Page 149 of Alpha Queen
"Happy? Of course I'm happy but…"
"But what?" she demanded, nervousness overtaking her.
"Do you know how many males I'm going to have to beat the shit out of to keep them away from my girls? We're going to need more security. More guards. They won’t be able to go anywhere. We're gonna have to teach them to fight and be strong and-"
River cupped Ares' face. "Breathe. They will be just fine. Remember who their grandmother is. You think anyone is going to mess with our girls when their dads are Lycan Alpha kings and their grandmother is Cherry? Trust me, we'll be lucky if any male wants to take on the challenge of being their mates."
Ares searched her face, but she saw his terror. She fought back the urge to laugh as her wolf chuffed. She'd never seen Ares scared before. The thought that he was terrified to have baby girls was almost comical.
"Breathe," said River. "Just breathe. We have a few years before we have to deal with those things, okay? We'll figure it out together, as a family."
Ares nodded but appeared no calmer about the situation.
"You're not going to freak out and be a helicopter dad, are you? Baby bumpers on all the corners, locks on all the cabinets. Plastic thingies on all the outlets. Baby gates on the stairs. Alarms on every door in the estate," Apollo chided.
"You think this is funny?" Ares asked. "What are you gonna do the first time one of our girls is electrocuted because she sticks a fork in an outlet?"
Apollo shook his head. "Pick her up, dust her off. Make sure she's okay and tell her that now she knows what happens when she does that."
"What?" he asked.
"That's what Dad did to me. I lived through it. And he was right. Once I knew what would happen, I didn't do it again."
Ares' mouth fell open.
"Okay, okay," said River. "We can discuss all this later. I'm gonna be late getting up to the cabins. I need to go."
Dr. Keller wiped off River's abdomen, and River hiked up her leggings and pulled down her dress.
She rolled to her side, and Apollo helped her sit up and get to her feet.
He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry. He'll calm down," Apollo whispered.
"I heard that," Ares said.
River smiled and shook her head. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that Ares would be the one to freak out about their kids. If anyone, she thought it would be her.
Dr. Keller moved the medical equipment out of the way, and River waddled across their large new bedroom to the door.
"Thank you, Doc," River called.
"See you in a few weeks," Dr. Keller said. "Unless Ares has a panic attack and dies first."
Everyone burst out laughing except Ares.
"Oh, you guys are so funny. I can see I'm going to have to be the responsible one around here, like always."
River turned and winked at Ares. "If that happens, we're all screwed."
Ares' eyes blazed. "When you get back from your errand, we'll see who's screwed."
River wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm gonna hold you to that."
Ares growled.
"Okay, can you not do that until I leave, please?" Dr. Keller asked.
River smiled and turned to leave, but stopped. "Oh, and Ares, the swatches for the nursery color scheme are sitting on the changing table in there. Can you and Apollo please agree on one before I return? The workers are on schedule to complete the remodel this week, and we need to have the carpets and walls finished before they leave. I'm tired of having so many people in the house."
