The Prophecy Of The Wolves I - The Beginning
~ Chapter Thirty-One ~

~ Two Months Later ~

Liliana was surrounded by darkness. She couldn’t see a single inch in front of her. She stuck her hands out and blindly tried to reach for anything. There was nothing around her, though. It was just an open space. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Finally, she spun around in a panic and tried to figure out what was happening. She put her hands to her belly to take comfort from her twins but froze when she felt nothing but her flat stomach.

Liliana started hyperventilating as she tried to remember what had happened to her babies. She was going into a full-blown panic taken when a calming, loving voice spoke from behind her. “Sh. Calm yourself, young one.”

Liliana spun around to replace Artemis and her mother standing behind her. She had tears racing down her cheeks as she asked in a hoarse voice. “What happened to my babies?”

Isabella quickly went to her side and pulled her into her arms. “Your twins are healthy and safe,” she whispered. “You gave birth to them two months ago. They’re safe and healthy with your beloved,” Isabella reassured Liliana.

Liliana sagged against Isabella in relief. “Where am I?” She asked in a whisper.

Artemis smiled. “You’re simply sleeping, my dear,” she said gently. “There was a slight complication from you giving birth.”

Liliana frowned. “What do you mean by complication?” She asked, afraid to know what had happened to her.

Isabella gently stroked Liliana’s hair. “Your heart stopped for about two minutes,” she said quietly.

Liliana looked at her with wide eyes. “What?” She asked in terror.

Isabella shushed her. “It’s okay. The doctor did his job quite well. You’re okay now. You need to rest for the night.”

Liliana took several deep breaths. “Okay. I’m okay,” she whispered.

Isabella kissed her temple. “You’re okay, and so are your twins.”

Liliana nodded. “Okay. That’s good.”

Isabella hugged her tightly. “Your twins are gorgeous, darling,” she said softly.

“Indeed, they are,” Artemis agreed with a small, adoring smile.

Liliana spoke with Isabella and Artemis for a bit before she felt the tug telling her it was time to go home to her beloved and her twins. “I’ll see you guys soon,” she said to Isabella and Artemis. “Give daddy a big hug and kiss for me,” she said to Isabella before she closed her eyes and felt herself getting pulled back toward her body.

Liliana moaned as her eyes fluttered open. She heard a little cry from her right side as she fought to open her eyes fully. Once she finally got her eyes to cooperate with her, she turned her head to the side and practically sobbed joy when she saw her twins next to her.

Cayden appeared at her side and gently caressed her hair. “Oh, my dove,” he whispered as he kissed her temple. “I was so damned worried.”

Liliana turned to look at him and smiled lovingly. “Oh, my beloved. I’m so sorry. I love you so much,” she said through her sobs.

Cayden gently helped her sit up before hugging her close to his body. “I love you so much, my dove,” he said in a hoarse voice.

Liliana sobbed into his chest for another couple of minutes before pulling away and looking at their twins. “Would you like to hold them?” Cayden asked in a whisper.

Liliana nodded with tears flowing down her cheeks. “Yes, please.”

Cayden stood up and picked up their son. He carefully handed him over to Liliana since he was the one that had been crying. “Oh, he’s gorgeous,” she softly said as she looked down at their son.

“He was born a few minutes before his sister,” Cayden explained.

Liliana looked up at him as she started rocking side to side without even realizing it. “You haven’t named them yet?” She asked quietly.

Cayden shook his head. “I wanted us to do that together.”

Liliana smiled as she hugged their son close to her heart.

“For him, I was thinking about Ambrose,” Cayden said as he sat in front of her.

The smile was glued to Liliana’s face. “I like that name. What about a middle name?” She asked.

Cayden shrugged. “I only got the first name right now,” he said with a chuckle.

Liliana giggled as she thought for a minute. “What about Knox?” She asked.

Cayden grinned. “It’s perfect. Ambrose Knox Williams,” he said proudly.

Liliana’s smile couldn’t get bigger, no matter how happy she was. “Now what about our daughter?” She asked as she looked at their sleeping daughter.

Cayden tilted his head slightly as he thought for a minute. “Hm. What about Seraphina?”

Liliana’s eyes brightened. “I love it. And for a middle name, how about Rose?”

Cayden grinned. “Was that your mother’s middle name?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

Liliana blushed but nodded. “Yes.”

Cayden chuckled. “Seraphina Rose is a beautiful name,” he said softly.

Liliana smiled and leaned forward to kiss him.

Then she gave Ambrose her undivided attention. Liliana fed him and changed him before rocking him back to sleep. She smiled in awe and love as she gently laid him down in his crib. As she was straightening up, Seraphina started getting fussy in her crib.

Liliana quickly picked her up and held her close as she soothed their daughter. Liliana did the same routine with Seraphina until she was sound asleep. After she laid Seraphina down in her crib, Cayden pulled Liliana into his arms. “You have no idea how happy I am right now,” he whispered.

Liliana smiled and snuggled into him. “I believe I do,” she whispered as she watched their twins sleep while Cayden held her close.

~ One Week Later ~

“I’m sorry, boss,” Martin said from where he stood by the door. “She’s safely within her territory, and Daedalus has every inch of it fully monitored and booby-trapped. So we can’t get to her,” he explained.

