After all of the strain and heartache that they had all gone through in the last season, if felt good to be coming to his children with what he felt was good news. He knew Eska had been making an effort to get to know his children, a fact that he couldn't thank her enough for, so hopefully they would be happy at the news. It wasn't like he had made them spending time together a secret or had hid how much he cared for the silver brindled woman, now there was just a commitment behind the feelings they shared. He brought Eska up to the landing that the hall where his children's rooms were, the open balcony letting in a nice breeze while the heat of the late afternoon kept everything plenty warm.

He settled onto his haunches, giving Eska a grin as he leaned down to catch her lips with a quick kiss, looking at her with a warmth and a happiness that she brought out in him. She had such a way of filling up every empty part of him and soothing the parts that were broken and ached. He hoped that happiness was enough to convince his kids to let her be a part of their lives. He called for them, wondering to himself if they would all come this time. It hurt every time he called and they didn't answer, but at this point he didn't know what else to do to try and mend the relationship between them if that was in fact what was keeping them away.

Ulric Adravendi

Ulric wanted to share their relationship with his children and who was Eska to say no? Moving forward and devoting themselves to one another made the earthen man happier than she'd ever seen him. Sharing that happiness with his children was only natural. Eska knew that there could be a bit of blowback as emotions tended to run high with abandoned children, but she hoped that they would eventually come to terms with their father finally finding happiness. The silver woman hoped that they would see that she was an all together different beast than their mother and the woman that came after her. Eska stood on her own. She had made a point to seek each of them out on her own volition. The woman genuinely wanted to know the wolves that Ulric cared so deeply for.

As they sat and waited, Eska leaned into Ulric's broad shoulder. Curling his head, he placed a quick kiss upon her lips and the silver streaked fae couldn't help but grin. Ulric wasn't the only one that was happy. Eska finally had a home, a family and now love. She hoped that her family might grow as Ulric's children accepted her. They weren't young pups anymore and were closer to adulthood every day. If they wished to have nothing to do with her, then so be it. She hoped that they would see just how happy their father was, however. She hoped that her own actions would be her judge. As they waited for the children, Eska peeled herself from Ulric's side, sitting tall and strong beside him. She wouldn't lean upon him and give the wrong impression. She wasn't a leech upon him like the others had seemed to be. Eska stayed close, but kept just a bit of distance between them out of respect for the children that she hoped would soon show.


"Eska Datura Timber"

Serenity hadn't taken a room up with the rest of Ulric's kids, it didn't really seem right. In fact, she wasn't quite used to sleeping in the castle yet. Instead she temporarily took over one of the dug in dens outside the walls. Wandering the castle during the day was a lot more comfortable, she actually spent her free time perched up in the higher parts of the castle watching the day and others go by. She still needed time to get used to be around so many wolves. Ulric called as she was on a stroll through the corridors, and she had considered that she wasn't a part of the call he was making but seeing she was going in the general direction of his wing, she would move forward towards him. When she arrived she peered around the corner, looking to him from afar, almost questioning if he had called her or if she was welcome. She wouldn't move forward until either Lilith or Ezra came around though since she had already met them, her tail wagging gently before she settle before the couple. Walk "Talk"

Ulric had been calling them together somewhat frequently as of late, she had been surprised to meet Serenity the other day. Lilith had welcomed her into the family easily, after losing so much knowing they had an unknown sister out there that wanted to be here… It really helped her to accept the loss. That even though she lost mother and sister than Serenity was out there, and had found them. That fact really helped boost the young girl, more than she ever expected and all Serenity had to do was exist.

The yearling girl slipped from the confines of her room, some days she was up and eager at dawn but more rarely she had bad days. Dats where it was hard to get out of bed. They were far less frequent the longer she recovered, but today was one of them. Lillith looked a little listless, her ears drooped a little and her eyes were not as bright as they might have been. She approached slowly, as though she felt pain with every delicate step she took. Lil looked up at Serenity with a slight smile before approaching her father and the sweet lady Eska.

Lilith wouldn’t soon forget the evening they shared together waiting for Ulric’s return from his great trip to the varying packs of the world. She half wondered if she would ever see half as much of the world as her father. ”Father,” she greeted with a dip of her head and a shy smile as her attention shifted to Eska. ”Hello, Eska.” She greeted with equal warmth.

