Juliet

The cottage had become Juliet's sanctuary over the past four months.

What started as a temporary hideout had slowly turned into something else.

It was modest and hidden deep within the forest, far from roads, cell towers, and questions.

No neighbors. No surveillance. Just trees, quiet, and the steady pulse of life growing inside her.

The living room now held four handcrafted cribs, lined up neatly against the far wall.

They didn't match perfectly. One leaned slightly, another had uneven slats. Still, each one had been sanded smooth, brushed with oil, and painted with care.

Books about multiple births and werewolf pup care were stacked across every surface.

Their pages were creased, underlined, and tagged with color-coded sticky notes.

Juliet had studied them the way she once studied blood pathologies and toxin interactions. Her mind hadn't changed. Only the subject mattered now.

At nearly six months along, Juliet's belly had grown enormous-larger than most full-term human pregnancies.

Lucy had joked she looked like she was smuggling a small pack of wolves.

Which, in a way, she was.

"You look ready to pop," Lucy said as she stepped into the cabin, setting her worn leather medical bag on the kitchen table.

"How are you feeling today? "

Juliet shifted on the couch, trying to find a position that didn't press a foot into her ribs.

"Like I swallowed four Alpha-born cubs who've just discovered kickboxing," she muttered, wincing as another jab landed hard beneath her sternum.

"Is it normal to feel like they're staging a coup? "

Lucy laughed, already pulling out her stethoscope.

"Four pups with Alpha blood and a rogue mother? I'd be worried if they weren't giving you hell."

She knelt beside the couch and pressed the stethoscope to Juliet's abdomen, moving slowly and carefully.

Her face went serious for a moment. Then she smiled.

"All strong heartbeats. All four are doing well."

Relief washed over Juliet like a warm tide.

Every check-up, every steady heartbeat, felt like a small rebellion against fate.

"We need to talk about delivery," Lucy said, putting the stethoscope away, her tone sobering.

"Quad births are risky for werewolves. With your rogue status and no pack healer, we're on our own."

Juliet nodded. They'd had this conversation before.

Hospitals were out of the question-too many records, too many questions, and too many eyes that might trace her back to the Blairs or the Waltons.

Pack healers were worse.

They answered to Alphas. And Juliet couldn't afford to be found.

"I've been looking into home births," she said, gesturing to the high stack of books beside her.

"I've got everything you asked for. The herbs, the supplies... even backup clean towels."

Lucy glanced around the room and nodded with approval.

"I've filed for a leave starting next week. I'll stay here until they arrive."

She reached out and gave Juliet's hand a squeeze.

"You won't go through this alone."

The words hit Juliet harder than she expected.

After months of silence, secrecy, and survival, the promise of company felt like a lifeline.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Don't thank me yet," Lucy said with a crooked grin.

"You might start cursing my name once the first head crowns."

Juliet laughed softly, then winced again as another pup kicked.

-

Two weeks later, Juliet woke in the middle of the night.

Pain slammed into her like a freight train, sharp and deep, stealing the air from her lungs.

She gasped and clutched at the sheets.

A warm wetness spread beneath her.

"Lucy !" she cried, voice tight and cracking. "It's time !"

Lucy appeared in the doorway seconds later.

Her hair was tousled from sleep, but her eyes were alert.

"Let's get you to the birthing room."

They had turned the small guest room into a makeshift delivery suite.

It was stocked with clean towels, medical supplies, and every emergency tool Lucy could smuggle out of her clinic.

She slipped an arm around Juliet's waist and helped her across the hall.

Juliet staggered, bent over as another contraction hit like a punch to the spine.

"That was fast," Lucy muttered, worry creeping into her voice.

She crouched to check Juliet's dilation.

Her eyes widened.

"You're progressing faster than expected."

Juliet's breaths came in quick, shallow pants. "Is that... bad? "

"Not necessarily," Lucy said, though her tight jaw told a different story.

"Werewolf births can move fast. Especially for Omegas. Especially with Alpha blood involved."

The next few hours passed in haze and heat.

Sweat clung to Juliet's skin.

She gripped the sheets until her knuckles turned white.

Lucy moved like a storm in control-quick, calm, exact.

"I can see the first crown !" she called out.

"Push, Jules !"

Juliet obeyed.

A raw scream ripped from her throat as she bore down, her entire body shaking.

Then it came.

A sharp, piercing cry filled the air.

High-pitched. Alive. Furious.

"It's a boy !" Lucy announced, beaming.

She wrapped the tiny, wriggling pup in a clean blanket and laid him on Juliet's chest.

Juliet sobbed.

Her arms trembled as she held him.

He was so small, but strong.

A shock of brown hair crowned his head.

His eyes opened briefly, bright gold, clear and fierce.

His lungs already worked like they belonged to a born Alpha.

