Connor paused mid-motion, pants unbuttoned but still on. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Leyden.” Connor crossed the room, stood between Leyden’s knees. “I can feel you through the bond. Something’s on your mind.”
Leyden looked up at his mate. Six months together and Connor still took his breath away—all hard muscle and sharp intelligence wrapped in unexpected gentleness.
“Watching you with the pups tonight...” Leyden reached for Connor’s hand, threaded their fingers together. “It made me think about our future.”
Connor’s expression shifted, became guarded. Not closed off, just careful. “What about our future?”
“I know we only talked about it the once.” Leyden drew Connor closer, rested his forehead against Connor’s bare stomach. “But do you still want pups?”
Silence stretched between them. Through their bond, Leyden felt surprise spike through Connor’s emotions, but not rejection.
“Do you?” Connor asked quietly.
“I told you last time that I’d never thought much about it before you.” Leyden lifted his head, met Connor’s gaze. “When you’re a person whose had plenty of partners, none of them made me picture a real future. Just quick pleasure and goodbye.”
Connor’s thumb traced circles over Leyden’s knuckles.
“But watching you chase Emma and the others tonight, seeing how gentle you were with them...” Leyden’s chest tightened. “I could picture it. Our future. Raising pups together, teaching them to shift, showing them they’re perfect exactly as they are. Loving them the way we love each other.”
Connor sat beside him on the bed and didn’t let go of his hand. “I’ve been thinking about it too.”
Hope flared in Leyden’s chest. “Yeah?”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it after that conversation we had at the cabin.” Connor’s free hand rubbed the back of his neck. “Adopting feels right. I already figured you’d be a good father.Patient, kind, and you have a knack of making everyone feel special.”
“You’d be amazing too.” Leyden squeezed Connor’s hand. “You make people feel safe. Seen. You’d teach them strength means being yourself, not fitting someone else’s expectations.”
Connor’s mouth curved slightly. “We talking about this seriously? About actually having pups?”
“If you want to.” Leyden shifted to face him fully. “Not right now - there’re still a few things in the pack I’d like to tweak, and we’re still building our bond. But eventually? I’d like that. Building a family with you.”
“There are options,” Connor said slowly, like he’d already researched this extensively. Which, knowing Connor, he probably had. “Adoption. There’re plenty of orphaned shifter pups need homes. Fostering if we’re not ready for permanent. Or we could use a surrogate, get pups who share our genetics.”
“You have been thinking about this.”
“It’s hard not to after watching you with the pack pups.” Connor’s ears turned red. “You light up around them. I’ve never seen you look that happy except when we’re alone together.”
Warmth spread through Leyden’s chest. “I want it all with you. The good days and hard ones. Morning coffee and late-night patrols. And yeah, someday, pups running through this house calling us Dad.”
“Two or three,” Connor murmured. “Like we talked about before. Maybe adopt siblings so they’re not separated.”
Relief flooded Leyden. He’d wondered if Connor might change his mind, and decide pups were too much responsibility on top of everything else.
“Not quite yet, though,” Connor added quickly. “We both need a bit more time.”
“There’s no rush.” Leyden pulled Connor against him, wrapped an arm around his mate’s shoulders. “Just knowing you’re open to it is enough for now.”
Connor relaxed into the embrace. “You’ll be the fun parent. The one who lets them stay up late and eat too much dessert.”
Leyden laughed, the sound breaking loose from his chest. “And you’ll be the strict one? The one who makes them finish homework before playing?”
“Someone has to teach them discipline.”
“They’ll wrap you around their fingers in five seconds.” Leyden pressed a kiss to Connor’s temple. “You act tough but you’re soft for the people you love.”
