Chương 166: Chapter 166: Morning After the Ball

Dane POV

He'd say he was getting too old for this, but Dane wasn't even thirty yet. But his sons Kodi, Bentley, and Tau clearly hadn't slept enough after the excitement of the ball.

Where were they?

The corridors of Faolan Castle, while more familiar, had way too many hiding places--and dangerous spots--that he didn't know about. He must get either Jude or Ravyn to draw him a map of all of them. On second thought, Bram and Mali probably knew every one.

The patterned light coming through the windows created diamond and zigzag patterns on the pink sandstone floor of the hallways. He searched everywhere in the hallways. The pups weren't hiding behind a statue of a dragon. But he heard the pups' giggles and soft howls from somewhere near the statue.

Well, he was no slouch at this hide-and-seek game! He could always find all of his little brothers growing up, although either Jiro or Patch or both always managed to pick the most devious hiding spots. Kyon grew too big to hide in cramped spots by the time he was ten. Dirge always gave himself away.

Dane's shifter senses locked onto his children's scent. Aha. There. In the alcove just beyond the dragon statue. Summoning up all his stealth, he crept up on them without making a sound. He had them now ...

His hand reached into the darkened alcove ... and something small and furry hurled itself at him! What? Had one of his pups shifted early? But no, that wasn't right ...

"Gotcha!"

He scooped up the ball of fur and glanced down at his arms to find Flufftail, the bunny belonging to the Blackthorns.

His pups giggled as they slipped past him. Dane stared down at the bunny with a smirk, looking into her large eyes.

"You're a smart bunny, aren't you? Smart enough to be a decoy. Well, you can help me, too, in this game. I have to find my pups before their mother wakes up. She had a rough night last night. I want her to sleep."

Seeming to understand, the bunny gave a soft squeak, and pointed her little nose toward the west end of the hallway.

Dane crept down the hallway with the bunny directing his steps, her furry ears angling to indicate the way he should go. The trail led to a small closet, and Dane smelled his children inside. Closer. Closer. He inched closer, then opened the door.

A bundle of linens fell out of the closet, with Tau howling and yelping. The bunny hopped out of Dane's arms, making room for Dane to catch the squirming bundle.

"Tau Cresta, how on earth did you get yourself wrapped up like a cocoon?" He parted the snowy fabric to see Tau's laughing face.

Kyon had made some quip months ago about enjoying seeing Dane dealing with a miniature version of himself. Well, Kyon must be getting triple the amusement, because Dane's triplets always got into mischief!

Kodi and Bentley crawled out of the fabric piles on the closet floor and shrieked, "Daddy wins. Play again!"

"No, no," Dane laughed. "That was quite a game, but now it's time for you all to wash up for breakfast. Let's go see if Mommy is up."

"AWWWW."

The triplets howled so loudly that Flufftail decided to hop off and find her own family. This little bunny seemed completely unconcerned, wandering freely around a castle full of wolves. Even more astonishing, she helped three wolf pups hide and fool their own father!

Dane took the boys back to the quarters he shared with Lilia, where his mate had just awakened, smoothing her wild blonde hair, and combing it back with her fingers. She smiled at the sight of Dane with the boys. "Well, good morning. How are all my men today?"

Shrewdly, Dane looked at her through deep blue eyes. "We're just fine. And how did you sleep, my love?"

Dark circles under her beautiful amethyst eyes told the tale. She'd had a rough night, wondering and worrying about Ravyn's new reality. "Do you know if Mother and Jude came back? Do we still call him Jude?"

Dane kissed her forehead. "Of course."

"Papa Ju," Kodi piped up. "Want Papa Ju and Nana."

Lilia's mood lightened. The world could explode, but her little boys always brought a smile to her face and helped give her strength. Dane felt the same way. He felt invincible whenever he was around his children.

"Why don't we all go downstairs and find them?" she suggested.

* * * * *

Azandra POV

She'd slept so soundly last night--even with all the excitement.

Azandra yawned as she made her way downstairs. She stopped in the Healarium and found Alpha Caden and his Luna (!) Aldwin lying asleep, with Aldwin on the mend. Then, she headed to breakfast and found a few of the Crestas at the breakfast table near the kitchen. Faolan Castle was so huge it had a big formal dining room and a cozier breakfast area.

Her heart leaped when she saw Kyon drawing with Fairmont, Winston, and Primrose while they ate breakfast, leftovers from the feast last night. Since Kyon hadn't had a lot of time lately to make art, Azandra felt especially happy and thankful to see her mate and children engaging in creativity. Grandma Titania and Grandpa Ransome had joined in the fun, too. Whenever her parents painted or drew with Kyon, they turned into happy pups again.

"Well, looks like everyone's having fun." She sat down and picked up a piece of paper, smiling at her pups. "Can one of you pass Mommy some colored pencils?"

Giggling, Winston rolled several colored pencils toward her in a little rainbow. She caught them all and began drawing happily. "Thank you, sweet angel."

"How is Ravyn this morning?" Titania asked, her forehead creasing with concern. "And Jude?"

Azandra smiled. "I mind-linked with Cyran. He said they had a peaceful night."

Holding her children, Mali walked in, yawning. "I can't imagine how, with everything. Ravyn must have the strongest warrior spirit in the pack, second only to my father."

Azandra's eyebrow lifted. "Then I'd say the Moon Goddess once again knows what she's doing. She selected them for each other. And they can overcome whatever the world throws at them."

Bold words, but Kyon's crinkled forehead was a subtle tell that he knew she harbored doubts about Hades being a permanent resident inside Jude's body.

How could she not?

As far as she knew, having two souls inside one body was quite rare. Three souls inside one body, actually, since Jude also had his wolf. And now, he and Hades shared a wolf. How would that work? Obviously, it worked just fine for now. But what if they struggled for control of the wolf?

She needed to talk to Jude/Hades. For her, he would always be Jude. The outward form was Jude. The dominant personality was Jude. Hades was merely a roommate ... except he wasn't. He had thousands of years of experience that Jude didn't have. His powers were legendary. Jude had just become overpowered thanks to Hades. How would it change him?

Azandra sought guidance from the Moon Goddess and prayed hard while she drew.

"What is that, Mama?" Fairmont poked at Azandra's drawing. The split portrait showed a strong, clear-eyed man on one side, and a snarling mythical-looking wolf facing the other.

"A reminder, my darling," Azandra explained. "That we are both human and wolf. And that we mustn't let our wild nature take over. Wolves are intelligent beings, but they're also powerful and they want to hunt and fight. We can't use our power to hurt others. Only for good."

Jude's voice echoed in the room as he and Ravyn walked in. "That's sound advice."

Everyone stood up, and Azandra ran over to Jude and Ravyn, hugging them. She whispered in Jude's ear, "Did Hades get the message?"

Jude answered "Loud and clear. And he wants you to know that he will always use his power for good from now on. That's a promise."