With Amy bundled in a blanket burrito on Kira’s lap, I snuggle into Noah’s side on the royal blue couch we thrifted for Amy and Kira’s first apartment back in college.
Amy is much calmer now, a dazed, blissful look glossing her swollen eyes as Kira plants delicate kisses on her forehead.
We’ve sat in a comfortable silence, Kira and Amy muttering about Kira’s leaving work early without telling Amy. But one thing I know about loving an Alpha is that there’s no way Kira would leave Amy to feel so small and unsafe all alone in their bed. It was only a matter of time before pure instinct drove Kira back home.
But my mind can’t stop whirring. I can’t focus long enough to be fully present for my best friend.
Noah’s concerned glances heighten the nerves along my neck. Come with me for a minute. Noah retracts his arm from over my shoulders to stand. “Does anyone need water?”
I stand too. “Or a snack?”
Kira gives us a soft smile. “That’d be nice.”
I follow close behind Noah’s wide shoulders to Amy and Kira’s small kitchen. Boxed in by soft gray cabinets and clean white tile countertops, Noah looks even larger as he turns to me.
What’s going through your mind?
I sink into Noah’s touch as he rubs my arms, grounding me by the second. I hadn’t thought so clearly about the orphan rate being higher for Lycans before now.
He nods. It’s really horrific, I know. And I’m so sorry you had to experience it firsthand.
My heart burns with his words, especially because he understands this pain too. With a deep breath, I whisper what I’m really thinking.
“Since high school, I promised Amy that I’d care for her future kids if anything happened to her, and she’d do the same for me. We agreed we’d be called aunts. But then we talked about co-parenting last year, then I met you, and I don’t– I don’t know. I hate the thought of losing either of my dearest friends just as much as I hate the thought of our future kids losing us and feeling all alone. I don’t feel like it’s just the uncertainty, it’s also not knowing what to do about it. What will happen to them when we die?”
Noah stares over my shoulder, his brows furrowed. Our hearts ache in tandem in our bond, but Noah’s chest puffs. “Well, let’s talk about it. Who d-do you want our kids to be left with?”
His breath speeds up in time with my racing heart. I fidget with my jacket sleeve’s folds, shuffling on my feet.
“What’s wrong?” Noah whispers.
“Is it weird that I feel like it’s almost already decided for me? I was already trusting my best friends to possibly raise a child with me, but you don’t know Amy and Kira as well as I do.”
Noah shrugs. “I trust your judgment. But from the second I met Amy, she was fiercely defending you from me even though I’m her pack Alpha. That takes some serious fucking guts. Plus, she loves you, so I trust her too.”
My heart pounds into my throat, but a smile bursts across my face. Noah’s focus darts between my eyes, his wolf popping up in our bond with a wagging tail.
“Fuck, you’re cute,” he whispers. “What are you thinking?”
“That you’re such a gem, Noah.” I giggle as he ducks his head, softly thumping our foreheads together. “And I trust Amy too. But have you ever talked about this with Yasmine or Rainn? Rainn would be an incredible mom.”
Noah hums. “I always imagined Rainn to be my number one choice, but both Rainn and Yas seem to want to be child free. We’d have to ask them. And we’ll have to ask Amy and Kira too.”
“Okay, yes.” I swallow hard. “Wait, like, now?”
Noah lifts his forehead from mine, his feet shuffling between us as an intense wave of shyness crashes through our bond. “Y-yes. I-I mean, especially if we’re offering to be future parents for Amy and Kira’s baby right now too.”
My heart flips. “Oh, my God, I forgot to ask you if you’re okay with that. Are you?”
Noah sucks in a soft breath to speak, but my shoulders raise.
“Wait. Don’t answer this for me. Really dig in and think about if you’d want to do this for Amy and Kira. Just like you and I agreed on, it will always be our decision to be parents, not our kids’ choice to exist. We’ll owe that sweet little girl our everything.”
A flood of sugary, delighted scent blasts my nose, forcing me to blink rapidly. Noah clears his throat, dropping his hands from me to frantically fix his hair.
“Noah?”
He shakes his head. “You’re going to be the best mom, I just–” He places his palm over his heart, taking a deep breath. When he speaks, his soft voice is gentler and sweeter than ever. “I just love every second with you, Aliya. I want to raise Amy and Kira’s kids with you just as much as our own. Fuck, I’d be happy if that’s all we did, as long as I get to see you be a mom.”
When Noah finally meets my eyes, I can hardly stifle my rising breath. Noah’s loving gaze traces my features as our collective scent only strengthens.
I throw my arms around his shoulders, crashing our lips together. Noah sucks in a surprised breath, but his hands land on my waist. As soon as he can gather his wits with a purring growl, Noah leans into me until he smashes my ass against the countertops. Our tongues touch, the rising heat between us almost unbearable as it dives straight for my groin. I have to pull away just to breathe.
When I spot an alert stare behind Noah’s shoulder, I jump.
Kira smirks. “Getting snacks, are we?”
Noah’s wide eyes spur me into uncontrollable giggles. Kira cackles with me as Noah hurriedly turns around, grabbing four cups.
“Got the water,” Noah mumbles, rushing out of the kitchen with his head down.
With water and snacks in hand, we return to Amy’s side full of laughter.
Amy lifts one eyebrow. “Should I be concerned?”
“We’re just lucky I caught them before their raging pheromones sent me into a rut,” Kira mutters.
My eyes widen. “Oh, God, what?! I’m nowhere near close to being in heat.”
