Juniper Santiago - Book 2 of The Santiago Series

“This is an exceptionally delicate situation. As I’m sure you’re aware, there haven’t been werewolf twin alphas born in the longest time.”

“I’m well aware,” Roman snapped.

“Then you’re also aware that the shield needs to come down so that we can get an expert down here who can help with this,” Cynthia pointed out as Marissa let out another piercing scream.

“And who do you suggest I bring here? One of her family members? She won’t recognize or want them anywhere near her,” Roman argued.

“Do you have any ideas on this?” Damien asked Max.

“She’s not carrying witches, or at least I’m not sensing any vibes from them, so Millen is of no help in this regard, and neither am I. Given how long ago twin alphas were last born, and the fact that only one pair has ever been recorded to have lived, I can imagine that anyone who was around at that time is no longer alive,” Max replied.

“And you know of no record that was kept of that birth?” Cynthia questioned.

Max shook his head. “The Royal Castle might have something, but given how often she’s screaming out, she may as well give birth before I return. We need to come up with a plan right now.”

“Is there actually anything different between a normal birth and this one? Or has it just always been rumoured that a she wolf giving birth to twins is dangerous?” Roman asked.

Max frowned. “I actually don’t know, but if we apply logic to it, then technically they should all survive because of Marissa and Juniper.”

“Explain,” Damien demanded.

Max tried to process his thoughts. “She wolves carrying twins rarely make it because they are not strong enough for the process. June and Star are a powerful Alpha She Wolf, while Marissa is a powerful witch. Despite the fact that for whatever reason, Star and June and have been pulled back, that shouldn’t matter because they’re still there. So really, together with Rissa, they should not only be able to survive this, but the babies should come out healthy.”

“One would hope so. I’ve already taken his mate. I do not want to imagine what it would be like if Mateo found out that I didn’t save his children. We need to make sure that we do everything we can to make sure that everyone survives this birth,” Roman commanded.

Roman had faith in their mate making it out alive, but he knew that if the babies didn’t survive, Mateo would definitely lose any bit of patience he might’ve had with this situation. It was one thing to have his mate taken from him, but there was at least still a chance that June would return to him.

Bringing back dead babies is a feat that would require some of the darkest magic, a feat Roman was sure none of them would go for, no matter the loss.

“So, we are delivering the babies as we would any normal babies?” Damien asked.

“Well, not normal, but yes, I guess we are,” Roman confirmed.

They called for the doctor and explained to him that he should treat the case as if it were any other. There were whisperings around the castle, and Roman knew that the whole Underworld would pretty much know what was happening soon.

“ROMAN!”

The Demon King sped to his mate’s side where she was sweating bullets. “I’m here my love.”

“Roman, what the hell am I giving birth to? Why does it hurt so much?” she asked him.

For a moment, Roman was completely stumped.

“You’re giving birth to twin werewolf babies,” Max rescued him.

Even in her pain, she managed to frown in bewilderment. “Werewolf babies? Why would I be giving birth to werewolf babies when my mate is a demon?”

Cynthia and Damien shot their son a look and he linked them both. “The Vaulsino said she can’t know the truth.”

“And that was all good and well then, except now she needs to be told some kind of truth,” Damien argued.

“And what am I supposed to tell her? Because I don’t have a single clue what to say to her right now,” Roman replied.

“Is anyone going to answer me?” Marissa asked before screaming out.

“Because Roman is your second mate and you can’t remember anything about your first mate. In fact, you think he’s a liar since he claimed you as his mate, something you no longer feel for whatever reason,” Max told her.

“Well then,” Cynthia linked her mate and son.

Marissa narrowed her eyes. “You mean the wolf.”

“Duh, of course I mean the wolf. You would have to be mated to a wolf to get wolf babies,” Max sassed, only to be struck with a bolt of lightning.

“Don’t fucking treat me like an idiot Max,” Marissa growled out.

“Don’t behave like one then. We don’t know how we’re going to get through this, but we’re going to, and you’re going to do your best to make sure that these kids live,” Max told her.

“Why do I care if they live or not?” she questioned.

“Because, while you’re oblivious to the mate bond I’m telling you about, it’s still there. You are still someone else’s mate as much as you are Roman’s mate. The last thing you want to do is piss off or break the heart of your other mate by killing his children. He’s barely hanging onto losing you. I know a part of you is at least sensible enough to understand how much heirs mean to an Alpha. Just behave yourself, give birth to these kids and we’ll take it from there,” Max instructed.

