The Hybrid
Exclusive Chapter!

*SPOILER inside for Kaden's Luna - Book #2 of the The Alpha Series. If you are planning to read his book next DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER. This describes a scene after his story has ended.*

Aurora Romanov’s P.O.V.

May 25th at the Renascence Pack’s Alpha House.

Mikhail wails loudly in my ear which makes me wince as I try my best to soothe him to sleep. He thrashes wildly in my hold, kicking his arms and legs about as he refuses to settle down. However, the movement only makes him cry harder. Standing from the couch, a soft whimper escapes me as pain shoots through my stitches down there. I’m still recovering from giving birth last week and the pain meds can only help so much.

I had been furious with Vulcan when we found out that we were having twins again. But because they are my second set of twins, giving birth wasn’t as daunting as the first time. However, I could do without the pain. At the end of a very long labor, I had given birth to both a healthy girl and boy. Vulcan and I have named them Misha and Mikhail.

“Please Mikhail…” I groan as I rub his back. “Please just go to sleep before I start crying with you.”

Making my way over to the window with him in my arms, I sigh in relief when the view of outside calms him down. The sun is setting and casting warm hues of colors across the sky, making everything look magical. Ayla, Ivan and Valentina are being chased across the garden by Nikolai and Theo as they try and bring them inside for dinner.

Humming softly, I bounce Mikhail up and down slightly as I walk around by the large windows. Much to my relief he drifts off in a matter of minutes. I smile as I make my way through the hallways and down to the nursery. Vulcan and I have temporarily set up a room with two cribs on the ground floor as it hurts to take the stairs just yet. When I have healed fully, we’ll be moving them to the actual nursery upstairs.

I walk into the room but freeze when I see a large wolf sleeping on the carpeted floor. Ruxin lays beside the crib that Misha sleeps in and a wide smile lifts my lips as I tiptoe inside. But as soon as I step around Ruxin he wakes up immediately. His body tenses as he looks around with alert eyes and his lips pull up into a threatening snarl. Blue and green eyes land on me before he relaxes, staring lovingly at Mikhail’s little sleeping form in my arms.

“Is little one okay now?” His voice echoes in my mind and I nod in response.

“He’s fine. It’s the diaper rash that’s making him a bit fussy.” I reply as I place Mikhail into the crib.

Like Ayla and Ivan, Misha and Mikhail also prefer to be near each other. Especially when sleeping but I can’t complain since it’s the cutest thing to watch them cuddle each other.

Lowering the rail, I watch as Ruxin places his head on top of the mattress and stares at the newest additions to our family. Tiredly, I take a seat in the armchair before resting my legs on the ottoman. He walks over to me and it looks like he was going to rest his head on my thighs like usual before he decided against it. Sitting on his hind legs, he licks my hand and stares at me in concern.

“How is mate?”

“I’m still in some pain but it’s not as bad as yesterday.” I smile when he whines softly before nudging my arm with his nose. “I’ll be okay Ruxin, don’t worry so much.”

“I wish I could take away your pain.” He grumbles before using the arm rest to place his head on.

“You do.” I laugh as I run my fingers through his dark fur and hear him purr softly. “Both you and Vladimir help me heal faster throughout the night. My pain isn’t so bad because of you two.”

“But you should have healed by now! It’s not working!” He huffs and shakes his head in disagreement.

“It’s only been a week, Ruxin. I won’t heal that fast!” I chuckle as I watch him whine and push his nose into my hand.

We’re quiet for a moment as we enjoy the silence, something that is so hard to get with five kids now. A smile lifts my lips as I watch him walk between the twins and I, almost as if he’s guarding us.

“Mate is almost as strong as me.” He breaks the silence with his statement.

“Almost?” I quirk a brow.

“Yes, almost. I’m stronger because I must protect mate and pups. I have to be strong so that mate doesn’t have to worry.” He stands taller and I replace it amusing that he feels he needs to prove himself.

“Thank you, Ruxin.” I giggle as he nods before licking my cheek.

I shake my head at him as I wipe my skin before noticing his eyes brighten to a familiar red. Nodding when he tells me that Vladimir wants to see me, I tell him to let the vampire out. He steps back and begins the process of changing and in a matter of seconds, Vladimir is smiling at me.

“Hi angel.” He greets before leaning forward to press a kiss to my cheek.

“Hey Vladimir.” I smile softly as I watch him sit on the ottoman and put my feet on his lap.

“Mate looks exhausted.” He frowns sadly as his bright red eyes roam over my face.

I laugh and nod. “It’s a little difficult right now dealing with the kids and the pain. But I’ll be okay soon.”

