All Sorts of Surprises

PATRICK

Pure bliss.

That’s what it felt like every time. Even after six years and two kids, making love to Eva was always like this.

As her eyes rolled back and she let out a loud moan, I chuckled, satisfied, and laid my head on her chest, just above her full breasts.

“I love you,” I murmured.

She ran her fingers through my hair. I could almost see her smile.

“Me too,” she replied softly. “Do you think I was too loud this time?”

Ever since our first child was born, she’d been worried about being overheard. I’d promised to soundproof our bedroom, but I hadn’t gotten around to it.

To me, it didn’t really matter, and I’d been tied up with pack business anyway.

“You weren’t loud enough,” I mumbled, lifting my head to kiss her.

“Good.” She sighed. “Good.”

I was about to say something when the door creaked open, and soft footsteps filled the room.

I rolled off Eva and quickly covered us as our five-year-old son approached the bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“Hey,” I said gently. “What’s wrong, buddy? Why are you up?”

“Is Mommy okay?” he asked, and I felt Eva kick my leg under the covers. Hard.

I bit back a groan and focused on my son.

“Yes, Mom’s fine.”

“But she was shouting.”

“No, buddy. You must have dreamed it. Your mom and I were sleeping.”

“Really, Daddy?”

I wanted to get up and comfort him, but given my current state of undress, that wasn’t an option.

“Yes.” I smiled.

“With the lights on?”

Eva kept kicking my leg as she growled through the mind-link. I didn’t like it, but I shut her out to concentrate on our firstborn.

I had to navigate this tricky situation without revealing anything he wasn’t old enough to understand.

“We fell asleep like that, sweetheart,” Eva finally chimed in, fibbing smoothly.

“Can I hug you, Mommy?”

“Not now, sweetheart. Go back to bed. You have two more hours to sleep.”

“But…”

“You heard your mommy, buddy. Off you go!”

“But…”

“You can have whatever you want for breakfast, but only if you’re a good boy and go back to bed,” I promised, trying not to sound too desperate to get him to leave.

Honestly, I think I did a terrible job, but he wasn’t fully awake, so I guess I got away with it. He nodded and shuffled out of the room, closing the door behind him.

A second later, Eva shot up and rushed to the door, locking it.

“You didn’t even lock it!” she hissed.

“It’s okay, baby,” I tried to soothe her, but she wasn’t having it.

There was one thing I learned about my mate early on. Eva is a joy to be around—completely charming and easygoing.

Usually, she’s very calm and doesn’t get irritated easily, but… when she’s upset, it’s best to steer clear.

The problem with me is that I don’t mind stirring the pot, so I got up and went to her.

I tried to pull her into my arms, but she slapped my hand away, and let me tell you, she’s stronger than she looks.

“Don’t touch me,” she snapped.

“Eva, baby, you’re overreacting. Nothing bad happened.”

“Our five-year-old son could have walked in on us… what am I saying? He almost did, and you’re telling me nothing bad happened?”

“Yes, because it’s true. Don’t get so worked up over it.”

“Don’t get worked up,” she scoffed. “Brian heard us having sex, Patrick.”

“Technically, he only heard you.” I smirked.

I knew I’d said the wrong thing when she stormed off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Naturally, I followed her in.

EVA

I knew he’d follow me in as if nothing had happened.

To be completely honest, I wasn’t as angry as I was pretending to be. But my mate needed to learn his lesson.

I’d been begging him to soundproof our bedroom since Brian was a baby, but like the fool he is, he hadn’t.

The only other option was for me to keep quiet, but how could I do that when I was having such a good time?

Maybe I should take matters into my own hands. If he won’t soundproof the room, I’ll make sure it gets done.

I stepped into the shower, and he followed me in before I could slide the door closed.

“Don’t be mad at me, baby,” he murmured, kissing my neck.

“You will soundproof our bedroom,” I demanded, trying to suppress a moan.

“First thing in the morning,” he promised.

Lies. He’d forget all about it by evening. Men.

When we finally stepped out of the shower after a while, I wasn’t surprised to see the sun beginning to rise.

It was still early, of course, but it was going to be a busy day. Then again, for the past six years, every day had been busy.

We had so much going on; it was incredible. Hard as hell sometimes, but still incredible.

A few weeks after Estella left six years ago, I found out I was pregnant with Brian. I won’t lie; I wasn’t thrilled.

Even though it’s common for werewolves to become parents at a young age, I wasn’t ready for it. It wasn’t part of my immediate plans.

I wanted to study. I didn’t have to, but it was something I’d always wanted.

