Three years later
"Are you ready?" Preston asked me, cocking an eyebrow when I shook my head at him.
"Should you really be doing this, again?" I asked him, feeling unsure about the entire thing.
"Oh c'mon, Andy. It won't be so bad," Preston said, grinning at me cheekily. I rolled my eyes at him, and slumped myself on the bed.
"Are you getting used to it?" Preston laughed at me and went to sit beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"I have hope," Preston dramatically replied.
"You're not even taking it seriously," I told him.
"I'm taking it seriously," he said, the grin on his face growing wider. I shook my head at him, but finally got up from the bed.
"We should get going," he told me, nodding towards the door excitedly.
The door to Nixon and my room had just been opened, when I saw him running in my direction.
"Momma!" Kyran yelled, as he stumbled towards me.
"Baby," I cried, grinning down at him.
Alicia, Clay's mate, was following closely behind him. Kyran ran straight into my arms when I lowered myself to pick him up.
"He wanted to come back to the palace right after we left," Alicia said, shaking her head at Kyran.
He'd done the same thing to Clay and Alicia a few times. They were going to the shore, Kyran would say he wanted to go, and then he was whining about coming back home.
Alicia got annoyed because Nixon didn't like having Kyran leave the palace if he wasn't accompanied by a troop of guards.
"Kyran," I reprimanded him, but the pup only wrapped his arms around me and chuckled.
"Kyran can't help it if you and Clay bore him to death," Preston added, earning himself a slap from Alicia.
"What are you doing here?î She asked Preston, cocking an eyebrow.
"Preston and Nixon are going to battle it out in the arena," I reminded Alicia.
"That's today?" Alicia asked, sounding surprised.
"I don't know how many times more you have to lose against Nixon before you realize his Wolf is stronger," Clay added as he made his way towards us.
"The bastard just gets lucky!" Preston snapped the humor from before leaving his voice.
"Yeah, he got lucky the last twenty times too," Alicia mumbled under her breath.
Her words of course were heard by all of us, and it earned her a growl from Preston.
"I'm going downstairs," Preston grumbled, and he headed down the hall, muttering curse words to himself.
Alicia and I both shook our heads and giggled at Preston's childish ways. Ever since he had lost against Nixon years ago, Preston had been intent on beating him.
Three years later and he had not given up.It had turned into an event, which everyone in the kingdom now took as a sport. All the Alphas would fight against each other in a tournament.
The winner would end up fighting against Nixon, to show who the stronger Wolf was. Preston beat all the Alphas out every single time, just like Nixon beat Preston every time as well.
"Hey pup," Clay said, trying to pull on Kyran's arm.
When he tried to take him from my arms, Kyran growled at him. We all chuckled at how adorable he sounded and Kyran scrunched up his nose at us.
His green eyes shifted to a darker color, which was something that amused everyone in the kingdom.
Most pups didn't start showing signs of their Wolves until they were older. Preston thought maybe Kyran would be like Alex had, and he'd shift at a younger age.
"I'm sorry that he made you two come back again," I told Clay and Alicia, as we followed Preston downstairs.
Kyran was in my arms with his nose nestled in my neck. He'd been running around all morning. When Clay and Alicia mentioned going to the shore, Kyran begged me to let him go with them.
I had been reluctant, only because I knew he would change his mind once they left.Both Clay and Kyran were the ones who finally convinced me, after much begging and promise making, to let Kyran go.
"It's fine," Clay said, smiling down at Kyran, who was softly snoring against my neck.
"Should I take him?" Clay asked me.
I shook my head at him, but Clay was still looking down at Kyran. For being a little over two years old, Kyran definitely had a good size.
He was a few inches taller than a pup his age should've been. Nixon assured me that was fine, he'd been like that as well.
Anytime I brought anything up about Kyran, Nixon would just reassure me with the same thing.
During the pregnancy, it had only taken a month for my belly to swell and I was already showing a small bump. Just like Nixon predicted, the pup was born after only five and a half months.
