When She Needs Them Most
: Epilogue

Two and a Half Months Later

Luna growls, capturing her fist with her mouth as she sways in her swing. She’s adorable and starting to be vocal through methods other than crying. She coos and squeals and even gets lucky occasionally with catching her fingers to suck on.

My head tilts as I try to determine if she could be hungry. Or she might just be realizing she has hands.

It’s hard to tell.

Chelsea still pumps, but we feed Luna the expressed milk in bottles now. I have no complaints. I love feeding the little lady. It even feels like she’s starting to recognize our faces. Okay, fine. Maybe it’s our voices she’s recognizing, but it’s an unreal feeling either way.

Chelsea comes into the living room, looking as radiant as ever. Since she had some work to catch up on, I stayed with the baby, so she could concentrate. She’s in a soft, navy-blue dress with a light pink ribbon just under her chest. It accentuates her chest before flaring out around her luscious hips.

“Did you get everything done?” I ask as Chelsea heads to the swing, running her fingers over Luna’s tummy and tucking the blanket around her hips.

She pops up and beams as she sways her way over to me. “Yep, thank you for keeping her.”

I shrug.

It’s no big deal.

Honestly, I’ve been trying to convince Arden to let me do most of my work from home. I like the idea of being a house husband or a stay-at-home dad. Although, that might be selfish, since Arden and Lincoln don’t have that same luxury.

I already keep Luna when Chelsea has her therapy appointments. She’s doing a lot better than she was, but I’m relieved she has someone else she can talk to about Clark. Also, the doctor knows what to look out for versus what is just normal grief and healing.

Chelsea climbs onto the long end of the couch where I’m stretched out. She pulls her dress up just a little at the thighs and tosses her leg over mine. It’s a major relief that she’s healed from giving birth.

That six-week wait felt like forever, but we got creative the last week or so. Although, we followed Chelsea’s lead to make sure she didn’t rush before she was ready.

She lays her head on my chest, letting her weight push against me. It makes me miss the baby belly just a little. It’s nice to be able to have her actually lie chest to chest, or stomach to stomach, since she’s way shorter than I am.

“Mmm, you smell so good.” Her nose dances around, trying to find where my scent is strongest.

I chuckle and use my hand on her ass to pull her higher until she’s right in the crook of my neck. “You know how much I love you. Don’t you, Chelsea?”

“Yeah?” Her tongue flicks over my neck, and she tugs my earlobe with her teeth. “I love you too.”

I grin. “I’ve been able to feel it in the bond for a while, but I just wanted to hear the words.”

She pulls back to look at my face. “I love you.”

“I love you too, beautiful.” I sit up and capture her lips.

Another Month Later

Tonight is the first time we’ve all been away from Luna at once. To be fair, we barely had the opportunity to begin to court Chelsea before Luna made her arrival. That halted everything, except focusing on helping Chelsea rest and heal and looking after the newest addition to our family.

But my mom is over the moon to be able to babysit for the first time. She’s spent a fair amount of time with Luna while we were around, but this is different, since the four of us managed to make it out of the house at one time.

I don’t foresee Chelsea letting us linger at the table following dinner, but hopefully, she’ll let us stick around long enough to give her the monumental surprise Arden has tucked in his jacket pocket.

We’re all in a curved booth, with Chelsea and Lincoln between Arden and me. It means I’m directly across from Arden, and I’ve never seen my packmate look quite so terrified. There’s no reason for him to be nervous.

We’re bonded.

She’s not going to say no to wearing our ring…right?

No, that’s silly.

She signed the paperwork for the pack commitment ceremony. This just puts a ring on her finger. We’re technically allowed to call her our wife already, so the ring is more of an additional courting gift.

Well, that and dinner at the fanciest steakhouse in Blacksburg.

My nose twitches with the scent of Chelsea’s arousal, and my head tilts. Lincoln has several cloth napkins over her lap, and he’s turned into her side. I lean over the table a little and notice his right hand is missing.

Tell me he’s not fingering her at the damn table. My nostrils flare, and yeah, that’s absolutely the scent of Chelsea’s pussy.

