Cooper released the clamps and stood up. “Thank the Goddess.” Then he passed the hell out with a thump. No one could catch him, and his head thudded against the floorboards. He’d be fine, of course, but my poor, traumatized Alpha.
Tanner actually laughed. “I’m surprised he lasted that long.” He looked up at Darius. “Just a little more, Omega, and you can rest with your cubs.”
He worked so fast that it was hard to follow, but soon enough, there was a neat row of stitches up Darius’s stomach, and a cheerful-looking doctor was checking his vitals. Darius had fallen asleep almost immediately, even while the blood pressure cuff was still expanding, so I took the baby from his chest and held her to mine.
How could something be this small and fragile, then grow into a huge, fearsome Manix? It seemed impossible, but as I felt the warm press of the baby’s cheek against my chest, I swore that I would protect her and her siblings with everything I had.
Tanner grinned from ear to ear. “I’m so chuffed at how that went. My first Manix delivery was a success, wouldn’t you agree?” He looked so proud, you’d almost think one of the babies belonged to him.
“We own you one, Tanner,” Corvin murmured, but didn’t look up from the small, swaddled baby in his arms.
Tanner waved a dismissive hand. “All part of the job. The best part, I think.” He looked longingly at the babies, and for the first time, I saw a flash of the human Tanner had been before his turning. Did he have kids? A family who thought he was fish food at the bottom of the ocean? Though it might just be a rumor that he’d been turned after being mauled by a great white shark.
He packed up silently, then whispered some instructions on caring for Darius to Beckett before leaving. Then the only people left in the house were the five of us and the three newest members of the family. I just prayed to the Goddess I didn’t fuck this up.
46
CORVIN
Istood guard and watched my entire Pack sleep in the nursery their first night. The babies fussed if they weren’t all together in the one bassinet, and I had this overwhelming fear that they’d bump into each other or roll onto each other and cause irreparable damage. So I sat close and counted all their breaths.
One. Two. Three.
Cooper and Beckett were bracketed around Kitten and Darius. Kitten was protective of Darius, even with us. She was basically guarding his wounds against our clumsy hands, because anytime one of the others went to put a hand over him in their sleep, she was like a narcoleptic ninja, her arm there blocking them while never fully waking up. It was actually kind of impressive.
I’d never been more happy or more terrified than I was right now. During the birth, I’d just been straight up terrified. If anything had happened to Darius or the cubs… God, I didn’t even want to think about it.
But now? I was still scared, but it was outweighed by the absolute love I felt when I looked at the three tiny, wrapped bundles next to me. We hadn’t even picked names—with the whole insanity of Maxton burning, and whether we stayed in Moonburst or left, we hadn’t had a chance.
Cooper had eventually woken up when I’d deadlifted him into the nursery too. Poor guy. I’d only seen flashes of the procedure and that was more than enough for me. I wasn’t sure he’d ever recover.
“Can’t sleep?” The soft voice of Kitten was a caress on my skin, and I shivered. I wanted to crawl across the bodies to her and wrap her up in my arms, just hold her to me. As if she read my mind, she extracted herself from the puppy pile. She stood up as she reached me by the door, leaning down to kiss me softly, before walking over to the bassinet. “They are so small.”
They were tiny, a lot smaller than human babies, or even Beta-born Manix babies, who had the same gestation as a regular pregnancy. No, it was an effect of the male Omega pregnancy that they were born this young, but developed enough to be healthy. Eventually, they’d be the same size as normal kids, and you’d never know that once I could’ve held one in a single hand.
“They are, but not for long. They’ll start doubling in size soon enough.” I was secretly looking forward to it, even though as a parent I was meant to want them to stay small and cute forever. Not me though; I wanted them infinitely less breakable ASAP. They even had to have special baby bottles right now because they were so small. It was crazy.
They stirred, and we both stilled. “Let’s go to the kitchen,” Kitten whispered, and I followed her out into the main room, holding my breath at every squeaking floorboard, waiting for everyone to wake. But they didn’t.
I breathed easier as we stepped into the kitchen, turning on the small light over the stove. I grabbed the milk from the fridge, while Kitten reached up to pull down two glasses. Someone had pushed them right to the back, and she huffed, hiking up a T-shirt that belonged to Cooper as she scaled the bench like a monkey. It reminded me of the girl she’d once been, wild and independent. Plus, it gave me a wonderful view of her perfect ass.
“Would you have ever predicted that we’d be here right now?” I asked softly, and she spun from where she was standing on the bench.
She shook her head. “Maybe once. When I was young and dreamed of a life together where we’d roam in the woods and hunt and you’d give me kisses in front of the fire.” She laughed to herself. “That was because you guys started sneaking me romance novels in my care packages.”
I snorted. We’d done that on purpose. Well, Beckett had. I was pretty sure he’d read each one first too, just so he could talk to her about them. He was a hopeless romantic like that, though he’d never admit it.
She looked down at me from up there, a teasing smile on her lips, her hair framing her face like a shadow. She just stole my breath.
“I wanted to kiss you, Kitten. Especially that last year. It was a physical ache to keep us in the friend zone. But we both wanted you to make the first move.”
She reached down and stroked her fingers through my hair. This kitchen had been made for humans, so the countertops only came up to my groin. Which meant that even while standing on the bench, I could have comfortably buried my face between her thighs. Actually…
“Silly Alphas. I never would have made the first move. I’m not that brave.”
I gripped her ankle and lifted it slightly, spreading her legs and baring her delicious pussy to my eyes. “Kitten, you’re the bravest person I know. Now hang onto those cabinets—I’ve decided I want something sweet with my glass of milk.”
I dragged my tongue through her folds, and her knees went weak. I put her foot on my shoulder, leaning in close so I was pressing her against the cupboards, holding her steady with a hand on her hip.