Joy burned through her exhaustion like fire through dry grass.

But there was no time to rest.

Another contraction rolled through her like a wave of fire.

"This is just the beginning," Lucy said, voice steady.

She placed the baby in the waiting bassinet and turned back to her.

"Three more to go. You've got this."

Juliet braced herself.

Her muscles tensed.

Her jaw set.

Then a noise outside.

A slam.Car doors.Voices.

Her blood turned to ice.She met Lucy's eyes.They didn't speak.

Someone had found them.

Lucy's head snapped up, eyes narrowing, her whole body going deadly still.

"Stay here," she said, voice low and tight.

She stripped off her gloves and tossed them aside before striding out of the room, her footsteps sharp and purposeful as they echoed down the hallway. Juliet lay frozen on the bed, every muscle locked in place, her breath coming in shallow gasps while her ears strained to catch every sound. Her heart pounded like a war drum, and pain coiled low in her belly, building like a storm that threatened to tear her apart.

The front door creaked open with an ominous groan.

Lucy's voice rang out from the entrance, firm and clipped, edged with the kind of urgency that made Juliet's blood run cold. "This is private property. You need to leave. Now."

Then came another voice-a voice Juliet hadn't heard in months, a voice she had desperately hoped never to hear again cutting through the night air like a blade.

"Where is she, Dr. Carter? "

Cool. Controlled. Venomous.

"We know she's here."

Sofia Walton.

Juliet's heart plummeted straight into her stomach as terror slammed into her chest like a freight train. Her hands twisted into the sheets until her knuckles went white, and her throat went bone dry as panic clawed its way up from her chest.

How had they found her? It was impossible-she'd been so careful, so hidden, completely off the grid for months.

Lucy's voice came again, steel-hard now and unwavering in its determination. "There's no one here but me. This is my personal residence, and you're trespassing. Leave before I call the police."

Sofia barely paused, her response cutting through Lucy's words like they meant nothing at all.

"Don't try to play games with me," she snapped, each word dripping with malice. "We know the little whore is here."

Another contraction ripped through Juliet's body with vicious intensity, making her back arch off the bed. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she bit down on her knuckles hard enough to break skin, tasting copper as she fought to stay completely silent.

Then a soft whimper echoed from the bassinet.

Sofia's voice turned knife-sharp with sudden interest. "Was that a baby? "

Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway, getting closer with each passing second, and Juliet's lungs seized as panic surged through her veins like wildfire. They were coming for her-Sofia would find her helpless and in labor, would find her baby, would drag them both back to hell where they'd never escape again.

*No.*

The word wasn't hers but came from somewhere primal and fierce, somewhere deep inside where Rosie had been waiting.

*Run.*

Another contraction hit, but this one was different-raw power rushed through her limbs like electricity. Her fingers trembled as her skin felt electric and alive, her spine arching as her breath came in sharp, desperate gasps that seemed to fill the entire room.

Her bones began to shift as Rosie took control.

"No," Juliet gasped, cradling her swollen stomach protectively. "The babies... they're not ready..."

*Trust me,* Rosie growled with fierce determination. *I will protect our pups.*

The shift came like a lightning strike, violent and unstoppable. Bones cracked and reformed while muscles stretched and rebuilt themselves, skin tearing and reconstructing in a transformation that should have been impossible in her condition.

By the time the door burst open with explosive force, the bed was empty except for blood-slicked sheets and haunting silence.

The window hung open to the night, curtains snapping in the cold air like battle flags announcing a war that had already begun. Outside, a wolf with piercing blue eyes melted into the trees, her shape disappearing into shadows while her belly remained heavy with unborn life.

Agony tore through every nerve in Juliet's body as Rosie ran through the darkness, each stride sending shockwaves of pain that threatened to tear them both apart. Juliet floated inside the wolf's consciousness, feeling every jarring impact but powerless to stop the desperate flight that carried them away from danger.

Her mind drifted in and out of awareness while her bones jarred with each stride, as if they belonged to someone else entirely.

Rosie moved with desperate purpose through the night, running through blood and paralyzing fear without stopping, without slowing, not until they reached the one place that might truly be safe. She was heading for the storm cellar behind Lucy's clinic-the only place Sofia would never think to look, hidden behind a sagging shed and a fence that leaned like it had given up, half-buried in ivy and the kind of shadows that devoured secrets.

With every pounding step, Juliet felt herself fading as her mind dimmed like dying embers, while Rosie surged forward with crystal-clear determination.

*Hold on, *Rosie whispered urgently.* Almost safe.*

The rusted doors groaned as she shoved them open with her snout, padding down into the consuming darkness of their childhood refuge. The air inside was cool and dry, heavy with dust and damp wood and bleach.

Rosie circled once, then collapsed in complete exhaustion, releasing her hold on Juliet's body.

