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  “The boys are in surgery; the girl was small but healthy. Don’t be surprised if they name her Asia,” he said.

  Jasmine smiled. “You can’t crash my “me break” like you did this one.”

  “Of course I can.”

  She leaned up and met his amused gaze. This was going to be good. “Why?”

  “We’re one. When you take a “me break” that includes me.” He winked.

  Chapter 15

  “Mistress! They are here!” Asia’s excitement was palpable and could be felt through their link.

  Jasmine smiled and got up from behind her desk headed for the door. “I’m on my way!”

  Jasmine had just entered the elevator and pressed the button for the upper floors and wings of the Compound when Silas contacted her. “Jasmine.”

  “I know Wolfie. I’m in the elevator and on my way.”

  “Good. Asia and Hawke have met them and are escorting the entire group to their suites. I’ve just arrived on their floor.”

  “Ok, almost there.”

  As the elevator went up towards the living areas, Jasmine had a moment to herself. She was excited to see their guests but was also a little worried as to how Asia would actually handle seeing the group - especially the newborn pups. While she’d been a lot better since Hawke’s surgery, there hadn’t been newborns around for her to interact with. This would be a good chance to monitor the situation.

  As the elevator doors opened, Jasmine’s breath caught in her throat as she looked into the eyes of her mate and smiled. “Umm. Such a nice view to walk out the elevator to.”

  Silas extended his arms which Jasmine readily walked into. They stood there with their arms around each other and their eyes closed for just a moment. “I just needed to touch you.”

  Jasmine smiled. “Touch away, Wolfie.”

  After a few moments, they stepped back from each other but continued holding hands as they walked toward Hawke and Asia’s suite.

  “I’m glad Hawke and Asia met with everyone first. They got a few minutes of privacy before the whole inner sanctum converges on them.”

  Silas kissed the back of the hand that he held. “I can’t complain too much about breaking protocol since it gave us a few minutes to ourselves.”

  Jasmine looked up at her mate. “A little extra bonus.”

  Silas gave her a quick kiss on the lips before they arrived at the door. He informed Hawke of their arrival. The door opened almost immediately.

  “La Patron, La Patroness. Thank you for coming.” Hawke gave a slight bow as Silas and Jasmine entered the room.

  “Thank you, Hawke. How are you feeling?” Jasmine asked.

  “I am doing well Sir, Ma’am. Thank you for asking.”

  “Of course. We’re so glad to hear that you are doing well,” Jasmine said, pleased to see him walking freely.

  Moving further into the room, Silas and Jasmine waved. “Good Morning everyone,” Silas said. Everyone stood at their arrival.

  Jasmine and Asia looked at each other. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m more than all right Mistress. I’m happy.” Hawke stood next to Asia.

  Jasmine winked at her friend, greeted Amynta, and Barticus and moved to see the babies.

  Silas and Barticus embraced. “Barticus! It’s great to see you my friend!”

  “And you Silas.”

  “Sarita will be sorry she missed this,” Jasmine said looking at Gem and the babies.

  “Yes Ma’am. We figured she’d see everyone after school was dismissed for the day.”

  Jasmine nodded and focused on Gem. “You gave us a scare. I’m glad everything worked out. How are you feeling?” She bent forward to peek at the babies.

  “I’m feeling good Ma’am. Especially now that we have these two with us. They were allowed to come home a few days ago.”

  “That is a blessing,” Jasmine said, looking at the two smaller babies. “And you Damian?”

  “Let’s say I’ve stopped shaking. It was scary, seeing all of that.” He placed a kiss on his child’s forehead. “In the end, it’s totally worth it, I’d do it again.”

  “Excuse you?” Gem said looking at him as if he’d spoken a foreign language.

  “Look how cute she is. Can you blame me?” he asked and kissed his daughter again.

  “When you can carry three pups in your belly then we can talk about back to back pregnancies. Until then, just tell the Goddess thank you for the ones we have.”

