Chapter 52
Zander
"I want to be a warrior when I grow up, Alpha Blackwood."
Glancing down at the pint-size pup pretending to wield a sword made me smile. "You do. What does your mother think about that?"
He put his imaginary sword back into his holder. "She says I need to eat the good stuff and stop sneaking candy, or I won't have muscles like yours. I think it's bologna, but don't tell her that."
I chuckled, while hauling the last of the lumber into a pile by the foundation next to the pack house. With the pack growing the way it was, we needed the extra space for female wolves carrying pups.
"I won't tell if you go grab me three of those cookies I smell cooking in the kitchen."
He glanced at the backdoor. "I'll be back in a flash," he said, taking off toward the stairs.
It was a relief to get a second to myself from that chatterbox. Though, I didn't mind. His dad died a few years back in a fight with a few rogue wolves he encountered. It"d been hard on him, and filling that void in his life was an honor. I"d hate for him to grow up without one.
Swiping the sweat from my forehead, I pulled my phone from my jeans and stared down at a text from Piper. She'd been with the female wolves all morning, welcoming a new pup into our pack.
She'd spent the last three years training to be a midwife. Turns out she found her calling and it wasn't in the city. It was helping expecting mothers deliver their babies.
Come see me in our spot.
I was smiling like an idiot when Seth, the little pup, stopped in front of me. "Are you texting Luna Piper? Because your smile is goofy—actually, it's kind of creepy."
I took the cookies from his outstretched palm and handed him one. "You're very observant, aren't you buddy?"
He nodded, his shaggy blond hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. "Is it true that you used to turn into a beast?"
I stalled at his question. Staring down at his big brown eyes, full of questions and wonder, I laughed. "Where did you hear that?"
He shrugged and glanced around nervously as if he'd get called a snitch for telling. "Around. Some of the other pups told me that story. I said it was a lie to try and scare me because I haven't got my wolf yet." He puffed out his chest. "But I'm not scared of no beast."
I chuckled while tossing the remains of the cookie into my mouth. "Well, I hate to tell you this, but it's true. I was cursed by a lady because I did something bad, and Luna Piper came and saved me."
He gave me a sheepish look. "You did something bad? I don"t believe it because you"re the alpha. And Luna Piper is a human. How did she save you? You"re a wolf."
"Not all alphas are good, Seth. You remember that, okay? Luna Piper saved me by loving me."
He stuck his finger into his mouth. "Yuck. That wasn't a scary story. I liked theirs better. It had scary eyes, and blood and stuff."
"Seth!" his mother yelled from the back porch. "Come wash your hands, you have homework to do."
"No—," he whined.
"Hey, you listen to your mother. She loves you."
He pouted but walked toward the back porch with his arms folded. She waved my way. "The guys are almost finished eating. They'll be back out to help you."
"I have some errands to run, but tell them to start without me."
She gave me a thumb's up, and ushered her son into the house, shutting the door behind him. I stripped out of my shirt and started toward the trail that would lead me to Piper.
The last three years had been a whirlwind of ups and downs. Piper adjusting to pack life had been easier than she thought, but the struggle of dealing with alpha problems I hadn't dealt with in decades had taken time.
Priscilla took that from me. Those years I would have used bringing up my pack. Instead, I'd recoiled into myself for so long that the responsibilities were overwhelming at first.
With William and Piper's help, I'd pulled through, and built a strong foundation for us.
Piper's scent caught in the wind, and my wolf stirred inside of me. It was the best smell in the world. Nothing compared to the scent of your forever. I stepped onto the porch of our house, opened the door, and walked inside.
Piper's scent mixed with lavender circled the room. "I smell you, Little One. Where are you?"
Her giggle warmed my stomach. I followed the sound, finding her sitting in our bedroom holding a newborn swaddled in her arms. I halted in the doorway. The joy in her eyes melted my heart.
The baby squirmed, and she bounced her a little in her arms. "Beautiful," I whispered.
Piper glanced up, her hazel eyes smiling. She looked as if she'd been plucked from my wildest dreams. Strands of her hair fell from the pile on top of her head, and her chest was flushed from moving around all morning. "I know, she's beautiful, isn't she?"
I stepped closer into the room. "I was talking about you, Little One. You're beautiful."
She glanced down at her worn overalls and tank top. "I look like I've been helping deliver a baby. I think you're wrong about wolves having perfect eyesight. You need some glasses, Big Daddy."
I leaned against the post of our bed and glanced around for any sign of the mother. "Did you steal her baby?"
"No," she cooed. "I'm letting her rest. She's exhausted. Her delivery was so long, and she'd tired. I'm going to wake her when it's time to nurse. She"s sleeping in her room."
Reaching down, I tipped Piper"s head upward and stared down at her eyes. "I'm so glad I have you."
Piper smiled. "Ditto, Alpha."
I pressed my mouth against hers, and she pulled back. "Have you been eating cookies? You taste like some chocolatey goodness."
I opened my hand and showed her the other one. "You do love me," she said, taking a big bite. "This is so good. I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything since last night."
I eyed the bassinet to her side. "Put that baby down, and I'll whip you up something to eat."
She stood up and lowered the baby into the bassinet, while I pulled out leftovers and heated them. She stopped by the counter and swiped the hair from her face.
She crossed her bare feet and leaned her elbow against the table. When she caught me staring, she glared at me. "What's up with the googly eyes today, Zander? It hasn"t been too long. If my memory serves me correctly, you had me pinned to the shower wall yesterday morning."
I shrugged and rubbed at the back of my neck. "Nothing. I can't stare at my mate?"
"You can do whatever you want to me," she winked. "You seem different today."
I grabbed her food, and slid it across the counter. She snagged a fork and took a bite. "Oh, that's even better the next day."
After several bites, she glanced up again. "Seriously, Zander, what is going on?"
Running my fingers into my hair, I chuckled nervously. "I love seeing you with those babies."
She laughed. "Well, I've only been doing it for two years. You're just now enjoying it?" She took another bite.
"I want to put my seed in you."
Piper choked on her food and laughed. "Your seed? You mean you want to have a baby with me?"
I walked over, and waited until she looked up at me. "I want to see your belly big with our baby. I want to see you love and care for another part of me. If ... you want. You know I'd never force anything on you—,"
"Zander," she whispered, standing on her tip-toes. "Okay," she whispered against my mouth.
I pulled back. "Okay? As in, yes? As in you want to have a baby with me?"
"No, I want to have it with the mailman—,"
Snaking my arms around her, I picked her up to my chest and crushed my mouth against hers. Tears streaked down my cheeks, and when I put her down on the kitchen counter, she caught my jaw. "Zander," she whispered. "Are you okay? Are you sure you're not pregnant?"
I laughed and rested my forehead against hers. "I'm happy, Little One."
She nodded. "Life will never be the same once we have a baby. You know that. Are you sure you're ready?"
"I'm ready for anything as long as you're here."
Piper touched my bottom lip and gave me a sexy look before leaning back onto the kitchen counter. "Lock the door, Alpha. You know how babies are made."
Slowly, I walked over to the door and turned the lock. My wolf stirred and ran circles at the thought of having pups to raise. Piper bit her lower lip, and began taking off her overalls, but I couldn't wait, I ripped them down the middle and she gasped.
"I liked those," she hissed.
"I'll buy you more," I whispered, climbing on top of the counter, I kissed her mouth, and then her jaw. "I'll buy you anything you want. Anything that will make you happy, Sweet Girl."
She ran her fingers along my deltoids, and down my biceps. "I just want you," she said.
I raised up. "And I you, Little One."