Billionaire Quadruplet Alphas

Monday 7th June, 2021

Holly

Star’s nuptial celebrations came to a close in the wee hours of the morning. I stumbled back to our hotel room with Harper’s help. I was not inebriated. I was not even a little tipsy. I was just exhausted. Perhaps, I found being with child draining, or maybe I found keeping secrets from my sweet husband draining.

When we reached the door to our suite, Harper scooped me up, carrying me bridal style and insisting that he carry me over the threshold. I obliged him though I was no bride. I felt a sharp stinging pain in my chest at the reminder that I was not Harper’s bride. I felt justified keeping my pregnancy a secret. What if he was not ready? What if he did not love me the way I loved him? I knew I was being silly but I was scared.

Harper laid me down on the huge bed in the hotel suite. I had to fight not to fall asleep as he lay behind me, spooning me. I was so warm and toasty now. I yawned. I could feel Harper stroking my hair, soothing me. His gentle caresses were lulling me to sleep. My eyes fluttered closed as Harper whispered sweet nothings to me. His clean masculine scent comforted me along with this heady sweet scent that was filling the room.

“Holly,” he murmured.

“Mmm,” I mumbled.

“I love you, Baby,” he purred. “You know that, right?” He whispered against my earlobe.

“I love you, Prince Harper,” I whispered back , brushing my l!ps against his earlobe when I turned my head.

Harper sat up suddenly and pulled me up into a sitting position. I blinked, taking in my surroundings properly for the first time. The room was filled with flowers and Holly plants. Their sweet scent was spellbinding. The bouquets were primarily of white Cala lilies and pink lotus flowers, two of my absolute favourites. There were dozens and dozens of them with sparkling dew drops on their petals. I wondered what was going on! I rubbed my sleepy eyes and the dozens of bouquets all remained in the room.

“Harper?” I said softly, marvelling at how the dew drops were twinkling like stars in the dimly lit room.

I knew that was all Harper’s doing. I looked more closely and realised the dew formed tiny spectacles: dew dolphins swimming across one leaf and ballerinas made of dew dancing across another. There was a tiny dew man holding hands with a tiny dew woman, taking her for a romantic stroll along a flower petal. They stopped and k!ssed. I grinned, laughing at the dew man jumping up and down triumphantly because he had k!ssed the dew woman.

“I love it,” I said.

I loved Harper’s magic. He had a way with it. He grinned at me. He grasped my chin.

“I want to spend an eternity with you, Holly, as my mate, my Luna, my confidante, my best friend, the future mother of my children…” he said.

I felt a twinge of guilt as those words left his l!ps. I really needed to tell him.

“…and my wife,” he concluded, making my breath hitch in my throat.

I was stunned silent.

“In fact, eternity wouldn’t be long enough for me,” revealed Harper, his eyes glistening with unshed tears similar to his sparkly dew drops.

He got off the bed and kneeled before me.

“Holly, I love you! I’m in love with you. You are the most beautiful girl in any realm inside and out! Would you do me the honour of making me the happiest man alive by becoming my wife?” Said Harper, looking up at me with hope-filled eyes.

He pulled a small crystal box out of his pocket. Even the box was dazzling. He opened it to reveal an engagement ring with an opal surrounded by white diamonds on a white gold band. It was so beautiful. I was literally speechless for a few moments during which Harper’s anxiety grew.

“Would you?” He asked again sheepishly, looking concerned by my silence.

I snapped out of it.

“I would! I mean, I do! I mean, yes!” I squealed, launching myself at him.

We tumbled onto the hotel carpet laughing and Harper slipped the ring on my finger while we were down there. Soon his l!ps were on mine, skilful and urgent. I broke our k!ss.

“Wait,” I said breathlessly.

“What’s wrong?” He asked immediately.

“I…have something to tell you too,” I said.

I didn’t know how to say it so I went into my suitcase and fetched the ultrasound the Ice Moon doctor had just done, holding it behind my back as I returned to him. We were both sitting on the bed now, having abandoned the floor. It was really early on but the doctor was of Fae and wolf b***d. He used science, his knowledge of werewolves and magic. He had figured out a lot already.

“Baby,” cooed Harper, cupping my face and bringing me closer. “What’s wrong, wifey?” He asked, caressing my cheeks softly.

