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Over the years, it underwent several renovations to expand it to ensure that every wolf in the pack could fit inside, whether in times of celebration or peril. The basement beneath it was stocked with dry goods, water, blankets, and other supplies that would be needed if wolves were forced to take shelter here. While it had only happened on a massive scale a handful of times, knowing that there was a place to take refuge was the sort of comfort that Rusty hadn’t fully appreciated until he’d been out in the world. The number of territories without provisions for all had almost rivaled the number that sought to protect everyone.

Shit, now he was thinking about things he shouldn’t.

“Was wondering when you guys were going to get here!” Emari declared. “We saved you a spot with the rest of the family. Now somebody hand me a pup.”

Acer squealed and held up his arms as Emari reached for him, which was the only invitation the colorful wolf needed to scoop him up and fly him over his head.

“You’ve been scoping out the door, haven’t you?” Roark remarked, grinning.

“You know it.”

“Let us get some treats for the pups first, then we’ll hand them off,” Roark said.

“I spotted Wren a few minutes ago sitting with a bunch of pups in front of the puppet show stage,” Emari said. “It looks like they’re settling in marvelously.”

“They love it here,” Logan said. “As do I. I’m looking forward to finally getting to spend time with the rest of the family, but I know I’m going to mix up names for a while.”

“Ech, you should see our mom when she gets flustered,” Roark replied as Bowie reached out with grabby hands for Emari, who immediately noticed and stopped flying Acer so Rusty could pass him Bowie once he’d extracted the wiggly boy from the carrier.

Since he couldn’t fly them both, Emari spun around with them, making them squeal and cling to his neck, giggling even after he stopped.

“Ready for your treats?” Emari asked, earning more giggles from the pups as he headed to the back wall, where all the refreshments were set up.

Because events like these ran late into the night, the spread included everything from proper supper and side dishes to a wide array of treats. With Emari holding the pups, Rusty and his mates were able to fill plates with snacks before joining the large collection of relatives who’d formed a circle around the pups too small to be off on their own. Some sat, others played, while a few of the babies crawled around, chasing one another. Bowie and Acer forgot all about treats when they saw the other pups and crawled away from their uncle the moment he put them down.

“Wow, forgotten already,” Emari remarked, lower lip poking out in a fake pout.

“They’ll be back to crawl all over you when they get sleepy,” Roark remarked, draping his arm over his brother’s shoulder and tugging him into a hug.

When Flame revealed the name of the mate who’d rejected him, Rusty knew his brother was going to have a hard fight ahead of him to show that he was worthy of a mate as tender-hearted and family oriented as Emari. He only hoped that Emari took the time to look back on the curious, protective pup Flame had been when they were younger, because he was still in there, buried beneath bitterness and snark.

Rusty, Roark, and Logan sat in the spots that had been reserved for them, and Rusty glanced around, seeking Wren, only to realize that there was no fear of them not being able to keep track of the pup. They’d been placed on the side of the circle closest to where Wren’s group was seated. With the curtain parting on the puppet show, the pups would be more engrossed in that than anything else going on in the room.

“Well,” Roark’s grandmother said as she smiled across the circle at Logan, “I’m Meredith, that rogue to your left’s grandmother, and by virtue of all this gray on the top of my head, the matriarch of the family. I’m thrilled that the snow held off long enough for us to get together this evening so we could finally meet you. Welcome to our family, Logan, and thank you for bringing yet another great-grandpup for me to love.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Logan replied.

“There are too many of us to introduce, and it would just be overwhelming, but the one beautiful thing about life here is how closely woven the ties of pack and family are,” she replied. “So, expect to see a great deal of us, especially in the warm months when we’re all running around sticking our snouts in each other’s business.”

Chuckling, Logan glanced around at all the faces staring at him, but the only emotion Rusty could feel from his mate was joy.

“I see Wren has already met some of their cousins,” Roark’s sister, Stella, said. “The blond to their right is my oldest son, Garrett, and sitting a few spaces away from them is Garrett’s twin, Monroe. The twins came home excited after meeting Wren at school. They’re in the same classroom.”

“Wren was excited to tell us all about the meeting too,” Logan replied.

“Roark said you work at the command center, so we know not to ask you about what you do,” Stella said. “My Frost works in the relay station and can’t talk about work either.”

“We’ve met, I don’t see him anywhere though,” Logan said, looking around the room for the white-haired wolf he’d spoken to often.

“He’s on shift tonight,” Stella explained, a soft smile bringing out the laugh lines beside her eyes. “He traded with Douglas so he’d have the night of the Winter Ball off to take me.”

Meredith rubbed her hands together. “Which means I’m on babysitting duty and we will be making my infamous strawberry dream cookies.”

“Those are the best cookies in the world,” Roark moaned.

“Anytime you and your mates would like an evening out, I will be happy to come watch the pups and leave a batch behind in the kitchen after Wren and I have finished making them,” she declared.

“We will be happy to take you up on that offer,” Roark said. “We talked about attending one of the Atlas’ twilight barbeque tastings. If our schedules line up for the next one, you’ll hear from me.”