“Wait!” Kaitlin’s voice shouts before I hear her tiny feet pounding across the dirt. She throws herself against my legs, hugging my knees. “Bees careful!” The concern in her voice is an arrow straight to my heart. I drop to a crouch, careful not to knock her down. She lets me wrap her tightly in my arms, squeezing until she squeals in delight.
“I’ll be careful, promise.” I swallow the longing to stay and slip behind the wheel. All three of them watch me from the porch as I turn the car around and rattle down the bumpy driveway. The sooner this trip is over, the better. I don’t want to keep my family worrying any longer than necessary.
Walking into the chain supermarket two towns over from the cabin, I keep my senses open, but my body relaxed. No one stoodout or seemed suspicious as I drove here, but the need to be cautious pulses through my body.
That doesn’t stop me from making a quick trip down the toy aisle. The pool, swing, soccer ball, and coloring books have been great for entertaining Kaitlin so far, but I want to pick her up a few other things to play with. Give her more options while spoiling her like the princess she is. I stop in the game aisle first and grab a couple for all of us to sit down and play together. Family game night sounds like a great way to spend the next rainy evening.
Rounding the corner to the doll aisle, I see an end cap full of magnetic building blocks. They’re a big hit with young kids, something I remember from shopping with Foster last December to fill Angel Tree requests. They’re a great medium between the chunky plastic toddler blocks and the intricate design of something built with Legos. Grabbing two boxes, each of a different color, I toss them into the cart.
With a nice stack of surprises for Kait, I work on getting everything off Hannah’s list. The cart is overflowing by the time I finish, and I couldn’t fit the cases of water we need. I finish paying for everything, load it into the car, and run back inside to grab them. A display of fuzzy body pillows catches my attention during my second trip inside. I almost pass them by before memories of Hannah tossing and turning at night surge to the front of my mind. Taking in the array of colors, I settle on two sunshine yellows for her and a dark gray for Foster. On my way back to the checkouts, I detour to grab a bottle of scent-neutral massage oil. My Omega loves having his muscles tended to, and it may help ease the pain Hannah has been experiencing in her upper thighs and hips.
The car is packed with entirely too much stuff as I pull out of the parking lot. I have a feeling my mates will scold me for it upon my return, but I cannot regret spoiling them, at least inwhat little ways I can, while we are hiding from the Montgomery cult.
My eyes track over the cars on the road behind me as I drive out of town and start the journey toward the cabin. They slowly trickle off the road, heading down long gravel drives or toward other small towns in the area. I don’t circle to the correct road until I’m certain no one is following me.
Sunlight still streams through the trees when I pull to a stop outside the cabin. The front door flies open, revealing one frazzled Beta, a stressed-out Omega, and an annoyed four-year-old. I quickly climb out and around the hood, ready to face whatever threat awaits me.
“They don’t have their listenin’ ears on today!” Kaitlin’s frustrated exclamation has me freezing halfway up the steps. “I tolds them you promised to bees careful!”
Foster’s expression shifts to amusement as he sweeps our little princess into his arms and tickles her sides. Her laughter echoes around the porch, helping their concerns to fade. I bite back a laugh of my own when she wiggles out of his arms and ducks behind my legs, using me as a shield.
“Come here, Little Bug. Let’s help carry everything into the house.” Hannah gets right down to business, heading to the car. She pats my shoulder on the way. Silently letting me know she’s relieved I made it back safely.
The cheesy, gooey scent of the pizza has our feet moving quickly. My mates give me the side-eye when they see the non-essentials I picked up. With a shrug, I close the trunk, hiding the rest behind my back as I usher them all inside. I’m their pack leader. I can shower them with gifts anytime I want.
“Can we eat yet? I hungry!”
“Wash your hands first!” Hannah calls out as she places the last of her bags on the dining table.
After dropping my surprises on the side of the couch where they aren’t in view, I join Foster and Hannah in the kitchen. We make quick work of sorting out what needs to go in the fridge and freezer. They’ll need to be put away before we eat, but the pantry items can wait.
“All done! See?” Water droplets hit my arm as Kaitlin appears at my side, tiny hands waving through the air.
Hannah closes her eyes for a long second before giving her daughter a stern look. “Bug, how do we dry our hands?”
“With a towel,” Kaitlin grumbles, grabbing one from the front of the stove and hastily wiping them. “Sorry, Mommy.” Her apology is accepted, and she’s sent to the table with plates and napkins. I join her, helping to move the rest of the bags and the cases of water stacked in the center. These mundane moments make our life in the cabin seem normal. Like we’re a newly formed pack learning to coexist together, not hiding here.
Those feelings don’t mean I’ve forgotten the threats against my girls.
As soon as the DAU brings down the Montgomery cult, I’ll make sure no one from that awful place can ever get their hands on them again. Not Hannah’s parents, and certainly not her piece of shit husband.
After dinner, Foster and Hannah shoo me out of the kitchen. Leaving the two of them to put away the rest of the groceries, I tap Kaitlin on the shoulder and nod toward the living room. “I got you some presents. Would you like to open them?”
Starry hazel eyes blink up at me for several long seconds before the biggest grin spreads over her cheeks. “Yes! Please! I loves presents! But it’s not my birthday?”
Shrugging, I take her tiny hand in mine and lead her to the couch. “These are just-because presents, not special-occasion presents.”
I don’t think she understands my explanation, but she bobs her head in agreement. The thought of gifts must be more important than the reason behind them. When she’s settled on a cushion, I grab the bags from beside the couch and hand them to her one at a time. She oohs and ahhs over every box before she gently sets them aside. She takes such great care of all her toys. It’s adorable.
“Whoa, what are they?” She holds out one box of magnetic tiles, studying the other with a tilted head. I open the first box and show her what it does. The rest is forgotten as she pieces the tiles together on the coffee table.
Halfway through what looks like a castle, she turns and flings herself against my side, hugging me tight. “Thank you! They’s the best presents ever!”
Our paths may have taken us down long, lonesome roads before allowing us to meet, but having these three in my life… It’s everything an Alpha could dream of.
Hannah and Foster join us a few minutes later, whispering their own appreciation for the things I grabbed for them. I offer smiles in return. Taking care of them makes my inner Alpha happy, so it’s something I am glad to do.
“Oh!” Hannah exclaims from the side of the couch a short while later. Her hand presses against the side of her stomach, and the softest smile stretches across her lips. The dreamy, loving look in her eyes makes me want to kiss her senseless, but I hold myself back. She suddenly turns to Foster and grabs his hand, placing it under hers.