Patrick had picked up on my unease without me saying a word. It was the bond and the fact that he’s a caring person.

Patrick had promised me that everything would be okay. He said that if I wanted to continue my studies, he’d be there to support me. He wanted to study too, after all.

We could do it together, he’d suggested. The way he spoke to me in that moment... I think that’s when I truly fell in love with him, regardless of what our future held.

That’s when I understood what Patrick was all about, and my respect and admiration for him only grew.

Unlike his promise to soundproof our bedroom, he kept his word about supporting my studies. We did it together.

We both enrolled in distance-learning universities. He chose economics, and I chose history.

In the meantime, our son Brian grew a bit, and we welcomed our second son, Damien.

A year after our graduation, we decided to try for a master’s degree. It’s tough, but we’re managing pretty well so far.

Right now, we’re on vacation, and I have high hopes for this summer and the near future.

You see, Estella is coming home.

For good.

Max doesn’t know about it yet because it’s supposed to be a surprise.

We even gave him the wrong date for her arrival, so he has no idea that he’ll see her today and every day from now on.

I have to admit, even though my nightmares haven’t completely stopped and still haunt me from time to time, I’m more optimistic now that I know she’ll be close.

All the years she was in Australia, I was worried. Sure, we talked often. Yes, I saw her every summer when she returned, and we even managed to visit her a couple of times.

But I always had this uneasy feeling.

The creature I see in my nightmares isn’t something one can easily forget.

UNKNOWN

Her heart pounded in her chest as she peered out of the small window.

They were landing, and she squirmed in her seat, waiting for the moment they’d be allowed to unbuckle their seatbelts.

Her anticipation was beyond words. To an outsider, it might seem like she was always this excited every summer. But she wasn’t.

This time, it wouldn’t be Max picking her up from the airport.

Normally, she’d be disappointed by his absence, but this time, she wanted it this way.

“Stop fiddling with your seatbelt, sweetie,” Aunt Lydia gently scolded from beside her, but Estella could hear the smile in her voice. “We’ll be there soon.”

Estella turned to look at her, and sure enough, she was smiling.

Her aunt was a wonderful woman. From the moment she’d taken her in six years ago, she’d never treated her any differently from her own children.

She’d loved and cared for her just like a mother would. For that, Estella was grateful.

When she followed Uncle Julian to Australia, she knew she’d be safe and have a good life.

What she hadn’t expected was that these people would completely restore her sense of family.

They brought healing and warmth, and although she still missed her family, it no longer hurt as much.

Uncle Julian, Aunt Lydia, and the triplets—Marion, Thalia, and Jordan—made her life beautiful and filled it with positive memories.

Of course, things wouldn’t have been as smooth if her old life was completely disconnected from the new one.

In fact, the first two months of her stay in Australia were a time in her life she’d rather forget.

Despite talking to everyone daily—Eva, Patrick, Cal, Leslie, Howie, and Max—she missed them so much that she cried herself to sleep every night.

She’d also gotten used to visiting her parents’ graves with Uncle Julian, and the realization that she wouldn’t be able to do so whenever she wanted added to her sadness.

The worst moment was when Aunt Lydia unpacked her things and found no pajamas.

When Estella showed her Max’s T-shirts that Leslie had packed for her to sleep in, Aunt Lydia laughed and said she’d get her some real pajamas.

Estella threw such a fit that it scared everyone. Uncle Julian called Max right away, and no one dared to bring up the issue again.

She still slept in his T-shirts, but they were wearing thin from constant use. She’d have to steal some more when she got the chance.

Anyway, after two months, things started to get better. Max visited and stayed for two whole weeks in the room next to hers.

Needless to say, she snuck into his room every night, and to her delight, he never turned her away. Not on his first visit, at least.

After that, he visited many more times. He’d come to Australia about every three months to see her and stay for a week or so.

When it was summer in his part of the world, she’d go back to him and all her other friends.

When she wasn’t spending time with Max, she’d be with Cal or playing with Eva and Patrick’s adorable little boys.

At the end of every summer, when her time with them was over, she’d feel awful.

So much so that four years ago, she asked Uncle Julian if he could make arrangements for her to move back permanently.

He did. It took him four years to secure everything, but he did.

The triplets would stay in Australia because they’d be starting university, after spending their vacation traveling with friends. But they promised to visit as soon as they could.

So, it was just her, Aunt Lydia, and Uncle Julian who were going back home.

“I think you can unbuckle now, kiddo,” her uncle said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

For a moment, she looked at him, puzzled, and he let out an amused laugh. “We’re here,” he explained, and she hurried to leave her seat.

