Stolen Birthright Ch. 33-37

He stayed as far away as possible as I cleaned Mitchell up, just handing me wipes and a clean diaper when I was done. "I never expected THAT," he said.

"Well, mate, you were right. You said it doesn't change them a few minutes ago, but I guarantee YOU will change them." He looked panicked. "I'm going back to bed to feed him, you get to do Darryl."

His face was complete panic as he looked over at the other baby, who was starting to cry now that his litter mate was not with him. He looked at me for help, and I just looked at him with a raised eyebrow as I brought Mitchell to my left breast. He latched on after a few moments; I gritted my teeth at first, but once he got going he brought relief to my full breast. I'd gained about three cup sizes, I figured.

I watched with amusement as he picked Darryl up and changed him. I think he would have preferred to do it wearing a Tyvek suit and a SCUBA mask, but a few minutes later he was clean and dry and in my right arm, going to town on my right breast. "See? Not so bad."

Craig sank into the chair by my side. "Not bad? I think we should use that smell to torture prisoners." He watched the boys nurse and smiled. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are, Ella?"

"Not enough. Now, I need you to get Mark, Tom and Shelley and ask them to come in here. We all need to talk." He nodded and left while I kept feeding them. It was only a minute later when Remi and Renee knocked and I told them to come in.

"Just in time, Mitchell needs to be burped." Remi came over and took him from my arms. She looked at his face, her own face was lit up with happiness.

"Would it be all right if Renee did it?"

"Of course!" Renee sat on the chair as her Mom guided her through it. First the blanket over her shoulder, then positioning him there and how to pat his back until she got a good burp out of him. Once he was settled back into her arms, happily making faces with her, Darryl was done and Remi sat with him.

The door opened and Craig came in with Tom and Shelley following him. Mark went to get more chairs, and asked me if I was all right with Olivia coming too. I agreed, this was something that we all needed to talk about. Remi sensed something was wrong and asked if they should leave, but I told them to stay; she was like a mom to me, and Renee a little sister. "Open the bond with Doug as well, please."

Everyone looked at me as I sat up in the bed. "Doc gave me some news a few minutes ago. The blood tests are conclusive. I'm so sorry, Mark... you are not the father." Mark's face fell, he was shocked. I heard Shelley gasp in surprise and start to cry, soon she was leaning on Tom who was trying to keep from crying himself.

Mark leaned over with his face in his hands as Olivia rubbed his back. I could hear him crying. I hated this.

"Tom, Shelley, you both have been so good to me through this pregnancy and everything that has happened. He isn't related to you biologically, but I do want you in their lives. They need a Grandpa to take them fishing, and a Grandma to make them cookies." They smiled underneath their tears. "However you want to do it, I want you with us. You can be their godparents, or we can just have them grow up calling you Grandma and Grandpa." Craig held my hand as I waited for them to react.

Shelley jumped up out of her chair and hugged me tight, her tears still falling. "We would be honored to stand in as their grandparents, Ella." Tom sat on the other side of me and we all hugged. I gave it a moment, then held my hand out for Mark.

He came over and sat next to his father. "Mark, you've been the most loyal and loving person through all this. I really wish they were yours, but just like your parents, I want you involved in their lives. You talked to Craig about this, right?"

He nodded. "I'm going to be the fun Uncle then, the one that sneaks them candy when I visit."

I started to bawl as we hugged each other. "You'll be the best, Mark." I hugged him until I could feel Craig starting to get uncomfortable, and Olivia wasn't that thrilled either. I asked Tom and Shelley to hold the boys for a bit, and then I pulled Remi onto the bed with me. "You've been the Mom I needed, Remi, and I want you to be their grandmother as well. They need grandparents with a wolf side as they grow up."

She hugged me tight and started to cry. "Of course they do. Doug and I already consider them our grandsons." She sat back up. "Do you want to do the Pack introduction at dinner tonight?"

"Yes, please let everyone know." It took a while, but eventually the babies were sleeping again and Craig and I were alone. A tray of food had been brought in along the way, and they all kept reminding me how I needed to keep my strength up. Twins were plenty, but werewolf twins grew faster and took even more out of you. "Will you do it tonight? I mean, if you still want to."

