by Susi Hawke
“It's nice to meet you, Sara and Dylan,” Zane said, with all the seriousness that he could muster. “My name is Zane, and I'm going to be traveling with you to go live with your other daddy.”
I did a mental facepalm at his innocent words, since I hadn't yet told Sara and Dylan about having a dad on the other end. I had only gotten a text the day before from Daniel about it. I probably should have told Angie that it was a secret for now, since she'd obviously spilled it to Zane.
I could feel the tension rising from Sara, as she squeezed my neck harder and hugged against me, saying petulantly: “Don wanna nutter daddy. Mistah man my nutter daddy. Mistah man be me and Dywan nutter daddy. Don need no mo daddy.”
I reached around and swung Sara down to snuggle into the curve of my arm, while also crooking my finger in a “come here” motion to Dylan. He ran into the safety of my other arm.
Looking into their vulnerable little faces, I fought back tears as I said: “Hey, guys, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere! I'm going to be right there with you in our new home. Do you remember how some pups have mommies and some pups have daddies?”
They both nodded solemnly. “Well, just like Rex has a mommy that loves him and would miss him if he were gone, you two have a daddy that loves and misses you. He has been missing you both, since you were littler than Erin. You will love your Daddy, I promise.”
“No.” Sara insistently declared: “You da Nutter Daddy. We don need no mo daddy. Jus you, Nutter Daddy.”
Zane's red face looked like he was trying to decide whether to laugh or cry, but Angie just clapped me on the shoulder and said: “Okay, Nutter Daddy. You heard the girl, so let's leave it for now. Just sort it out up north, you know? But for now? How about we order some pizza and feed these chitluns?”
I hesitantly nodded my agreement, despite my misgivings. I loved these pups too much to make promises, implied or otherwise, only to take them back later. They had never had anyone to count on in their lives, and I was damned well not going to be yet another asshole adult to these precious babies.
After dinner, Angie settled the kids in the play area for a cartoon movie, while she took turns bathing each of them. While that was going on, Zane got the car loaded up for the trip, and I installed the three new safety seats that I'd purchased for the pups.
“Hey, Micah?”
“Yo, Zane, what's up?” I asked, as I fought with the tethering device that anchored this Fenris-damned contraption into the car. Ugh, and this was just the first one! I still had two more to go after this one.
“I just want to apologize for earlier. I didn't know that they didn't know about their carrier dad yet.”
“Naw, don't sweat it, Zane. There's no way you could have known. This whole situation is tough, no getting around that. I'm just doing my best to keep the little ones calm, and make them feel safe until I can get them to their dad. They haven't had it easy, so I'm just trying to not to confuse them, you know? But it's okay, they'll adapt, kids are great that way. Or at least, that's what Angie tells me.”
“That's true, kids are quite adaptable. Angie told me about the condition you found those pups in. They're lucky that you're the one who found them. Life is going to be so much better for them now. You might wanna watch out though, Micah. Because I think that they're already super attached to you.”
“Yeah, I've noticed that. It's probably just because I'm the first person who's ever given a shit about them, ya know? It's cool though, they'll be with their real dad soon, and forget all about Mistuh Man.” Even as I said this, I couldn't help but feel a pang of loss.
“You sure about that, Nutter Daddy? Because from where I'm standing, those pups aren't the only ones that are already super attached.”
“I'm sure, Zane,” I said abruptly. I was super attached to ending this conversation, is what I was thinking. “Let's just get this shit done, so we can hit the road in the morning. I need to get some shut eye since I'm the only driver.”
“Okay, Micah. Sorry if I'm overstepping, I just don't want to see you or those little guys getting hurt when this is all over.”
“I know, man,” I sighed, as I hooked the next safety seat into the car. “I don't mean to snarl at you. It just kills me to see how those pups suffered, and yet they still shine like little beacons of joy. And those eyes of theirs? Like pools of melted chocolate. Gets me every time, I gotta admit.”