“Fuck!” Atlas roared as he completely flipped his desk over. “I can’t believe this happened.”

Martin was thoughtful as he took a step closer to the door. “There was no way that we could have known she had that gift,” he said quietly. “What should we do now?” He asked.

Atlas took several deep breaths as he looked out the window behind his desk. “There’s only one thing we can do,” he said with a cruel smirk. “We’re going to destroy them,” he turned to look at Martin. “Get the army ready. We’re going to war.”

Martin nodded and quickly left the office to get their army ready.

It had been two moth since they had their beautiful twins. Liliana had immediately jumped back into training to be prepared for the battle they all knew was coming. She trained and practiced as often as she could. Having twins was a bit of a handful, especially during such a horrifying time, but they had a lot of people willing to help them. Everything was working out, but she knew the battle would arrive sooner rather than later.

Liliana was in the gym, working with her short swords while the twins napped upstairs. She was training by herself, but Cayden walked in shortly after she had started. “Want a partner?” He asked with a smile.

Liliana grinned brightly. “Absolutely,” she gestured around the room. “Pick a weapon.”

Cayden chose his favorite long sword and handed her the one he had bought. She grinned as she slid her short swords into the sheaths at her hips. Liliana took the long sword from him and took a couple of steps away. She stood in the ready position and waited for him to make the first move.

They went back and forth, evading and meeting steel with steel until they heard a sharp cry through the baby monitor Liliana had made sure she had set up. Cayden chuckled. “It’s Seraphina,” he said softly.

Liliana giggled. “I love how easy it is to tell their cries apart,” she said as she shook her head and put her sword away. “I’ll grab her. She’s probably hungry,” she said as she wiped her face with a towel.

Cayden wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lips. “I’ll grab her. Knowing our luck, Ambrose isn’t far behind her.”

Liliana laughed. “Of course. He always wakes up when he hears her. So protective.”

Cayden nodded with a wide smile. “Let’s go get our babies.”

They went upstairs to take care of their twins.

They spent the rest of their day with their twins, taking the time to enjoy it before the final battle started.

He panted as he ran as fast as he could. But, first, he had to get to his alpha and luna. They had to know Atlas’s army was on the move. The war was coming straight for them.

When he reached their territory, he dodged the traps and ignored the security cameras as he raced to the alpha and Luna’s house. When he got there, he shifted to his human form and threw on a pair of shorts before banging on the door.

It took a couple of minutes, but Cayden finally answered the door and he did not look pleased. “What the hell are you doing banging on my door like that? We just got the twins down for their nap,” he growled.

The scout bowed his head in submission. “I’m sorry, Alpha, but this couldn’t wait.”

Cayden sighed heavily. “What is it, Scott?”

“Atlas’s army is on the way. They’re on the move and prepared to attack,” he explained.

Cayden swore as Liliana came down the stairs with a deep frown. “What the hell is going on?” She demanded. “You almost woke up, Seraphina.”

Cayden clicked his tongue. “Atlas is on his way with his army,” he said as he ran a hand through his hair.

Liliana froze in her tracks. “How large is his army?” She demanded in a startling, calm voice.

Scott shook his head. “From what I’ve seen, he has an army the same size as ours, but….” he trailed off as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“But what?” Liliana demanded.

Scott sighed heavily. “They have seven giants in their army,” he said after swallowing harshly.

Cayden cursed a bit loudly before looking at Liliana. She was standing completely still as if she were frozen in place. He rushed to her and gently placed his hands on her face. “My dove,” he whispered in concern. “Come back to me, my dove,” he whispered.

Liliana stared into his eyes as her eyes got misty with tears. “We don’t have enough power or soldiers to fight off seven giants,” she whispered.

Cayden shushed her and pulled her into his arms. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out,” he softly said as he ran his fingers through her hair. “Just take a few deep breaths for me and calm down.”

Liliana did as he asked and took several deep breaths before resting her forehead against his chest. “Alright,” she took another deep breath as she pulled away from him. She started pacing in front of him before she nodded to herself and stopped in front of him. “I need you to call your mom and have her come to help you with the twins. I’m going to talk with Artemis about this, and I’m not sure how long it will take,” she explained.

Cayden nodded and kissed her lips softly. “Go on. I’ll call my mom.”

Liliana kissed his lips before turning to Scott. “I need you to gather a few more scouts and keep an eye on Atlas’s progress. I don’t want us unprepared. We need to be ready when they get here. Don’t get too close, though. Atlas will show no mercy if he catches any of you.”

Scott bowed his head before leaving the house.

Liliana gave Cayden a slightly trembling smile. “I need you to go and speak with everyone. Then, have them start the preparations for battle. We don’t know how quickly Atlas and his army will travel.”

Cayden smiled slightly. “I see why you’re having me call my mom.”

Liliana roughly shoved her hair out of her face. “When I’m done speaking with Artemis I will start preparing the safe houses.”

Cayden kissed her temple. “We’ll be okay, dove,” he promised.

Liliana sighed as she kissed him. “I hope you’re right,” she whispered as she turned to go upstairs.