I smiled. “Not at all. Don’t worry. Dax and Sage did a good job of protecting me. You and Remington did, too.”

  He embraced me and I melted into his solid, warm body with a sigh. I held him tightly.

  “Thank gods you’re all right,” Hugo murmured, stroking my hair. “I never should have left you alone.”

  “Where did you go?” I asked. “I woke up and you weren’t here, and then Klimt showed up…”

  Hugo growled, sounding irritated at himself. “I’m sorry. There was something I’d forgotten, and I went to deal with it.”

  I frowned. “What was so important that you had to go in the middle of the night?”

  Remington disappeared and returned, shifted, with a fabric pouch in his hand. He handed it to Hugo.

  “This,” Hugo murmured.

  He opened the fabric to reveal a stack of what I knew were books. My eyes widened.

  “Oh, Hugo… You did all this for me?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner. I was so caught up in enjoying our new territory it slipped my mind.”

  Even though tears sprang to my eyes, I laughed and buried my face in his chest. I couldn’t believe how much he’d gone out of his way for me. “You dumb wolf. It wasn’t that urgent.”

  “Making you happy is my top priority, so yes, it was urgent.”

  I groaned lightheartedly. He was ridiculous sometimes.

  “Thank you,” I murmured. “You have no idea how happy this makes me, Hugo. How happy you make me.”

  He blushed.

  Oblivious to our tender moment, Red called out, “I’m gonna go make sure that guy’s really off the territory! Right, everyone?”

  Remington raised a brow. “Is he trying to pretend like he’s one of the pack?” he mumbled to Dax.

  Dax shrugged. “If he is, someone better give him the memo that he’s not…”

  But Red had already run off to slam the proverbial door on Klimt’s ass on the way out. Even though he was a weird little individual who had apparently followed us all the way from my old warren, I appreciated his enthusiasm.

  “Dax, Sage,” Hugo said, turning to his brothers. “Are you two okay?”

  “Never better!” Sage replied with a proud puff of his chest. “Did you see how cool I was?”

  “He was very cool,” Dax agreed, grinning. “He protected Len the entire time.”

  Hugo ruffled his younger brother’s hair and gave Dax a quick hug.

  “Thanks, you two,” Hugo said.

  Dax clapped Hugo on the back. “That’s what family is for.”

  I noticed Remington standing a few feet away from me and I gestured for him to come closer. I hugged him too so he wouldn’t feel left out, and also because I wanted to express my gratitude to him.

  “What was that for?” Remington mumbled, blushing.

  “I know you went with Hugo to find those books,” I said. “You had something to do with them, didn’t you?”

  He nodded. “Er, yeah. They were mine when I was a kid. I hope you like ‘em as much as I did.”

  “Thank you, Rem.”

  He blinked his wide yellow eyes. “Y-you’re welcome.”

  “Hey, you!” Sage called to Remington. “Both of you, get over here. It’s time for another group hug.”

  Dax groaned. “Not again…”

  “Yes, again,” Sage insisted. “Remmy wasn’t included last time. Besides, this is a commemorative occasion! Our very first territory dispute, and we won!”

  Hugo chuckled. “I don’t think… You know what, nevermind.”

  He gave up and joined the group hug, pulling me in as well. Remington paused for only a moment before he allowed himself to get sucked into it.

  22

  Hugo

  “The… cat is… Er, what’s that word?” Len asked, pointing down at the page. He had the book balanced on his belly as we lay on the grass and read together. I was surprised at Len’s progress after only two weeks of learning.

  I squinted at the word disdainfully, annoyed that it had stumped my mate. “Turquoise.”

  “What?” Len laughed. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “You’re right.” I picked up the book as if it was offensive. “Hey, Rem. What kind of book is this? Teaching people about turquoise cats?”

  Remington sat downhill in front of Sage, who was attempting to braid the longer sections of his black hair.

  “It’s fiction,” Remington replied. “You know? Like, not real?”

  “Well, cats are not turquoise,” I grumbled.

