Chapter 298


    On Mom Time Now


    For the next two weeks, Sinir and I don’t get much sleep.


    Instead, our precious. Darling. Wonderful. Amazing. Bundle. Of. Joy…tortures us until we’re basically


    mindless drones, trying to figure out what he wants and giving it to him as soon as possible.


    “Oh my god,” I say to Sinir one night at three in the morning, desperate with anxiety andck of


    sleep. I walk around the room with Rafe pressed close to my chest, trying tofort him. “He’s been


    fed, changed, burped… he’s probably just sleepy! But he’s keeping himself up with all this noise he’s


    making!”


    “It will be all right,” says my ever–patient mate, holding out his arms. I passed the baby to him and…


    Rafe instantly quiets.


    And this is the moment when I simultaneously figured out the best and the worst thing in my life: that


    my mate is a baby whisperer, and that my child loves his dad more than he loves me.


    Of course, I’m so exhausted at this point that I don’t really care that Rafe quiets in Sinir’s arms and


    not mine. I’m just d that he’s quiet. “Okay,” I whisper, slowly backing away, as if from a live grenade.


    “You just hold him…just like that…”


    “E,” Sinir says, giving me a tiny scowl. “Don’t be ridiculous – it’s not as if – ” but he takes one step


    towards me and Rafe begins to cry. I freeze like a deer in the headlights. So does Sinir. Slowly, he


    takes a step backwards. Rafe quiets.


    “Right there, Dominic,” I whisper, backing away towards the bed. “Just stand there for…two, three


    hours…” I murmur as I climb into my messy nest, “and I’ll see you bothter…”


    “This is ridiculous, E,” Sinir half–whispers to me, but he doesn’t move. I barely hear him as I


    almost immediately fall asleep. We’re bothpletely at Rafe’s mercy. He’s the Alpha now.


    When I wake up a few hourster, the sun is peeking into the room and I raise myself on my elbows,


    looking around. I see that Sinir made his way to the rocking chair in the corner of the room and he’s


    sleeping there now, the babyid t in a bass pulled close. I smile to see that Sinir rests arge


    hand on the edge the basket, though, ready to respond if Rafe makes a move or a sound.


    Iugh a little to myself and shake my head, wondering at the power this little baby has over us. I pull


    myself out of bed, though, and go to look at both of them my gigantic mate, my tiny baby, next to each


    other. They look so alike – their coloring, some of their features, the and yet so incredibly different. My


    heart wrenches with love to see them there. same


    I stretch my arms over my head and decide to let them sleep, turning to quickly and silently pad out of


    the room and go down to the kitchen.


    This, oddly enough, has be where I spent most of my time now because I am constantly –


    constantly – hungry. I had assumed that my hunger would abate after I gave birth and was no longer


    growing a twelve pound baby within a five–month span, but I am still voracious. I head straight to the


    pantry, reaching for the big box of shredded wheat as well as a king–sized candy bar. I peel thetter


    open as I head to the counter and pour the former into a bowl.


    Slowly munching on the candy, I wonder if I’m going to be hungry like this for the duration of the time


    that I’m breastfeeding Rafe. I look down at myself, considering that I’m rtively lucky – my body has


    bounced back fast, at least in terms of health, probably because of my wolf biology and my mother’s


    gift. My figure still hasn’t returned to what it was before I was pregnant – I don’t care about that but


    health–wise, I feel as fit as I’ve ever been.


    Smiling to myself, I say a little prayer of thanks and go to grab the milk out of the fridge.


    “Chocte?” someone asks, and I give a little shriek, jumping in the air and spinning around – looking


    everywhere for the intruder. I’m still panting and on edge when my eyesnd on Roger, grinning at me


    from the doorway. “Chocte for breakfast? What kind of role model are you being for your child, E?”


    he scolds jokingly.


    “First of all,” I say, brandishing my candy bar at him, “I’m eating this for him, because he demands it.


    And also, I’m also eating shredded wheat!” I say, gesturing towards my cereal bowl. “So, healthy!”


    Rogerughs andes forward to give me a hug, which I warmly return. “Eat whatever you want,


    E. Just don’t bankrupt my brother to the candypany.”


    “No promises,” I return, returning to the fridge to grab the milk and making my way back to the bowl.


    “Why are you here so early?” I ask, curious. “We don’t need you here until nine.”


    Roger raises his eyebrows at me and taps his watch. My eyes go wide with disbelief and I nce


    towards the stove, which reads 9:08. “Oh my god!” I say, looking back at my brother–in w. “I can’t


    believe it! We’re sote!”


    He just shrugs and leans against the counter. “It’s all right, you’re on mom time. It’s understandable.”


    “No, it’s not!” I say, tossing the milk back in the fridge without pouring it and bolting for the stairs, “If we


    miss our appointment at the temple, we’ll never get another one! And then the moon ceremony won’t


    happen for another month and everything will be ruined!”


    Roger follows to watch me sprint up the stairs, calling after me. “I think they’ll make an exception for


    you, E! For the woman who ended the war!”


    “No excuses for being rude!” I call over my shoulder, pushing through the door into my room. “Sinir,


    quick! We overslept!”


    An hour and twenty–two minutester, we arrive at our appointment at the temple, just barely


    on time. Cora is there already, waiting anxiously on the steps. She storms over to me the moment we


    step out of the car.


    “E!” my sister hisses. “You’rete! You left me here all alone, with all the wolves!”


    I screw up my face in confusion as I give her a little re. “We’re notte yet,” I huff, reaching into the


    car to unhook the baby’s car seat. “And since when do you care about being alone with wolves? You’re


    alone with wolves all the time.”


    “Yeah, you, and Sinir, and Rafe,” she murmurs, ncing awkwardly over her shoulder at the temple.


    “Not…strangers.”


    I look at her carefully as I straighten, Rafe’s car seat handle looped over the crook of my arm. He is,


    thankfully, quiet and calm. “I didn’t know you were ufortable, Cora,” I say softly. ” I’m sorry.”


    “It’s fine,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I just…don’t like beingte.”


    I nod, but study her a little bit. Only since after the war has Cora felt this way about being a human


    amongst wolves. Did her breakup – or was it even a breakup? – mess with her mind this much? I’m


    about to ask, but unfortunately the man in questiones around the car at just that moment.


    “Hello, Cora,” Roger says softly, carefully. “It’s nice to see you.”


    Cora doesn’t say anything, just looks at him with a little disdain. I raise my eyebrows and look between


    them. I know that they haven’t seen each other since Rafe’s birth – but they had been fine with each


    other in the room that night.


    What did I miss?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.