My Lycan Mate of Suicide Forest

Somehow he had fallen asleep. The last thing he remembered was that voice of the root guardian that sounded like chimes on the breeze. It seemed like a dream now.

When Graeme looked around, he was still in his parents' bed, but August was no longer with him. Realizing this, he shot up and attuned all of his senses to what he could gather from the house. Had someone come in and taken her while he was asleep?

Instead of sensing a threat, he heard Greta and August laughing in the next room. They were at ease.

Graeme slowly let go of the fistful of bed covers he hadn't realized he was grasping in panic and ran a hand down his face. How long had he been out? Apparently the days away with little sleep in addition to the drama when he returned had finally caught up to him.

When he walked out of the bedroom, he saw Greta and August sitting on the sofa. Greta was drinking tea, and his mate was turned toward her with the most beautiful smile on her face. Hearing him emerge, the girls both turned to face him, and he paused his tracks.

August's eyes were blue. The clearest, most vivid blue he had ever seen with just the slightest crown of gold around the pupils. She gave him a dazzling smile, and he felt his heart stutter in his chest.

"There is Sleeping Beauty," Greta laughed before taking another sip of her tea.

"Why did you not wake me?" he replied once he found his voice again.

"You needed the rest," August was the one to answer. "You were sleeping so deeply, and we assumed you hadn't gotten much sleep while you were gone."

She rose from the sofa and walked around to meet him. He opened his arms to receive her and hummed with satisfaction once she was tucked back into his chest again.

"You are okay," he spoke softly into her hair, running his hands through it and kissing the top of her head.

"I am okay," she replied, smiling against him. "Thank you for staying with me and… meeting me there."

"It wasn't a dream then I take it?" he asked.

"Not unless we had the same one," she laughed softly and tilted her head to look up at him.

"Wow, your eyes are so blue," he said, searching them as if he was getting to know her again. His eyebrows dipped at the small gold that was still there. "But they still have the gold. Does this mean that you didn't fully heal?"

"They were always like that, don't worry," she replied. "My mother's are the same."

He thought back to when she had awoken in the treehouse pool in his arms—how vivid gold her eyes were at that time and how shocked she had been to see them for herself in the mirror. Now they were bright and vivid in a different way, and it suited her.

"Is it that hard to get used to?" she giggled, pulling out of the embrace, but he kept hold of her hands, refusing to let her go far.

"No, not at all. They are just so much different. They suit you," he smiled. "Did you tell Greta about the… place that we were in?"

"Um, yes. I tried. It is difficult to explain without sounding crazy," she replied, turning back to see Greta watching them from the sofa.

"So you remember being there?" Greta asked, a spark of interest lighting in her eyes.

"I do. How long was I out?" he realized the sun was shining bright through the windows and Greta had gotten cleaned up from how they found her in the cell.

"Two days," Greta's eyebrows shot up and August glanced back at him.

"Two days?!" he asked, walking to the windows to look out as if there would be some kind of explanation written there in the sky.

"Everything has been calm. No antagonizations from the elders," Greta said, seeing the distress in her brother's expression. "We would have awaken you if anything had happened."

"Where is Sam?" Graeme turned back to look at his mate and sister who seemed much too calm for what had occurred here only a few days ago.

"He went to get some things from the market. We were thinking that we could all stay here for the time being. It's closer to the pack house, to the market, to Sylvia's, and there is plenty of room," she went on to explain. "It just feels like a good idea if we are all together."

He was about to respond to his sister when he caught a strange scent from her. He had passed her to look out the front window so quickly, he hadn't noticed until now when the air was whirling back around in his wake.

"Greta…" he walked slowly back to her and bent down before a smile slowly spread over his face. "You are pregnant," he whispered in awe.

She rolled her eyes. "We already knew that, remember?"

"Yes, but…" he scanned her scent before looking back up into his sister's eyes. "But now I can sense it. How do you feel?"

"Awful most of the time, but not so bad right now," she smirked.

"Goddess, sis, what a miracle," he croaked with small pools of emotion springing to his eyes, and Greta's own eyes went wide in surprise.

"Are you okay, Graeme?" she asked, her voice low with concern now compared to the carefree tone she had earlier. She set her cup down and put her hands on his shoulders. "Why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset," he chuckled. "I guess I just hadn't fully comprehended it before—it was merely the idea of it happening, but now I can sense it with everything in me. Your scent, your… my little sister is having a baby." The smile on his face widened, and he chuckled again as the small pools of tears in his eyes escaped. Greta gasped when he pulled her into a hug.

"Babies," August corrected him from nearby.

"Is she really having twins?" he gaped at her before turning back to his sister. They both nodded. "Just like mom," he chuckled.

"Just like mom," she repeated, a soft smile spreading over her face.

"I wonder if they will be like us," Graeme thought aloud.