Jane loved her son. Really. She did.

“Connor Lance Warren, we do not growl at butterflies.”

Connor didn’t seem to be in the “listening” mood. Shifted with his butt in the air and little tail wagging, he lowered his chest to the ground and rumbled once more. His dark fur caught hints of his blond highlights in the afternoon sun, and she sighed when he dug his claws into the grass and dirt.

Jane’s attention swung from her son to the butterfly perched on her finger and back again before lifting her hand a little higher. Connor’s tongue lolled out of his mouth, amber eyes intent on his target.

“Connor, she’s our friend. We don’t eat our friends,” Jane murmured, and her son whimpered in response. He relaxed his body and flopped to the ground, rolling to his back to expose his belly. She reached over and stroked his short fur, smiling down at the pup. She’d miss times like these when he grew older. When he’d transform to an alpha pup who didn’t have time to play with his mom.

A balmy breeze ghosted over them both, and the butterfly fluttered away on the gentle wind. Jane called that a win since she’d managed to keep the bug out of Connor’s jaws.

The grass wasn’t quite so lucky. He flipped to four feet and grabbed a patch of grass, making a game out of tugging it from the ground and flinging mounds of sod everywhere.

She hoped the National Circle wasn’t attached to their lawn since it was no longer attached to the dirt. He ripped a big clump free and danced in a circle before trotting to her. He dropped it in front of her and sat on his haunches, waiting for her to praise him for the gift.

Jane forced a smile to her lips and cupped his snout, giving him a kiss to the bridge of his nose. “Oh my goodness! Thank you, sweetheart!”

Connor barked and darted away again, returning to his game of “attack the grass.” And each time he looked to her, his wolf’s eyes alight with joy, Jane made sure she had a smile on her lips.

She couldn’t let him see that she was nervous. That anxiety rolled through her in unending waves. Though she was sure he sensed it on some level, she knew he couldn’t identify scents at his age. He could only instinctively recognize her tension.

She breathed deeply and released the breath slowly, seeking a calm that hovered just out of reach. She scanned the grounds, searching for any sign that something was amiss. That the National Circle had been wrong when they’d assured her it was safe for Connor to be with her today.

The National Circle told her it was fine.

Healer Amelia told her it was fine.

They’d claimed her father wasn’t fit to hurt anyone in his current state. Okay, but that didn’t tell her whether he’d want to cause injury. The last time she’d seen him, he’d wanted her dead and then wanted to kill Reese.

Was it so hard to believe that he might want to hurt her child?

She swallowed hard. She should have fought Reese harder this morning. He’d insisted on bringing Connor with them. It was for her mother’s sake, he’d said. They’d agreed to dress him in the adorable overalls her mother had sent after Connor’s birth. Ginger Coleman would finally be able to meet her grandchild.

Thankfully the overalls had been constructed to accommodate a pup who spent as much time on four legs as he did on two.

Connor stared up at Jane and barked, short tail wagging, followed by a full-body shake that threw grass everywhere. He hopped and yipped again, patting the ground with one paw, begging for her to join him on the ground.

Jane lowered herself to hands and knees, inspecting his grass prizes. “What did you find for me? Did you find some treasure?”

Her son nudged a clump of grass her way, bits of dirt clinging to his nose when he finally pulled back. She smiled at her kid. Dirt and all, he always managed to lighten her heart. It was enough to let a little optimism creep into her.

If worse came to worst, Reese would be there for them just as he always had been.

Even now, he was inside the healing center with her parents as they completed discharge paperwork and settled the last-minute details for her father’s release. If he wasn’t fit to meet Connor, she had no doubt Reese would get them out of there.

She just had to be patient. She just had to breathe and relax.

Jane sucked in a gulp of air and smiled for her little boy as she pulled a flower from his mouth.

“This is a buttercup,” she held it within view, smiling wider when he crossed his eyes to stare at the flower. “You put it under your chin and if it turns yellow, it means you like butter. Look.”

She held the flower under her chin, and though she couldn’t see the plant, Connor’s delighted yip told her all she needed to know. He darted forward, dirty paws planted firmly on her chest while he snapped his teeth. She held the flower aloft while she wrapped her free arm around the wriggling wolf pup. “It doesn’t work for pups. Just for good little…”

The words died on her lips as the wind bathed her in a familiar, masculine scent. One that mingled with others that were just as familiar. Reese drew nearer. Reese and her parents.

Connor stopped short, paws digging into her breasts while he tilted his head back and sniffed the air. He breathed deeply, his wolf’s nose attempting to identify the scent that’d grabbed his attention. He was young, and learning how to sniff out other wolves was a learned skill. But her baby had proved to be his father’s son—strong and smart.

Jane grunted when he hopped from her and plopped to the ground, pausing for a moment to tip his head back and release a long howl.

“What have we said about howling, young man?” Jane pressed her lips together until the urge to laugh passed. She tried to be consistent when it came to watching Connor’s behavior but… a howling wolf pup was so cute.

Connor’s shift washed over him, wolf fur receding to be replaced by pale skin, hands, arms and legs instead of paws.

“Da!” He darted forward, chubby legs pumping while he hunted his father’s scent. He galloped across the grassy yard, arms outstretched for his daddy.

That was when Reese rounded the corner. Reese and two companions.

