A Guardians Passion (7 page)

“Excuse me? Sharing a room?” Freya asked, hoping she had heard wrong. The entire trip she had been thinking of how good it would be to have a room all to herself. “I didn’t hear anything about sharing a room.”

“Actually you’ll be sharing it with Melissa
and
her twins. It’s part of the whole immersion experience that we’re focusing on here. You are about to become a mother yourself. Best you know what you are in for now rather than later.”

“That was not in the brochure.”

Helena snickered. “Of course not. That too is a means of preparation that we provide for you. As a new mother, you have to be ready for anything. You’re a fighter. You understand.”

Freya stood her ground even as the woman behind her attempted to move forward. Suppressing the urge to reach across the counter and smack the shit out of the grinning Sohon, she knew her anger at that moment had very little to do with hormones. She inched forward, and her stomach brushed the counter. It served as a reality check. Realizing where she was and why she was there, Freya sulked. “Really? Whining cubs? Twins? Really?”

Helena waved at the woman behind Freya with a dismissive smile that seemed to burn brighter in contrast to the level of Freya’s anger. Freya didn’t budge. “We would like to thank you for your patronage, Ms. Daniels. And welcome to the New Moon retreat. We are so very happy to have you. Orientation and the beach barbecue start at sundown.”

Freya snatched up her folder and key card and left the counter, cursing under her breath. She headed in the direction of her room before noting Benna socializing over in a corner. The petite Sohon’s eyes widened in acknowledgment, and she hastily ended her conversation to run up to Freya.

“You’re all done?”

Freya didn’t answer the obvious question, keeping her stride through the hallway. Benna was the last one she wanted to chat with, not entirely sure the little protégé hadn’t known about the rooming arrangements.

“This is one of my favorite events,” Benna declared. “The mommies are so beautiful and glowing and apparently just as eager to get away from their males too. See? You’re not alone at all.”

Oh, but I wish I was.

“Of course, none of them is married to a Luna, but you are definitely in the right place. You’re going to have a wonderful time, Freya.”

Sure, you’re right. You little witch
. Making the second left as she had been directed, Freya scanned the numbers on the doors. She came to the last door on the left, 120. She checked the number on her paperwork just to be sure and then slid her card through the card reader. The red light on the device turned green, and she grasped the handle of the door before turning to consider her escort. “You’re not staying with me too, are you?”

“What?” Benna gaped in confusion, but as Freya pushed the door open, reality struck hard. Seated in the corner of the room was a light-skinned woman with a babe in one hand and a cub at her feet.

Benna stuck her head in the door and waved at the woman. “Hey, Melissa.”

“Benna. Good to see you again.”

Benna’s cheeks were as bright as red apples. “The cubs are so cute. They’re growing nicely.”

“You have no idea,” Melissa replied as the cub upon the ground began to gnaw at the hem of her gown. She bent to gently chastise him.

Freya couldn’t contain a low growl, aimed at Benna. “Are you? Staying?”

“Oh no. I’m staying in the family suite. I’ll probably be roped into helping out, but you will definitely see me tonight. You’re going to get some rest?”

Stepping into the room, Freya blocked Benna from getting inside. “I really hope so,” she said before closing the door in the face of the young Sohon.

Exhausted, Freya sat down near the foot of the free bed, avoiding one of the largest diaper bags she had even seen. It was pale green with a bold
S
and palm tree embossed on the side and had a tag with her name on it. A present from the Sohons, she knew, seeing an identical one on the other bed.

She gazed over at her suitcases. True to Benna’s words, her bags were stacked on wooden luggage racks. With the warmer climate, she was eager for a cool shower and a long nap. While she could have thrown a fit and demanded her own room, she really had no energy for fuss, and the room was nice. Outside of a few mewls and growls, the cubs weren’t that loud, and the room was spacious and calming right down to the breeze coming through the sliding glass door, which gave a beautiful view of the ocean. The walls of the room were a soft coral with white accents, and huge bouquets of flowers adorned each of the two dressers in the room. Best of all were the queen-size beds thick with spreads and pillows that reminded her of marshmallows—soft, comfy, and everything that she needed.

“They do go overboard, the Sohons.”

