Page 23 of The Wolf King's Demand

Tyler and Addison continued trading and answering questions, but they both started choosing sillier ones, like what toys she had played with as a kid or what he liked doing on the weekend. Eventually, the spaces between their questions got longer and longer, and the answers got shorter and shorter, and she sank deeper and deeper into sleep.

Finally, they were both asleep, one on top of the other, and they could both feel that they were much closer than they’d ever been.

FOURTEEN

TYLER

Breakfast, it turned out, could be incredibly chaotic. Especially when you throw a bunch of children into the mix.

Children raced about, spilling food, and playfully taunting one another. Cassia, the youngest at four, ate more quietly than the others, but she kept grinning at the antics around her. There was also a six-year-old, Jacob, who was already coming out of his shell to be a sweet yet rowdy boy. Liddy was eight and a little bossy but whip-smart. Finally, there was Timon, the eldest at nine.

Tyler, for his part, loved every minute of it. He’d been thrilled when all of the children had agreed to join them in the formal dining room. Addison had wanted them to learn to be a part of a pack instead of some alpha’s slave. And Tyler had agreed wholeheartedly.

Some of the women still felt too awkward to eat with a man just yet. Addison and Tyler respected their wishes, though they were both hopeful the rest would feel comfortable in time.

Jacob snatched a pancake from Timon’s plate, who squawked in protest. “Hey! That’s mine!”

“I’m the pancake monster! I steal all the pancakes.” the thief teased.

In retaliation, Timon wadded up a napkin and threw it at Jacob. The self-proclaimed pancake monster then wadded up his napkin and threw it at Timon. Then, for no obvious reason, Liddy threw her napkin as well.

And to think that this room was usually filled with the most refined people in the kingdom. Nobles and royalty who had been well-trained in manners since they were young and never threw napkins at each other. Though the idea made him grin. He could think of a few he’d have liked to throw napkins at.

The other children began playfully stealing each other’s food, turning the whole thing into a game.

This, Tyler decided, was better than any dinner he’d ever had in this room.

One thing that made it particularly enjoyable was his betrothed. Addison was such a natural with the children. She seemed to have made a connection with each one of them.

As the food fight started to get out of hand, Addison went into the center of the chaos. She put a gentle hand on the two children who had started the food fight.

“All right, that’s enough roughhousing for now. I promise that we’re not going to run out of pancakes anytime soon. So how about we put down the napkins and call a truce?”

“But I’m the pancake monster,” the little boy protested.

Addison grinned. “But don’t you know that pancake monsters can be defeated with an amazing hug?”

And then she squeezed Jacob in a tight embrace. The kid squirmed, but from the way he was laughing, he clearly didn’t mind.

“Addison, I’m a pancake monster, too,” Cassia shouted.

“Me too.”

“I’m a pancake monster, too.”

“You can’t catch me.”

All of the children had declared themselves pancake monsters and were goading Addison into noticing them. She sighed exaggeratedly. “Well, I guess it’s amazing hugs for all of you then.”

The kids all let out squeals as Addison began going around, wrapping each kid in a tight hug.

Tyler smiled at her in pure adoration. She was definitely maternal.

For a moment, he pictured the dining room at his castle filled with their own children. The faces he imagined had bits and pieces of each of their features. He wouldn’t even mind if some of them were children they had taken in, just like Cassia. Every morning, they could have breakfast just like this. Maybe even with these four children.

His heart warmed at the thought. He wondered if Addison wanted as many children as he did. But as he watched her going around and hugging the children tightly, he was leaning toward assuming she was just as in favor of it as he was.

Just then, he locked eyes with his mate. Her eyes were shining with pure delight. Tyler vowed to always work to bring that much happiness to her.

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