I couldn't figure out what was niggling the back of my mind about those sparkling little pairs of eyes, but it was something. I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. We finished up our task, and went back inside.
About an hour before sunrise, I gave Angie one last hug good-bye after she helped me and Zane to load the three sleeping pups into the car and get them safely fastened into their seats.
“Thanks, girl.” I said gruffly, holding her hands in mine and touching my forehead to hers. “If things ever get too hard down here, you know that Daniel and Jake will welcome you into the new pack up North. Just say the word, I'll come pick you up myself, if you don't wanna make the trip on your own.”
“I know, babe.” Angie smiled softly. “I have really enjoyed having you and the wee ones here with me and Rex these past few days. The house is going to be so quiet now, I might just have to take you up on that offer at some point.”
“Well, it's a standing offer, so just let me know. You're always going to be pack to me, part of my family, you know?”
“I know. Now, shut up and get out of here, before you make me cry, Micah Knight!”
My old friend was already blinking back tears. I smirked knowingly at her before I leaned in and gave her one more quick hug. I let her go and slipped around to take my spot behind the wheel, while Angie and Zane said their own good-byes.
A few minutes later, we were finally on the road at last. I blew out a breath of relief to know that we were finally on our way to a new life, a new pack, and a most importantly, a new start for the three little ones currently in my care.
Chapter 4
Aries
Kai and I were cleaning the kitchen, but it was just more busy work to keep me distracted, while I waited impatiently for my pups to arrive. It had been a couple days longer than we'd originally expected, and I was climbing the walls.
It was funny, but when I never thought I'd see them again, I was able to go about my days and block them from the front of my mind. I never forgot them, but in order to survive, I had to teach myself to not think about them. The grief was too intense otherwise.
But, now that I knew they were on the way here, I was beside myself with excitement. I hadn't slept properly in days, and probably wouldn't even have remembered to eat, if it weren't for my pack forcing food on me every time I turned around.
“Aries, can I ask you a personal question?” I heard Kai say in a soft voice from the open fridge that he was cleaning, while I washed dishes.
“Sure, Kai. What's up?”
“Um, well, you guys all know my story about how my own father sold me to Alpha Fremont. I just never heard your story? I was wondering, if that's okay, if you'd be willing to share it with me?”
I sighed, hating to remember my past. “It's okay, Kai. I mean, Jenny knew and Sy knows, so I can definitely tell you. I just don't really like to talk about it all that much.”
“It's okay, if you don't want to talk about it. I mean, I don't want to make you remember anything painful, just because I'm nosy.”
“Nah, it's not that. It's more like, I'm embarrassed, you know? But it's cool, I can tell you. Besides, I'm about to have my happy ending, as soon as that alpha cousin of Daniel's gets here with my pups, right?”
“Exactly! I'm so happy for you. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it's been for you to be separated from them.”
Straightening up, I pressed my hands to my lower back and leaned back, feeling my spine pop as I relaxed into the stretch. I stood back up, pulled off my dish gloves, and said: “This is a tea conversation. Feel like a break?”
/> “Sounds great, I'm at a good stopping point anyway.”
“Alright, you grab the cups, I'll get the tea.” I said, already moving to the stove to light a fire under my favorite kettle that I had prepped earlier for when I wanted a cup.
“Ooh, did I hear somebody say it's tea time?” Aunt Cat, the sprightly little senior citizen that we had adopted as our surrogate auntie, came walking in right as I had spoken.
Turning to smile at her over my shoulder, I said: “Hey, Auntie. I was just about to tell Kai about my embarrassing past. You're welcome to join us, if you promise not to judge me too harshly.”
“Oh, honey.” She spoke kindly, stopping to get a pack of cookies out of the cabinet, before going to sit at the table. “If we were all judged for our youthful indiscretions, none of us would be fit to set foot out of bed. We've all made poor choices and bad decisions, it's part of growing up. Now, get over here and tell me what yours were. If you're lucky, I might use it in a book someday!”
