My son’s cries stuttered, then stopped.
I opened my eyes to see his tiny brow still furrowed as if evaluating whether I was worth listening to. Then, like clouds parting after a storm, his face relaxed and his mouth finally closed as he knocked out.
“Cruor, it worked.” Something beyond pride, maybe satisfaction at giving my boy what he needed, swelled my heart. “Look at him! He’s sleeping!Idid that!Me!I’m a fucking baby whisperer now!”
“Download obviously complete.” Seri reached up to pat the top of my head. “Good job, Pops.”
I should have had a comeback ready, something witty about not being Brummy, but I was too overwhelmed with the realization that somehow, impossibly, I wasn’t screwing this up.
Not yet, anyway.
#
Koa
I balanced the bed tray carefully as I entered our bedroom, Brumous padding silently behind me. The scene before me stopped me in my tracks: Seri propped against the pillows like a queen, Zane beside her with our son cradled against his chest, and Casimir on her other side, holding our daughter with a reverence I’d never seen on his face before. The intensity of my love for all of them stole my breath.
“Your snacks, as requested, beloved.” I crossed to the bed and set the tray over Seri’s lap. I’d arranged everything just as she liked: Popcorn with the perfect amount of butter, hot chocolate with whipped cream, and even a few fresh strawberries. Small comforts for the woman who had just given us everything.
Brumous’ nose worked overtime, sniffing the air. His blue eyes were wide with curiosity, his tail beginning a hopeful wag. He’d grown physically bigger, but remained puppy-like in some ways and probably always would.
“Someone wants to say hi to you, sweet girl,” I murmured as Zane stood and moved out of the wolf’s way, carefully holding our still-sleeping son.
“Hello, my baby,” Seri crooned, holding out her hand.
Bypassing everyone else, Brummy went straight to his personal moon and climbed up on the bed to check on her. Smiling at him, Seri stroked his ears as he nuzzled his snout into her neck.
“Hey, Brum-Brum,” Zane called after a moment. “Wanna meet the newest members of our pack?”
“Minimal contact for now, Brummy.” Cas stood and carried our daughter over to join Zane. “They’re extremely delicate.”
“Yeah, no wolf slobber on ’em until they’re at least, what, a week old?” Zane added with a grin.
With a very softwoof, Brummy approached the babies. It should have been a tense moment, a predator near our newborns, but we knew the wolf would sooner tear out his own heart than harm anything Seri loved.
He started with our daughter first, sniffing all over her as Cas held her. His hard work with Foster had improved the wolf’s communication so much, we no longer needed Zane to interpret for us and could hear him loud and clear now.
Smell like warm den and old stones. Brummy’s voice was soft, almost a whisper.Dreaming pup. Gentle and heavy.
Before anyone could stop him, he licked her cheek. Just once, light as a falling snowflake.
While Cas freaked out, lunging for a tissue, the wolf went to Zane and took a sharp inhale of our son.
Smell like pine and winter moon.Brummy blinked, his ears perked.Wild pup. Sharp teeth already.
He licked our son’s cheek, too, his tail thudding faster now.
“Well?” I asked him with a smile as Zane chuckled and Cas grabbed another tissue. “Approved?”
Approve! Keep. Mine. Hana.
His tail now spinning like a propeller, Brummy licked my hand, then jumped onto the couch across from our bed, positioning himself with a clear view of all of us. Always the protector.
Then Cas approached me, face softer than ever as he looked down at our daughter.
“Would you like to hold her? I’ve conducted a thorough assessment, and she’s tactically sound in every way.”
Even as I rolled my eyes at him, my throat tightened. I’d held her briefly right after birth, but everything had been chaotic then. This would be different, our first real moment together.
