Page 77 of Alpha's Claim
“Thank you all so much.” I pull each of them into a hug. They have to bend down to reach me, but they might as well get used to doing it. I’m not going to grow any taller, and I have a feeling we’ll be hugging a lot.
We’re family now.
“She looks good. Who brushed her?”
The triplets all point at Axel.
“She doesn’t mind me so much,” he says and proves it by taking her halter and running his hands down her mane. “I cleaned out my other garage to make a stable for her.”
“We can build a stable here,” Darius offers.
“Does that mean…” Bern says, and Canyon finishes his sentence, “are you staying?”
I raise my brows at Darius.
“Up to you.” He reaches for my hand. “If you’re willing, I’m ready to come home.”
I smile. “I’m willing. I’m more than willing. This place felt like home to me the moment I got here.”
“Whooohooo,” Hutch whoops, and when Starlight steps nervously, we all shush him.
“Yay,” the other two triplets whisper. One of them uses the smallest possible motion to pump his fist in the air.
We walk up to Lana and Teddy’s incredible Architecture Digest-worthy cabin, complete with an entire wall of windows that looks out into the woods.
Wren comes to the porch to give me another strangle-hug. “Pancake-time!”
She looks fresh and happy and alive–so different from the way she looked at Thom’s or at boarding school. It’s like something in her woke up when Thom died. Or maybe it was when she got here. It’s hard to believe she’s so comfortable when she just spent the last couple of days and nights with complete strangers.
“Sorry I slept so long. Have you been okay up here?” The big sister in me still needs to tend to her, even though she’s clearly thriving.
“We love having her!” Lana arrives from the kitchen and gives me a welcoming hug.
“Yes, I love it here,” Wren says. “I think we should stay.”
I laugh and glance up at Darius, who continues to flank me, taking his job as my guardian bear-mate all too seriously. “That’s exactly what we were thinking.”
“Oh good!” She bounces on her feet. “Because I already told them you couldn’t live here without Starlight, and they went and got her.”
“You were responsible for that?” My face feels like it might split in two from smiling so big. It’s almost hard to hold this much happiness.
To feel everything could be so perfect.
“Yep.” Wren’s gaze wanders to the door, like she’s looking for one or all of the triplets.
At that moment, the door bangs open and Canyon, Bern, Hutch and Axel all spill in.
“Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes!” All three triplets chant. Even in Lana and Teddy’s giant house, their presence fills the space.
“Settle down,” Matthias commands. He’s sittingon the couch, reading a book. He doesn’t even have to look up, and the triplets calm.
I notice Wren has an extra spark of energy when she sashays to the kitchen. “They’re ready–come and sit down!”
Teddy emerges from the kitchen with a platter of pancakes heaped higher than his head. The triplets break into cheers.
Darius and I follow them to the giant dining room and take a seat. A moment later, a shadow falls over me. In the window looms a huge light brown bear.
Everest.