“Yeah, buddy. We’re studs, huh? Making a house for us to stay in.” The place was a warren of rooms, with tons of separate living quarters around a central hub of a big kitchen and living area. They could invite several wolves to come up and stay.
Gael hugged him tight, chubby arms squeezing his neck.
“Oh… you’re getting loves!” Theo rolled up to admire them both.
“I am. He’s very happy today.” Liam nuzzled Gael’s cheek.
Gael’s answer was a throaty chuckle. He had become a healthy, happy baby, chubby and joyous.
“So am I.” Theo beamed at him. “How’s the work going?”
“The floors are done, and the walls are getting there.”
“The chickens are settled and roosting, and the goats are also doing well. They’re very gentle—the goats, not the chickens.”
“No, chickens are never gentle.”
“No, that’s true. They are well… I suppose that they’re very little and very fragile and they have to be fierce.” Theo rolled up onto one elbow and grinned at him, those blue eyes glinting with mischief. “Some of us little ones have to be fierce.”
“Do you now? Good to know.” He balanced the baby a little better, then leaned down to steal a hard kiss. “Good morning to you too, fierce one.”
That got him a warm smile, and he felt Theo’s happiness, his peace.
“I think blueberry muffins for breakfast today. I have a craving.”
Liam did like to hear that his pregnant omega had a craving. First, it made things so warm and real and put a glow in his belly.
Second, he had yummy food to show for it usually.
“I like muffins.” He kissed Theo one more time.
“Good deal. I—” Theo stopped, frowned. “Something’s wrong.”
“With the baby?” A wild horror filled him in a rush, and he reached down with his free hand to touch Theo’s belly.
“No, no, get Ryan. Something’s wrong. Someone’s coming. Hurry.” Theo grabbed Gael from him and pointed out the door with one imperious finger. “Go on, get your clothes on and go see what’s wrong.”
Well, that was definite. He immediately started getting dressed, hollering for his brother as he pulled on his jeans and boots.
Because if Theo was this sure, then something was wrong.
Ryan!It was instinctive, to call to his brother as he would his mate, and damn if he didn’t get an answer right back.
What?
Get dressed. Theo says something is wrong.
Damn, he was glad he didn’t have to go get Ryan, who had taken what was Zeke’s old quarters, the deepest into the underground.
The dogs sounded the alarm, the beasts running around as he rushed outside.
He tore the door open, searching the grounds as the dogs tumbled out. And what he saw made him stop and blink.
There was a little pod of scraggly, exhausted-looking people carrying babies, holding children, hoisting packs of what little they had.
They all just stopped and stared at one another.
Finally, it was one of the small children who looked at him and said, “Are you going to shoot us?”