I laughed at the audacious little wink she shot me, and shook my head as I took the whistling kettle off the heat and filled our cups. Carrying them to the table, I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I wondered what exactly Aunt Cat wrote about in the erotic ebooks that she authored. I would ask, or read one myself, but I wasn't actually brave enough to know just yet.
Placing the cups on the table, I joined Kai and Aunt Cat where they were already settled around the end of the long table. Setting my tea aside to cool a bit, I picked up a cookie and took a nibble before starting my story.
“So, Kai was mentioning that nobody really knows how I ended up with Alpha Fremont.”
I took a bracing sip of tea before I continued.
“My parents died when I was a pup, and I was raised by my grandmother. It was just the two of us against the world.”
“You must have been close,” Aunt Cat said with an encouraging pat on my hand. “Is your grandmother still with us?”
I shook my head, biting my lip as I willed myself to stay strong. “No. She, um, she died about six months before Alpha Fremont found me. Grammy was out with friends, and they were in a car crash. She survived for about a week, but then she died in the hospital, a few months before my eighteenth birthday.”
“Oh, Aries!” Kai cried out softly as he reached a hand over to clasp mine, “you don't have to continue if it's too hard.”
Shaking my head, I said: “No, I need to get this over with. If I'm going to be a dad now, I need to be able to talk about the hard things, right?”
“Oh, honey.” Aunt Cat said with a sweet smile. “You've got that exactly right! The hardest thing about being an adult is being able to admit your own mistakes. If you can do that, you're a bigger man than many alphas I've known.”
Blushing, I continued. “So, after Grammy died, our house had to be sold. Not only was I a kid still, but an omega at that. There just weren't any jobs that would hire me, you know?”
“Anyway, the money from the house wasn't very much since there was still money owed on it, and what was left had to be used to pay off the medical bills. I was suddenly on my own, with no place to go, no food to eat, and no family to turn to. I was literally alone in the world, with just the clothes on my back.”
Shuddering, I took long drink of tea, and paused for a moment to gather myself. I appreciated that Kai and Aunt Cat just sat there quietly, allowing me to have the time I needed.
“Where was I?”
“Alone on the streets,” my buddy Sy said, as he came up from behind me and sat down beside me, with his baby daughter on his lap. “Sorry, I just came in
and didn't want to interrupt.”
Taking a breath, I nodded. “Of course, Sy. This isn't anything that you don't already know anyway.”
Looking back at the others, I went on. “At first, some of the neighbors took turns letting me sleep on their couches, but eventually people got sick of having some random kid around. And city packs aren't close like the ones here in the country are. They don't have the same pack mentality, although we do answer to an Alpha that's in charge of the territory. The Alpha tries to take care of us, but we're just too spread out, although his word is law if there's a problem.”
Kai nodded knowingly at that, as I shook my head and went on: “Anyway, I soon found myself sleeping in abandoned buildings and scrounging for food. I got in with a group of other homeless kids, and they taught me how to survive by picking pockets, snatching purses, or stealing from homes when nobody was around.”
I could feel my cheeks burn, as I admitted my secret shame. “I tried to pick targets that either wouldn't notice a few dollars missing, or who would be too nice to call the cops if they caught me.”
“This went on for a couple months. It was the night before my eighteenth birthday, when it all went to shit.” I looked up to apologize for the language, but Aunt Cat was too absorbed in my tale to care, and just gestured for me to continue.
“That night, I saw a couple of older rich ladies sitting outside eating on the patio of a little bistro. When I didn't think anyone was watching, I walked by and snatched one of their fancy purses. I probably would've gotten away with it, but there was an alpha there who saw it happen.”
Kai gasped, “What did he do? He didn't hurt you, did he? Is he the one who gave you to Fremont?”
“Inadvertently, one could say,” I agreed with a shrug. “But no, not directly. He chased after me, catching me about a block away. After he dragged me back to return the purse and forced me to apologize, he took me to the city Alpha and turned me in for stealing from humans.”
