The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

Being a leader is not easy, and being pregnant makes it even more challenging. We had a brief break in the dining hall to eat and take a break from work. Damon and Alaric had been spending a lot of time on their phones, organizing with Magnum, Taylor, and Tim, as well as my other base leaders, to create a new mission list.

We all understood that we couldn't save everyone, but they were stepping up and finding ways to fit in a few more missions. Safety was our priority, but with the spread of this situation, we needed more people to take action.

Take Italy, for example, where we have 48 bases. If each base could take on just one more mission per month, it would make a significant impact. That's nearly 50 additional missions every month, and over time, it would add up to a lot.

I had received strict orders not to worry about missions or how many lives we were saving. Wulfe had taken that burden off my mind and transferred it to Damon or someone else. My focus was on my pregnancy and taking care of my cubs.

But I still had work to do. I had been reading about the responsibilities that Old Anders had taken care of, and while delegating money was easy, there were other tasks that needed attention.

While I was eating, Damon was observing me, grunting and asking, "What are you thinking? Do you have some secret plan that I need to know about? Come on, share it with me so we can tackle it together."

I was a little surprised but blurted out, "What do you know about forestry and managing forests for lumber or other purposes?"

Damon frowned and replied, "There are businesses that sell lumber. They cut down trees, and you make money from it. Why do you ask?"

I explained, "We have a lot of forest assets, some of which are meant for natural use, but others are causing problems."

Number two joined the conversation and added, "Leave the natural ones alone and let them grow. You can give them to the Magic House or something. But what about the problem areas?"

I said, "Well, first we have quite a few plots where we have found some pests. I'm not sure whether we should cut down all the trees or conduct a survey. And then there's this really tough case. Old Anders was about to negotiate a deal with one company, but the company went bankrupt. I'm not sure if there's another option."

Damon said, "There are a lot of lumber businesses. What I suggest is dealing with the pests and conducting a survey, absolutely. We should also involve a nature conservation company so that if there are any rare species, they take priority. Since you're a botanist, you can check the flora."

I rolled my eyes and said, "We received donations from a very eccentric old man who we saved. He left his travel forest for us in his will. Meaning, he was a traveler who collected seeds and stuff from trees all over the world. Then he planted them on his land, and they grew. So now I have several hectares of forest made up of different exotic species. Some of them are so old that maybe they should be cut down, especially since some have been damaged during storms. There's a lot of lumber lying around, but since it's not native, there isn't much fauna there. Old Anders was about to sell most of the trees to one company, but it went bankrupt."

Number four said, "That's fascinating. I would love to see these trees. Of course, exotic wood is used for tables and decorative purposes. But if it's not meant for harvesting, it would be difficult for machines to reach, and the lumber is both exotic and rare but also not abundant in terms of species..."

I nodded. Damon was deep in thought.

Alaric muttered, "That's a problem you can handle. I don't need to find a buyer for exotic old trees."

I said to him, "I was thinking that maybe Leo could take care of some of the accounts. He's good with numbers. We have at least 359 donation accounts, and we need to manage the interests and other financial matters. I'm not exactly a financial genius, at least not yet."

Charles said, "That's quite a heavy load for one person. Who is this Leo, and can he handle it?"

Damon said to me, "Yeah, baby, who is Leo?"

I was quiet. Leo was one of our secrets, my protégé. It was important to keep him hidden.

I said faintly, gazing at Magnum so he would keep his mouth shut. "He is one of my rescues. He's someone I won't expose unless I absolutely have to."

Mariella asked, "Why? What is it about him that makes you protect him so much?"

I sighed and replied, "It's his enzymes. They can be used to weaponize certain pathogens. I saved him from a place that was studying enzymes and hid him because he and his enzymes posed a big risk if anyone found him. Plus, he's special."

Damon whistled and said, "Wow, have you considered relocating him to another realm? There are safe realms where no one can get to him. What else is there about him?"

