Although really, under a pumpkin leaf was not the worst place in the world. It was kind of small for a wolf puppy, and a nice big dog bed would be better, but it wasn’t deadly.
Evander was gone for a bit, but then the puppy began crying and wiggling, and Ev appeared like smoke, and a huge, shaggy, red and gray wolf padded along behind him.
“Here she is. He’s her last surviving cub, and she was going to leave him with us to keep him safe.”
“Oh, poor thing.” He let the puppy go so it could run to its mother. “Is she sick? What do we need to do? I gave him some water. Is she making milk? Can you talk to her?”
“I can. Her name’s Aspen. She’s just very tired and has been run out of everywhere, but she tried to find food. The cub is called Blaze.”
That sucked. He hated people. He hated this bullshit. “I’ve got some meat. Should I warm it up? And what about the puppy?”
“Just take the cold edge off it. Fifteen seconds each side on a pan for her. The puppy will take milk until she can start making some or he can eat meat.”
Corbin got on it, happy to have something to do that could help. He could hear Evander talking and hear the wolf makingnoises, vocalizing, but he couldn’t quite understand her. It was as if the puppy was easier to understand from where he snuggled into his mom, staring at him.
Soon he had a nice piece of round steak for Aspen and a bowl of warmed milk for both of them to share. “Does this work?”
“It’s just exactly what she needs. I’m going to find her a bed. We might warn everyone to just give them some space for a few days until they’re comfortable, especially the little ones. They might get very excited.”
Corbin thought the children weren’t the only ones to get excited.
In fact, he was pretty tickled. That cub, or puppy, or whatever people called them when they were older, was so cute he thought he might just expire from joy. Both mama and baby got up as soon as he laid the food down and came to scarf it up. Aspen choked down the meat in just a few rough chews, while Blaze eventually fell asleep in the bowl of milk. He had to pull the baby out so mama could have the rest.
“I could just die,” Corbin told Evander. “Look at that. Look how cute that is.”
Evander gave him a warm chuckle, coming to lift him up so he could take a kiss. “No dying.”
“Well, no, I wouldn’t really do it for real.” Corbin put a hand in his belly. “I am incubating a baby.”
Those sky-blue eyes went cloudy like it was about to storm, Evander staring right into him. “You are far more than an incubator, lethean You are my everything. Don’t even joke about it.”
Aspen snorted as if to say that was that, her ears flicking back and forth.
Based on such stern warnings, he had to raise his hands and laugh. “Okay, okay. I won’t even make fun of it.”
“Good.” Evander took another kiss. “Let me go find something for them to sleep on. And then I think you need a shower.”
“Are you saying I stink?”
Evander picked up his hands and kissed his knuckles, then showed him the dirt almost to his elbows. “I’m saying you’re a little earthy. I’ll be right back.”
He laughed, feeling better now suddenly. His garden was working on itself out there, and in here, they had the sweetest baby wolf and a very cautious mama one. But he had a feeling that Evander and Aspen had really bonded already.
Orion was going to be so jealous because, if this was his familiar for the baby for protection, then he was the only one in the family to get such a prestigious predator. Cosmo’s children had a magpie named Eddie. While Orion and Cullen’s kids had a marten, which was basically a beautiful little red weasel named Roderick.
Not that both of those weren’t fierce. He had seen Eddie take the Amazon delivery man down outside, and Roderick tormented their beaver shifter friend, Yarrow, all the time.
Still, adding a couple of wolves to the household couldn’t hurt. As long as they didn’t eat Roderick and Eddie.
Elliot might drop on someone’s head like a ton of bricks if they hurt his magpie, but Corbin had a feeling that that wasn’t going to happen.
And what was with him having all of these feelings all of a sudden? Wasn’t that Cosmo’s job?
Evander returned with a pile of pillows and blankets that had come from an unused linen closet. They smelled a little musty, and he didn’t figure anybody would go wandering around looking for them if they went missing and got used as dog bedding.
It didn’t mean he wasn’t going to splurge and get them some amazing beds from Amazon because he totally was.
After creating a bed in the corner of the common room kitchen, Evander came and took his hand, smiling and drawing him close. “Now, should we have that shower together, my love?”
