- Tristan -
Christian held his baby, Leo, in his arms as Alina and I stepped into the house. He smiled as he gently rocked Leo to sleep and I cracked a small smile. Slipping my shoes off, I crouched down and took Alina's shoes off too before helping her out of her jacket.
"Morning, Alpha," Christian whispered, smiling down at Alina and laying a warm hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Alina."
She stared up at Leo bundled up in his arms and grinned brightly. She was mindful enough to whisper back. "Hey, Uncle Christian."
Brielle emerged from the kitchen and smiled warmly as she held a glass of water in her hand. She placed it down on the coffee table and walked towards her mate, glancing at her son. She gently took him into her arms and whispered to us all.
"I'm going to take him upstairs. Make yourself at home."
Christian stared after her and I couldn't help but smile wider. When Alina was a newborn, Kara and I wouldn't take our eyes off her. I loved holding her and made sure that both my girls had everything they needed.
I loved Alina from the very moment Kara told me she was pregnant and when I held her for the very first time, I was brought to tears because of how happy I felt. I knew becoming a father was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and I knew that Christian felt the same.
When he turned back to us, he had a content smile on his face. In a burst of happiness, I hugged him roughly. He chuckled and clapped a hand on my back. We didn't say anything to each other but there was a mutual understanding about what we were happy about.
"How are you doing, Christian?"
His blue eyes were warm. "I'm happy. Elle and I are happy." He took a seat on the couch and I did the same, glancing at Alina who tried to climb onto it.
She was a small child and it was made apparent in times like this. I helped her onto the couch and spoke to Christian again. "I'm glad to hear that, Chris."
My beta and I had a long history. He fought beside me in the war and even though he was just sixteen at the time, he was a formidable warrior. I trusted him with my life and knew, just like me, he had the pack's best interest at heart. We rarely disagreed with each other at meetings and he complimented mine and Kara's leadership very well.
Before he could say anything else, Brielle came down the stairs with a smile on her face. "Hey." She brought her hand up in a small wave and her forest green eyes lit up as she came to lean on the headrest next to Alina. "Hey there, hummingbird."
Alina giggled and like expected, she wrapped her arms around Brielle from the side. "Hi, Aunt Brielle!"
She hugged Alina back and my heart warmed at the sight. Love blossomed everywhere for her and I was sure she would never meet a person who didn't gravitate towards her or love her. Alina had this brightening presence and she was like a fire that would never stop burning.
After Christian, Brielle and I finished catching up, it was well into the afternoon. Alina and I bid them goodbye and we made our way back to our house.
When we approached the gates, the sentries stood tall and firm and their eyes immediately found mine. They acknowledged me in a mind-link. 'Alpha.'
I nodded in response and they turned to Alina who stared up at them curiously like she always did. The day Alina had been brought home from the hospital was the first day they smiled in two decades. Like they always did whenever Alina would try and speak to them, they all cracked a soft smile, turning from menacing soldiers to warm protectors.
"Hi!" Alina waved enthusiastically.
They waved in response.
I exhaled a gentle laugh through my nose and reached for her hand. "Come on, χαρα μου."
We entered the house and I helped her out of her outerwear before sitting her down and picking up her favourite book. We took turns reading and although she stumbled over some words and had to ask me to pronounce them properly, she was getting better at reading.
One thing Kara and I wanted to embed in her from a young age was how to read and write in English, Greek and Greenlandic. I taught her some words in the latter two languages and some days we would only speak to her in Greek.
Over the past three and a half years, Kara's Greek significantly improved. We could have full conversations together and there was nothing better than hearing her speak my mother tongue. She was still picking up Greenlandic but was doing well with that too.
As there were just over five hundred people in our pack, the majority spoke both English and Greenlandic. The only reason why I knew how to speak English was my parents loved languages and taught it to me alongside the Greek. It was why, according to Kara, I had a slight accent.
"Daddy, this one now please." She pulled out another one from her book box set and I took it from her.
"Mummy is going to read this one later at bedtime, okay?" I pressed a kiss to her forehead and stood up. "Do you want to help me make dinner?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Pasta, please!"