Jane froze for a moment, her heart in her throat while her mind engaged in a furious battle. Run toward her parents or back away? Be strong or act the coward?

She was an alpha’s daughter—an Alpha Bitch—dammit. She wouldn’t run.

She jumped to her feet and chased after her son, long skirt billowing behind her as she ran.

“Connor!” she called out to him, but the lure of her voice was nothing compared to Daddy and his new friends.

With panic rising in her chest, she forced herself to look at her father—check for any signs of aggression. Did she need to tackle her baby before he got any closer to her dad? When her gaze fell on him though… She wasn’t sure Reese and her mother had fetched the right patient.

Her father had always been an alpha through and through. Always the tallest, tannest, most muscular wolf on pack lands. He’d been the sort who intimidated anyone with just a long look.

The person walking toward her now…was nothing like she remembered. In place of bulky muscle, he was thin. He didn’t stand tall, prepared for any challengers. He slouched forward like he held the world on his shoulders.

There was none of the sharp, ugly malice in his eyes, but there was nothing else there either. He looked…dull.

Pursing her lips, she glanced at Reese as Connor finally stopped short at his father’s feet. He clutched Reese’s leg and tugged on his father’s jeans, whining for attention while he smelled the air and scented the newcomers.

Slowly, her mother bent, red braid falling over her shoulder, and reached a hand toward Connor. He shuffled closer and sniffed at her fingers before turning his attention to Jane. His little brow furrowed and lower lip poked out the tiniest bit. His expression said more than his limited vocabulary ever could.

She smells like you!

Jane nodded to reassure him and he took another step toward his grandmother. Then another, until he gripped her pants instead of his father’s. Tears slid down Ginger’s gaunt cheeks, silent drops glistening in the mid-day sun. Jane knew her mother wanted to grab the little boy and clutch him to her chest. Give him hugs and kisses to make up for all the months she’d gone without seeing him. But there would be time for that later.

For now, there was another meeting to focus on.

Jane’s father crouched beside his wife, watching as the two got acquainted. Jane took another step forward, studying her father closer this time, and she realized he was more than just thin. He was haggard.

The skin that once covered lean, hard muscles now sagged, giving way to loose folds around his face. His jaw was slack, not commanding and rock hard. She glanced at Reese, aching for him to give her some sign of what had been discussed inside.

Just like her, though, Reese was busy watching their child meet his grandparents. At last, Connor had finished his investigation of Jane’s mother and moved on to the older man crouched nearby.

With Connor’s approach, a ghost of a smile flickered across her father’s lips. He held out his hand, letting the boy sniff and familiarize himself with the adult to his heart’s content. Rather than the tentative playfulness he’d shown his grandmother, Connor was coming into his own.

Within moments of catching his grandfather’s scent, Connor pounced on the old man, knocking him back onto the grass. He threw his chubby little arms around Lance’s neck and squeezed tightly. Then he pulled away, a grin on his beautiful face, and tickled his grandfather’s scruffy cheeks.

Jane took two quick steps forward, a cry frozen in her throat. It wasn’t until she stood near her father’s feet and saw the way he stared at his grandson… There was no reason for continued fear. Her daddy gulped in air as tears slid down his hollowed cheeks, a smile on his face while he rolled and tossed Connor in the air.

“Jane, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.” Her mother’s voice came to her as if from a long distance, but Jane nodded just the same.

Her mother said and asked all the things Jane knew she would, and Jane answered accordingly. At least she thought so. But she was too entranced by the two wolves on the ground—one old and one young. Her father tossed her baby into the air, smiling and laughing as Connor shifted to his wolf form in midair.

This was the moment she’d dreamed of since she was a little girl. Her father proudly holding her baby, knowing and loving the family she’d created. But with her pregnancy and the knowledge that her father’s enemy was also her mate…it had seemed too much to ask.

The poison had nearly turned Lance Coleman feral, and Jane had nearly forgotten the man he’d been before his illness. She’d almost forgotten the man who’d turned his pack over to Reese.

The man who loved Jane, no matter what.

Yes, he was thin and looked weary, but watching him with Connor proved that he was better. There was a joy there that never existed while he was ill.

Again, she looked to her mate, hand pressed over her mouth to stifle the rush of sobs that threatened to break free. He smiled at her, giving her a firm nod and confirming he knew how she felt, just as he always did.

He understood.

Jane sank to her knees beside her father, who passed Connor to her. His hand brushed hers for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for her to feel his warmth.

“You’ve done well, angel.” Tears still clung to the corners of his eyes.

Angel.

How long had it been since he’d called her that? One year? Three? Five? Certainly before he’d been poisoned. It was what he’d call her when he was proudest of her. When she’d made the dean’s list or come home with a prize buck during a hunt.

The pet name told her how much he loved her.

“You’ll never know how happy I am to see you, Daddy,” she whispered.

Connor wriggled in her arms, barking and squirming, desperate to get back to his grandfather.

“I think I do, angel.” The corners of his lips twitched in a smile. “Though not half as happy as I am to see you.”

Lance looked down at Connor and took the wiggling pup back into his arms. “And to meet you.”

Tears stung her eyes and she wiped them away as her mother and Reese joined them on the ground. Here, in this moment, her family was whole and complete.

When she’d first learned of her pregnancy, it had been an impossible dream.

But now?

It was all so, so real.