Chapter One

Serin watched the rope

tie itself, pulling the boat snugly against the dock. "You are

getting good at that."

"I get to

practice here. Not a lot of prying eyes." Jane's voice was soft,

and she cradled her toddler with care.

Belle smiled.

"I am going to head to my hotel room. Thanks for the ride,

ladies."

Serin and Jane

smiled as they left the boat. "It was our pleasure."

Belle nodded

and headed off into the darkness, fading as if she hadn't been

there at all.

Serin smiled.

"That's new. Come on. Let's get back to my place and get Terro

settled in."

They walked

across the dock and through the port. They nodded to the guards who

had recently been employed at the dock.

One of the men

came forward. "Miss Serin, can I walk you to your home? There has

been a kidnapping this week."

"Certainly,

Kidon. Thank you."

Kidon looked at

the child. "Would you like me to carry him?"

"No, thank you.

He's comfortable with me. I haul him around a lot." Jane

chuckled.

Kidon nodded.

"You are staying in the village?"

Serin smiled.

"The new build near the palace."

"Right. We

should get walking then."

Jane started

walking and heading toward the path that bypassed the village and

headed into the hills. Every day as a mom was leg day. Serin

followed her friend with a smile.

They walked the

mile and a half up to the town and then headed down the path to the

new build.

Serin opened

the door and sighed. "There isn't much furnishing yet, but it's

warm and dry and free."

"Three words I

love. Can I make it cozy?"

"Please."

Jane shifted

her son, lifted one hand gracefully, and then flexed her hand, and

the room had low chairs next to low tables and rolls of bedding and

cushions. Another flick of her fingers and the rolls became beds

with pillows and light sheets.

Serin grinned.

"So, who do I owe?"

"The shop in

the town. The one with the carved fish on the door."

"Right. I will

pay them tomorrow morning."

"Great. Did you

want some nightwear?"

"A loose gown

would be great for the sake of sharing a room here."

Another flick

and everyone was ready for bed.

"You change his

diapers like that?"

Jane grinned

and settled on her bed. "Wouldn't you? I have diapers in my room in

the village. I am probably freaking out housekeeping."

"You were here

on business."

"I never

travel without diapers," Jane murmured as she settled with her son

draped over her. "I will have to get some for him in the

morning."

"We will take

care of your boy."

"Good. His

babysitter freaked a little when I called her and told her I was

bringing him to the islands without a travel visa." She smiled. "If

they deport him, I go with him."

"Your partner

won't like that."

"He isn't my

partner. He was my breeder. Now, we have a son. So, that is

something that needs to be discussed." Jane yawned and ended up

with a toddler hand in her mouth. She sighed and pulled it down.

"This is going to be fun."

Serin laughed,

and they settled down to sleep.

A small finger

poked her nose, and when Serin opened her eyes, a bright smile in a

baby-toothed mouth was close to her. "Oh, morning, Terro."

"Yay!" He stood

and waddled off to his mom. "Mama!"

Jane sat up and

pushed her hair out of her face. "Hey, baby. Are you an early

riser?"

He crawled onto

her lap and hugged her. "Food, Mama."

"Oh, right. We

need to feed you. I forgot that I need to feed you every day." Jane

tickled him, and he shrieked and giggled.

Serin contacted

the palace and asked a question. "I have a guest. Can I bring her

for breakfast? Oh, and her son."

The husky voice

on the other end said, " Of course. We will be down

shortly. "

Serin grinned

as she hung up.

Jane snapped

her fingers, and they were all dressed in island casual.

They walked out

and down the path, which showed a lot of activity. Jane held her

son's hand, and he grabbed Serin's as they walked toward the

palace. Serin's heart melted at the feeling of those little fingers

curled against hers.

The palace's

main room was open to the breezes, and the housekeeper came forward

and gasped at the sight of Terro.

There were two

panther kittens wrestling in a corner, and Terro let out an excited

"Oooohhh" as he let go of the adults and ran for the kitty

cats.

