Page 173 of Wrath

It was a quick drive to Mali and Atta’s house. After their wedding a year prior, they purchased a house just down the street from us. It made sense for the two of them to remain close to the capital, especially with Atta’s position on the council.

The last two years had seen my mates traveling constantly. There was so much that had to be done in their individual kingdoms. Most days, half of my mates were gone, though they all returned before dusk fell.

That was a rule of our household—all of us had to be home before dark.

Today was different, though. None of my mates had gone out, and they had no intentions to.

It was our two-year anniversary,and we planned on celebrating.

Flutters exploded in my belly, and I found myself squirming in the passenger seat.

Since the twins had come along, it had been way too long since I’d been able to be with more than one of my mates at the same time. We needed today, especially since tomorrow was the little terrors’ birthday.

Mali and Atta’s cottage was half the size of ours, constructed out of red brick. It had a cute porch with a swing on it, and a perfectly manicured garden in the backyard.

Mali opened on the first knock, her smile widening when she caught sight of my babies.

“How are my favorite niece and nephew doing?” She immediately reached to take Avree from Bash, and the young girl went willingly, already rattling off a list of “requirements” she had for her stay here.

Diva.

Maxwell was a lot more reserved as he surveyed Mali from beneath his fringe of reddish-brown hair. Timidly, he lifted a hand to wave before instantly sucking on his thumb.

Lupe reached forward to extract his thumb from his mouth.

“No,” Lupe chastised softly.

We’d been trying to break that bad habit for months now.

“Atta! Mary-Lynette! They’re here!” Mali called, balancing Avree on her hip.

A blur of movement preceded Mary-Lynette’s arrival, the young girl’s face split into a huge grin. Maxwell immediately smiled and reached for her, straining in Devlin’s arms.

“Hi, baby boy!” Mary-Lynette said, grabbing Maxwell.

My baby giggled as she bounced him.

“Hey, guys!” Atta appeared behind the other two, wiping her hands on a rag. Her brown hair was brushed back into a messy ponytail, and she wore a pair of faded jeans and a sweater. The outfit looked so different from what she usually wore at the capital that I did a double take. “I just finished dinner. Mary-Lynette? Why don’t you help the two of them clean up?”

“Okay.” Mary-Lynette reached for Avree and then, balancing one child on either hip, headed in the direction of the bathroom.

Atta watched them go before refocusing on us. “You guys will be picking them up tomorrow morning, correct?”

“If that’s okay with you.” Dair handed her the backpack we always kept full of supplies for our children.

“Of course it is.” Atta smiled warmly. “You know I love the little terrors.”

“Mary-Lynette’s here,” I pointed out. “Does that mean Axel is too?”

Mali nodded. “Axel and HH. They’ve been…hitting it off.”

Her expression turned decidedly mischievous.

Years ago, HH had lost his mate—my best friend, Diego—and had been mourning him ever since. But I knew Diego, and he would want his lover to be happy.

But with Axel? I loved the shadow. I truly did, but he was a little…unhinged on a good day. I once caught him putting tiny hats on his weapons.

Mali leaned forward, keeping her voice low. “A couple of nights ago, Axel, Atta, and I went over to HH’s house. Atta and I left around eight, but Axel didn’t return home until the following morning.”

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