“Thanks,” Colton whispered. “I thought the pregnancy was hard but now, I’m scared shitless. I just know I’m gonna fuck up. How do guys make it look so easy?”
A bark of laughter escaped Cody. “Hey, you’ll figure it out. Cheer up, at least you can’t break them.”
“That’s what you think,” replied Colton. “Ian’s awake, so give me a few minutes to introduce our pups to him before you all descend on him, okay?”
“Will do,” Jackson said. “In the meantime, we’ll wake up Lily and Samuel and bring them with us.”
“Ian will appreciate that,” Colton said, before leaving, eager to head back to his mate and their pups.
~/~/~/~/~
Looking down at his pups, Ian listened to Mac tell him about the delivery and how Colton saved the last pup. Reaching down, he chuckled when his son latched onto his finger, his tiny fist holding on tight. “A strong Scotsman already, eh, Lory?”
Standing behind his mate, Colton peered over Ian’s shoulder at their son. “He definitely is. I think your father would be proud of Prince Lorne.”
“Yes, I think you’re right.” Then, glancing over to his first born, Ian, said, “She looks like…”
“Your birth mother, the queen,” Colton said. “It’s uncanny, isn’t it. I think we picked the perfect name for her.”
“Yes…Princess Kellina,” Ian murmured, running a fingertip down his daughter’s soft cheek. “Your suggestion of using the queen’s middle name was perfect.” Glancing over at Kellina’s twin, his eyes roamed over his sleeping daughter. “I heard you had a bit of trouble,” Ian crooned, “but you are looking mighty fine now.” Unable to stop himself, Ian scooped up Lilia in his arms, cradling her against his chest. Turning to face his mate, he blinked back his tears. “I canna express how thankful I am to you for saving our little Lili.”
Tucking Ian and their daughter into his arms, Colton held them close to him, cherishing the moment. It would be a long time before the memory of his daughter struggling to breathe would disappear from his mind, but he knew it would eventually be replaced by many happy memories yet to come. “Give your thanks to the Fates, for gracing me with the ability to do so,” he murmured, gently stroking Lilia’s shock of red hair that matched her sister’s.
“Hey guys,” Mac said, coming back into the room he’d set up as a nursery in the hospital. “Your pups have visitors.”
Glancing through the big glass window, Colton chuckled at the crowd who’d gathered, all wanting to see the latest members of the Blackwood Pack. “Time for our prince and princesses to meet their adoring public.”
“If you think this is bad, wait till we take them to Scotland,” Ian smirked, setting Lilia back down. “According to my mother, there’ll be feasts and dancing every night for at least a week. It’s been a long time since any princesses have been born, so expect a lot of drinking and toasting.”
“Great,” Colton grumbled, as he wheeled the bassinets over to the window. “I had some of Angus’ special ale last time there was a feast and all I can say is, let’s make sure we pack lots of pain medicine to take care of the hangover I’ll have the next morning.”
“Aww…don’t worry, babe. I promise I’ll take care of you,” Ian murmured, joining his mate standing behind their pups as everyone jostled for a better position. Leaning into Colton, he added, “You can count on it.”
~/~/~/~/~
Glenn waited until he heard the deep breathing of his mates before slowly extricating himself from their bed. Once on his feet, he glanced down at Sawyer and Alex, checking to make sure they were still asleep. Satisfied he hadn’t disturbed them, he padded quietly into the adjoining sitting room, closing the door behind him with a faint click. Sitting down, he quickly dialed Riley, betting on him still being awake. Since arriving at the Blackwood Pack, so much had been going on, he hadn’t been able to check in with his team. That, and the fact his tiger was on the prowl made Glenn jumpy.
“Hey,” Glenn murmured into his phone, thankful he was right about his friend’s sleeping habits.
“What’s up?” Riley asked, distractedly, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
“You’re gonna tell me who the assholes were that attacked my mates at the campground, right?” growled Glenn.
Riley stopped typing as he leaned back in his chair. “Yeah…well, about that. I found out who the humans were…ex-military for hire…but haven’t got a name for the leader…or what exactly his role was. Right now, I’m searching restricted data files.”
“Any info on who paid the GI Joes?”
“Working on that. Each of their bank accounts show a $250,000 deposited on the same day, but it came from a bogus company. I’m trying to trace where the money really originated from.”
Trying to swallow his frustration at constantly meeting dead ends, Glenn growled, “Shit…any info on the fuckers after my mates today?”
“It’s gonna take time…mainly because we don’t know what kind of shifters they are so I can’t narrow down the search parameters.”
Frowning, Glenn closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. Tension knotted the muscles of his neck and shoulders. Something wasn’t right. The attack in LA followed by the men who hunted them today was too coincidental. It had to be connected, but how? His gut told him that was the key to finding out who was behind it.
“Hey, Glenn…”
Letting out the breath he was holding, Glenn opened his eyes. “Yeah…what?”
