Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kai was anxious the day of the party. For himself, for Joe, for Axel. The three of them worked together to get the babies dressed for the day, in special outfits they’d put aside for the occasion.
“That purple dress is the cutest,” Joe said, eyeing Amber who was kicking and squirming as Kai tried to dress her. Little Robin was dressed in a red that had Axel jokingly calling him Robin Hood.
“Didn’t Robin Hood wear green?” Joe wondered.
“Who’s Robin Hood?” Kai asked, finally getting Amber’s feet into her socks.
Axel picked up Dex, who was wearing a deep green. “We probably shouldn’t have put both our omegas in dark blue,” he pointed out. “How will anyone tell them apart?”
“Knowing these two, it’ll be easy. One will be a fox and the other a wolf.”
Joe was right. The babies had taken to shifting like ducks to water, so much so that it was sometimes nearly impossible to get them to change back. Unless they were hungry, which, thankfully, they were a lot. He dreaded the toddler stage when they learned the word no. And when they learned, like Cade’s little ones, that they could pretend not to hear anything when they were in their animal forms.
“That’s the last,” he said, lifting Amber into his arms. “I guess we’d better head out and join the party.”
Ollie was outside in the living room, keeping an eye on the other babies. They’d recruited a few helping hands, so they had one person per baby for the day. It meant Kai didn’t have to worry about losing sight of any of them, though he knew he still would. Being an anxious parent seemed to come as naturally to him as all the rest did. Sometimes, he wished he had Cade’s more carefree attitude or even Dara’s confidence.
When they stepped outside, there were cheers and claps. The noise scared Amber and he cuddled her to him, whispering softly in her ear and making sure she could get his scent. She quickly calmed and he stuck with Axel and Joe as they made their rounds, greeting their visitors.
A few times, in the distance, he caught sight of Axel’s parents. People seemed to be avoiding them. Kai didn’t believe there was any malice around it. He guessed they just didn’t know how to react around them. Seeing Joe had noticed them too, he watched as his mate leaned closer to Axel and whispered in his ear. Kai wasn’t close enough to hear what he said, but he saw Axel’s gaze turn to his parents and a moment later, he was handing the baby in his arms to Joe and pushing his way through the crowd toward them. Joe stayed put so Kai did too, watching Axel reach his parents and greet each of them warmly with a hug.
Joe was watching closely and seemed satisfied. It did the trick, and over the next few minutes, Kai watched others of the pack move to greet them.
“What did you say to Axel?” he asked Joe.
“That everyone was waiting for his cue to know how to react. That they were his parents, they’d always be his parents, and it was his turn to set the tone for their relationship.”
“They look different,” Kai said.
“Shane looks old,” Joe replied in a near whisper. “They both do.”
Axel returned, swooping Dex from Joe’s arms and they continued like nothing had happened.
Later that day, when the three of them were alone in the nursery, settling the babies down for a nap, Kai broached a subject that had been bothering him.
“Is it fair for your parents to be living so far away still?”
Axel looked surprised at the question. “It was what they agreed to.”
“I know, but… being alone is bad for shifters, right? And I know they have each other, but is that enough?”
“He’s right,” Joe said. “Time has passed and the pack has moved on. Between you being alpha and the council running things, it’s not like they’re a risk to pack stability anymore.”
“You’d be okay with them back here?”
Kai nodded but was eager to hear Joe’s opinion.
“Not here here, in the house, obviously. We need our own space. But why shouldn’t they live within the pack they dedicated their lives to building?”
Kai found both himself and Joe pulled into Axel’s arms as the alpha hugged them.
“Thank you, both of you, for being so… perfect. Just perfect.”
“We’re far from perfect,” Joe replied, but he was smiling.
“But we are your mates,” Kai added. “We love you and we want what’s best for you. And for your family, since they’re our family now.”
“I’ll talk to the council,” Axel said. “And we’ll look at doing it on a trial basis, slowly reintegrating them. It might be hard since they can’t shift.”
“Can’t they?” Kai asked. “You’re alpha now and they’re part of the pack. It might just be a matter of time.”
Axel look intrigued at the idea. “That might mean a new lease of life for them. A fresh start.”
“We’d better head back out,” Joe said. “We don’t want to keep our guests waiting.”
None of them moved, too comfortable in each other’s arms.
“In a minute,” Axel said. “I just want to savor this.”
Kai knew the feeling, of wanting to hold onto his mates and never, ever let them go.
Beside them, their six little ones slept. Kai looked at each of them in turn, marveling at how only a year before, he’d been alone and facing into an even lonelier future. He’d never guessed that life would lead him here. To not one but two mates. To six beautiful children of his own. He was determined that none of them would ever have a life like he’d had before Joe and Axel. They’d always have family, they’d always be a part of something bigger. They’d never be truly alone.