Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Roni threw up her arms. “Why do you all do this to me?”
The oldest grimaced and popped open a can of soda. “Sorry, Mom.”
“We were hungry,” complained the youngest, sitting on Marcus’s lap.
Her nostrils flared. “I’m hungry.”
The super-intelligent middle child looked at his mother, somber. “Perhaps you’re pregnant again. Statistics say that—”
“Don’t throw random facts at me, Keane.”
Dominic paused long enough to ask Roni and Marcus if they’d seen Mila, but the enforcers shook their heads. Great.
“Makenna might know,” said Marcus, taking a sip of his beer.
True. The females were reasonably close. So avoiding the pine cones that peppered the grass, Dominic stalked to the spot where the she-wolf stood with her little family. Sienna and Ryan were engaged in yet another standoff. The gruff enforcer didn’t like that his little girl was growing up, and she didn’t like that he treated her like she wasn’t.
Hands clenched, she grunted at her father. “Daaaaad, I’m not suggesting that I wax my legs or something extreme. I just want a cell phone—most kids my age have one.”
“I don’t care about most kids.” Ryan lifted a hand. “I told you, you can have a cell phone when you’re thirteen.”
“Which is an unlucky number!”
Ryan clenched his jaw. “There is no such thing as luck.”
“There is no such thing as luck,” parroted the little boy clinging to his father’s back.
Arm wrapped around his recently found mate, Zac laughed. “Are you always going to make fun of your dad?”
“Yep,” replied Bastien.
Smiling at their byplay, Dominic tipped his chin at Makenna. “I’m looking for Mila.”
Pausing in eating her handful of wild strawberries, Makenna tilted her head. A line appeared between her brows. “Last time I saw her, she was chatting with Frankie.”
Well, she wasn’t there now, but maybe Frankie could help. Dominic gave Makenna a nod of thanks and crossed to where Frankie was lounging on a lawn chair, rubbing her pregnant belly while her mate massaged her neck. “You look tired,” Dominic said to her. But then, she often did these days.
“I swear, it’s so hot out here, I could just fall asleep,” said Frankie. The rustling leaves on the branch above her head flickered shadows over her face. “It isn’t the pregnancy that has me so exhausted all the time; it’s this kid. For some reason, he or she is nocturnal. Always kicks and wriggles around through the night, waking me up.”
Trick gave her a sympathetic smile. “No rest for the wicked.”
Her brows lifted. “So what, serial killers don’t sleep?”
“Oh my God. It’s just a turn of phrase.”
Frankie made a derogative pfft sound.
“Either of you seen Mila?” Dominic asked. “I can’t find her anywhere. It’s like she just disappeared.”
Frankie’s brows snapped together. “Well, you didn’t look very far. She’s right behind you.”
Dominic pivoted on the spot. Mila was walking out of the trees with Greta. Each was hand in hand with one of the twins. Yeah, twins.
He’d been a mess all the way through Mila’s pregnancy. She was just so slender, he hadn’t been able to see how she could carry two babies at once. Honestly, the pregnancy had been a breeze for her. And she’d gotten through the labor with a calm and steadiness that the pack still marveled over.
The moment Emilia saw him, she beamed. “Daddy!” She rushed over to him on her little legs, her tight curls bouncing everywhere.
He scooped her up and planted a kiss on her cheek. “There’s my Em.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled him. Yeah, his little pallas kit was a proper daddy’s girl. “Why do you have dirt on you?”
“It’s a boring story.”
Everything was a “boring story” when Emilia didn’t want to answer a question. He’d wanted to name his daughter Mila or Milena after her mother, but Mila wouldn’t go for it. So he’d suggested Emilia, which was close. He suspected that Mila had only said yes because she was a Game of Thrones addict and liked the actress who played the queen of dragons.
Unlike his twin sister, Dillon didn’t rush over. No, he was a pup who moved at his own pace, no one else’s. He was only six, but he already had the ease and swagger of a full-grown wolf shifter. An old soul, Valentina often called him.
“Dad, I don’t want a sister anymore,” Dillon griped. “Can we swap her for a boy? Or even just a pet?”
“No, we can’t. And you love her really.”
Dillon curled his upper lip.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Dominic said to his mate.
Mila flicked a look at the twins. “I was looking for them.”
“Dillon chased a rabbit into the underbrush and was trying to lure it out,” said Greta, flicking a red ladybug from her top. “Emilia offered to help him. Somewhere along the line, they got into a fight and rolled into a ditch.”
Dominic groaned. Although Dillon was a pretty easygoing pup and didn’t lose his temper often, Emilia knew just how to get under his skin—and the little cat did it a lot, so the kids frequently fought over everything and nothing. They were extremely protective of each other, though.