Mariella was of two minds. On the one hand, she was irritated by her much larger belly. She now carried six babies, not just three – three of Damon's, of course. Yet, on the other hand, it made her smug; she had two of Damon's babies, and since Mimi only had five, Mariella had more. But then Damon reminded her that she would have nine, and Mimi ten.
Mimi would win, and Mariella was irritated. Even so, a part of her understood how crazy it was to compete over who would have more babies. At least hers were longer, meaning she would deliver sooner, and it might be a win. But then again, six babies and her history of preeclampsia made her worried.
Could she keep them inside long enough? How hard would this pregnancy be? Only time would tell, but at least Damon was by her side. It had taken a week, so she was now 13 weeks along, while Mimi was only six weeks. It was the third of August, so autumn was coming soon.
As she started to calculate her pregnancy, Mariella realized she would be quite ripe by Christmas. Or, if her pregnancy was as short as the last time, she might have her babies in early December, making for a difficult Christmas with no big parties or enjoyment, just six newborns. She wasn't sure if energy shots would help this time, or if she would have six tiny micro-preemies. It was scary, but also something she wanted to experience.
She also yearned to spend time with Mimi, and she was curious about what Mimi was doing.
So, she asked Damon, "How about we check up on our alpha female? Where is she even?"
Damon grunted slightly, also thinking about it. Dealing with that memory had been hard for him and the others. Then, Mimi's idea to make Mariella more pregnant had given him a chance to "unload" in bed. However, he also realized that his alpha had, once again, made sure she was the one making decisions, not him. He was a little unsure how to manage her. Despite their intense fighting in the bedroom, he knew Mimi well enough: she needed more, more unloading, meaning she might want to rough him up even more. He liked pain. Mimi was very talented at putting him in a world of pain.
Damon asked Wulfe, "Do you have any idea where Mimi might be?"
Wulfe answered calmly, "She's doing paperwork. Her office is in cellar, 2, 4, 7, 8. Demon and Leopard are on childcare duty, 3, 9, and 10 are cooking. I'm on woodchopping and warming duty. Charles and Adam have been on driving gigs; they came home a few hours ago and I think they are still sleeping. Mimi will again get days off since she is pregnant, and she can give to us. So everyone is doing a bit more, as those days are paid by what we normally earn, meaning more gigs, bigger pay. Missy is mostly doing paperwork for her company. Charles said that our petition for ownership change has gone through, and it will be valid at the start of the new year. So until then, it is Mimi's company, and she has some paperwork. I didn't ask what, as we have jobs to do."
In my office, surrounded by the scent of ink, the hum of machines, and piles of papers, I was experiencing a slight mental itch thanks to my nifty, neutrality-neutral implant – a little gadget that displayed my thoughts on a computer screen. Oh, how I loved this technology! I, Mimi Salvatore, alpha female of the Salvatore-Cornick pack, was immersed in calculations for what could be my largest order yet, when I heard noises.
"Fuck," I thought, "I didn't need anyone here right now."
But as luck would have it, my door opened. Mariela was the first to enter, her eyes scanning my large office. Though located in the basement, it had smart lighting that made the room feel quite nice. My huge table was covered in papers, and my laptop was open. I was also wearing my neutral implant and glasses, a pen in my hand as I jotted down prices and made calculations.
The concrete floor was adorned with a nice collection of boucle rugs, and the walls were lined with animal skins and tapestries that I had gotten from my storages when I had originally made my office; this space helped me focus, gave me mental calmness, and improved my workflow. The room smelled of ink, paper, mocha, and meat. I kept a fridge here with treats, drinks, and snacks to keep my weight and health up.
Mariela asked, "What in the world are you doing? So many papers! And oh my god, I just heard. That ownership thing went through, and this will be our shop next year."
I rolled my eyes, noticing Numbers One and Five walking in too. I just grunted, trying to control the urge to unleash a long string of curse words in my laptop via my implant.
