Forever Luna

Comparative

adjective ~ perceptible by comparison

PHOENIX

I couldn't put off visiting my cousin any longer. After completing all of my pack checks necessary, I had to give him the results.

Nova was eighteen weeks pregnant, her stomach wonderfully noticeable. Every night I cradled her to me, my arms secure around the gentle movements of our child.

Three children and I was only twenty-eight.

I couldn't believe it.

It was not the best of times to have a child, but at least they would have each other growing up. The twins were getting so big now, sitting, eating and sleeping the night... Babies didn't stay babies for long. They were loud, bubbly and entertaining, and it was only a matter of time before they started to walk.

My bet was on Belle.

It was my birthday soon, too, and I knew Nova was going to do something overexuberant that I didn't need. Last year was sweet, but the entire pack barbeque and night of drinking wasn't necessary. I'd take a night in our home together over that any day.

My life, once full of shades, had turned to colour, but that didn't mean I wanted to exasperate every single one of them. It took little effort to figure out where I wanted to spend most of my time and attention, and that was wherever Nova and our pups were.

But right now? I was packing everyone's bags for this afternoon whilst also on dad duty. Why?

Because Molly was in labour again.

Talk about timing. I just hoped it was a safe labour because the plane was scheduled for this evening.

I mean, because her safety is important.

Half-way through breakfast, there was an alarm through the pack bond. I immediately sourced it to the heavily pregnant female at the same time Nova did. After forcing my mate to take her food with her, she left me with nothing but an eye roll and a sarcastic bite of her bacon sandwich.

Little minx thinks she'll get away with it.

The kids were going to bed early tonight. I would make sure of it.

With the twins napping, it gave me enough time to pack our things for the weekend. We would take them with us, and they needed a lot of damn things. From nappies, to bibs, to the copious amounts of socks, their suitcase contained more things than ours.

Originally, it was going to be us four, plus Leo and Nova's guard James, but now Leo would have to stay behind. I'm certain one guard would be enough, but there was that other part of me that doubted every shadow.

We were going to the castle; it's one of the safest places around.

By the time the twins were awake, I had packed everything and placed all the bags by the front door. I had just prepared them some food when they started to cry. First, it was Freddy, and then, in their odd little sync, Belle joined in.

I hurriedly threw the semi-cooked veggies into the boiling water before making my way downstairs. Their cries softened as I grew near, and my chest filled with a joy like no other as they recognised my presence. Their senses were growing so much, I wondered if it was my scent or sound that they acknowledged.

Pushing the half-open door wider, I stopped dead in my tracks as my eyes locked in onto Belle. She was white-knuckling the crib as she stood on two feet, babbling incoherent words. Inhaling sharply, I was fast to approach her and pull her into my arms.

"Look at you standing up! Aren't you getting so grown up?"

She giggled, grasping my rapidly growing beard with glee. My fingers tickled her sides until she released her grasp, taking my shirt into her hands before stuffing it into her mouth.