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“We’ll be missed when they need something from the diaper bag,” he teased. And he was right. Everyone wanted to hold the baby until they needed a new diaper.

We walked over to them, and there were hugs aplenty. It was nice catching up with everyone, being able to see what their families were up to, hearing about different events that had taken place at the club, people’s plans for the future—all the normal things we generally talked about in our group chat, but somehow were more real because we were together.

Unbeknownst to us at the time, Karma and Warren had closed the club down for the night for a “special event.” That special event being all of us eating together without any distractions from customers.

And what made it even more special was that it was a potluck, which meant we had amazing cookies, Goldie’s scones, charcuterie, along with enchiladas, pasta bakes, and salads.

The vibe—exactly perfect.

And even though Sasha wasn’t the only little one there, he never had to be worried about being put down. There were plenty of arms waiting.

When the night was over, and the three of us walked back to our old apartment, a calm came over me, one that said that we’d made the right choice—not only working here for the time we did, but also moving.

Which was weird to think about because we were happy here. We had family here.

And this would always be a place to come back to, a place to visit, a place to recharge. But the den? That would always be our home.

I fed Sasha then, while I hopped in the shower, Dimitri changed him and put him down in the crib that had magically appeared in our old apartment.

“Room for one more?” He stood in the doorway.

I was just about to get out, but that wasn’t going to stop me from accepting his offer.

“Absolutely. Sasha is asleep already?”

Dimitri climbed in beside me, and I stepped out of the way so he could be fully under the water.

“He fell asleep while I was putting on his pajamas. The little man had a very full day.”

I reached up and massaged his scalp under the steamy water, readying him for the shampoo.

“We all did.” I pressed a kiss to his mating mark, the one that shouted to the world that he was mine. On our first night together, he’d marked me, but later, I returned the favor. Tradition be damned. Apparently, in some matings, everyone got a mark, and I liked that.

“If you keep doing that, I’m not going to be getting any cleaner. You won’t either.”

“And what if I told you that was my plan?” It hadn’t been, but it sure was now. “What would you say then?”

“I wouldn’t be able to speak, I’d be too busy kissing you. Why? Was it your plan?”

I answered him in the way he promised to answer me, with a kiss that led to another and another.

It was hard to believe that not much over a year ago, I nearly mated someone for business gains. Standing my ground and walking away from everything I’d ever known had been the best decision I ever made.

Now I had a mate I loved and who loved me back just as deeply, a beautiful son, a den that accepted me, a family at Animals, and a lifetime of these kisses.

Nothing could be better than that. Nothing.