I was like that at his age or Kyran is a prince. Those were the two main comments I repeatedly heard from Nixon.
Since Preston was still mad over our comments about the fight, he'd taken off in his own car. Alicia and Clay drove in the car with me, despite how annoyed Alicia was with all of our security.
I wanted to make her feel comfortable, but I knew the guards would have to stay. I usually had ten Wolves with me anytime I left the palace.
It didn't matter how much I insisted to Nixon that too much protection wasn't necessary, he didn't agree. It had all been because of an incident that had taken place before we returned to The Island.
After Nixon and I got back together, things had been difficult for both of us. No one in my family approved of the relationship.
My mother was inconsolable after my father's death. When I took Nixon home with me after the fight, my mom just about went crazy.Nixon had killed my father.
That was not something my mom or anyone else was willing to forgive. Since Nixon was a Royal, they pretty much blamed him for everything that had happened to us in the last years.
Even Zander's father had looked at me with disapproval. Our situation hadn't exactly gotten better when Nixon insisted on staying with me the month that followed my father's death.
While I stayed with my mother in the new territory Preston and dad had purchased, Nixon came and went. Most of his time was spent with me though, and he limited his trips to the kingdom.
He usually went away a day or two, made sure everything was running smoothly in The Island, and he would return back to me.
Somehow we made it work for a month. That month for me was hell. The only times I actually enjoyed myself was when Nixon was around or when Preston, Clay, and Zander cheered me up.
My mom didn't let up, and neither did the Wolves from Zander's Pack. They hated Nixon and they considered me a traitor.
The incident took place a month after Nixon killed my dad.Zander, Preston, and Clay had gone out to do rounds for the pack. Zander's father still had his pack, which was much smaller to the one my father had when he was alive.
Nixon had taken off early in the morning to the Island and wasn't due back until the next day. That day, one of the Wolves from the pack attacked me.
He called me so many things and tried to get rid of the abomination I was carrying. It was just out of luck that Clay had returned early from doing the round, because he was feeling ill.
When he saw the Wolf about to attack me, they both started going at each other. Both Preston and Zander walked into the house soon after, because they were going to make fun of Clay.
When they realized what had happened, and they saw me holding onto my stomach, with blood covering my hands, both Preston and Zander lost it.
They killed the shifter that attacked me, and it was the most sadistic and brutal death I had ever seen. They literally tore him to shreds, until parts of him were scattered everywhere.
The floor was a bloody mess and I could strongly smell the stench in the room. Nixon arrived that night earlier than when he was due home.
By then, Preston had taken me to a hotel about an hour away from the pack territory. I was shaken up, and my mind had been a jumbled mess. I'd been so close to getting killed, to losing the pup.
If it hadn't been for Clay, I wouldn't have made it that day.
Nixon was furious. I had scratches in my arms that the Wolf had made before Clay got him away from me. It was as far as he'd gotten, but for Nixon that was too close. He wanted to wipe out the entire pack.
I stopped him before he got that far, but he didn't let me return back home. It was then when I went back to The Island. Preston and Clay went with me.
Preston complained the entire way, calling The Island a worthless place for pathetic weak Wolves.
But during the flight from the US private airport to the Island, Preston had been holding my hand and whispering things about how I was safe now and at least no one would hurt me in The Island.
For that entire week, Preston hardly left my side. Whenever anyone stared for too long at me, even if it was just a servant asking me a question, Preston would snap at them.
If someone approached me, Preston got defensive and started growling at whoever got too near. I'd had a close call for me too close.
"Your brother doesn't give up, does he?" Nixon asked me when I entered his office in the Building of Justice.
He took Kyran from my arms, and laid the pup down in one of the couches. Kyran let out a small growl in his sleep, which made me smile.
That was something that Preston did as well.I noticed his light brown curls were getting too long when I ran my hands through his hair. His chubby cheeks had taken a rosy color, courtesy of the hot weather outside.
I wanted to take off his jacket, but Nixon pulled me up before I could.
