The snow was starting to pile up in the fields in late November. The fires were all lit to keep the house warm as the newest member of Aubrey's clan was only a few days old.
Isabella Byrne Posen was born in the middle of the night just a few days after the full moon. Stacie had a difficult time of it but managed to make it out with her heath and a healthy baby girl to show off to her mates.
"She's so tiny." Beca said from the far side of the bed.
Beca had been sleeping less lately as she watched over her mates and their daughter. Though last night Chloe made her sleep with a little assist from Aubrey. She woke up this morning by the soft cry of Bella wanting her breakfast.
"She's only three days old." Chloe laid next to her.
"She'll be bigger than you before you know it, Soumise." Aubrey was on the outer edge of the bed as Stacie fed their daughter from her breast. Bella would take milk for the first month or so before needing blood.
Beca stuck her tongue out at Aubrey, grinning as she hid behind Chloe afterward.
"Do you think she'll be able to turn into a wolf form?" Chloe asked, lifting her head up to stroke over Bella's head as she fed happily.
"She may. Depends how strong her wolf is. I barely can feel mine and surely can't transform. My mother said hers was more present but she wasn't able to fully transform either. But her mother could." Aubrey ran her hand over Stacie's arm.
"She will be able to. Her wolf is strong inside of her already. I can feel the little pup in there trying to figure out the world." Stacie looked down at the newborn in her arm with all the pride in the world.
"She will have us to teach her how to control her wolf and Aubrey to teach her how to be a vampire. Best of both worlds inside of her." Chloe smiled.
"She will be a fitting heir." Aubrey agreed.
"A good older sister one day too." Beca added without looking at the other three.
"One day when she has settled and things are back to a more normal place for us." Aubrey agreed. "I do not want the focus pulled from one to another too quickly."
"I was one of nine." Chloe made a face. "A year or two between pups would be a good idea."
"Nine?" Aubrey made a face.
"My mother wanted a girl. I have eight older brothers." Chloe explained as she shifted to her side, kissing Stacie's shoulder. "Had. They all are gone now."
Beca wrapped herself around Chloe. They all lost so much during the pack's civil war but Chloe had so many relatives taken from her that Beca didn't know how she got out of bed some days.
A servant knocked on the door a few moments later and delivered an update via a piece of parchment.
"I have been told there is a small group of wolves from your former territory making their way towards my clan's land. If you want I can send out a search party to have them brought here. If they are friends I will make sure they are treated as such and if not then they can be taken care of." Aubrey said.
"Aubrey it's freezing outside and if any of them are sick or hurt they aren't going to have supplies after the war." Stacie growled at her mate. "Send a search party out for them."
"I should go with them." Beca got out of bed. "I will know them and they might not try to fight a bunch of vampires if I'm with them."
"And if they are not friends and they try to attack you?" Aubrey asked. "Soumise, I am fond enough of you that I wish you in this bed for years to come."
"Be careful." Chloe moved to her knees on the bed and bent down to kiss Beca softly. "You have three mates and a daughter to come back for."
Beca wrapped her arms around Chloe's chest and held her close, nuzzling at her neck. "I will take Lilly and three of her best with me. We'll find them and bring them back or come back alone. No hostages."
"Be careful." Aubrey moved around the bed to cup Beca's face in her hands when she pulled back from Chloe. "I am ordering that of you, understand?"
"Yes." Beca looked into her eyes. "And I am duty bound to follow your orders."
"You are love bound too." Aubrey whispered, bending down to bite Beca's neck and drawing out half a mouthful of blood. She wanted her little Alpha on her lips today.
"I'll be careful. I promise." Beca moved back when Aubrey pulled her head up.
When Beca was dressed and ready to leave she walked over to Stacie and Bella. She carefully brought the little girl into her arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I know you're little and you won't remember me leaving you this time. But I was hoping I wouldn't be gone from you so soon. I love you, Chiot." They had settled on the French term for puppy as the nickname for their daughter, an inside joke that felt fitting.
"She will be here to cuddle you as soon as you get back. In one piece." Stacie's eyes were dark as they looked at Beca.
"One piece, I promise." Beca vowed as she settled Bella back in Stacie's arms.
—
It was weeks later before any of them heard from Beca, Lilly or the vampires that went with them. Three weeks of Aubrey pacing at night, of Chloe being nervous at any sound or sight from the windows, of Stacie looking at the front door of the manor and willing Beca to walk back through it.
They had no reason to believe Beca was in danger but the lack of communication made all of them fear the worst may have somehow happened. One Alpha and four vampires was a strong force but they were not unstoppable.
