Page 3 of Claimed for Eternity

“That we should’ve named Stephie ‘Squashie’ instead?” I chuckled.

“No! Well, maybe,” he grinned at her and my wolf wagged his tail inside his inner sanctum. I could spend a million lifetimes with that bear and that would never be enough. We shared a quick hello kiss and Xenos sniffed around to ensure none of the older kids were eavesdropping.

“They’re all down at the square for kids’ night. That was your best idea ever,” I grinned.

“Good! I think I know who Mori’s mate is!”

“As long as you don’t say one of Finn’s boys, we’ll be okay,” I said, turning to plate our food too.

“Alpha!” Xenos scolded me. “Be nice! They didn’t get to pick their sire! They grew up to be good guys. Well, as far as I knowanyway. They are all still single, though. Hmmm…” I glanced over my shoulder when he paused like that.

“Nope. Whatever you’re thinking no. My genes have enough crazy in them for ten generations. None of our kids need to have cubs or pups or elflings with those men.”

“If they’re true-mates there would be no stopping it,” Xenos put his hands on his hips in that way that always made him look sassy. I grinned despite meaning what I said about preferring our kids not to marry into that sort of crazy.

“Stop it!” Xenos shook his finger at me and a second later Stephie shook her squashed carrot covered hand at Xenos, whacking bits of carrot everywhere – including all over her carrier.

“See, Stephie’s on my side.”

“Side! Side! Side!” she chanted and then bared her teeth. “Side!”

“Side of what?” I teased her and passed Xenos a towel.

“Grr! Rose!”

“Rose? I don’t see no flowers,” I said, putting on my Raven Hollow Wolf Pack Accent. “We eat flowers around here. Nothing pretty can grow.”

“Alpha!” Xenos scolded me again as I gave the baby more roast chopped up into tiny bits. She was a bear cub and prone to sticking large amounts of food in her mouth given the chance and I wasn’t in the mood to do the Heimlich today.

“What? It’s good for her to know her history,” I told him.

“What’s gotten into you today?” he asked me.

“Just that I don’t want our kids marrying into anyone from my birth pack, okay? I know things are different now, but old visions die hard, huh?” I asked, taking his hand and entwining our fingers together. “I can handle them running off on spirit quests with potions and astral projecting to Jupiter and…”

“Who astral projected to Jupiter?” Xenos blinked and tightened his grip on my hand.

“Oh, it’s a club in London now and Gaia did that. She swears she danced with a Beetle Jug or something.”

“Beetle Jug?” he arced a brow and bit his lip. “Alpha, I can’t even think of a band that sounds sort of like that. Either I’m really old or you still hate boybands.”

“Yes and yes and before you take that as an insult, I’m old too,” I told him. “We’re old because we were smart enough to stay alive.”

“OH, Alpha,” he flashed me a sad smile. “This isn’t about Finn or the Ravens. This is about Mori. You get like this anytime anyone mentions one of those boys meeting their true-mates. I hate to tell you, but they’re already grown. Like really grown and they’re not V-I-R-G-I-N-S either.”

“I know that,” I rolled my eyes. “Both of those things.” I pulled away and grabbed our plates. “Here, eat. You might’ve had dessert first but you still need to eat dinner.”

“Bossy!”

“I am a cave-elf!” I nodded, pulling out his chair for him.

“Grrr! Elf! Side!” Stephie chimed in and I tore her off a chunk of my pot roast.

“I want the twins to meet their mates. I really do. I just want them to be Nightshade Bears or one of Iggy’s kids.”

“Ignatius Hemlock has been many years gone from Earthside, alpha,” Xenos sighed. “You know that, right? He’s not popping out puppy seed or adopting orphans anymore.”

“You don’t know that,” I crossed my arms and pretended to be offended.

---