His heart skipped. Behind him, Titan sucked in a sharp breath. Mathlin shuffled closer to bite off the umbilical cord, before licking their kitten clean.
“You’re both so beautiful,” Titan crooned, scooping them both onto his chest. He had shifted back into a human, and his eyes were wide, his face bright with awe. “Little Frankie. Welcome to our family and pack.”
Mathlin’s heart swelled. He shifted back to a human and sprawled all over his alpha, gently cradling their newborn in his hands. “Hey, Frankie,” he murmured, stroking the kitten gently. “Everyone is so excited to meet you.”
Frankie yawned, nuzzling closer. Mathlin exchanged a look with Titan, both of them grinning so hard that he felt as though he could burst.
“This is perfect,” Mathlin said.
“Yes,” Titan murmured, leaning up to drop kisses all over Mathlin’s face. “You did so good, Math. I’m so proud of you.” He scooped Frankie up and kissed him too, ever so gently. He was such a perfect dad, and Mathlin couldn’t ask for more.
At the start of this, he had expected a job, and maybe some shelter. But what he’d found was a home and a family, and what was shaping up to be the best years of his life.
“I love you,” Mathlin blurted. “Like the sun and moon crashed together in a big bang, and all their sex juices flew everywhere to become stars in the sky.”
Titan laughed, his gaze ever so warm. “Love you too, sweetheart. I’d collect those sex juice stars, join them into a necklace, and present that to you as my token of love.”
Mathlin beamed.
Around them, a chorus of howls welcomed the new addition to their pack.
EPILOGUE
“I betyou can’t hit me with that ball of dough,” eleven-year-old Frankie said, sticking out his tongue.
Twelve-year-old Jannie scowled and squished the cookie dough in her fist. “Dad!”
“Frankie,” Mathlin said disapprovingly. “These cookies are meant for the charity bake sale. They’renotyours to throw at your siblings.”
“Aww.” Frankie made a face, eyeing the twins. “But they threw dough balls at each other!”
“Hey!” Ten-year-old James and Steve made faces at him. “Traitor!”
“I started it,” said eight-year-old Clint. Proudly.
Mathlin sighed, shaking his head fondly. The pups were a handful, and he loved them all. Jannie took after him, with her light brown hair and orange eyes, while the rest of the pups resembled both him and Titan—Frankie and Clint with Titan’sdark brown hair and Mathlin’s orange eyes, and the twins with Mathlin’s light brown hair and Titan’s hazel eyes.
They were all amazing. Especially on the days when they decided they could all get along.
“Hey, don’t make a mess in the Twin Buns kitchen, or you’ll all be stuck here helping with the cleanup, and there won’t be any playtime tonight,” Titan said. He stopped next to Mathlin and tugged him close for a kiss; the pups made similar sounds of disgust.
“United by cooties,” Mathlin whispered with a laugh, kissing Titan again.
“Cooties are amazing,” Titan said sagely. With a grin, he brushed his hands through Mathlin’s hair and down his back, claiming him with his scent.
“You should put up a sign,” Hamilton said, riding Wildcart into the bakery. “‘Cooties For Sale’. I’m sure you’ll attract lots of people.”
“No thanks,” Titan said. With the range of magical herb brownies they now sold, Twin Buns was doing well, enough for them to comfortably set aside some savings, and for Titan to hire Hamilton part-time.
These days, Titan was a lot more relaxed now that Twin Buns had established itself. Mathlin ran a tiny healing business on the side, and between these sources of income, they were living well—what Titan had always wanted for his family. Mathlin was happy and proud that they had managed to achieve this together.
“I have an idea,” Titan announced. “Let’s get these cookies baked, and we’ll go out for a run in the woods. You can all howl as loud as you like; we can invite the rest of the pack too. Sounds good?”
“Yeah!” the pups cheered. “Moon run, moon run!”
Mathlin laughed quietly, leaning into Titan. “I love it when you rile them up like this.”
“Moon run, moon run,” Titan cheered along with them. In a lower voice, he said to Mathlin, “You love it when I lead the moon runs. You love riding on your throne.”