“You’re a terrible influence,” I tell him, tugging the tablecloth, so it falls farther over the edge that faces the room.

Lincoln stretches his free arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his chest. “I’m fun. You two should try it sometime.”

“You are incredible,” Chelsea groans.

Arden’s head swivels, and he gives Lincoln an incredulous look. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Chelsea says. “Yes, he is.”

Lincoln chuckles. “It’s time to ask that question.”

My eyes bug as I nod. She is continually chanting yes under her breath. Now is the time to do it.

Arden fumbles and begins digging in his jacket pocket.

“You’re there, aren’t you, sweetheart?” Lincoln asks softly.

“Yep.” Chelsea moans, nodding. “Yeah, yes. Right there.”

Lincoln laughs, nodding at Arden.

“We love you,” Arden says, popping open the box. “We already have the legal commitment, but will you wear our ring?”

“Yes,” Chelsea groans.

“Oh, good,” I say, smiling. “Shove the ring onto her finger.”

Arden grabs her hand and shoves the ring on while Lincoln buries her face in his chest to muffle the sounds that escape her lips.

“God, you’re killing me here,” Linc says, tilting her mouth up to meet his.

Movement comes our way, and I panic. The waitress approaches with a massive tray on her shoulder.

“Incoming,” I whisper-hiss.

Chelsea jolts, hurling herself back against the booth. Lincoln laughs under his breath. I panic-gather our salad plates and pile them by Arden in hopes the server won’t get too close to the table.

And Arden keeps twisting Chelsea’s hand, so the diamond glints in the low light.

The little omega squeaks when she catches sight of the three-carat emerald-cut diamond solitaire.

Lincoln pulls his hand up and begins licking his fingers clean.

The waitress waits patiently, blinking in confusion.

I snort.

They think I’m the crazy one?

Hardly.

But this is the kind of chaos I enjoy.

Now, to eat a delicious meal, get home and check on our daughter, and then I’ll snack on my omega.

Another Four Months Later

Sky is beyond pissed that we locked her in the downstairs bedroom, but that dog is just as gone for Chelsea as the rest of us are. I have no doubt that she would step in to defend her favorite human, even from me. Which is weird, because I used to be her person.

Luna is with Kase’s mom for Chelsea’s first heat after giving birth, and while it’s coming to an end, it’s not over just yet.

Arden came up with a little game of hunt the omega. It’s a lovely plan, but Sky won’t stop whining from inside the bedroom every time I stomp past. It makes me feel like a shitty owner, but she’s got a bed and a TV. She’ll be fine until we catch Chelsea and bring her into the nest.

I quietly sneak up the back stairs and come around the curve to the hallway.

Kase has Chelsea’s back to his chest as he holds her dangling in the air. He speaks closer to her ear and bites her throat before setting her on her feet and slapping her ass. “Careful if you head down the stairs.”

She’s nude from the hours we’ve spent in the nest, worshipping her sexy little ass. Her tits bounce as she squeals, heading down the main stairs.

Kase’s head swivels, and he meets my eyes before nodding back the way I came.

Well, I don’t hate that plan.

I bound down the back stairs as quietly as possible and take the hallway toward the front door, instead of going toward the kitchen and laundry room. Keeping my back to the wall, I listen for clues on where she is. I come around the wall that separates the hallway from the entryway.

Chelsea spots me and squeaks, spinning around and bolting toward the kitchen. I take off after her with my cock thickening as I jog. I’m pretty sure she’s not even trying to escape, because I catch her hips with no problem. All that bare skin falls back against my nude chest.

I hook my arms in the indents above her hips and palm her heavy tits. “You are a fucking dream.” Pinching her nipples, I cup her breasts as she wiggles her ass against my cock. She’s got her long hair up in a bun, making it easy to suck on my bondmark. The pulse that vibrates through the link causes my knot to ache and my shaft to jolt. She’s cooler than she has been, but I’m guessing that’s because we’re between waves. When she’s in the middle of one, her skin heats to the point it’s almost painful.