He kissed me gently. "Of course I will." He snuggled in next to me and we took a nap, banking sleep was going to be so important.

Remi came back in just before dinner with a few things for me, and Craig left to get dressed. She helped me into a beautiful white lace dress with gold accents. "This is the same dress I wore when we introduced my children to the Pack."

I twirled around, looking in the mirror. The dress hid my stomach, which still wasn't flat, and had room up top. I hugged her before she opened another box. "Now, I never had twins so I didn't have any, but my Gamma pair has. They wanted you to use these."

I opened the box, inside were two outfits, made of soft cotton and silk with a howling wolf embroidered on the breast. "They are perfect," I said. Dinner was almost upon us, so we got the boys fed and changed and then we each took one and walked across to the Pack house.

The whole Pack was gathered in the dining room for this important event. Doug joined with Remi, who passed Mitchell on to Craig as they went in front of us. Tom, Shelley, Mark and Olivia lined up behind us. As soon as the doors opened and the Alphas emerged, the Pack went silent and heads bowed in respect.

We walked to stand in front of the head table and then Doug started to speak. "Today is a day for celebration. Our niece and Alpha, Ella Grey Anderson, has given birth to twin boys and they and their mother are healthy and strong!" The assembled wolves howled and clapped until he raised his hand again. "Alpha Craig, mate to Ella, the floor is yours."

Craig stepped forward a little with me as I held one baby in each arm. "Most of you know the past events that led to this day. I will just say, as much as I hate what my mate went through, I love how it ended up." There was clapping and he continued. "My mate, my choice, my babies. They are of my blood, of my line, they are my heirs."

He reached into his pocket and took out a jeweled ceremonial dagger. Taking it to his palm, he sliced deep enough for it to bleed. I held Mitchell's hand out; using the sharp tip, he poked his forearm until a drop of blood appeared. "Child of my blood." He covered the blood on his arm with his bloody hand; I could feel a zing of energy as their wolves bonded together. I handed him to Remi, who wiped the blood off and held the towel on it so it would stop bleeding.

I held out Darryl's arm, and he poked him with the knife, causing him to cry. "Child of my blood." He placed his hand over the wound, and the zing came again. I handed him to Doug as he took a handkerchief out of his pocket, wiping the blood off the dagger and his hand before returning it to the sheath.

"All of you are witness to the adoption of Mitchell Douglas and Darryl Thomas as my sons and heirs." The hall burst into applause as we hugged, then hugged the Alphas, Mark and Olivia.

I had the boys handed over to Tom and Shelley, moving them forward along with the Alphas. "I wish my parents were here to see this today, but I know they are in Luna's embrace looking down on us with pride and happiness," I said. "There are four people here who are so close, so important to me, and by choice they are standing in to be the grandparents of our sons. Alpha Doug and Luna Remi, and Tom and Shelley Harris. I love you so much." The hall gave them a rousing ovation as we hugged; finally, we filed around the tables and sat down. A bassinet had been placed behind me for when the babies slept, but right now they were being passed up and down the table as we all ate.

Tears of joy went down my face as I looked around. Truly, I had not been this happy since this all started. Craig kissed me tenderly and we shared a dessert. My mate, my babies, my family and two Packs.

Nothing could ruin this feeling.

Ch 35

My back and head slammed into the floor, causing stars to float across my eyes. He kept his hands gripped tightly around my neck, cutting off my air supply as my fingers tried in vain to pull them off. I focused on my legs, feeling my left one free I swung it up in the air and wrapped it around his head. I arched my back up into him, bringing my left leg up under his throat and catching it with my left foot. Squeezing my legs together while driving my legs out and away from me, I pulled his head down to the ground.

I kept the leg scissor going after it pulled his hands clear, but my hands grabbed his wrist and pulled it into an arm bar. Pushing it up, I created a lever using me left knee on top of his shoulder. I pushed up harder, making him scream as his shoulder started to move out of the socket. He tapped my shoulder and I let him go; he jumped to his feet and offered me a hand up. "Good job, Ella. Your ground game is improving, but next time move your feet back and drop your hips down so you can stay on your feet."

I rolled my shoulders, catching the towel Olivia tossed me as the rest of the class applauded my effort. I hated going against Jacob, he could put me down any time he wanted. He didn't even use his werewolf speed or strength against me. Hell, he didn't even break a sweat.

