It turns out, Tristan making me sleep was brilliant since it would be a while before we had such peaceful rest again.

The next morning, we lingered in bed making love many times over and drifting into naps between rounds. By six pm, we were well satiated in one way, but starving in another. We made our way to the King and Queen’s royal quarters.

We were led to their double door entrance by Mr. Madison and then left there to knock ourselves.

Alexandra opened the door, and she warmly invited us in.

As we followed her to the dining room, I took in the ornate and tasteful decor of the enormous apartment. It appeared that their quarters were large enough to fit our own home inside of it and then some.

The dining room was very welcoming with a fire burning in the hearth at one end and a long table with twenty chairs arranged around it.

There were already several people seated around the table and I paused in the doorway to ask, “I’m sorry for keeping everyone waiting, are we late?”

The King stood and came forward to take my hand, raising it to his lips for a quick kiss then replied, “Not at all my dear. We are only family tonight. Allow me to introduce everyone.”

The King led me by the hand to the head of the table so that I might see everyone’s faces. Tristan followed and stood beside me.

“Listen up you hooligans,” the King teased, “This is Alpha Tristan Martin and Luna Jane Martin of First Montana Pack back in the states. Luna Jane is your mother’s niece and therefore your cousin. Treat her better than you treat your other cousins, boys, or your mother will have your head.”

There was good natured groaning and chuckling around the table as the six male lycans around the table stood to their feet.

The largest of the six bowed his head slightly to me and introduced himself, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Jane, Alpha Tristan. I’m your eldest cousin, Alexander, but you can call me Xander. These five beasts, in order of birth are: Agron, Arduin, Alfonso, Atreus and Arthur.”

The five other princes bowed their heads in acknowledgment then smiled up at us in a friendly and open manner.

Before Tristan or I could say a word, a beautiful young lycan entered who appeared to be the youngest of the family and bore a strong resemblance to Queen Alexandra.

She surveyed the room upon entry and when her eyes fell on Tristan and me next to the king, her face lit up and she rushed forward to pull me into a warm hug then stepped back, grasping my hands in her own.

“Jane! I’ve been waiting all day to meet you, but Mother wouldn’t let me disturb you. I’m Atia, but you can call me Tia,” she smiled excitedly with bright eyes and much sincerity.

I finally found my voice and smiled back, “It’s a great honor and surprise to meet all of you. Tristan and I are grateful for the opportunity to get to know you better.”

Everyone responded with a mixture of smiles and grins and then began to chuckle as my stomach let out a loud grumble of hunger.

Alexandra’s musical laughter preceded her declaration, “Let’s all sit and feed this girl before she wastes away.”

The King pulled out the chair to his right near the head of the table and gestured for me to be seated, giving me the place of honor at his table. I sat down in awe of this arrangement as Alexandra came to Tristan’s side and then sliding her arm through the crook of his she led him to the foot of the table where she gave him the seat to the right of her, which was the second-best position at the table.

Tia sat to the left of her father and smiled warmly at me; clearly happy she would be able to converse with me throughout the meal. Next to me sat Xander and alternating sides down the table the rest of the boys were seated in order of birth.

Once the ladies were seated the King sat in his throne-like dining chair and then Tristan and his sons made themselves comfortable in their places.

She-wolves dressed in the same navy and gold uniforms as other palace staff, entered the room and placed plates of delectable looking dishes on top of the chargers in front of us. My mouth watered with hunger, but I waited for all of the dishes to be served and turned to look at Aunt Alex, knowing that no one was supposed to eat until the Queen took her first bite.

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She tore off a piece of her bread roll and placed it delicately in her mouth and then the males at the table began tearing into their food with enthusiasm.

It didn’t seem like we were going to be served a formal meal of several courses since on my plate was a large piece of beef smothered in a butter sauce along with asparagus, potatoes and a large roasted turkey leg. It was common for wolves to receive two kinds of meat with their meals since we required more protein than humans.

We were each given two large bread rolls on our bread plates and a generous serving of butter on a tiny plate next to that.

Everyone was eating comfortably and informally and that made me relax and cut a huge piece of the tender beef to thrust into my mouth. It was so tender and juicy it nearly melted in my mouth, and I moaned in delight.

Tristan was watching me and winked at me with a smile from down at the other end of the table.

