Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Rosalie

“Well, I wanted to name him Talon, of course. I was desperately in love with Talon back then, you know,” Georgia said with a little laugh, giving Talon a teasing glance.

“I told you what would happen if you did,” Talon cut in, bringing his glass of whiskey to his lips and smiling knowingly at his wife.

“I hate to admit that Talon was right,” she laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “But he was right. Every time I said Talon, they both looked right at me. It was rather confusing for both of them, honestly. We even tried calling him TJ for a while, for Talon Junior, but he refused to acknowledge that, even though he was just a toddler.”

Ernest rolled his eyes, his arm draped over the back of Gemma’s chair as Georgia continued.

“Well, Talon had given our son the middle name of Ernest, a beloved dead uncle on his side of the family,” she paused, looking over at Talon to confirm this was correct. He shrugged, nodding. “Anyway, I started calling him Ernie, just thinking it was the cutest name I had ever heard, and it stuck.”

“And now we call him Ernest,” Talon finished, smiling softly at his son. Ernest pinkened at his father’s loving gaze, and turned his head to Gemma.

“I will let you choose the name,” he smiled down at her, his hand resting on her stomach, “As long as it’s not Ernest.”

“Oh, please,” Georgia laughed, waving her hand to dismiss his comment. “Ernest is a fine name. We could have named you Bartholomew-”

“Or Cornelius,” Ethan said with a wry smile.

“Or Richard,” Rowan said, leaning into the conversation.

“What’s wrong with the name Richard?” Kacidra cut in from the other end of the table.

“Well, it might have actually been a fine choice for you, Ernest. The nickname for it is Dick,” Rowan grunted as Ernest, who was seated directly across from him, kicked him in the shin.

“Nothing has changed,” Georgia murmured as she took a sip of her wine, giving me a sideways glance. I smiled, shaking my head as conversation erupted around me, the dining room feeling small, but warm, as we sat shoulder to shoulder around the modest-sized dining room table.

“Are Vicky and Paul coming?” Rowan asked, looking expectantly at Ethan. Ethan shrugged, but Talon shook his head, leaning forward to accept a bowl of green beans from Hanna.

“Vicky wants to be here, but Paul doesn’t want to risk it,” Talon said.

“I think that’s wise,” Ethan said soberly, giving me a look as ! settled back against my chair.

They were right; we didn’t know what was going to happen here in the North. Vicky and Paul had settled in Finaldi, starting a family of their own. They had three daughters, none of them yet sixteen. I didn’t blame them for not wanting to bring their children to what could soon be considered a war zone if Damian made any further moves. We were, essentially, waiting for

war.

“What did they name their daughters again? I can never remember.” Gemma was picking at her plate, slightly green around the gills.

I pursed my lips as I watched her struggle for a moment, looking as though she was going to throw up before she was able to regain her composure. Gemma had been sick her entire pregnancy so far with little to no relief.

“Well, there’s Caroline, the eldest. And then Katerina is the middle… or is she the youngest?” Georgia looked over at me for help.

corrected. “Sarah

boy, if you can believe it,” Georgia said as she brought her wine glass to

furrowed his brow. “Try again? Isn’t that how Katerina came about?

replied, nodding in

of

was the one who named her,” I said with

Ethan, who blanched at the attention,

it sounded nice with Rowan,” he said simply, expecting that to be a good enough

also means she who rules,” I said to Gemma,

is fitting, isn’t it? You know, I always wondered about her name. She’s the only Maeve I’ve ever met,” said

you and Ernest thinking of, Gemma?” | asked, my chest tightening painfully at the thought of Maeve. I

haven’t

little, uh, busy.” Ernest gave Gemma a reassuring smile, his eyes seeming

always liked the name Eliza, or maybe Jennifer for a girl.

nice ring to it,” Rowan said

him with my

“I don’t really remember the dream, but I remember hearing someone say

the table as she did so. She swallowed, looking around before nodding once and bolting for the door. Rowan and Kacidra both began to rise, but I motioned for them to sit, rising from my

behind me as I walked briskly down the hallway toward the den. I nearly tossed my plate on the counter

out the backdoor and was moving quickly through the backyard, her dress

out of his grasp, jumping down the steps leading out of the den

across the grass, barely making it to Hanna before she reached the back gate leading into the woods. She stopped short of the gate, however, and I almost tackled her to the ground by accident as I slid to a stop. “What is wrong, Hanna?” I cried, taking

as Ethan came to my side. She cowered,

sharply, his tone biting enough to make me

is wrong,” she said, her lower

explain it to us, Hanna. We don’t

know you’ve seen Maeve. We know you’re able to see things

I cannot do that,” she said firmly, shaking

you leave the table so abruptly?”

thinks I’m crazy,” she said, her voice cracking with long subdued

frustration that plagued her. She didn’t want these powers. She had no way to control them. She likely didn’t

How I wished Gayla was here at this moment. We had buried her near the Temple of the White Queens over a decade ago and planted white roses over her grave. She had been a Seer. She would have known what

for years now,” Hanna began, her eyes still downcast. “I don’t know where it is, or what’s inside. I only know that I’m being pulled toward it. But I always get stuck; someone always pulls me back under. But after I met Rowan, I… I’ve been pulled to another place, like meeting him has begun

change

to Red Lakes. Usually, my dreams were meaningless. I couldn’t control or manipulate them like my mother could.

Dancer?” I asked, hoping

It wasn’t until I dreamed of Maeve for the first time that I realized I wasn’t completely alone. Maeve was in deep, deep water. She was dying. She wasn’t supposed to be there. I got her to the surface of

Ethan said, but I quickly

done for Maeve had allowed me to close in on it. But it was loud and chaotic. Before…