“No more children.” He states firmly before he looks over at Misha and Mikhail. His hard features soften and he bites his lip before turning to me. It looks like he regrets saying that. “But they are so adorable.”

“That they are.” I giggle as he stands and makes his way over to the crib.

Vladimir’s skin is quite cold so he’s always hesitant to touch the children for fear of waking them up. Like always, his fingertips dance over their clothes as he takes them in before pressing feather-light kisses to their small tufts of hair. He sighs softly before resting his chin on his folded arms.

“Can we really not hold them?” He asks and his voice is etched with longing.

“Remember what happened with Ayla and Ivan?”

When they were one year old, they ran into Vulcan’s office while I was chasing them. Something had made him extremely angry and he shifted involuntarily just as they entered. He had to leave, shift, and then come back for the kids to calm down fully. After that, Vulcan only shifts when we’re sure that the kids are nowhere near him or if they’re sleeping.

I watch as Vladimir walks back over to me and slumps on the ottoman, his bright eyes swirling with sadness. I feel both his and Ruxin’s pain, they get to see the children but they long to hold and play with them.

Reaching over, I take his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “Vulcan and I have been thinking to introduce Ayla and Ivan to you both. They’re turning six soon, they should be able to understand.”

“Really?! You promise?!” He hugs me gently and peppers my face with kisses in excitement.

“Yes!” I laugh as I press a kiss to his cheek. “You won’t have to wait long, I promise.”

“I love you, angel.” He whispers sweetly as he pulls away.

“I love you too, Vladimir. Always.”

We stay in the room for a little longer before I get up to help prepare dinner. Vladimir snarls at that and orders me not to do any work. Laughing, I tell him that I’ll call for Vulcan to come downstairs when the food is ready. I leave the room and walk down the hallway to see Luna exiting her guest bedroom. As she shuts the door, I manage to catch Kaden’s wolf sleeping on the floor beside the bed. I’m guessing baby Amelia has finally drifted off to sleep. Luna shakes her head with a grin once she catches my eye.

“It’s the only time Ajax gets with Amelia so I can’t complain.” She giggles as she falls into step with me.

Luna and Kaden are over for a month with Amelia, their three-month-old daughter. She’s the cutest baby girl with brown hair and stunning blue eyes. Her features are a mixture of both her parents and she has a unique fleck of brown in her left eye. But overall, she’s a happy baby and thankfully doesn’t give her parents too much trouble.

After Luna and I have been scolded and chased out of the kitchen by Vanessa and several maids, we sit down on the couch to relax. Thankfully, we’re both surrounded by numerous people who are loving and letting us focus on our kids. I pick up Valentina, who is now one year old, and place her on my lap. She squeals happily and plays with the toy that Luna gives to her.

“She’s so cute!” Luna grins as she leans forward and peppers kisses to her chubby cheeks.

“Are you going to try for another?”

“We have been thinking about it. I would love to have a boy.” She smiles shyly as she stands to grab the toy Valentina had thrown.

“And Kaden?”

“He wants another girl! But as long as our baby is healthy, we don’t mind.” She laughs as she passes Valentina the toy. “Hopefully no twins though, I don’t know how you manage to push two out!”

Just as I’m about to reply, Theo rushes in with panicked eyes before they land on me. I raise my brows in question but I already have a feeling that one of my kids did something. And by one of my kids, I mean Ivan. Ever since that boy has learned how to walk he’s been getting himself into a world of trouble!

“Ivan pushed Sam into a lake!”

I sigh heavily while Luna snickers beside me. “Where is he?”

“He ran off as soon as I told him we’re going back home.” Nikolai mutters as he walks in with Ayla.

“Aw, what happened sweetie?” I get up immediately at the sight of Ayla’s scratched arm.

“Sam pushed me and I hit my arm on the ground.” She sniffles as tears brim her beautiful green eyes.

“Let’s get that cleaned up right away.” I kiss her temple before guiding her to the couch while Theo grabs the first aid kit.

“Vulcan…I need you. Ivan’s run away to hide after pushing one of the pack kids into the lake.” I speak to Vulcan mentally and immediately feel his frustration build.

“That boy is going to be the death of me someday!” He snarls furiously before muttering that he’ll call him.

In seconds, he’s marching down the stairs just as Ivan walks in hesitantly. Kaden trails behind Vulcan with raised brows and a smirk on his lips once he catches the mud and grass on his godson’s clothes. I roll my eyes at his proud look. He’s always backed up Ivan and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did the same today. Although we’ve taught both Ayla and Ivan to stand up for themselves, Ivan’s over-protectiveness gets out of hand most of the time.

