BK 5 - Chapter 20 - Ending Before the New Beginning
**San Diego, California**
Three days. A lot can happen in three days. While Lisa, Breanne, and Carmen were in heat, Jade stayed home, locked in the bedroom with Bill. She was determined to get pregnant when the other women did. After what happened to Emma and Roger, she thought life was too short to wait. Yes, she was a vampire and basically indestructible, but it still hit her hard.
While they were all busy in the bedrooms, Wesley called Alex and told him they had some movement on the laws to protect shifters, vampires, and witches. It had been given approval for the first stage of making it a law. They were focusing on the laws that correlate with them being an endangered species and the laws that were put into place to protect Native American tribes. Wesley said it had a few more passages to get through, but once they were approved, the law would be in place.
Trey and Cat also began the process of getting legal custody of Johnny and Cole. Atzi and Xipil had left wills, stating they gave custody of the boys to the Galloway family. So, the process should be pretty straightforward.
Cat was over the moon happy to be a great-grandmother. She was also honored that Alex and Kiersten had named their daughter Emma after her mother. Milo and Samantha had called her and said they wanted to stay in Roseville to continue helping with the group homes. Cat thought it was a good idea. All three were a little broken, and she couldn't think of a better way for them to heal than helping others who were also broken.
"So, did Atzi say exactly what they were going to have to do when they get older?" Cat asked while kissing Emma's forehead; she was sleeping in her arms. Trey was sitting next to her, holding Roger.
"No, the letter just said we need to trust them. So I have a feeling that whatever it is, we will want to help, and when they tell us no, we have to listen." Alex replied. He was worried but tried not to let his fear rub off on Kiersten.
"I guess that's all we can do then. Atzi was very wise and wouldn't tell you anything that wasn't right ." Cat said, looking at Emma and her brother with a smile. Trey handed Roger to Valerie when his phone began ringing.
"Hello?" He answered. Trey listened for a minute and then looked at Cat excitedly.
"Send me the information, and I'll tell them." He disconnected the call and then looked at the others.
"They found what happened to Jade and Milo's birth mother," Trey told them.
"What?" Jade asked as she and Bill walked down the steps. They were both happy and relaxed after three days in bed. She was sure she would be pregnant after all the times they had sex. Trey walked over and kissed her forehead. She was still his favorite niece.
"My investigator found out what happened to your birth mother." He said. Jade looked at him in shock.
"Let's call Milo so you can tell us both at the same time." She said as they joined the others in the living room. Bill sat on the couch, and Jade sat on his lap while Trey called Milo.
"Hello?" He answered on the first ring.
"Milo, it's Trey. I have Jade and everyone else here, too. I'm calling because I just received a call that gave me information on your birth mother." Trey said.
"What? You found her?" Milo asked, surprised. He put his phone on speaker so Samantha could hear as well. They sat at the kitchen table and waited.
"According to my investigator, her name was Abigail Perry. She was Leo's granddaughter. She was paid to get pregnant by invitro fertilization by Cole Reynell. Abigail then handed both of you over to him. They couldn't find anything about your father's, but they were most likely nothing more than sperm donors." Jade couldn't believe it. She and Milo were only born because that crazy scientist paid Abigail to get pregnant.
"Where is she now?" Milo asked.
"She died giving birth to you, Jade, due to complications. I'm sorry they couldn't find anything more." Trey said. Jade shook her head. She wasn't upset; she was numb.
"It's incredible that you found this much. At least we have a little closure. Are you okay, Milo?" Jade asked. She had been raised by Thatcher and Janel in a loving environment, but Milo hadn't been.
"I actually feel a little more at peace now. Yes, Cole lied to me a lot, but now I know the truth. I just want to move on." Samantha wrapped her arms around him. She and Marcy would make sure he had nothing but love from here on out.
"I'll let you know if they find out anything about your fathers, but most likely they won't," Trey told them. They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Later that day, when the others came out of their heat, they shared the news with them. Lisa was bummed that Jade and Milo weren't able to find more family, but she was glad they had closure.
