Page 57 of Ascendant Moon
Right on schedule, two hungry pups began rooting around for a nipple. Lou and Donna awoke when they did, watching fondly as the boys fed. They’d spent the night in wolf form, curled around their offspring on the bedroom floor—putting off the first shift until morning. Following their birth, Erin had taken a few photos, waited for the placenta to pass, and then herded everyone out of the house to give the family some privacy. Donna needed to rest, and bonding time was best done without the sounds and scents of an audience.
Lou lovingly licked Donna’s ears as they observed their little ones. These moments would be cherished later, since they wouldn’t see their boys in wolf form again until the sixth month. By then, their bodies and coats would have changed significantly, and they would be walking and talking in their human forms. Lou’s heart was full with overlapping feelings of protection, pride, and affection. Becoming a new parent added a previously unknown dimension to his life—one he’d never expected until meeting his beautiful mate.
Donna’s thoughts had taken a dissimilar path. While motherhood wasn’t new, the delivery marked a turning point in her life. She was now a grandmother in her forties with a different mate, owned a thriving medical practice, and had the responsibility of raising two boys—one of which was a True Elder! Initially, Donna wasn’t sure if she should count her blessings or shake her fist at Luna’s little surprise. There was no doubt now, however, and she looked forward to the challenges ahead with Lou at her side and the pack at her back.
When the boys finished nursing, Donna licked full tummies to stimulate their bladders and bowels. Once they were clean and resting peacefully, Donna yipped softly to her mate that the time had come. Lou shifted where he was and took a few moments to stroke Donna’s flank and lean over to scent the pups one more time. Next, he stood to gather diapers and onesies so they were ready when the little ones underwent their transformation. Using her muzzle, Donna carefully nudged the boys apart to give them wiggle room, and got up to stand next to Lou.
The boys shifted when she did, crying out in surprise and shock. Each parent gathered up a squalling child for comforting kisses and scenting, and the boys quickly settled down. While they were still naked, Donna gave them a cursory exam, noting minor differences but finding nothing of concern. Having received plenty of practice with little Kaylee, Lou helped diaper and clothe the boys until they were two sweet-smelling bundles. Lou lay them side by side on the bed for some parental snuggling while his mate hurried off to take a shower.
Unwilling to miss a moment, Donna exited the bathroom in short order to dress in jeans and a loose button-down shirt. Joining Lou on the bed, they surrounded their sons with familiar scents while talking to them and about them. Upon further examination, Donna realized they’d each ended up with a mini-me and laughed at the distinguishable differences.
“I don’t know if it was pure chance or Luna’s doing, but our first-born is almost your carbon copy. On the other hand, our little True Elder definitely takes after my side of the family. Aside from their scents, no one will have trouble telling them apart!”
Lou’s proud grin revealed how pleased he was.
“I think you’re right, Love. Now all we have to do is name them.”
There’d been no point in making final decisions until they knew for sure, but they had created short lists to choose from. Since the boys would take Lou’s surname, and Harmon was of French origin, it narrowed down their choices considerably. After some discussion, and on the basis of who looked like who, Donna selected their True Elder son’s name andLou picked their Beta son’s name. By the time their decisions were made, it was past time to eat breakfast, and they carried their pups downstairs for some adult feeding time.
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Late morning
On the way to his office, there were several good reasons for Ben to be smiling this morning—especially with very pleasant memories of waking up to Evan’s mouth and hands all over him. On top of that, the arrival of more pupsalwaysmade Ben happy, and when one of them turned out to be a True Elder, well, life was good! The news had spread like wildfire after Jonah brought Evie home last night. His excited Omega daughter had stories to tell about what happened and how cute the pups were, keeping the family up past bedtime.
Ben’s rolling office chair protested with ominous creaks and squeals as he settled down to compose an important message. All packs were required to send an official notice of True Elder or Omega births to Alpha Sheppard’s office. Ben didn’t have a name yet, but sending it later wouldn’t be a problem. He’d love to see the look on Adam Sheppard’s face when he read the short missive, bringing Gladstone’s number tosixTrue Elders. Seven if you counted Sergio, but the four-pack wouldn’t be here much longer if everything panned out.
Despite Walter Denali’s exhausting cancer treatment, he’d been working with Alphas Cruz and Sheppard to negotiate the purchase of a ranch. Both the American and Mexican councils were willing to fund the venture as a new home for Gray, Nick, Sergio, and Dante—fulfilling Sergio’s dreams of a much larger pack that included mates and children.
Walter had found a working goat and sheep operation for sale, adjacent to the area where the Lobo packs now lived. The current owners had reached retirement age and preferred to sell the business to someone who would keep it going. While not Diné themselves, their employees were all tribal members and the ranch had a good reputation among their people.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the final paperwork to clear the bank, and the quartet could move in and settle down. Nick was quite eager to make some pups with his new mate, and in anticipation of the move, the couple had asked Evan and Jack to coach them through the Change Mate process. The lessons were both fun and embarrassing , especially for Gray, but once they moved to Arizona, there wouldn’t be anyone to help them except Sergio—and he’d be limited to memories of the process.
Ben had other things on his plate today, including the arrival of Ray Dunlap from Duluth. The fifty-something, unmated shifter came highly recommended—handpicked by Alpha Sheppard to act as Jonah’s substitute at the LRC office during his upcoming pregnancy. He and Jonah would only have a week together before the full moon, but since Dunlap’s job was to train and supervise the employees at the Duluth location, he shouldn’t have any problem learning the ropes here. Ben was just checking the time when Robyn knocked on the door.
“I’m off to the airport to pick up Ray. Do you need anything before I go?”
Ben was glad she’d asked, and gave her a smile.
“Just a couple of things. Remind Perdy and Michelle that we’ll have one extra for meals through the end of the year, and that the Ramsey family will arrive a week from today. Also, put Ray in Quad one, and bring him to see me when you get back.”
Robyn gave him an abbreviated wave.
“You got it, Boss!”
She took off, allowing Ben to hit the next thing on his to-do list—the motel remodel. While he waited for the financial paperwork to clear the bank, Tom and Nolan were ordering needed supplies so they could get started ASAP. Visibility from the road was essential for an operating motel, but Ben needed to ensure privacy to keep curious eyes from seeing anything unusual. By the time he’d built a berm and planted mature pine trees, the front face of the structure would be well hidden from view.
He'd need a sign of some kind with the address and perhaps a name to help his guests find the place, but it needed to be something vague that wouldn’t invite casual passers-by to pull in the drive for a look. Perhaps a stylized wolf head would be sufficient, and he could use the same design as a logo for correspondence and to mark the new buildings on packlands. First, he’d ask Katrine to sketch something simple for him, and then see if Cliff Townsend at Wood Creations could turn it into a sign.
Ben made a note to follow up on those ideas and then stopped to answer the phone. This was turning out to be an awfully busy Saturday.
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Meanwhile, at the Harmon household
Lou couldn’t stop growling at their visitors.
Erin, Micah, and Kaylee, along with Robert and Ash, had been invited over to meet the boys, and Lou’s wolf wasnothappy. His human half knew they weren’t a threat, but his Lupine new-father protective streak was in full force. Micah was the only one who truly understood what the man was going through, and Donna ended up on Lou’s lap to keep him from doing anything… unfortunate.
