Xael was up at 5am. The fire had gone out and the pups were still asleep as was Adam. She was quiet as she got up to get dressed for the day. The bedroom was freezing, not wanting to take her clothes off in the cold room, she grabbed what she was wearing and returned to the living room where it was warmer. Dressed, she woke up Adam and took the pups outside to use the bathroom. Stepping outside, winter was getting to the small forest town quicker than normal.
Back inside, Xael waited patiently for Adam as the pups played around her feet. She was deciding on what to do with the pups. They couldn't stay in the cabin alone, they couldn't be left outside and they were too little to stay in the diner. Xael needed to get their crate/cage thing today after work. She would call the hardware store in town to see if they had one. Adam came from the back of the cabin dressed in black pants and a dress shirt as his uniform no longer fit. Xael was standing with an upset look and pouting.
"What is it kitten?" Adam walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug, nuzzling and growling to help her calm down.
"What are we going to do with the pups? They're too little to take to the diner, they'd be all over the place."
"They can come with me to the station. I have the perfect spot for them."
"Oh good. I'll see about getting them a crate for them to stay in during the day."
"Sounds good babe. Come on boys! Time to go to work."
Xael breathed a sigh of relief and took one of their beds and a couple of toys. She gave Adam a kiss, thanking him for taking the pups. Pups and their stuff loaded into the jeep, Xael ran back into the house to get her notepad that contained her shopping list. Now they were ready.
Adam pulled into the reserved Sheriff's spot at the station so Xael could help him with the little ones. It was still pretty early and the pups wanted to go back to sleep. Adam had Xael set the bed by his chair that way he could keep an eye on them and they were hidden from view if someone came into the station.
"Hey babe?"
"Hm?" Xael sat on Adam's lap, her arms going around his neck.
"Will you bring breakfast over for me?"
"Of course, you don't have to ask me that hon. I'll bring over a thing of coffee for you and Beau also."
"Mm, thanks." Adam couldn't help but nuzzle her, letting out a soft growl. "Mmm, your scent is changing again."
"I know."
"I like it."
"I can tell."
"Love you."
"Love you too."
"Hey look at me."
"Yes?"
"You have any trouble today, link me, understand?"
"I will. I'm sure the rest of the guys will be hanging out in the diner today."
"Ah, that's right, but still."
"Okay, I need to get going and get things opened up."
"K, what's for breakfast?"
"What do you want?"
"Scrambled eggs, toast, sausage and potatoes."
"Alrighty. See you in a bit."
Another kiss and Xael left to open up the diner.
The morning at the diner was quiet and Xael was able to get a lot done as she was the only one there. She had dropped off two things of coffee at the station then returned to start cooking. What Adam had for breakfast is what she made into the special for the day. She took three to go containers over, two for Adam and one for Beau who was already pulling up outside the station. He of course had to stop Xael to check out her eyes also. By the time she returned to the diner, her Grams and Skylar were there with Grams behind the counter fixing them each a plate.
Xael gave them both a hug.
"What time did you get here dear?"
"A little after 5."
"What did you do with the pups Pup?"
"Adam is going to keep them at the station for today. After I'm finished here I need to check at the hardware store to see if they have one of the wire cage crate things."
"Milton's just has the small ones. The next town over might have the larger ones."
"Thanks unc."
"Puppers, you going to be okay with the others today?"
"I think so."
The morning at the diner was interesting. Chris, Eli and Houser came in for breakfast before the official opening time. Xael was busy getting the prep and steam tables filled and had her back to them. Houser was the only one that didn't know about the change as Xael fixed their plates and set them on the counter for them to pick up. Houser picked up his plate after returning from washing his hands.
"Thanks Xael."
"Your welcome Chief Houser."
Not thinking since Houser was considered part of their 'family pack', she turned and smiled at him. Houser stopped and slammed the plate to the table. Xael turned, thinking he had dropped it.
"Chief?"
Houser didn't say anything as he stormed out the diner and across the street almost getting hit by an early morning commuter. Skylar went to see what was going on.
Houser threw open the door to the station.
"SHADO!!"
"Yeah? Something wrong?"
"Holy merciful shit..."
Adam already knew what his issue was as Skylar entered.
"Hey Chief."
Houser stood and gave a brief bow then approached him when he heard growling.
"Boys." it was all Adam needed to say and the pups settled back down.
"Unbelievable. It is truly an honor to meet a Great Alpha."
"Come on Chief, I'm still Adam."
"Yeah, Adam the Great Alpha. Don't lessen your status son, either of you. You carry it proudly."
"We will."
"Unbelievable. Skylar, this little town is certainly something else. What time do the unicorns go on parade?"
Skylar laughed when one of the pups, Dozer, peeked around the desk. Houser caught a glimpse of him out the corner of his eye.
"Is that a wolf cub?"
"Uhhh, they're our new pups. Dozer, get back here."
The pup returned to his bed.
Houser just shook his head and left the station.
The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful. Most just thought Xael's eye color was due to contacts as did Vicki and Ester. Xael was glad that lunch was over and once the diner was closed she hung out with her Grams, Skylar and her brothers at the larger booth. Houser and Ms. Ester had other things to do. She contacted a few hardware stores in the area and none of them had the cage she was looking for which meant making a trip into the city.
She didn't really want to go today. With tomorrow being Friday, one more day at the station should be fine for the little ones. Emma and Skylar had things to do also and left as Xael fixed up the guys something for lunch. Sandwiches, potato salad, chips and dessert. A trip to the grocery store was indeed in order, Adam would eat them out of house and home in no time. Closing up for the day, Xael went over to the station to drop off lunch and take the pups home.
They had been cooped up all day so Xael thought walking home would be good for them and she could use some air. Informing Adam of her plan, he wasn't having it. Xael relented and agreed to stay at the station for the rest of the day but tomorrow, they were driving separately.
She took one of the empty desks and busied herself with stuff for the diner. Since the whole tourist thing was on hold till spring, that freed up some time. Winter, they would be only opened for breakfast and that was dependent on the weather. Grams let her know that it wasn't unusual to be closed for weeks due to the snow. With nothing to do, Xael searched for stuff for the puppies and baby items. She already knew that she would be breastfeeding them and as far as diapers were concerned, she had to think about whether she wanted to deal with cloth diapers or disposable ones. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to tell Adam. Once she was sure that there would be no issues and started to show, she would share her wonderful news.
The rest of the week was uneventful. No one really paid attention to the change in Xael's eyes and if Adam was outside, he had on shades. The pups were fine spending half a day at the station. Friday, Grams brought her canners up to the diner as did Xael along with the rest of the empty jars they had. Seeing the jars, they had a better idea of what was needed and Skylar was fine with swapping vehicles so the ladies could take the truck into the city to run errands.
Friday, Beau decided he was done. Viv had been pressuring him to stay full time in the city. Adam was fine with it and understood even though it made for a bittersweet end to the week. The rest of the guys from Adam's old precinct, wouldn't start for another week, giving him time to get things in order. Adam talked to Chris and Eli about starting on revamping the station first thing Monday which they were happy to do. From their sign being up at the diner, they were also starting to get jobs around town. There was a lot of handyman jobs that people were wanting done before the winter months hit.