"Leave him be," Nixon said, smiling down at me.
"He looks hot," I told him, frowning down at Kyran.
"He's fine. If you take the blazer off, he's going to get cold," Nixon told me. He pulled on my hand and crushed me against his chest.
"I like this dress," Nixon told me, as he ran his hands slowly from my waist to my lower back. I smiled and rolled my eyes at him.
"You picked this dress," I told him.
Nixon leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, making me chuckle when he started tugging on the zipper.
"Kyran is right there," I told him, but I still didn't pull away.
"There's an empty room down the hall," Nixon said, in a completely serious tone.
"No way, you're going to fight Preston in an hour. You can't be tired," I told him.
When I walked around his desk to sit on his chair, Nixon followed after me. I had just taken a seat on his large black chair, which looked imposing without having him on it, when Nixon picked me up and sat me on his lap.
"Doesn't Preston get tired of losing?" Nixon asked.
"I think Preston thinks that one of these days, he's going to beat you," I shrugged.
Kyran was so much like Nixon. While Kyran's ways were more playful, like Preston, he was an exact copy of Nixon.
His hair was the same shade as Nixonís, his skin had a slight tan, and his eyes were a bright emerald green. Nixon credited Kyran's playful ways to his age, and not because he was anything like Preston.
Whenever Nixon made that comment, Preston began an argument about how he thought Nixon wasn't even Kyran's father.
While I laughed at the absurd comments, neither of them seemed to appreciate each other's taunts. Every Alpha, with the exception of Preston, respected and looked up to Nixon.
Whenever there was an important dinner or gathering, it seemed like everyone was prepared for the bickering between Nixon and Preston.
"It isn't going to happen. You don't beat a King by practicing a lot or winning every fight you enter," Nixon told me.
"Then? How do you beat a King?" I asked, more for his amusement.
I'd already memorized the answer to my question. It was something I'd heard repeatedly over the last three years.
"You don't," Nixon replied, before crashing his lips against mine.
I could hear Kyran's leveled breathing, so I allowed myself to give in to the kiss. Nixon's lips were moving against my smoothly, yet hungrily.
When I felt his canines touching my lips, I put my hands on his chest to push myself away from him. Nixon only tightened his hold on me, his fingers digging into my skin and ripping through my dress.
I shook my head at his antiques, but not even that made him pull away from me.
When he finally seemed satisfied, he placed one final rough kiss on my lips and pulled away. We were both out of breath, but Nixon seemed to be the one more out of control. His eyes were a dark coal color, and his canines were out.
"You almost shifted," I told him, crossing my arms over my chest.
Nixon grinned at me, and leaned in to place another kiss on my lips.
"You tempt me," was his defense.
"And you ripped my dress," I scolded, when I touched my back and felt my skin, where the dress should've been covering.
"I'll get you a new one."
When he tried to go in for another kiss, I jumped from his arms and circled around the desk and away from him.
"Your brother is dying for a confrontation with me and yet you're making me chase after you?" Nixon asked, sounding completely amused.
"My brother doesn't stand a chance. At least I'm faster than you," I told him.
I was about to start running away, when Nixon made his way towards Kyran.
"I'll wake him up if you run," Nixon threatened.
I frowned at him, and looked down at Kyran, who was still asleep.
"You wouldn't," I challenged him.
"Try me," Nixon shrugged, and he leaned down towards Kyran.
He knew that if Kyran woke up, I'd have him running around all over the place during his match against Preston.
"Fine," I snapped at him, as I made my way back to where he was standing next to Kyran.
"You make it seem like I'm torturing you," Nixon told me, while he wrapped his arms around my waist.
I looked away from him, but allowed him to hold me.
"No good luck kiss?" Nixon asked.
He cupped my cheek and made me turn up to face him. I didn't look into his eyes, but I could tell he was smiling down at me.
"Didn't you say an Alpha doesn't beat a King? You don't need any luck if you already have this match won," I snapped.
