"Where are the goats?" Maya asks. "I want to see them."
"Probably plotting their next escape," I say. "Come on."
We spend the next hour showing them around, the expanded herb garden, the new greenhouse sections, the root cellar Calder built, the comfortable chaos of our home. They’re curious about India.
"Julian filled three notebooks," I tell them. "He's been working on a paper about traditional omega healthcare practices in South Asian communities."
"That's so Julian," Pen says fondly. "Turning a family trip into academic research."
"It matters though," Maya adds quietly. "Preserving that knowledge. Making sure it doesn't get lost."
She would think that. Maya's spent the last year working on omega advocacy projects, creating resource libraries, documenting different pack structures. Following in my footsteps, maybe, but carving her own path too.
By mid-afternoon, everyone has gathered in our living room.
Mira in the comfortable armchair near the fireplace.Pen and Maya on the floor with photo albums, looking at pictures from India. The three alphas and I squeezed onto the sofa.
I've set up my laptop on the coffee table, video call ready to connect to three different locations: the Ashfords at their estate, the Vales in Millbrook, the Crosses in Riverside.
"Ready?" Calder asks.
I nod, and he clicks the call button.
The screen divides into three windows. Margaret and Robert Ashford appear in one, sitting in their formal drawing room. Catherine and Thomas Vale in another, in their cozy kitchen. Rebecca Cross in the third, at her kitchen table, work files hastily pushed aside.
"Hello!" Catherine's voice comes through warmly. "What a lovely surprise! We weren't expecting a call."
"Is everything alright?" Margaret asks, ever practical.
"Everything's wonderful," Tyler assures them. "We just wanted to share some news. With everyone at once."
"News?" Rebecca leans closer to her camera. "Julian, you look nervous. What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Julian says. "Everything is... unexpectedly excellent."
I take a breath. "We're pregnant."
Silence. Then chaos.
Catherine bursts into tears immediately, hands over her mouth. Thomas wraps an arm around her, grinning broadly.
Rebecca's eyes go wide, then she laughs, bright and disbelieving. "You're… really? Oh my god, really?"
Margaret's composure cracks just a little. "Pregnant? Elowen, are you certain?"
"The doctor confirmed it last week," I say. "Twelve weeks. Twins."
More chaos. Catherine's crying harder now, saying something about grandchildren and sleepovers. Thomas wipes his eyes. Rebecca asks a million questions at once: how do I feel, have I been sick, what is the due date?
Even Margaret looks emotional, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes. "Twins. Oh my. Robert, did you hear? Twins."
Robert grins. "Congratulations. To all of you. This is wonderful news."
Mira's quiet in her chair, but I can see her smiling, hands folded over her heart.
Pen and Maya are hugging each other, bouncing with excitement. "We're going to be aunties!" Pen announces.
"Have you told anyone else?" Catherine asks, still crying. "Does the rest of the family know?"