Roman, his parents and the doctor watched the two curiously. Marissa scowled, looking like a child who had just been scolded, while Max held down his authoritative stance. For the onlookers, it was interesting watching the dynamic between the two, especially since Max didn’t seem particularly affected by Marissa and her moods.

“Fine,” she eventually mumbled, releasing an irritated huff.

For a while, she stopped screaming. They couldn’t understand it until the castle shook as she released a thunderous growl. They watched on in horror as she half shifted into her wolf. Roman and Max shared a worried look, both wondering what this meant for Juniper and Star.

“What is going on with me?” Marissa screamed out, barely managing to breathe.

“June?” Max tried linking his best friend when he realized that the magic barrier was slightly down.

“Rose. Where’s Rose?” she barely managed to fight the magic holding her back.

“Why do you need Rose here?” Max questioned.

“I just do. If you want my kids to live, I need her and Draxlon here. I need Rose to get through the birth, but I need them both when the babies are born. I don’t know why, but Max, you need to hurry. These babies aren’t the only ones who are in danger here,” she pleaded.

“Why? What’s going on?” he questioned, panicked.

“Star’s dying,” she whispered before the magic pulled her back.

“Rose! Draxlon! Find Marissa and get yourselves here ASAP!” Max linked them. In seconds, they ran through the door.

“Rose? Drax? What are you doing here?” Roman asked them.

Rose shot a look at Max. “Uncle Max called us here.”

“I got through to June, and she told me that the two of you need to be here for these babies to get here,” Max informed.

“That’s not all she said,” Draxlon commented, picking up on the omission.

Max sighed. “I don’t know about this bit, but she says we need to get the babies out quickly. They’re not the only ones in danger.”

“Max, what is it?” Roman questioned.

“Star is dying.”

At his words, Marissa released yet another feral growl that shook the castle, splitting the very floors of the room they were in. “That does not sound like the growl of a dying wolf.”

“With all due respect Your Highness, none of us know what the hell that was. I’m a werewolf myself, but I can tell you that that growl isn’t normal. She could really be dying, and if that’s the case, I would have to agree with Roman about avoiding war with Mateo. Believe it or not, he doesn’t know his own power, and it’s greater than we all originally thought it was,” Max told Damien.

“What do you mean?” Roman asked while Cynthia worked with the doctor to deliver the babies.

“When I went to imprison him, something about my magic wasn’t really working, but I think he was too blinded by his feelings to notice it. I don’t know how, but I shouldn’t have been able to imprison him. The kind of power I felt coming from him wasn’t just strong, but it was ancient as well. I fear that should he stumble upon it in any way, then we may very well find ourselves in the middle of the very war we’ve been avoiding,” Max explained.

“Are you insinuating that a mere werewolf Alpha is as strong as my son?” Damien asked, growling a little.

Not that it affected Max as he shot the former King a dry look. “That’s exactly what I’m insinuating. As much as we have no idea what we’re dealing with here, it’s no secret that Mateo possess a questionable amount of power for a mere werewolf as you put it. He’s more powerful than the werewolf royals, and no one who’s merely something is that powerful by mistake. His power is undoubtedly linked to whatever is going on here and why your son is his wife’s second mate. Mark my words when I say that you shouldn’t underestimate Mateo right now.”

“He’s an Alpha wolf with no idea about the full extent of his powers, and wherever he is, he’s pissed off at not being with his mate and kids. I fully agree with Max here dad,” Roman told his father before Marissa screamed.

Seconds later, there was a piercing cry as one of the babies successfully made it out. That killed all conversation as everyone got involved in making sure that the second baby also makes it. As soon as the second piercing cry came through, Marissa passed out.

“She’ll be fine. She’s probably just exhausted, but her heartbeat is fine,” Cynthia commented when she saw the worried look on her son’s face.

Before anyone could say anything, Rose and Draxlon’s eyes glowed blue. Somewhere else, Mateo held onto his chest as he stopped walking. Khal was about to question why he’d stopped, until he saw the blue in his eyes.

“They made it,” he whispered, but Mateo couldn’t hear him.

“Dad,” Rose linked.

“Rose? Where are you?” Mateo replied.

“I’m in the Underworld. I don’t know how I can link you right now, but I wanted to tell you that the babies are fine,” she responded.

“What are they?” he questioned anxiously.

“Two boys,” she said happily.

“And your mom?” he asked.

“She’s still trapped, but Uncle Max is looking for answers. I promise I’ll keep watch over everyone,” she said quickly, noting that the magic was fading.

“I trust that you will princess. I love you. Kiss your siblings for me,” Mateo said before the link closed.

He could only imagine that she would’ve promised to do just that.

“What the hell was that?” Khal asked him.