  “That’s very good to hear.” Jasmine looked at the three bassinets set up for the pups. “And just look at these sweet little ones! May I?”

  “Of course, Ma’am!” Gem said, moving to the side so Jasmine could pick up one of the boys.

  Damian added “We would be honored, Ma’am.”

  Jasmine picked up one of the babies as Silas and Barticus joined the rest of the group. “They are so tiny,” she whispered. “But fighters for sure. They’ll be KnightForce agents one day.”

  Damian’s chest expanded as he watched her hold his son. She turned to Silas and placed the child in his arms. He cupped the child’s head and held him close while Jasmine picked up the other one. “The Goddess has truly blessed you with these pups,” she said watching Barticus take the child from Damian.

  “May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours,” Barticus blessed the children. He placed a kiss on the child’s face. “And I’ll be here to make sure your path is easier to travel.”

  Damian and Gem looked at each other and smiled. “Thank you La Patron, La Patroness, Alpha Barticus and Lady Amynta. We appreciate that you took the time to come and see our litter,” Gem said in a grateful tone.

  Jasmine looked up from the little bundle in her arms. “Of course. We’re family.”

  Silas added “We’re pack.”

  Jasmine looked up at him. “Can’t we be both?”

  Smiling, Silas nodded. “Yes, you’re right. We’re both.”

  “There was a time I didn’t understand the difference between those concepts. But thanks to you and my Sire and Mam, I’m truly grateful to be considered both,” Damian said pulling Gem close and brushing a kiss against her forehead.

  “We consider you both,” Silas added turning to give the babe to Amynta.

  Damian bowed to Silas and took Gem’s hand.

  “Have you named them yet,” Jasmine asked.

  Damian and Gem looked at each other again. Damian cleared his throat. “Yes, we have named them.”

  “Finally! Neither one of them would tell us what they named the pups. They wanted to wait until we were all here together.” Amynta took a seat on the couch and Barticus gave Asia the child before standing behind his mate.

  Damian cleared his throat again.

  “We discussed names for the pups at length.” He took the baby boy from Jasmine and said “This little one was the first born. In deference to my Sire, we have named him Omari.”

  Damian walked over and gave Omari to Hawke who looked down at the baby cradled in his arms and smiled. “That is a good name.” Reluctantly he looked at Damian and Gem. “Thank you. I am honored.” Damian placed his hand on his sire’s shoulder for a moment and then turned and walked to Amynta who held his other son.

  “Our second son is again named after someone important in my life. His name is Gordon for the man who raised me.”

  Gordon had been a Liege member, no one found fault with Damian and Gem having named their son for the man who cared for him during his early years and equated to a second father.

  Damian cleared his throat a third time before proceeding. “Our daughter was the last to be born but turned out to be the strongest.” He looked across the room at Asia who held his baby girl in her arms.

  “You are one of the strongest people I know. Growing up, I heard count
less stories about you and your prowess. You were and are the best of the best. It’s no wonder I idolized you all of those years. And then, to find out you are my Mam, I was and still am, overjoyed and humbled. Not only because you embraced me and Sarita into your den with an open heart but also how you accepted your parents, bringing our family together.” He chuckled. “Of course, that was after you almost killed me but hey, these things happen.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Damian continued. “Most importantly, you are who you are and that makes my world better and brighter.” Tears rolled down Asia’s cheeks as Damian continued. “We want our daughter to be strong and loving just like you. However, you are unique, she can’t be you. We didn’t want to diminish that by naming her Asia and came up with an alternative.” He walked across the room and put an arm around his mam holding his daughter. “This one is curious, a fast learner, independent, intelligent, I’m thinking intuitive as well.” He looked at Asia. “So much like you and yet different. Gem’s Welsh roots kicked in and we named her Raven for keen wisdom and knowledge. And we needed to name our little princess after her Nana so we named her Raven Asia.”

  Asia looked from Raven to Damian and then Gem. “That’s a wonderful name. Thank you for the honor.” Damian kissed Asia on the cheek. By this time Amynta was teary eyed as well.

