Chapter 1
Copyright © Shannon Maharaj
All rights reserved.
The right of Shannon Maharaj to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
All characters in this publication are fictional and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
"THREE!!!! (3)"
"TWO!!!! (2)"
"ONE!!!! (1)"
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!"
The entire castle was overflowing with eruptions of cheers and whistles at the welcome of a brand new year. The Odin's Riders MC were all extremely excited to celebrate this as it meant partying and more booze than they all could consume.
As well as fireworks as far as the eyes could see, but the pair who were more ecstatic that anyone else, not just for this occasion, were Benjamin and Serah Nilsson. The married couple would be expecting their first child in late January and they were so ready for their son or daughter to arrive already.
Their King, Elias and his wife, Nova were the only ones who knew the gender of their baby and were also planning a gender reveal party for them. Speaking of the devil and he shall appear, Benjamin watched as his drunk off his ass best friend, came towards him.
Observing him, he quickly noticed that his cheeks were flushed red, his eyes were slightly unfocused, he was slurring his words as he called out to him and was not able to stand straight.
Getting up from his seat, the young Herre made his way over to his King, who had stopped and struck up a conversation with a potted monstera plant. It was a hilarious sight to everyone, a newly patched in member, Seraphina handed him a bottle of water to give to his drunken friend.
"Thank you, by the way, congratulations on being patched in. I know I was the one who gave you your cut, but I never verbally got to tell you that."
Smiling, she answered him, "Not a problem, I figured you might need it and thank you, it truly is an honour."
Raising the water bottle in thanks, he turned back to his intended target and saw that instead of standing like two (2) minutes go, he was slumped over the lip of the pot. The closer he got, he realised that Elias had passed out completely.
Rolling his eyes and throwing his arms up in frustration, he quickly scanned the massive hall. His piercing blue eyes fell onto the two people he was searching for to help him pick up the sleeping man. As strong as Benjamin was, his best friend was a behemoth and pure muscle, also being three (3) inches taller than him.
Shouting over the music, voices and fireworks, he said, "IVAN! SOLEIL! COME HERE FOR A SECOND AND HELP ME!"
The two men made their way over to where he stood, took one look at their King and busted out laughing. They fell to the floor, clutching their stomachs with tears flowing out of their clenched eyes and sounded like they could not breathe. It was a sight for sure.
Lightly punching the two, he told them to help him pick up their friend and take him up to his room. Grabbing him by the shoulders and by the legs, the trio (3) hoisted his unconscious form off the tiled floor. Making their way past the massive doors, they went into the open elevator and nudged the button for his personal floor in the castle.
Getting to the door of Elias' wing, the three (3) of them rested him gently against the wall and knocked gently. Nova had already gone up for the night, as the young woman was not a huge fan of gigantic parties and overcrowded spaces.
The door swung open and their Queen stared at the three men questioningly.
"Hi, guys, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?"
Benjamin replied, "Hey bub, everything is fine, don't worry your pretty little head about a thing."
"Starry Eyes, your husband may have had too much to drink and is currently passed out right there." Soleil then pointed to the spot beside the front door, they watched as she poked her head out and let out a huff of breath.
Crossing her arms, she begrudgingly motioned for them to pick him back up and bring him inside. Pointing to the couch, Nova told them to place him there and that she would be right back.
Soon she came back down and threw a blanket over her husband. The three men chuckled and shook their heads, they knew this was coming.
"Thank you guys for bringing him up. You can go back and enjoy the party. Bubba, tell Serah I said Hi since I did not get to see her at the party."
Nodding, Benjamin and the other two said goodnight then left. Making his way back down to the hall, he quickly located his wife in the vast sea of riders. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and placed a kiss on the side of her neck.
Serah melted into her husband's arms and relished in the feeling of his body against hers, he made her feel so safe. The demons of her past could not hurt her when she was with him and most of the time even when he was not, they could not touch her because of the thoughts of him that plagued her mind.
Turning her head up slightly, she softly pressed a kiss against his lips, soon feeling his hands cup her cheeks. The couple separated, taking deep breaths in, before smiling at one another, then suddenly Serah gasped as she felt the baby kick. It was not the initial time he or she had done this, but this was the first time the kick was so forceful.
Quickly placing their hands on her big round belly, they felt their little potato kick against their hands. Squealing in excitement, she bounced up and down slightly, all while clapping. Other Riders that were nearby noticed the soon to be parents excitement and joined in even though they did not have any clue what was happening.
Arin got a little too excited and leapt onto Benjamin's back. This sent the older man stumbling forward and everyone moved out of the way as not to get trampled. Turning his head to look at his friend, he glared and said, "When you least expect it, I'm going to the same thing to you. You won't know where, you won't know when, but it will happen."
Dropping off of his back, the younger man threw his hands up in the air in surrender and hugged him. He started begging him not to do it and that he was sorry. Everyone who could see the pair were dying of laughter and with many of them being drunk, it was ten (10) times funnier than it should have been.
Giggling at her husband's antics, Serah took a hold of his hand and tugged it to get his attention from where he was still staring into Arin's soul. Fixating his gaze on his wife, his eyes softened and asked her if she was okay.
"I'm okay, my love. Just a little tired and my ankles are sore."
"Ready to turn in for the night, kitten?"
"Yes, it's already two (2:00 AM) in the morning."
Smiling fondly at her, Benjamin scooped her up into her arms bridal style and walked out of the hall. She exclaimed that she could still walk, but he counteracted her statement with the fact is she was pregnant and he did not want her in any more pain.
Blushing a bright red, she placed her face in his neck and mumbled a 'thank you.' Chuckling, he exited the elevator and unlocked their front door. Walking through, he asked her if she needed anything from the kitchen.
"I'm fine, thank you though, baby."
"Of course, kitten."
Carrying her up the tall winding stairs to their bedroom, he gingerly placed her onto her side of the bed. Removing his suit, he swiftly went into their walk-in closet, threw on a pair of grey sweatpants and picked up a big t-shirt for his kitten.
Taking it back into the room, he saw that her eyes were slowly drooping, so he flew across the room to her side and helped her out of her outfit. Serah had not worn any makeup, so he did not need to worry about wiping it off for her as she too tired nowadays to apply any.
Guiding her arms through the shirt holes, he pulled it down, over her belly and past her long legs. Kissing her on her forehead, Benjamin tucked her under the blankets and made his way over to his side.
Sliding under the sheets, he wrapped his strong arms around Serah and snuggled into her, breathing in her scent of gardenias and peaches. Before he fell asleep, he quietly whispered to her, "Happy New Year, my kitten. Our pasts will no longer rule us. I love you so much."
