“I’ll never get tired of holding you in my arms. You know that?” I knew little baby Chuck couldn’t understand what I was saying, but that didn’t matter. I’d been yapping to him all day because it made me feel better and everyone said it was important for him to hear his father’s voice to know he loved him.

The pregnancy and birth had taken a lot out of me. I was drained for at least a few days, and just stayed in bed with Chuck. The rest of the pack was unbelievable.

Osana came in every couple of hours to check on me and see how I was doing. She was like a wizard with all the different teas she had for different ailments, and of course more traditional medicine if need be.

Chrissie loved coming in to visit, coo at Chuck and bring me food and drink if I needed it. Kyle and Clarence had no shortage of parenting advice for me.

“If he cries too much,” Kyle had told me. “And you can’t seem to get him to stop, just hold him like this and rock him around in a circle.”

He’d showed me this special way of holding Chuck with his arms crossed around his chest and my hand under his little cute bottom, and he was right! It calmed him right down.

But for the most part, Chuck was a good little boy. Sure, he cried, but all little babies did. He also made the most adorable funny faces at me when he had his eyes open and I couldn’t stop thinking about just how magical my life was going to be with him in it.

I’d never had a family – not really. The orphanage had been cold and impersonal, and of course living under Marcellus’s thumb was anything but familial. It’s strange to think about, but somehow, being taken by Marcellus was the best thing that could have ever happened me.

It’s sort of like the butterfly effect, I guess. If I hadn’t been taken by Marcellus, then I never would have been at The Love Knot that night, trying my best to escape being sold at auction.

Without that night, I never would have met Aiden, and I wouldn’t be here with him now. Without all those things, I wouldn’t be cradling baby Chuck in my arms.

“How are you feeling, honey?” I heard Osana say from the door, and looked up to see her and Kyle as they came into the room.

“I’m in Heaven,” I smiled, rocking Chuck gently in my arms.

“I bet you are,” Kyle grinned. He had Scarlet with him and she jumped excitedly into the room. She loved visiting Chuck and was fascinated by how small he was.

She came right up to the side of the bed and peered into the blankets. “He’s so small still!”

“He will grow fast,” Kyle said, running his hand through his daughter’s hair. “Just like you did.”

Scarlet had definitely grown, and at only five years old, was at least a few inches taller than most human children her age. Delicately, she brushed a tiny piece of Chuck’s hair aside.

“He’s just a baby!” She smiled.

“You’re just a baby!” I countered with a smile.

“Uh uh! I’m five! Baby’s aren’t five!”

I had to laugh. It was always interesting to see how children responded to other children.

“Where is Aiden?” I asked. “Still working on his bike?”

“He’s with Seth and Carlos,” Kyle told me. “They’re collecting lumber and getting everything together for the addition.”

The lodge was basically overflowing now and it had become apparent that we were going to need more space. If anyone else showed up, or had another kid, people would be sleeping on couches. So Tate had made the decision to add onto the lodge.

We were pretty self-sufficient at the moment. Tate would cover the occasional shift at The Love Knot, and Martin would bartend sometimes. The others took odd jobs in town, but we hunted, felled trees for wood and had a beautiful garden out back during the growing season. It was nice to live relatively off the grid and not have to worry about being exposed by the humans.

“Would you like something to eat?” Kyle asked. “We’re making lentil soup. I could bring you a cup?”

“That’s nice of you, Kyle,” I said, sitting up and swinging my legs to the floor, careful not to knock into Scarlet. “I’m going to get some fresh air with Chuck.”

I got to my feet, cradling my baby in my arms and stepped through the door and down the hall. The lodge was bustling, and I smiled at everyone as I made my way out back. Being the center of attention was something I had to get used to, as everyone was so excited about having a new baby in the pack and came over to say hi every chance they got.

The last clutches of winter still hung in the air, and although most of the snow had melted, there was still a thin layer on the trees and the mornings were still cool.

But despite that, I could just picture our lives here once the spring came. I could see the gardens as they started to grow and produce food, the leaves of the trees budding and sprouting and the children running around on the back lawn to play.

As I gazed out at the tree line, I saw Carlos and Seth come out of the woods, a large timber on their shoulders. Behind them, my heart fluttered as I saw my alpha coming up behind them.

He smiled as our eyes met, and waved as he and the boys lugged the large log toward the barn.

“Can you wave hi to your daddy?” I cooed at Chuck as I rocked him forward to give Aiden a view of his child. “Can you wave hi?”

He couldn’t, and I knew that, but I liked being silly with him, so I took his cute little hand and waved at Aiden for him. He grinned from ear to ear as he vanished around the side of the house toward the barn.

There was so much to do, and I was looking forward to all of it. It was almost impossible to believe that at one point I wasn’t sure whether I’d even see Aiden again, and now here we were at the Scarlet Mountain Pack lodge, living among people who loved and cared for us, with a baby of our own and an entire future ahead of us.

How did I get so lucky?