The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

Damon gazed up at the ceiling, his senses keenly aware of what had transpired in the room. As he gently placed his hand on Mariella's rounded belly, he could feel the cubs moving inside, a clear indication that they were well past the halfway point of their pregnancy. While the rest of the pack remained active, they had once again succumbed to weakness and found themselves in bed.

The ceiling, a plain white color, reminded Damon of Mimi's story about the renovation program. Now he could understand it clearly, and he took a deep breath, focusing his magic. He allowed a hint of his own desire to mix in, taking a page out of Mimi's book and embracing the unexpected.

With concentrated effort, warmth began to pool in his chest, tingling with added energy as it traveled to his fingertips. Thin golden strings started to emerge, gracefully stretching across the ceiling.

Mariella frowned, feeling tired from the cubs' movements within her. She couldn't help but be disappointed in herself as well. While she could attribute it to her nature as a lust creature, she knew they were the only ones giving in to weakness. She lacked impulse control, and Damon found it difficult to refuse her.

She observed as Damon's magic flowed effortlessly from his fingers, aware of the effort it truly required. These were simple spells; according to Wulfe, practice was the key to improving their control over magic. Mariella longed for the day when it would come as naturally to them as it did for Wulfe.

She watched as violet swirls formed on the plain white ceiling, adorned with golden trimmings, transforming the room. While she acknowledged the benefits of a completed ceiling, she couldn't help but be curious about what the rest of the pack had accomplished.

She felt a mix of shame and curiosity, empathizing with Damon's frustration and self-doubt. The only way forward was to keep moving and strive for improvement. 

After Damon had finished with the ceiling, he turned to Mariella and said, "Damn, I'm too ashamed to face the pack. I thought I had it all under control in the heat of the moment. I took Mimi and put her in her place, but now this. Damn it. We had something good going, and I had to ruin it. And she's pregnant, with my cubs alone."

Mariella responded, "I understand your frustrations, believe me. My impulse control hasn't improved either, and I led us to this. I apologize. Now, you go take a shower alone and scrub yourself clean. Once you're done, I'll go and you can choose my clothes and fix my hair. Then we'll face the consequences together."

Damon forced a smile, knowing the ceiling was done, and headed towards the bathroom. Mariella couldn't help but admire his attractive figure and perfect posture, but her admiration was cut short as the bathroom door closed.

Mariella wished she could learn to control herself, but it seemed impossible at times. Mimi, the pack's alpha female, and Damon's wife, had a self-control that Mariella envied. But then again, Mimi had learned it over the years as the leader of the largest resistance in the world and a trauma surgeon.

Mariella hoped that someday she could learn, too. However, the bitter truth was that Damon was her weakness. She couldn't always control herself around her husband. Ironically, she had 13 other husbands, and she could resist their advances. Well, if any of them were to seduce her, she wouldn't mind. But she could control herself.

Mariella wondered if spending time with Mimi would help, if she could teach her some techniques to maintain control. She wanted to see the cub rooms, see what everyone had done, and how they wanted to raise the cubs. The thought of the education folder made her grimace.

She only had about ten days, maybe less, and she wouldn't have time to make plans. Well, it was time to rely on the magic house and take care of that. Once again, she felt like a failure. Surely, Mimi and the other females had made their plans for education and feeding, while she had been preoccupied with sex instead of family matters. 

She was a bit of a wimp, not even thinking ahead before asking Damon for help. But then an idea struck her.

In her mind, she said to Damon, "My love, we should start making plans for our cubs' education. I think it's time for some espionage. Are you ready?"

Damon walked out of the bathroom, wearing a towel around his hips, looking unhappy, and replied, "I'm not sure if it's necessary. Surely the magic house will take care of them."

Mariella responded, "Oh yes, but let's go and do a bit of spying. Just observe and gather ideas from others. We don't need to overthink, but rather learn from what others have done and use it. And remember, little Miss Mimi has some excellent ideas. She is the strongest alpha female ever, so you should take control. She is carrying your cubs, and you should be part of that process."

Damon pondered as Mariella got up and walked briskly to the bathroom to freshen up. She was determined to make this work and, most importantly, she was no longer Damon's doll. She could shower by herself and she wouldn't rush things, but take small steps while guiding Damon to be an alpha for Mimi.

