Page 59 of The Protector’s Heart

“Some of us have real jobs—I work for Ferrity’s Construction, for example. But others work for the pack and are paid through a fund. Jeremiah and Adam are pretty much at Acksel’s disposal and handle everything from shopping to repairs to cleaning.”

Nila thought about Adam and Jeremiah and wondered if they minded being lackeys. Looking at Eveny, she asked, “You don’t mind being an omega?”

“Nah.” She shook her head with a smile. “Some people get hung up on titles, but I’m not one of them. There are some omegas who aren’t happy because injury or circumstance have taken them out of the ranking, but for the most part we’re the ones that keep everything together. I like that aspect of it. I get to be part of an amazing pack, help it run smoothly, and I don’t have any of the responsibility of the ranked males.”

Jack yawned loudly and Nila picked him up as she stood. “Someday he might shift and then he’ll be part of the pack as a ranked male, or if he doesn’t shift, then he’ll be an omega. I don’t care which one, as long as he’s happy.”

“Who knows what the pack will be like in fifteen or twenty years anyway?” Brynn said. “We don’t need to worry about it now. All we need to worry about is our kids being happy and safe.”

Nila agreed. Carrying Jack back to the spare bedroom to put him in his jammies, she kissed his cheek and laid him on the bed. “I don’t care if you ever shift, kiddo, just so long as you take after Malachi.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Malachi loved hunting. Since the first time his father had taken him out when he shifted at sixteen, he’d been hooked. Being in his shift meant he didn’t have to think about anything but finding something to hunt. Even if he didn’t actually catch what he was hunting, it was still fun in a primal way, although he rarely went without actually taking down some animal at some point. When he was younger, he and his friends would hunt all night, chasing deer and rabbits until the sun came up. Then they’d stagger back to the alpha’s house, shift, get dressed, go home and pass out for a day. Life was simpler back when he was a teenager, but he liked his life now even better. He never anticipated mating a female who already had a child from another male, but he couldn’t imagine his life without both Nila and Jack in it.

Malachi barked at Acksel, who was nearby with Ren and Dade. It was time for him to head home and get Nila. Thoughts of a different kind of activity—one without clothes—was enough to get his wolf turned off of the hunt and ready to go back and claim Nila. The simple ceremony in front of the pack had been not only for the pack’s benefit—to make it known that she and Jack were Malachi’s family now—but also for their own. Malachi’s wolf wanted Nila and Jack to be pack, because the pack would protect them if something happened to him. Malachi wanted to share everything about his life with Nila, and that meant having her with him during the full moons.

Acksel chuffed at Malachi in understanding and Malachi headed back to the house to take his family home. When the house came into view, he found Nila standing at the sliding back door, staring into the woods. He stopped in the shadows and watched her, wondering what she was thinking about. His sensitive ears picked up Jack’s voice, as he toddled to the door and pressed his face to the glass.

“Carrot!” His voice was muffled, but Malachi could still hear it. He grinned inwardly. Jack had felt him coming back to the house. Even as a baby, he was showing signs of being a powerful wolf.

Malachi hurried into the yard and found his clothes folded neatly on the porch step. He shifted and tugged the ice-cold clothing on. Nila opened the back door for him, welcoming him with a warm smile. Jack latched onto his pants leg and began to babble. He’d spent enough time with him to understand some of what he was saying.

“He felt me, didn’t he?” Malachi asked, lifting Jack into his arms.

She smiled. “Yeah. He was playing on the floor and then he looked at the door suddenly and I knew you were close. I was watching for you, and he kept pacing back and forth in the kitchen.”

“Are you ready to go home, kiddo?” he asked.

Jack answered by yawning, tucking his head into Malachi’s neck with a sigh. While Nila got her coat and grabbed their things, Malachi said goodbye to Luke. Eveny was asleep on the couch next to him, and Brynn wasn’t around, which told him she was probably in bed already. He and Nila walked out to his SUV. He glanced at the house and saw two protectors in their shifts watching as they got Jack settled inside and then climbed in themselves.

“Did you have fun tonight?” he asked.

“I was just about to ask you that.”

Chuckling, he said, “It’s always fun to hunt, but it’s even better coming home now, since you’re waiting for me.”

She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. “I had a good time talking to Brynn and Eveny. We talked about the pack and the new laws.”

“You can ask me anything, too, you know.”

“I know.”

He was glad his home wasn’t too far from Acksel’s. Ten minutes after they’d left the alphas’ home, he was watching Nila lay Jack in his crib. He’d stayed awake until Malachi was back from hunting and then he’d fallen asleep as soon as he was in the car seat and hadn’t woken up when he’d been carried into the house.

Malachi turned from watching Jack to watching Nila. She stroked a finger down Jack’s cheek and said goodnight in a low voice. Switching on the nightlight, she paused at the door and looked at her son for a long moment.

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted this for him. For both of us.”

“What, love?” he asked.

She pulled the door shut and faced him. “A home, a safe place for him to grow up. Acceptance. Love. All of it’s here, with you.”

“Without you and Jack, it’s just a house, just four walls and a roof. I didn’t know what was missing from my life until you came into it.”

She smiled up at him. “That was so freaking romantic.”

Chuckling, he swept her up into his arms. “I aim to please.”

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