Epilogue

Oliver

"Lois, Liam, and Les," I say each of their names as I kiss the three newborns on the forehead. They're all tucked soundly into their baskets, fast asleep, and waiting to be carried home. The hospital where they were born is the same one I was born in. They were delivered by the same doctor that delivered me too. It's the quintessential "small town" sort of place.

The doctors there are friendly to shifters, and we've had a long-standing relationship with this particular doctor. I knew if anyone was going to ensure my children had the best possible start to their lives, it was him.

And now I can't stop smiling as I watch my alphas carry the baby baskets out into brisk morning air. They arrived as soon as possible this morning, beaming from ear to ear, excitedly talking about how much they wanted to get pups and me back home where we belonged.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Lucas frowns as the five of us prepare for the walk home. "We could've just brought a car. I'm sure if we call your mom, she'd come give you and the pups a ride at the very least."

"Stop!" I laugh and shake my head. "It's tradition," I remind him. "It's a reminder of our past history. The newborn pups are carried back to the farm by their parents. An homage to a time when things weren't as convenient as they are now. We're wolves. Walking a few miles to the safety of home isn't difficult for us. We're built of sturdier stuff than that."

Sebastian laughs and smiles down at the basket in his arms. "They barely weigh anything at all," he says as we start for home. "They're just so tiny and perfect, it's hard to believe they're finally here."

"I've been in disbelief ever since we first laid eyes on them," Roman agrees. "I've been excited ever since we learned you were pregnant, Oliver, but it was just…this idea, I guess. It was a concept, something that would happen eventually, but now it's real. Now they're here. Now you're a dad."

"And you four are all papas," I remind him. "They're just as much each of yours as they are mine. I mean, look at them. I can see features of each of you in their little faces."

The four alphas around me are beaming with joy. They're like pups themselves as they fawn over the tiny bundles on our long walk back home.

"Oh, wait," Lucas says as we reach the stairs to the second floor of the barn. "You should close your eyes. We have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" I raise a brow at him and then glance at the others. They're all avoiding my gaze so as not to give themselves away.

"Fine, lead away." I chuckle, closing my eyes and letting Lucas take my hands. He leads me up the stairs, and I hear the sounds of the other three falling into step behind us.

He guides me down the hallway and opens a door before releasing me and whispering, "Surprise," in my ear.

I can't stop grinning.

I knew they were planning to finish setting up the furniture, but I hadn't expected this. The nursery is painted, the cribs are built, the closet is full of diapers and clothing, and the dresser drawers are all filled with the cute outfits and baby blankets that were given to us at the baby shower.

"It's perfect," I gasp as I look around the room at the carefully arranged items on all the shelves. "It's absolutely perfect."

"Do you think we should move the changing table to the other side of the room?" Lucas asks as he stares critically at the layout of the furniture.

"It's fine where it is, hun," I tell him as I pat his arm. "Now come help us put the pups to bed."

"Okay, okay." He nods and joins me near the door where Roman is slowly lifting a tiny bundle from the basket they'd been nestled in as we carried them home.

"I was surprised by how quiet they were the entire way home," Theo says as Roman settles one of the babies into his arms. "All three of them were sleeping like angels the entire time."

"They know they're safe," I say with a soft smile, kissing the tiny forehead before Theo carries her off to her bed. "They're with their pack. Their daddy and their papas are all here to watch over them while they grow."

"How are you feeling, Oliver?" Roman asks, his voice low, as we watch the others carrying our children off to their beds.

"Good." I smile, leaning against his arm and nuzzling him affectionately. The hospital stay was a bit longer than we'd thought it would be. Carrying and delivering three pups was taxing, and the doctors wanted to keep the four of us close for a few days to make sure we all recovered well.

"I wasn't expecting you guys to go and paint the whole damn nursery while I was away, though." I smile softly as I look around the room at the beautiful yellow walls. "It's gorgeous."

"It was Lucas's idea," Sebastian says, as he looks up from where he just tucked our youngest child in. "He said he thought you'd like it."

"I do." I nod enthusiastically and smile warmly at Lucas. "Thank you, all of you, for everything you've done."

"Anything for you, Ollie." Roman kisses my forehead and wraps his arm around my shoulders. "Anything at all."

Together, we finish tucking the three newborns into their beds and set up the baby monitor so we can keep an eye on things from the other room while they're sleeping. On silent feet, we creep out into the living room, careful not to disturb the pups as we leave.