I whipped the ultrasound scan out, startling Harper. He slowly took the print of the scan from me and studied it. I was not sure if he could tell what was going on in there but it had been explained to me so I could clue him in.

“We’re having a baby?” He asked quietly, his eyes wide.

“We’re having babies!” I corrected.

“How many? Twins like my sister and me?” He asked, amazed.

I shook my head.

“Quads? Like those…quads?!” He asked, looking alarmed.

I shook my head.

Harper was silent in thought.

“We’re having triplets,” I squealed breathlessly, getting impatient.

He pulled me in for a k!ss and we tumbled onto the carpet again. Harper gasped suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

His hands gently felt the tender skin of my tummy under my dress.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I did that without thinking!” He blurted out apologetically.

“I’m fine!” I insisted, chuckling as I pulled him back to me.

He pulled me under the covers with him. He let the ultrasound float above us.

“I wonder if this will work,” he murmured.

“What?” I wondered.

“Animating the ultrasound like with pictures,” he said.

He snapped his fingers and the three hearts in ultrasound began to beat, their heartbeats all synchronised. We watched the ultrasound above us like two teens at a drive-in movie. (Harper taught me that expression by the way.)

Thursday 23rd December, 2021.

Star

“Are you really gonna make us miss Viper Moon Christmas for Ice Moon Christmas?!” Grumbled Jonah.

“Let me think about it,” I said as I waddled back and forth between my suitcase and my walk-in closet at the Viper Moon Pack House. “Um, yes!” I said decisively.

“But why?!” Whined Jonah.

“Don’t you want a snowy Christmas?” Asked Noah incredulously, looking at his elder brother like he had grown a second head.

“Let me think about it,” said Jonah. “Um, no!”

“Cute! But, we’re going!” I insisted.

Jonah pouted. He threw himself on the bed.

“Star, make Jonah stop acting like the youngest! What am I supposed to do then?!” Asked Zaya, his eyes lit up with amusement.

Jonah was laying face-down on my bed. We all had separate bedrooms at the Viper Moon Pack House though I could not recall a single night when I had slept alone. I did not always sleep flanked by two Alphas on either side though. Sometimes, I slept between the younger two only or the elder two only or even just next to one of my Alphas. There had been no set schedule but Noah had started insisted on one solo night a week which of course prompted the others to insist upon the same thing. Eventually, that turned into a schedule of sorts.

“I want Monday,” said Eli, regarding next week. “I’m just calling it beforehand.”

“Why Monday?” Said Jonah, resurfacing from the pillows. “It’s the worst day of the week!”

“Yeah, he likes comforting her on Monday nights for extra brownie points,” said Noah, writing Eli’s name under Monday in a book.

“I can’t believe you four have a book for this,” I said, rolling my eyes as I tried to fit more pairs of socks in my suitcase.

My feet got so cold at night during the pregnancy. I had no idea if that was an effect of the pregnancy, but if my feet were cold then I simply could not fall asleep, so I had to pack many pairs of socks. In addition to this, whenever the room didn’t seem cold to me, it quickly became sweltering and I needed to change my now sweaty socks and night gown in the middle of the night. It was always one of the two extremes ever since I began to show.

“It was your friend’s idea,” said Noah pointedly.

“Chasity?” I asked, my eyes wide. “No way! That has Alex written all over it! Don’t pin that on Chasity!”

The Quads finalised their days after a brief squabble.

“So, let’s recap the schedule for next week! The book says Eli Monday, me Tuesday, Zaya Wednesday, Jonah Thursday, me and Jonah Friday, Eli and Zaya Saturday, everyone on Sunday,” said Noah.

“That sounds so complicated,” I said, stuffing every pair of socks I owned into my suitcase and sitting on top of it.

Zaya zipped it up for me. I was huffing and puffing just from the exertion of packing.

“Baby, you’re doing too much, you need to rest!” Implored Zaya.

“Well, if one of you had organised the packing, maybe I could have rested!” I said breathlessly.

“We don’t want you to go,” said Jonah with a shrug.

“Ugh! Why not?!” I demanded.

“You’re almost ready to pop, Maman,” said Jonah. “Tu et les chiots avez besoin de repos!”

(You and the puppies need rest!)

“Nous allon bien, merci!” I insisted.

(We’re fine, thank you!)

“Oh, look at you, tu parle le français maintenant?” Teased Jonah.

(You speak French now?)

