The Lycan Kingpin's Captive: A Baby For The Beast

I don’t know how long I’ve been laughing for, but I can no longer feel my cheeks. My sides ache from trying to breathe while laughing, one side of my face is smeared with frosting and the glitter bombs they shoot at me have my hair all tangled up.

Doubled over, full of cake, and laughing at Niko looking confused at the sight in front of him.

It’s the afternoon of the autumnal Equinox, and I along with the Pente brides have decided to get to know each other better. They’ve moved onto the pack lands and are staying in the mansion with us until they’re married to their partners.

Maxim still hasn’t returned after going out to look for his missing bride, but Niko doesn’t seem worried about it. Me, on the other hand, I am not sure if I’m worried about the bride or Maxim himself.

I get up and walk towards him, throwing my arms around his neck. “Hello, my love,” I greet him in a cheery voice. “I didn’t expect you back until later this evening.”

“The meetings wrapped up sooner than expected,” he says, frowning at the giggling women behind him. “Am I missing something?”

“Nope! We’re just getting to know each other better,” I say, turning back to look at them.

Just a few days ago they were terrified little lambs, now they’ve relaxed some. Well, I suppose the champagne is helping quite a bit.

“Hmm, well I’ll leave you to it; when you’re done, come to my office, I have something to show you,” he says and presses a kiss to my forehead before walking back to the mansion. “Enjoy, ladies.”

I watch as he walks away with a squeezing heart, then I turn back to women who have gone quiet. They look up at me expectantly, but I have no idea why until I sit down next to Gianna and she takes my hand in hers.

“Luna, how…” she starts, blushing. “How did you get someone as scary as the Alpha to fall in love with you?”

I blink and turn to look at their faces shining with the same curious look present on Gianna’s face. That question makes me think a bit, because there’s no way you can get Niko to do anything he doesn’t want to do.

“How did I get Niko to fall in love with me?” I sit back in the wrought-iron chair and cross my arms. “I don’t think I did anything of the sort.”

Eden rolls her eyes. “Yeah and my father isn’t a cold as fuck asshole who sells off his daughters,” she says, scoffing. “You’ve got the second most powerful Alpha wrapped around your little finger, Luna. Spill your secrets so we know what we need to do about our situations.”

I frown at this. “Situations? Are the Gammas-”

“Cold? Ignores us? Never talks? Yeah, pretty much,” Eden interjects, then she sighs. “We’ll be here for a while and know what’s expected of us. But…how do we do that when our husbands are literal walls of stone?”

Oh…The Gammas can be quite intimidating. I remember how much they scared me when I first met them in Sin City - I can’t imagine spending a lot of time with them. Then again, Niko was the same.

I look at each of their faces; Gianna with her kind blue eyes, Eden with the defiance lingering in her green ones, Noelle and Demi and their unreadable hazel color, and Alessia with her distant gray eyes.

These women will come to be my family soon; they’ll be the sisters I never had and since I am their Luna, I feel a responsibility to them.

Sighing, I offer them a small smile. “All I did was be myself; I did nothing different. I didn’t push, didn’t pry, didn’t force him to love me. One thing I did wrong was lying to him when I should have just told him the truth, and that was the worst mistake I ever made.” I say, cringing at the memory of running away from the pack house.

sits forward and narrows her eyes at me. “So, just be as we are? Nothing over the top to

the Gammas are battle ready and hardened from years of fighting. Alpha Nikolaos trained them and honed their skills to the best of his ability, so they’re always primed for war. The last thing they

never experienced true kindness; kindness that doesn’t hide ulterior motives. The only advice I can give you today is to not push

know if I’m getting through to them at all, but from the looks on their faces, I don’t think they expected this advice. But truth be told, there’s

in the slightest. The

the looks on their faces are all different. The determination to get through to their partners is there, but

is a good thing.

are full and hard, so that gives me all the indication that my son will be waking up soon. After I say goodbye, they still stay in the back garden to

arms and he’s already starting to get niggly. “He just woke up,” she says with a

only been a short while since I gave birth, but Ares

be a formidable Alpha like his

clean up and change into a fresh shirt and sports bra. Then

Ariadne as she settles into

dismissive noise and waves me away. “He’s my only great-grandchild; I would like to spend every

over to her and give her a hug. “Thank you,” is all I manage to say, but I am certain she knows how much I mean it. Grandmothers are a blessing; great-grandmothers are even more so.

out of the nursery towards Niko’s office. He mentioned needing to show me

I enter, a small smile tugging at his

lap. “I did; the brides wanted some

lifts and amusement fills those gorgeous green eyes. “Oh, did you? And what advice did you give them?” he asks as he leans back

them to just be themselves and not hide anything from their partners. The last thing they want is a war inside their

says, pressing his lips to mine in a chaste

right now. He reaches down and unlocks the bottom drawer of his desk, then hands me a

as he places the envelope

I take it from him and open it with shaky hands. That frown deepens when I pull out the official-looking papers and when I start to

thought it was fitting,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the side of my head.

I re-read the words in front of me; my name is Mia Ioannides, married to Nikolaos Ioannides since

your real father. Giovanni will not have a hold on you anymore, Mia, you’re finally free of him.” He whispers into my ear as my tears continue to

another kindness Niko has shown me. My life changed when I ran into him in that alley, and since

murmured past the tears. “Thank

given me a reason to breathe, kardia mou; this is the least I could do,” he says, stroking my hair as I continue to

face in his hands. “Let’s have dinner, then afterward I would like to fully appreciate my wife,” he

remember that we’re legally married now and a shy smile tugs at my lips. “I think I like that idea,” I say and I

***

Turning my head, I see Niko is still fast asleep and tiptoe to the bathroom to