"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I don't know if Beca will forgive herself if she misses Bella's first Christmas." Chloe said as they all gathered in the sitting room after dinner.
"I wish we had any idea where she was." Stacie stood by the fire with Bella in her arms. She was sleeping at the moment, cuddled with her head over Stacie's beating heart.
"If she does not return by Christmas evening I will send out someone to track her down and bring her back by the scruff of her neck." Aubrey's tone came with a low growl to it that usually Stacie or Beca had when upset.
A servent walked in shortly after with a folded piece of parchment, bowing to Aubrey before handing it over.
"When was this received?" Aubrey demanded.
"Just now, Master Posen." The servant replied.
"Prepare the guest rooms, have as much meat as we have prepared and readied for them and have clothes set out for them to change into once they are cleaned. Call in the healers and have them ready to give everyone a looked over." Aubrey commanded. The servant bowed again before leaving.
"What's going on?" Chloe asked.
"Beca found the group heading here. Three nursing mothers among a group of twelve total, a few injuries that even wolf healing is having trouble with." Aubrey handed the note written in Beca's left handed scrawl.
"Who is in the group?" Stacie questioned.
"Jess and Ashley both have pups, Emily Junk too. Katherine Junk, CR and Flo are all hurt in one form or another." Chloe looked up at Stacie. "Benji, Donald and Jesse are with them too."
"Friends of yours, Anastasia?" Aubrey questioned.
"All of them fought on our side." Stacie nodded. "Emily having a pup though? She is so young. Barely nineteen."
"I hope it's Benji's." Chloe feared what happened to them without Stacie there for protection.
"Me too." Stacie whispered.
"I should go make sure your orders are followed." Chloe got up, walking over to Aubrey and hugging her, nuzzling her neck. "Please?"
"Alright." Aubrey wrapped her up in her arms for a moment. "I will come check on things soon."
Stacie held Bella close to her chest as she walked over to Aubrey. "Hold out daughter so I can hug you both for a minute?" She asked, moving Bella into Aubrey's arms.
"You worried she wouldn't come back to us." Aubrey bent her head to kiss Bella's head as she felt Stacie kissed hers.
"I worried more the longer we went without hearing from her. Our bonds have limits to them on how far before I can't really feel her anymore." Stacie whispered as she held tight to Aubrey.
Aubrey leaned back as their daughter stirred now that she didn't have a heartbeat under her ear. Aubrey charmed her to ease her back to sleep for the moment.
"Charming out daughter to sleep? Cheater." Stacie could feel it but had long ago mastered resisting what she felt from Aubrey's charms.
"I believe it would be called using what I have." Aubrey closed her eyes for a moment.
Stacie held Aubrey a little tighter as she felt a bit of her shift into place when she could feel on the outer edge of her mind Beca come back into range. An hour or so away from them now she thought.
"I want Bella's first blood to be Beca's." Aubrey whispered.
"That's a high honor." Stacie rested her chin on Aubrey's shoulder.
"You gave birth to her and she carries your pack name as her own. She carries my name and my fangs. Beca being her first blood and one day Chloe being the first she bites under her own power will bind her to each of us in our own ways." Aubrey whispered.
Stacie smiled at the thoughtfulness that Aubrey showed to each of her mates as far as their daughter went. She was starting to become less and less worried that the future she dreamed of was just a dream.
"You left and it was as though a beating heart was ripped from my chest." Aubrey whispered. "But you did come back to me and brought to me two other bits of your heart to share. My anger was well placed but it has faded as time has passed."
"I never stopped loving you. When I was gone the pain of not being at your side was felt every moment, Aubrey. Every single moment." Stacie whispered.
"It was." Aubrey whispered. She turned out of Stacie's arms to face her. "You gave me a child, Anastasia. That doesn't make up for leaving but it changes who we are to each other. If my anger kept raging on it would leak into her blood and I don't want that. I don't want my daughter to have parents who have anger towards each other. I have lived that life and it is not one I wish on her."
Stacie lifted her hand to cup Aubrey's cheek, her thumb stroking over Aubrey's jaw. She knew very little of Aubrey's family life or her mother as a person outside of her blood's effect on Aubrey's abilities.
"I love you." Stacie whispered.
"And I love you, Anastasia." Aubrey looked into her eyes.
"And we love them." Stacie smiled softly.
"We do." Aubrey nodded.
Stacie knew how unusual it was for a vampire to share a mate or an Alpha to share at all. The fact a vampire, two Alphas and a Beta all managed to love each other without bloodshed - outside of Aubrey's feedings - was nothing short extraordinary.
