Raiden huffed. “Tell them to come back tomorrow.”
I almost agreed because I was loath to end the perfection of this moment. But these cubs? They weren’t just a miracle to us. They were the herald of hope for the rest of the Manix race, and they wanted to see them too.
Gatlin snorted. “Sure thing, but you can go down and tell Selena that she can’t see her grandcubs for another day. That woman is scary. Amazing, but scary.”
I snorted because I just didn’t see the scariness. Selena had been amazing, watching Luisa during the birth, and making sure we were all fed and happy. Generally just taking care of things. She’d left us alone to bond as a Pack for a week, despite how excited she’d been, but I could imagine she’d be beside herself with excitement now.
I crawled over to Raiden and snuggled his face. “Come on, Rai. It's time to introduce the cubs to the big wide world.”
He huffed but stood. He was only in a pair of sweats, but Gatlin walked in to kiss him softly. “Such a Papa Bear.” He handed him a t-shirt I hadn’t noticed until then. He also handed me a dress, because I was still in Finlo’s shirt from yesterday.
“Thanks, Alpha.” I pulled the shirt off and slipped the dress on over my head, before stepping into his arms for a kiss. He delivered it in abundance, with tongue. I grabbed the front of his shirt and curled my body against his. He ran his tongue over the small pink scar that was his mate mark on my neck, on the opposite side to Finlo’s.
I shivered, and the smell of my arousal flooded the room.
“Maybe we can stop at my bedroom first…?”
Gatlin shook his head and stepped away. “No way, mate. There’s a whole party waiting for you guys and the little stars of the show.” His eyes hooded. “But tonight? You’re on, Omega.”
Goosebumps ran over my skin, and I grinned.
Looking over my shoulder at Raiden, I noticed his eyes were also filled with lust. He switched his gaze to Gatlin. “I think you’re right, Gatlin. It’s definitely time to leave the nest.”
Yeah, he was going to end up in my bed tonight too.
Gatlin walked over to the Moses baskets and lifted out Amity Jane, cradling her gently in his arms. She was smaller than the boys, but she was growing well, drinking just as much as the boys. She was going to be thoroughly spoiled.
There was a knock at the door and the rest of my Pack appeared. Finlo had Luisa on his hip, and I wandered over, placing baby Hale in his arms. Luisa looked down at the baby with such love it made my heart swell.
Raiden juggled August into one arm, and I gave Chance to Seven. Finally, Ellar delicately lifted Sage from his basket, and I reached down and scooped up Noble.
We trooped down the stairs, keeping Raiden in the center of us. This would be hard with his Omega instincts, but the Beast had gone back in his box over the last day or two. Raiden was running less on instinct now. Finlo told me that historically, the Omegas would be holed up with the female Betas for a month before they’d emerge. Apparently, in the olden days before formula, female Betas lactated to feed the young. But there weren’t enough female Manix at all for that now.
I could hear the noise of so many voices drifting up the stairs. Gatlin had promised no one would touch the babies without permission, and I think that eased all of our more primal natures. When we got to the landing, my mouth swung open. Holy shit—there were dozens of people down here.
I could see all of Finlo’s family, Raiden’s dad, and even Gatlin’s father standing at the very back of the crowd. Terra and her husbands, as well as all of her kids, were there in a tight bunch. Surprisingly, the Legion Force soldiers Merrick and Murphy were there, as well as the Fletcher-Wiley-Reid Pack. They looked at us longingly, and it broke my fucking heart.
I nearly tripped over my feet when my eyes fell on Courtland. My brother. My brother Courtland.
“Easy, Omega,” Gatlin said, his hand shooting out to grab me. “He asked if he could come and see the cubs. He’s your last remaining family, outside of our Pack. He’s the reason you are here with us now. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
I didn’t mind, but hey, a heads up would have been nice. Courtland dipped his chin and I gave him a half-smile back. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see him, it was just that I’d firmly shut away that moment of my life while I healed, and whilst we had bigger things to worry about like taking care of new life.
Beside Courtland was a pretty teenage girl with dark brown eyes, long straight hair and my mother’s nose.
Holy shit. He’d brought one of my siblings.
I concentrated on getting down the stairs without falling on my face or dropping the cub in my arms. When we all reached the foot of the stairs, Gatlin cleared his throat. “Meet the newest members of Pack Huxley-Grey.”
Everyone cooed and spoke at once. I noticed the giant mound of presents. Damn. These guys went all out.
The next hour was fending off touching hands, making sure Raiden was coping, and mingling within the crowd. Eventually, I ended up in front of Courtland and the girl who was my sibling. Seven appeared behind me, not saying anything but just offering support. He was no longer holding Chance, but I wasn’t worried. One of the others would have him.
“You look well, Naja,” Courtland said, though he could have been talking to a complete stranger. There was something odd about Courtland, like he was broken, but when he looked at me, I could see the hint of guilt that sat behind his eyes. There was something more to Courtland, and I honestly didn’t know if I had the fortitude to discover what it was. I just wanted to be happy. That Scooby Doo Mystery Machine bullshit was for someone else. I was done.
“Thank you, Courtland.”
The girl beside him huffed. “For fuck’s sake, Court. Introduce us so I can finally meet my damn sister.”