Damon asked softly, "Sure, baby, I can help. Come on, tell us what you are doing?"
More voices joined the commotion, and soon, Wule and Charles entered as well.
Charles looked tired, an irritated scowl on his face as he noticed my state. "Honey, what the fuck? Please could you bring me up to speed?"
Mariela walked closer and took a few of my calculations, then picked up the information my potential clients had given me. She furrowed her brows and walked up to Damon.
"Look, I think she's making an offer. This seems huge?"
Damon took the papers and looked at them, his voice as soft as ever as he asked, "Wanna share, baby? Seems like a huge order."
Charles was next to look at them.
I rolled my eyes, took off my glasses and implant, leaned back, and said, "I'm just crafting my offer. Nothing's sure just yet. It is a big order, but like I said, I need to make my calculations, create my offer, and then see where I am, and if it is feasible in any way. But since it will be huge, if I can make it, I surely like to try to make my calculations at first."
Damon demanded, "Start from the beginning. This is pack business, and since it's more than a year out, it's ours as well. So, let's hear it."
I leaned back and began, "It's a rich couple, a huge wedding with over 500 guests. Their initial budget for flowers is $150 per guest, so it's a massive order. The wedding is for Christmas, but not this year, next year. And why me? Because no one else will take them, for several reasons. One being that it's not as lucrative to take one large order as it is to take several smaller ones. Also, the flower business can be unpredictable, making it difficult for normal businesses to promise anything years in advance, as certain flowers can be hard to come by, or other issues may arise. However, we have an advantage. Our ability to keep flowers in stasis for a year or more gives me an opportunity. But first, I need to make my offer. I need to calculate the costs, my profit, and the expenses, which takes time."
Charles grunted, interrupting, "You're not doing the calculations alone. A few Salvatores will be helping; it's a pack effort. We'll see what the outcome is. Thank you for the office, honey, but you can leave now. It's time for you to eat. This will be my office from now on, and I might move it upstairs; this room could be used for something else."
I sighed, but since Charles was the pack leader, and Damon didn't seem happy either, I knew better than to argue. I took my glasses and implant, stood up, and shook my head. I still had issues with Damon, and a slight plan began to form as a memory surfaced. Hmm, it was time to give Mr. Salvatore a lesson, and it would be a damn good one.
I asked Mariella, through our Hive channel, "Do you want to see Damon taken down a peg? I have a little lesson in mind, a trap, if you will."
Her response was immediate and firm: "Oh yeah, he's way too smug. What do you have in mind?"
I replied, "Just wait. I'm going to set a nice trap for him and his inflated ego, and this will give me a chance to deal with him a bit more, as I have some issues that require physical action, and I'm not talking about bedtime action."
Mariella smiled slightly. She, too, was growing, and she wanted to see Damon have a less-than-pleasant experience with me. It wasn't that she was jealous, but she, too, had learned to feel her feelings, especially about Damon and his overbearing actions; it was all her beta power at play.
I addressed Damon, keeping my voice utterly calm and neutral. "Are you good at extracting intel from anyone, including me, if I bring my A-game?"
He raised an eyebrow, looking at me condescendingly, and said, "Oh, baby, please. What do you suggest? I am a telepath; it won't be hard, despite your A-game."
Oh, how beautifully he fell into my trap. Number 5 sensed my smugness, knowing me well enough to understand I had something special in store. He smirked, but said nothing.
I then turned to Damon and Charles, saying, "I would like to pit myself against your interrogation skills. As you probably recall, we've engaged in our little game of interrogation. Can you break me? I can assure you it won't be easy, but there are rules."
Charles nodded. He had heard of this and had participated a few times in the distant past, and so he smirked as well.
Damon, his ego completely unchecked, didn't notice anything as he locked eyes with me and asked, "What are the rules?"
I went to my laptop, took a special crystal from my pocket, and said, "This might be a bit nasty, but it stops your telepathy, so it's by the rules."
