Page 48 of Taken By The Wolves
“It’s not every day we get a baby-related SOS.” Goldie runs her hands over her jeans and reaches into the bag for a packet of wipes. “We should wash her face and hands and then give her a bottle.”
“I’m on it,” Evan says. He hands his little boy to Robert so he can tip formula into a bottle. “Need to stand this in some hot water.”
“I can help you with that,” Finn says.
I lean against the counter, feeling like a spare part in my own home.
“I’m so far out of my comfort zone, it’s a dot on the horizon!” Scarlet says. I know exactly how she feels.
“Whose baby is it?” Hunter asks, his serious gaze watching everything. As the bear alpha, he understands the pack politics of a discovery like this.
“It’s complicated,” Nixon says. “An alpha’s mate was violated. This is the resulting offspring, cast out from the pack.”
“They left her to die?” Goldie asks, horrified.
“Yeah,” I say. “No alpha would want a cuckoo in their nest.”
“She’s not a bird,” Scarlet blurts, her fingers intertwined with the baby’s. “She’s a perfect child.”
“She’s a reminder of something horrific,” Nixon reminds her gently. “For her mother and her mate. We believe Aura was cast out, yes. But she wasn’t forced to abandon the child. Word on the grapevine is that Gregory has already taken another bride.”
“He’s a fucking asshole,” Scarlet hisses. “What kind of man deserts his woman after she’s been violated?”
“A territorial beast,” I say, because that’s precisely what Gregory is. The truth is, I don’t know what Nixon would do in the same situation. Our eyes meet as though we’re having the same thought, and he shakes his head. He might have a similar initial reaction, but I know my brother. He always wants to do what’s right, and the way he looks at Scarlet… I know the lengths he’d go to to keep her safe and avenge her if she was wronged.
“So, what are you going to do?” Hunter asks. “You can’t keep it, obviously.”
Scarlet stiffens, her hands gripping the edge of the table until her knuckles turn white. The air around her seems to harden.
“Turning her over to the authorities isn’t an option,” Goldie says, voice steady. “Not if she’s shifting.”
Goldie reaches across the silence, resting a gentle hand on Scarlet’s shoulder. Their eyes meet in a quiet exchange thick with understanding.
Goldie’s hand stays on Scarlet’s shoulder a moment longer, steadying her like an anchor against the storm of everything we’ve laid out. I can see in Scarlet’s eyes the clash of maternal instinct with the reality of what we are, and what this world is, and I admire her for standing amongststrangers and not running.
Evan presents Scarlet with a bottle, and she gathers the baby into her arms hovering the milk over its lips. It latches onto the teat gratefully, and gulps away, while Scarlet’s eyes soften and her lips part in wonder.
Hunter exhales slowly. He shifts his weight like he’s grounding himself, then asks again, “So… what are you going to do?”
It’s a fair question. One we haven’t answered.
The room falls into silence, broken only by the soft gurgling of the infant in Scarlet’s arms.
Nixon’s jaw ticks. Finn paces near the window, hands clenched at his sides like he’s bracing for an argument.
Scarlet doesn’t speak right away. She stares at the baby, her thumb gently stroking the soft curve of her tiny shoulder.
Finally, she looks up. Her voice is quieter than I expect, but firmer than anything I’ve ever heard. “What are we going to do, Nixon?”
Nixon turns to her, slowly. His expression softens a little, his heart showing through his tough outer shell.
“We’ll figure it out,” he says. “Together.”
Together. Is he ready to claim Scarlet? Is he prepared to tell her everything?
Goldie eyes us all, interest gathering in her curious eyes. “We’re close. If you need anything… supplies, help, advice, say the word.”
Hunter grunts his agreement, lifting one of the twins from Robert’s arms. The toddler lets out a soft yawn, tiny fists curled against his father’s chest.