I explained, "Leo is a mutant, but his mutation is not nice or beneficial to him. It sometimes makes him a little unstable, but he's a genius with numbers."

Number four, in his doctor mode, interrogated me. "What kind of mutation? Is he physically malformed or something?"

I quietly explained, "He can feel the life force of everything. For most of his childhood, he was in facilities and everyone thought he was severely mentally disabled because he didn't speak or respond. He would have screaming fits and sometimes become catatonic. When I found him, he was in a deep concrete bunker with only IV feeding."

I took a breath, realizing everyone was waiting for me to continue. "He can feel the life force of everything. He had a fit as we saved him just because we were walking on grass. He could feel the pain of each blade of grass. And you can imagine what it was like for him to grow up in a vegan family. Every time his mom ate a carrot, he could feel the pain of the carrot because it had a life force."

Damon was silent for a moment, then looked at me, tilting his head as he asked, "How is he able to function at all? If this mutation has been with him since birth... how old is he?"

I replied, "He's 28 years old. I've found him a safe place where there is no life force. He only eats highly processed food without a life force. Wulfe and many doctors, including Colin, have tried to help him, but..."

Mariella's voice sounded dreamy as she interrupted, "I need to see him. Oh my god, he's one of them. We need to meet him. He can go to the other realm. I'm so sorry, but you'll have to find someone else to take care of those accounts. Oh my god, Damon, he's one of those..."

It was my turn to feel confused.

Mariella said to me, "As soon as you told him, he caught my attention. He's a very important person to save, my purpose. Oh my god, this is wonderful. There are only a few like him, and this is my third. Oh, my god..."

I nodded.

Damon said to me, "You don't have to come, Magnum. You just have to arrange for us to meet Leo. Mimi can't come because she's pregnant with our cubs, and I can sense a group of empaths in there. Meeting Leo would be too overwhelming for them. There's no need to expose them to that. Mariella doesn't have empaths, she has a few more lustful creatures in her belly."

I took a breath. The cubs come first, but it was difficult for me, a control freak, to let go. Leo was one of our secrets, and I had brought him into the situation, but now I wouldn't... Fine, that's just how my life is.

Damon said to me, "As soon as Magnum arranges the meeting, we're off. At some point, we'll have a little powwow about what to teach the cubs and what precautions to take to prevent any infections. Of course, each female can make her own decisions, but let's make sure some things are the same for everyone, so there's no need to worry."

I somehow knew what would happen after they rescued Leo, so I didn't wait for wonders about their powwow. I sent my prediction to Wulfe, who subtly nodded. We would make decisions as a pack. It was highly likely that some of us would end up in bed, leaving the rest of us to deal with various things, but hey, it made things interesting. I had to learn to work as a pack.

It was no longer a case where there was just the Salvatores and Mariella. The wolves would take care of my four and leave me alone, but nowadays there were still many people left who were pack members.

I was the alpha female, in theory, the second in command of this pack. At least that's how most of the pack would see it. Again, I found myself in a position of leadership, but hey, there was another plus side. No flanks, just Wulfe's magic, Colin's drugs, and those damn calendula drops. But we would get this done.

I wasn't sure about giving birth, but it felt natural. It had its own rhythm, and it was something that felt right. Lactation was also not just my decision. I had guys flocking around me. And of course, Elena and Katherine being first-time moms, I had to set an example, not go wild.

I didn't want to say anything out loud because I didn't want to pressure Damon. If there were miracles, he wouldn't end up in bed with Mariella. But he had promised her she was his first and always.

I wasn't so sure about the other Salvatores, though. Only time will tell. Most of them had my bite mark on their neck, but when the number one Salvatore used the Salvatore hive, they would have to obey, at least at first.

After the meal, those two teleported eagerly with Magnum to save Leo. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but it left me with a problem. But fine, they could wait and I would manage them by myself until I had a eureka moment and found the next old Anders.

I walked to my wing to see how my rooms were coming along. Each of us had our own plan for raising cubs and what to teach them. We would keep them around for 8 weeks and I had divided them into four groups.

