Mates of a Human

Epilogue. Part Three. Alex

We pulled up outside the pack house just as the sun peered above the tree line, ready for breakfast. 

As the pack territory was more secure and private than my parents place, we hoped to be able to relax for a while before returning to reality and news reporters. Michael was currently on 'compassionate leave' after the hospital kept having to field journalists. But he planned to leave that hospital sooner or later and was enjoying spending the extra time with his children and me. Eric had returned back to work a couple of days after the babies were born as we were stuck in hospital anyway. He claimed yesterday evening, that this was the start of his one month's paternity leave and apparently had left Sylvie a post-it note about it. I expected a harsh phone call from her any minute now.

As I got out of the minivan to stretch my legs, the pack door opened and Marcus ran out to greet me... and grab me protectively, while glaring at my mates. Both immediately began to growl loudly. Seriously? We were going to do this again? "Careful!" I begged, after all, I'd only just recovered from the C-section, not that he was aware...

"Let him go, Marcus," Alpha Townsend told his son, firmly.  Marcus grumbled incoherently, but did as he was instructed. 

"We should have been told about it," he said, sulkily.  "We could have helped."

"There were reasons for keeping the situation quiet," Michael advised him, curtly as Eric deftly pulled me away from him.  "We likely wouldn't have gotten Pack Law involved either, if it could have been helped.  As it turned out, they were already keeping an eye on my birth pack."

"For what possible reasons could you want to keep us, his best friend, his pack, from knowing?!" Marcus yelled.  As if on cue, little Toby began to cry loudly.  I rushed to the car, unbuckled him from his car seat and held him against me.

"Aw, did the big bad Alpha to be scare you?"  I cooed as he sniffled, calming as soon as he was enveloped in my scent.

"What is that?" Marcus stated, suddenly stunned.  I noticed the frozen frames of several old friends nearby and smirked.  I hadn't actually told the pack about the pregnancy and the babies.  For one, it's not the easiest thing to declare; hi, I'm not a girl, but yes I am pregnant!  And secondly, I'm not entirely sure they.. Marcus would have believed me anyway.

"That would be a baby," Luna Rebecca smacked him lightly about the head, before approaching, sniffing the air as she did so.  Her eyes widened slightly, probably figuring out that Toby's scent was a mixture of Michael's and mine, with just a hint of his third parent.  But she said nothing, just beamed as she peeked down at him.  "He is so cute."

Not to be out done, Charlotte and Rose both woke as well and their fathers scooped them up protectively.  I chuckled as we surprised the pack even further.

Alpha Townsend ushered us into the pack house and guided us into the large living area, whilst shooing several pack members who I was less familiar with out.  Adam sat beside me and poured all of his attentions on my son, while Charles hovered close by.  From his large smile, he seemed more than happy that things had ended this way for me.  A little bit different to the original ideal I had of being a doctor, marrying a wife and having five children, instead I was the doctor's wife and had born three children to him and his husband!

Marcus sat in the corner, still paralysed from shock it seemed.  "What are their names?" Adam asked me.

"This is Tobias Nathan, the eldest," I replied, softly.  "He's a wolf pup.  Charlotte Kate & Rose Lynn, his little sisters are twin tigers."

"Surrogacy?"  Marcus said, finally squeezing a word out of his constricted throat.  I shook my head.  "Adoption?"

"Stop being obstinate, Marcus," his mother sighed.  "Can't you smell them?  They're Alex's offspring too.  I assume, you carried them?"

"That he did, for a whole thirty five weeks," Eric stated, rocking Rose, who was beginning to get fussy.  Rebecca asked if she could hold her.  Eric passed the small pink bundle over to her before declaring that he would go and get our bags.

"Bags?" Marcus still looked a little lost.

"Did I not tell you?" Alpha Townsend asked, but I could see the less than innocent twinkle in his eye.  "Alex and his mates have been invited to stay with us for the next month, while to whole media circus blows over."  He turned to glance at me.  "I have one of the houses close to the packhouse prepared for you.  I assume your parents will be visiting as well?"

"Yes and that's fine," I thanked him, but saw that Rose was refusing to settle, so I turned to Adam.  "Would you mind holding Tobias for a moment?  I think I need to feed Rose."

Adam looked ecstatic, Michael a lot less so, but he held himself back as I passed Tobias into his arms.  Adam's face softened as he cuddled my son.  "Do you need to warm up the formula?" Rebecca asked me, giving me pause.  I immediately blushed, which caused Michael's face to turn amused.

"Ah, actually, there is no need," I said as I took Rose from her. I undid a couple of buttons from the bottom of my loose shirt and fiddled with the vest top we'd had designed for me. Everyone's attention was on me as the little bundle disappeared beneath my shirt and as I awkwardly helped her attach.  Marcus resumed his statuesque pose, several others looked a little awkward and Adam just looked fascinated.

"Charles," he glanced over his shoulder.  "I want a baby!"

"We'll practice for one later," Charles stated with a wink, causing Eric, who had just sauntered back in with the nappy bag to laugh. 

"That's a great idea," he beamed at me.  "We should practice some more later as well!"

"Three is enough," I told him, though catching those hopeful blue eyes of the man next to me almost made me waver... almost.  "How is Jenny and Lexi?" I asked Marcus, trying to change the topic.  The man who had been frozen, immediately melted and his expression went all soft.

"Jenny is wonderful," he mused, "and Lexi is just the sweetest little pup in the entire universe!"  He rattled off little moments about the six month old, little milestones, amusing things that she had done. Ah, it seems that his daughter has him completely wrapped around his finger already.  Should I be embarrassed or pleased that she was named after me?

And then we caught up on a little more news; it seemed Lydia had found her mate, a man with beta potential from another pack.  She would move there in a couple of weeks to be with him.  Frankie hadn't found his mate, so far but it wasn't from lack of trying.  The moon goddess would help him find him or her when it was time, though.  I truly believed that.   They hadn't heard much from David at all.

As I later stared out of the window of the house that the Alpha had loaned to us, nursing Charlotte, I glanced over the grey grass blowing in the breeze while noting a smattering of pink blossom dotted over it, having fallen from a tree with dark grey bark and silvery leaves.  A smacked her small pink lips, her peachy skin flush with colour and I adjusted her white scratch mittens before kissing her silky red hair.  My blue eyed Michael and Eric were close by, in the kitchen, my red headed husband was trying to usher our mate out of his space worried about burnt and inedible food.  Tobias and Rose were fast asleep in their cots.

Everything around me might still be a little dull and in shades of grey, but that didn't bother me as what truly mattered in my world was awash with beautiful colours.