To Claim A Crown Book One: The Half-Blood King (Complete)

38.

Sandy sips on her cup of tea and Naomi settles on a couch in front of her. Raurlin recovered quickly from the shift and Mikain attributed it to him being Maddoxes son. Him, Raurlin and Jackson went to watch the young wolves running and playing in the forest. The girls set up camp with Sandy in the lounge. She had been experiencing pain and Dezra and Sarah were attending to her when Naomi went in to sit with them.

"You all should get some rest now. The pack will tire themselves out soon enough and we usually have a big breakfast after the awakening. The young wolves will be exhausted and famished."

"You will be on bed rest" Dezra directs and Sandy chuckles. She swings her feet onto the carpet and Dezra helps her to her feet.

"Please excuse me ladies, little one would very much like to get to bed."

Naomi and Sarah sit in silence until Dezra and Sandy are out of the room.

"What a night," Sarah states.

"I know right. Did you see Raur's eyes? They glowed the same as Mikains, if not brighter."

"Well he is the alpha by birth rite. And so is Mikain. Well we'll be home soon anyway. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Sarah, what's up?"

"Why do you keep staring at Sandy's stomach?"

Naomi kicks her shoes off and she lays down on the couch.

"I don't know...I've just been thinking. I would like to become a vampire but I have no real guarantee of having children once I've become one. And I do want kids."

Sarah nods slowly and she pulls her phone out of her pocket. She sets an alarm that will allow for five hours of sleep if they fall asleep within the next two minutes. Sarah sighs and she puts her phone under the pillow on the couch she's lying on.

"I hear you. It's a tricky situation. Let's figure it out in the morning?"

"Yeah, I need to sleep."

Jackson and Raurlin walk back into the house. Jackson pulls his coat off and covers Raurlin with it. Raurlin is pale and his lips are a dark blue from the winter weather. Raurlin blows warm air into his hands and he turns the kettle on. He peeps into the lounge and finds girls asleep on the couches. He grins and walks into the room and Jackson follows suit. Jackson covers Sarah with a blanket and Raurlin kisses Naomi's forehead. Naomi smiles in her sleep then turns over.

"She was so worried about you" Jackson tells Raurlin as they walk back into the kitchen.

Raurlin chuckles as he pulls two mugs out the cupboard. "I didn't think I'd be able to control the shift but when she came and found me that's what pulled me back. It was scary, Jax. I don't want to lie to you. You know being vampires we focus so much on control but the wolf side is all about completely letting go and in a sense losing control."

"Yeah I get it. We'll need to talk about your eyes soon. Try and keep it in check until we're home okay?"

"Yes boss."

Raurlin turns and hands Jackson a cup of coffee and Jackson chuckles. Jackson feels exhausted all at once and he settles into a chair at the kitchen table. Raurlin sits down beside him. Raurlin holds his coffee mug up and Jackson clinks it against his best friend's mug.

"I couldn't have done this without you, Jax. Thank you."

"No need to thank me. Let's get some rest with the girls."

Jackson finishes the rest of the contents in his mug and he places his and Raurlins mug in the sink. They walk into the lounge and the fire just dies down but the room is warm and toasty. Jackson settles onto the couch behind Sarah and he tucks Sarah into his arms. Raurlin smiles as Jackson leans his head against Sarah's neck. Raurlin pulls Naomi into his arms and he wraps a blanket over both of them.