Outside the airport, Patrick and Caleb were waiting for them with big grins on their faces. She gave Patrick a warm smile and ran to hug Caleb.

Cal lifted her up in his arms and started spinning her around until she felt dizzy.

Her friend had grown a lot since the last time she’d seen him. Well, to be fair, Cal was always like that due to his lycanthropy.

He was taller, faster, and stronger than the other human kids she was used to in Australia.

He was growing fast, and another perk of being a werewolf was that they didn’t have to deal with the inconveniences of puberty, like acne.

They always looked good. She noticed that every time she returned.

When Cal finally let her stand on her own, she socked him in the shoulder.

“Ouch! What was that for?” He looked at her with his deep green eyes, feigning hurt.

“You made me dizzy, you jerk,” she retorted, her face expressionless.

“Ah, it’s good to have you back, human,” he said. “I missed having someone to scold me while you were away.”

“Who would dare to, if you keep reminding them you’re the future alpha by beating them up when they disagree? You’re a bully,” she scoffed.

“I’m not a bully,” Caleb defended himself, looking offended. “They’re disrespectful.”

“Sure.” She raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, she felt an arm sling around her shoulder. It was Patrick. He had one arm around her shoulder and the other around Cal’s.

“Ready to go, little one?” he asked, grinning.

She nodded.

EVA

I didn’t go with them.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but if I went, the boys would want to come too, and if we all left, it would be obvious we were up to something.

The plan was for Patrick and Cal to drop off Estella’s aunt and uncle at their new place, which was close to the pack territory, and then bring Estella back to surprise Max.

I stayed with the kids who were eagerly waiting for Estella. I had told them when Patrick linked me that they were on their way.

It’s safe to say that they both had a crush on her. I called it a summer crush.

They fell for her every time she was here to spend time with them but would forget all about her when she was gone.

Boys.

The moment they saw her walk in, they raced towards her. Naturally, Brian was the first to reach her while Damien huffed and puffed, trying to keep up with his older brother.

My eldest almost knocked her over, but she managed to stay upright. She just laughed and kissed his cheeks and did the same for Damien, messing up his hair.

Sometimes they forgot that they were dealing with a human, but Estella never complained.

Seeing them all together made me smile.

When Estella managed to free herself from my little monkeys, she walked up to me, and we hugged each other tightly.

I held her close and kissed her head. And when I opened my eyes, I saw them.

The white strands among the brown.

There weren’t many, thankfully, but it was unsettling, and it could only mean one thing.

It had already started.

MAX

I had spent the entire morning at the hospital, scheduling all the tests for the pregnant she-wolves to happen today. That way, when Estella arrived tomorrow, I would have more time to spend with her.

Of course, I couldn’t predict everything that might come up, but I wanted to take care of what I could control.

I missed her. My wolf missed her even more, and the last six years had been, to put it mildly, a challenge.

Knowing she would be here again filled me with enough joy to overlook how crappy I would feel when she had to go back to Australia. But this was our routine now.

She’d come in the summer, and I’d be there for her birthday.

I was lost in my thoughts of Estella when the door opened softly. I glanced at the clock. I wasn’t expecting anyone else right now. I looked up at the door, and my eyes widened in surprise.

It was Del.

She was smiling sweetly at me. She had changed her hair. It was a golden blonde now that actually looked good on her, but her original color was far more beautiful.

I wouldn’t tell her if she didn’t ask, though.

To clear up any confusion, Del was one of the women I had slept with before I met Estella. We were the same age, and she wasn’t a member of our pack.

She was now working as a nurse in the hospital of a neighboring pack.

Our story together, if you could call it that, seemed pretty ordinary, at least to me. I saw her, I liked her, she liked me back, and we slept together.

I was her first, and she let me be even though I had explained I wasn’t looking for a relationship.

She had said that she didn’t want to be with someone only to end it when she found her mate, so it was all fine by her.

It was a few months before we turned eighteen. We did it, it was fine, and then we parted ways amicably.

A while before I met Estella, I heard a rumor that Del had found her mate.

And although they mated and marked each other right away, the guy rejected her the next moment, offended she wasn’t a virgin. Yes, the man was that much of an asshole.

I called her to check up on her. After all, I was responsible for taking her virginity. She confirmed the story, sobbing uncontrollably over the phone.

It didn’t end there, however. At a regional pack meeting, the guy, who was his pack’s next beta, confronted me. No, he attacked me.

I have no clue how he knew, but I was forced to fight him, and to make it worse, I won.

I told him what I thought of his actions then and there, and he did the same, calling me names. I wasn’t bothered. I just felt bad for Del for having to go through this.

