Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-eight
Emery
I gazed at Isla in complete fascination.
Between her and Esther, they had Callie cleaned up, comfortable, and fed a bottle, all while Ben watched carefully.
Esther had asked what she ate, and Ben had said what milk he could get and mushed-up cereal, and I winced, but Isla’s behavior distracted me again.
What really interested me was anytime Isla tried to put her down or surrender her to Esther, Callie cried. The first time had woken Ben up, and even though Callie had allowed Ben to cuddle her, she still didn’t want to let the tough beta commander out of her sight.
It took me far longer than I should have to realize the feeling was mutual.
Still hiding my stomach by staying in the chair, I watched as Isla bent down and blew a raspberry on her belly, sending Callie into peals of giggles. Ben’s jaw dropped, and my heart clenched, understanding the times happiness had entered either of their lives were few and far between.
Matthew had wandered over to Ben and asked casual questions.
A little distracted, Ben had confessed to trying to earn some money by helping to fix some of the campers.
He’d been the one to get on the roof and try to make it waterproof.
Matthew had commented that must have been hard without the right equipment and said he was just finishing fixing his and Isla’s home.
He said it was in need of a lot of repair, and Ben had been right in thinking the important thing was the roof because it needed to be waterproof first. Ben flushed under his gentle praise and seemed torn between keeping his protective gaze on his sister and listening to Matthew.
Phoenix, of course, was watching everything, and I glanced over at him, trying to judge if he was seeing what I was, especially the complete transformation of his hard-as-nails beta commander.
Not that her burgeoning attachment to Callie made her any less competent, and I smiled at the mama-bear simile that flittered through my brain given what Isla’s animal was.
I just needed a little push to get them together. And I eyed Ben, who was sneaking awe-inspired looks at Matthew as he stood calmly and chatted about fixing roofs and named certain tools, all of which went straight over my head.
“How old is she?” Esther asked.
Ben tore his gaze away from Matthew. “Nine months.” I wanted to ask where their mom was but now wasn’t the time. He chewed his lip. “It wasn’t safe to let her crawl anywhere except my bed, but she can sit up.”
I nodded. Isla had already explained the condition of the trailer.
“You’ve done a great job with her, Ben,” Isla said warmly. “I could tell from the diapers and the teddy being in your space you’re one heck of a big brother.”
I hid the smile as Ben beamed, and I met Esther’s eyes. She nodded, encouraging me to take the lead.
“The problem is where they stay for the time being,” I mused innocently. “I know there are a lot of families that would take them, but Callie seems to get upset every time she’s separated from both Ben and Isla.”
Phoenix snorted, and I shot him a glare. Okay, so maybe I wasn’t as innocent as I appeared. But I didn’t care. My status as alpha-mate meant this was my job, according to Esther. I saw Isla shoot a worried, but almost pleading look at Matthew and silently begged him to ask the question.
“We were going to start moving things into our cabin, Alpha, after work today, actually,” she said hesitantly, glancing at Matthew, and I caught the almost indiscernible nod from him.
I knew Phoenix hadn’t missed it either. She waved vaguely at the room.
“Esther doesn’t have room for them both.
” She turned and whispered something to Phoenix I didn’t catch, but then I didn’t care.
I would get it from him later, and whatever she said got the agreement I wanted.
“Good idea,” he said and looked at Ben. “Isla and Matthew have just finished refitting their own cabin. It has room for you both.”
Ben’s eyes filled with tears, and he looked down, clearly ashamed at the reaction and probably what his bully of a father had tried to beat out of him. He sniffed and then looked up and sent Matthew a grateful glance.
Matthew carried on as if nothing was wrong. “I’m pretty sure you’d like to be in the same room as Callie, and I know we have a bed, and I’m sure we can get a crib put together.” He cleared his throat. “Once you’re healed, we’ll see about what your days are going to be like going forward.”
Ben flushed, hope lighting his eyes, but he glanced at Phoenix. “Thank you. I know what I say doesn’t mean anything to you because my dad was full of empty promises all the time, but I’m a hard worker, and I’ll make sure Callie’s no trouble.”
I couldn’t help the smile and ignored the exasperated look Phoenix sent me, but he eyed his beta commander and her mate.
