Into The Woods (mxm)

Twenty Four

My eyes widen, memories of my ex-wife flashing through my mind. Tabari steps behind me and whimpers.

"She came to the palace doors begging to be let in. She was with a young girl. Claiming to be your wife and daughter. You need to resolve this before the end of the day. Guards will be down with you so do whatever the hell you want. Send them away. Leave them for the guards to take care of. I do not care at the moment. I am going to sleep." Augustus walks away towards his bedchamber that he shared with his mate.

I look down at Tabari as he looks up at me. As soon as our eyes meet, he looks away from me. I feel a shift in my arms and Collin gazes up at me with sleepy eyes.

"Keir? What's wrong?"

"Angelica is back..."

~~~

I find myself walking downstairs with Collin and Tabari on either side of me and a now awake Akio in Collin's arms. We make it to the entrance to the palace, lit up by rays of the beginnings of sunrise.

The first thing I see is Arabella. My daughter. She looks at her two brothers with disgust that I had not seen since Angelica had stared at my two sons with the same expression. All of the pain I held from missing my daughter washed away. She had turned into her mother...

Arabella and Angelica are dressed in elegant clothing, both wearing too much makeup to look pleasant in the slightest. Especially Arabella. She was only nine years old, for Goddess' sake!

Four guards stand by the door, looking away to give us some sense of privacy.

"Angelica... What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I am doing? I am reuniting our family. I want you back, Keir." I can hear the lies in her voice. The way she looks at Tabari and Akio. She held no guilt from what she had done to them.

Collin snarls lowly in his throat. I wrap a protective arm around his waist and rub at his stomach to comfort him.

"I have moved on. I too have met my true mate. And I am happy with him. You should not have come here, Angelica. Go back with your mate."

"My mate went away for business and I am lonely. He has proven to be unreliable. And my bond with you is still there. We never officially divorced so you are still legally my husband. Eventually, you will have some sense knocked into you. You will leave that tramp and come back to me because I was and will be the best you will ever have in this life. Ever."

"Don't you dare call my mate a tramp! He is nothing like you and I will never leave him. He has shown so much care for me and my pups in the past few days than you ever did the whole time we were together! You abandoned your pups! Threw them into an orphanage where they were mistreated while you ran away with Arabella and you mate and lived an amazing upper-class life. And now you are coming back because you need something from me! You are a despicable woman, Angelica. Your name does not match your terrible personality. Now leave and never come back..."

Akio wraps his arms around Collin's neck and sobs. Collin comforts the little pup, rubbing his back and cooing to him.

"You know what, Keir? Fuck you. Fuck you and your disgusting pups! I never loved any of you! And I hope your 'mate' dies. Maybe that will teach you a fucking lesson! You will regret refusing me! I will be back!" Angelica screams.

She drags Arabella out of the palace's front doors by her hand. They both do not look back as they exit.

I sigh, picking up Tabari and embracing my family, as they cry. Collin nuzzles his head into my shoulder, kissing the fresh mating mark there.

"It is going to be okay, Keir," Collin says. He tells the guards to follow Angelica and Arabella discretely. They nod, filing out of the door to follow them.

"She said she never loved us," Akio sobs out.

"Akio, I love you. Your daddy loves you. We do not need her, all she is going to do is bring you two down. Come on, let's go and rest while the sun is still low in the sky. When we wake up we can go for a swim in the lake. Does that sound good?"

The boys nod, both rubbing the tears away from their eyes. Collin kisses their foreheads, smiling gently at them and rubs his nose against Akio's. Akio giggles, grabbing onto Collin's face and rubbing his nose against Collin's again. Collin then whispers something to my pups that make me fall for him all over again.

"I love you, my sweet pups..."