Freya looked over at the wolf she would be sharing her room with for the remainder of the week.
Melissa, was it?
The full-figured woman was relaxed in the high-back lounge chair. Her hair was plaited into thick cornrows, which only drew out the reddish glow in her light-brown complexion. Her dark eyes held a gentle calm as she bounced a plump, brown-skinned child on her thigh. As Freya watched, the woman placed the babe upon the floor next to his sibling. Werewolf cubs could easily pass as human children, except for the fact that they advanced a great deal quicker. While human children crawled, were cubs were already up and moving about. Weres’ first fangs appeared before humans even began to teethe, and the children tended to be covered in fine down from birth. Melissa’s cubs looked to be no older than two, Freya supposed, and already they were frightening little critters. The sight of Helena laughing appeared in front of her eyes. “They’re all bat shit,” Freya said of the Sohons.

Her roommate laughed but nodded in agreement. “Freya, right?”

“Yup. Melissa?”

“Yeah.” She pointed to the two cubs on the floor and introduced them as well. “This is Ryant, and this is Bryant.”

Freya looked at the two children, unable to discern any obvious differences. “How do you tell them apart?”

“They are identical, but their personalities are different. Bryant is definitely an alpha, and Ryant is seemingly a beta.” She gestured to the sudden growls coming from at her feet. She pointed down at the cub who had been ruining the hem of her dress. Bryant had switched his aggression to his brother. But the other cub held his ground, even if slightly aloof, just as a beta would.

Impressed, Freya watched the mini pack dynamics in action. “I didn’t know they displayed so early.”

Melissa reached down and rapped Bryant on his nose. The pup quieted, and his mother relaxed into her chair. She seemed to relish its comfort and having her lap free. “Yup. They do. Sometimes even in the womb.”

Freya nodded, recalling Gaea’s tales of Fenris. While her mother-in-law had said that carrying Fenris for nine months had felt like carrying a lightning bolt, Freya had felt that there might have been some exaggeration in the mix. Freya looked down at her belly and considered her own child. He did have a bit of an attitude, but for the most part, he was easy to carry. She introduced her child, running her hand over the curve of her belly. “Well, this is Bun.”

Amused, Melissa replied, “Aren’t they all?”

Freya had no answer. Since the day she had first felt her cub moving within her, she had been humbled by the love she felt for him. The need for sport still flared within her, but drawing blood and breaking bone could wait awhile. Just feeling Bun growing stronger, bigger every day, experiencing his hunger and discomfort, was pretty damn intimidating on its own. Thinking back to the lobby and all the expectant mothers, she wondered why none seemed to share the same nervousness or fear as she.

Freya allowed herself to lie back on the bed. She had to move the diaper bag aside in order to get comfortable, but the feel of the pillows beneath her head and shoulders set her at ease. Thoughts of getting up were swiftly muted. The mattress was divine, not to mention firmer than the one she had back at the lodge. The situation here wasn’t really so bad. She just needed to unwind a bit. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of the surf outdoors despite the cubs’ minibattle. Even with the noise of the cubs, she was certain a restful sleep could be found in the room. It would be better still if she could just bring herself to get up and shower first.

The decision was a hard one, but after a while, she managed to open her eyes. She was about to sit up when her hand brushed against the diaper bag. The sound of a rattle caught her interest. She rolled over to her side and pulled the bag on its side for a peek inside. Onesies, wipes, a soft brush and comb set, beef-flavored pacifiers, teething rings, baby toiletries, towels, a blanket, bottles, and toys. There were also a few items for her, namely a T-shirt that read CUB MOMMA and box of chocolate-covered bacon. She took out the box and sampled a slice of pure heaven. The rich, bitter chocolate mixed with the salty pork spurred her to rise. “Yup. Those Sohons are definitely not sane.” She stretched limbs that had been eager for rest.

Melissa had already emptied the contents of her bag onto her bed but started organizing as Freya made her way through several strips of the bacon. “You think that’s bad? Go check in the closet. They’ve also given us gowns to wear.” She indicated the one that she was already wearing. “I suspect that the Sohons may be fae pretending to be weres.”

