Page 174 of Conner's Luna

"Thank you, Terror," I say solemnly.

"Mommy, does baby want one?" Selene asks her mother. Bailey has half-finished the popsicle. Bailey shakes her head, 'no,' then pauses, and nods.

Selene feeds her little sister and mommy most of the box of twenty as we walk back, Bailey tucked in between us. It took a while to get used to the habit of placing Bailey in the middle instead of Selene, but my daughter is an alpha, so I guess it makes sense. Especially after Bailey became pregnant again.

"Well, I see you survived,"Abuelasays grumpily to me when we walk over to her. "Unfortunately," she adds under her breath.

"Mami Watawouldn't take Daddy," Selene announces confidently. "He's too nice," my pup emasculates me easily as Bailey giggles.

I hate the water, but I love the joy on my girls' faces as we reach the crest of the hill andAbuela’slittle cove of Puerto Rico comes into view. It's stunning. Even the fucking ocean is pretty.

"I'll miss coming here," Bailey says softly as she leans into me. "Look at how the water sparkles, sweetheart."

I look down at my gorgeous mate. Her eyes sparkle more than the fucking ocean, but the words get trapped in my throat. It's just too much, too deep, how I feel for this woman. Words mean shit compared to the sound of her sweet voice over the soft thrum of our second pup's heartbeat.

"Oof," Bailey grunts a little and wriggles around.

"You all right, baby?" I rub her belly and the small mound rewards me with a thump.

"She's stretching," Bailey sighs. "I can't believe they grow so fast. Uncle Mattie and I are still studying genetics, and it's obvious that your cells regenerate faster, but we haven't isolated that particular genome. Growth in utero is most likely a similar gene, but not the same versions, so we still have a lot to do."

I didn't want her to travel when she's with pup, butAbuelais getting old and somehow Uncle Alex convinced her to give up her beloved Puerto Rico and move to ClearHowl. She wouldn't move, however, unless the entire family visited her in Puerto Rico, first.

Wolves hate the fucking ocean. We're like a bunch of grouchy, itchy assholes this week, but we try our best to hide it from Selene and herbisabuela.

We walk intoAbuela’ssmall cottage and once again I wonder if I should have bought the yacht. The cottage is a rabbit warren of rooms, but with only two formal bedrooms. Bailey and I are bedding down in the kitchen because it has a small bathroom.Abuelaborrowed a bed from a neighbor.

"Well?"Abuelasnaps out. Obediently I follow her downstairs to the rear garden.

Our kitchen bedroom, I found out quickly, is not used. Ever.Abuelacooks in a tiny hut out back near the cliff, then plates the food and brings it into her 'fancy' kitchen and serves it from there. She doesn't use any of the appliances or dishware on display in the formal kitchen. Just the wooden spoons. She uses those.

"That'll do, young man,"Abuelahuffs as she stacks three trays of food in my arms. "Take these all to the garden. Mind you don't snack on the way over."

I barely resist rolling my eyes at her. I'm not a pup. I also don't want to be whacked with the spoon innocently stashed in her apron pocket.

"Yes, ma'am," I respond politely before taking the trays to the garden.

We settle down to eat as night falls over the island. After Selene falls asleep in my lap, not used to such late meals, I take her back inside and tuck her into her bed. She is in Bailey's pup-bed in the alcove under the stair landing. Where the moon shines in through the round window and the sound of the sea in the background soothes my daughter to sleep. I wait for her eyes to blink closed again before I rejoin the adults.

"It's a pretty fucking sight if you like imminent death and fathomless destruction," Dad remarks as he stares out at the black sea. He twirls his beer bottle in his hand before taking a sip.

"Selene loves to swim," I point out. "So does Bailey."

Dad nods, face tight. "We have a pool."

"Exactly what I said," I agree.

Dad grunts. We watch the horizon for a while before I decide that Selene must be deeply asleep.

"I'll see you in the morning, Dad."

"'Night, Con."

I walk inside to search for Bailey, but she isn't with the other females. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffside at the back of the garden mute the sounds of voice and the beer mutes the bond a little, so I go searching.

Rolling my neck, I walk to Selene's little room, figuring that Bailey must be there, too. I'm near the small alcove tucked under the stairs when my blood turns to ice in my veins and my alpha wolf screams in my head. Fur erupts down my spine, the back of my hands. My wolf gnashes his teeth, snapping at the air furiously.

All we can hear is the song. We listen to the haunting feminine voice with complete focus. One deep inhale... the sea and our females. Our family is in that room.

---