Cynefin

vingt - huit!

"Cool" I say walking with the baby still in my arms. Martha gives me a milk bottle and goes into the kitchen.

"Should I feed the baby or drink it? Because honestly the lukewarm milk thing is not my favourite."

"Oh you are a joker. Nice, Alexis must love that."

I give the baby the bottle, the baby stares at me and almost forces out a shrill. I'm not willing to let that happen, so I immediately start humming a song that my mom always sang to me when I was little. The baby thinks a bit about my reaction and drinks from his bottle.

Martha comes back, confused before attending to the other two babies.

"So Alexis said this is the best house, mind explain to me why she said something like that."

"Listen carefully and tell me if you hear Alexis or Kevin."

I listen, only hearing the babies sucking on their bottles.

"You hear nothing, this house is double sound proofed. She uses this house a lot to get down and dirty," she looks for a reaction. I give none, although my wolf is going mad. That's not the words anyone wants to hear about your mate.

"Alright, you like truth, good. This house is the best, because she grew up in this house. When she became alpha at age 11, she was neglected and rejected. We were the ones who had to train her to become the perfect alpha, so she stayed here almost every night. This became her home."

"Why wasn't she with her parents?"

"Her parents decided to leave the pack a few days before her becoming alpha. So she was orphaned basically, but she was supposed to be raised by the pack."

I nod, that makes sense in some way.

"Up and until Luke was decided to be her beta, she was hold up here, learning everything possible to make up for killing the alpha. You know, she blames herself. She actually hated herself. She was suicidal at one point, but if an alpha commits suicide, the pack would just fall apart. So if she were to kill herself, she would have only made things worse."

The baby in my arms, finishes his bottle and pushes it away, I grab a wiping cloth, throwing it over my shoulder, before moving the baby to burp him. Martha nods at my actions.

"She likes babies."

"Okay?"

"You are her other mate, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am?"

"Well then you must have thought about having children with her. If not, then what's wrong with you."

In a perfect world, it would be amazing for Alexis to have my children, but am I really the one she wants to be bound to for the rest of her life?

"I have and also have not thought about it," Martha looks at me as if I have grown 3 heads, "the thought of sharing my life with her is something I could only dream of, but she has another mate. So who is to say she would want children with me and not with the other guy."

Martha sits, nodding for me to sit next to her which I do.

"Alexis knows her heart and what she wants. I know things about that girl that would be scary if I told her what I know about her."

Suddenly, a little giggle comes from the little guy I'm burping. I turn to look who he is giggling at and I see Alexis pulling silly faces as she walks down the steps.

She jumps down the last step and hurries over to us and coos at the baby, sending him in hysteria. She takes him from me and throws his a little in the air, he let's out a big burp, which causes Martha and Alexis to laugh about it.

Martha gives me the other two babies and goes to side hug Alexis.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Lexi. I know it sucks you can't take some time to dwell on it, but I appreciate you for letting me dwell on it."

I have no idea what they are talking about, but Alexis gives a small smile and moves to sit next to me.

"Knowing Martha, she didn't introduce you to my three favourite guys. This is Joey," she says tickling the little guy in her arms, "and this is Robby," poking the smallest guy out of the three, "and the other one is Caleb," Caleb farts as soon as Alexis says his name.

Alexis tickles his tummy and he let's out a cute laugh. A sudden flash and a camera click pulls me out of my thoughts. I look up to see Martha who is shaking a Polaroid photo.

"I need another one, so look at Lexi again and then you two can leave."

Alexis sees my resistance, grabbing my chin, forcing me to look at her. Her eyes are shining brightly. The things she must have seen, the beauty she experienced. A flash goes off, but this time I don't look.

I lean in and kiss Alexis softly. Her lips are intoxicating. Soft and warm. A flash goes off. I don't pull away until Robby decided to kick me in my throat.

Alexis and Martha bursts out laughing as I choke. The triplets laughing with them. Martha takes Robby and Caleb, still laughing at my despair.

Women and babies. What else can you do except love them?