Being rejected after being claimed and marked is rare and one of the most painful things that can happen.

Acting out of character, I kept in touch with her. We would talk from time to time, and I would try to persuade her to accept his rejection and move on.

You see, the mate bond can only be broken when the rejected mate accepts their fate or when one of them dies.

Out of habit, my eyes drifted to her neck. His mark was still there. I gave her a disapproving look, but she just smirked and walked further in.

“When are you going to let go?” I asked instead of saying hello.

“Never.” She shrugged, taking a seat on top of my desk right in front of me.

“What you’re doing is sick.” I snorted.

“He deserves every bit of it.”

“Maybe he does, but do you, Del?”

“Max, we’ve talked about this too many times. I’m not changing my mind.”

Rejection had turned Del bitter.

When she realized that maintaining the bond could cause her mate pain, she exploited that knowledge to the max.

She slept with as many men as she could, knowing he would feel it. As she once said, her aim was to either weaken his wolf or drive him insane.

Then he would die, and the mate bond would naturally break.

See? That’s why I hate our culture. It can make you do dumb things. Del didn’t know her mate well enough to love him, but she’d been on a revenge spree since he rejected her.

“You should,” I encouraged.

“I didn’t come here for that. I need you for something else.”

“For what?” I asked.

She leaned in to kiss me. I rolled my chair back and stood up, putting distance between us.

“No,” I stated firmly.

“Why not?” she purred, hopping off my desk and closing the gap between us. One step back, and I was against the wall. Damn it.

My wolf was getting restless, and I was pretty uncomfortable myself.

The truth was, she’d made passes at me a few times over the years, but I thought we had an understanding.

Apparently, I was mistaken.

“Del,” I cautioned.

“Come on, Max. It’s time you ditched that silly rule of yours.”

She was referring to my rule of not sleeping with the same woman twice. I wasn’t about to abandon that. If anything, I adhered to it more strictly than ever.

To avoid another situation like the one with Del, whenever I couldn’t control my urges (which wasn’t as often as I’d expected), I chose human women.

Working at the human hospital helped a lot.

“My mate doesn’t want me, and you don’t care to find yours. We’ve already done it, and it was the best sex I’ve ever had, despite being a virgin, so we know we’re compatible in that area.”

“Not to burst your bubble, but I’m compatible with almost every woman I’ve slept with in that area,” I said, deadpan.

“Confident.” She chuckled. “I like that. I like you. Let’s give it a shot.”

“No,” I declined again.

“But really, why not?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Because I don’t see you that way.”

At that, she smirked and pressed closer, her body against mine. I started feeling suffocated as her hand slipped between us and stroked me over my pants, making me hard.

~“Down, you traitor,”~ I thought, but it didn’t work.

“Are you sure?” she whispered in my ear.

“Del…,” I whispered back, trying to control my breathing and my wolf, who was telling me this was all wrong.

“Yes…”

“This doesn’t prove anything.”

“It doesn’t?”

“No. You know how anatomy works. I haven’t had sex in a while. It’s only natural to get turned on when stimulated like that.”

“Let me stimulate you a bit more then,” she suggested, planting kisses on my jaw and neck.

I knew I should stop her, but my judgment was clouding, and I felt strange, like something bad was about to happen, but I wasn’t strong enough to stop it.

UNKNOWN

They were on their way to the hospital. Eva and Cal were walking at a snail’s pace, and every time she urged them to hurry, they would laugh and tease her.

They were both alike in that way, and they looked very similar too.

They shared the same nose, black hair, and full lips, but Caleb’s eyes were dark green instead of violet, and his skin was slightly tan, while Eva’s was porcelain-like.

Getting annoyed with both of them, she marched ahead, leaving them behind.

She knew exactly where the hospital was, but she’d never been inside, so when she arrived, she opened the door and looked around like a lost puppy.

Where was she supposed to go from here?

Moments later, she heard giggles behind her. She turned to face the siblings angrily.

“Such a shame to leave us in your dust for nothing, human,” Cal said, smirking.

“Shut up,” Estella snapped.

Eva laughed.

“You’re taking her side? Some sister you are!” he scolded her.

“It’s nice to know there’s someone who can actually talk back to you.” Eva shrugged. “Now, be a gentleman and show her to Max’s office.”

Cal muttered something under his breath and led the way. Normally, he wouldn’t take orders from anyone, but he adored his big sister too much.

As they reached their destination, Cal saw the door was wide open. He was about to turn around to let Estella know they were here, but what he saw made his jaw drop.

“Are we here?” he heard her asking impatiently from behind him.