  Len laughed. “It’s okay. Let’s keep reading. The cat is turquoise and the dog is… Huh?”

  I leaned over to see what horrible word had tripped up Len this time. “Mahogany?” I snarled. “Okay, this book is stupid. Let’s read a different one.”

  “Hey, it’s not a stupid book!” Remington argued. “I liked it a lot when I was young.”

  “Whatever happened to normal colors like red and blue?” I growled.

  Sage grinned as he wove a dandelion into Remington’s braid. “I don’t think those are normal colors that cats and dogs come in either.”

  I grunted. “You know what I mean.”

  “No, I like this one. I want to keep reading it and see what other weird colors there—oh.”

  I turned to Len, who had suddenly stopped. “What’s wrong?”

  The book slipped off his belly and he ran his hands over it with a confused frown. “Er, I think I might be going into labor?”

  “What?” I blurted out, leaping to my feet. “Oh gods, what should I do?”

  Len chuckled, looking way more relaxed than I expected an omega in labor to look like. “You don’t have to do anything. I’m going to give birth as a hare so it’s easier on my body. That way only a couple peanuts will be coming out of me instead of a watermelon.”

  I was panicking already but forced myself to remain calm for Len’s sake, even though he was clearly more relaxed about this than I was. “Dax!”

  My older brother hurried towards us. “What’s wrong?”

  “Len’s going to give birth,” I told him.

  “Is that all?” Dax sighed. “I thought something was on fire.”

  “Okay, why am I the only one freaking out about this?” I asked in exasperation.

  Len grinned and touched my arm. “Because you’re going to be a father, my love. It’s okay to freak out. Come, help carry me to the birthing den.”

  I nodded seriously. Len shut his eyes and let the shift take over him. It was a longer process now, nearly half a minute, but when he was done he was a very tired yet excited looking hare. I scooped him up carefully in my arms and carried him to a little earthen alcove we’d discovered a few weeks ago. Some other animal had used it as a den in the past and now it was passed on to us.

  Len curled up inside, where there was already heaps of dried grass and wolf fur to make him comfortable. I kneeled in the cramped den with a frown of concern.

  “Are you okay? Does it hurt?” I asked.

  “Sort of. It’s better like this.” He pressed his velvety soft nose to my knee. “Don’t worry so much, Hugo. Hares have been giving birth for ages. Hell, if there’s one thing we’re great at, it’s this.”

  His joke made me smile. “All right. Just let me know if you need anything.”

  His whiskers twitched. “Can you… keep reading that weird book to me?”

  “Of course.” I quickly retrieved the book and began reading as Len laid his head down and breathed through the contractions. “The cat is turquoise. The dog is mahogany. The bird is chartreuse. The snake is…”

  By the time it was over, I was immensely grateful that Len chose to give birth as a hare. It was quick and painless—well, as painless as giving birth could be, which was something I would never truly understand as an alpha. But Len didn’t complain.

  As soon as he laid eyes on his babies, he was head-over-heels smitten and could think of nothing else but his love for them.

  “Hugo,” Len called softly from inside the den. “Come in and meet them.”

  His voice was thick with affection and it made my heart clench in anticipation. The whole pack waited outside the den with me the closest to the entrance, and with Len’s invitation, I gingerly entered the den.

  Inside Len had shifted back to human form and was holding two small bundles in his arms—one smaller than the other. They had instinctively shifted along with their parent, becoming soft-skinned little babies. They had little mops of hair on their heads and their hands were curled up into tiny fists. My heart was full to bursting.

  “Two beautiful babies,” Len said softly. “A boy and a girl.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes as I approached. Len handed me one, who I held gingerly.

  “That’s the girl,” Len told me with a smile. “She’s a wolf.”

  I gasped. “She is?”

  Len nodded. I saw the fatigue in his eyes but also the pure, ethereal joy. He chuckled. “I ended up having to shift before I gave birth because this little girl was too big,” he said with a laugh. “And her brother was just tiny.”

  I gazed at the baby Len was holding. “He’s a hare?”

