Fate Stained - Part Two
Chapter 30 - What If?

“The tribrid is…pregnant?”

The shock in my mother’s voice was almost worth it. Sure, it wasn’t the reaction I came here hoping to get, but she’d pissed me off and the look on her face right now almost made up for it.

“Yes. She is pregnant. A baby girl actually, if you must know” I answered smugly.

“Onyx” my father growled, “Did you know of this?”

My sister cleared her throat and sighed, looking up at our parents.

“Yes. I knew”

“Why didn’t you tell us? This is something that we should have known immediately!”

“Queen Onyx doesn’t have to tell you shit” I snapped, my eyes narrowing as they met my father’s, “Or do you need reminding that you no longer rule this Kingdom?”

“Kyanite!” My mother chastised.

“No” Onyx muttered, “He’s right”

I had to hide the smile that threatened to cross my lips as my parent’s eyes widened. Onyx grew a back bone. About fucking time.

“Fine. Queen Onyx” Magnus hissed, “How do you suppose this is going to work? This baby is born, part panther…part tribrid. She becomes the next heir to Panthera, but I’m assuming the next Shifter Queen too. This is something we expect our people to just accept without question?”

“Of course they will. Do you even speak to the people of Panthera? The vast majority support our alliance with the wolves and recognise Quinn as the Queen of all shifters, including them. I think this turn of events is great for Panthera and our future. More fool you if you can’t see it that way too”

“Hm”

Onyx and I both turned to our mother as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked off into the distance as if thinking about something.

“What?” I barked.

“Well— never mind. Obviously if you’re here telling me you’re having a baby, you’ve obviously confirmed that it is, in fact, your baby”

My body language and facial expression didn’t falter. My parent’s didn’t need to know that there was a fifty-fifty chance of the baby either being mine or the Alpha’s. It would only give them more ammunition and something to hold over me.

“Obviously” Onyx answered on my behalf, her voice sounding a little less convincing than what I would have wanted.

But if Astrid or Magnus had picked up on any doubt in their daughter’s tone then they didn’t make it obvious.

“Can we not do this” my mother sighed eventually, “Kyanite. We have suffered the last three years without you. And now you’re back and we’re all arguing. I didn’t want it to be this way. You’re our son and we love you…we missed you”

“Mother. What you have gone through the last three years isn’t suffering. I was the one in Hell. I was the one being tortured on a daily basis by Hades. Let’s not forget that, ok?”

“Ok” she answered, nodding here head.

“Ok”

“Great!” Onyx announced, clapping her hands together, “Now that is behind us, let’s eat. I’m famished. Fern Creek is great and all, but nothing beats Panthera food!”

Quinn POV

The sounds of cicadas and birds filled the air. I loved those sounds, the sounds of summer. We hadn’t had cicadas back in Atlas when I was growing up. They were noisey buggers, but the noise reminded me of Fern Creek. It reminded me of my home and these were the sounds that my daughter would grow up listening to. She would have cicadas, birds, the gentle trickle of the creek.

And what about the sounds of Panthera?

The question threw me for a moment. Did Panthera have cicadas? Did it really matter?

My daughter would grow up loved. She would grow up with a loving mother and father and an extended family that any child would be so lucky to have. Her life would be absolutely amazing and thinking about it excited me. I couldn’t wait to see what she looked like, to see what features she took from me and which she took from her father. I couldn’t wait to help guide her through life and be there for all of those important milestones.

“What are you thinking about sweetheart?”

I looked up as Jayce approached me and sat down alongside me on the bench.

“Just about the baby and what kind of beautiful life she’ll have growing up”

Jayce smiled, placing his hand over my belly - which was slightly bigger than it had been yesterday.

“She’s once lucky girl, having you as a mumma”

Sighing, I leant against Jayce’s shoulder. It seemed like that was the only certain thing at the moment, that I was the baby’s mother. It didn’t matter how much I dreamt of and pictured her future, right now the exact setting she was going to grow up in was anybody’s guess.

“What are you still doing out here? Training finished a while ago. I thought you would have been with Moira and Flynn by now”

I was currently sitting next to the training grounds, where I’d been for the last couple of hours. I’d watched Jayce and Dominic run through drills with some of Fern Creek’s fighters and even though the session had finished, I remained sitting here, my mind wandering off to all kinds of different places as I tried to get my head around all that was happening at the moment.

“Flynn is having some…one on one time with Fern down by the creek. I’ll catch up with him and Moira later. Training seemed to go well though…”

Jayce nodded and leant down, kissing the top of my head.

“It did. We aren’t really doing anything different to what we do every other day. But they train with a new level of intensity, knowing that an enemy is possibly just around the corner”

“I noticed that. Any progression with Vincent?”

“Yes. Actually. That’s what I came to speak to you about. Cameron was able to make contact with him and he has agreed to meet with us”

My eyes widened and I sat up straight, turning to look at Jayce. This was huge. We weren’t sure initially if the heir to Northern Waters would want to hear what we had to say but hearing that he’d agreed to meet with us was huge.

