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boys swore they would be good and listen to their parents. In turn, Skylar promised he would let everyone know once the birth was imminent so they could come and be with him in those special moments. With Shiloh, Daniel, and Carson, he only managed video calls, but that would have to do until his friends could join him on Byron’s island.

He didn’t know what he’d expected to see at his new home, but the actual facility surprised him. They flew there in Byron’s private jet and landed on an air strip very close to the actual house. However, house was very loosely putting it. Skylar had already noticed Byron didn’t do things halfway, and this mansion was built to suit its owner.

It was huge, even bigger than the one in LA, and, according to Byron’s words, a new section had been recently added, especially for the birth. It had a large swimming pool with filtered salt water, ensuring no bacteria would reach the children in their youngest days.

There was also a large barrack, where the security staff and the doctors lived.

After a very brief tour and a delicious dinner, Byron led Skylar to the bedroom they would share. As he plopped down on the unsurprisingly huge bed, Skylar stole a look at the time. Eight in the evening. Was it truly the same day he’d found out about Rick Carver’s escape? Had he made love with Byron just the night before?

So many things had happened in the last few hours that it almost seemed a week had passed, not a single day. Especially after his uneventful past months, it was quite a change, and Skylar felt exhausted.

Byron pressed a brief kiss to his cheek. “Go to sleep, sweetheart.

Tomorrow is another day.”

Skylar closed his eyes and obeyed. Slumber took hold of him, and in his dreams, he heard no hostile voices, only Byron’s strong tone and the laughter of children.

* * * *

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A few days later

Rick stood outside the agency, watching the building staff come and go. There were numerous guards around, so he couldn’t risk approaching. He even saw Garth Mckenna come in, but Skylar, that damn Skylar Pierce, was nowhere to be seen.

He backed away from the building slowly, considering his next course of action. He’d been spying on the agency for days now, thinking Skylar might eventually show up. However, the seahorse had failed to make an appearance.

Rick remembered the man who’d crushed his shoulder at the elder’s home. The injury had healed, but he still hadn’t gotten over the humiliation. That big guy—Byron Cunningham if Rick remembered correctly—must have kept Skylar from returning to work. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the two of them were lovers.

Given the circumstances, perhaps it wouldn’t be a good idea to attack Skylar directly. As much as it irked Rick, he admitted Byron was much stronger than him.

However, Rick did have one advantage, and Skylar had a vulnerability no one had really seen. Smirking, Rick headed back to his dingy motel, a plan already forming in his mind.

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In the living room of the large island mansion, the television was on. Byron peeked inside, only to see Malcolm sitting on the leather couch, a can of beer in his hand.

A game of football was playing on TV. Byron wasn’t really a big fan of the sport, although with his bulk, he could have easily run over half the players on the field. Malcolm, however, had enjoyed it for as long as Byron could remember.

Wordlessly, Byron came to sit next to Malcolm. Since Skylar was sleeping, Byron had taken the opportunity to check up on the security system and see his friend and mentor.

They weren’t much for words, so they just sat there, with Malcolm occasionally throwing a comment at the players he didn’t like. Finally, halftime came. Malcolm silenced the TV and directed a glance at Byron. “I thought you didn’t like football.”

Byron shrugged. “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I can’t watch it from time to time.”

Malcolm opened his mouth, obviously intending to say something. His words never came. Instead, he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume again.

The shock on Malcolm’s face alarmed Byron. Malcolm rarely, if ever, got frightened or even surprised. Byron turned toward the TV

screen and gaped.

There, in full HD quality on the plasma screen, they both saw a werewolf run onto the Los Angeles Football Stadium. For a few
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seconds, Byron dared to hope it might just be a large pet or even an actual animal escaped from the zoo. That thought disappeared when, in the middle of the field, the wolf turned into a man.

The camera zoomed in on the individual in question as the reporter began to speak in a quick, panicky voice. Byron didn’t hear any of her words. The only thing he could focus on was the face on the screen. Rick Carver.