“Oh, right,” Chelsea mumbles, tossing an elbow back and connecting with my side. It’s a weak attempt at escape, but she struggles, trying to throw herself forward.

“I don’t think you really want to get away.” I chuckle, grinding against her as my hand flattens on her sternum. “I think your goal is to be caught, so we can take turns mounting you. You enjoy being fucked like the dirty little cock tease you are. Don’t you, sweetheart?”

Chelsea moans, nodding.

Fuck me.

I’d love to bend her over the kitchen counter, wrap my hand in her hair, and rut into her until the fog slips in, but I catch sight of Arden leaning in the doorway that leads to the other connection to the back stairs.

I bite Chelsea’s throat without breaking the skin and step back. “Better run fast. Arden looks like he’s on a mission to make you pay.”

Chelsea freezes before glancing between the back hallway and the one that leads to the front door.

Arden chuckles darkly. “Get moving, love, or I’ll take you right on the kitchen floor.”

She bolts toward the front, and Arden strides by several seconds later like he’s in no rush.

“Make sure you get her to the nest. I’m going to let Sky out for a quick bathroom break, and I’ll be right up to join you,” I say before he can disappear around the corner.

He gives a quick wave of acknowledgement, but again, it’s with his middle finger. One day, I’m going to have to warn him that doesn’t mean what he thinks it means.

By the time I calm Sky down enough that—I hope—she won’t try to chew through the nest door to check on us, it feels like at least half an hour has passed.

The scent of Chelsea’s pussy hits my nose before I even make it to the bedroom door.

Goddamn.

That’s impressive.

I kicked off my shoes by the door to the back porch, but I tug off my shirt, tossing it on the dresser as I pass through our bedroom. The sounds of sex spill down the hallway, and I pick up my pace. Opening the door to the nest, I let myself inside and note how thick Chelsea’s pheromones are as I make my way to my packmates.

Our sweet little omega opted for a birth control implant, so we’re covered for now, but in a year or two, I’m talking her into giving us another baby.

Not that I expect it to take much effort. Luna is adorable, and we’ve discussed it before—she’s not going to be an only child. Chelsea and I both lived that childhood, and I want Luna to have siblings close enough in age that they can look out for each other.

I make it to the edge of the nest mattress, and my head tilts. Chelsea is riding Kase, but I can’t tell if Arden is in her ass or also in her pussy. Either way, our little omega is greatly enjoying herself. She writhes against Arden’s chest as her nails dig into Kase’s stomach.

My nostrils flare, and I breathe in the scent of her arousal as I enjoy the show. My hand slides down the front of my sweats, gripping my cock and squeezing the fuck out of it.

Arden has his forearm trapped between Chelsea and Kase, and I assume he’s teasing her clit. Her entire body trembles as she curls toward Kase, screaming out her release.

“Fucking hell,” Kase groans.

Arden growls, shaking his head. “Well, there’s no holding out now.”

I chuckle, shoving my sweats down and kicking the rest of the way out of them. It feels like we’re really putting her birth control to the test with this heat, and the thought only succeeds in making precum drip from my tip.

“Are you in her ass?” I ask Arden as he finally glances at me.

“No,” he and Kase say at the same time.

“Linc.” Chelsea gasps, stretching out a hand for me. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” I assure her.

Arden carefully pulls free of her pussy and falls onto the bed.

“Does it count as a train if two of you went at once?” I climb on the edge of the mattress and stretch out. Jerking my cock, I nod to my dick. “You coming over here, sweetheart?”

“Yeah,” she agrees breathlessly, but she stops to give Kase a quick kiss before climbing off his dick. She scrambles over, and her pussy ends up hovering over my knot. She grinds against it. Slick and cum drip out everywhere, but being part of a pack, you learn to get used to that.

My hand flattens against the top of my dick. She pushes up enough that, when she lowers, she sinks down on my crown.

The fever is back.

My hands land on her hips, shoving her farther down my length.

Chelsea turns to a begging puddle of omega. Her face falls to my chest, and I plant my feet on the bed to buck up into her.

“So good. Oh, God, I love you so much.” She groans, licking my skin.

