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She hands the photos to Nix, and it’s the first time it seems real. There are two tiny little almost-people inside him, with tiny fingers and tiny noses—and two glittering gold bonds flitting around the others under Nix’s heart.

He’s going to be a Dad, for real.

Holy shit.

Across the Sky (Grayson)

As soon as Sandrine had left them in the med-bay, an alarm had sounded, heralding critical patients from a three-car collision.

It was all hands on deck, so they’d gotten a dazed Rowan to his feet, and Finn had kissed Nix goodbye before promising that he’d see them at home as soon as he could get away.

There had been a unanimous sigh of appreciation for Dr. Merritt in his element before Jay had redirected them back out to the parking lot.

It’s going to be alright, Rowan,Leo had been whispering right before they’d put him into Gideon’s vehicle, which he’d taken to the studio; this time with Gideon behind the wheel.

Grayson’s wolf had wanted to point out how the Escalade had been parked haphazardly: diagonally in two spaces, with one front tire directly on the curb.

But Grayson held him back, pointing out thattheycouldn’t drive at all.

Nix had pulled him silently toward the Genesis, and once Jay had them on the road, he had fallen asleep immediately. Turns out being tired all the time is common when you’re growing another person, let alonetwo.

Grayson closes his eyes and presses his nose into the top of his sleeping soulmate’s head, his downy soft hair smelling of coconut shampoo, vanilla sugar, and freshly baked bread. There’s also a slight scent of flowers, too. Grayson doesn’t think anyone else can smell it, but it’s there. Lily of the Valley, maybe? Or Hyacinths? Both?

The scent had started back beforethe-day-that-shall-not-be-named, and it had set the wolf off something terrible. He’d been sure there was anotherwolf in the den, and then in the rental house in the mountains, and then on the field, and then…well, everywhere Nix was.

Grayson can’t be blamed for not figuring it out right away.

Not really, because if he thought the time after they’d found Nix and before the bond had been stressful, the timesinceNix’s heat had been a hundred times worse. He’d had his mind on other things.

The others think he’s been acting like a dick because his soulmate is carrying Rowan’s baby, but that’s not the real reason.

It’s that Grayson’s wolf was so sure it washis pup.

He’s seen enough Were romantic comedies about unplanned pregnancies to recognize crazed paternal alpha behavior; fuck, he can even see it in Rowan.

Grayson’s wolf could not accept that his omega’s child wasn’t his, and that’s what made him act like an absolute idiot.

Just seeing Rowan in his place, marking his soulmate over what he knew to behischild, had made the wolf determined to show them all the truth.

To be fair, Grayson-the-man had agreed 100% with the others: this was Rowan’s child.

But it turns out this had been one more thing he was learning about his new “partnership” with the wolf.

Just one more thing he’d had to figure out on the fucking fly—because until late last year, Grayson had been under the very, very mistaken impression that he was in control of a strong but mostly indifferent wolf.

Ha.How wrong he was.

So very,verywrong. The wolf had truly just been lying in wait for their soulmate to show back up so that he could do a lot of ridiculous shit. Almost like it knew Nix was coming back to them, and that all he had to do was bide his time.

That constant ache he’d felt since the day he presented; it hadn’t been the feeling of a piece missing, but the longing for it to return.

Returning fromwhere,Grayson didn’t know. Maybe it was a soulmate thing.

The wolf liked to take Nix’s things, like earbuds, or his phone, or eventhat one time, a single shoe, and then hide them in his room, so Nix had to come find them there.

Then he’d waylay him with orgasms.

The wolf wanted to take and mark their mate so that everyone would know that it was the wolf’s child, but Grayson showed him he was still calling the shots. He’d lay Nix out and slowly worship every inch of his perfect skin for hours. Instead of the bites and marks he knew the wolf wanted to leave, Grayson would bring him over the edge slowly and sweetly, giving him a release that flowed intensely, like a wave cresting, and then flowing into yet a second and third.