Chatper 470
Chapter 470- War
E
The next day, Cora and Rogere over early. Roger and Sinir head out, their faces solemn, to
speak with their aids and their advisors regarding how to respond to the news we know is inevitably
coming. Our reconnaissance teams told us that the Atxian delegation did indeed return homest
night and were apparently in council until dawn.
Which suggests that at any moment now, they’ll dere war.
Sinir, I know, is spending a great deal of time deciding how to publicly respond. I think that he and
Roger right now are recording a message that will go out to the nation as soon as the war is dered.
But Cora and I?
Well.
We’re just…being moms.
“E,” she says, sighing and holding Rafe out towards me in my closet, wrinkling her nose. “I think you
precious future King needs to be changed.”
I sigh, my sweater only half over my head. “So? Go change him.”
When I pull my sweater down and settle it neatly over my stomach, I see her grinning at me, my baby
still outstretched in her arms. “Nope,” she says, shaking her head. “Your baby, your diaper.”
“You’re going to regret that policy,” I say, taking Rafe from her with raised brows, “in juuuuust about
three and a half months, Cora.”
“And for three and a half months, I will be diaper free!” she calls after me with augh as I carry my
smelly baby over to his changing table in the bedroom.
Rafe grins at me, looking honestly a little proud of himself, and I can’t help butugh as Iy him down
and quickly change him. “Little Rafe,” I coo, smiling down into his perfect face and tickling his belly,
“getting so big! Do you want to try an apple today? Or some avocado?”
As I finish changing Rafe, Coraes out of the closet, changed into afortable set of my clothes.
She came to the pce today in more formal clothing, but as soon as Sinir let her know that she
probably wouldn’t be required to appear or speak she immediately expressed her intention to change.
I smile at her, picking up the baby, my eyes going to where her little baby bump is clearly evident under
her sweatshirt.
“I know,” she says, rolling her eyes andughing as shees over to me. ” I’m getting huge.”
“Oh, no you’re not,” I say,ughing as we together move into the living area through the next door and
settle onto the couch. “Trust me, you’ll know you’re huge when you can’t even see your feet.”
Cora does look down at her feet as she tucks them up beneath her on the couch, her hands going to
either side of her belly. “It just goes so fast, these wolf pregnancies,” she says, shaking her head.
“Human moms get nine months to adjust; it’s kind of crazy that wolf mothers only get two-thirds of that
time.”
“Or less,” I say, raising my eyebrows. “I didn’t even make it to six months.”
“I wonder how long mine will be,” she murmurs, still studying her belly, smiling down at her little baby-
to-be.” No way of knowing, with this hybrid stuff.”
“Surprises are always exciting,” I say, resting back on the couch and holding my baby close to my
chest, turning him a little so he can look at his auntie. Rafe giggles a little, the sweetest sound in the
world.
Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.
“Not when the surprise results in a pup,” Cora murmurs, and Iugh at her displeased tone. “I’d like to
know, to have a timeline.”
“Timelines are just you trying to control the chaos, sis,” I murmur, resting my head against my baby’s. ”
And with children – and this family?” I shake my head a little. “Maybe it’s better to just lean into the
unknown. There’s no way of predicting or controlling what wille next.”
“Yeah, well,” Cora sighs, looking up at me now. “With war on the horizon? And Roger looking like he’s
going to be in the midst of it all?” she shakes her head. “Forgive me, E, if I lean into my desire for
increased control a little more instead.”
I nod, understanding her. Before I can say anything else, though, the door opens and Roger and
Sinire through, their hands shockingly empty of tablets, phones, paperwork – any of the usual
outrements of running the nation that I’m so used to seeing them carry these days.
“What,” I say, frowning up at my mate as hees to stand behind me. ” All done work for the day?”
“Nothing more we can do,” he murmurs. “Budge over I want to sit.”
I grin, scooting forward almost halfway across the couch to make room for him to sit down behind me.
Cora wordlessly makes more room, going to sit on Roger’sp and draping her legs over the side of
the armchair on which he settles. I lean back against my mate, pleased when he slips an arm around
me. My smile grows when I see Roger press a kiss to Cora’s jaw, and then another on the mating mark
he ced high on her neck.
“So?” I say, turning a little to look at Sinir, finding his eyes already on me. “Is it done?”
“It is,” he replies with a little sigh. Then he reaches for the remote and presses a few buttons, turning on
the television that hangs on the far wall. The channel immediately turns to a news venue, and words
stretch across the screen.
WAR DECARED
Not wanting to hear the details he already knows, Sinir presses mute and wraps his arms more
tightly around me. I sigh, pressing myself against him, and then I dip my head again to press another
kiss to Rafe’s soft hair.
“We tried so hard to avoid it,” I murmur.
“They know they have the upper hand,” “Sinir replies, and I can feel him shake his head, feel his
disappointment down the bond. “It’s a gamble – but if they win? The rewards will be worth it. Moon
Valley is incredibly valuable, both innd and intellectual resources.”
“Which means they’ll fight very hard to take it,” Roger sighs. “It’s going to be…a long war.”
“How long?” I murmur, looking down at the top of Rafe’s head, so d that he’s oblivious.
“Long enough,” Sinir says quietly behind me, “that it’s unlikely he’ll grow up knowing peace, E. I’m
sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I say, my reply instant – because it’s really, really not his fault. And I bolster myself
then, knowing that Sincliar is as worried as I am. Knowing that he needs me to be strong for him, as he
is for me. I work to put a smile on my face, to make myself feel the hope that I know lives within me,
even though my heart hurts.
“At least,” I say, turning to look up at Sinir, letting him see that hope, ” Rafe’s got a big strong papa to
protect him.”
“Oh, he doesn’t need me,” Sinir replies,ughing a little and reaching down to take Rafe’s tiny hands
in his own giant mitts, moving Rafe’s hands in quick jabs to make it look like he’s punching. Iugh to
see it. “Our boy’s a fighter, E. Born that way.”
I bite my lip, because I wanted Rafe to choose his future to decide to be a fighter if he wants to be, or
an artist if that speaks to him more. Or both. Or something in between.
But, well. We all grow up in worlds that shape us beyond our own desires. And if our hearts are true…
well, they lead us to what was meant for us anyway, right? Despite all obstacles.
“He’s going to have a beautiful life,” I murmur, stroking my baby’s hair. “No matter what Atxia throws
at us. We’re going to give it to him.”
“That’s right,” Sinir says, kissing my head. I turn my face up to him and happily ept the next kiss,
which he ces on my mouth.
“Don’t forget about our baby,” Roger calls, frowning at us. I grin as I turn back to my sister and her
mate, curled up in their chair. “His life is going to be even better.”
“Really, Roger?” Sinir says, his voice dry. “We have to getpetitive about this too?”
“Damn right we do,” Cora says, a wicked grin on her lips that makes meugh. “Our kid is going to be
even happier than yours.”
“Challenge epted,” I say, pretending to re at both of them. ” Whoever’s kid has the better life
wins.”
And we allugh a little, because we know that both boys are winners here, with a family like this to
fight for them.
“Whatever happens,” Sinir says, looking around at all of us, “we have each other. And that’s all that
matters.”
“Precisely,” Cora says with a nod, her hand tracing idly over her stomach. ” Whatever this world throws
at us, we can face it.”
And I hold my baby tight, and lean back against my mate, and smile around at my family, knowing in
my heart that they’re right.
Because I’ve got big ns for our future – ns I haven’t quite shared with them yet. But I’m so
grateful to have such a strong family by my side, through the good times and the bad.