Serin watched

Jane flex her shoulders as she muttered, "Game on."

Terro moved to

the kittens, and he crouched near them. The kittens untangled, and

Jane went over to supervise.

Serin looked at

Kekoa as he came downstairs and spoke to the housekeeper. The woman

tore her gaze away from the toddler and headed into the

kitchen.

Kekoa smiled.

"Morning, Serin. You look happy."

"It is very

good to be home. I went to a bonding ceremony last night, and the

celebration was such a wonderful experience."

There was a

child's giggle from the corner, and Serin turned and saw Jane

sitting with Terro on her lap, and the adolescent kittens were

trying to get on as well.

Kekoa blinked.

"He's a toddler."

Serin smiled.

"He is. He was born in the city."

Jane looked up.

"This is Terro. Terro, this is King Kekoa."

Terro looked up

and stared at the tall alpha. Kekoa looked at his face and said,

"His eye marks..."

Serin smiled.

"They met his father last night. He came to the party at

Ligo's."

"How did she

not know who he was?" Kekoa murmured.

Jane spoke,

"Because I had a flash heat, he had a flash rut, and my adaptation

got me to a comfortable place across the city as soon as it was

over. We were both travelling for work and hadn't even exchanged

names."

Kekoa looked at

Serin. "Oh. That would do it."

Terro laughed

and played with the kitties, and they were remarkably resilient to

the little human that was playing with them.

One of the

kittens broke free and galloped over to Kekoa. Terro got up and

followed.

Jane got up,

Serin sat near one of the tables, and Jane sat next to her. The

kitten and the toddler were playing tag around the king's legs.

There was

giggling, and Serin smirked at Kekoa's enthralled expression.

"He's so fast,"

Kekoa wondered.

The housekeeper

arrived with another woman carrying a second tray. Kekoa warily

timed it to step out of the chase circle and had a seat across the

table from the ladies.

Jane said

softly, "Terro, come and have breakfast. They got you a

banana."

He scrambled to

his mother and opened his mouth. She snorted and broke off a piece

of banana before breaking the rest into suitable pieces. She fed

him the first piece and then said, "Now, feed yourself."

There was

oatmeal and fruit and eggs. Jane got herself some food while Serin

watched, but then, the funniest thing happened. Terro started to

feed his mom chunks of banana.

Kekoa laughed

at Jane's expression. "He has no concept of pacing."

Serin smiled.

"He did this yesterday with shredded pork. Jane wore more than got

in her mouth."

Jane chuckled

and turned the tables with the food, getting some of the oatmeal

into Terro's mouth.

Serin ate, and

Kekoa stared at the toddler. "I had forgotten what they looked like

at that age."

"I am sorry

about the situation, and I am ready to get things back on track so

the island can flourish again. Several of my friends are carrying,

and I need to get them to term."

"You don't have

to beat them there?"

"To delivery?

No. I just need to find a mate. A good mate. A trustworthy mate.

Has anyone seen Ulo?"

"No. We have

started looking. The island doesn't feel him on it."

Serin lifted

her head. "He's here."

"Where?"

"In the jungle

near the town. I think he is heading for my new house. He feels odd

though."

"Odd, how?"

"I don't know.

He's like a moving tree."

"Do you want to

go speak to him?"

Serin sighed.

"I think we should have it out."

"I can

entertain your friend and her child. The others will be down

soon."

Serin grinned.

"I can take a hint. I will return when this is done."

She grabbed a

handful of fruit and nodded to Jane. "I will be nearby if you need

me."

"Same here."

She would have spoken more, but a little hand was stuffed into her

mouth.

Serin laughed

and left the palace with her friend and her son safe. She needed

them to be safe.

Serin walked

along and let the greenery reach out to touch her. She didn't want

to freak out Jane or distract Terro. The little guy was clever and

would probably mimic what he saw.

