The Alpha’s Contract (Taylor West) novel Chapter 210

Six months later

Neah

My eyes flicker to the clock as cries echo through the bedroom. Nudging Dane, he doesn’t budge. He is out cold on the bed and doesn’t stir even when the twins' cries grow.

Dragging myself from the bed, I creep towards their cribs. I don’t even know why I’m creeping at this point, they are already awake, it was just Dane that was sleeping.

The moment I pull them into my arms, the tears stop. I settle into the large armchair in front of the window as both boys snuggle into me. The cuddles made the sleepless nights worth it.

But I still watched.

Every night I was awake and alone with the boys, I found myself watching the grounds. Waiting.

It had been almost nine months since we had seen Salem and six months since the news broke that there was someone else that looked like me.

Damien and Raven returned to the city often to look for Jenson and the woman, though they never saw them again.

I should be grateful, but it just put me more on edge. What were they planning? Would they turn up here with an army? Would they come for my sons?

‘I will protect us.’ Nyx mutters quietly

‘I know.’ I murmur

It had taken my Lycan a long time to give in. To let me figure things out for myself instead of constantly putting ideas into my head. To keep me away from that ever shadowing darkness.

Now we were more like when she first appeared. Talking to me and accepting my decisions.

I don’t bother to look when I hear Dane get up. He always felt guilty when he sleeps through their cries, but I let him off tonight. He had been on a pack run.

“Sorry.” He murmurs, close to my ear and lifts Evrin from my chest with a yawn. “You are watching again?”

I nod, “Gut feeling.”

“There has been nothing in months. Everything is as it should be.” I know he is trying to reassure me, but that gut feeling never fades. The same around Mallory. She still makes me feel…. Off.

“I like to watch.” I mutter

“And I would like it if my mate spent the entire night in bed with me.” He mutters with a smile because he knew that wasn’t going to happen even if I wasn’t watching over the grounds. The longest the twins slept for was a few hours.

“How was the pack run?” I ask, changing the subject.

Every full moon in the last few months, I fought between wanting to go and wanting to stay here with the twins. My need to be with the twins outweighed it everytime, but that was mostly because I had become afraid to shift.

He knew that, but he never pushed. Though he thought it would help me gain more control.

Maybe I would when I feel like the darkness isn’t going to suck me right under.

He smiles at me. “No change.”

It was his way of telling me everything is normal in the forest, but his words just seem to make my gut feeling grow. I clutch Logan a little tighter and he lets out a little moan of content.

Dane moves over to the crib, carefully lowering in a sleeping Evrin. He then takes Logan from me, repeating the process.