“When have we ever had a murderous fuc—gging corgi shifter and some unknown assh—sinine people coming after us?”
Ken spotted Trent’s smirk.
“Yeah,” Trent said. “You really need to pay attention to the swearing. I think Asia’s still a little irritated that Chelsea’s first word after spending an hour with you as a baby was ‘F-U-C-K’.”
He literally spelled it out.
Ken snorted. “Seriously?”
But now Dewi grinned. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to swear in front of her, but she was asleep on my shoulder and I was on the phone with Beck about an Enforcer thing and it just kinda…slipped out. A few times. Because I sorta forgot I was holding her.”
Trent laughed. “Yeah, well, that’s one of the few times Asia actually asked Peyton to use his Prime to do something on one of our kids.”
“What were the others?” Ken asked.
Trent grinned. “Well, one was back when they were little, just toddlers. She asked him to make Charles, Kent, and Arthur stop running around naked in human form in public when they weren’t going to be shifting into wolf form immediately. She was worried that if she took them out of the pack compound somewhere, she’d be dealing with a streaking toddler that became a wolf in front of clueless humans.”
Ken nodded. “I can see that happening.”
Unfortunately, while an amusing mental image, it added one more previously unthought-of worry to Ken’s already overflowing mental plate.
Greeeeaaat.
Dewi
Of course Dewi knew her place in the pack. And logically, she understood Peyton had valid reasons for siloing info.
She didn’t have to like it, though.
And she most definitely did not like it. She would give Peyton a damned earful when he returned.
It was difficult to choke back the additional thought if he returned, but she managed to strangle that toxic little motherfucking word into submission and banished it from her brain.
Of course he would return. He was Peyton, for fuck’s sake. Her big brother.
He had to return.
When Dewi heard noises in the hall, she poked her head around the corner and spotted a weary-looking Gillian emerge from the guest room with Adair in her arms.
Dewi walked over. “Hey,” she softly said, aware that Tamsin might still be asleep. “Want me to take her for you?”
Gillian’s green eyes looked red and puffy. “Yes, please. Thank you. I just nursed her. She’s probably due for a change.”
Dewi didn’t avoid contact with Gillian as she took the baby. Her sister-in-law’s wave of exhausted anger drilled deep into Dewi’s soul.
“He’ll be okay,” Dewi whispered. “I’m sure he feels awful about this. He didn’t tell me, either. I just found out from Trent.”
Gillian reached out and touched Dewi’s arm and met her gaze. “I know I shouldn’t be angry with him, because it’s Pack Alpha business, but… I am.”
Dewi completely got why Gillian wanted to say that silently.
Because Tamsin had finally come out of her shell, and they didn’t want her to shoulder guilt for her father’s actions when it was not her burden to bear.
“I know,” Dewi told her. “Me, too. It’s supposed to be our time to enjoy our babies and our family, and we can’t focus on them and simply…be.”
Gillian nodded and withdrew her hand. “Exactly,” she whispered. She gave Dewi a brief, one-armed hug. “I’ll grab my shower and be out soon.”
“Take your time.”