“Now that you mention it, I can see how that might be true. Fuck,” she swore before taking another stick of bacon. She replaced the top on the box. The temptation to lie back down and finish the entirety of the chocolate was only tempered by the bliss she knew she could find with sugar overload. “Okay. Shower first and then a nap. Been dying for one.”

“Of course, of course. You’re gonna need every ounce of rest that you can get.”

Freya looked to the floor, where the two cubs were wrestling. It looked like Bryant was at it again. “Right.”

Melissa caught the line of Freya’s gaze and ceased sorting through her loot. “Not to worry. I’m going to put the boys down after their meal. They need naps too.”

“Do they sleep a lot? At that age?”

“They do but not for long. Never for long. That’s okay, though. I’ll take them out to the playgrounds when they wake, so that we won’t disturb you.”

They hadn’t disturbed her so far, but then Freya wasn’t a light sleeper, at least not anymore. Outside of stroking, kisses, and hard cocks, she could sleep through a thunderstorm. And the little ones were kind of cute.

She hated to admit that a Sohon could be right, but the room assignments were turning out to be a good idea. Being able to see the cubs at play was almost calming, when it wasn’t cause for alarm.

Melissa placed one of the Sohon gifts—a rubbery model of a rope—upon the floor to give her cubs something other than one another to chew on. “I suspect you have, what, three or four months to go?” she said.

Freya tore her gaze away from the all too cute tug-of-war scene before her. “Three. It can’t come soon enough.”

“Oh. It will. You’re nervous?”

“No. Not really. Nah,” she lied, going over to one of her suitcases. She unzipped it and threw it wide to search for the items she would need in the bathroom. Truthfully, she didn’t fear the labor, but everything after was terrifying to her. She didn’t want to discuss it with a stranger, though. She was there to learn, not whine.

“It’s okay. You’re a first-time mother. It’s perfectly fine to have a little anxiety.”

Freya held her tongue, not willing or able to correct the woman. One look at Melissa, and Freya felt as if the woman had the same special talent everyone seemed to have around her.
Too much fucking knowledge.

She found a clean shirt and a pair of boxers before looking for the mint body scrub that Rayne had made for her. Not finding it in the larger suitcase, she had to check her smaller one for the scrub and her toiletry kit with her toothbrush inside. She had just placed her hand on the bag when she caught a brown shape creeping up to her.

Bryant was inches away, crouched low and eyeing her as if she were a challenger. His large chocolate eyes were studying her up and down, little fangs bared. It was an amazing sight.

Freya couldn’t resist smiling at the furry toddler. “What’s up, little alpha? You want a piece of me?” Showing her teeth, Freya faked a move forward.

Bryant huffed, and his brother immediately joined his side in the confrontation. Their mother sucked her teeth in mild irritation. She rose from the bed. A few quick strides brought her over to the posturing twins, whom she snatched up by the scruffs. She fitted the two in the crooks of her arms while apologizing to Freya. “They’re going to be hell to tame when puberty hits. I just know it.”

Thinking back to the time when she was young and her mother had easily done so with her “fear of the goddess,” Freya did know what it took to enforce the suppression of feral behavior.
“Show fur again. Show fangs in class, and you won’t have to worry about the damn humans getting you ’cause I will tan the fur right off your fucking ass,”
Geraldine had once told her after an unfortunate incident in grade school. Freya still shuddered when she thought of that moment. “And you have two of them. Don’t think I could handle twins.”

“You’re a warrior-wolf. You wouldn’t be if you couldn’t handle some stress, although with cubs you come to appreciate a really good sparring match.”

Caught by Melissa’s response, Freya tensed. While she did have the muscular look of a beast, Melissa’s tone had insinuated that she knew who and what Freya was. “How do you know?”

Melissa placed her cubs upon the bed and commanded them to stay put before addressing Freya. “You were at a competition, an MCL fight I was in, a long time ago. I recognized you the moment I heard we would be sharing a room.”

“Oh.” Freya relaxed, irritated by her own suspicions. MCL stood for Mixed Combat League, a professional fighting organization created by wealthy supernaturals. Not only were there mixed fighting styles but various races present at the matches. Freya had received a few offers to join and participate, but the idea of bells and pauses didn’t suit her.