Page 35 of Matched in Mayhem

“Ornery isn’t the right word,” I said, scrunching up my nose.

“Ornery,” my tiger rolled the word around on his tongue like it tasted sour.

“Stubborn and hard to please or appease,” Slyvin said, defining the word.

“Usually that definition includes bad-tempered too and I’m not bad tempered.”

“No, you just look like you’re deciding what condiment to serve him with,” Slyvin said, flashing me a knowing grin.

“Alby can be friends with whoever he wants to be. That’s not up to me. He’s right about Brad but that doesn’t mean I have to trust him.”

“You’re right on all accounts,” Slyvin nodded. “But that man is an omega. I’m not saying that means he’s harmless. I’m saying that any omega in his situation would’ve fought someone to save his kids. He probably thought fighting another strange omega would pan out to be easier than fighting both his parents. He was right in a way too. Alby was easier to handle because Alby doesn’t hold any ill will towards him. Your mate saw someone who needed help and proceeded to help. I’m only saying that I love my kids, all of my kids. Would I have found a way to kill my parents to save them? I don’t know because I can’t fathom what it feels like to push out two babies, still be bleeding, and heartbroken with every hormone inside my body screaming to save my kids at all costs and then be given that ultimatum.”

“That’s why I’m letting Alby take the lead on this one,” I nodded and popped another sharp cheddar cheese cube into my mouth.

“Perhaps, you’re not ornery about Brad. Perhaps, it’s about Frost? Like why the scaley bastard was so cryptic when you could’ve been the hero and saved Brad from going through that? Why would he bother telling you anything if he’s not going to tell you everything?”

I huffed. Slyvin was right and he knew it. The old tiger didn’t need me to confirm it.

“I’ve wondered stuff like that a lot and I do not operate on blind faith to Frost or anyone. We are not a religion nor do we worship him. Not our sect anyway. We follow his Tenets. We take that advice and try to do good. Why Frost says or does or neglects to say or do anything is beyond me. Maybe he’s just like that. Perhaps there are rules in play that we don’t know about. At the end of the day, that’s on him. What’s on us is to do the best we can to protect people and make their lives a little less crappy.”

“So you think I should be nicer?” I rolled my eyes.

“No, I think you’re kind enough. Nice is overrated,” he shrugged. “I think also that being Alby’s friend will be good for him. Not because he needs a rolemodel but because people will think twice before they mess with him since he’s under your protection too. Plus, if he has no friends following all of this, it’s only Oaklan and Resin who will pay the price and we both know it.”

“I know,” I grumbled. “That’s why I bought the babies gifts.”

“It gets easier,” Slyvin said. “At least it did for me. With you and Ryder my only role models on how to handle it were the men who raised me. I hope that I prepared you better for this part of your life by showing you can be protective and kind at the same time.”

“I’m here smiling at everyone, aren’t I?” I managed a laugh.

“Well, it’s more of a constipated grimace, but you are trying,” Slyvin smirked. “Come on. We’ll go over and you’ll hold a baby and feel better.”

“Why would he let me hold one of his babies? He doesn’t know me,” I sigh, but follow him anyway.

Honestly, if I was Brad, I’d probably hate me. I’d blame me not only for Chad’s death but also for the domino affect his death caused in my life. I wouldn’t want to see me at all. Only, when we walked over, Alby stood up and hugged me before pulling me into the seat next to him. On his other side was Brad, holding Baby Oaklan and Baby Resin. We’d been introduced at the hospital so I nodded at the bear shifter and tried not to look annoyed. I wasn’t exactly annoyed with him, but the situation.

“Look,” he spoke to his little babies. “There is your Uncle Bennie. He made sure I was strong and had milk for you hungry little bears.”

I blushed. Milk talk didn’t usually make me blush and that wasn’t what did it that time either. It was the fact he referred to me as the ‘uncle’ of his cubs. It was like I took Chad out of everyone else’s misery and took his place.

“We would be a better uncle to the twins that Chad,” my tiger chimed into my thoughts. “Though a rock or a tree would too. He didn’t set the bar very high, did he?”

Still smiling, Brad passed Baby Resin to me, and I held the baby against my chest. He wasn’t the first baby I had held. I had held so many babies both related to me and otherwise. Kids of every shifter type loved tigers because in most places we were pretty rare.

“Look at you and those big eyes,” I said to Baby Resin. “Taking in the great big world, huh? They’re both beautiful babies.”

Slyvin flashed me a knowing smile. Okay, he was right. It was hard to stay angry and hold a baby. Even harder now that I knew in a few short months that Alby and I would have three of our own.

“Ours will be cute but they’ll drive us crazy,” my tiger chimed into my thoughts.

He was right. All feline kids were menaces in the best possible way.

Chapter 18

Alby

The Hemlock Wolf Pack, Star’s Territory