Epilogue #2
*ROSEA*
“MOOOOOOM!”
I spin around when I hear Lilly’s voice behind me.
“Look what I can do!” Lilly is sitting proudly on the back of a dark-brown wolf, her little feet dangling on either side, with her fingers gripping to the fur tightly.
“Fantastic,” I chuckle. “But you did ask Uncle Martin before climbing on his back, didn’t you?”
“Of course!” she says. “I am his pwincess.”
She really is. She definitely is Martin and Rory’s little princess, and probably the whole pack’s.
She is also fearless and strong, as was expected of the firstborn child of an alpha.
Griffin comes closer to help her climb down, but she refuses the help, instead jumping off Martin’s back, not minding that she lands face-first on the ground.
She is up on her feet immediately, running towards me.
“She obviously has that from you,” Forest grins. “I wasn’t brave enough as a kid to play with the wolves.”
He is holding Connor in his arms, feeding him the bottle. My second pregnancy did not go as expected. Connor arrived a little too early, and unfortunately, my body wasn’t able to provide him with enough milk, which is why we turned to bottle feeding pretty soon.
Seeing my mate, this broad-shouldered, tall man, holding our tiny baby in his arms so gently does something to me I can’t explain. It’s so heartwarming, so beautiful.
“Are you crying, Mommy?” Lilly asks, tugging at my pants. I kneel down in front of her. “Who hurt you?! Lilly will hit them!”
“Line up, pipsqueak,” Griffin grins.
Lilly glares at him, huffing shortly before turning her attention back to me.
“I’m fine, baby,” I say. “I’m just so happy.”
Meanwhile, Martin has shifted back to his human form and put on some clothes, joining us again. Lilly immediately beams when she sees him, running towards him and stretching out her hands for him to pick her up. Martin obliges immediately.
“Why again is he her favorite?” Griffin pouts.
“Beats me,” Rory mutters. “I am her uncle, too, you know?”
“Well, he is her favorite because he takes her seriously,” I explain.
“I do, too,” Rory argues.
Griffin nods. “Yes, what he said!”
Forest laughs. “No, you don’t. Rory constantly fusses over her and thinks she is made of sugar, melting in the rain, and you, Griffin, are a tease.”
“Man,” Griffin mutters. “Maybe she will appreciate us more when she is older.”
“Don’t worry,” Rory says with a smile. “You’ll soon have your own little ankle biter. You will be their hero then.”
“How is Maria doing?” I ask.
“A bit tired,” Griffin says, his expression suddenly much more worried. “But she is also happy, I think. At least that’s what she says. But she is incredibly sleepy. Do you think she is okay? She says she is, but—”
“She is due in two weeks,” I say. “Trust her when she says she is okay. It’s normal that she is more tired now.”
“Take as much time off as you need,” Forest tells him. “Martin already said he has you covered.”
“Just don’t let him overwork himself,” Griffin says. “He has a tendency to do that.”
“Let that be my problem,” Rory says. “Forest is right. You just be with your mate and child for as long as you need. I will make sure Martin doesn’t take on too much work.”
It’s funny how Rory and Martin are still very subtle about their relationship despite having marked each other.
They are just not the type for displays of affection in front of others, but it’s in the small things, in the way Martin smiles when he watches Rory, or how Rory immediately looks for him whenever he is out of his sight.
I leave my fearless daughter in the capable hands of her uncles before joining Forest and Connor. Connor is a bit small for his age and a tad fussy, but Forest doesn’t mind. Just like he doesn’t mind that his daughter is a whirlwind of chaos.
I think becoming a dad healed something in him.
He has the chance now to be the father he never had. I know he will grasp it and be everything, for them and for me.