  Asia looked down at her granddaughter. “Raven Asia, Omari, and Gordon, you’ll each find your own way and not walk in anyone’s shadow.”

  Amynta placed Gordon back into his bassinet. “You did well in naming your pups. Each has someone special to trace their name back to.”

  Silas placed his arm around Jasmine’s waist, and told Damian. “There are a lot of people waiting to see you and celebrate your pups.”

  Chapter 16

  Hawke lay in bed thinking about the treatments he been taking. His promise to Asia to fix things for them to have a litter proved more of a challenge than he expected.

  The surgery had been painful and the healing slow because he couldn’t shift. He didn’t regret the procedure since it was the path to seeing his mate swell with his pups. That image remained in the forefront of his mind, firing his desire to make it a reality. He wanted to experience and do all the things he missed with Damian and Sarita. Eager to see Asia round with his child, he decided to talk with Matt about the next steps and when he could shift. The slow healing aggravated both him and his wolf.

  “Hawke?”

  “Matt I was thinking of contacting you.”

  “Can you come by my office this afternoon so I can watch you shift?”

  “Yes, I hope it speeds my healing.”

  “It should. I also want to give you another treatment. What time are you free?”

  “Any time’s good for me. Tell me when,” Hawke said hoping they could get this done soon.

  “I’ve got time now, come down,” Matt said.

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Asia, Matt contacted me and I am headed over to his office. Can you join me?”

  “I’m leaving Mistress’ office now and will meet you there. Is everything alright?” Her concern bled through their link.

  “He wants to check my progress and watch me shift. Hopefully shifting will speed the recovery, it’s taking too long. My beast is unhappy,” Hawke said with a trace of annoyance.

  Asia sent love and warmth through their link. When she met him at the Infirmary door, he opened his arms and she walked into his embrace.

  “Sorry for the bad mood this week. Hopefully this is the end of it,” he said. The sense of acceptance, love and family her arms provided humbled him. She raised her head from his chest as he lowered his head to kiss her.

  “Ummm, you taste so good. We better go inside before Matt comes out to see what’s taking us so long to open the door,” Hawke said.

  Inside, Matt stood near the door. “I was about to come check on you two,” he said. “Have a seat. We’ll go over everything before you shift. Afterward I’ll administer the next treatment. Alright?”

  “Yes.” Hawke said with feeling.

  After a few minutes of checking the stitches and discussing Hawke’s recovery and pain. “Okay, here comes the tricky part. I want you to shift. Explain to your wolf I’ll need to examine him so he shouldn’t attack me.”

  “My beast understands and has agreed not to attack you.” Hawked undressed and shifted. Hawke felt some tugging of his stitches as he shifted and his wolf yelped at the bite of pain that accompanied his shift. Suddenly warmth rolled down his back and stroked his wolf which caused the pain to recede. Goddess be blessed for his mate. She kept him anchored and calm during his recovery just as she was doing now.

  “Hawke, it’s fine and so are you. Let the pain wash over you. This is nothing compared to some of the things the Liege has put us through. We survived that and we can survive this too. I love you and am here for you.” Asia said through their link.

  Despite her words, Hawke sensed Asia’s anxiety over his surgery, recovery and now shift. In wolf form he couldn’t comfort her the way he would if human. The last thing he wanted was her beast to become agitated over his discomfort. Turning he faced her, and yipped. She kneeled in front of him and rubbed her face against his head.

  “I’m going to check him now,” Matt said.

  Asia stood and stepped aside.

  Hawke leapt onto the examining table and laid on his side. Asia walked over to him and stroked his massive head.

  Matt quickly, but efficiently examined Hawke’s stitches for a few moments before stepping back. “Okay Hawke, you can shift back now.”

  After shifting and getting dressed, Hawke linked hands with Asia as they sat in front of Matt's desk. “How does everything look Matt? I felt some tugging as I shifted and some pain as well.”