I activated the crystal. Number 5 grimaced, while another clenched his jaw, showing no sign of feeling anything at all, even though Wulfe had told me it felt like a razor in the brain. It definitely felt that way. I sat down and opened a browser.
I typed a random string of numbers and alphabets, then randomly chose a result. After reading it, I printed it out, making sure Damon couldn't read my mind; the crystal kept it hidden. I hid the printout in a special place in my mind, my vault, and added a bit more security. Then, I took an envelope, placed the paper with the result inside, sealed it with wax, and handed it to Mariella.
I told her, "Damon will have 48 hours to break me. He has to find this in my mind. Damon, I'll only give you the name of what you are seeking. The rule is no internet, and no one else but me. You have to get the intel out of me by any means necessary. Do your worst, physical pain, drugs, anything goes, 48 hours. Let's see how good you are."
I wrote on a piece of paper: YNJ-56_00-43 TD€/44@-. That was what he needed to find, and it was that simple.
I handed him the paper, smiled, and said, "Go on, find a place, set up your interrogation hub, get your gear, and snatch me. The clock starts when you have me; do your worst."
He looked at me and said, "Oh, baby, it'll take me only four hours to get the result out of you; you're easy, I know you well enough."
Wulfe stated, "Of course, the hive will be closed as well. Your bond, as Mimi is the enemy, not your mate, means there's no soulmate bond."
Damon, though trying to remain composed, couldn't hide his irritation. I could tell this had completely derailed his original plan. This wasn't going to be easy. I had no intention of revealing everything, like my escape plan, or how I intended to disable him. Attacking him and roughing him up was part of the lesson.
Let's see what he could do, but he was far too overconfident. After all, not even Wulfe had broken me; I was unbreakable. And oh, how I could lie! It was fun, constantly creating new ideas in response to their questions, and this was just one of my plans. Mr. Salvatore was about to get a lesson of a lifetime.
I could see the hint of a smile on number five's lips; he was getting a better grasp of my plan. I wondered if I could ever make him do this to me. Well, it might not be this easy, but right now, I have my victim hooked, all the way in.
Mariella asked me telepathically, "What aren't you telling Damon? I can sense your smugness. This is a trap for him, and he's falling right into it, isn't he? But what's the catch?"
I smiled and replied, "Well, it's up to you if you want to tell him, but I'd prefer you didn't, as this is a lesson in humility for him. The gist is, I will escape and take him down at the same time, but at the start, he needs to think he's in charge, leading the interrogation. I'm not easy; ask Wulfe, have I ever been broken?"
Mariella smiled and said, "I'm not telling Damon anything. Let him learn his lesson. Sure, he's a part-time pack leader, but he needs to learn some nasty lessons here, and this will hit him."
I felt smug. Sure, I was pregnant, but only at the very beginning. Damon couldn't beat me that badly. I had done some reading; it was up to week ten when the embryos could go back to sleep, so how would he manage to hurt me badly enough? Boo, I wouldn't be pregnant, and that wasn't a bad thing, as I had reservations about this pregnancy as well.
I had multiple angles here, and I wasn't telling everything, not even to number five, as I could feel his love for these embryos, and he wanted me to be pregnant, so he might blow my plan to number one if he knew. So, once again, I was keeping my secrets, and I had no problem with that.
Soon, it would be time to enjoy ourselves, and I planned to teach my husband a lesson about living life to the fullest. Perhaps then, we could move forward. Naturally, I had a plan and a system in place to prevent him from becoming overbearing. However, with Mariella's pregnancy, she would be his priority, and I would choose from the remaining Salvatores as needed.
This situation had been allowed to fester for far too long; my momentum was too great for Damon to fully understand. To curb me, much would need to change, and I was making sure he wouldn't have time to focus on being the dominant male. I was simply enjoying myself, needing no overbearing husband to take care of me.
After all, I had taught the other Salvatores to follow my lead, and I wasn't in the mood for a new student, not yet anyway. Well, let's see where our little plan takes us.