"I should go greet them when the party gets here. They will all be weak and having me there I think will relax them." Stacie hoped so at least. Each was still bound to her as the last of her bloodline.
"We will talk about their permanent accommodations later. The woods here will be big enough for a small pack as well as my clan. You are their leader, Anastasia." Aubrey leaned up to kiss her, mindful of Bella in her arms.
"Thank you." Stacie bent down to kiss Bella's head before going to prepare to greet her pack.
—
The pack that Beca brought with her were all underfed, some injured and some clutching pups who knew nothing of the protections they now would have. They were taken to a large room usually used for parties, cots laid out for each of them to sit on and a fire roaring to warm the room.
Cynthia-Rose and Flo huddled with Donald and Jesse as the four tried to process all that happened to themselves and to the remains of their pack.
"Are you sure we're safe here?" Benji asked Chloe, standing behind Emily and their son as one of the healers checked the pair out. Katherine was a few cots over being checked out.
"I am." Chloe promised as she looked up from where she was patching up Jesse's back. The cuts would heal on their own now that they were cleaned out. "Aubrey will make sure of it."
Benji bent down to take his son so Emily could lay down to let the healer work on her. The little boy was only a few months old but had a mess of dark hair like his mother and curls like his father.
"Once you're checked out there will be showers and food." Chloe held on to Emily's hand.
The healer looked at the six month old baby in Benji's arms before down at Emily. "You were not careful. Another pup will be born by summer. It is a fast turn around from your first."
Emily winced at the news that she was hoping not to hear. She knew they were foolish but she hoped the lack of food explained the effects she was feeling.
"I'm sorry." Emily said out of reflex.
"She will need extra care. She is weak and if not treated accordingly she may lose the pup before it's born." The healer mixed together two vials of liquid into a third and handed it to her.
"We'll be more careful." Benji couldn't look at the healer or his mate.
"It happens." Chloe held tight to Emily's hand. "Once this one is born we'll have the healer mix something to protect you from it happening again so soon."
Beca watched Chloe interact with Emily from the other side of the room. She was mostly unharmed, just dirty and hungry. But she refused to leave the room until everyone had been given the all clear from the healers.
When Stacie sat down next to her she leaned against her mate as they watched Chloe together. She felt Stacie's arm around her shoulders and moved closer to be able to get as close to Stacie as she could without sitting on her lap.
"Never leave for that long again without keeping in touch." Stacie let out a low growl.
"It was harder going than I expected with the pack being in so rough shape." Beca knew it wasn't an excuse but it was all she had to offer.
"Still. You could have sent word one way or another." Stacie rubbed over her thigh, wanting to touch as much of her mate as she could.
"How's our little one?" Beca asked.
Stacie's expression lightened at the mention of their daughter. "She misses you. I know she was so little when you left and is not all that much bigger but she can sense something is incomplete in our home."
Beca smiled at the information. "I can't wait to hold her once I clean up and eat."
"Aubrey wants you to be the first blood she has. So eat extra." Stacie whispered.
Beca turned her head up to kiss Stacie's jaw. "I love you. I love all four of you." She felt the tears falling and refused to hide them.
"We love you too." Stacie whispered as she brought her hand up to wipe the tears away.
"Are you two alright?" Chloe walked over to Ashley and Jessica with their two girls.
"It's nice not to have to take turns keeping watch." Ashley said softly. She and Jessica had been mates only a few months when the war broke out. Neither had pups when it started.
"We'll be ok." Jessica leaned against Ashley. "Our girls are healthy and we're safe. We have each other to heal any old wounds."
Chloe held a hand from each, giving them a soft smile. "You two are going to be protected here from anyone wishing to do harm to you. I promise you."
"Thanks, Chloe." Ashley gave a bittersweet smile. "At least we have our girls, right?"
"They are good girls." Jessica whispered with a slightly far off look in her eyes. "No matter how they came to be."
Chloe left the mates to their moment as Ashley rested her head against Jessica as the girls in their arms cuddled to their mother's chest.
The healers patched everyone up to a point their own natural abilities would take over. The three babies were all still feeding from their mothers so they were a bit underweight but healthy and the rest would be able to heal themselves now that they would be eating enough and have shelter.
Aubrey walked in without Bella in her arms. She walked over to Beca and pulled her up by her shirt to bring her up to her feet.
Beca looked into Aubrey's eyes and saw anger and worry and love there. She felt her arms wrapping around Aubrey before either spoke.
"Never do that to your mates again, Soumise." Aubrey whispered.
"I promise, Aubrey." Beca whispered.
