Page 131 of A Wolf in the Garden

Lacey sidles up to me, her voice low as she elbows me. “Someone’s got baby fever.”

“Quiet, you,” I reply, but I can’t deny that there’s something about seeing a baby in my wife’s arms that makes me want to drag her back to the house right now with a very particular goal in mind.Breed her, my wolves chant, and I send them a very directFuck offback. I thought they’d let me relax once I claimed Ellie, but they only changed their tune. They’ll get their way eventually, in three or four years. Ellie and I both have more things to do together first, before we add a kid to the mix.

“Do you want to hold him, alpha?”

The way Sophia says it makes it clear it’s pretty important to her, and I nod. While Lacey has been helping her out a lot, this is the first time I’m meeting little Oscar, and it’s time for the entire pack to step up and support them both. Sophia takes the baby from Ellie, bringing him to me while Seth busies himself by attempting to assemble the stroller, looking only mildly confused.

“Just watch his head.”

“I’ve got him,” I say quietly.

He is the tiniest, warmest little thing, gold eyes wide as he stares up at me, the back of his head completely engulfed by my hand. He smells of milk and sweet baby scent, and he is perfect.

“Hey little wolf,” I whisper, and his face transforms, his wide gummy smile all joy.

“Oh my god, he’s smiling already!” Lacey coos, stepping close and leaning against my arm.

“He just learned to do that two days ago, and now he won’t stop,” Sophia says, her tone full of pride. “It makes the 2AM feed easier for sure, when you start getting that feedback. Isn’t that right, little man? You love smiling, don’t you?”

“I remember those days,” Lacey mutters.

I nod, remembering the teary voice messages Lacey used to send me in the middle of the night, back when she had Ash, her second son. Babies aren’t straightforward, that’s for sure, but it’s certainly easy to get caught up in wanting one in these moments, especially when his tiny hand latches onto my finger.

I lift my head and meet Ellie’s gaze, her eyes shining with happy tears as she lowers her phone. Knowing her, she’s just taken a hundred pictures.

“You want one of these?” I ask her, gently rocking the little baby in my arms.

She nods wordlessly, emphatically. “One day,” she whispers.

“One day,” I agree.