  “Yup.” He smiled. “One of each.”

  I couldn’t stop grinning as I observed my babies. They were the most gorgeous things I’d ever laid eyes on. I was filled with pride and joy.

  “You did amazing,” I praised Len as I kissed his forehead. “You’re a natural. I was worrying for nothing.”

  “You were,” he agreed with a laugh.

  “Names,” I said suddenly. “We never thought of names.”

  He poked his tongue out sheepishly. “I guess my short gestation didn’t leave us much time for that, huh? Why don’t you pick a name and I’ll choose the other?”

  “A boy and a girl,” I murmured. “A hare and a wolf…”

  “Fraternal twins, on top of that! How much more special could they be?”

  I thought about it for a moment but I didn’t have to wait long until something popped into my head. “I have an idea for a pair of names, if you want to hear them.”

  Len nodded eagerly.

  “What about… Lupa and Leveret?” I suggested. “Lupa for our daughter, and Leveret for our son.”

  Len’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Those are beautiful. Oh, I love them, Hugo. They’re the perfect names for our perfect twins.”

  I leaned in to press a chaste kiss on his lips. The twins began to fuss, wanting their daddy. I gasped as Leveret opened his eyes. They were bright blue, like the eyes of a newborn wolf cub. I wondered if Lupa had inherited any hare traits from Len, too.

  “They’re open!” I cried.

  Len laughed in surprised shock. “I guess he really is a hare after all. He might grow up faster than we expect. It’s a good thing we’ll have a lot of babysitters. Speaking of, can you invite the rest of the pack in? I want them to meet our babies.”

  “Of course.”

  Quietly and carefully, Dax, Sage and Remington entered the den. Their faces were full of awe and love.

  “Everyone, meet our daughter, Lupa, and our son, Leveret,” I announced.

  One by one, everyone got to meet our twins. Sage gushed over them in the way only Sage could, with lots of baby noises and kissing; Remington was more shy, gently stroking their heads and smelling their sweet scents; I even caught Dax tearing up a little.

  “Getting the baby urge, too, Dax?” I teased him.

  “Shut up, little brother,” he growled at me, but his face was too soft from gazing at the babies to look mean at all.

  I grinned. “I’m just saying…”

  “They’re sooo cute,” Sage cried, his eyes big as a pup’s. I knew he would be a perfect playmate for the twins as soon as they grew up a little. “I wanna squeeze their little cheeks.”

  “They really are adorable,” Remington murmured. “Almost makes me want some…”

  Len chuckled and handed Leveret to him. Remington’s eyes widened in wonder. He pressed the little boy to his chest and instinctively held his head up so he wouldn’t fall.

  “See? You’re a natural,” Len said, winking.

  Remington smiled brightly. I had to admit, he looked very sweet holding our son. I couldn’t believe that a month ago I didn’t even know him, and now I considered Remington part of our family.

  It was around the same length of time that I’d met Len, my fated mate. I cast a glance at him as he took Leveret back from Rem and cooed at him. I smiled as joy swelled in my chest. Len was perfect in every single way, and so were our babies. Each day with them was a blessing, and I couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store for us.

  * * *

  Epilogue: Len

  * * *

  “The snake is… amaranth?”

  I glanced at Hugo to double check and he sighed. “Yes. Amaranth. I really think you should read the kids a different book, honey.”

  “Nonsense,” I said. “This one’s just fine. I learned how to read with it, didn’t I?”

  Hugo huffed. “I still think ‘mahogany’ and ‘chartreuse’ are not words for people just learning how to read.”

  “Well, I managed, didn’t I?”

  Hugo smirked. “That’s because you’re my fated mate, so that makes you special.”

  He held Leveret in his arms while Lupa snuggled in my lap. They were both growing fast in the three months since their birth. Dax suggested it was because their half-hare nature that caused them to mature quickly. At three months old, they were already the equivalent of one-year-old humans.

  I cleared my throat and returned to reading the book. “Anyways, as I was saying. The snake is amaranth, and—”

  “Amaramp,” Leveret said.

