolves to be prepared for more training, drills, and security details. As I expected, there were no complaints. I also put a call into a human security company. I figured you couldn’t be too safe, so I decided to have new locks for the windows and doors installed along with security cameras and a key card access panel to the elevator.

I knew Marigold would say I was being overprotective and over dramatic, but I didn’t care. Nothing was too much for her safety and the safety of our babies.

I quickly checked my emails for the final time. I had a new email in the group chat I had with Alpha Noah and Alpha August. Noah had yet another visit from the council just shortly after the birth of his child. I rolled my eyes and shut the laptop, leaving that problem for another day.