Page 68 of Baby and the Beast

"Thank you," Nash murmured, accepting the drink gratefully. The warmth seeped into his fingers, grounding him.

"How's the little one?" Darriel asked, peering into Copper's carrier.

"She's good. Strong." Nash couldn't keep the pride from his voice. "The medic—Marco—says she's healthy despite everything."

“That’s because he’s the best medic in the universe,” another guy said happily, and sighed. Emmett giggled.

“This is Kai. Marco’s mate, so of course he’s biased.”

Charles glanced at Copper. "May I?" At Nash's nod, he carefully lifted Copper from her carrier, cradling her with practiced ease. "She's beautiful."

Nash watched as Charles settled into a nearby chair with Copper. There was something soothing about the wolf omega's presence, a quiet strength that put Nash at ease.

"So," Emmett said, settling next to Nash, "want to talk about what happened with the mountain man?"

Nash choked on his hot chocolate. "How did you—"

"Omega intuition," Emmett said with a wink. "Plus, he's hot."

Nash sighed, setting his mug down. "I made a fool of myself."

"Doubtful," Charles said without looking up from Copper. "Alphas, on the other hand, excel at foolishness."

"Casimir's not an alpha," Nash corrected. "He's human."

"Could have fooled me," Emmett muttered. "He's got that same brooding, self-sacrificing energy."

“We have a human alpha,” a young woman added and introduced herself as Kerry.

“A human alpha?” Nash repeated, although the name fit Casimir to a tee.

“My mate,” Darriel added.

“And my dad,” Emmett chuckled.

Nash found himself smiling despite everything. There was something comforting about being understood so quickly by these strangers-turned-allies.

“So why is Mr. Brooding and Serious playing hard to get?” Kai asked.

"I tried to kiss him," Nash admitted. "He... didn't take it well. He’s still punishing himself for something that wasn’t his fault that happened years ago."

"Ah," Darriel nodded sagely. "The old 'I'm-not-worthy' routine."

"I've seen that show," Emmett agreed. "Ryker was a master at it."

Nash huffed. “He didn’t believe I wanted it."

"What did he say, exactly?" Darriel asked.

"Well, he said I was confused. Vulnerable. That my hormones were affecting my judgment," Nash admitted, wincing at the memory. "Then he said I should focus on Copper, not some 'fantasy' about a man who's forgotten how to be human."

Emmett and Darriel exchanged knowing looks.

"Oh yeah," Kai nodded. "Definitely the 'I'm-not-worthy' routine. Marco tried that too."

"So did Zeke," Darriel added. "Something about humans and shifters not being able to work."

Nash sighed, absently accepting a cookie someone passed him. "But it's more than that. He's been alone in those mountains for eleven years, punishing himself for something that wasn't his fault."

---