28. Mated Life

Mated Life

Larken

F our babies was a challenge I was ready to meet head on with my mate by my side. Not that I would turn down help, though. We were going to be outnumbered by our kids. I'd promised him help, so I asked for it.

There was talk of Deke or even Chase helping out, but Chase's place was with his twin, and he, like Deke, had too important of a job to be doing it perpetually exhausted.

Roan was the one who settled it for us when he was over one day.

Dalton was two months into his pregnancy, and looked so beautiful. Naturally, since he was carrying four babies in there, he was already pretty big. His sickness had been short-lived, and no one was more grateful for that than me. I hated seeing Dalton suffer. He still got tired easily, but I ensured as best I could, that he was eating and drinking enough. Even if it meant he was back and forth to the bathroom all the time.

Our house in the omega section was already too small. I knew it would be from the outset. We thought it would be fine for us and a baby, as in a singular one, with our pets, there was no way all the stuff we'd need for four would fit. Plus, we would need another adult to help out during the nights. We absolutely had to have a nanny. They would need their own bedroom, preferably their own bathroom, too. The nursery would have to be pretty big, as well. There was so much to factor in!

With no family of my own, and none in Dalton's responsible enough, we were at a loss over who we would get to help us. When I'd started helping Hiroshi, it was as his guard. Kade didn't take on a nanny for a couple of months after. It wasn't a situation we wanted to be in. For us, this nanny would be there to help overnight from birth pretty much. We knew Dalton wouldn't be chest feeding. He'd already had a breakdown about being a terrible papa over it.

"Do you think I'm a terrible papa?" Kade had asked when he overheard. "Isn't fed best?" He arched his brows in challenge. "Four babies is a lot. The most any omega has had in the history of the pack. Their wellbeing comes first. "

Blake had grinned while Dalton spluttered to answer.

"It's not that at all!"

"Well, what is it then?" I could tell Kade was teasing. If Dalton wasn't so panicked over causing offense, then he probably would have seen it too.

My mate gathered his thoughts quickly. His mind as sharp as ever.

"I think… because I've wanted to be an omega, to be a papa for so long, I felt like I had to do everything perfectly, which I thought meant feeding them myself. You're right, though. Fed is best. Not having a papa drowning in exhaustion is best."

He gave a wry grin. "I'm sure there are parents who can feed four babies themselves. I'm not one of them. I want to be able to let Larken or whoever I have helping me do that too. I just want them to be healthy and happy."

"They can only do that if you're happy too," Kade pointed out.

"You should ask Ingal if he wants to be your nanny," Roan suggested out of the blue.

The Alpha, his mate, and Roan had all come to visit our new house to inspect it. It was pretty much next door to Roan's house, which should have been weird, especially since Axel's was in front of us. Those feelings Dalton and I had for other people were long gone. They were the stepping stones to us finding real friendship and a deep love in each other.

"Hasn't Ingal been trying to form a platonic bond with your family?" I asked.

Part of the reason they had taken the elf on was to help him find his shifter form. The Luna had told the elves they needed only to form soul-bonds with witches, fae, humans, all the other species except the shifters. For her shifters, it was deeper than that. They had to bond and recover their shifter form. Thanks to the queen and Cryabell, Kade's nanny for his triplets, we knew platonic bonds were possible. They had both discovered their owl forms with their deep love for the children in their lives. The queen adored her granddaughter, who was now named as the heir to the elf kingdom instead of Teárlach.

Roan shook his head sadly. "He's unhappy with us. I don't know what it is, he just hasn't settled in. The kids all love him, he just can't bond with them, even though I know he loves them back. There's a barrier there."

"You think he might with ours?" Dalton asked as he rubbed his swollen stomach. "The babies are wriggling." I reached over to feel them too, and was rewarded with a kick.

This time, Roan just shrugged. "There's a better chance if he's there from the start. He's amazing with our kids, I just think it's frustrating him that no matter how much he loves them, the bond isn't growing."

Dalton's gaze caught mine. We didn't need to use the bond to know what our answer would be.

"That'd be great if you're alright with us stealing him from you, and if he wants to come live with us, of course."

We put the conversation aside when Blake asked about the security features, and when the rest of our furniture would arrive.

Trey had told us we were having two sets of identical twins, so the elves were already making the necessary furniture for the nursery.

"Lark, did you make up our bed?" Knowing how tired Dalton was, I made sure it was the first thing to be delivered.

"Yeah, it's ready for you." I helped him stand. "I'll be back in a minute," I told our guests. "Dalton needs the sleep."

"You don't have to tell me! Chase was saying he's put a sofa in his office so Dalton can stretch out after lunch." Blake spoke of his brother affectionately.

"Axel was right to make him Second as his replacement," Dalton said proudly. "He takes such great care of everyone. "

Upstairs , I urged my mate through the bond. I could feel how tired he was. I'll make sure the kitchen is unpacked while you nap.

My mate was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Despite the rocky start to the pregnancy with the nausea, he was enjoying carrying our babies and had none of the other ill effects.

"I'm so jealous Dalton isn't getting heartburn," Kade remarked.

"Yet. Don't curse him, my mate," Blake teased.

"Anyway, we better get back to the kids. The house looks great. If you need anything, we're just down the street." Kade and Blake rose as one and said their goodbyes.

"Need any help?" Roan looked unsure.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks. We're waiting on a lot of stuff. The dining table, the stuff for the nursery, Dalton's office, even the stuff for Spice and Priscilla. There's only really the kitchenware to unpack."

