Page 79 of Homecoming

“Oh wow… Kitty’s a shifter.Shit!” Kat can’t help but laugh. “So what are you going to do with her now?”

“Dump it,” Darius snarls. “Dump it on a church doorstep or in one of those special boxes they have at fire stations, the ones where they put kids that are not wanted. Yeah, go put it in one of those.”

“Darius…” Kat gasps. “I can’t believe you actually just said that. Are you being serious? No, they can’t do that. No, she needs to go to a proper home with someone who understands shifters. Anyway, we can’t just dump a baby.”

“Why not? It’s not our problem.”

“Wow… Wow, you really came back in a good mood, didn’t you?”

“You know what? I don’t care. Do what the fuck you want with it. But just know it can’t stay here. Digby talk to Rhys, I’m sure he’ll know someone that wants to adopt a stinky shifter cat.”

“You know, that’s not such a bad idea. Oh, c’mon Zak, it’s better than his box idea. I’ll give my brother a call now and see what he says. And Helena, you’d better call that woman from the sanctuary, tell her it ran away or some sorta story like that.”

“Dokey-okey,” Helena nods.

“Hey…” Bud frowns with a hushed tone, “has anyone else noticed how much Helena’s starting to sound like Marco lately?”

“Bud… open your damn eyes, man,” Oz groans.

“What? C’mon guys, what? What the hell am I missing here?” he looks around.

“Helena and Marco… they’re… well, you know. He’s been giving her…apple pie.”

“And what… eating too much apple pie can make you sound like someone else? I don’t understand.”

“Oh man, give me strength,” Digby sighs. “Okay, shut the hell up and let me explain in words you might understand. Helena and Marco are, you know… doin’ the business… Oh I’m gonna go call Rhys.”

“N-no… No w-wait!” QT steps forward with a sudden urgency to his plea. “Please don’t. I wanna k-keep her.”

“What the hell? QT, you can’t keep a damn baby. No. No way. No, I’m sorry. You heard what Darius said, she’s gotta go.”

“P-please… I can take care of her. I-I… w-ant… I want to be a daddy. This… i-it m-might be my only ch-chance.”

“You want what?” Digby’s mouth drops as he cuts off the call and everyone in the room remains silent as they stare in disbelief at the sound of QT’s confident words.

“I really w-want this.” The smaller wolf’s nerves catch in his throat but he holds his defiant stance as he wraps the baby’s head in the blanket and stares at the others.

“Wait, did you say you wanna be a dad?” Zak focuses his stare at him. “But you’ve never said that before. I mean, I didn’t know you felt like that. You do understand that’s part of the reason I called the weddin’ off? Because I wanna be a dad too. I thought us bein’ together meant I’d never get the chance and so… QT, are you serious about this?”

“Uh-huh,” QT nods, and looking for support he reaches out to Kat. “I w-wanna be a good d-dad.”

“Whoa… Holy shit…” Digby rubs his head. “Hey, don’t look at me with those puppy dog eyes. I might be pack leader, but trust me, I havenoclue how to deal with this.”

Kat steps forward and smiles. “QT, are you serious? You really want this? You do know what’s involved in raising a child?”

“S-she has no one. And I c-can give her a h-home. I can be a good dad.”

“Yeah, I know you can, that’s not in question but it’s more complicated than that. Besides, raising a shifter will have many more difficulties than raising a wolf pup. QT, this is a shifter—a cat.”

“Yeah, she’s right. You can’t just bring up a cat because… well, for one you know nothin’ about cats. They have… special needs… and they’re not like wolves. I mean, where the hell will it go to school? It’ll get bullied and teased. The wolf pups they’ll… well, it won’t fit in around here. She won’t be the same as the other pups. How the hell are you gonna deal with that?”

“I’ll l-learn. I’ll read up and study about cats. Their ways—their lives. I can find a special cat school if I have to.”

Digby sighs as he looks to Kat for help to dissuade him. “What do you think?”

“I think…” she smiles, “I think it will be okay. And I think QT will make a great dad.”

“Wait… now just wait a damn minute,” Zak snarls. “And what about me? Don’t I get a say in this? Don’t I get to be part of this decision, or are you just cuttin’ me out altogether now?”

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