Freeing My Alpha: Book 2 of My Shy Alpha

Chapter 3

Our bond spikes with such heavy emotion that I suck in a startled breath. Every single pup freezes, following my gaze.

Noah hasn't expressly said he wants to have kids. Whenever we've talked about it, it's been surrounding my desires, not his. It sounds like he generally plans to have them in his lifetime. I just don't know if he feels the same deep, unshakeable desire to raise them, or if it's just a social expectation placed on him. And I don't think I'll feel okay with planning to have a baby until he makes it clear.

His gaze is so powerful that my knees feel weak. Leaves pepper his dark hair thrown to one side, and his clothes strain around his broad shoulders, telling me he's newly shifted into his human form and still bristling with energy from his scouting run.

But those sharp, stoic eyes aren't their usual teal. They're stark yellow; his wolf showing up to greet us.

No one dares to move, awaiting the top Alpha's cue. But he can't seem to move either. Heavy emotion ripples over his brow, his eyes locked on my form like he's craving to absorb the picture I paint. I look down at the little ones at my feet and Sarah in my arms - warm, chubby pups squished against me from every angle. Noah must've seen us interacting this whole time.

Or maybe there's even more to it. Noah mentioned he's bonded deeply with not just me, but every single Greenfield pack member. Does this mean he felt us celebrating our excitement together until his wolf couldn't resist checking for himself? Could he feel these pups' laughter in his heart, sharing it with us too? I love that thought so much that my chest aches, stealing my breath until it becomes uneven bursts.

The youngest pup can't contain herself, throwing her tiny arms in the air with a delighted screech. Noah melts into a grin wide enough to show off his sharp incisors, and the forest fills with screams and laughter as the pups sprint to their Alpha. Well, not just sprint to him; they launch themselves at him, thrusting their bodies into the air with full confidence he'll catch them.

Rainn bursts into a cackle. "There's one... Two... Three, four, five! Six!"

Noah's eyes widen, but his smile turns mischievous. He snatches up every airborne pup until his sturdy arms spill over with too many pups to hold. They crawl across his biceps and shoulders, overtaking him until he crumbles beneath them around nineteen, sputtering into deep belly laughter that even I can rarely rouse from him.

And I'm stuck standing here, cuddling Sarah against my throbbing heart as my brain restarts. I don't think I'll ever be able to process the vision in front of me, more gorgeous than anything I've imagined our lives to become together.

Noah doesn't just like kids, he loves them.

But does he want to dedicate every waking hour to kids as a parent? That's a whole separate question, and it spikes just as deep of worries, forcing me to swallow my excitement.

Rainn finally catches her breath, pulling pup after pup off Noah with rapid precision only for them to run right pack and pounce on the pile. "Alright, enough, enough! You found him already!"

Rainn herds the pups back into the clearing around the deer tracks, but some kids stick by Noah, their hands miniature against his wide palms. They tug on him with all their might, and he chuckles, unmoving as if he's only brushed by a light breeze.

When he meets my eyes, his genuine, erupting smile flips my heart.

"Hi." His soft, deep voice rumbles through my chest, and we're not even touching.

"Hi," I breathe.

His eyes fall to Sarah in my arms, tracking my thumb softly rubbing her as she drifts deeper into sleep. But Noah's gaze on me stirs my scent into a mushy, sweet explosion, begging me to tackle my mate with a hard kiss. Instead, I bite my bottom lip, unsure how else to contain myself. Noah's eyes brighten as he breaks into a wider smile.