of Sascha’s arms, while Lucas took their little girl from Sienna.
Sascha’s eyes widened. “Two wolf pups to one leopard cub. I guess this answers the question of which one of you is more dominant.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Riley said. “Isabella was born first, led the charge.” Riley nuzzled a kiss to Mercy’s hair. “I’d say we came out even.”
“Good answer, wolf.” A kiss that held sunshine, his mate’s delight open.
“I thought so,” he murmured. “I bet Isabella runs the boys ragged.”
“I love that name.” Sascha smiled down at the pupcub she’d stolen from Lucas. “Is she named after your grandmother?”
Mercy nodded. “I figure an alpha is a good namesake for our girl. Her middle name is Maeve, after Riley’s mom.” She twined her fingers with Riley’s. “Acton is for Riley’s father and Michael for mine.” Her smile grew deeper. “Belle, Ace, and Micah.”
Grinning, she added, “We decided we’d better come up with nicknames before my brothers did it first. God knows what Shadow, Herb, and Frenchie would’ve chosen.” As everyone laughed, she kissed Ace’s cheek after Hawke returned their youngest son to her arms and Micah to Riley’s.
Riley and Mercy had chosen the family names because they wanted their children to feel firmly rooted despite the fact that all three were unique and would be forging their own path. It was for the same reason that they’d had a long discussion before settling on Smith-Kincaid as the pupcubs’ surname. A bit of a mouthful yes, especially since all three had middle names, but it meant their babies, regardless of their changeling animal, would never wonder if they belonged more to one parent than to the other.
“Michael’s middle name is Hawke,” Riley told his best friend.
Hawke froze, then said, “Hell.” The single word held a storm of emotion, his wolf prowling in his eyes.
“And Acton’s is Lucas,” Mercy told her alpha, to the same intense reaction. “Wolf or leopard, we wanted our babies to know they are cherished by both packs.”
That, Riley thought, was the purest truth.
• • •
TEN minutes later, Riley saw Mercy’s eyes follow Hawke as he handed Ace over to Lucas, before taking Belle and Micah from the leopard alpha. He knew why she was so intrigued—both alphas were treating the children as their own. That wasn’t usually a choice. Alphas were as territorial about children in their pack as parents were about their pups or cubs.
Lucas caught their glances. “In terms of pack hierarchy and for any disciplinary needs, Belle is mine, while Micah and Ace are Hawke’s, but they’re all ours.”
It was an extraordinary thing for a predatory changeling alpha to say . . . yet it resonated with Riley. He was Hawke’s, but he’d fight to the death for Lucas, too, because DarkRiver needed Lucas, and Mercy needed DarkRiver. He knew his mate would do the same for Hawke, no matter how often she might threaten to kill him.
Now, she stole back Belle, nuzzled her sweet face. “You hear that, kiddo? You’re going to have to deal with two of them.”
“She can handle it.” Lucas touched Mercy’s cheek with the affection of alpha to packmate. “Belle’s your kid—with a bit of wolf thrown in, but we won’t hold that against her.”
Hawke growled at the other alpha, but it was hard to take his “threat” seriously when he was cradling Ace against his chest, his hands covering the pupcub’s tiny body as he rubbed his jaw gently against Ace’s face. Ace’s hand opened then fisted against Hawke’s chest, though his eyes stayed closed.
At the other end of the bed, Micah was yawning in Sascha’s arms while Sienna gently brushed the dark auburn hair on his head. All the children had that dark shade that would probably become a deep brown with auburn highlights as they grew.
A blend of their parents.
It made Riley smile just as he caught the first hint of animated voices arrowing in their direction.
His and Mercy’s siblings, as well as Mercy’s parents, tumbled inside minutes later, all joy and excitement and love. So much love. Their children would never lack for either playmates or care. And when they came home, they’d do so to parents who adored one another and their babies.
Mercy looked up right then, her eyes shimmering with emotion. “I love you, Riley.”
“Ditto, kitty cat,” he whispered, stealing a kiss while their babies held court, and for the first time in known history, wolf and leopard adults mingled with newborns in their arms, no protective aggression in either party.
Family, Riley thought, SnowDancer