I curved a hand around the back of her head and chuckled. "Pasta it is."
—————
Kara closed Alina's bedroom door quietly behind her and smiled softly at me. "She's out like a light. Tiring her out during the day seems to do the trick."
I mirrored her facial expression and pulled her up against me with my arms around her waist. "I want to tire you out." I murmured lowly against the shell of her ear and she held her breath, settling her dainty hands on my chest.
"You're something else, you know that?" she pulled back to look at me and her gaze flitted from my eyes to my mouth. Stepping onto her tiptoes, she laid a soft kiss on my lips. "I want us to talk tonight."
Contentment dominated my expression. "We can do that." I clasped her fingers in mine and pulled her towards our bedroom. I pulled off my shirt and Kara stripped down so she could wear it. It was after we both did our night routine that I sat down on the bed.
Kara stood in between my legs and I settled my hands on her hips. She combed her fingers through my hair and smiled down at me. Without a word, she kissed either side of my face before settling on my lips for a gentle kiss. I smiled into it and pulled her into my lap.
Returning the sweet treatment, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her cheeks. She laughed airily and shyly buried her face in the crook of my neck. I gently threaded my fingers through her curls and was careful enough not to pull it from the hair tie. She inhaled my scent and I hugged her to me.
"I love you, Kara."
She pulled back with a breathtaking grin. "I love you too, Tristan."
We laid back on the bed face to face and I took her in in all her beauty. She reached down to hold my hand and I smiled warmly at her.
"What's on your mind, αγάπημου?"
"I wanted to tell you that I appreciate you and that I think you're an amazing father to our daughter." She brought my hand to her lips and kissed my knuckles gently. "I know it's almost that time of the year again and I want you to remember that we're a family and we're going to get through it as we have for the past four years."
I stared at her without speaking for a long while. Her words were unexpected but I knew I needed to hear them. It was almost the anniversary of my parents' death again and I had been stopping myself from thinking about it. However, that didn't mean Kara wasn't thinking about it.
She wasn't just my wife, she was my literal soulmate and that meant she often knew me better than I knew myself. I sighed quietly and leaned closer to rest my forehead on hers.
I stared into her beautiful eyes and cracked a soft smile. "You've always been my angel."
She tilted her head slightly and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of my nose. "You're going to be okay. I promise, Tristan."
My fingers lightly gripped her chin and I slanted my lips over hers for a passionate kiss. It was slow and deep, and it was kisses like these that made the entire world fade away around us. Kara consumed almost every waking thought I had and kissing her made me feel at peace. She was my home and safe haven.
When we surfaced for air, I wrapped my arms around her and she rested her head on my chest.
"Can I say something crazy?"
Kara glanced up at me for a brief moment. "You don't need to ask."
I smiled softly and stared up at the ceiling. With gentle fingertips, I traced figure eights on her shoulder. "I want to get you pregnant again." I chuckled lightly. "I want another baby."
"You've been wanting to say that for a while now, haven't you?" She laughed and craned her head back to look at me properly. I peered down at her with a grin and nodded. She caressed my face gently. "Tell you what, we can ask Alina how she'd feel about getting a sibling first. I hear firstborns are quite territorial."
Alina was the centre of everyone's attention. It would be difficult for her to maybe come to terms with not being an only child.
I winced slightly. "Still. I miss seeing you pregnant." I squeezed her waist lightly. "I want to witness childbirth and hold a newborn baby again."
Kara laughed. "I certainly don't want to experience childbirth again. It was painful as hell."
"You know what I mean, baby." I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Imagine us having a son. That would be the perfect addition to the family." Just thinking about having a little boy sent a flood of warmth through me. I loved being a dad—I loved children.
Kara watched me and smiled with me. "That would be perfect. Hold that thought for a bit though, okay?"
I could never say no to her. I always knew she would be the mother of my children, and that word implied more than one. I wanted it all with her. "Okay," I smirked as I slid my hand down her back. "But even if we're not trying for a baby, that doesn't mean we can't have a little bit of fun…right?"
Her teeth caught her bottom lip in between them slowly and she nodded. "Right…"
My smirk widened and I lowered my mouth to hers, taking her breath away.