When it rained, it poured. That night, many hours after Officer Greggs’s departure, Joshua woke to telltale cramping in his abdomen. Ignoring it, he went back to sleep. A few hours passed with the pain waking him on and off before he decided he couldn’t sleep through it any longer. He shifted back to human form and nudged a sleeping Seokmin.
“I think it’s time,” he whispered.
“Time time?” Seokmin asked, sounding far more awake than Joshua thought was fair.
“Uh-huh.”
The alpha sat up, looked him up and down, and then grabbed his phone and made a call.
“Mission Litter is a go… ETA?” He glanced speculatively at Joshua, resting one hand against his bump. “Imminent.”
Hanging up, Seokmin tossed the phone back on the nightstand. “I know we already talked about this, but… this would be a lot easier for you if you stayed in animal form.”
“And I already told you that I’ve always wanted to experience this. I’m sure it would be magical as a fox, but… I want to do this as a human.”
Joshua was adamant about how he wanted this to go.
Seokmin cupped the back of his neck and kissed his forehead. “I understand, but if you change your mind at any time...”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Joshua promised.
Another contraction started up, and he groaned, heaving himself out of bed. “Are you sure we don’t need like… incubators and stuff?”
“The babies are past ninety days’ gestation,” Seokmin said. “For pack babies, that’s full term. We have everything they need right here.”
Yuna knocked on the door, and Zane followed a few minutes later. It was all hands on deck for their new arrivals.
It was another hour before Joshua felt the urge to push. He was lying against Seokmin on the bed, the alpha’s warm presence at his back steadying. It was fair to admit he was a little scared. Not of the pain, but of the way that everything would be different. As much as he tried to pretend otherwise, babies changed things. They’d impact his and Seokmin’s relationship, his relationship with the pack, his work, his whole life. And yet that fear was drowned out by excitement. He’d long wondered what his kids would look like, how it would feel to hold them in his arms, and soon he’d get to meet them.
He glanced over his shoulder at Seokmin, and the alpha smiled at him, brushing a sweaty strand of hair from his forehead.
“You’re doing great. Remember, wait for the pain to crest, and then push. Not too soon, or you’ll tire yourself out and you won’t get anywhere.”
“Got it,” he promised, accepting the ice chips Yuna offered him.
He gripped Seokmin and Yuna’s hands tightly at the next contraction, pushing with all his might, aware that Seokmin had leaned around him. And then the cry of a baby filled the room as the little one was placed on his chest, all dark hair, wrinkled skin, and tiny curled fists.
“Oh, that’s an angry cry,” he said. “Someone’s not happy to be out in the cold, mean world. Shh, baby. I’ve got you.”
Seokmin tied and cut the cord before Yuna laid a towel over the baby, and Joshua clutched him closer, shushing him, humming quietly. His shrill crying petered off to a content snuffle as Joshua’s warmth and scent cut through the shock of being born.
Seokmin eased the towel away so he could see their little one.
“Hi there, kiddo. Welcome home.”
“Boy or girl?” Vernon asked from the door, one hand covering his eyes.
“Boy,” Seokmin said. “Omega.”
“A firstborn pack omega? That’s a good omen,” Seungcheol’s voice called from the corridor. “It means he’ll achieve great things.”
Joshua bent over their little one and whispered, “Shh, don’t listen to them. You just be you. No pressure.”
Seokmin kissed his cheek, chuckling softly. “Don’t worry. He’ll be just fine. You ready to go again?”
Joshua was, and he wasn’t. But babies didn’t much care if you were ready. They came when they were.
Yuna took the first baby, and Joshua moved onto all fours, relieved at the change in position. Babies two and three came close together, each one squalling as they were laid down on the bed beneath him and quieting as soon as they were in his arms.
He moved onto his back for the final baby, tired beyond belief but determined now that the end was in sight.
“That’s it, Joshua,” Eunbi encouraged, having taken over from Yuna.
“Keep going, hold the push just a little longer. The head’s almost—”
And then their fourth child was out in the world, staring at Joshua and Seokmin with dazed eyes.
“Hi there, little lady,” Seokmin said. “We’re really glad to meet you.”
She was another bundle of tiny perfection. Joshua thought he could lie there forever with her in his arms, just staring at her.
“She’s wonderful,” he murmured.
“And you’re surprised?” Vernon joked, having gotten up the courage to venture into the room. “She’s half alpha leader super-soldier, half omega legal eagle. She’ll have world domination plans in no time, mark my words.”
Eunbi giggled, rocking baby number three in her arms.
“He might be right,” Yuna said softly. “Not about them taking over the world, but… It’s been a long time since this country has had a pack like this. What used to be normal is now a unique situation. I think these children, all our pack’s children, will be remarkable in their own ways.”
“Superheroes,” Vernon said. “I’m calling it, right now.”
“And that’s our cue to let you get some sleep,” Duke said, grabbing Vernon by the arm and pulling him toward the door. “Rest easy, guys. We’ll keep up a constant watch on the house, just in case we have any unwelcome visitors. And Joshua? Great job.”
The first few days of life with the babies were blissful. When Joshua shifted, they shifted too, and so he spent hours as a fox, curled around his cubs, warm and safe and happy. But the cubs grew quickly, and it was only a matter of time before they wanted to start exploring the world around them.
Between that, and Seokmin impressing on him how important it was to let the pack and the cubs get properly acquainted, Joshua knew it was time to rejoin the world. Or at least the household.