The shift back came agonizingly slow this time, and Juliet gasped as her human form returned, slick with sweat and trembling while her belly contracted violently. Another wave of pain slammed through her with merciless intensity, and the second pup slid into the world with a sharp cry that echoed off the stone walls.

A boy, smaller than the first but breathing strong and determined. He had a head full of black hair and eyes the color of tempest-dark ocean-deep, sharp, unmistakably blue.

Minutes later, the third came in a rush of fluid and relief-another boy crowned with chestnut hair that gleamed even in the dim light. When his eyes opened, they gleamed gold like captured sunlight, bright and wild and fierce with newborn fury.

Then the fourth and final pup arrived with quiet determination. Black hair again, and the same piercing blue eyes as her second brother, but this one was a girl-tiny and absolutely fierce, her cry softer than the boys' but equally demanding of attention and love.

Juliet lay motionless on the cold stone floor, arms trembling as her heart raced with exhaustion and overwhelming emotion. The world had narrowed to four perfect, fragile cries that filled the darkness with new life, and she should have felt overwhelming relief that they were all safe and breathing.

But something was wrong-deep in her soul, she felt it.

Not pain from the birth, not blood loss from the trauma, but something fundamental unraveling inside her chest, dissolving like sugar in rain.

*Juliet, *Rosie whispered with infinite sadness. *I can't stay.*

Terror cut through her like a blade, sharp and cold and final.

"No. Please. Don't leave me alone with them."

*I have to,* Rosie said with gentle finality, her voice already growing distant.* The shift shattered something inside us that can't be repaired, but the pups are here and they're safe, and that's what matters now.*

Rosie's voice was fading with every word, becoming nothing more than whispers on the wind.

*Juliet,you are everything they need and more. You always were stronger than you knew. Love them, keep them safe-that's your destiny now, and it's more important than anything else in this world.*

Juliet gasped as her chest heaved with emotion, her limbs shaking uncontrollably while she gathered the pups to her chest one by one. Their hearts fluttered against her ribs like four precious, synchronized clocks marking time in their new world-alive and real and completely hers to protect.

Tears streamed down her face, her wolf was gone, leaving behind only the faintest whisper of love.

*Juliet,I love you. I love our pups.*

Then-emptiness so complete it took her breath away.

The bond was severed forever, and Juliet didn't scream or fight against the inevitable. Her body surrendered before her mind could fully process what had happened, and she collapsed beside her pups with her arms still protectively wrapped around their tiny forms.

Her eyes closed as her breathing became barely perceptible, and then merciful darkness claimed her, carrying her away from pain and loss into dreams where Rosie still ran free through endless forests under starlit skies.

Author

When Juliet's consciousness finally returned, it came in fragments-first sound, then sensation, and finally sight. The steady beep of monitors. The cool press of sheets against her skin. The antiseptic smell that could only mean one thing: safety.

Lucy's private clinic.

She blinked slowly as the world came into focus. White walls. Soft light filtering through partially drawn blinds. And next to her, three tiny bundles nestled in a portable bassinet.

"They're beautiful, aren't they? " Lucy's voice came from the doorway.

Juliet tried to sit up, wincing as pain shot through her abdomen. Her hand instinctively went to her belly-flat now where it had been swollen for months. The phantom weight of her pregnancy still pulled at her muscles, her body not yet understanding what her mind already knew.

"My babies," she whispered, throat raw.

Lucy moved closer, adjusting Juliet's pillows so she could sit up.

"Three healthy pups. Two boys and a girl. All strong. All fighters. Just like their mother."

Juliet's eyes darted around the room, counting again. Three. Not four.

"Where..." The question died in her throat as memories crashed back-the cottage, the labor, Sofia's voice, the desperate flight into the woods. "The first one. My firstborn."

Lucy's face tightened. She sat on the edge of the bed, taking Juliet's hand in hers. "Sofia found him in the cottage. They took him. I'm so sorry, Juliet."

The pain that tore through Juliet then was worse than labor-raw, primal, and complete. Her wolf should have howled, should have risen to fight. But there was nothing. Just emptiness where Rosie had been.

"We have to get him back," Juliet said, already trying to swing her legs over the side of the bed. "We have to..."

Lucy's grip tightened. "Juliet, stop. You almost died. The trauma of the shift during labor, losing Rosie... your body is barely holding on."

"I don't care !" Juliet snarled, surprising herself with the ferocity in her voice. "That's my son ! My firstborn !"

"And if you go after him now, you'll lose these three too," Lucy said firmly, gesturing to the sleeping infants. "The Waltons are expecting you to come for him. Sofia will have guards, trackers-the full resources of the Frostfang Pack waiting. It would be a suicide mission. And without your wolf..."