Thankfully, his broad back was enough to block the sight from her view. He had to think of something to get them out of there.

He’d known for years that his best friend had a crush on Max, and she would be hurt to see him with another woman.

“What’s wrong, Cal?” came Eva’s voice.

He finally turned to them.

“Nothing,” he said. “It’s just that Max isn’t inside,” he replied.

Eva gave him a suspicious look, but he ignored it.

“If he’s not in, why are you whispering?” Estella asked.

“I don’t want to disturb the patients.”

“Are you kidding me? You wolves don’t get sick?”

“No, we don’t but…”

“But what? I can smell him. Let me through,” she demanded, and before he had time to stop her, she had already slipped past him and into the office.

He tried to stand in front of her, but after the glare she threw him, he stepped aside, looking at her with concern.

What she saw didn’t register immediately.

Max was there, leaning against the wall behind his desk, with a blonde woman pressed against him. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and she was kissing his neck with a fervor that made Estella’s stomach churn.

Max had his head thrown back, eyes closed in pleasure. The woman’s hand was wandering low on his body, and Estella heard him let out a moan.

That sound was like a switch flipping inside her. A rush of emotions she couldn’t quite name flooded her. She’d always hated seeing other girls touch him.

She’d realized this early on. She couldn’t stand them even being near him, and it always irritated her.

But it was more than irritation. It hurt, and she found herself wishing she was older, old enough to tell him how she felt.

But now, watching him enjoy another woman’s touch, something she’d never seen before, she felt something else entirely.

There was hurt, jealousy, and a rage so intense she couldn’t hold it back, and she didn’t want to.

“Get your hands off him!” she yelled, her fists clenched at her sides.

Max’s eyes flew open, and he looked at her in shock. He mouthed her name and pushed the woman away.

But the woman didn’t seem to get the hint. After a quick glance at Estella, she tried to move back into Max’s arms like a persistent little pest.

“Don’t touch him!”

After being pushed away by Max again, the blonde woman turned to face Estella, arms crossed over her chest.

“And why not?”

“Because he’s mine,” Estella growled. “Mine!”

It wasn’t just a figure of speech. She actually growled, like she’d heard the werewolves do. She felt a strange energy coursing through her, her senses on high alert.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cal giving her a strange look and heard Eva’s soft footsteps behind her, but she didn’t care.

All she could think about was attacking this woman, tearing her throat out. She didn’t know where this aggression was coming from.

She was usually so calm, but this woman was touching Max.

The woman stood there, surprised at first. Then, she laughed.

“You must be Max’s little human,” she said, her laughter fading. “I am—”

“I don’t care who you are,” Estella interrupted. “Just stay away from him.”

“Oh, look, Max. Your little protégé has a crush on you!” she exclaimed.

If she wasn’t so angry, she would have blushed. Instead, she glared at the woman.

“It’s not a crush. I love him,” she declared, her voice ringing out clear and strong.

She felt his gaze on her and turned to meet his eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments.

She didn’t care that she’d just confessed her feelings. There was nothing wrong with loving someone, and she had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Cute,” the woman said. “Young love is adorable, but Max isn’t a child. He needs a woman to take care of him.”

Take care of him?

Then she remembered the way the blonde had been kissing him, and her eyes drifted to the red marks on his neck and the noticeable bulge in his pants.

Wait, what?

“Wh…what’s…er…wrong…wh…with…that?” she stammered, her eyes glued to the spot.

She felt her cheeks heat up. They’d had biology lessons, and she had a pretty good idea what was going on.

“If you hadn’t barged in so rudely, kid, there would be nothing wrong with that,” the woman replied, and Max hung his head in embarrassment.

“Shut up, Del,” he muttered.

“Why should I?” she scoffed. “That, girl, is proof that he isn’t yours.”

The woman’s ocean-blue eyes met Estella’s with a triumphant gleam, and for a moment, Estella was frozen in place.

“Shut the fuck up, Del,” Max yelled, and the woman took a step back.

“Is she your mate?” Estella asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“No,” Max said without hesitation, moving to sit in his chair. He looked pale.

“Absolutely not!” Eva added, coming up behind Estella and wrapping her arms around her.

It was the first time she’d spoken, and Estella had almost forgotten she was there.

“Like Max would care about a stupid mate,” the woman snickered.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, so why don’t you just do what you’re told and finally shut up?” Eva snapped.

“Everyone knows Max’s views,” Del insisted.

Estella felt sick. It was all too much to take in, and she tuned out the rest of the conversation.

The anger had faded, replaced by a desperate need to escape.

And that’s exactly what she did.