Maya was confident that the world stopped spinning, and everything stilled, including Talia who was standing right in front of her.
"What did you say?" Maya asked in a whisper.
Talia smiled. "Triplets, Maya." She knew about Maya's worries, so she assured her. "I am positive."
"Woah, Caden is a stud! He can nail them three-in-one." Mindy exclaimed.
"My cousin had four pups at the time," Trisha said. "It's a lot of work."
"Who cares if it's one or four? When it gets hard, she can ask us for help," Dawn said while rubbing her perfectly flat stomach. There was a pup inside there, and she couldn't wait for her stomach to start showing.
"Well, congratulations!" Zina exclaimed, and all females gathered around Maya to chatter excitedly while Maya was technically unresponsive.
The door flew open, and Caden stood there.
Caden was rushing to dress up in dark gray pants and a white shirt when he felt Maya's unstable mood.
Maya's last heat came unexpectedly, and it was an emotional experience for both of them as they wondered if this was the Moon Goddess giving them another chance or if she was punishing them by giving hope when there was none.
Caden wouldn't think less of Maya if she couldn't give him a pup, but he knew that it was important to her. Maya and Caden went to get checked after their second heat with no pup, and Doctor Travis said there was nothing physically wrong with either of them, but Caden knew that in this situation, usually, everyone would point fingers at the female.
Caden didn't want anyone to think bad of Maya, was she bullied?
Caden was unsure what to expect when he got here, but why were all these women ganging up on his mate?
"Maya! Are you alright?" Caden exclaimed while pushing Zina and Daria so he could pass between them and by the time Maya got into his sight, he saw her sobbing and full-blown ugly crying.
"Stay away from her!" Caden shouted angrily, and he wrapped his arms around Maya to pull her away from others.
He had no idea what was going on, but it couldn't be good. Did they harass his mate? And why was everyone just standing there and not saying anything?
Even Talia was looking at them with a smile on her face, and she was supposed to be the compassionate one!
Caden cupped Maya's cheeks and wiped her tears with his palms. "Shh… it will be alright, love… let me take you out of here."
"Pups…" Maya said through sobs.
Caden was not sure if he heard her right. "What?"
Maya sniffled. "Pups, Caden. Three of them."
Caden's eyes widened to the point of hurting, and then his mouth stretched into the biggest grin ever. "Are you sure?"
"She is sure," Talia responded. "Congratulations."
Caden felt like shouting, crying, and jumping for joy at the same time. He embraced Maya tightly and buried his face into her hair. He whispered something for Maya to hear, and she nodded while fisting his shirt.
"You are not… supposed to… go… there..." Mario's strained voice was heard from the hallway, and soon after, they could see Damon standing at the door with Mario hugging Damon's thigh.
Mario looked at Tatiana pitifully. "I'm sorry, T. I told him not to come and that it's bad luck, but I couldn't stop him."
Tatiana stood in front of Talia to block Damon's view. "Didn't you hear Mario? It's bad luck to see the bride in her wedding gown."
Damon sneered. "If there is any bad luck, I will punch it in the face. As for this insect…" Damon looked down at Mario, and he twisted his body unexpectedly with such force that Mario shrieked as he flew down the hallway.
"He is human!" Tatiana angry whispered.
Damon straightened the lapels of his black suit jacket. "I told him more than once not to touch me." Mario was giving Damon heebie-jeebies.
Tatiana was torn. Should she keep blocking Damon's view? Or go to check on Mario? What if he died from the impact?
Talia peeked from behind Tatiana, and Damon's eyes lit up. That was his kitten right there!
Talia stepped to her right, but Tatiana followed at the same time, and Damon frowned in disapproval.
"Tell your mate not to stand in my way, or I won't be responsible for the consequences," Damon said.
Tatiana frowned. "With whom are you…?" Her voice trailed when she saw Maddox at the door.
"Come, love," Maddox coaxed Tatiana away from Talia.
God knows what Damon would do if Tatiana kept standing between the lovebirds. They all heard about Gregory's test and how Damon killed a female without hesitation.
Sure, Tatiana was an Alpha female, and she wouldn't snap easily like a dry twig, but Maddox didn't want to clash with Damon.