Lillith Adravendi

Ezra wasn't really surprised any more when his father called for them, but it always did make him a little apprehensive, especially after the last "meeting" they had where his father had introduced them to Serenity. He ended up liking his older half-sister just fine, but it always felt like there was something going on with Ulric and he just never knew what to expect. He didn't know why their family couldn't just be simple and easy, but it never had been. Their mother going missing, Lillith getting sick, catching his father with Aranea, the whole mess with Aranea that he was really only vaguely aware of because of how much time Ulric had spent out by the dens outside the castle, finding out about Serenity... There was always something.

Either way, he'd show up anyway. He had kept the words Resin told him what felt like forever ago close to his heart and he did genuinely try to give his father some slack in most areas of their lives now. It had been easier to see how much his father had been hurting after that talk with Resin so he did his best to not be too hard on him and think things through better before he let himself get mad. He reminded himself of that as he walked into the castle and climbed the stairs to the landing in front of the hallway that led to their rooms. He spotted Serenity lingering on the edges and he gave her a grin, walking over to her first to nudge her shoulder with his head as if to invite her over. A sibling was a sibling as far as he was concerned and he wasn't going to just leave her out on the fringes.

He looked up to where his father was sitting then and noticed Eska sitting beside him. His brows lifted with a bit of surprise and as hard as it was to not jump to conclusions he tried hard not to. He went and sat beside Lillith, looking down at his sister and noticing how tired she looked today. He made an effort to not draw attention to it, just giving her one of his signature toothy grins before he lifted his blue gaze up to Eska curiously, giving her a similar grin. He hadn't spent a ton of time with the woman, but he had seen her around a lot and she had helped him out with the coyotes that one time so he didn't have any reason to not like her.

Ezra Adravendi

His gaze fell on Lillith as she approached them and immediately he noticed how under the weather she looked. He knew her days fluctuated, some were better than others, but he felt guilty that he had pulled her from her room on one of her bad days. Even still, she had come out to greet them with a small smile, always the sweetest of them all. He retuned her smile and leaned down to gently tap her cheek with his nose. "I'm sorry for getting you up when you don't feel well, sweetheart," he told her softly, keeping it to a whisper for just her. "I won't keep you long, I promise." He lifted his head then just in time to see Ezra pulling Serenity into the group, too distracted by Lillith to see the newest addition to their family lingering around the corner. He gave Ezra a grateful grin before smiling warmly at Serenity as well. He hadn't been sure if his technically oldest daughter would come, but he was glad that she was here as well. He wanted her to be a part of their family and he wanted her to be involved, even if it was a little awkward at first.

He waited for a few moments, looking up to watch for Emile and Jane. He didn't want to wait very long so Lillith could go back to resting, but he was growing tired of his children not coming when he asked for them. He knew they were around the pack somewhere and he had spoken with Jane not that long ago, but for his son especially it felt like he was being avoided. At first he had been upset about it, hurt that his children were ignoring him, but now his patience was wearing thin. He hadn't pushed them in any other regard, letting them live their lives how they wished whether they were training and working for the pack or not, all he asked was for a bit of their time.

He pushed the thoughts away after waiting for a few minutes. He didn't want to dwell on those things when he had such good news to share - or at the very least news that made him unbelievably happy. He turned his attention back to the three of his children that had come, not wanting to punish them by making them wait any longer for their siblings. "Well... I suppose I'll just have to tell them later," he commented, giving them a smile. "I wanted talk to you because Eska and I have some news to share and I wanted you to hear in from me first." He glanced over at Eska, his lop sided grin pulling across his features. Even just looking at this beautiful woman beside him made him happy. "I love her very much and she makes me so incredibly happy. She's agreed to be my partner, my mate." He looked back toward his children, looking for their reactions. "If it's okay with you, I'd like for her to be a part of our family as well."

Ulric Adravendi

Not all of Ulric's children answered his call and she could see the disappointment on his face. Leaning her shoulder against his, Eska spoke softly, "It's okay. We can tell them later." She would hunt down the pair herself to tell them the news and possible give them a bit of scolding for ignoring a summons. Ulric wasn't only their father, he was the alpha. The leader of the pack. His summons couldn't go unheeded without repercussions. The children that did arrive were greeted with the woman's trademark, faint smile.

Eska listened as Ulric shared the news with his children. They had made the easy decision to become bound to one another. Mates, in a simple term. For both of them, it seemed right. Eska couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else other than this lovely, caring, giant bear of a man. He completed her, as cliché as that expression was. The brindle coated fae was devoted to him and would do everything in her power to make both Ulric and his children happy.