She could feel

every tree and every leaf around her home, and when she searched

for Ulo, she found him in the garden.

"Ulo, what are

you doing here?" Serin walked into the light and stared at his

broad back.

He turned

toward her, and his eyes were green, solid green. "I have missed

you."

"I don't know

you."

"You may call

me Alar. I am your other half."

"Why are you

wearing an Ulo suit?"

He touched his

torso. "You once found the body pleasing, so I put myself into it.

You don't find him attractive?"

"Uh, his

actions destroyed the new life inside me. I do not find him

attractive."

A vine wrapped

around her wrist, and he straightened and nodded. "Right. I will

find one that you want to mate with. Just a moment."

Ulo collapsed

and was completely motionless.

She could see

him breathing shallowly and went to get a cup of water. She threw

the water into his face and said, "Get up."

"What did you

do to me?" He groaned and rubbed his head.

"Nothing.

Absolutely nothing. A forest elemental took you over because I used

to find you attractive. He is out getting another body for me right

now so that I don't have flashes of anger and disgust when I look

at him."

Ulo sat up.

"Serin, was what I did so bad?"

"You betrayed

me, and in withdrawing from our link, you killed our child. Yes,

what you did was bad. I was set to be the life of the island, and

you killed it. There have been no children born here in the last

five years. That is all on you." She looked at him. "You sterilized

the Wonder Islands."

Ulo shook his

head. "No. I heard you had a child with you."

"My friend

Jane? She lives in the city. Her son has a father. And if you take

one step toward her son, she will destroy you. She's a very

protective mother."

He blinked.

"So, you aren't lying. We had a child?"

"Yes. I was not

particularly fond of the conception, but it had begun."

"How did it

die?"

"The link died,

and my body wasn't able to pull enough energy to support the

exponential growth, so it left. That is why you rarely see women

alone with an alpha's baby. When it is us or them, our bodies

choose us. With a mate, I would have been able to pull energy from

you, and our little one would be close to five by now." Serin

stared at him. "But you had to dive into my sister. You had to

betray me and betray our connection. It was not a great time in my

life." She inhaled and felt the warm scents of the fruit and

flowers that lined her garden. "But I am here to start over. Start

new. Find a mate."

He stood up. "I

can be your mate."

He reached for

her, and what happened next was so fast, she blinked. Vines shot

past her on all sides. They wrapped around Ulo and squeezed.

Serin turned

and saw a familiar face. "Deno?"

He smiled, and

his eyes flickered green. "The spirit of the island asked me a

question, and I said yes."

Serin looked at

the stuntman who had attended any number of video shoots. "Why are

you even here?"

"Ford sent

scouts for the next Alphas versus Betas. Someone put the bug in his

ear that it should be held on the water."

"So, where is

the green guy?"

"Oh, he's in

here. He said he searched your memories, and you had a favourable

reaction to me." Deno smiled. "The reaction was mutual."

There were

choked sounds coming from Ulo.

"The spirit

regrets that he chose Ulo the first time. You thought he was pretty

at the time."

She snorted. "I

was a teenager. I thought that superheroes were pretty. It didn't

mean that I wanted one for life."

He glanced over

toward Ulo. "He does have that swoopy hair and chiselled jaw."

"And noodle

spine and soul of a mirror." Serin sighed. "I grew up, and so did

my taste in men."

"Pain is a hard

teacher." Deno looked concerned. "Are you all right?"

She looked at

his genuinely concerned face, and it was something that no male of

her acquaintance had asked her. She smiled, and tears tracked down

her cheeks. "I will be."

He walked to

her and offered a hug. She held onto him and just let herself

acknowledge the pain, saying it was different from feeling it. She

had said it a dozen times over the last few years. She finally let

herself feel it.

A soft rain

broke over the island, and flowers that hadn't bloomed in years

slowly opened in every nook and cranny of the land.

