I woke up gasping for air. My eyes widened as I bolted upright in the bed. I couldn’t breathe. I was coughing and gagging. Wildly, I reached out over the nightstand. I knocked over the lamp trying to find the bucket. It crashed to the floor but I couldn’t find anything. Tears welled up in my eyes, I rolled out of bed. Shaking, I tried to make it to the bathroom but I couldn’t. I leaned over, throwing up all over the floor.The door slammed open.“The hell is…AURI!” Bryan grabbed my shoulders as I continued to gag, trying to breathe through the amount of blood that was coming up. Finally, I coughed and my airways cleared and I choked out a sob. My body was shaking and I just cried as Bryan was holding me. I realized the my shaking wasn’t just me. He was also shaking as he held me. He held up my entire weight over the mess I was making.“Logan…” I

Auri was quiet for a moment before she lifted her head from my chest. I looked down at her and watched as her hands came up and brushed the tears aways. She cupped my cheek and pulled it down to her, kissing me. My eyes widened in shock. This was the first time we had kissed on the lips. Cato purred but I didn’t know how to react. When she bit my lip, the shock broke and my hand wove into her hair. I kissed her back with a fever and a need to tell her how much I loved her. How much I missed her. My heart beat fast and hard. She leaned back, staring at me, waiting for me. I searched her face for anything that might fix my confusion. That might tell me why. None came though. Auri didn’t say anything. Her hand wove into mine and she stood up. Walking around the bench, she pulled me along through the house. We reached my bedroom door and she opened it. She didn’t stop but walked through to the bathroom. Standing there, I watched as she pulled the shirt over her head and

“Is that the paperwork that you wanted me here for?” I finally asked Bryan after we disengaged from our hug and I poured some iced tea. “Sadly, no. There is something that came up from the High Council and I thought we should go over it together.” Bryan made a face. “Goddess, are they trying to push for Alpha King again?” “In a way.” I grimaced. “They just need to let up.” Bryan nodded. I took a drink of the iced tea and smiled. “Thanks for making the tea, Denise.” “Why do you think she made it?” I raised my eyebrow at him. “Because it’s good.” Denise giggled. “You’re welcome, Alpha.” The rest of the day was not nearly as eventful. Bryan and I poured over the paperwork on the desk. It was already turning dark and my eyes were getting strained looking at all the pages we still had left. “Go home, Bryan. I’m not in the mood to get anything else done tonight. Take Denise out and use my card

I leaned down, trying to pick up one of the twins stuffed animals on the floor. Quickly, I realized with how late I was into my pregnancy, that was not going to happen. Instead, I squatted down. I added it to the pile of toys in my arm. There was a knock on the front door and I smiled. “Come on in, it’s open!” “You know, Luna…” Lila came in, closing the door behind her. “…you really shouldn’t leave it open. Even if you know someone is coming over. Especially someone in your condition and with Alpha being gone.” I shook my head, walking over to the toy bin we had for the kids and emptied my arms. “Yes, well. If someone got past the entire border patrol, plus the extra patrol I know encircles this place, then I would have no chance anyways.” She came over to me and pulled me into a hug. “Goddess, he’s getting so big.” Lila put a hand on my belly. “He’s growing faster than Týr did. I called Morgan. He is supposed to come and pick the kids up from

***Logan’s POV***   My hands were holding my son. He was crying, the cord still attached to Auri. I was shaking. She was dead. Her heart stopped. She had breathed her last breath. The mate bond felt like a flower that had gone grey and withered away. I stared at the small little life in my hands. The pup I didn’t even know that was coming. My voice couldn’t be found. My mind blank. Justin ran up to me. “FUCK!” He threw his med bag down and started to take out different tools. I watched as he tore a piece of duct tape with his teeth and covered the wound on her neck. He laid her flat on the ground and pulled out a defibrillator out of his bag. “ALPHA! CUT THE CORD!” I looked at the cord and I pinched it. My nails elongated and I sliced it, still holding onto the end since I didn’t have a clamp. “STARTING!” I watched as he paddled Auri’s body. It jerked and I pulled my baby close. I had him against me, watching in horror. I