Damon dried himself and dressed, pulling on a dark blue t-shirt that matched the color of Mimi's eyes. He could still remember the scent of her skin, the sensation of her body pressed against his, and her powerful emotions and mind.

It was time for him to step up, but how many times would he need to remind himself of this? Maybe spying would be the right thing to do. Mariella was right, those were his cubs inside Mimi, and he wanted to be involved in their early life too.

The first thing he did was focus and delve into Mimi's mind, copying what she had read from that folder and other information, then he sent it to the Salvatores, in case they weren't aware yet.

In his mind, the voice of Number Two from their Salvatore hive said, "We've had a few little hiccups here. Well, little Mimi is all grown up and as her support, we are not raising a war..."

Damon interrupted, asking, "What do you mean? What has she done?"

Number Two replied, a bit embarrassed, "She's more or less the pack leader. As she is your alpha and vampire queen, according to Adam, Charles, Wulfe, and many others, she leads when you're not around. It's not a bad thing, but still..."

Damon sat down, running his hand over his face. His baby had really done it. He could feel his alpha side gearing up. This pack needed some rules of succession. He would have to be clever about this. 

He was still pondering this when Mariella walked out of the shower.

She looked at him quizzically and said, "What's wrong? You look... well, shocked."

Damon nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's because I am. Mimi has really embraced her role as alpha and queen. She even managed to make number two back down. She's taken charge as the pack leader, and she has their support."

Mariella responded, "Really? But I thought number two..."

Damon interrupted, slightly amused and tiredly, "It seems I'll have to establish some rules of succession and handle this situation carefully. You see, she has taken other males to join her, as she should, to gain support and establish dominance. But the funny thing is, my alpha side wants to go in there, slam her on the nearest table, and have our way in front of the pack. Of course, that's not the way to handle it. My alpha side is a little too lustful."

Mariella smiled and said, "It seems we have our work cut out for us."

Damon nodded and grumbled, "Yeah, you could say that. But this minor crisis, or whatever it is, needs to be resolved. Maybe this is the spark I need to get my head back in the game. I just love putting Mimi in her place. It's quite enjoyable."

As Mariella dressed herself, Damon fixed her hair and applied her makeup. They were now ready to face the pack. They did not know what the entire pack was up to or what the new leader had instructed them to do.

They walked to the kitchen at a steady pace, not too brisk, and found it empty. A quick glance at the fridge revealed shelves filled to the brim with food. Everything seemed plentiful and fine.

It was time to find out where the pack was. When Mariella asked Mimosa, she learned they were on the fourth floor, east side, behind the red double doors, and to turn left. So they walked up the stairs, despite Mariella's desire to teleport. Damon insisted she needed to maintain good physical fitness for the upcoming birth. Mariella was about to suggest a c-section, but something in Damon's expression made her keep quiet.

As they walked down the corridor, they noticed posters lining the walls, along with a few paintings and decorative statues that Damon had never seen before. He had no idea if they were valuable or not. After passing through the red double doors and turning left, they soon heard chatter.

They entered a huge room lined with panels made of light wood, adorned with multiple rugs on the floor. The ceiling had various shades, resembling a muted rainbow. The entire pack was gathered there. 

There were several large tables with chairs arranged around them. Some tables had six chairs, some had four, and some had eight. In one corner, there was a huge sofa, accompanied by soft-looking armchairs.

Wulfe was lounging comfortably on the sofa, while Alaric and Adam played chess at one table. Elena, Tim, Shadow, and Murdock appeared to be playing a game of Ludo at another table. Mimi, Charles, Katherine, Number Two, Number Four, and Dexter were engaged in a game of Monopoly at yet another table.

Suddenly, Damon's attention was drawn to a sudden movement. His eyebrows shot up as he noticed red ears peeking out from Wulfe's blonde hair.

Wulfe looked at them and said, "She is merciless. We are playing Monopoly Mastery, and the loser gets... enchantments."

Mariella giggled as she noticed Adam's ears resembling those of a German Shepherd, and Alaric sporting a white Shepherd's ear. They also had tails to match their respective breeds. Number nine had the floppy ears of a bloodhound, while number ten had small rose-shaped ears and a long, thin tail like a greyhound.

