Chapter 12
Looking through the nursery window, Alex stared in wonder at the three newest members of the Blackwood Pack. “They’re so tiny,” he whispered.
“Not for long,” Mac said, standing beside him. “Pups grow fast…soon Ian and Colton will have their hands full.”
Sawyer’s arms encircled Alex, tugging him back against his chest. “Soon, we’re gonna have a tiny one to take care of.”
Turning his head so he could see his mate, Alex asked, “Are you still panicking?”
“Hmm…no…yes…maybe.”
Shaking his finger at his twin, Mac said, “Nope…you aren’t! Trust me, you’re gonna do just fine.”
“See, wolf mate,” smiled Alex. “You do believe your twin, right?”
“Oh I see all right…you two are teaming up against me,” Sawyer grinned, running his fingers down along Alex’s ticklish spot.
Laughing, Alex tried to wiggle out of his mate’s grasp, sputtering, “No…no…oh my gods, stop it, wolf mate!”
Grinning at his mate, Sawyer moved his hand down to Alex’s belly, gently rubbing his fingers over it.
“This, sweetheart, is amazing…something I never thought about when I was growing up, but now, it’s all I can think about.
Believe me when I tell you it scares the crap out of me but, at the same time, it doesn’t ‘cause I know my mates won’t let me screw up with our son. ”
Alex’s eyes widened, listening to his mate. Then interlacing his fingers with Sawyer’s, he murmured, “You won’t need us because I know you’re gonna be a great father.”
“Hear, Hear!” Mac said. “Listen to Alex, brother.”
Rubbing his nose behind Alex’s ear, Sawyer whispered, “I always do. Love you, sweetheart.”
Lifting Sawyer’s hand to his lips, Alex kissed it. “Love you, too, wolf mate.”
Mac stepped back, away from his twin and Alex.
The love surrounding them was intense, causing his heart to ache at the emptiness he felt.
He just couldn’t avoid dwelling on it, no matter how hard he tried.
It was impossible to miss the powerful connection between Sawyer, Glenn, and Alex, and the bond that had developed between Hunter and Fionn.
Ever since childhood, he dreamed of the day his Fated Mate would be found—the other part of his soul, someone to share life’s joys and disappointments with.
Two of his brothers had found theirs and Mac could only hope he’d be next.
He was truly happy for them, but it was hard for him to hold on to his hope since his profession kept him in remote places.
Closing his eyes, Mac felt them tear up and decided to seek refuge in his office.
On his way there, he heard his name being called.
“Mac!” Colton hailed, jogging toward him. “Wait up.”
Pausing, Mac glanced at his cousin. “Is Ian okay?”
“Yeah, he’s resting…well, at least he’s supposed to be resting,” Colton answered, rolling his eyes. “But knowing him, he’s reviewing your notes about the pups’ birth.”
“Ah…that sounds like something you would be doing,” Mac grinned.
Chuckling, Colton said, “I did already.”
“Why would I think otherwise?”
“Exactly.” Colton grinned.
“Right. If you’re asking about the pups…they’re doing great. No sign of any problems…even with Lilia.”
“That’s fantastic,” Colton murmured. Then, giving a quick glance over at the nursery, he blurted out, “Ian wants the pups in his room tonight. No problem, right?”
Mac’s eyebrows shot up at Ian’s request. Then shaking his head, he said, “No way…and both of you know better. First of all, being triplets, they’re smaller than usual…
plus one had a traumatic birth. Yes, they’re all doing fine right now…
but you know how quickly it can head south.
I want you and Ian to get some uninterrupted rest tonight and if the pups are in the room, both of you will be listening instead of sleeping.
” Seeing Colton open his mouth, Mac held up his hand.
“Since I know how you both think, I will be staying with the pups during the night…and I promise to wake you if there are any issues. It’s the best I can do. ”
Colton’s shoulders fell. “I figured as much.”
“Tell Ian to get some rest this morning and after lunch, I’ll bring the pups in for some cuddle and feeding time,” Mac said, giving Colton’s back a pat before continuing on to his office.
Turning around, Colton’s face lit up when he saw his cousin and Alex looking at the pups. “Hey guys, aren’t they the cutest pups ever?”
“They are,” Alex agreed. “Have you named them yet?”
“Yup.” Pointing to the bassinette on the left, Colton said, “That’s Lorne…in the middle is Lilia and on the other end is Killiana…a.k.a. Lory, Lili and Killi.”
“Oh wow, I love those names…don’t you, wolf mate?”
“I do,” Sawyer said. “Are they Scottish?”