Nixon nuzzled his nose against the skin on my shoulders, and I could hear him chucking.
"You're so stubborn," he told me.I shrugged at him in reply. With every moment that he held me, I could feel myself relaxing against his arms.
"I love you," Nixon whispered against my skin.
I could feel him kissing and biting my claim, but I didn't fight it. He knew he had me when he started teasing my claim.
"I love you too," I grumpily replied back.Nixon grinned down at me and brushed his lips against mine.
His hands trailed over to my stomach. When he tore my dress apart the rest of the way to my stomach, I thought he wanted to convince me to mate.
"Nixon," I whined.
"Kyran's right there," I told him, slapping his chest playfully, although I didn't pull away from him.
Nixon shook his head and kneeled down in front of me. He brushed his lips against my flat stomach, and continued to tease my skin. I closed my eyes, and enjoyed the tingling sensation he was creating with his touch.
"After Preston loses against me, we could tell him about the pup on the way. That will probably cheer him up," Nixon said, placing one last kiss on my stomach, before getting back up.
"I think Alicia suspects it already. She's been looking at me weirdly," I told him.
"I doubt she told Clay. Clay would've told Preston about it and we both know Preston isn't one to keep things bottled up," Nixon told me.I chuckled at his words, because it was true.
"I have to go get ready," Nixon told me, and he looked down at the clothes he was still wearing.
"I like this suit, so it better stay locked up during the match," I warned him.
Too many times Preston and Nixon had gone at each other after the fight, and too many clothes had been ruined because of it.
"No fighting, you have my word," Nixon said.
"I can't say the same thing about Preston though," he finished, with a chuckle. Before I got to tell him anything, Nixon scurried away from the room.
"What happened to your dress?" Alicia asked me as soon as I made it to the arena.
She and Clay were already sitting down in the booth, and a few of the other Alphas were sitting right behind us.
"Nixon," I said, and it was all Alicia needed to hear to pretty much imagine what we'd been up to.
Kyran had woken up and I was not happy about it. Preston had gone into Nixon's office to get good luck from Kyran and me. When I shushed him, Preston ran towards Kyran and woke him up on purpose.
Now Kyran was sitting in my lap, staring intently at the sand arena down below. He looked excited, and the crowd in the large stadium seemed to be pumping him up more.
"Preston's sure this is the one," Clay told me, sounding excited himself.
"It isn't going to happen," I told him flatly.
Everyone in the kingdom was excited, like if it was the first time they were watching Nixon and Preston fight, even though it had become somewhat of a tradition for those two to have a match.
"You say that because Nixon is your mate," Clay said, grinning at me teasingly.
I shook my head at him, and laughed when he kept raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"Naww.. Look at my naive mate thinking his wimpy buddy has a chance," Alicia told Clay, while she was pinching his cheeks.
I laughed at the scowl Clay shot Alicia's way. She swatted Clay's hands away when he tried to do the same thing to her.
While they continued arguing about who was wimpier, I focused my attention on the gates where Nixon and Preston would walk through.
Kyran's eyes were watching the bickering between Clay and Alicia with amusement. He laughed when Alicia slapped Clay's chest, which made Alicia do it again.
Poor Clay ended up calling a truce when Kyran kept giggling at the pair, and Alicia kept slapping Clay because she was entertaining Kyran.
When the deafening sound of growls, applauds, and shouts started resounding throughout the arena, I knew the match was about to start.
Preston walked in through a gate and Nixon walked in through another. I smiled when I saw both of their large Wolves enter the arena. Everyone was crying out for them, each shifter cheering on their favorite.
Both Wolves looked absolutely stunning. When everyone settled down, Alpha Gabriel jumped into the arena to start the match. He was standing in his human form between Preston and Nixon's Wolves.
As soon as Alpha Gabriel called the match, both Wolves looked at each other fiercely.
It was a friendly match, but I knew both of them always took it seriously. Before any of them actually got a chance to attack or make the first move, I heard Nixonís voice in my mind.