Deno was

stroking her back slowly when she looked up at him in the rain. "I

haven't done that properly." She glanced behind her. "Hey, where

did Ulo go?"

"I chucked him

down the embankment. He's on the beach now. Mostly in one piece."

He chuckled. "I believe he's limping."

Serin stepped

back and wiped her eyes. "Wow, that was... overdue."

He chuckled.

"Better?"

"Better. Are

you really out here scouting?"

"I am. We are.

Belle is out here as well. Technically, she is recovering, but she

really wants to do something while she recuperates from the

treatment."

Serin chuckled.

"The deadly duo." She paused, "How is she doing? She came with us

to the bonding party last night, but you can never tell with

her."

"Yeah. If we

get authorization for the show down here, she's going to be doing

training for the betas, and I will be doing it for the alphas."

"I don't

suppose she has a mark on her."

He wrinkled his

nose. "Not one that can be seen without blacklight."

"Seriously?

That's a thing?"

Deno smiled.

"You didn't know?"

"I didn't. I

thought I just didn't have one. I am going to check that out."

"I can look for

you." He smiled.

"This is kind

of sudden," she murmured.

"Is it? You

know what you are. You needed someone to meet you halfway. He

asked, and I agreed."

"Why?"

"Because you

draw me like no one else. I was given an opportunity to put myself

in your path. All you have to do is run me over."

"I will settle

for hugs."

"Oh, I can

manage hugs." He smiled. "Did you want to get breakfast?"

"I have already

had breakfast, but I do need to stop at some shops in the village.

Jane's skill is a little light-fingered, and she populated my house

last night."

"May I come

with you?"

"Please. I need

to figure this out."

He nodded. They

walked through her home, and he admired the furniture. "She has

good taste."

"This was a

summoning. She can move things from place to place or her son. She

can move him easily."

"You like

her."

"Everyone likes

Jane, and everyone loves Terro."

He smiled. "I

saw him once, I think. His mother was carrying him."

"He's

self-propelled now." Serin smiled. "At high speed."

They walked to

the shops that were opening with shock and confusion at the missing

supplies and homewares. Serin began to pay for her house's new

interior finishings.

Deno wandered

off and got himself some breakfast, and Serin just went through

shop after shop, including the sleepwear and fresh clothing.

Word was sent

around the vendors, and anyone with missing items could send her a

note or come see her with a list and a pay unit.

Serin was given

a cup of tea at the shop where the pillows had come from, and

everyone else came to her. Her village was happy to have her

home.

Her grandmother

approached, and Serin smiled. "Hey, Grandma."

"Serin. Oh, my

big girl."

Serin got to

her feet and hugged her grandmother. "Hi. Where's grandpa?"

"He's on his

way, but he's slow nowadays."

Her mother's

father slowly appeared around the rest of the villagers, and he

enfolded her in a hug. "Hey, Pop-pop."

"Hey, little

flower."

Serin paused.

It was his name for her sister. "How are you feeling, Pop-pop?"

"Could be

better; could be worse. I wish your sister would come back and do

what she was supposed to."

"Maybe she just

hates Ulo, Pop-pop?"

"Doesn't

matter. I told him to do what he needed to do years ago. If he

hadn't gotten caught, the island would be crawling with little ones

by now."

The crowd was

frozen in horror, and her grandmother was wringing her hands.

Serin held his

hands and poured some life back into him. He smiled and looked

around and then took a step back. "Oh, no. Oh, berry. I am so

sorry."

"It's fine,

Pop-pop. If you want to talk to my sister, she's in the jail for

attempted murder. You can spend as much time as you like talking

about things that should have been. Your spurring Ulo to action

made me run. He withdrew our link, and that killed my child. I

would not stay around here after that. There was no future for me.

He took it from me, and you encouraged him to do it."

He paled. "He

was never supposed to break the link."