“Yep. Lorne carries the name of Ian’s birth father…the King of the Scottish Wolves. Killiana was the middle name of Ian’s birth mother…the Queen…and Lilia is an old Scottish version of Lily…we named her after Ian’s adoptive mother.”
“That gives me a great idea, wolf mate,” Alex said.
“Let me guess, you think we should give our cub a Scottish name,” Sawyer said, smirking.
Slapping his mate’s arm, Alex said, “Nooo…I was thinking he should have a French name.”
“Sounds fine to me.”
Giggling, Alex said, “Good…cause it’s gonna be your duty to tell tiger mate.”
Laughing at Sawyer’s groan, Colton said, “Remember cousin, a happy mate means a happy life.”
“Fuck off!”
“You better not let Jackson hear you say that around Daniel…or for that matter, you should also include Dylon, Cody, Ian, Miss L, Carson…”
“Carson!”
“Yeah, Carson. Remy has three young brothers and believe me, they’re old enough to pick up on it and use it,” Colton said, smirking as he rocked back on his heels.
Turning around in Sawyer’s arms to face him, Alex patted his mate’s chest. “I know a perfect way to get you to stop.”
“Oh yeah?” Sawyer smirked. “I’m all ears.”
Nodding, Alex said, “Every time you swear, tiger mate can spank you.”
Sawyer’s eyebrows shot up so high, they disappeared into his hair. “What-t-t-t?” Staring at his mate, he was flabbergasted until spotting the twinkle in Alex’s eyes. “Very funny, sweetheart.”
Laughing, Colton said, “Oh boy, cuz, did the Fates ever pick out the perfect mate for you!”
Pulling Alex tight against him, Sawyer leaned down, brushing his lips softly against his mate’s before murmuring, “They sure did.”
~/~/~/~/~
Eager to rejoin his mates, Glenn quickly headed to Dylon’s office, intent on gaining his cooperation.
Reaching it, he rapped on the open door, grimacing when Dylon glanced up from his computer.
If the look on his face was anything to go by, Glenn’s idea of easily gaining Dylon’s support flew out the window. “Hey, got a minute?”
Leaning back, Dylon surveyed the man in front of him.
After the shit in New York and LA, there wasn’t a lot of trust or respect left in him for Glenn.
But, as Cody pointed out last night in bed, he was his cousin’s mate and a member of the Blackwood Pack, so Dylon bit back a snarky retort.
Gesturing toward a chair, he said, “I got a few.”
Taking a seat, Glenn looked around the office in an effort to put together a psychological profile of Dylon. Once he had that, it would dictate how he’d go about achieving his goal.
Dylon watched him briefly before snorting. “I’m gonna save you the trouble of profiling me. The Alpha has my absolute loyalty so you can forget asking me for anything that isn’t in the pack’s best interest. Does that clear things up?”
Clamping his mouth closed, Glenn’s eyes narrowed.
He didn’t like this punk. And in Glenn’s eyes, Dylon was a punk.
His attitude and cockiness—two things Dylon had acquired since taking Glenn’s class at the High Council years ago—were pissing him off.
But he couldn’t afford to tell this asshole to fuck off which, in the past, he’d have done in a New York minute—not when his two mates were prime targets for The Collector.
And gods’ forbid, if the word ever got out about Alex’s ability to give birth to dual shifters, it would take an army to protect him—something Glenn didn’t have at his beck and call but Dylon did.
To gain Dylon’s cooperation, Glenn would have to disclose everything, including info about his team members.
That went counter to his training and the rules he lived by ever since becoming an agent.
The only assurance he had that Dylon wouldn’t betray him or his team was his statement regarding his loyalty to Jackson.
But Glenn knew he didn’t have any other choice; he needed the powers the Fates had bestowed on this pack.
“As nice as this visit has been, if you have nothing more to say, do you mind leaving? I do have work to do.”
Shaking his head, Glenn said, “As much as I would love doing just that, the lives of my mates are in danger, so that’s a ‘no-can-do’ from me.”
Tilting his chair forward and planting his hands on his desk, Dylon gave Glenn a snide grin before saying, “He speaks! Look, let me make it as simple as possible. I don’t like you because you can’t be trusted.
You lied to me in New York and then again in LA, and that makes you dangerous.
But be that as it may, you’re the mate of the Alpha’s cousin, which means I’m now responsible for keeping your ass safe.
But I can do that without any help from you.
Nevertheless, if you have knowledge that would help me keep this pack safe…
along with your mates…then I’m willing to set aside my feelings because this shit between us only benefits our enemies in the long run. ”