  “I’m very pleased with your healing and the stitches have begun to dissolve. Some of the tugging you are feeling is simply the skin regaining its elasticity. The pain is normal and should lessen as you continue to heal. Since you are now able to shift, the healing will accelerate and the tugging will dissipate. So now, we just need to collect a sample of semen from you to check your sperm count and then administer the next injection. Ready?” Matt asked looking at the couple.

  Hawke went into the bathroom and Asia sent him images of the two of them together. “My love, thank you for your … err, assistance. I wasn’t sure how I would be able to give Matt his sample,” Hawke said.

  Asia smiled and said “I suspected you the images were the easiest way to help. Do you think Matt will say we can begin trying to get pregnant now?”

  “I need you beneath me. Seven days is one hour too long.”

  “Same here but after all this, we need to follow the plan,” Asia said.

  “Agreed. We’ll ask after my injection. I’m headed out now.”

  “Was there any discomfort when you ejaculated?” Matt asked.

  Hawke thought about it for moment. “No. I didn’t feel any discomfort.”

  “I’ll check your sperm count and give you a call with the results by the end of the day. Do either one of you have any questions for me?” Matt asked.

  Hawke and Asia responded simultaneously “No.”

  “Ok, I’ll talk with you later.” Matt stood and walked them to the door.

  “We look forward to your call.” Hawke shook hands with Matt. Asia gave Matt a quick hug before they left the infirmary.

  Hawke kissed Asia. “Going back to work?”

  She nodded. “Mistress has a meeting with the Alpha wives in an hour and I’m helping coordinate.”

  He patted her ass. “I’ll head back home to wait for Matt’s call and will see you this evening.”

  Smiling, Asia turned towards the elevator. “Good news is on the horizon, I feel it. Tonight’s the night.”

  “I’ll be ready,” Hawke said walking in the opposite direction.

  Amynta called out to Asia through their link. “Asia, how are you? Do you have a few moments to talk?”

&
nbsp; Asia smiled and replied “Hi Mam! I’m doing well and I always have time for you. How are you? Sire?”

  “We’re fine. How are my grandbabies and great grandbabies?” Amynta asked.

  Asia didn’t go into the meeting with Matt, she’d wait until they got the report later today. “They are doing well. Damian sent us some pictures and from the looks of it Raven is a handful. She is ruling her brothers already.”

  “Wonderful. I enjoyed the time we spent with Damian, Gem and the babies. Being around them and you, helped in so many ways. I wanted to let you know that your Sire and I have been trying for a new litter and I think we’ve done it again.”

  Pleasure at her Mam’s fighting spirit rocked Asia. “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy you’re doing better. This time will be different.”

  “Thank you. We haven’t confirmed with Matt, yet but I knew you’d understand. I feel the time is right and this time everything will be fine. I told your Sire this morning and he was concerned at first. But I was able to calm and reassure him that I feel fine.” Amynta said.

  “I am so excited for you two. This time will be different, I can tell. I can’t wait. I hope you have two boys and two girls like Mistress.” Asia said excited. “I can’t wait to tell Hawke. Oh my, Sarita and Damian will be beside themselves when I tell them they are going to be getting aunts and uncles. I am beyond thrilled Mam!!”

  “I can tell my sweet daughter. You’re going to be so wonderful with them too. These pups are going to be so spoiled.” Amynta ended with a chuckle. Asia waited for her Mam to say something more but only received silence.

  “Mam? Mam? What’s going on? You’ve gotten quiet on me.” Asia asked.

  Asia heard her mother clearing her throat and felt her emotion heighten through their link. “Sweetie, your father cancelled the rest of his meetings and has come home early to ensure his seed took root. I will talk with you later. Or rather in a day or two. Bye dear … and … give, give … my love to Hawke and ... Sarita. I need to go. Love you baby.”

  Asia disconnected from her mother and chuckled. Things were getting better. She hoped the Goddess blessed Mam and Sire with a healthy litter this time and that She allowed her and Hawke to have additions to their den soon as well. Yes, life was definitely looking better.