Aubrey pressed a kiss to Beca's even if she wanted her blood back on her lips instead. Beca was too weak and she didn't want to weaken her further at the moment.
She turned to the room once the kiss broke. She saw all of the werewolves looking at her with nerves written all over their faces. While nervousness was usually something she cultivated when it came to unknown creatures, these were pack mates of her mates.
"You will be welcome to stay on these lands. Lodgings will be built for you, there are woods to hunt in and a village nearby that is friendly to creatures. Anastasia is the last of her line and I believe will lead you all well should you wish to live as a pack." Aubrey addressed them.
"We have nowhere else to go, no lands of our own, no money." Jesse said a bit bitterly. "We have no choice but to accept."
Beca let out a growl at the disrespect but held her tongue.
"He means, thank you." Cynthia-Rose elbowed him in his sour ribs.
"It's my pleasure." Aubrey bowed her head a bit. "Now that the healers have seen to each of you, I suggest you all head to your rooms and clean up. Food will be brought to each of the rooms shortly. Tomorrow breakfast will be served in the main dining room at just after nine."
Each of the werewolves followed one of Aubrey's servants to the rooms that were prepared for each of them. They all wanted to sleep but the idea of a shower and food before that was too tempting.
"You." Chloe let out a growl. She had been avoiding Beca because she had been so upset but now she could no longer.
"I'm sorry I didn't send word." Beca said weakly.
"You better be." Chloe hugged Beca tightly the moment Aubrey stepped out of the way.
"Hi, Chlo." Beca felt the warmth of Chloe's arms around her, her eyes closing at how good it felt to be home again.
"We should get you into the shower and something to eat." Chloe pulled back, her hands moving over Beca's ribs. She could feel how thin she got over the last three weeks and did not approve.
"Come on." Stacie stood up. "Our daughter is going to want to see you too."
The four of them made their way up to the master bedroom together. When they entered the vampire that had been watching Bella excused herself quickly.
"Bella, look at how big you are." Beca lifted Bella into her eyes. The little girl's eyes could focus fully now and she let out a giggle when Beca lifted her up. Being part werewolf and part vampire she advanced faster than a human child.
"I told you she missed you." Stacie stood behind Beca with her arms around her as Chloe and Aubrey stood on either side of them.
"I missed her." Beca nuzzled her little neck, hearing her giggle soothing the wolf in her chest. "I missed all four of you so much. But the pack was so broken and with the babies it was such rough going. I wanted to send word but we avoided people since I didn't know if they were creature friendly."
The three of her mates held her as Beca held Bella to her chest. She cried for all she had missed and how lonely she was without feeling the bond she had to each because of the distance. She let herself soak in their bonds and the way that they each made her feel complete.
"Come on." Chloe eased Bella out of Beca's arms. "You need a shower and to eat. And then Bella is going to have some of your blood."
Bella giggled as she reached up for Chloe's red hair. Chloe smiled down at her as Aubrey guided Beca to the bathroom.
"I'm alright Aubrey, I can shower." Beca promised when the vampire shut the door with the two of them in.
"Bare your neck to me." Aubrey hissed. "I have gone weeks without your taste on my lips. I have felt the pain of our mates as they lived without the weight of their bond to you keeping them grounded. I have lived without a connection to you. Bare your neck."
Beca nodded slowly at the command before she did as she was told. She felt Aubrey's bite on her neck before her hands firm on her back to hold her in place. A warmth spread through her that she never felt before, something different in the bite. When Aubrey pulled back they locked eyes.
"A bite and a little witch's magic?" Beca felt herself tremble as she figured out what Aubrey did to her.
"I shouldn't have done that without asking or as soon as I did. But you left me and I am in a rather possessive mood, Soumise." Aubrey admitted.
"You're my mate and I am yours. If you want a child with me, then we'll have one." Beca reached up to wipe a little of her blood off of Aubrey's chin. "You have to tell Chloe though. She'll be a bit disappointed she'll be the last to carry for you."
Aubrey pulled Beca close again. "She will understand."
"She will." Beca agreed as she rested her head against Aubrey's shoulder.
"Go shower." Aubrey whispered. "I will explain my impulsiveness to Anastasia and Roux."
"Get a wolf pregnant and then walk away. Typical." Beca smirked as she started to undress.
Aubrey rolled her eyes as she slipped out of the bathroom and walked over to the bed. She stood there on what was typically Beca's side of the bed and looked at her mate's with Bella between them on the bed.
Stacie looked at the way Aubrey was looking at Bella. She could feel a bit of guilt off of Aubrey through their bond.