“My sons made it,” was all Mateo said, walking on.

Back in the Underworld, the adults stared at the kids in confusion. They were both holding the babies, saying nothing as their eyes continued to glow. Rose started mumbling something that silenced the crying babies, before the babies started glowing.

They all knew not to interrupt the process as they watched on in awe. It seemed like a bubble was growing around the twins as Rose got louder. They realized that she was speaking a language none of them were familiar with. Eventually the glowing died down before the four were back to normal.

“What was that?” Cynthia asked Rose.

“I said a spell to protect the kids from whatever is going on. Because they’ve never come into contact with any other magic, my magic will trump any other magic and dark magic will never work on them,” Rose explained.

“Just exactly what are you little girl?” Damien asked her.

“I’m exactly that, a little girl,” Rose said cheekily before walking out with the one twin. Draxlon followed after her with the other twin, with the doctor following after them.

Damien turned to Max. “Don’t look at me. I have no answers where Rose is involved.”

“You seem to not have any answers for anything,” Cynthia commented.

“Mom,” Roman warned.

“There’s a lot that I know Mrs De la Tore, make no mistake about that much. This just so happens to be the one thing that I’m a little clueless on, but make no mistake, I will find out all that needs to be known,” Max promised before leaving the room.

“Why? Why would you do that?” Roman asked his mother.

She shrugged. “I’m doing what any sane mother would do. We have strangers in our home, and I just want to make sure that we’re not leaving you in danger.”

“No one here is a stranger mom. Marissa is my mate, Max is her brother, Rose is our daughter and Draxlon is no stranger to you both. I don’t see your point,” Roman argued.

“Your mother is just being protective of a foreign situation son,” Damien countered.

“It’s one thing to be protective, but it’s another thing to be rude. Is this how you’re going to be to my mate just because of a situation she has no idea about?” Roman questioned.

“No, but we’re not going to just completely forget that she isn’t your mate alone,” Cynthia pointed out before she too left the room.

Damien sighed. “You’re our only son Roman. You know how she gets over you.”

“I know. I won’t hold it against her,” Roman assured.

Damien looked over at Marissa, before looking back at his son. “Where do we go from here?”

“I honestly don’t know. I guess we wait for Rissa to wake up and then take it from there. In the meantime, we’ll have to ensure maximum security for the twins, even if I believe they don’t need it granted all the magic surrounding them,” Roman suggested.

“And what about Mateo?” Damien asked.

“Despite the magic barrier at play here, I can imagine that he somehow knows that his kids are alive and ok. We just need to make sure that things remain like that,” Roman responded.

Damien put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You’re a King and man like no other my son. I don’t know any man who would be as level headed as you are in this kind of situation.”

“It’s taking everything in me to be level headed, especially since you and mom made me realize my true power. The true demon in me isn’t happy and he wants answers, so really, only half of me is thinking rationally now. There’s something in me that feels that this is in some way my fault,” Roman admitted.

“What? That your mate has another mate?” Damien questioned.

Roman nodded. “I keep having flashbacks of an event I can’t quite put together. I keep seeing a wolf, a vampire and something else. I don’t know what it is, but it feels a lot like a memory. I’m probably not making sense.”

“It would be surprising if you did make sense given how confusing everything else is. For all we know, you are making sense, but until everything else makes sense, we won’t know for sure. Just stay as strong as you’ve been. I know it can be a nightmare going against what your demon wants. Take it from me when I say don’t let him win,” Damien advised.

“Thanks dad. It’s great to have you here, even if I believed that I could handle this without you. I can see the error of my ways now,” Roman smiled.

Damien chuckled. “I was the same after I was handed the crown. Your grandfather would love to tell you all about how big headed I was then.”

Roman laughed too. “I can only imagine.”

Damien hugged him before leaving the young King with his mate. She looked absolutely exhausted, and Roman could only sigh as he picked her up, making a mental note to get someone to clean up the room.

He carried her to their room where he proceeded to take off her clothing. He took a bowl and filled it with warm water before wiping her down. She was asleep through the whole process, and when he was done, he dressed her in her nightgown before putting her in bed.

“I love you Rissa and I promise to fight for us,” he whispered before kissing her forehead and leaving the room.

In the room Roman had turned into a nursery for the twins, Rose and Draxlon rocked the babies as they slowly but surely started to fall asleep. She smiled as she watched them, while Draxlon watched her curiously. With what had happened with them and the babies, he wondered if she knew what he did.

“Are you going to name them?” he instead asked after they put them down.

“My parents already named them. He’s Donatello Mateo Santiago and he’s Diego Beinvenido Santiago,” she informed.

