young. Hell, so am I. We have plenty of time. You could do it like your papa and space them out six years. Since Stevie is six years younger than Noah, you're already on track."
He watched me struggle through the last part, then laughed. "Wow. I'm... wow. Is my big, strong alpha afraid of little ol' me? I must be meaner than I thought when I get grumpy."
"Actually, you're super cute. I didn't want to sound like another toxic alpha who wanted to keep his mate pregnant. I don't need a bunch of pups to show I'm a man. You know what I do need? You. Our family. The rest of the West Coast Wolves. Everything else is gravy. I'm proud of our pack and what we're building here, and I treasure every member. But if it all went away tomorrow, I'd be okay as long as I had us."
Elisha studied me. "The funny thing is, I know you mean every word. As long as you could still provide for us, you really wouldn't care if it all went away. Even though you're arguably one of the best pack Alphas in the territory."
I carefully leaned over Stevie to touch my forehead to his. "I do mean it. I love our pack, don't get me wrong. But I don't need the A in alpha capitalized, if I’m making any sense. In my book, an alpha is a man who keeps his word, takes care of his responsibilities, and uses the strength and power he was given to protect those who need it. Who could possibly need it more than my own family? I get everything I could ever want by looking in your eyes. When you're proud of me, I know I'm living right."
"Then you must feel like the most righteous man alive because I'm always proud of you, my love. Now how about you rock back and forth in the glider and see if you can't get our son to go back to sleep? At the risk of sounding selfish, I'd like a turn being held by those powerful alpha arms."
Holding my other arm out, I nodded toward my lap. "Stevie doesn't take up much space, and neither do you. Also, I'm a big guy with a big lap. Stevie thinks Papa should come cuddle with us, and I agree."
He rolled his eyes but slipped onto my lap and slid one arm around my neck, resting his free hand on Stevie's chest. "Stevie thought so, huh? You must have a telepathic link because I'm pretty sure Stevie didn't say anything. And won't for about a year."
I shook my head sadly at Stevie. "He doesn't mean it, tiny dude. We know you have your own ways of communicating, don't you?"
Elisha gently zipped Stevie's jammies back up and tucked the blanket back in place. "He does, does he? Let me guess, you're the baby whisperer because you know how to translate every cry?"
I snorted. "I wish. No, it's all in his eyes. If you gaze into them long enough, it's like he's talking to you."
"Sweet, my love. But you know what? I think you might need more sleep. The middle-of-the-night sessions are starting to mess with your mind."
We teased each other a little longer until our voices lulled Stevie to sleep more than the glider ever could. Moving so efficiently the baby never stirred, Elisha carefully transferred him to the crib. He turned the lamp off and held out his hand. "Coming, my love? We need to snatch whatever sleep we can get before he wakes us up again."
I grabbed the nursery monitor and rose to take his hand. "Take me to bed, little wolf. Or anywhere else you want. All I know is I’ll go wherever you're heading."
"Handy, because I'll never head anywhere without you at my side. Except for the bathroom. Sorry not sorry, but some things are best left private." Love and affection flowed freely through our bond as we walked arm in arm to our bedroom. The moment our heads hit the pillows, Elisha snuggled against me. And I'm dead certain I passed out a few seconds after because his peaceful face was the last thing I remembered before my eyes opened again.
As it happened, Stevie wasn’t what woke us a few hours later. My cellphone rang, accompanied by the rumble of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway. I was instantly wide awake. None of my buddies would be coming in hot this early in the morning if