  Hugo and I gasped at each other.

  “Wow, that one was pretty close!” he exclaimed.

  “I don’t even know what that word means. Our baby is a genius.”

  “It’s a kind of pink flower,” I told him with a chuckle. “Honestly, it’s easier just to say pink. Can you say it again, Lev? Can you say amaranth for daddy?”

  “Amamp,” he said.

  Hugo lifted Leveret in the air and tickled their noses together, which made Lev giggle. “Close enough.”

  Meanwhile, Lupa was slapping a wolf’s paw against the page, urging me to keep reading. She was quieter than her brother but a voracious reader. Or listener, since she couldn’t actually read yet. She loved story time more than anything. She was also a very fluid shifter, changing forms dozens of times a day, while Leveret was content to stay in one form or the other. Lupa was in human form now but had a wolf’s paw. Many shifter children struggled to keep their shape properly but I had a feeling she did it on purpose just to be silly. She always ran around on all fours in human shape with a tail sticking out behind her, cackling the whole time.

  “What’s that word, Lupa?” I asked her.

  “Woof,” she said.

  “That’s right, wolf. Just like you.”

  She giggled happily and batted the page again. “Book, daddy.”

  I knew she wanted me to read more. I turned the page and began to read out loud. “The wolf is periwinkle…”

  “Amarap,” Leveret said.

  “No, Lev,” Hugo said gently. “Amaranth is pink. Periwinkle is… uh. Blue? Violet? Somewhere in between. I think.” He sighed. “This book is really something else. Doesn’t Remington have better books?”

  “The kids like this one the best,” I told him with a grin. “Just like me.”

  Hugo raised an eyebrow before melting into a laugh. “That’s because they’re silly, just like their daddy.”

  He leaned in to kiss my cheek. Leveret copied the gesture and planted a kiss to Lupa’s cheek. She responded by gently bowling him over with her paw. Leveret giggled as he rolled out of Hugo’s lap and into the grass.

  Watching them play made my heart swell. I leaned happily against Hugo.

  “I love you so much,” I murmured. “I’m so happy you found me.”

  “Me too,” he replied, his lips soft against my forehead. “My fated mate.”

  I smiled. “If you’d told me a wolf and a hare were fated, I never would have believed you… And look at us now.”

  Our tender moment was interrupted as Sage yelped at the bottom of the hill. He’d been laying there in wolf form and the twins had latched on to his tail—Leveret with his little hands and Lupa with her little teeth.

  I shot Hugo an exasperated look and laughed. “Time to go save our babysitter.”

  “Race you down the hill,” Hugo said with a wink. “Last one there has to change the next diaper.”

  “Ha! You’re on, wolf.”

  We ran like the wind and saved Sage from the twins, but in the end, it didn’t matter which one of us lost the race—because whatever we did, including diaper changes, we did together. Forever.

  * * *

  THE END

  Also by Hawke Oakley

  Dragons of Cinderhollow Series

  The Hybrid Alpha’s Baby (Dragons of Cinderhollow Book 1)

  The Panther’s Pretend Mate (Dragons of Cinderhollow Book 2)

  The Dragon’s Doorstep Baby (Dragons of Cinderhollow Book 3)

  The Mage’s Second Chance (Dragons of Cinderhollow Book 4)

  Dragons of Cinderhollow Bundle

  Omega For All Series

  His Alphas (Omega For All Book 1)

  His Fated Mates (Omega For All Book 2)

  His Wolves (Omega For All Book 3)

  Omega For All: The Complete Series (Paperback)

  Omega Angel Café Series

  Scent (Omega Angel Café Book 1)

  Touch (Omega Angel Café Book 2)

  Taste (Omega Angel Café Book 3)

  Tenebrae Brothers Series

  Alpha Vampire’s Heir (Tenebrae Brothers Book 1)

  Omega’s Vampire Bodyguard (Tenebrae Brothers Book 2)

  Vampire’s Forbidden Omega (Tenebrae Brothers Book 3)