Tia continued to smile at me as she ate and then suddenly said, “When are you due, Jane?”

I looked up at her, surprised, since we hadn’t told anyone yet that I was pregnant.

King Avalore chuckled at my expression and then explained, “Lycans can scent a pregnancy at conception.”

I nodded and smiled back at Tia, “I’m a little over two months along. So…four months to go.”

Typical she-wolf pregnancies lasted six months as opposed to the human length of nine months. This allowed them to have as many pups as possible during their childbearing years should they so desire.

Alexandra’s brow furrowed as she voiced her thoughts, “I hope this trial business is concluded well before then so you can return home before he arrives.”

King Avalore spoke to his wife in a warm and comforting tone, “I’m certain we can make sure of that, my love. Don’t worry overmuch. I won’t allow them to do anything extreme to our niece and her mate.”

“I know, Avi, but the Vampire Council will make demands. You know as well as I do that, they have a dark agenda that will be difficult to combat, legally speaking, that is.”

Aunt Alex looked at me, “Jane, I know you and Tristan did not bring Gabriel with you. I know, too, that you are keeping him safe. But have the two of you thought of a strategy for when they demand proof of life?”

I smiled at my aunt to try and ease her worries, “We have several witness testimonies as recent as three days ago that he lives. We have a notarized affidavit from Emma Jones testifying that he is in her care until he recovers and that he cannot be moved.”

Avalore smiled at me, “Those are a good start. Emma is well known to the Vampire Council and has actual medical training for vampires.”

Tristan looked up at the king, “Medical training for vampires?”

Avalore looked back to him and nodded, “Yes, vampire medical training focuses on circumstances which threaten the lives of vampires specifically and is something like medical emergency training for humans.”

“There are very few things that can harm vampires, but the medical training teaches treatment for UV wounds, healing stake wounds if they don’t actually pierce the heart and treating wolf venom bites. There are also courses on combatting magic used against vampires specifically.”

Nodding thoughtfully, I interjected, “I knew that Emma had some medical training I just didn’t realize it was specifically for vampires.”

Alexandra replied, “Emma is one of the most skilled doctors in the vampire world and has been offered many positions at educational institutions for vampires, but she wouldn’t leave Gabriel.”

Grinning at my aunt I revealed, “They’re going to get married when he wakes up.”

“Finally!” Alexandra shouted, startling her sons, who merely grumbled then continued eating on the second round of plates they were served.

Xander piped up, “I win! I called the year.”

Tia narrowed her eyes at him, “Wait just one minute, mister. They aren’t married yet and we don’t even know when he finally confessed and proposed. Those are all separate bets!”

I laughed, “It was about three weeks ago during the war. Gabriel had to be drained of blood because of the witch Abigail’s necromancy spell. Just before he submitted to the procedure he kissed Emma, confessed he’d loved her for centuries and asked her to marry him when he woke up. She said yes, of course.”

Tia grinned an almost wicked grin at Xander, “I won the bets on confession and proposal. You still don’t know when he will wake up and actually marry her.”

“I won first kiss!” Arthur exclaimed.

I started giggling and the royal family all smiled at me before Alexandra started laughing.

“It is a relief, after all, that they’re finally progressing,” Aunt Alex admitted.

I groaned, “You’re telling me. Tristan and I had to live with them for months watching them avoid the subject all together. It was practically torture!”

“How romantic!” Tia sighed.

We all burst into laughter again and settled into a comfortable silence as we finished the meal.

We spent a good two hours after dinner with the royal family in their great room learning more about them. It turned out that none of the princes and princesses had found their mates yet, even though they were all over 100 years old. Though not one of them looked a day over twenty-five.

It was commonplace for lycans to wait more than one hundred years for their mates since often they must wait for them to be born and reach the age of eighteen. Too, they had to travel to find them, and the royal offspring hadn’t all seen the entire world yet.

The conversation was pleasant and informative, and I enjoyed myself immensely. I truly felt a part of this family and marveled at the speed with which my family was growing.

I never would have believed the course of my life if someone had told me before I reached eighteen that it would be this way.

That night after Tristan made love to me again in our quarters, I sighed dreamily as my happiness bubbled over and warmed my mate’s heart, too.

We snuggled perfectly together and slept well, even if that sleep only lasted a couple of hours.