"Oh, but he

did, to honour my sister, he did it. Cursing the island at that

moment. Wasn't it fun? You had a part in all of this. I am sure you

are proud. Neither of them will be able to taste fruit from the

trees or fresh water on the islands. The fish will avoid their

hooks, and ants will haunt their sleep."

She sat back on

the chair and said, "Who else has a bill from my friend's

populating of my house?"

The crowd

slowly edged her grandparents out while her grandmother's sobs rang

in the air.

Deno arrived

with a cup of coffee in each hand. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Deno.

The coffee is welcome. The hits just keep on happening." She took

the cup, and he rubbed the back of her neck.

"New day. New

start. The past is the past. It cannot be changed. Did I hear you

cursing your sister and Ulo?"

"Yeah. I am not

sure if I did or not, but if I did, I think it will end when I have

gotten on with things."

The vendor she

was sitting with looked at Serin. "Is he your mate?"

"Probably. He

is the spirit of the island. Voluntarily. It has left Ulo

completely and is now in Deno."

Deno snorted,

and the green flared in his eyes as he looked around. "Now that my

mate has returned, I needed to find a host who would appeal to her.

She has worked with Deno and enjoys looking at him, and he,

her."

Serin covered

her eyes for a moment and then looked up. "Thank you,

Deno-spirit."

He leaned down

and kissed her lips quickly. "They will get used to it, as will

you."

She blushed as

he stood up, and Deno grinned. "Well, I do."

She frowned and

then realized the last statement about him liking to look at her.

"Oh."

He smiled.

"Drink your coffee."

She sipped at

the cup, and the sellers gathered around Deno, asking him about the

spirit and when he got it.

Serin felt the

polite request and stood up. "Please gather a list of what I owe. I

will return from the palace and settle the rest of the accounts

when I get back."

Liho, the

furniture seller, nodded. "We can deliver the bill to the palace if

you like."

"If it gets it

settled faster, please."

Deno put his

arm around her, and they excused themselves to head to the

palace.

"This is fun.

You are going to get to meet Terro and his mom."

"I look forward

to it, as you speak so highly of them."

They approached

the palace, and there was a lot of childish giggling going on.

Serin knocked on the nearest post, and Kekoa looked up and smiled.

Alohi was playing ball with Terro, and Haravin and Narro were

sitting to the side while he gave her a back rub. Jane was talking

to Kekoa about something on the tablet in front of him.

Jane looked up.

"Hey, Serin, I am just going over some of the early videos that

Thera and Aeryn have put together."

"Nice. I have

only seen them on my phone. Busy few days."

Jane reset the

videos, and Kekoa watched with them as Serin judged the images and

the music. "Oh, those are good. A few tweaks and they are ready for

distribution."

Jane chuckled.

"Great. There is a ton more footage. Amby is even going to recreate

her trip up the cliff with Dorian and swim with Ohno."

Kekoa looked at

her. "How do you know all this?"

"I read the

briefs, and I have worked with Serin before. She gave me access to

the files, and I think I know what she wants changed in the edits.

Serin, will you watch Terro?"

"Of course, but

I think Alohi has it covered."

Serin glanced

over at Terro and Alohi playing catch. "He does, but I will be here

as back up. Oh, Kekoa, this is Deno. He's my match."

Deno chuckled.

"Hello." His eyes flared solid green, and he nodded to Kekoa.

Kekoa jolted

and blinked. "Oh, it makes so much sense."

Serin

nodded.

Deno smiled. "I

will need to gain resident status."

Kekoa snorted.

"I have a stack of them in my office. There have been a lot of new

additions, which is amazing."

Deno sat near

Serin. "What constitutes a first date on the island."

Alohi lifted

his head. "A night at the village. Food, music, dancing; it's

fun."

Kekoa smiled.

"And if you wear the cuffs and activate them, you will know how

compatible you are."

Serin sighed

and looked at Deno. They both smiled. "We already know."

Jane did some

editing on the fly and then showed the revamped video. It was a

productive meeting with builtin childcare. Everybody won.