The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King Chapter 173

ARIA

"I have thought about names," I said.

"That's good. Did you find any?"

"Yeah, I thought about calling one of them Bree after my mom."

"I like that, and I had thought about that too." His voice was thick with emotion.

"And then I thought about calling the other one Natalie, after your mother," I continued, watching his reaction. I wanted to honor both our pasts, both our families.

Jace's eyes grew damp, his smile soft. Phantom purred contentedly in our mind link. Tough Alpha King getting emotional—these moments made me love him even more.

"Thank you, baby, I love that," he whispered.

"Good, because we needed to find names," I replied.

"I know."

My grip suddenly tightened on his hand as a warm gush ran down my legs. Oh shit. "No I mean, we really needed to find names, because my water just broke."

Jace's eyes flashed with panic, Phantom instantly alert. I almost wanted to laugh—no matter how powerful an Alpha was, the thought of his mate giving birth always triggered alarm. Honestly, men. Give them a vampire army and they're fine. Childbirth? Total panic.

"We have to go to the healing center," Jace said, voice tight.

He helped me stand, then swept me into his arms.

"I can walk," I protested. "Seriously, put me down."

"Not fast enough, little one," Jace countered.

He hurried through the forest, cradling me against his chest. I felt his tension, the way his heart raced. By the time we reached the healing center, I felt the first contraction ripple through me. Dammit, that hurt. Way worse than I remembered with Atlas.

Jace burst through doors, barking orders. "Get Dr. Maya! My Queen's water broke."

I bit back a smile despite discomfort. The mighty king, fearsome in battle, reduced to anxious commands at childbirth. If the vampire king could see him now...

Dr. Maya rushed in, her calm demeanor contrasting Jace's tension. She checked me quickly, smiling when confirming my water had indeed broken.

"My King and My Queen," she said, "let's prepare to welcome new Moon Children into this world."

ARIA

ARIA

 

Ten Years Later

 

I was chopping venison for dinner, completely zoned out in my own little world, when Atlas's voice practically shook the walls.

 

"Mom! MOM! Where are you?"

 

*God, this kid has lungs like his father. Why can't anyone in this house use inside voices?*

 

I didn't answer, just kept slicing. No way I was gonna reward the shouting. We had rules in this house, dammit, even if I was the only one who remembered them half the time.

 

Thundering footsteps pounded down the stairs before my twelve-year-old son burst into the kitchen, dark hair flopping across his forehead in that messy way that made him look exactly like Jace. It was actually freaky how much he resembled his father.

 

"Mom! You didn't hear me calling you?" Atlas asked, blue eyes wide with that classic pre-teen exasperation that made me want to laugh and smack him at the same time.

 

I put down my knife and turned to face him. "Heard every single syllable, buddy. Pretty sure the entire pack heard you too. I didn't answer because I refuse to scream through the house like we're living in a train station. You know what we say about that."

 

Atlas's shoulders slumped dramatically. "I know. Use mind link or come find the person. Sorry."

 

*Goddess help me with this child.* That face though - it's mini-Jace through and through, right down to the way his jaw tightened when trying not to argue further. Sometimes it feels like I have two of them.

 

"What's so freaking urgent?" I asked, wiping my hands on a cloth.

 

"Bree and Natalie won't leave me alone!" He threw his hands up with total teenage drama. "I was practicing those defense moves Dad showed me, and they kept jumping out trying to tackle me. I can't focus with them giggling and attacking every five seconds! It's driving me insane!"

 

*The twins. Of course.* At ten years old, they were absolute terrors when they set their minds on something. My little forces of nature.

 

"They adore you, Atlas. That's all it is," I said, trying not to smile. "You're their big brother and they think you hung the moon."

 

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, snatching an apple from the fruit bowl. "But it's not exactly fun when I'm trying to train. Dad says I'm joining junior warrior camp tomorrow and I don't wanna suck in front of everyone."

 

My heart did that weird squeezy thing it always does when I realize how fast time's flying by.

 

"I'll talk to them," I promised. "They need to understand training time is serious business."

 

"Thanks, Mom." He bit into the apple with a crunch that echoed through the kitchen.

 

"Just remember—no plans tomorrow afternoon, okay?"

 

A shadow crossed his face. "I won't, Mom. I promise."

 

*Tomorrow.* My stomach twisted. Eleven years since the vampire attack that took Atlas' sister Eleanor. Each year, our family visited her grave, bringing white wildflowers. The kids grew up knowing about their sister, understanding why we'd named one of the twins after her. Some traditions are sacred, even painful ones.

 

Sage stirred within me, sending a warm pulse through our bond. *Still so protective after all these years, especially when my thoughts get dark. What would I do without my wolf?*

 

After talking with Atlas, Jace and I corralled the twins to the dining table for a chat. I tried keeping my face serious even though they looked adorable with their matching guilty expressions.

 

"Girls," Jace's voice carried that natural Alpha command that still gave me shivers sometimes. "You cannot interrupt your brother when he's training."

 

Bree and Natalie did that lightning-quick glance they always shared before trouble started. *Oh crap, here comes the twin manipulation.*