Chapter 1
1647 Words
Chapter 1
“Samson Valencia!” Rylee shouted. “Get back here!” She was fuming because this boy refused to listen.
“Why are you shouting, Dearest?” Wyatt asked as he poked his head out from our bedroom.
“Your son refuses to get ready for school!” Rylee hollered as she pointed in the direction Sam ran off in. Wyatt smirked and came out.
“SAM!” he roared in his Alpha voice, which made Sam come out of hiding.
“Yes, Daddy?”
“Do as your mother says and get ready for school!”
“Yes, sir,” Sam grumbled and walked over to me.
“Sam, if you’re going to be this bad every morning, then why do I even bother!? Every morning, you give me the runaround! I don’t have the time or the energy to deal with this every morning with you, Sam. This is the last time. Do you hear me, young man? If you make one more morning difficult, you will be grounded. That means no games, no playtime with your friends, Papa, and Nana, and no dessert after dinner. Do I make myself clear!?” Rylee said sternly.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?” Wyatt scolded.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now go put your clothes on,” she said, pointing to his room. He went inside and started to get ready. Rylee let out a frustrated sigh.
“Wyatt, I can’t do this every morning. The wedding is in three months, and I’m elbows-deep in the preparations. With Melody being pregnant again and your parents on another cruise, I’m doing everything myself!”
“What? What about Milan? And I thought Lexie and Lanie were helping you?” Wyatt asked in confusion.
“Milan still has her therapy sessions every other day. And Lexie is going to pop any minute now, and then she’ll be too busy raising her twins, while Lanie and Chad have their hands full with Killian. Since your company has taken on all those projects out of the blue, I’m left raising Sam and Aurora by myself! It also doesn’t help that I’ve had to assist multiple other packs around the country in addition to all of the wedding planning!”
“Okay, okay, breathe, Dearest. Breathe. I’m sorry. I know I’ve neglected you and the kids over the last few months, but after these projects, I promise to make up for it. I will have all the time in the world for you and our family,” Wyatt tried to soothe my anger away. “Remember, I’m going on sabbatical for six months, a month before the wedding. That means I will have all the time in the world to help you with any final touches, and we will be taking our much-needed honeymoon and vacation. I got all your paperwork sorted out, so now you have your passport and state identification.”
“That only took twelve years,” Rylee grumbled.
“Dearest, the entire world thought you were dead. So, yes, trying to prove that you are who you say you are takes time,” Wyatt retorted. “And, if you don’t want to be stopped by customs and border control while we’re traveling, then we have to go about everything the lawful way,” Wyatt added. Rylee rolled her eyes. She knew Wyatt was right; of course, she didn’t want to deal with any bureaucratic nonsense while on her three-month-long honeymoon, but she felt so overwhelmed that she was about to blow a gasket. It also didn’t help that Samson was wreaking havoc every day, being a growing boy with the attitude of a teenage girl. With Aurora turning one year old when Wyatt submitted for FMLA, Rylee was struggling to handle everything on her own.
It had been almost 18 months since everything with Eric and his tyranny finally ended, and Rylee got closure for her parents' untimely deaths. Every month, she visits the Silver Lake packhouse, which has thrived since Wyatt and she restored it. Various pack members used it as a vacation away from Blue Lake on weekends or during holidays. Wyatt and Rylee used it as an escape from their everyday lives as Alpha and Luna, and for a while, Jason and Milan lived there with their twins after Milan had struggled to come to terms with Dylan’s death.
“Mommy, I'm ready,” Sam called out with his school uniform on and his backpack slung over his shoulder. Rylee smiled at her son. As much as he annoyed her every morning with his incessant need to drive her mad, Rylee wouldn’t change anything for the world.
“Good boy,” Rylee said to him, and crouched down to his level. “Why don’t you go down for breakfast with your sister, and we will meet you down there shortly, okay?” Rylee said to him. Samson smiled with glee as he ran to Aurora’s room, took her out of her playpen, and walked to the elevator with her. Wyatt had taught Samson to use the elevator on his own about six months ago, and it helped Rylee out a lot because Samson wouldn’t need to wake her if he was hungry. He would get up, go down to the kitchen, and ask Mr. and Mrs. Williams for breakfast.