That was how they found themselves out in the garden, stretched out on blankets under the warm midday sun. Joshua and Seokmin were in their human forms, and so was Jay, their second eldest. The other three were fox cubs, but Joshua knew that wouldn’t last forever. The two alphas would soon shift to wolves like their father. Their little omega would stay a fox like him.
And their beta daughter… well, it was fifty-fifty which way she’d go. She was boisterous enough that Joshua wouldn’t have been surprised if she followed her alpha brothers’ footsteps.
They weren’t alone out there: Yuna, Eunbi, and Nathan were on the blankets next to them with Toby and Eric. Duke was nearby with Jack, and the others were just around the corner, preparing to fire up the grill and cook some lunch. Everything was happy and peaceful, and there was an air of contentment about the place. Until raised voices were heard—Vernon and Seungcheol, again.
Joshua and Seokmin exchanged a look, and the alpha moved to get up.
“I’ve got it,” Duke said, handing Jack to Yuna and making for the side of the house. Before he got there, the shouts grew louder, followed by the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Seungcheol rolled into view, jumped to his feet, and dived back out of sight.
Seokmin muttered a curse and raced around the corner after Duke as Zane’s voice joined the chorus, telling Vernon and Seungcheol to cut it out. A few minutes later, Seokmin rounded the corner with Vernon, a hand on the other alpha’s shoulder. Vernon shook him off, said something in an undertone, and stalked off toward the trees, shifting as he reached the tree line, his horse form galloping away.
Joshua sat up as Seokmin returned to their blanket, the alpha checking the babies over carefully.
“They’re fine,” Joshua assured him. “They barely noticed.” He couldn’t say the same for the three little boys, but Yuna and Nathan had been quick to distract them, and they hadn’t seen anything. Still…
“Third time this month,” he commented.
“Yeah,” Seokmin said, his eyes on the woods where Vernon had disappeared to.
“We need more omegas, don’t we?”
He knew why this was happening; they all did. Their pack was alpha-heavy and sorely lacking in omegas. He wasn’t enough to keep them balanced. If he’d been a Keeper, an Anchor… but he was their Defender, and he was good at it. They needed someone else to fill that role.
“An Anchor would settle things right down,” Seokmin agreed, tickling Grace’s belly and smiling down at her.
“Speaking of omegas,” Joshua said, knowing this wasn’t the best time to broach the subject but aware there probably wouldn’t ever be a good time for the news he was about to impart. “My uncle called, and he needs a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Well, it’s not really him asking for the favor. It’s an old friend of my father’s, a long-time supporter of Phoenix House. He’s been asked to find a volunteer position for an omega, and he wants it to be with us.”
“Okay,” Seokmin said slowly. “Does the Omega House do that?”
“Officially, no. But this guy is a generous donator and has been for years, so we’re being asked to make an exception.”
Seokmin was looking less and less pleased as the conversation developed, and Joshua could see he had the attention of the rest of the adults as well.
“And this omega?”
“He’s a fairly well-known movie star whose recent… exploits have been splashed across the tabloids and internet. His reputation needs some rescuing.”
“And they want to send him here?”
Joshua understood his disbelief. This was not the environment for someone like that, but refusing meant insulting, possibly alienating, their sponsor, which his uncle was adamant that they couldn’t afford to do right then, for the kids’ sakes.
“I know it’s far from ideal. I was thinking that we could keep him offside, away from the main house and the kids, if Vernon took him in. I’m sure he could use an extra pair of hands in the stables now that the horses have arrived.”
Seokmin stared at him for a long moment before a slow smile crossed his face. “Vernon is not going to like that. Not at all.”
“No,” Joshua agreed, grinning despite himself. “He’s really not.”
Jeno chose that moment to get a bout of the hiccups, his little eyes going wide before he shifted abruptly. But it wasn’t the familiar red fur of a fox that greeted them, but the tawny grey of a wolf.
“There’s daddy’s best boy,” Seokmin said, swooping the little alpha into his arms. “Ahead of the pack, huh?”
“Not for long,” Joshua said, lifting a sleepy Grace and cuddling her against his chest.
A mewling Jaemin followed, butting a head against his knee. Joshua cupped a hand under him and lifted him too. Jack’s little bear cub padded over, sniffing curiously at the babies. Duke followed, as did Yuna and the others with Toby and Eric. A chagrined Seungcheol rounded the corner a few minutes later, helping Zane carry lunch over. Even Vernon emerged from the forest, a sheepish look on his face, throwing a ‘sorry, man’ at Seungcheol as they thumped each other on the shoulder and sat down.
Their whole pack crowded together in a way that could have seemed confining or hemmed in, but it didn’t. To Joshua, it felt right, like home and safety and comfort. All those good things. Friends and family all wrapped up in one package. People who’d have his back, and whose freedom and happiness he’d defend with everything he had.
“To us,” Seokmin said suddenly, raising a hand to get everyone’s attention.
“To pack and home, the people who’ve joined us, and the many more to come.”
There were calls, howls, and cheers at that before they all set to the task of eating.
“So,” Seungcheol said conversationally. “Has anyone told Vernon the good news, or can I have that pleasure?”
Everyone reacted at once, Zane punching Seungcheol lightly on the arm, raised voices trying to drown him out, and Seokmin doing his best to take control of the chaos. Joshua just laughed. He wouldn’t change this for the world.