“Oh, no, honey.” Aunt Cat said sadly. “I know that you shouldn't have tried to steal it, but then again, a kid like you shouldn't have been in that position to start with, you poor lamb.”
I sighed heavily, and soldiered on. “The Alpha kicked me out of his area, told me I had to leave the city and never return. He had one of his beta's drive me to the outskirts of town, and I went from there on foot.”
“What about the alpha that turned you in?” Kai asked me. “Did he know how bad your punishment was for a crime that wasn't even committed, when you consider that the purse was returned untouched?”
I shook my head and lifted a shoulder. “I don't know? He was young, only a year or so older than me. After he took me to the Alpha, he was sent away before I was punished. I'm sure he heard later, but I wouldn't know. I never saw him again.”
“Good!” Sy snorted, “I wouldn't want to see his ass again anyway, if I were you. Screw that jerk!”
“No,” I said sadly. “It wasn't his fault. He was a young, honorable alpha, you know? He didn't know my story. Besides, he was right. I shouldn't have been stealing. Maybe I should have gone to the Alpha or something? I don't know what I could have done, but I understand where he was coming from.”
“But how did that lead you to Fremont?” Kai asked.
“Oh. Well, I was walking down the road, totally lost, hungry, and tired, when a car pulled up beside me. Fremont and his mate, Helga, were the ones in the car. They talked me into going with them, promising me a good life with their pack. I was stupid enough to get in the car, and the next thing I knew, I was in that cabin by the lake where he stashed his omegas.”
I looked longingly at Brianne, bouncing happily on Sy's knee, thinking of my own pups. “Then when I had my first heat, Fremont forced me to mate with him, and I got pregnant with Sara. When she was born, they took her away before I even got to hold her.”
Tears were streaming down everyone's faces but mine now, I was too numb to cry. Or maybe the story was too familiar? Either way, I just wanted to get it told and get back to cleaning until my pups arrived.
“When I had my next heat, it happened again, and I got pregnant with Dylan. That time, Fremont was out of town, and the doctor that Stanley called in didn't know better than to let me hold him. I got to cuddle him for about an hour before Fremont and Helga arrived to take him.”
“Thankfully, I didn't catch on m
y next couple of heats before we were rescued. Maybe I'm broken now? I don't know or care. I have my pups, Fremont is dead, and now we will be happy here with a loving pack family. Everything that happened brought me here, and for that, I can't regret the bad parts. Even if I am embarrassed by my choices, I try not to dwell on them. Those choices gave me Sara and Dylan, right?”
“Exactly, honey,” Aunt Cat said lovingly, as she got up and came over to hug me. She was so tiny, that even sitting in my chair, my head was able to rest against her shoulder. “That is exactly the right way to look at your past. The things that happened to you, the choices you made, good or bad, they all led you to where you are today, and gave you those two beautiful little ones that we will soon get to meet.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist while she hugged me against her, finally at peace. It was as if by telling my story one last time, I was finally free of it. My face felt wet, and when I swiped a hand across my cheek, it surprised me to realize that I'd been crying.
I looked over to see Sy blinking his eyes and pressing a kiss to the top of Brianne's little head, while Kai silently passed me a tissue. It was good to have a family again, I thought to myself.
“Now, let's forget about being sad,” Aunt Cat said a few minutes later as she sat back down in her chair. “Would you boys like to hear about a really neat toy that I discovered on one of my market research websites?”
Sy and I looked over at her curiously, while Kai desperately shook his head at us, silently imploring us to say no. What could possibly be scary about a toy? I wondered to myself.
“Now, I personally have never had the need for anything like this, being a beta wolf myself. But I was intrigued when I saw this, and couldn't help but think of you poor unmated omega boys when I saw this one.” She cheerfully took a sip of tea, while digging her phone out of her pocket. “Hold on, let me see if I can find the link, and you can just see it for yourselves! If not, I have it on my laptop upstairs in my office.”