Damon muttered, "Oh my God, so the loser gets ears and a tail, and the winner gets to decide."

Magnum, with his long, thin ears resembling a Pharaoh Hound, chimed in, "She's not the only one giving them. As you can see, we have many games on the tables. The winner of each table gets to give ears. I thought Elena wasn't that knowledgeable about dog breeds."

Soon, Katherine cursed and handed her cards and the remaining money to Mimi.

Mimi said coolly, "For you, a white poodle with cords."

Katherine soon found herself with long ears adorned with cords, and her tail had a pom-pom made of cords as well. She cursed, but her tail wagged as she saw Damon. Katherine's belly was rounded, and she waddled slightly, but she wasn't that upset. Her hand lovingly rested on her belly as she stroked and shushed her cubs.

Number four said to Mimi, "Missy, it's time for you to eat again."

Mimi rolled her eyes, but as number six approached with oriental ears and a long tail, carrying a large tray filled with sticks of meat and fruit, she obediently took a stick, popped it into her mouth, and began chewing before reaching for another. Damon could see piles of cocktail sticks next to her. 

Colin's voice sounded a little tense as he expressed his concern for Mimi, saying, "She is further along in her pregnancy than the others, but she refuses to admit it. She's having issues with IV and the cubs are quite demanding, so she's constantly eating. The idea of giving her fatty meat and fruits is actually quite a genius from the Salvatores. It helps with her sugar levels. This board game keeps her occupied and prevents her from overexerting herself."

Damon nodded in understanding. Number four cursed under his breath as Mimi won again, resulting in him getting Siamese ears and a tail. Mimi felt smug, but Damon was relieved that the pack was taking care of her. As she sat, he couldn't see the full extent of her belly, but he knew she had carried cubs longer than the others.

Number ten approached Damon and Mariella, mentally conveying to Damon, "Wulfe sleeps with her. I'm not sure about the details, but he takes her to her bedroom and leaves in the morning. I can't smell anything, but Wulfe is skilled at covering it up."

Damon felt a pang of jealousy, knowing the deep bond between Mimi and Wulfe, but she belonged to him. However, as he glanced around the room, his alpha instincts reminded him that each of the females also carried his cubs, so he needed to care for all of them, not just Mimi.

Despite his desires, he gestured for number four and Colin to escort Mariella to the medbay for tests and scans.

Damon sighed, realizing he would have to check the results for the others as well, and time was running out. But for now, he wanted to wipe the smug smirk off Mimi's face.

However, Wulfe interrupted, saying, "Don't even bother. There's a telepathy blocker on the table, so you can't use it. And she's damn good at that, unless you want to sport ears and a tail for the next few weeks."

Wulfe seemed a bit irritated, and Damon smirked as Wulfe got up to retrieve a can of soda from the cabinet or small fridge, his perky curly red tail wagging. Wulfe rolled his eyes, his ears flattening against his head. Mimi smiled sweetly at him, but Damon couldn't help but think that she was about to meet her match.

Soon enough, it would be time for Miss Mimi to share her plans with him. As the father of the cubs, he needed to know what she was plotting. Damon wished she would move so he could see for himself. He had a keen eye and could estimate how much longer Mimi would take. But she was aware of his curiosity and continued to play, frustrating him and causing someone nearby to curse.

Number ten spoke up. "Just give up. Must she completely outsmart you? Maybe she's being lenient with her unique techniques."

Mimi simply smiled, exuding the confidence of a queen. Damon released his alpha power, expecting her to surrender. But to his surprise, she retaliated without even flinching. Damon was taken aback by the speed and mercilessness of her strike. Mimi briefly glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and then refocused on her game.

Damon decided to take a seat and observe the pack's activities. Playing board games was actually a pleasant way to pass the time. However, some pack members were sore losers, clear from the frustrated expressions on their faces.

Damon had been honing his empathic abilities, and he noticed it was unique to him among the Salvatores. Now, it was time to resume life with the pack, particularly in relation to him and Mariella. He hoped he could maintain their progress and not allow Mimi to push them back into focusing solely on activities in the bedroom.