“Non, les chiots parlent français. Leur Maman parle anglais,” I retorted.

(No, the puppies speak French. Their Mama speaks English.)

Jonah came over to me and began massaging my back. I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Pretty soon I had four masseuses on the job.

“Would it really be so bad if the pups are born in Ice Moon?” I asked, pouting.

“Well, the future Viper Moon Alphas should hail from Viper Moon, don’t you think?” Said Eli gently.

Even Eli was against me going. Truth be told, I wanted to give birth in Viper Moon but with my mother present and my twin and my Dad nearby so I wanted to go to my family home for Christmas and convince Mom, Dad, Harper and Holy to all come spend some time in Viper Moon. I didn’t want to ask them over the phone or magic mirror, especially not after being absent during Christmas.

“I really want to see my parents for Christmas, that’s all. It doesn’t have to be for the whole season but for the past six months since the wedding, we’ve been here with your parents for the vast majority of the time,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. “I only went to Ice Moon for four days at the three-month mark and that was supposed to have been a week but I had to cut it short…”

“Because there was a security breach at Viper Moon’s boarders after which there was a succubus sighting!” Interjected Jonah. “A succubus, Star! We had to rush home. Have you any idea how dangerous those things are? And we begged you to stay behind safe and sound with your family until we came back to collect you but you insisted on going!” Pointed out Jonah.

How could I have let them face the succubus alone?

“The family that slays succubi together, stays together!” I said.

Zaya and Eli laughed. Noah smiled, shaking his head. Jonah sighed. I knew he felt a lot of pressure as the eldest to ensure that tradition was observed and if his heirs were born on different pack lands, he would probably be mortified.

“I promise I won’t give birth or go into labour while off Viper Moon soil,” I said confidently. “Besides, I’m only a little over seven months,” I added.

“Twenty-eight weeks is more than enough time for multiples to come a knocking,” said Noah matter-of-factly, “But, how about we go on one condition!”

I waited to hear the condition. Noah and Jonah seemed to be communicating privately.

“We’ll rush back to Viper Moon with the snow globe if need be for one of two reasons, another security breach or a breech of another kind,” said Jonah pointedly, trying to tickle my sides.

I dodged him, giggling.

“Ok, fine, deal, if anything happens,” I chuckled.

“But don’t mention any of that anymore! Don’t jinx it! I don’t want any breeches or breaches!” I said in a more serious tone.

“Breach, please,” joked Noah.

Jonah sighed dramatically. “Not your best, Noah,” he said.

“Just go pack Star’s shoes! Stop pretending like you’re not anxious to be alone with them,” snapped Noah.

“I already packed them,” said Jonah, annoyed.

Phew, I was glad to hear that. Noah snorted with laughter.

“Great job, shoe-sniffer,” said Noah.

“Go pack her underwear, panty-sniffer,” retorted Jonah.

I was missing a lot of underwear.

“I already did,” said Noah with a shrug.

Noah and Jonah had each packed one suitcase. They brought them to me. I covered my face with my hands and g*****d.

“Guys, an entire suitcase of just shoes and one with only underwear,” I complained.

“The one you packed looks like it has only socks,” pointed out Noah.

“There are lots of other essentials in there,” I said indignantly.

“You ready, Princess?” Said Eli, taking my hand.

He had the snow globe in his other hand. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“Yeah, but don’t you guys have packing to do?” I wondered.

“Nope,” said Eli. “We’re all set. After we initially said no to the trip, we decided to pack our stuff anyway in case we caved later on.”

“Aww,” I cooed, opening my arms.

The Quads surrounded me, enveloping me in a big bear hug.

“We can use the snow globe to pop back in on Christmas Day, right? To see our parents?” Said Jonah.

“Of course!” I exclaimed. “I want to wish them Merry Christmas too!”

I just knew that if I didn’t get my stuff across to Ice Moon, the Quads would seize any opportunity to go back to Viper Moon, even if it was to fetch a sock. Then, they would fake fall asleep in Viper Moon and be “too tired” to snow globe back, thereby cutting my trip short. We had tried to do a few day trips there and if I meant to stay six hours, it ended up being two. If I meant to stay two hours, it ended up being forty-five minutes. I was pretty sure I knew what their real fear was! They were afraid my Mom would convince me to visit the Fae Realm which was not that easy to get to and even trickier to get back from. I had no attention of abandoning my mates. Being away from them would hurt me just as much as it would hurt them and I had the pups to think about. However, the pups were part Fae too and I wanted them to see the Fae Realm with me someday. I fully intended on dragging all my Alphas along for the trip as well.