The truth hit Juliet like a physical blow. Without Rosie, she was just a human. Weaker. Slower. An easy target.

Lucy's voice softened. "They won't hurt him. That baby has Blair blood-Alpha blood. Sofia will likely take him straight to Alpha Kaius."

Juliet slumped back against the pillows, the fight draining out of her as quickly as it had come, leaving only a bitter ash in her mouth.

She stared up at the ceiling, the silence in the room heavy and suffocating.

"So that's it then," she laughed, a brittle, broken sound that cracked in the quiet room. "My son's only shield is the very blood that made us targets in the first place."

She turned her head, looking at the wall with hollow eyes. "He's safe not because he's mine, but because he's his. I have to trust the monster to protect my child. God, what a cruel joke."

Lucy didn't deny it. There was no comfort to offer that wouldn't feel like a lie.

Instead, she moved to the bassinet and gently lifted the smallest bundle. "Would you like to hold your daughter? "

The baby was impossibly light in Juliet's arms, wrapped in a soft white blanket. When she opened her eyes, they were the same piercing blue that Juliet saw in her own reflection. A shock of black hair crowned her tiny head.

"There's something else you should know," Lucy said quietly, watching Juliet's face. "All three of them... they're scentless."

Juliet's breath caught. That kind of trait was rare.

"Is it because of the shift? " she asked.

Lucy nodded. "That, and the trauma. Their bodies adapted in utero. It's like their wolves learned to hide before they were even born."

Juliet looked down at the baby in her arms, a strange mix of awe and guilt pooling in her chest.

No scent meant safety. No trail to follow. A gift born of chaos.

"They need names," Lucy said gently. "All three of them."

Juliet looked at the third -born, who lay sleeping peacefully.

With his brown hair and golden eyes that had briefly opened during his first feeding, he was the image of his firstborn brother-the one now lost to her.

"Leo," she whispered, stroking his cheek with a trembling finger. "He looks so much like him... we'll call him Leo."

Juliet looked at the second child, another boy, with deep black hair that reminded her of his father. His eyes were as blue and endless as the sea.

"Milo," she said softly, brushing a thumb over his tiny fist.

And finally, she looked down at the daughter cradled in her arms. "Elena. Her name is Elena."

Tears streamed down Juliet's face as she gazed at her children-three beautiful miracles, and the hollow space where a fourth should have been.

"We'll get him back," she promised, her voice cracking under the weight of a vow she wasn't sure she could keep. "Someday. When we have the leverage. When we aren't running for our lives."

Lucy nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. They both knew the grim calculus.

The Blackwood pack wasn't just a pack; it was a dynasty, an empire with tentacles in every boardroom and back alley across the East Coast.

Alpha Kaius's resources were practically infinite.

The chances of reclaiming a child from them-especially one with Alpha blood-were statistically zero. It would be like trying to steal a cub from a lion's den while wearing a steak necklace.

After a long silence, Lucy pulled a thick manila envelope from her bag and slid it across the bedside table. It hit the surface with a heavy thud.

"These are for you," she said, flipping it open to reveal a passport, a crisp new driver's license, and a stack of notarized documents. "Austin Voss. Widow, freelance graphic designer, seeking a fresh start. I've booked you on a red-eye to London leaving tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow? " Juliet looked up sharply, wincing as the sudden movement pulled at her stitches. "We don't have time," Lucy cut in, her eyes hard. "Sofia knows I helped you. She's not stupid, and she's relentless. It won't take her long to sniff out the trail leading here. You need to be gone before her enforcers kick down my front door."

"There's fifty thousand in the account I've set up," Lucy continued. "It's routed through a shell company, completely clean. It's not a fortune, but it should get you established somewhere safe."

"And what about you? " Juliet asked, suddenly realizing what her friend was risking. "When they come looking..."

"I'll be fine," Lucy said with a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes, smoothing out her skirt as if preparing for an interrogation.

"I've already prepared my story. Hippocratic Oath. You showed up bleeding, I treated you as any doctor would, and you left against medical advice. Without a warrant or proof, they can't touch me. It's a free country, mostly."

Juliet didn't believe her, but she nodded anyway.

Arguing would only waste precious time.

"I need to feed them," she said instead, looking down at Elena who had begun to stir and whimper. "And then I need to learn how to be Austin Voss."

As she settled the baby at her breast, Juliet made a silent vow. She would survive. She would protect these three children with everything she had.

And somehow, someday, she would find a way back to her firstborn.

The woman who walked through the international terminal the next evening bore little resemblance to the trembling Omega who had fled into the night.

Her golden hair was now chestnut brown, dyed in the clinic sink and cut short in a practical bob.

Oversized designer sunglasses hid her distinctive blue eyes.

Three sleeping infants were secured in a high-end travel system, their papers identifying them as the children of Austin Voss.