They stayed the afternoon at the Johnsons house and left in the evening. The couple went home with their cub who was excited to be back. When they reached the house, Zane went upstairs with his daughter. He waited in her bedroom as she took a quick shower. When she was done, the human dressed the little girl in a cute giraffe onesie. The two left the room to see Siddarth changed into a sleeveless black shirt and grey shorts. Zane became red as his husband winked at him. The wolf picked up his cub and took her downstairs while the human went to change. The elder entered the master bedroom and changed into a loose black tunic and soft leggings. He went downstairs to the kitchen to see what the father and daughter were upto. Siddarth cooked dinner as his cub sat at the kitchen island, watching him with a smile. The elder took a seat next to Lily and she held his hand. The two began to talk about the little girl's summer camp.
"What did you do there?" The elder asked.
"We explored nature." Lily said with a bright shine in her dark red orbs. Her eyes were slowly becoming like Siddarth's.
"Really?" He asked. The wolf observed his mate and cub with a smile while cooking.
"Yes!" His child was beaming. "The place was so pretty. It reminded me of you, Papa."
"Aww..my precious baby." Zane hugged Lily tight and left a soft peck on her head.
"I missed you and Daddy. I couldn't sleep at all." The cub pouted and Zane poked her chubby cheeks.
"You can sleep with us, tonight. Daddy will protect us both." The human said while glancing at Siddarth.
"Yayyy!"
An hour passed by like that. The two chattered away as the younger man set the table for his family. The wolf had cooked butter chicken masala with naan. When all the utensils were set and dinner was ready. Zane and Lily washed their hands and Siddarth pulled out the chair for both of them to take a seat at the dark black glass table. The wolf washed his hands and sat down next to his mate.
"Eat up, cub."
"Thank you, Daddy." The little girl sent a flying kiss to her father who melted. Zane made little bites of the naan and handed them to Lily. "You're the best."
The cub took a bite of the chicken and let out a hum. She chewed quickly and gave Siddarth a wide grin. "This is delicious!"
"It is." Zane took a bite of the food and the taste exploded in his mouth. "Good job, Siddarth."
"I'm glad you're impressed, my love." The wolf smirked while rubbing the human's bottom lip with his thumb.
The human averted his eyes shyly and Lily giggled. "Daddy, please leave Papa alone."
"Sorry, cub. Daddy is mesmerized by kitty." Lily had stopped calling Zane kitty but Siddarth loved that nickname. Zane ate his food quietly as he felt his husband's wine red orbs dance over him from time to time.
The little family finished dinner and Zane did the dishes as Siddarth and Lily quickly cleaned up the kitchen. When everything was done, the wolf picked up his cub and held his mate's hand with his free hand. He led them upstairs to the master bedroom. Siddarth laid his daughter in the bed and climbed in after. He pulled Zane after him and the human gasped. His mate bounced on the bed and Siddarth pulled him close. The elder was pressed against his husband's side and his eyes were full of shyness.
"Time to sleep." Siddarth said as his cub poked his side.
"Daddy, I'm sleeping in the middle. Can you please move?" She said and the wolf made a sad face.
"But I need kitty close." He hugged Zane who giggled. Siddarth was teasing his cub who crossed her arms cutely.
"Don't be greedy." The little devil climbed over her father's body and laid down between her parents. "You have Papa all the time, it's my time to shine."
Siddarth chuckled as Lily tried to push him away for more space. The younger man moved to the other side and let the cub lay down properly. Lily grabbed Siddarth's hand with one hand and Zane's hand with the other. She held them both with her tiny fingers and sighed happily. "I love you both so much. Goodnight."
Siddarth left a soft kiss on the side of her forehead. "Goodnight, princess."
His cub closed her eyes and took deep breaths. It took a few more minutes and Lily was fast asleep. She clutched their hands tight in her sleep and the couple melted at the gesture. Zane felt his eyes begin to drop and a yawn escaped his lips.
"Goodnight, Siddarth." He said to his husband while laying on his side.
The younger man covered his mate and cub with the blanket. He hovered over Lily and pressed a soft kiss to Zane's lips. "Night, my love."
The couple drifted off to sleep as the moon watched over them. The sky became dark and the stars danced in it. Everything was well until the clock hit twelve. In the middle of the night, Siddarth awoke to the sound of muffled cries. He opened his eyes and saw Lily fast asleep next to him but no sign of the human. Siddarth got up carefully and followed the sound. He opened the bathroom door and saw Zane laying against the tub with his head between his knees. His whole body shook as sobs escaped his throat.
"Zane." The human looked up to see his husband at the door.
Seeing the fear in his mate's honey orbs, Siddarth closed the door slightly and rushed to his beloved. He sat down and pulled the gorgeous human close. A slender pair of arms wrapped around his waist and Zane trembled while hiding in his husband's embrace. "What happened, my love?"
"Si..S-Siddarth.." The elder took deep breaths in and out while hugging his beast.
"Shh...I'm here." The wolf's large hands rubbed Zane's back slowly.
"I-I'm scared." The human whispered as tears fell down his cheeks.
"Don't be." The younger man made his beloved look up into his eyes. "I've got you, Zane. You're safe."
"I had a bad dream." The elder's lips trembled. His chest rose up and down and Siddarth felt worry chew on his heart.
"It was just a dream, my love. I'm here. I'll protect you." Siddarth wrapped one hand around his gorgeous mate's waist and his other hand went to cage the side of Zane's face.
"I-I...it scared m-"
"You don't have to talk about it, it's okay." Siddarth left a soft kiss on Zane's lips and wiped away his tears.
The wolf held his beloved until he calmed down. Siddarth cleaned Zane's face with a wet napkin and picked him up bridal style. He began walking out of the bathroom while holding his precious mate close.
"I'm so sorry for waking you up." Zane whispered as Siddarth laid him down on the bed. The wolf moved his daughter to the other side of the bed gently and covered her with the blanket.
"Don't be. Your comfort and safety are my top priority." Siddarth said as he climbed on the bed.
Zane turned to his side and his husband laid down behind him. The wolf spooned him from behind and pressed himself close. He slid his arm over Zane's and intertwined their hands together. The feel of his husband's strong chest pressed against his back made the human calm again. Siddarth laid soft kisses on Zane's exposed shoulder and held him tight.
"Go to sleep, my love. I'll come in your dream and save you if anything happens." The wolf said but his mate didn't reply. The scent of fear was still coming from the human.
"I have a bad feeling. I feel like something bad is going to happen to us." Zane said quietly and Siddarth went into protective mode.
"No one will lay a finger on you, Zane." The younger man said seriously.
"But what if something happens to you, hubby? What if you can't protect me?"
"I'll fight for you until my last breath." He whispered.
Siddarth hugged Zane tight and held his hand tight. "In my dream, you were shot in front of me..and I just stood there..I-I couldn't-"
"Hush, my love. You don't have to talk about it." The wolf said near his ear.
"I love you, Siddarth. I can't see a day without you." The elder swallowed his sobs and stopped himself from crying.
"I'm right here, Zane. I'll stay with you for eternity." His husband whispered and the human smiled at those words.
"I want you to be careful at work, please." That dream had scared his mate. The thought of losing Siddarth was driving Zane insane. The younger man could sense worry coming from the gorgeous human.
"As you wish, my love. I will be extra careful and come back running to you."
"I'll wait for you every time."