“How do you know who’s who?” he asked amusedly.

She shrugged, smiling. “Ok, so maybe that bit is dependent on me. They’ll just have to accept that I chose who’s who. After all, they’re my little brothers. I highly doubt that they’ll mind.”

“Mhmm,” he laughed.

“I wish this whole thing was over,” she said as they headed to her room and sat on the bed.

“It will be soon enough, but that’s not what’s bothering you,” he noted.

She sighed. “I know so much, but at the same time I don’t. I have all this power, but it’s nothing against this other magic.”

“You’re too young to know what all of this is Rose. Give yourself some credit, especially because you don’t have anyone guiding you. No one knows what you are, so it can’t be expected that you should know,” he argued.

She smiled weakly. “I’m a freak.”

“You’re not a freak,” he said, scowling.

“Why stick with me? You could be with people your age,” she pointed out.

“Firstly, if you haven’t noticed, I don’t have any other friends. My life at the castle isn’t exactly a great one. Secondly, you’re a lot smarter than some people my age, which means I like hanging out with you,” he countered.

“What’s it like? Your life at the castle I mean,” she asked quietly.

He looked away. They hadn’t really spoken about their lives. While the two of them hit it off and have a connection they know is strange, even for kids, they hadn’t gone into talking about their pasts and current lives past what they already knew about each other.

“It’s hell Rose. Ever since my mom left, it’s been hell. She left without a word, even though I believe it had everything to do with that evil woman who has her claws into my father,” he said venomously.

“Who? Akola?” she asked.

He smiled when he realized she didn’t say Queen. “The very one.”

“I don’t think she likes me much,” she noted.

“You’re my friend. She definitely doesn’t like you,” he confirmed.

“But why? What did you do to her?” she asked.

He laughed bitterly. “That’s the best part. I did nothing to her. She hates me because I’m my mother’s child.”

She moved closer to him. “Drax, where’s your mom?”

“I don’t know Rose. I’m the last person she came to see before she left, but she didn’t tell me where she was going. All she told me was that she needed to leave, and she left an amulet in my possession, but Akola took it away from me,” he commented.

“Why?” she frowned.

He shrugged. “I don’t know why that woman does half of the things she does. I’m just confident that she’s evil.”

“It’s weird. Have you asked your dad about your mom? Aren’t they mates? Shouldn’t he still feel the connection between them?” she asked.

“My dad and I stopped talking about my mother a long time ago. Whenever I bring her up, we fight. It doesn’t make things better that Akola goes around bad mouthing my mother and trying to convince people that their Queen abandoned them. I’m confident that that’s not what happened at all. There’s more to this and I will one day look for answers,” he said confidently.

“I’ll be there for you the whole way,” she said, taking his hand in hers.

“Just like I’m going to be here for you through everything happening here,” he smiled.

Max walked in at that moment and the two of them jumped apart. “Are the twins asleep?”

He didn’t want to make them feel awkward about their moment.

“Uh yeah. Rose named them,” Draxlon informed.

“You did?” Max asked her.

She nodded. “We already knew the names mom and dad had in mind for them, so it was really about picking who’s who. As their older sister, I elected myself.”

Max chuckled. “Of course, you did. I wonder if your dad knows that they’re alive. Do you think he feels the connection to them already?”

“I don’t know about that bit, but he knows that they’re alive. I linked him,” she informed.

“You did? When? How?” Max questioned.

“When we held the twins, before I said the spell, there was an opening in the magic that’s playing around us. I managed to tell him that the twins are alive and that mom is still trapped. I told him that you’re looking for answers though, and he told me to kiss the twins after I promised to look after everyone,” she explained.

“And he didn’t sound angry?” Draxlon was the one to ask.

She shook her head. “It’s weird, but he sounded determined.”

“I have a feeling he’s no longer trapped where I’d left him,” Max commented.

“You think he escaped?” Rose asked unsurely.

“I don’t know about escaping, but I’m pretty confident he’s no longer trapped, and I don’t know what that means for any of us. Now that the twins are born, I can only guess that his plan is to get them first and then focus on getting June back,” Max thought out loud.

“Why do you think that’s his plan?” Draxlon asked.

“Because it’s the most sensible thing to do. At this rate, it’s probably easier for him to get to the twins than to get mom back,” Rose said knowingly.

“Exactly. As much as Roman probably thinks the twins need protection, I think they’d be better off with Mateo,” Max commented.

“What makes you say that?” the King himself asked as he entered the room.