“Christ, he’s insane,” Malcolm said. “Does he have any idea what he’s done?”

Byron couldn’t find an answer. His first reaction was the knowledge that he needed to hide this from Skylar at all costs.

Unfortunately, their bond had some disadvantages as well. His agitation must have woken Skylar as Byron felt the seahorse wake up with a start.
“Byron, what’s wrong?”

Byron tried to think about anything else but the wolf on television and failed abysmally.
“Oh, my God,”
Skylar cried through their connection.
“He didn’t.”

Skylar had a television in the bedroom as well, so Byron knew he couldn’t stop his mate from seeing the events with his own eyes.

Abandoning the living room, he rushed upstairs toward his mate. He found Skylar with his father and Yuki, staring in shock at the screen.

Security was now being gathered to capture the intruder. The humans seemed very reluctant to approach, and the actual football fans were running in a panic, making the intervention even more difficult. When the camera zoomed in again, Byron actually caught sight of Carver’s lips forming a couple of phrase. “Fuck you, Skylar Pierce. Fuck you, Elder Wade.”

So, this was Carver’s way to get revenge on the people he thought had wronged him, to reveal the existence of shape-shifters to the humans. Some damage control needed to be done, but somehow, Byron doubted Carver would stop at just that.

“Calm down, sweetheart,” he told Skylar. “This can still be controlled. It’s just one crazed maniac.” With enough money in the
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right hands, Byron could have the whole thing made up into a show of special effects.

Just as Byron thought this, his phone rang. It was an unknown number, but Byron took the call anyway. In a sense, he wasn’t surprised. He had lots of informants in various agencies that told him what went on at any given time.

“Mr. Cunningham, the humans are on high alert,” the voice on the other side of the receiver said. Byron immediately identified the caller as a chameleon-shifter he liked to call John.

“How so?” he inquired.

“It seems that at the most secret levels, they already suspected the existence of shape-shifters. The agency in particular was of great interest. With what just happened, it’s only a matter of time until they take key locations by storm.”

Byron rubbed his eyes in tiredness. “Contact Garth. Tell him about this.”

“Will do.” John paused. “Mr. Cunningham, I fear this time, there won’t be any place for us to hide anymore.”

As Byron ended the call, he turned toward his mate. He didn’t want to say this, but he knew Skylar had overheard most of the conversation anyway. “It seems the existence of the shape-shifters might be out in the open.” Byron could still attempt to reach out to human officials, but with Rick Carver running around in wolf form, they were unlikely to listen.

The thought dissipated into sheer terror as Skylar released a cry and clutched his swollen belly. “God, he’s going into labor,” Lark Pierce said.

Byron grabbed his mate in his arms and headed toward the specially prepared area. Yuki grabbed her cell phone, and Byron heard her contact the doctors to be ready for them. Byron had hired the best specialists, and they were already at the clinic when he reached it with Skylar in his arms.

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“In here,” a nurse directed him, all business. “We’re ready for him.”

Byron burst into the large room that would be Skylar’s birthing place. Instead of a bed or anything like that, it held a large pool.

Against its wall was platform with hand levels for Skylar to hold onto, and there were several niches where the actual water-proof equipment stood. These items were above water level. However, they had been built here in order to allow the newborns to be immediately transferred to their natural environment. The pool also had an inbuilt panel that, if needed, could separate the pool in two. It had been added in case the two children couldn’t get along, so that the shark wouldn’t hurt his smaller brother. Byron hoped that wouldn’t be necessary and, like Skylar thought, Layton and Morgan would accept each other.

Byron set Skylar down on the padded platform. The doctors gathered around his mate, who now looked very frightened. “Byron…

I’m scared.”

Byron squeezed the seahorse’s hand. “I know, sweetheart. Don’t worry. It’s going to be all right.”

