*****Edited by krisgee*****

 2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 20 (Steven)

            I could sense the room brighten through my closed eyelids as the sun started to come up.  I smiled recalling the memories of last night.  Mine, I thought to myself.  She is invariably all mine.  I heard her breathing change and knew the moment that she was awakening.

            “Good morning, Princess,” I called out from behind and gave her a little extra squeeze.

            “Good morning,” she responded and pulled my hand to her mouth placing a kiss on my knuckles. That one little kiss sent shudders trembling through my body.  We sat there in companionable silence for several minutes when she suddenly sat up taking the sheet with her covering her breasts.

            “Oh shit,” she mumbled and I looked at her questioningly.

            “What’s wrong?” I asked pulling up on my elbows so that I could see her better.  I was now concerned by the worried look etched on her face.

            “I’m going to go into heat,” she said with a tone of panic inflected in her voice.  “I’m going to go in heat and my father and my brother and every other wolf in the vicinity is going to know.”

            “Oh shit,” I said, mocking her words and slumping back against the pillow.  “I’m so freaking dead.”

            “You?” she shouted at me.  “You’re not the one that is going to crave that thing twenty four hours for seven days a week,” and waved her hand wildly at my groin area.  I couldn’t help but to laugh as her face blushed ruby red.

            “You seemed to enjoy my thing pretty well last night,” I replied teasingly.  She slapped at my arm while a small pout grew on her face.

            “You know what I mean,” she murmured.  “I am sentenced to a week of being able to think of nothing but sex, unless you get me pregnant and I’m telling you now that we are not getting pregnant any time soon buddy so you better invest in an economy size box of condoms.”

            Pulling her back in my arms I found my mark and gave it a tentative lick.  Her body shivered in my arms and I sighed in satisfaction.

            “I fail to see the issue here and you still have twenty four hours, give or take an hour, before the heat even starts,” I said offhandedly.  I heard her dainty snort and it was one of the sexiest snorts I had ever heard. 

            “You wouldn’t, you’re a guy,” she replied.  I took her hand and placed it at my enlarged groin area.

            “Yep, last time I checked I was most definitely a guy.”  Her heady laughter rang out in the room as she turned and face me.

            “You are incorrigible,” she said wrapping her arms around my neck.  I leaned in to her and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

            “Mine” I whispered.  She kissed me back so sweetly.

            “Yours,” she whispered back.

            We laid there tangled in each others arms for about another hour.  I hated what we were going to have to face today, but the fact was it needed to be done.  We needed a lot of answers and the only way to do that was to bring everyone together.

            “Princess, why don’t you take a shower?  I want to go and talk to my Mama a bit before we have to head back to your house."

            Getting off the bed she smiled mischievously at me as she stalked slowly towards to me.  I didn’t miss the extra sway she inflected in her walk and lifted my lips in response.

            “You are such a minx,” I growled at her when she was standing right in front of me.  She stood on her toes and gave me a kiss on the cheek. 

            “And you’re my Mr. Hunky Chocolate Brown Eyes.”

            I licked my lips as she turned and headed towards the bathroom.  She threw me a sly smile over her shoulder. 

            “What are you up to?” I spoke softly.

            Just as she stopped at the bathroom door she glanced at me one more time and I could only groan.  She was doing that damn booty dance that Tabby, Liza and she demonstrated that hot afternoon a couple of weeks ago.

            “You're asking for it,” I warned her with a voice that came out more guttural than anything.  I was instantly rewarded with the sweet sounds of her laughter just before she ran in the bathroom and slammed the door.

            Shaking my head I pulled on a pair of gym shorts and readied myself to talk with my Mama.  I have one of the ladies that mean the most to me right where I want her, now I had to convince the other one that her plan to surrender herself was just plain stupidity.  Glancing back at the closed bathroom door, I smiled once again at the thought of Amy being officially mine.  Turning towards my door I walked out of my room and followed the savory smells of eggs and bacon to the kitchen.

            “Mama,” I called out once I reached the bottom of the stairs.

            “In here,” she answered back.  Making my way to the kitchen I stopped at the door when I saw the spread that she had prepared.

            “Is all of this necessary?” I asked her while inclining my head towards the massive amount of food on the table.  A nervous laughter escaped her lips and she looked up at me.  Dark circles rimmed her eyes and they glistened with unshed tears.