“The way Rissa reacted to me telling her that she needed to make sure the twins live, makes me suspicious of something. I don’t think she cares much for them. Without both parents around, I don’t know what that means for the twins. With Mateo, we’d at least know that he’d pay attention to them, while I don’t think whatever the situation with Rissa, June and Star is going to afford them that luxury,” Max elaborated.

“I guess that makes sense, except I don’t think we’re going to be able to get them out of here. Whatever magic is around this place is the same magic that’s going to make it impossible to get them out, though I can’t see why they would have to stay here if mom doesn’t want them here,” Rose commented.

“This just adds onto a long list of things we don’t understand, but right now I think our top priority should be finding a way to at least find out how Star is doing,” Roman pointed out.

“I’d even forgotten about that,” Max shamefacedly admitted.

“How do we even go about finding that out? None of our magic has worked against this other magic so far,” Rose commented.

“That’s true, which is why I was thinking that maybe once she’s up, we can ask Rissa to at least try and look inside herself. Maybe if she tries hard enough, she’ll be able to reach out to June and Star and find out what’s going on,” Roman suggested.

“She won’t do it,” Max sighed.

“Why not?” Rose and Draxlon questioned.

“To Marissa, Juniper and Starlet are a threat to her title, even if they probably want nothing to do with it. Some part of her must believe that if she lets them through in any way, then they’ll push her aside and change the order of things. I’d like to believe that she’s not stupid, so a part of her knows pieces and bits of what’s going on here. It’s just a case of finding out how much she knows, which we already know is going to be difficult given how touchy everything is with her,” Max explained.

“She doesn’t seem to get to you though. I know she pretty much scares everyone else, myself included,” Roman commented.

Max sighed. “I’ll definitely try, but I’m not promising anything. While I’m not afraid of her, she’s still a problematic person to deal with, so not even I always win with her.”

“That’s more than enough for me. Now, are we going to talk about your mate?” Roman asked him.

Max froze while the kids were wide eyed. “Your mate?”

“How did you find out about her?” Max instead asked the King.

“We have some interesting visitors somewhere in the castle who are here to speak to you on behalf of their very hurt friend. They’re pretty much pissed off that you apparently left without saying a word to her,” Roman informed.

“That’s not very nice Uncle Max,” Rose scolded.

“It’s complicated,” Max sighed.

“When is it never?” Draxlon taunted.

Max smiled a little. “You know what I mean. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve wanted to meet my mate for the longest time, but now that I have, it makes things a little complicated. She’s very powerful, but my problem is that I don’t know what she is. Given our lives, that can only prove to be more problematic than anything else.”

“And it didn’t register to you that you could actually ask her what she is?” Roman questioned.

“You really think she would tell me?” Max asked.

Rose raised an eyebrow. “You’re her mate. Why wouldn’t she?”

“I guess I was afraid. I come across as this strong person to everyone else, but I didn’t want to find my mate in the middle of all this chaos,” Max confessed.

“What if she was brought to you to help us in some way?” Rose asked.

“And that I feared a little more. What if she doesn’t make it? I wouldn’t be able to take it if I lost her,” Max pointed out.

He was still trying to deal with what he’d learnt about his parents and the possibility of them being alive.

“Only fate has the answers for you Uncle Max,” Rose smiled.

“I guess so. You say her friends are here for me?” Max asked Roman.

Roman nodded. “They’re in the Great Lounge.”

“Did they say exactly what it is they wanted?” Max questioned.

“I take it you didn’t get to do what you went there to do because they were sent to come and get you back, not just on behalf of Aerie. Since they’re humans, my parents managed to bring them here under Balthazar’s request. I’m guessing they nominated themselves to also find out what’s going on here and report back,” Roman responded.

“Her name is Aerie?”

“Humans?”

Max asked the former, while the kids asked the latter.

Roman scowled at Max. “You don’t know her name?”

Max laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. “I kinda blacked out when I saw her. I was hypnotized just watching her.”

“How exactly did you meet her?” Draxlon asked.

“I think she rescued Auriela and the two humans Roman is probably referring to. There was a battle outside the castle since Odessa’s army followed them. I watched the whole fight with a barrier around me. I couldn’t believe it was her,” Max relayed.

Roman had a knowing smile on his face. “Well, her name is Aerie, and her friends’ names are Zak and Avan. They’re human and from what I picked up, they’re a part of Odessa’s followers, but they’re not evil. If anything, I can only assume that being of Odessa’s army is something they did to pass time or escape their lives. They seem pretty capable of taking care of themselves against any creature though. Their character speaks a lot for them and for your mate.”

“I guess I can’t be mad at that. I think I’ll go and talk to them,” Max sighed.

“Are you going to go back to the castle?” Rose asked him.

“We’ll see.”