The first group consisted of babies, 0-2 weeks old, waiting for immortality. The next group was 2-4 weeks old and they would receive the most education. The group after that was 4-6 weeks old and they would spend time outside, having fun.

The last group would live outside and the magic house was free to interact with them. They were +6 weeks old. If it was evident that someone from this group could be relocated to their new homes, it would be fine.

I knew that I had a lot of planning to do, and I needed to make sure that this short time would have a positive impact on my cubs' lives. It would take a lot of cooperation and talking with others to get things done the way I saw fit. I would use cartoons and animated movies to entertain the cubs, and there would be a lot of talking. But I had my own idea of structure and a few basics too. 

As one might have guessed, the two of them eventually ended up in bed, as rescuing Leo had been an exciting moment. It wasn't surprising to me, and I had somewhat anticipated it.

I was walking alongside Wulfe, discussing my plans for teaching the cubs, when he interrupted me and suggested, "Why don't you ask Damon? Or tell him? I mean, I know they've been fucking, but surely he would stop and come help you."

Wulfe was thrilled about becoming a father, as he had been confirmed as the father of Mimosas, Shadow's, and Elena's cubs.As well as Mariella's, too. The necessary tests had been conducted before they had went having sex.

I looked at him, feeling a little disheartened, and replied, "He made a promise to Mariella, so she will always come first, not me. I don't want to interfere or try to separate him from Mariella, as it won't do any good. In the worst-case scenario, he would order me to have a regular cub room, no education, and just follow the norm. I don't want that. He gets upset if he feels other females are too needy, except for Mariella."

Wulfe glanced at me and remarked, "It's kind of sad that your cubs only have one father, and he's not the best. I understand now why you created this space, as you are the one they depend on. I'll do my best to help you, but as you know..."

He smiled, his face lighting up with happiness. He was incredibly excited to be a father and was fully committed to his role, offering support and comfort. He even used his magic to allow Elena to see the tiny cubs inside her.

I reassured him, saying, "I'm not alone, well, not entirely. I have you and others too. You know, no other Salvatore has ever promised Mariella that she comes first. Only numbers two and four have promised me, to some extent, that I come first, but they are needed elsewhere, so I can't expect them to be tied to me all the time."

Wulfe nodded and tightened his grip on my hand. Even though he was already deeply connected to me mentally, physical touch was still important to him, so he wanted our scars to remain pressed together.

Wulfe turned to me and said, "You know, my unicorn, this is all new to me, but damn it, I'm happy. Our time together, in heat, was unlike anything I've ever experienced in my long life."

I looked at him and replied, "Well, I can be quite the sex beast at times, especially when in heat, but not always ready to get pregnant. So, if you need some wolves, they're available."

He smirked, and we continued our tour, discussing what to teach and how to teach it. Eventually, he wanted to watch cartoons to see what they were all about. I was happy; I didn't need Damon to be happy. I was content to let him be with Mariella.

The most amusing part was that they were the only ones having sex. The "fucking machines" had become "cooking machines," and the other Salvatores were focused on medical matters.

With Colin taking control, we planned how to keep the vulnerable babies safe and which tests should be taken from us females and the boys. Every day, no matter how much I worked on my wing, we had a two-hour session in the gym to keep fit.

Wulfe and the wizards, along with a few Salvatores, were taking care of all the necessary drops and items, like removing wings or using telepathy blockers. I had empaths in my belly, so they would need their own potions. There was a lot to be done.

Adam and Charles, the boys, were helping the girls and wolves, building their own rooms for the cubs. Alaric was handy as well. I had been waiting for this time, and it would be just fine. This was pack life, and I finally realized that we were a pack, except for two members who were more or less sex addicts.

Surprisingly, it was number three who called Number One and Mariella the sex addicts. Right now, that so-called "fucking machine" was focused on building rooms and making sure mine were exactly how I wanted them. I wouldn't overwork myself; I would ask for help with moving heavy objects.