After the earthen brute had finished addressing his children, Eska spoke a few words as well. Her sulfur gaze met Lilliths ruby orbs, holding them for a moment as she spoke. "I'm not going anywhere. Not disappearing. I'm not trying to replace your mothers, but if you need me, I will be here." She wanted a relationship with them; these wolves who were so important to her mate. "I want to be a part of your lives. We can take it slow if you need. Ulric is important to me and you are important to him. Therefore, you're important to me as well." Again, she gave that faint smile.

"Eska Datura Timber"

Serenity hadn't known deep the history of Lillith and her young illness, but she had noticed her not so pleasant appearance when she had come by her even with the gentle smile before heading forward. You look like shit was what came to her mind, but she didn't translate that into real words. Instead only offering her a similar smile and a nod of her head. Ezra came not long after, when she stood to follow Lillith but before she could go after. She hummed lightly before letting Ezra go ahead, and then taking her seat among them all. Perhaps luckily, Ulric didn't really need to be concerned with Serenity's reaction because she hadn't been apart of their family for long, or at least emotionally. She hadn't been able to get to know any of them very much yet, not even Ulric. That was really on her though, but she did want to turn the tables and put more effort in on her end. She nodded at Eska as Ulric introduced her as his mate, and she would be just as welcoming as she was to her siblings, and as her siblings were to herself in their last meeting. Ulric had mostly asked for their blessing, or maybe, he could have just done what he wanted anyway. But Serenity could tell that his children were a big part of his life. She could only wonder what the broken parts were and what made them so attached, or detached. It was a little bit of everything with the family as a whole, or that's what she thought. "Well, I could say I can't really have an opinion, but these guys don't really have a choice now." She joked, acting like they had claimed her as their own so now they just had to deal with her. She was very genuine in her feelings for Ulric introducing Eska though, and she was happy to share this happy moment with him, and hopefully her other siblings could reflect the same way. Eska may have seemed a little cold at first, just a small faint smile, but Serenity overlooked it. She wouldn't let first impressions ruin this hopefully lasting relationship with her father, and a potential partnership with her and the woman either. She was very open to the possibilities, and she had the mindset to do anything that would make her father and her new family happy. She still matched with a smile as Eska continued, telling them that she wasn't trying to replace their mothers. She bit her lip a little still through her own smile, she wasn't expecting to look to Eska as that kind of figure, she was a little too old to see that. But Eska considering herself as a mate, maybe a mother, it wasn't a hard void to fill in Serenity. Just knowing they could be companions, good friends, that was enough for Serenity to move forward in Eska's and Ulric's relationship. "Welcome to the family then." Walk "Talk"

Lillith felt Ezra come to sit beside her soon after she arrived, she met his gaze and offered him a smile. Even that expression looked tired. Ulric spoke ot her softly in greeting and apology. She leaned into his affection and gave him a grin as well, trying to soothe his worry for her. After a nap she would be fine. His whispers kept a smile on her face as he looked up to watch the other two attendees arrive. Emile and Jane hadn’t shown up, and Lillith felt her heart tighten. She looked down at her paws, feeling her blame shift to herself. The old feelings of abandonment from her mother were remembered painfully at the lack of her sibling’s presence.

Ulric realized too that they were not coming and began the reason he brought them here with a glance to Eska. Swiftly explaining that they would be mates.

Lil realized for a long time now that her mother and sister were not going to return, but this cemented that fact. It was bittersweet, but she would have been blind not to see the grin on her father’s features. He spoke the truth, he obviously loved Eska. He was looking for their permission to accept her into their family.

Before Lillith reacted Eska took her turn to speak, reminding them that she wasn’t going to disappear anywhere, she wasn’t replacing anyone, but she wanted to be someone they could rely on. Eska looked like she was talking directly to her, a promise that she would be everything that Azariah had not been. Serenity stepped forward and spoke first, without hesitation welcoming Eska into the family with them.

As she broke the ice Lillith smiled and stepped forward, after everything she felt the same. Like she needed Eska in her life. ”I’m glad you chose her,” Lil offered her father as she stepped forward to offer him a kiss on the cheek before her attention shifted to Eska. ”Thank you for choosing us.” She offered Eska quietly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as well, gladly accepting her into her shrinking (and growing) family.

Lillith Adravendi