“When?” I asked.

“Today. He is on his way here now. He’s assured Cam that he will only bring one other wolf, a wolf-mage hybrid that will help teleport him to the forest bordering our compound. It was actually Vincent’s idea to keep the communication and meeting secret for now. I think he knows the possible backlash this will create with not only his father but the Point Invictus pack too”

“We will still need to be vigilant”

“Of course. From here on out it’s all about vigilance. Hope for the best—”

“—expect the worst”

“Exactly”

I sighed, leaning back in the seat and resting my hand with Jayce’s on top of my belly.

“I can’t wait until all of this is over”

“Mmm?”

“Yeah. This crap with Darius, the stuff with Fern’s pack and Northern Waters. It makes it hard to enjoy anything with so much uncertainty hanging over our heads”

“I know what you mean” Jayce breathed.

I could tell from his tone that Jayce was referring to more than just the bear tribe and wolf packs that wanted us gone. For him the uncertainty was about so much more than that; and it was for me too…but for him it was different. This baby was either his, or it wasn’t. He was either a father, or he wasn’t. I was going to be the mother either way.

“I’m sorry” I whispered, “I wish things were different”

“I know”

“I love you so much”

“I know. I love you too”

There was so much remaining unsaid between the two of us and I knew that Jayce knew that too. Discussions needed to be had, and serious ones at that. What would happen if the baby was Kyanite’s? Would Jayce want me to leave Fern Creek or would he want me to stay? Would seeing the baby’s face be too hard for him after the loss of Delilah?

And what if the baby was his? Would he want Kyanite to leave the compound and have nothing to do with the child?

How would my relationships with my two mates play out after this baby was born?

To be honest they were questions that, until now, I hadn’t even really asked myself. I’d kept telling myself that now was not the time, that I had to keep my mind clear and my head in the game while all of these threats were around us. But when would be a good time? We’d always have threats looming over us. That was just part of life now. Wether we liked it or not, these conversations needed to be had.

“Jayce…” I sighed.

“Yes?”

“We need to ta—”

Jayce. Quinn. We need you at the gates…now.

I looked to Jayce, his face sharing the same confusion as mine from Cameron’s mind link.

Is it Vincent? Jayce linked back, Is he here already?

There was a short pause before the Beta’s reply came though.

Yes. It’s Vincent…and his Mage.

“The guy wasn’t mucking around” I muttered, “I don’t know if the speedy attendance is a good thing or a bad thing”

Jayce nodded his head before standing and extending his hand down to me. I took it and got to my feet.

“We’ll replace out soon enough”

As we approached the main gates of the compound my eyes scanned the forest that stretched out before us. There was no sign of any life beyond the compound but the distinctive smell of foreign wolf filled the air.

“Where are they?” Jayce asked as we got closer to Cameron and the other wolves that stood guard, some in their human form and others in their wolf form.

The Beta turned around, his eyes full of concern as he looked back at us.

“What’s going on?” I questioned, not liking the expression that passed over his features or the fact that his face was shade lighter than usual.

Jayce’s grip tightened instinctively on my hand and he paused, not wanting to walk me any closer to the gates.

“You’re safe” Cameron assured, looking at me and picking up on his Alpha’s uneasiness, “I wouldn’t have called you here if you weren’t”

“So, where are they?” Jayce asked.

Cameron looked over his shoulder and signalled to one of the other fighters who disappeared for a second before returning with a large woven basket. The fighter passed the basket to Cameron and he walked in our direction.

I sniffed the air, the smell of wolf becoming stronger as the Beta closed the distance between us. The smell was blended with something else though and it wasn’t until Cameron was only a couple of feet away that I realised what it was.

“Is that blood?” I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

“Yes” Jayce answered, his voice strained as he stared at the weighty basket in Cam’s arms.

I stared at the wicker too, the slight tinge of red oozing between the otherwise familiar weave. I’d seen baskets like this before, but right now I couldn’t pinpoint where.

“We could smell Vincent and his Mage hybrid the second they teleported into the forest. But when too much time passed and they still hadn’t made their way to the gates, I sent out a couple of wolves to locate them…and this is what they came back with”

Cameron placed the basket at out feet and took a step back. I noted the way he turned his body slightly to the side and averted his gaze, as if he didn’t want to see what was inside the wicker once Jayce lifted the lid. My stomach turned and I knew immediately what was contained in there. The blood, the smell, they lack of two Northern Waters wolves standing in front of us right now…

Jayce let go of my hand and sighed, kneeling down at the basket and placing his hand on the lid. I watched the Alpha pause for a moment as he gathered himself. Then, after taking a deep breath and straightening his shoulders, he lifted the lid and even though I knew what I was going to see, I still couldn’t hold back the pained gasp that tore from between my lips.

Inside the basket were two severed heads. Two male wolves, their dead eyes staring blankly at me from inside the blood stained wicker.

“I’d like to introduce you to Vincent, heir of the Northern Waters pack and his friend, a wolf-mage hybrid” Cameron muttered.

Fuck.