Page 72 of Retribution

“Hey,have you heard from her?”he asks.

“She’s home,” I say. “There’s a development and I need Lucas for this. I’m going to request a video call. Is he available?”

“Shit, he just went into a closed meeting. I could drag him out, but it’ll cause some delays in getting home as soon as possible,”he admits.

“I need Lucas to figure out a solution to forced heats,” Isolde mumbles, her head on Oliver’s chest as she gazes at Leila. “That can’t happen more so than ever. For me and her.”

She twitches hard from exhaustion, and I wince. I’ve been there when I’ve worked for hours on end. Add in the emotionaldistress of finding Leila in a burning building that shouldn’t have had a baby, and she’s wrecked.

My heart stops and I can’t breathe as her words finally hit me. Oh fuck no.

“You need to stay in Indianapolis,” I growl. “If you think the information I have for you is going to alter that in any way, I won’t fucking tell you.”

There’s silence for a moment before Grant takes a very audible breath.

“I have to reserve judgement on that,” he rumbles. “Tell me.”

Requesting a video call, I watch as Isolde’s lids get heavier. Grant accepts the video call, and I can see that he’s wearing the same black suit he left in and he is standing in an office with the door closed.

“Don’t freak out,” I hiss, giving him the Italian look to not be an asshole.

“My patience is fraying, asshole,”he growls.

See, what did I tell you?

“Our girl is almost asleep. She wanted to show you the extra passenger she picked up,” I say cryptically turning the camera while Oliver smirks.

He has both our girls in his arms, he has every reason to be smug. Fuck. Ours. In for a penny, in for a pound. We have a baby now.

“Is that… Why is there someone so tiny in our house?” Grant asks, shocked.

Maybe I’ve been wrong. Maybe Lucas and Grant do see this as our home. We haven’t been living together for long enough for me to know how anyone feels about the logistics of our pack. Are pack meetings a thing?

Can I call one?

“Earth to Alesso,” Oliver laughs. “Isolde is fast asleep and Grant looks like he’s about to shit his pants.”

“I may already have,”Grant says weakly.

“When our girl went to work today, she found a stowaway,” I explain, trying to make sure I don’t mention the fire. “There weren’t supposed to be any people this small in the building.”

“I hope to hell not,”he snarls. “Bring me in closer. What’s her name and how old is she?”

“We don’t for sure know either thing,” I reply. “Isolde named her Leila just now. No parents to speak of. At least, none that deserve her.”

“She can’t be any older than a couple months old. She’s a tiny peanut,” Oliver says. “Girl has some pipes too.”

“To be fair, she was hungry and wet. I don’t think I’m a picnic to be around while hangry either,” I say.

“So. Are you calling me to tell me we’re…parents?”Grant asks.

“Yeah, I am. Isolde wants her. She said that if we weren’t comfortable with it she’d understand and release us.”

“Well fuck that. Isolde is mine. I don’t care about fancy bonds and shit, this is how it is. I didn’t even know she’d want kids. Okay… I’ll break it to Lucas. What was she saying about forced heats?”he asks.

“I think she’s worried about that ever happening to Leila?—”

“Over my fucking dead body,”he snarls.