"My Queen, Miranda, is expecting our second pup!" Nixon growled out into my mind.
When I looked around at the arena and how silent everyone had gone, I realized that Nixon had projected that same message in everyone's mind.
Everyone was left in shock for what seemed like hours. It felt like everybody's eyes had landed on the booth I was in, with Kyran sitting on my lap.
It seemed like Kyran was enjoying the attention, because he was the only one who was chattering on even though I hardly understood what he was saying.
When Nixon howled loudly up at the sky, other shifters started doing the same thing and suddenly everybody broke into cheers and shouts of celebration.
Preston's Wolf was still staring at me, before he joined Nixon with a long loud howl up at the sky.
"This fight is for you," Nixon told me through our mind link and he bowed down at me in his Wolf form.
"I love you," he said, taking a few steps closer. I still couldn't believe that he'd just made that announcement to everybody.
"Weren't we going to wait until you beat Preston?" I asked Nixon after the fight.
Like every other time that Nixon and Preston fought against each other, Nixon threw a celebration for everyone in the kingdom. Kyran was already in bed.
Alicia had volunteered to watch over him, something Clay hadn't been too excited about. When Alicia told him that he could stay to hang out with Preston, I almost thought Clay would cry out of happiness.
He was warned to behave and not stay out too late, something that was never guaranteed with Preston around.
"I figured he wouldn't complain as much during the fight if I told him about the pup before we started," Nixon grinned, but I could tell he was lying to me.
"Sure,"
"It's true, and maybe I wanted the entire kingdom to know you were giving me another pup," Nixon admitted after, before brushing his lips against mine.
"So that was the ulterior motive," I said, narrowing my eyes at him playfully.
"I was hoping Kyran wouldn't be the only pup," Nixon shrugged.
"You have no idea how happy you've made me." He nuzzled his nose against mine. Even though I had my eyes closed, I could feel his smile against my cheek.
"I never thought we would make it this far," I admitted. Nixon cupped both sides of my face, and made me look up at him.
"You doubted us," Nixon stated.I nodded guiltily, but Nixon didn't seem upset about it.
"I made you doubt. It wasn't your fault," he said.
I shook my head at him, and pulled on his neck so that he'd lower himself to me.
"You made me believe that we could still be together. If we'd given up, I'm not sure either of us would be here right now," I said, motioning around at the room we were in.
"You're all I've ever wanted," was all Nixon said, before tightening his arms around me.
Hearing those words from Nixon did more than just calm me. I rested myself against his chest, enjoying the warmth of them.
After Nixon and I had returned to the kingdom, things hadnít exactly been perfect for us. It took months and a lot of reassurances from Nixon to the people that things would get better.
Most of the shifters causing riots had been part of our pack of Rogues, as many had referred to us. When they saw Preston and I had returned, it was enough to calm them down.
The day Nixon announced the truth about what had really taken place in the Island a silence took over the kingdom for days.
Everyone had a hard time believing King Luther had done what Nixon accused him off. If the words hadn't come from him, I wasn't sure anyone would have really believed them.Preston took over the pack then.
He had been reluctant to do so, but no one from our pack had wanted to be led by Nixon or any other Alpha. They either wanted my dad, who was already gone, or Preston.
The pack had too many Wolves. Nixon didn't want to risk anymore riots, so he urged Preston to accept the Alpha position, while also taking in the Wolves that belonged to Asher's Pack.
I was still carrying Kyran during that time and the problems in the kingdom felt overwhelming.
Many times I wanted to give up and just return to the US.
Nixon didn't let me.
He insisted so much on us. He fought so much to make our relationship work.
That year made our bond grow stronger than any time before. Picking up the kingdom from the disaster it had become wasn't easy.
Nixon and I managed it somehow.
It is because of you that I'm doing this, he would always tell me.
I had to agree with him on that.It was because of Nixon and Kyran, and now the pup on the way that I felt complete.
Just like Nixon always told me, he was all I ever wanted.
The End.