Page 81 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
Part of the reason they had taken the elf on was to help him find his shifter form. The Luna had told the elves they needed only to form soul-bonds with witches, fae, humans, all the other species except the shifters. For her shifters, it was deeper than that. They had to bond and recover their shifter form. Thanks to the queen and Cryabell, Kade’s nanny for his triplets, we knew platonic bonds were possible. They had both discovered their owl forms with their deep love for the children in their lives. The queen adored her granddaughter, who was now named as the heir to the elf kingdom instead of Teárlach.
Roan shook his head sadly. “He’s unhappy with us. I don’t know what it is, he just hasn’t settled in. The kids all love him, he just can’t bond with them, even though I know he loves them back. There’s a barrier there.”
“You think he might with ours?” Dalton asked as he rubbed his swollen stomach. “The babies are wriggling.” I reached over to feel them too, and was rewarded with a kick.
This time, Roan just shrugged. “There’s a better chance if he’s there from the start. He’s amazing withour kids, I just think it’s frustrating him that no matter how much he loves them, the bond isn’t growing.”
Dalton’s gaze caught mine. We didn’t need to use the bond to know what our answer would be.
“That’d be great if you’re alright with us stealing him from you, and if he wants to come live with us, of course.”
We put the conversation aside when Blake asked about the security features, and when the rest of our furniture would arrive.
Trey had told us we were having two sets of identical twins, so the elves were already making the necessary furniture for the nursery.
“Lark, did you make up our bed?” Knowing how tired Dalton was, I made sure it was the first thing to be delivered.
“Yeah, it’s ready for you.” I helped him stand. “I’ll be back in a minute,” I told our guests. “Dalton needs the sleep.”
“You don’t have to tell me! Chase was saying he’s put a sofa in his office so Dalton can stretch out after lunch.” Blake spoke of his brother affectionately.
“Axel was right to make him Second as his replacement,” Dalton said proudly. “He takes such great care of everyone.”
Upstairs, I urged my mate through the bond. I could feel how tired he was.I’ll make sure the kitchen is unpacked while you nap.
My mate was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Despite the rocky start to the pregnancy with the nausea, he was enjoying carrying our babies and had none of the other ill effects.
“I’m so jealous Dalton isn’t getting heartburn,” Kade remarked.
“Yet. Don’t curse him, my mate,” Blake teased.
“Anyway, we better get back to the kids. The house looks great. If you need anything, we’re just down the street.” Kade and Blake rose as one and said their goodbyes.
“Need any help?” Roan looked unsure.
“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks. We’re waiting on a lot of stuff. The dining table, the stuff for the nursery, Dalton’s office, even the stuff for Spice and Priscilla. There’s only really the kitchenware to unpack.”
“Let me guess, Dalton put you in charge of the move?”
“Guilty as charged.”
Roan followed me into the kitchen. He took things out of the boxes and I either put them next to the sink to wash or in the dishwasher.
“Are you sleeping here tonight?” Roan asked as we were breaking down the boxes. The kitchen was still pretty bare.
“No. D’you want another coffee?” Roan nodded. I went to the pot and poured him a mug then one for myself before I explained. “Spice will need a few visits to this place first. We have a bed at the old house to sleep on so we’ll do a few days of going back and forth.”
“How are they dealing with it all?”
“They’ve been extra close to Dalton. Apparently, this is back to post beta sickness levels. They get stressed if he’s away too long, so Dalton’s been taking them to work with him. Chase loves them, so it’s fine even if he ends up covered in gray fur.” We shared a laugh. “I don’t like him carrying them to work, so if he wants them, I take them in if I can.”
“You can’t baby him,” Roan chided.
“He’s carrying four babies. I’m trying to avoid any problems.” I sensed a fight brewing over wrapping my mate in cotton wool, so I changed the subject. “How are things at home? I can’t believe how fast the kids are growing!”
“Fine, I’ll leave it for now.” He sighed but went with the change of subject, telling me stories of Jewel creating terror, Maddox following everywhere she went, and Noah charming every soul he came across.His smile for stories about Kanako was sweet. He loved his babies, biological or not.
Dalton let me know he was awake. I wanted to go to him, but Roan’s gentle admonishment over how I was treating my mate rang in my ears.