“Sir, if you please, wait outside,” a doctor told him. It was impressive, given that his staff was well aware of Byron’s abilities.

“I want to stay with Skylar.” Byron glowered at the man. It had already been discussed before, and the doctor had agreed, prior to the events today. Byron gathered that the sudden labor made things more complicated, but still, he knew that he could help Skylar simply through his presence.

The doctor didn’t seem fazed. “Very well, but you must do your best to keep silent and soothe your mate. Most of all, don’t interfere with our jobs.”

Byron nodded while his mate clung to his hand. And as the doctors set to work, for the second time in his life, Byron prayed.

Once before, his Skylar had been in mortal peril. Now, Byron had
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three loved ones to lose if something went wrong. He could only hope that all his preparations had not been for naught.

His head started to whirl as the medics used a special substance to knock Skylar out. As Skylar surrendered to the anesthetic, Byron couldn’t help but feel glad. At least, his mate wouldn’t be in pain.

Then, the operation began. The doctors forced Byron away from the scene until he stood a few good feet away from Skylar. Byron didn’t argue. He knew that in these circumstances, the doctors needed to hurry, and the best way to help Skylar would be to listen to the medics’ advice.

At one point, he noticed in terror that they looked at one another in confusion. They seemed puzzled on their next course of action, and Byron wished he could approach so that he could see what was going on better. Any moment now, he thought he might receive the bad news of Skylar’s death. Or perhaps Layton and Morgan would not live. God, why was it taking so long? He thought C-sections were supposed to be shorter.

He didn’t know how much time passed until at last, he saw the doctor retrieve his sons. They were quickly released into the water, with a couple of nurses keeping close watch over them, and especially on the tiny seahorse.

The doctors waved him over, and Byron at last dared to approach.

“The operation went well. A birthing seam opened where Mr.

Cunningham’s pouch was supposed to be, and we didn’t have to cut into his flesh.”

The relief that assaulted Byron almost made him keel over. “He’ll be fine?” As the doctor nodded, Byron added, “And my kids?”

“Two wonderful boys. You can go see for yourself.”

Byron slipped into the pool, and instantly, his children sensed him. At first, they seemed a little cautious. In fact, this was the case for the rest of the people watching them, as well. However, the small seahorse—Layton—eventually approached and his larger brother Morgan followed shortly thereafter. Byron’s heart squeezed in his
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chest when he first touched their water-slick bodies. His sons. His baby boys. He was a father.

It was in that moment that Byron remembered the earlier episode and Rick Carver’s stupidity. If he wanted Skylar and his sons to be safe, Byron needed to do something to control the situation, and fast.

* * * *

Carson Williams-Wade stared at the television, still in shock. The wolf on the screen was now running away from its pursuers, having probably realized the shock value of his appearance would turn into violence soon.

“I can’t believe this,” Brody said. “Why would he do something like this?”

“He hates us after what happened,” Carson replied. “He hates everyone. Jesus, Brody, if this gets out of control…”

“I know, baby. If the humans realize just how many shape-shifters walk around them every day, we might have a war on our hands.”

“Papa?” Angel’s tiny voice came from behind them. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Carson lied as he turned toward his son. Angel stood in the doorway of their living room, with his brother, Clark, next to him. “Go to your room, boys.”

Clark didn’t seem to believe him, but he ushered his younger sibling away and upstairs. Carson shared a look with Brody as their children left. “What do we do, Brody?”

* * * *

Shiloh Denning-Holden glanced from the television screen to his mate’s face in horror. “He gave us away.”

Liam nodded. “We need to talk to Brody. This could be very dangerous if someone figures us out.”

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Carson, Brody, Shiloh, and Liam, together with their three children, lived alone on a property of Brody’s in the Rocky Mountains. However, if humans started to panic, suspicion might fall over them.

Shiloh took a deep breath and went to his son’s room. Reed had not yet entered his second year of life, so he was still in cygnet form.