"Take a ten minute break, Olivia is up next."

"Good, let her ass get beat." I smiled at Melanie as Jacob gave her a lusty look. She ran forward and jumped into his arms, kissing him deeply.

"Oh god, my eyes, someone save me from this!" I looked over at Natalie, she was covering her eyes, her bright pink Hello Kitty shirt covering her grey shorts. Natalie was too young to spar, but there was nothing wrong with a five-year-old werewolf learning basic self-defense skills. She was having fun so she came to all the classes. Nadine grabbed her from behind and started tickling her as she carried her upstairs to the kitchen for a snack.

I tossed the towel aside and followed the group upstairs, laughing at how much some of us had changed over this summer. When we returned home from the Johnson pack after my babies were born, I knew I had to get back into shape. Craig was concerned because there were still threats from werewolves and I was at a disadvantage in any fight. The Alpha in me hated being seen as being weak, so I decided I would combine self-defense classes with daily workouts to lose the baby weight. It worked great, my stomach was flat again and I felt great.

Craig fully supported the idea, but we were at a loss as to what to do. None of them had experience in teaching humans, and as wolves most training tended to focus on that form. Craig also recognized that with the Greens returning home soon, except Michael, Linda, Luke and Katie, we wouldn't have an experienced werewolf to lead training. We were a small, young pack.

I reached out to my allied Packs, asking for a recommendation for a Pack Warrior with experience training humans and wolves who could come out and train us for three months. Alpha Charles Jennings of the Vermillion Pack responded with the perfect candidate for the job, Jacob Weinberg.

Jacob was in his mid-thirties and was born as a human in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. He made Aliyah to Israel after high school, where he learned Hebrew and enlisted in the Israeli Army. He qualified for their Airborne units, and later worked in Special Forces. His career was cut short by a back injury when a gust of wind blew him into a cliff wall. He had not found a wife yet, so he decided to return home to Minnesota.

He was on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters wilderness with a buddy from high school when a rogue wolf attacked them in their tent. Jacob managed to fight off and kill the wolf, but his friend's injuries were too severe and they were too far from help. A tracker from the Vermillion Pack came upon him, bloodied and severely injured, and called for help from his Pack.

Jacob's next memory was waking up in a remote cabin in the wilderness. Alpha Jennings helped him through the change, and he grew to love the Pack and the area and settled down there. He was one of their top Warriors and their best trainer now. His military experience made him deadly in human form, and he quickly adapted the tactics to wolf form. His body had healed with the first shift; he was not a muscle-bound guy, but he was very strong. He had that aura about him, the one that said "if you fuck with me you'll lose."

Alpha Jennings told me he was afraid to lose him because he was getting restless without a mate, and was considering going on a solo trip to find her. He asked if I would agree to take him along as security when I traveled, knowing how many contacts I had in other Packs. I readily agreed, but it wasn't needed. As soon as he walked into my house, his wolf came forward as he smelled her. "MATE!," he yelled, then he took off. Racing past Craig and I, he ran down the hallway to her room and burst through the door, intent on claiming and mating her immediately.

I giggled as I thought back to what actually happened. Melanie was paranoid after what she had gone through, that was one of the reasons she wanted to live with people she knew. She carried pepper spray on her pocket at all times, and kept a Taser in her purse along with a baby Glock. When the door burst open and a strange man was there, gazing at her like his next meal, she didn't stop to recognize it was her mate.

She grabbed it from her bedside table and tazed his ass.

We ran up on the scene, him twitching in the hall, and her hiding behind her bed with the Glock 9mm pointed at the door. "Melanie, it's Ella. You're safe, he wasn't a threat to you." I motioned to Craig, he crawled forward and grabbed Jacob's wrist, pulling him back down the hallway and out of sight. I slowly moved into sight, watching her as she lowered the pistol and broke down crying.

I moved to her side and took her in my arms as she broke down. When the adrenaline dump was over, she had questions. I didn't want to say too much, just that our new instructor had arrived and recognized her as his mate. "He won't hurt you, Melanie. He's a good man, well respected in his Pack."

She shook her head at me as we sat on her bed. "I can smell his lust in the air."