A few days later, they found out that Lisa was pregnant with a boy, while Breanne and Carmen were pregnant with girls. A couple weeks later, Jade announced that she was pregnant, and they soon discovered she was having a boy. They were all happy they were getting their wish of having their own families, and their little ones would all grow up together.
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**One Year Later**
**Roseville, California**
Everyone was in Roseville for Emma and Roger's first birthday party. The two little ones were the spitting images of their parents. Roger had his dad's dark hair and tan complexion, while Emma had her mom's long red hair and pale skin. They were sitting at a table opening presents while everyone watched. It took a painstakingly long time as the cubs tore tiny pieces of paper off each present rather than just tearing into them.
Lisa looked down at Cameron, sleeping in her arms. She was sure he'd be an adult by the time the twins were done. Jayce stood behind her with his arms around her. He was so happy to finally have a cub of their own. Jade and Bill joined them with their newborn Dexter.
"Maybe we shouldn't have wrapped the presents," Jade whispered as Emma and Roger continued tearing small pieces of paper off their first presents.
"They look so cute, though," Carmen said as she and Patrick walked over carrying their daughter Maxie. Breanne and Dustin were behind them with their daughter Hannah.
"If they weren't so cute, I would have already opened them for them," Lisa said, smiling at her niece and nephew.
"She looked past them to where Johnny sat on Trey's lap. He and Cole had adjusted well with her grandparents. They called them Grandma and Grandpa, just like everyone else. Marcy was sitting on Milo's lap, where they sat next to a very pregnant Samantha. She would be having their son any day now. Everything was coming along.
"Hello, everyone. Sorry, I'm late." They turned and saw Jalena and Garrett's oldest daughter, Avery, walk in. She had just moved from Illinois to start college in Sacramento. As she began to make her way over to her cousins, she suddenly stopped and spun around. Lisa smiled when she saw who she was looking at.
Avery walked over to the man who was carrying out a tray of food. He sat it down and looked at her in shock as she approached. Randy could tell she was related to Cat because she had the same black hair and blue eyes. He had never met her, though. Avery smiled at him.
"I'm Avery. Who are you?" She asked, holding her hand out nervously. She never thought she would meet her mate at her niece and nephew's birthday party, but she should have known better in this family.
"I'm Randy. It's nice to meet you." When their hands touched, Randy looked at Avery in shock. He'd been hoping he had a mate, but he had been with the family for a year and had almost given up. He couldn't believe how intense the sparks were.
"You're my mate. Are you human?" Avery asked, still holding his hand.
"Yes. Is that okay? Are you disappointed that I'm human?" Randy asked. What if she rejected him because he wasn't special like her. Avery shook her head and giggled.
"No, of course not. About half of our family was human before they were marked. How about you? Do you want to be a lion?" She looked him over and bit her lip. He was really handsome, and she couldn't wait to show him what it meant to be a lion.
"Are you kidding? I've been hoping I'd have a mate, especially a lion since I first met your family." He answered. He couldn't believe this beautiful woman was his mate. Lisa walked over to the new mates with a smile.
"Congratulations. Randy, you got the mate you always wanted, and Avery, you've got the best chef in the country." She said honestly. Avery started laughing.
"You can cook?" She asked. Randy nodded and pointed to all the food on the table.
"I made everything here." Avery and Lisa looked at each other and began laughing while Randy watched with confusion.
"I'm sorry. It's just perfect that you can cook because I didn't inherit the rest of my family's ability to cook. I'm an expert at burning water." Avery said. They turned when everyone started clapping and coming over to congratulate them.
Cat and Trey watched their ever-growing family with smiles on their faces. It was all they had ever wanted. Love, happiness, and surrounded by family. No matter if they were family by blood or family by choice, they loved them all the same. They couldn't wait to see what the next generation would accomplish.
**This is the end of Part 1 of Book 5. Part 2 will begin after the New Year.**