My twin Harper had already seen the Fae Realm without me. I did not blame him though. His mate, Holly, was half Autumn Fae so she had wanted to visit a few of her fellow Ice Moon Fae who had moved back there. Harper had invited me, Mom and Dad of course but the Quads had done everything within their power to make every important pack event coincide with the dates of that trip. They were not slick. I knew what they were doing.

“Guys, you do realise that every time we visit Ice Moon, we come home right,” I chuckled.

A few mumbled unintelligible responses and awkward shrugs filled the room.

“And that if I ever visit…I mean when I visit the Fae Realm with the pups, I expect the pups to have their Dads there,” I said pointedly.

“You’d really go to the Fae Realm with just me and Eli, and leave Jonah and Noah behind?” Said Zaya, gasping theatrically.

The Quads began to wrestle. It was their usual match of Eli and Zaya versus Noah and Jonah.

At first, each individual Quad was convinced that he and he alone had fathered the mini quadruplets I was carrying. Eventually, this turned into Eli and Zaya believing they had fathered two each and their elder brothers none. The elder brothers did not actually adopt this belief as Noah began to explain the actual science of multiples saying that technically they likely had one father who provided one fast s***m who fused with one ovum to form something called a zygote, the first cell of a new baby. In a regular baby the cells multiplied mostly undisturbed. For identical multiples, the zygote split somehow into two or three or even four identical first cells and formed twins, triplets or Quads. A DNA test for the one true Dad was pointless as identical multiples share the same DNA. Noah had currently forgone wrestling to re-explain this.

“That’s why identical multiples are naturally occurring clones. If the multiples are fraternal, then the woman released two or more ova that month during ovulation and two or more different fast s***m won the races to form two zygotes,” continued Noah.

“I know we won the race back when we were one ambitious s***m, guys,” said Zaya, “but, why do I feel like we lost whenever Noah starts talking?”

Noah threw a pillow at Zaya but he ducked.

“You and Eli were probably formed from the s***m’s tail mostly,” muttered Jonah. “That’s why you’re so brainless.”

Eli tossed a pillow at Jonah but Jonah expertly dodged it.

“Actually, it’s the nuclei of the ovum and spermatozoan that fuse. The tail…” Noah began.

“Please, please, stop,” said Zaya, falling to the floor dramatically and beginning to gasp.

“We’re losing him,” cried Eli in mock hysterics, cradling Zaya’s head in his lap.

“I knew it would happen one day,” gasped Zaya, stretching a hand towards the overhead light. “The boredom, it’s taking me.”

“No, stay! Please!” Cried Eli.

Noah looked actually truly hurt that his younger brothers didn’t want to be taught biology by him. Jonah was trying hard not to laugh or smile at the younger two’s antics for Noah’s sake.

“I can’t wait to see you tutor the pups, Noah,” I said sweetly. “I’ll never have to worry about their grades with a Dad like you!” I said in earnest.

Noah’s face lit up.

“I have a lot of educational adjuncts in mind for the little ones,” said Noah brightly. “You know, to make it more…fun,” added Noah sheepishly as Zaya fake flatlined and Eli collapsed alongside him in fake shock.

“That’s enough,” I said sternly.

The younger two ignored me and remained “unconscious.”

“End scene!” I said, clapping my hands. “Let’s go!”

Eli g*****d and crawled towards the snow globe he had left on the carpet. Zaya jumped to his feet miraculously healed in a split-second.

“How’d you get better so fast?” Asked Eli curiously as he just reached the snow globe, still pretending to be frail.

“Star’s s.exiness revived me,” said Zaya.

I rolled my eyes but a blush spread over my cheeks.

“Didn’t you die? That’s more than revival,” Said Noah dryly.

“Fine Star’s s.exiness caused my…resurrection,” said Zaya decisively.

“The word you’re looking for is e.rection,” said Jonah, making Noah snort with laughter.

“That too,” said Zaya, grabbing a pillow and covering his crotch.

“Gather round,” I said impatiently.

I had thought we were going to leave during the group hug earlier. They were stalling again.