"Let me guess, Dalton put you in charge of the move?"

"Guilty as charged."

Roan followed me into the kitchen. He took things out of the boxes and I either put them next to the sink to wash or in the dishwasher .

"Are you sleeping here tonight?" Roan asked as we were breaking down the boxes. The kitchen was still pretty bare.

"No. D'you want another coffee?" Roan nodded. I went to the pot and poured him a mug then one for myself before I explained. "Spice will need a few visits to this place first. We have a bed at the old house to sleep on so we'll do a few days of going back and forth."

"How are they dealing with it all?"

"They've been extra close to Dalton. Apparently, this is back to post beta sickness levels. They get stressed if he's away too long, so Dalton's been taking them to work with him. Chase loves them, so it's fine even if he ends up covered in gray fur." We shared a laugh. "I don't like him carrying them to work, so if he wants them, I take them in if I can."

"You can't baby him," Roan chided.

"He's carrying four babies. I'm trying to avoid any problems." I sensed a fight brewing over wrapping my mate in cotton wool, so I changed the subject. "How are things at home? I can't believe how fast the kids are growing!"

"Fine, I'll leave it for now." He sighed but went with the change of subject, telling me stories of Jewel creating terror, Maddox following everywhere she went, and Noah charming every soul he came across. His smile for stories about Kanako was sweet. He loved his babies, biological or not.

Dalton let me know he was awake. I wanted to go to him, but Roan's gentle admonishment over how I was treating my mate rang in my ears.

"I'll go see if Ingal wants to come over and discuss moving in, if you want?" Maybe Roan saw my agitation.

"Sure."

"Lark, is everything okay?" Dalton asked as he exited the bedroom.

"Roan said I was babying you. I guess, since he's my friend, it kind of weighed more heavily on me. Do you think I'm fussing too much?"

"Babe, I'd tell you." He fixed me with a flat look. "What about me makes you think I'd put up with it if I didn't like it? You treat me so well! I love it."

"Promise?" I could feel the insecurity I was sending over the bond.

He got as close as he could, considering the bump. "I swear. If I ever get annoyed, I'll tell you. We communicate in this house, okay?"

"Alright. Want to meet the potential nanny?"

"Yes! I've seen him with the kids, but we've never really spoken."

Roan returned with Ingal by his side. By elf standards, he was small, though still taller than Dalton. Probably just six feet. His body was very lean and his long red hair was tied back. I did notice two braids, suggesting he only did his time in the army and went into service in another way. He could fight, all the elves could, but it wasn't in his nature.

We did the introductions thing and offered Ingal and Roan a drink, which they both declined.

The silence was awkward for a moment before Dalton spotted something to spark a conversation. The man should have been a magpie rather than a raccoon. His little trash panda self loved shiny things, though, and once he spotted Ingal's jewelry, he was off.

"Oh, that's a pretty stone! Is it moonstone?"

Ingal looked surprised, but his eyes lit up as he answered. "Yes! It's our family stone. I made this ring."

"You did? You're so talented!"

The elf blushed. "Thank you."

"So you don't just have an owl, you have a stone as well? That's amazing. What kind of owl do you have?"

The elf looked rather embarrassed. "Our owl is not large, or fierce, or even rare. It is the little owl." He looked uncomfortable. "My family is not prominent. Often I wondered why the queen chose me to come to Sweetwater."

"The queen speaks to the goddess, she must have had a reason." Dalton was careful with the elf, probably sensing a sort of frailty. Dalton didn't realize it, but he was great with people.

"You've been so good with Roan's family, which is why he recommended you to us."

"Do you… do you really want me to be a part of your family? I am not a fighter. I prefer to create art."

"We don't really want a fighter," Dalton said. "The world needs more beauty, more art. So if you'd like to try with us, I would love that. I really want you to make something for me as well, if you'd be willing."

He's so precious. Dalton was smitten with the elf.

Yes, he is. I think we are the change of pace he needs.

"I would love to create a special piece for you." The pink of his cheeks clashed with his deep red hair.

"We would like you to help us with our children," I added my thoughts. "I think it would be best if you move in before the birth if possible so you can be there to help us straight away. At this point, you're more experienced than us with babies, so we'll be learning from you."

That earned me a shy smile from the elf. "I think I would like that." He turned to Roan. "I will visit the babies often, but I feel like my place is here. "

Roan smiled at the elf, though it was tinged with sadness. "We just want you to be happy. This move will be great for you."

We discussed the details. Of course, we remembered there were two other members of our house who needed consulting first. If Spice and Priscilla didn't like Ingal, then it just wouldn't work.

Rather than wait, we took the elf back to our little house with us, where he was instantly enamored with Priscilla. She was no longer my princess. She had found her new favorite with Ingal. Spice, curious as ever, decided he quite liked the elf, too. It was a struggle to get Spice off him so the elf could go home.

"Are you still thinking about what Roan said?" Dalton asked in the dark of our bedroom.

I was almost asleep, so I had to gather my thoughts. "No. I trust you. You'd tell me if I was bugging you." I pulled him closer to me, my hands cradled his bump. "What works in his family doesn't in ours. As long as you are happy, then that's all that matters."

"He did good with suggesting Ingal."

"Yeah, he did. I think having Ingal will help not just us, but him, too."

"Do you think we can help him get his animal form?"

"If we can't, then I hope we get him closer to it."