"That's not a bad thing with your mate," I said. She giggled, the whole house had been smelling a lot of that as Craig and I were young and active. "Come on, let's go out to the living room. I'll stay with you as long as you want, and Craig will make sure he doesn't do anything to make you uncomfortable."

She clung to my arm as we walked into the room and sat down on the couch. Craig had taken Jacob outside. Once he was recovered from the shock, he sat him down and explained some of her background to him. When he came back in, his wolf was restrained. He looked at her like she was his life, and it didn't take long for her to start feeling the bond either. By the next morning, she was marked and two weeks later they were mated. They were a very happy couple now, and he was helping her come out of her shell.

Olivia went to the fridge and tossed me a bottle of water as she grabbed some for the others. "Ella, I'd like to talk to you and Craig for a few minutes after practice if you have time."

"I think we will have time before dinner, what is it about?"

"I'd rather not say now." I nodded and we moved back downstairs. Jacob was demonstrating techniques for breaking holds while on the ground, and I was glad Olivia was now his punching dummy instead of me. I loved learning Krav Maga; the martial art form was not pretty or spiritual, and it didn't do tournaments or belts. It was all about finding the best ways to fight your way out of real world situations. All but the on-duty security wolves were taking the training now, so the basement room with the padded floors and walls was full. Jacob had Olivia on the floor, stomach down, and had her in a headlock. She was trying everything she could to get out, with no success.

Jacob swapped places with her and demonstrated three techniques, then we split into pairs to practice. I was paired with Olivia since we were similar size, but I was at a big disadvantage in speed and strength. By the time Marge called me to say the twins were awake and hungry, I was a sweaty mess. I left the room ten minutes early, took a quick shower then sat in only shorts in the recliner in our bedroom as the boys were brought to me.

Both boys had grown a lot in the first eight weeks of their lives, and every ounce felt like it had been sucked through my breasts. I'd had some issues with cracked nipples earlier, but at least things were better now. The milk was flowing, and with how much they ate, if I waited too long between feedings my boobs got huge and painful. It was funny at first with Craig; he loved the "boobie fairie" coming, then got mad because they were so painful and sensitive I wouldn't let him play with them. Luckily, all fields were now open for play.

Craig walked in, kissing me before taking a shower and changing into shorts and a Tottenham Hotspur jersey. He looked hot, and he smirked a little when he caught me looking at his shirt. He liked to needle me since he knew what I thought about soccer. Since he played it throughout high school and watched games every weekend, I couldn't avoid it. The sad part was I was starting to like it.

There was a knock on the door as I was handing Darryl off to be burped, and Olivia walked in. She had also changed, this time into a Dickinson State T-shirt. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all," I said. "Here, take Mitchell and burp him while I get a shirt on." I pulled on a shirt and snuggled in on the couch with my babies and my mate as she sat across from me in the chair. "So what did you want to talk about?"

She was nervous, she had her hands on her knees and was looking down. "You know that Mark and I are having some difficulties moving forward, right?"

"I know he hasn't marked you, and he's still living with his parents," Craig said. "We were trying to stay out of it so you can work things out."

"That's part of the problem, actually." She looked up at me. "He is still struggling with my involvement in what happened to you, Ella."

"I forgave you, I even told him that he needed to let it go!" I shook my head, I thought we were past that.

"You did, but... you haven't asked me to become part of your Pack. He sees that as evidence that you still hold a grudge."

I should smack him behind the ears, I thought. "We didn't know if you wanted to join us, Olivia. Sooner or later your father would get what is coming to him, and we thought you would return to St. Cloud then."

"I don't want to go back," she said as tears leaked out. "Mark wants to continue going to school here, he doesn't want to move away from his parents and the rest of his family. I don't want to leave my brother, either. Please? Can I join?"

"Of course, sis. Come here." He pulled her to us and went through the process of adding her to our Pack. I couldn't feel it, but I could see it in their faces when it snapped into place. She smiled as the other members sent their congratulations over the newly established link. "We'll have a celebration on Friday night, the weather looks great for a pool party if you're up to it. It's Labor Day weekend, so it's the last hurrah of summer. We can also say it's for the Green's going away. I'm sure the boys would love to tear up ground with their ATV's and dirt bikes one last time before they are loaded on the trailer."