“I can’t do without your full attention, Isla, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a trusted team you can delegate to while you get them settled.
Matthew, go grab some help and get what you need to move these two in.
” He lowered his voice again, so I couldn’t hear what was said, and I saw Isla and Matthew both nod in agreement.
Isla stayed with Ben and Callie, and Matthew rushed off. Phoenix glanced at Bayer. “Can you stay here until Matthew gets back?”
“Dinner’s at seven,” I added. Bayer nodded obediently. I stood while Isla blocked Ben’s view of me, hugged Esther, and told her to call me if she needed anything, but she shooed us both away.
Phoenix took my arm protectively as we walked back and chatted to every pack member who saw us and asked after the baby. I invited everyone I saw to a pack breakfast on Sunday, and they all agreed enthusiastically.
I waited patiently for Phoenix to tell me what he was worried about. I could guess, but I wanted to know what he’d said to Isla and vice versa. “Is it because you don’t know what Ben is?”
He glanced at me as we walked inside and headed to the kitchen. “There is that, but I’m worried about the pack reaction.” I tried to get on a stool, thought better of it, and sat on the window seat. Phoenix regarded me with amusement.
“For the same reason?” I asked, ignoring his look.
He shook his head. “No, because of Callie.”
“Callie?” I repeated. “Because she’s human?”
“No, because she’s a baby, and I have a pack full of wolves desperately wanting a baby, a family.”
Of course.
“And you’ve effectively given her to someone some may still see as an outsider.
” I knew some of the older pack hadn’t been happy at a bear shifter being in charge, but from what I could gather, Isla herself was proving such a badass that the gammas were all happy to follow her.
Her relationship with Matthew, which initially had raised some eyebrows, had helped her to be accepted further.
“Except Callie isn’t a shifter, and we have no idea what Ben is,” I pointed out.
Phoenix smirked a little, and I gazed at him thoughtfully.
“What did you and Isla say to each other?”
“Isla suggested it, and I agreed to say that I was officially having them stay with Isla and Matthew because I needed someone to make sure he wasn’t a threat to the pack.”
“Clever,” I drawled.
He sighed. “That’s still true. I have no idea what Ben is or if he’s a threat.”
I nodded. I didn’t think he was, but I knew Phoenix had to look at the bigger picture. Phoenix warmed us up some food, but by the time Bayer came back, I could barely keep my eyes open, and I ate sparingly because I honestly felt like I was running out of room.
The phone rang, and Phoenix answered it and passed it over to me.
“Hi, Daddy,” Gemma teased. “What are you doing Friday afternoon?”
I brightened up. “I have no plans to save the universe unless, of course, there’s an emergency,” I said loftily. “Why?”
She cackled. “Let bossman know we’re coming at eleven and the party starts at two. We’ll have enough games and things for forty people.”
I grinned, feeling brighter. “You’re on.” I would invite all the she-wolves. Many of them still pushed food at us, and I knew when Gemma said we she meant Danny and her. Of course, being my bodyguard meant Bayer would have to be there, and I practically rubbed my hands in glee.
Wednesday dawned hot, and I was struggling at this point to be anywhere with no air-conditioning, so despite wanting to see Callie and Ben, understanding Ben couldn’t see me, I was content to accept reports of their progress.
Esther helped by babysitting under Simeon’s watchful gaze whenever both Matthew and Isla were needed.
Phoenix had held a beta meeting yesterday about Bayer’s dad, but I’d hardly slept all night, then finally dozed off just as Phoenix got up, so he’d let me be.
I was struggling, if I was honest. Not just with the abrupt and shocking changes with my body, but for someone who could calm a room of fractious five-year-olds, I didn’t even seem to be able to keep my moods on an even keel.
Of course, Esther immediately said that was to be expected, muttering something about hormones, but I felt like she was brushing me off.
Phoenix guided me to his truck like I was made of glass, and while I enjoyed being looked after, I was rapidly becoming grouchy today and hating myself for it, which did nothing to improve my mood.
I also didn’t see why a truck full of four guards had to drive behind us.
This was supposed to be a special moment between Phoenix and me, and it was turning into a circus.
Phoenix gathered I wasn’t happy, and I knew he was trying, but I just felt exhausted, and we spent most of the forty-minute journey in a silence I didn’t know how to break.