"So, what's next on the list?" Theo asks as he sits down beside me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, scooting over to make room for him on the sofa.

"Well, you've conquered a rival pack, taken over leadership from your father, found four exceptionally amazing mates, and secured the next generation," Theo counts off on his fingers as he speaks, "so what's next on the agenda for the powerful pack leader."

"Whatever it is, we'll follow," Roman adds. "Just give us an order and we'll make it happen."

"We're yours, now and forever," Sebastian promises.

"Just remember that," Lucas reminds me.

I can't help but laugh lightly as the four of them sit around me, staring at me with anticipation, eagerly awaiting my next instruction. When I left home originally, I never would've dreamed any of this was possible. I was certain I'd still be on my own by this point, never finding anywhere to put down roots and call home.

Now that I'm here, now that I've secured a safe and hopeful future for my family, I realize that I'd never taken the time to dream beyond that point.

"I honestly don't know," I admit. "I don't know what more we could need."

"That's fine," Theo says as he drapes his arm around my shoulders. "We've got time. No rush."

"Yeah, you can figure it out later," Roman agrees.

"Even if all you decide is that you like things exactly the way they are," Lucas says with a nod. "We'll be right behind you the entire way."

"And above you, and below you," Theo teases.

"And in front of you, and beside you," Roman adds.

"And inside of you…" Sebastian licks his lips and looks at me with desire.

"You four are ridiculous." I laugh. "We literally just brought our pups home and you're already after more?"

"I don't think it's possible for us to ever get enough of you," Theo says as he nuzzles my cheek. "After all, we love you more than life itself."

"And even though we can't guarantee the future, we're going to do everything in our power to make sure we're together for the rest of time," Roman adds.

"Because you deserve nothing less," Lucas assures me.

"And you deserve everything," Sebastian concludes.

"I love you, each of you," I say as tears of joy form in my eyes. "I feel like I need a bigger word than 'love' to express myself. You're amazing, and whatever the future brings, as long as we're all together, I know we'll be able to figure anything out. Nothing can stop us now that we're a family."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Theo says after a moment. "This is just an idea to consider. Definitely isn't a necessity at all. But I was thinking, perhaps, we might want to see about repairing that old swing set on the far side of the garden. It looks a bit dilapidated, and I think if we restored it the pups would quite like it."

"And it'd be nice to have for those playdates you'd been planning to set up with Rodrick's pups," Lucas adds. "Actually, having somewhere for them to play that's out of the way would be fantastic."

"You know it's still going to be a while before they're even walking, let alone running around and using a swing set, right?" I chuckle at the enthusiasm shining in their eyes.

"We know that," Lucas says, looking a little bashful as he speaks. "But it's good to have an idea of what we should be working on, right?"

"No, you're right," I agree. "The swing set is a good idea. We can probably get that fixed up pretty easily."

"I think one of the biggest things we need to do," Roman muses as he drops into one of the big, overstuffed chairs, "is figure out how much living space we have. How much food we have stored and are capable of storing. And actually start working toward getting all of that restocked and built back up. I don't want to take any chances of being caught unprepared if there's a lean year or two."

"And the living space would be nice to get sorted out so that the rest of the pack can start to spread out a little more," Theo adds. "I know there are at least a few families where the children are old enough to start looking for a mate, but they haven't been because there aren't many viable options currently on the property. At least, not for a young couple that's looking to have pups in the next season or two."

"These are great ideas." I nod enthusiastically. "This is the kind of stuff I need you guys to help me with. I can't keep track of everything on my own. But if you give me a list to work from, we can start to get more things done. You guys are the only reason I feel any confidence at all about leading this pack."

"The only reason we're able to support you this well is because you're a capable leader," Roman says with a soft smile. "The pack wants to follow you. We're just here to help make your job easier."

"Okay, what else do you guys think we need to focus on?"

We spend the rest of the afternoon discussing the future of the pack. At some point someone breaks out a notebook and we begin jotting down an action plan. Despite the exhaustion of giving birth and returning home again, I feel more energized by the discussion. My alphas know me well. They know I need a plan. They know I need to have a clear goal in order to be most effective.

By the time the pups wake up and need dinner, we've already planned out the next six months of projects that need to be done around the farm. I'm happy, practically buzzing with excitement, as my alphas help me care for our children.

There's nothing more in the world that I could want now. I'm certain of that. I have my alphas, I have my pups, I have my home.