“You’ll see, guys,” I said in earnest as we all held onto the snow globe. “We’re going to have a calm Christmas Eve tomorrow! Cold and snowy outside and warm and cozy inside!” I said.

Friday 24rd December, 2021.

Star

I was huddled under a big blanket between Eli and Noah, with an annoyed Jonah and a grumpy Zaya on the ends. We were sitting by the roaring fire in the parlour of Ice Moon Castle. This fireplace was designed to look like a dragon opening its mouth and breathing fire. The body of the dragon began at the mantelpiece and the tail of the dragon was the beginning of the chimney. This particular fireplace was tiled on the outside and the tiles were shaped like scales. They shone like scales too. I could not stop marvelling at it.

Dad was telling a story about a battle he had won despite being unable to shift during it due to a silver shackle on his ankle placed by the enemy. Eli was mesmerised by the story and Noah seemed quite intrigued also. Jonah and Zaya kept trying to switch with Noah and Eli respectively, albeit unsuccessfully. I felt Noah place a gentle k!ss on my neck. I turned to him and smiled slyly. I gave him a swift k!ss as soon as Dad turned around as he had forbidden his “children” from “making out” during his storytelling. Harper and Holly were in no danger of making out as Holly was curled up with her head buried in Harper’s neck, fast asleep. Mom was fighting sleep, trying her best to stay awake and make faces at the right parts of Dad’s story. I was feeling a bit sleepy too. Maybe it was the pregnancy. Holly and Mom were pregnant too so that was probably it. I had found out that Mom was having twins again and Holly was having triplets. I was so excited to meet my two little siblings, my three tiny nephews and of course my own four babies. Mom was having another set of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. I was so happy for her and Dad. They had missed out on raising Harper and me but now they could experience those milestones with Henry and Heather, name choices they were now unshakeable on. I had liked Hanson and Haley but no one voted for that besides me. Yes, there had been a family vote involving both Fae and wolf relatives and family friends at Ice Moon Castle as well as a few new family members who had tuned in via magic mirror including the aunt I was named after who was a patient in a psychiatric hospital unfortunately. I was glad she was getting help but sad that she needed it.

I knew my Dad missed his half-sister a lot. He and Aunt Hannah had been separated at a young age but not before Hannah had saved my Dad’s life as a baby so there was definitely a good side to her though she had done some awful things. Hannah, who went by Orla in her new pack, was the former Luna of that pack, Cold Moon. She had also ruled over Snow Moon. She had two sons, my first cousins, Orion and Perseus. Orion and my Dad were really close. They had hit it off immediately after only meeting a short while ago. Orion’s mate, Orchid, who was half-human half-wolf, had even let me and Holly be bridesmaids in her wedding.

I could not imagine everything Orchid had been through. In a very short space of time, she had been spirited away from her human life by a werewolf kidnapping ring, introduced to the concept of werewolves by Orion, discovered she was half wolf herself, found her real Dad who was one of the Hawthornes (an old Alpha family), been falsely told her real Dad was not her father due to Aunt Hannah, been kidnapped again by wolf hunters, realised she could grow plants with her mind, rescued herself, met all the Hawthornes, met me and my family, and got married. I was breathless just thinking about it.

It was so quiet in Ice Moon without Asriel and his earrings Erin and Rein. They were all in Viper Moon actually, spending Christmas with Toby’s family at their lake house. Jillian was with Chet at his family’s cabin. In Ice Moon, I was also closer in proximity to my cousins’ packs, Snow Moon and Cold Moon. I liked being on such good terms with all the Northern Alphas. I was always so unpopular back at Viper Moon Academy. I felt like a popular girl in the North, the nice kind. The Quads had gone to great lengths to make sure I was treated very well during senior year though. I was still glad to have graduated early. Never again. I was not about to go to any of those reunions.

My lids were feeling heavy. I looked at Holly who was still out like a light. I smiled, imagining my future nephews. I was keeping my baby names and genders a secret from my twin and Harper tried to keep his a secret too but Holly blabbed. Her triplets were all boys. Harley, Harvey and Hadley were the planned names. That was too confusing for me and my pregnancy brain. I was still getting used to Alex, Calix and Essex. I always got one of them wrong.

Thinking about all that must have put me to sleep. The next thing I knew, Noah was gently shaking me awake.

“Star, Star,” he whispered fiercely.

The first thing I felt was uncomfortable. The blanket was soaked.