            “Mama, what’s wrong?” I asked while stepping in closer to her.

            “I- I cook when I can’t sleep,” she spoke quietly.  I noticed the way she wrung her fingers together and tried to avoid my gaze.

            “Mama, it’s more than that.  Talk to me, please,” I pleaded with her.

            The first tear that ran down her cheek was my undoing.  I closed in the distance and pulled her into my arms.  She sobbed uncontrollably for several minutes and all I could do was hold her against my chest. 

            She has most definitely had the shittiest end of the stick when it comes to this game we call life.  Her mate cheated on her with the Alpha’s mate therefore sentencing her and her children to death.  She has done the best she could to raise two unruly boys without a father figure to help guide them.  She has never had anyone that she could turn to in her own time of need.  My heart broke at the thought of the life that she has been forced to lead.  There was no way in hell that I was going to let her pay for our father’s mistakes any more.  We were going to figure this out, even if it meant that I would have to kill every member of that damn pack.

            “Shhh, Mama.  It will be okay,” I told her while lightly patting her back.  For several minutes she let me comfort her before abruptly pulling out of my arms.  Wiping her eyes and straightening her skirt she collected herself admirably.

            “You're right, everything is going to be just fine Stevie.  I will leave at the end of the week and-”  I placed my hands over her mouth letting her know that I didn’t want to hear another word of the nonsense that she was sprouting.

            “Hush now Mama,” I said to her, giving her a stern look.  She started to protest and I shook my head warning her that I didn’t want to hear another word.

            When I was sure that she would stay quiet I continued, “We will figure out something when you go and talk with Alpha Martin today.  The answer is not giving them what they want.  If you go who's to say that they still wouldn’t come after my mate or Bobby’s mate later when it serves their purpose.  It’s time for this to end and it is going to end now,” I spoke surely and confidently.  Mama cocked her head to the side while watching me.

            “Who are you and what did you do with my baby boy?” she said.  A hearty laugh escaped my lips.

            “Mama, I’m not so little anymore,” I replied.

            “That’s obvious,” she said while still watching me carefully.  “Something is different about you,” she said quietly while placing her finger on her chin.  Great, she is pretty intuitive this morning considering her lack of sleep.

            On cue, I heard the soft footsteps of my mate as she came down the stairs.  Her smell hit me and I lit up like a Christmas tree.  I loved her smell of vanilla as the scent floated towards me.  She paused at the door and her eyes first locked with mine.  I glowed with pride when I saw that she was wearing one of my tee shirts and a pair of my jogging pants rolled up at the bottom.

            “I’m sorry, am I interrupting?” she spoke softly while looking around, a bit unsure of herself.

            “You’re not interrupting, Princess,” I assured her and opened my arms for her to come to me.  Without hesitation she strode forward and wrapped herself around me.  I heard someone clear their throat and I looked up at my mother.  Her look was one of pure speculation.

            “I think I now know what is so different about you now,” she said trying to withhold her smile.  I didn’t say a word to confirm or deny her accusation.  Amy kept her head buried in the crook of my neck refusing to look at my mom.   After several minutes of silence Mama wagged her finger at me.

 “I hope you two know what your are doing,” she cautioned.  “Personally, I’m ecstatic and wish you two the best.  It’s her family that I’m worried about.”  Surprising me Amy pulled out of my embrace and looked at my mother.

            “With all due respect Ms. Harper, I will handle my parents and my brother.  This was my decision.”  She paused and looked up at me with that adorable face of hers.  “This was our decision and they will just have to live with it,” she affirmed.

            I couldn’t have been more pleased with my mate than I was at that moment.  She stood up for us and defended our decision.  She was a strong femme wolf and she was the one that carried my heart.

            “You are a true female of honor,” my mother complimented Amy.  “I knew from the moment that we first met that you would be a great mate for my son and from your actions of last night and this morning you have proven it well, daughter.”

            A smile curled on her lips as she embraced my mother.  To see the two women of my life accept one another the way that they had had my wolf howling in happiness. 

            Going through my mental lists of the day, Mama was taken care of, and no bruises to show for it. 

            It was Amy’s family that I was worried about.  I will be damn lucky if I escape with my hide still intact once they find out that I fully claimed Amy.   I looked over at my mate and sighed in contentment.  Damn the consequences, she is mine and that is the one thing that they cannot take from me.