Damon had an advantage before, and Maddox could take him down with little luck. However, since Damon turned into a black Alpha despot, Maddox knew he would set himself up for suffering. The only one who could control Damon was Talia, and unfortunately, she had developed a mischievous side lately.
"Damon hurt Mario," Tatiana said to Maddox.
"He will be fine." Probably. How Maddox saw this, hurting Mario wouldn't be a bad thing. Mario was too touchy-feely for his own good.
A brilliant idea formed in Maddox's mind! He can go out with the pretense of checking on the pesky assistant and kick him while unconscious. A fragile human could die easily, and they would blame Damon for injuries...
Tatiana narrowed her eyes at Maddox. "Why are YOU here? Weren't you supposed to keep an eye on Damon?"
"I am keeping my eyes on him. That's why I'm here."
Tatiana gaped at Maddox. "Your job was to keep him away from here, not join him."
Maddox pouted. "Why are you talking like I'm the only one?"
Tatiana had a bad feeling about this. Did this mean there were more males on their way?
She couldn't believe her eyes when James appeared at the door, and he went straight for Cornelia. And then there were Cristian, Tony, Kai, George, Axel, Owen… and Tatiana gave up.
James sat on the sofa next to Cornelia, and he kissed her belly twice, and then he went for her lips. Cornelia giggled while lacing her perfectly manicured fingers in James' blonde hair, and they were making out like no one was watching.
Mindy met Gideon halfway, and she twirled on her toes to give him a good view of herself from every angle. Gideon hummed in approval. His pumpkin-infused princess was beautiful.
Mindy eyed her handsome mate, who was sharp in a well-fitted dark gray suit. And he smelled of lavender. Intoxicating.
"Are we dancing tonight?" Mindy asked coyly.
Gideon smirked. "I've got my dancing shoes on, princess."
Mindy leaned to give him a smacking kiss on the lips. Before she could pull back from the kiss, Gideon's hand was at the back of her neck, and he held her in place while deepening the kiss.
Maddox turned his back to Mindy and Gideon. Yes, they were mated for a while and expecting a pup, but seeing his baby sister with someone else's tongue down her throat was unpleasant.
"I thought you guys were supposed to head to the venue first, and ladies would join you later," Yasmin said to Axel.
"Isn't it better if we all go together?" Axel responded with a question while appreciating Yasmin's look in her black and white sparkly dress. She was enchanting.
"Are kids alright?" Yasmin asked.
Axel hummed in confirmation. "Grandparents are entertaining them." Sophia and Isaac were at the venue already. They were watching over Edgar and Valeria in the family-friendly area that was enclosed and covered with soft surfaces so that little ones won't hurt themselves.
Evanora and Edgar were set to watch over the kids later.
Two sets of grandparents were not close, but they kept their interaction to non-hostile on matters that included their grandkids, and other than that, they didn't try to fake pleasantries.
Talia asked Evanora if she wanted to be part of the bridal party, but Evanora refused. Evanora wanted to be a guest so she could relax with her soulmate and observe this human celebration up close.
Olivia peeked out of the bathroom, and she blinked at the sight in front of her. She heard the commotion, and she hoped that she had imagined it. Why were all those males there?
Her anxiety sizzled away when she saw the most dashing man walking toward her.
Travis was super-handsome in the dark gray suit that fit him perfectly, and his smile made her heart flip.
"What do you think?" Olivia asked in a small voice while looking at her dress shyly.
"Breathtaking," he responded, and she knew he meant it.
"Uhm... you are dapper."
Travis smirked. "Dapper? I like it."
Travis leaned to kiss Olivia, and he paused with a frown to look to his left. There was Omega standing there and fidgeting.
"Can I help you?" Travis asked stiffly.
The Omega gestured toward Olivia. "I apologize for intruding, Doctor Travis. I need to do Miss Olivia's hair and makeup."
Travis was still glaring at the poor Omega when Olivia got on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "I will be back in a bit. Wait for me?"
Travis smiled goofily. "I will wait as long as it takes."
Olivia blushed. His hungry gaze told her he was thinking about naughty things, wonderful things that were reserved for mates.
With everyone busy with their mates and preparations, no one noticed that Damon and Talia tiptoed out of the room.