“Love you too. Now, relax and enjoy the ride while I lock all that cum inside you.”

A wide smile crosses my face as she slams her emotions at me in the bond and claws at my shoulders.

She is a fucking gift. It’s the last rational thought I have as her pheromones send the fog flooding in, but it’s true.

Two More Years Later

Luna sits on my lap in one of the club chairs in our living room. She has a pillow on her thighs, and she holds Chauncey. Well, my arm supports both of them, but this is all about bonding. Our sweet toddler was not initially as enamored by her baby brother as we all hoped she would be. She’s beginning to come around, but for the first week, she cried every time he did, and she begged Chelsea to, in her words, take him back, so he can find his own mommy.

I’m sure it is a big adjustment to go from having all of our attention to having to share it. But things have been much better, especially since we’ve started including her in the baby care tasks. I believe she just needed to feel wanted and appreciated.

Chelsea smiles from her spot on the couch, curled up at Kase’s side. I grin back, but she nods at Luna and Chauncey.

“Can you tilt the bottle up just a little? Baby brother is sucking bubbles,” I say, raising my arm a bit to see if that helps.

“I can,” she says, adjusting the angle.

“Good job,” I say, patting her knee with my free hand.

“Um, I want to play. You do it.” Luna kisses Chauncey’s cheek, drops the bottle, and slides off the chair as I rearrange to take over feeding him.

He’s only three weeks old, but he’s much sturdier than I remember Luna being. Then again, he was just shy of nine pounds.

Chelsea never ceases to blow my mind. It’s nearly incomprehensible that she was able to push out a nine-pound baby.

“Sky, let’s play with my ball!” Luna squeals.

Lincoln chuckles and shoves himself off the other end of the couch as Sky jumps up. “Let me grab your shoes before you go out on the deck.”

“Okay, Daddy!”

I pull Chauncey’s bottle free and relocate him to be burped. Yeah, I think I could do this another time or two. Never did I consider that a sedate lifestyle could bring me such joy, but it truly does.

Fifteen Years After That

“I swear to God, if you follow me around all night, glaring at my date…” Luna plants her hands on her hips, giving Chauncey a look meant to melt the skin from his bones. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but it’ll be awful.”

Kase stands just behind Luna, and he glares at Chauncey, swiping his fingers across his throat. The threat is implied, but the little shit better not rat us out, or he’ll never leave the house again.

Chauncey snorts, rolling his blue eyes. “Believe it or not, Luna, I have better things to do than to stalk you at prom.”

“Yeah, right.” Luna shoves her dark brown hair back from her face. She’s so grown up, it’s hard to believe how fast time flies. “Only juniors and seniors are supposed to go, anyway. I can’t believe you sweet-talked Lyza into taking you.”

Reagan and Harper skip into the living room, with Lincoln just behind them. The twins came three years after Chauncey, and they’re jealous they aren’t old enough for dances like homecoming or prom, but their time will come. I’m just not sure who we’ll bribe to follow them around.

“Okay, you two. Stop bickering and get together with your dads, so I can take pictures,” Chelsea instructs, holding up the camera.

The twins rush over to Luna, distracting her.

I beeline for Chauncey, digging in my pocket for the cash I stashed there earlier. “Five hundred if she doesn’t leave your sight all night.”

He snorts, snagging the cash. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

We really did luck out with good kids. Then again, it’s not Luna I’m concerned about. It’s all the little fuckers who will see her in that dress and try their luck.

Christ.

I miss the days when I could just kill someone rather than having to play by society’s rules.

I step over to my omega, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and snagging the camera with the other hand. “I’ll take a few. You squeeze in with the kids.”

“Thanks.” She stretches up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss at the edge of my lips.

No, I wouldn’t trade being a parent for anything…even if the house is always filled with someone arguing with someone over missing shoes or borrowed clothes that were never returned.

Or Chauncey complaining he can never find a free bathroom.

I never realized how much we were lacking until Chelsea came stumbling into our lives and changed everything.

“All right, everyone. Look at me and say we love you, Mom.”