“You pushed him into a lake?!” Vulcan thunders as soon he catches sight of Ivan but the exasperated undertone in his voice makes me snicker. “What if he couldn’t swim?!”

“I knew he could.” Ivan frowns as he rubs his arm.

“You still shouldn’t have done it, Ivan! It’s wrong!”

“He pushed Ayla to the ground! That’s wrong too!” Ivan argues with an adorable pout on his lips.

“You’re grounded for a week –” Vulcan is cut off by Ivan’s loud objection. “No cartoons or candy either.”

“But dad!” He whines before huffing when Vulcan glares at him.

I shake my head at them and tell Ivan to change his clothes as Vulcan walks over to me so that he can see Ayla’s arm. Cleaning it, I let him take over to bandage it before he wipes away her tears. He busies himself in cheering her up while I help the maids bring out the dishes as everyone moves to the dining room. But one growl from my overprotective husband makes me stop as he points to one of the chairs and tells me to sit down.

As I take a seat at the dining table, I catch Kaden lean over to an angry Ivan and whisper in his ear. “Don’t worry, kid. You see this? This here is a mobile phone and they have a thing called YouTube –”

“Kaden!” Luna and I hiss with narrowed eyes before shaking our heads at him.

“Mom, please! I have a football match on Wednesday. I can’t miss it!” Ivan tugs on my dress as he stares up at me with the hope that I’ll talk to Vulcan.

I bite my lip when he pulls the puppy dog look on me. Wrapping his arms around me, he proceeds to cuddle up to me as he begs for me to un-ground him. Kaden and Luna stare at me with sympathetic eyes because they know I’m going to give in. My cheeky little boy sure knows how to play his cards right!

“I’ll see what I can do, baby.” I sigh in resignation before glaring at him in warning when he fist pumps the air in excitement. “But you will be apologizing to that poor boy, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, mom.” He slumps in his chair with a frown.

“He deserved it.” I hear Kaden whisper before Luna smacks the back of his head, making all the children giggle.

Vulcan joins us and puts Ayla between himself and I. The two twins smile across at each other making both Vulcan and I shake our heads in defeat. Vanessa joins us just as Indigo walks in with Knox, who is around the same age as Ayla and Ivan. Theo leaves to return to his mate but Nikolai takes his seat at the dining table. We enjoy our dinner together and Valentina babbles away happily while Vulcan feeds her. Thankfully Amelia, Misha and Mikhail sleep peacefully throughout our meal and we take the opportunity to catch up with each other.

Around nine at night, Vulcan takes Valentina and the twins to get them ready for bed. Kaden rushes off as soon as he hears Amelia crying while Luna follows behind, laughing at his panic. I try to help clear the table but Indigo and Nikolai push me out of the kitchen as soon as they catch me. Sighing, I wave goodbye and thank them all for helping Vulcan and I.

Making my way upstairs, I replace Vulcan emerging from the bathroom in just a pair of shorts. I bite my lip as my eyes land on his muscled torso. Even years later, he can still get me flustered in an instant. He catches my wandering gaze with a knowing smirk before pulling me into his arms.

“Tired?” He murmurs as he peppers kisses to my mark.

Those familiar tingles and sparks shoot through my veins, making me sigh blissfully. “Very. What about you?”

Vulcan has been switching into his beasts whenever I sleep. Although our bond is helping me heal, the physical contact with Vladimir and Ruxin speeds up the process even more. But with changing back in the middle of the night whenever the kids wake up, going to work and dealing with energetic five-year olds, he’s just as exhausted as I am. With the expansion of his businesses and helping another pack deal with rogues, Vulcan doesn’t want to put it all on Indigo’s shoulders no matter how many times he’s told him it’s alright.

“Much better now.” He smirks as he helps me change while his fingertips run over my bare skin as he does so.

I shake my head at his antics before putting on my pajamas. Turning, I press my lips to his in a gentle kiss which quickly turns passionate and hungry. Whimpering when he bites my bottom lip, I wrap my arms around his waist as he soothes the sting. He pulls away and peppers kisses along my jawline and the curve of my neck until they meet his mark. Hot lust courses through me and I groan when my core throbs, wanting only him. But we can’t, not until I’ve healed.

“Sorry.” He chuckles breathlessly as he pulls away. “I can never stop myself when it comes to you.”

Laughing, I pull him to our bed and we lay down. He covers me with the blanket before caressing my cheek softly. Knowing that I’m exhausted, he presses a firm kiss to my lips before changing into Ruxin. Immediately, I cuddle into his warmth and whisper a goodnight. But just as I’m about to drift off to sleep, I feel him nuzzle his nose against my hair lovingly as he wishes me sweet dreams.

And sweet dreams I have.