When pack members started to notice Samson roaming about on his own early in the morning, they greeted him with smiles. Many of the male pack members gave him fist bumps, while female pack members fawned over his looks. He was the spitting image of Wyatt. With Aurora turning one in a few short months, she was transitioning from breast milk and baby food to solid foods. Aurora was turning into a miniature version of Rylee, and pack members doted over her looks. She was like a walking doll, and everyone loved her.
When Samson and Aurora emerged from the elevator, pack members who saw them immediately ran over to greet them with a good morning. Just like any other day, male pack members gave Samson his morning fist bumps while females gushed over him and Aurora.
“Hey, kids, where are you guys going?” Keaton asked when he noticed them.
“Bweakfas,” Samson replied.
“Cool. Me, too. How about we go together?”
“Okay!” Samson readily agreed. Keaton bent down to pick up Aurora and kissed her chubby cheek, making her giggle. He took Samson’s hand and escorted them to the kitchen.
“Good morning, Beta Keaton. I see you have the Alpha pups with you,” Mrs. Johnson greeted.
“Yup. We happened to be heading in the same direction, so we made a party out of it,” Keaton replied with a smile.
“And where is Irene and your pup?”
“Sleeping.”
“I’m going to safely assume young Kara isn’t sleeping through the night yet?”
“She is not. And it doesn’t help that Irene works the overnight shift in the hospital right now, either. Our schedules are messed up beyond belief,” Keaton answered as he rubbed his face of the fatigue.
“You look like hell, little brother.” Keaton turned around to find Kendrick staring at him.
“Shut up. You’ll be looking like me soon enough,” Keaton retorted, referencing Melody’s current pregnancy.
“Hey, at least Leighann will be old enough to help out.”
“What? Leighann’s only three, bro!”
“That’s old enough to help with a baby, right?” Kendrick genuinely asked.
“No, Beta, it is not!” Mrs. Johnson replied and whacked him upside the head.
“Ah!”
“Young Beta, please bring the Alpha pups to their high chairs so I can get their breakfast together,” Mrs. Johnson instructed as she shook her head at the idiotic Kendrick.
“All brawn, no brain, big brother,” Keaton teased. Kendrick glared at him.
“He’s right, you know.” Kendrick turned around to see Wyatt and a snickering Rylee.
“Right about what?”
“All brawn, no brain,” Wyatt repeated and walked past him, with Rylee continuing to chuckle.
“You’re supposed to be on my side! You’re my brother-in-law!” Kendrick retorted as he went after them.
They all sat down at their respective spots at the dining room table, and Rylee was happy to see Samson was scarfing his food without needing to be coaxed, and Aurora was knee deep in cheesy scrambled eggs.
“Oh, dear, Aurora,” Rylee smiled and cleaned her face. Wyatt smiled, watching as Rylee took care of Aurora, and he was proud to see what a good boy Samson was being. Minus his morning tantrums, he was very well-behaved.
“Good morning, everyone.” The table turned to see Jason and Milan coming in with their twins. Right behind them were Melody and little Leighann, and behind them were Angelo, Michelle, and Nicholai.
“Hey, it’s a full table this morning,” Kendrick beamed.
“Looks like it is,” Rylee replied. They had to rearrange the seating to accommodate all of the pups. It was as if they were playing musical chairs first thing in the morning.
“Alpha, I do believe it’s time we invested in a larger table to accommodate the ranked members,” Mr. Johnson said as he brought over the breakfast plates.
“I think you may be right,” Wyatt agreed. He continued to look at the table and the chaos that ensued as everyone tried to rearrange their seats, and his heart swelled. Wyatt’s heart swelled with everything starting to fall into place. Nothing could ruin it. But he was sorely mistaken, as an unknown evil was looming in the darkness, ready to strike when Blue Lake least expected it.
- Writer
