Traded To The Lycan King

"Where is he?" I snarl, on my hands and knees, tearing the tablecloth to the side. If Colette finds out he is gone again, I am in deep shit. I find nothing there but a small trail of cookies as I smirk and look to my right. Green eyes beneath a mop of curly brown hair stare up at

me with an excited face.

"Your brother thinks he is so sneaky, but we got him now, don't we?" I whisper to her as she grins widely, her chunky cheeks round and adorable.

"Did you lose Dylan again?" Colette asks, walking into the room as I sit back on my ankles.

I feign a scoff, waving her off, hoping she will just assume this is all a part of a game. I will never admit that this little stinker can outsmart me even at just the wee age of one year and some months. His twin sister, however, is my little shadow, always at my side. "Define the word lose?" I say with a wry smile as her eyes grow wide.

"Merikh! Are you serious? You honestly lost our son again?" She squeals, suddenly darting around the kitchen to Dylan's usual hiding spots.

"Dada," my sweet little Harmony says, popping up to her feet and tottering off.

"Oh, no, you don't," I chuckle, scooping her into my arms as I jump up and follow the trail of cookie crumbs leading out of the kitchen and around the corner to the front closet.

I clear my throat standing outside of the door and gently knock on the thin wood. A tiny little giggle explodes through the door and harmony squeals in delight, squirming in my arms to get down and laugh with her brother.

"Dylan," I call out in a sing-song voice, Colette comes up behind me with a frown on her lips as she crosses her arms over her chest.

The little chubby, almost toddler, raps on the door from the inside and babbles incoherently. Harmony giggles as if she can understand his language, and maybe she does. They are twins and I swear they have conversations all the time. "Why does it feel like they are making fun of me?" I say, looking back at Colette, who fights a smile.

"Probably because they are." She says, being no help at all.

I exhale before I open the door and squat down, looking at my sweet troublemaker who smiles brightly before he wobbles to me and falls into my arms. Harmony stands in front of her mom, begging with open hands to be picked up, and Colette gives in to her wordless demand.

"Are you ready for bed, my little loves?" I ask, cuddling Dylan close and reaching out to rub Harmony's back as we head to their room.

They both snuggle close, their sweet little hugs doing wonders to heal the terrors of the day I had before walking through that front door. Three weeks of nonstop attacks on our pack has begun to weigh heavily on all of us here.

If it weren't for King Zale and Colette's close ties with her siren family, we would be gone by now. But instead, the majority of the werewolf and lycan population has moved to our pack, more than tripling the population every six months until now.

"How bad is it?" Colette asks as we enter their room, flipping on their tiny little bubble night light that displays fish on the wall. A cute gift that her cousin Wade ended up finding in a sea town after the twins were born.

"We are running out of time." I admit, laying my little guy into his crib and tucking him in. It's hard to look away from him, but I do so I can memorize how both of them sleep so sweetly. "It is so peaceful watching them sleep."

"Their innocence is something else," Colette agrees, a soft smile on her lips. "I wish the world was a better place for them."

I reach out, tugging her by her waist to me as I press my lips to her temple.

"The world is as good as we make it for them. I'd rather it be bad now and try to improve it before they have to know it the way we do." I tell her as she sighs and leans into me.

a few minutes longer before sneaking out and finding

Luna," He says, giving

see you, it gives me

bearer of bad news is annoyingly my thing." He says, "But it came in the job description, so I suppose

worry in my gut. Is it possible

have located him." He says softly and

swallow roughly, my throat dry and my mind

brother. He still hates me, blames me for his life that he claims has been so awful since losing Leandra. Hayes never recovered from that loss, and he never opened up to anyone about it. Not even the men who have been with him side

Thatch clears his throat. "And he

since our last falling out. He used to come back every two weeks to see his niece and nephew and Colette until he went

the pack or here as in the pack house?" I ask him and he clears

"And he asked to speak with you, if you have the

he wasn't nearly as polite as Thatch

run my hands through my hair and then I look at

I eye him suspiciously as

a reassuring smile as she takes a

him waiting. Angry with you or not, he is still your baby brother." She reminds me and I sigh

nostalgic for home. He

alive." I mutter walking over to my

a mocking tone. I give him a warning glance he pretends not to see as I take a

have news for me or you wouldn't be here?" I say, trying to give him

where I can see it best in the light. He gives me a dark smirk, one where his lip ceases

the disrespect, Hayes." I growl at him. "Hate me as a brother all you want, but I am your alpha and I won't have the blatant disrespect you are laying on so thick. You are still a member

shakes his head

sounding sincere. "It has been a while since I have slept or eaten. I am

you got for me?" I ask, trying to be more alpha and less annoyed,

us. Our tracker has found his second chance mate and so we returned home for him to have a life with her here. There is no life outside of this pack for our kind right

has been, I see a look

chair. "We are losing and I have

me the best tracker we have and send us back out. We have not lost

good to hear," I say, and he grows

need a little more time and a better team." He says. "They have been great, but I need someone with tracking and fighting skills. We need warriors that don't

know who he needs. It has been something I have thought about a lot since tracking them down and discovering what they have been doing for the past eight

a new team by the end of the week. I want a list of those you want to keep on your hunting party and I will let the others know." I say, but he narrows his eyes. Hatred or not, he can still read me as

but I

He looks confused.