"She's pregnant now, isn't she?" Stacie raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Aubrey whispered.
Chloe looked over at Aubrey. "Another baby?"
"In about nine months, yes." Aubrey nodded.
Chloe's smile was electric as she moved from her seated position on the bed to hug Aubrey, kissing her neck. "I can't wait to see what you and Beca's little pup looks like."
"You aren't upset?" Aubrey questioned.
"Why would I be?" Chloe asked, nipping at Aubrey's neck. "You'll make us all mother's twice over, right?"
Aubrey tilted her head to allow Chloe space to nip at her skin. She really did love Chloe's love of nipping at her neck. She allowed her to do it a few more moments before she tilted her head back up to look at Stacie.
"Anastasia?" Aubrey asked.
"You said you would keep your children to the three of us and you are keeping that promise. But know we're not pitting our girls against each other to see who is the strongest. If Bella isn't your heir then have it not be because she fails some test she spends a lifetime taking." Stacie looked at Aubrey with years of having to live through tests from her family in her eyes.
"Nothing has changed with Bella's status." Aubrey promised.
"Then have as many children as you want with us." Stacie nodded, picking Bella up to kiss the top of her head. "Well, within reason."
Beca walked out, dressed in one of Stacie's shirts that was nearly a dress on her. She had her hair in a low bun as she walked over to the bed, crawling past Chloe and Aubrey to sit next to Stacie.
"May I?" Beca asked, wanting Bella in her arms again.
"For a few minutes and then you need to eat." Stacie agreed, carefully passing Bella over to Beca.
"I will eat, I promise." Beca kissed Bella's head, breathing in the scent of the little vampire.
Chloe brought the plate of food that was brought up over to the bed. She had a feeling if the food wasn't in reach of where Beca was with Bella she wouldn't move for longer than she was comfortable with Beca not eating.
"Thanks." Beca picked up a bit of meat, taking a big bite of it.
"You're welcome." Chloe smiled as she laid at the foot of the bed, wanting Beca as she held Bella and ate.
"You did make it home for Christmas at least." Aubrey sat on the side of the bed, watching to make sure Beca ate enough.
"Did I? I'm not even sure what day it is." Beca admitted.
"Twenty-third." Stacie supplied.
"On Christmas morning can we go for a run in the woods, transformed? I always liked playing in the snow when I wasn't running for my life." Beca joked.
"One, not funny. Two, yes." Chloe rolled her eyes just a bit. "My family always did that on Christmas morning before we ate. My brothers would tease me for not being as fast as they were."
"I will see to it that Bella is awake and ready to be passed around as we open gifts." Aubrey promised.
"We should have the pack join us." Stacie said. "I'll have someone run to the village and get them some gifts. They need just about everything. Christmas morning with a pack run and then gifts by the fire sounds like a dream."
"I will see to it." Aubrey promised. "You're a pack leader after all, Anastasia."
"I guess we can't outrun our fates after all." Stacie smiled.
—
The whole pack went out in the early morning on Christmas. The babies were watched by servants to give their mother's time to bond with the rest of the pack. The run they went on was only about three miles but Stacie set the pace slow to make sure no one was left behind or hurt themselves during it.
When they returned they all headed to their rooms to take a nap before they showered and prepared to come down for the feast they would enjoy.
The feast Chloe directed the cook to prepare was the largest the house had seen in years. Beef and goose and venison were all prepared with sides and a case of wine. She had taken to overseeing the household as well as any mate of the Master of the Posen Clan had in generations.
"Oh my stars." Emily was holding little Ben in her arms as she walked into the dinning room. "There is more food here than I think I've ever seen before."
"Chloe outdid herself in the direction and the cook is just happy to have their skills stretched." Aubrey held Bella on her hip as she stood near the head of the table.
"I wanted the first Christmas here to be special." Chloe walked in from the sitting room.
"It sure is." Jessica smiled as she and Ashley carried their girls, Hope and Grace, in. "Thank you for opening your home to us."
"Of course." Aubrey smiled.
One by one everyone came down and took their seats once everyone was down. The table easily had room for everyone to have a bit of room, the children sitting in high chairs that Aubrey had picked up to free their mother's laps.
"A toast." Stacie lifted her glass. "To family, found and blood. May we all share this table with additions as they come to us for many years."
"Here, here." Katherine smiled as she looked over at her daughter and son-in-law.
Aubrey sipped her blood wine as she watched the others eat. She had never been one to find much joy around a table full of anyone before but sitting here with her daughter in her lap, her mates an arms reach away, and the remaining pack members, her mind began to change on the matter.