Kira and Amy laugh, glancing at one another. But after Noah hands us our water glasses, he looks just as nervous as I am, eyeing us three women as he frantically sorts his hair.
Are you going to tell them, or should I? Noah mindlinks.
I swallow hard. Maybe I should, if you think it’s time? I can, right now.
Maybe we should just focus on their baby first. They might be too stressed to commit to our future kids right now.
I bite my lip. I don’t think so— Amy would be honored. But maybe we should take our time to ask Rainn too. Then we can wait to ask everyone officially once I’m pregnant.
As the gravity of what I just mindlinked hits us both, Noah’s cheeks flush, and my stomach grumbles.
Then I feel eyes on me.
“What’s wrong? You have that face,” Amy says.
“What face?” I blurt out. My voice squeaks, and Noah bites back a laugh.
Amy’s eyebrows flatten. “Girl, just spit it out.”
I laugh, plopping to the loveseat cushion beside Noah. “It’s not like that, Amy! This is serious.”
Amy and Kira’s eyebrows furrow in unison.
Then Amy gasps. “Are you pregnant?”
“No!” I sputter, rubbing my flushing cheeks. But Noah is faring worse, burying his head in his hands with soft chuckles. Despite his wide palms covering his face, it’s doing nothing to hide his bright red ears.
But to my surprise, he sits back with a deep breath. Taking my hand, Noah’s low voice silences the rest of us. “We’ve both talked something over.”
“Okay, and that is?” Amy glances between us with furrowed brows.
“We have similar concerns about the future when we start a family. So, we thought—” My stomach tightens, so I look to Noah.
He grips my hand, keeping his eyes on my best friends. “In the horrible circumstances that you’re both no longer around someday, we wanted to offer our readiness to raise your child as our own– I-if you’d want that, of course. And if you’re o-open to it, we’d trust you to do the same.”
“And you don’t have to decide this now! We just–” I glance at Noah, softening my shaking voice. “We felt strongly about supporting you in making sure your little one is protected in the future, and hoped that it would provide some peace of mind to know we’re willing to be there.”
I can’t help it, I’m death-gripping Noah’s hand. He squeezes back just as hard as we stare at Kira and Amy, awaiting their reaction.
But as Kira’s lip wobbles, Amy lets out a desperate gasp at her mate’s sudden tears. “Oh, my love–”
Kira buries her face into Amy’s embrace, letting out soft sniffles. “Sorry, it’s just– I really was worried about that, so I’m so relieved.”
“God, so am I,” Amy says. She turns to us, opening her arms to include us too.
We join their cuddle pile, Noah giving all three of us a tight squeeze.
“You really will be her second parents if something happens to us? Just in case?” Amy asks through a weepy smile.
“Absolutely. The second I saw her photo, I knew she was yours, which means I fell in love with her too,” I say. “But please, stay here to live an old, weathered life with me. We need you here, and I’m just as ecstatic to be her Auntie for life.”
Amy and Kira smile through their tears, their scents exploding with a mix of excitement, fear, and love.
“Shit, we’re really doing this,” Kira says.
Amy cackles, and my heart soars; she’s okay.
As we separate back into two pairs, Amy gazes at me with fresh, wild eyes. “Will you both come with us when we bring her home, then?”
I break into a wide smile, gripping my giddy heart. “We’d love to.”
***
After meeting and re-meeting Amy and Kira, Lexi is finally scheduled to go home with my best friends today. Noah and I stand by Amy and Kira’s sides, providing moral support for their shaking hands as they sign the final adoption paperwork. Our names are listed beneath theirs in their updated last will, assigning us to their little one, for life.
My heart pounds into my throat. I’ve never done anything that felt so life-altering before, aside from committing myself to Noah.
Glancing at me with wide eyes, Noah shakes his head in disbelief. Holy shit. We’re signed up to be parents now, Aliya.
My heart flips. Oh, my God, we are. I pull him closer, giving his hand a tight squeeze. I never thought Amy, Kira, and I would be here so soon either. I feel so lucky to have you by my side to share this moment with.
Noah softens into a red-eyed, beaming smile, giving me a quick peck on the lips.
But as Amy and Kira share one last sweet, tender kiss pre-parents, I weep through my smile, knowing our lives are all changing for the better.
I can hardly breathe as we wait for Lexi to arrive. I can’t imagine how nervous my best friends feel inside, but Kira physically can’t keep herself still, and Amy’s anxious pheromones blast my nose.
The second a Greenfield social worker guides Lexi out by the hand, allowing her to slowly toddle after her, I cup my hand around my mouth. She’s only 21 months old, but she’s hyper-aware of us around her, gazing up at what must look like a group of weirdly emotional giants.
But as the social worker points Amy and Kira out to Lexi, I gently pull Noah to the side with a hammering heart. Let’s give them their moment.
Noah and I cling to each other desperately, helpless to watch as Lexi hesitates in the doorway. Lexi blinks her wide eyes, peeking between the social worker and my best friends.
But something in Amy’s features shift. The room no longer smells of anxiety, instead filling with a sweet, nurturing scent.
Amy gently lowers herself to the ground, softening her voice with a bright, welcoming smile. “Hello, Lexi! It’s so nice to see you again!”
When Lexi breaks into the biggest, cheeriest smile to see Amy, my heart melts. But Lexi takes eager, toddling steps. She doesn’t stop until she crashes into Amy’s outstretched arms, and my best friend’s giddy laughter echoes through the lobby.
As Amy and Kira welcome Lexi into their lives, Noah and I dry our wet eyes, watching in equal awe.
I love you, I mindlink.
I love you so much, Noah mindlinks.
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