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LEWIS

T he day after the birth it’s customary to have family and friends over. Which is ridiculous. All I want to do is stay in my bedroom and cuddle with Todd and the eggs. It’s completely unreasonable that I’m expected to shift back into my human form and let other people touch my babies. They aren’t even hatched yet. Clearly, an alpha dreamed up this stupid tradition.

Todd has already shifted back to his human form and gotten dressed.

“It’s just for an hour, love. Don’t worry. I’ll protect the eggs.”

I poke at his hand with my beak when he tries to pick me up.

“They’re going to be here in five minutes. We’re both supposed to be in our human forms.”

I lay on top of our eggs and glare at him.

He tries to hold back a smile. “I’m sorry, it’s just you look so cute when you pout in your penguin form.”

I try to squawk at him, but it ends up being too high-pitched, and he laughs.

“I really am sorry. If you weren’t so adorable…”

There’s a knock on the door.

“Okay. I’m going to see who’s here. I’ll close the bedroom door, so you can shift and put on some clothes, okay?”

He can hint as many times as he wants, but I’m not shifting into my human form. I’m going to stay in this dark room with my eggs and give them the warmth and love they need. After Todd is done dealing with all of the pesky visitors, he can come back and snuggle with us.

There are voices outside the bedroom door.

“Oh, I was the same way. His alpha dad couldn’t get me to shift either. That’s why I came early.”

The door opens, and my omega dad walks in. I cuddle my eggs closer.

“C’mon, Lewis. I need you to shift back into your human form.”

He lifts me into the air, but unlike Todd, he holds my head in place so I can’t peck at him. Damn him. I struggle in his arms, trying to get back to my babies.

“Shift into your human form, son. There’s a reason why we do this. Otherwise, you’ll get stuck in your penguin form during the entire hatching period, and that isn’t good for the chicks. Come now. We don’t have all day.”

He’s wrong. It’s better for the babies if I can love them like this. I kick at his stomach and flail around in his arms until it’s painfully obvious that the only way I’m going to get back to my babies is if I do as he says.

I’ll just shift to my human form long enough to lock him out of the room. I try to get free one last time, then finally accept my fate and begin changing. My father releases me when I become too heavy, and I drop to the floor.

Once I’m human again, I realize why my father insisted I shift.

“They need a nest!”

Todd glances at my omega dad. “But I thought we already made a nest for them.”

“That was the laying nest,” my father explains to Todd. “This is different. Where are the blankets I told you to buy?”

He disappears out the door and returns with two soft, brown blankets. They’ll work nicely. I take them from him and twist them into a circle, wrapping them around themselves over and over again, then folding back the center to create a pocket for the eggs. My omega father helps me tuck the eggs inside the pocket, giving them each a tender kiss.

“They’re beautiful, Lewis. Their shells are a lovely white, and they’re very sturdy. You’ve done so well. I’m proud of you.”

I’m standing there naked, and I probably smell because I haven’t been bathed by anything but Todd’s bear tongue since I laid the eggs, but I’m too emotional to be self conscious. It’s such a silly thing, and yet, hearing those words from my father means the world to me. He’s right. They are so pretty and strong. Todd and I created them together, and they couldn’t be more perfect.

My father wraps his arms around me while I sob. “It’s okay, son. Cry as much as you need to. You just gave birth to two people who will completely change your life. All of the emotions you’re feeling right now are valid.

There’s another knock on the front door. Todd leaves to answer it. My father stays with me and rubs my back.

“Thank you, Dad.”

He squeezes me tighter. “I’ll always be here for you, son. Always.”