The following morning, the formal dining room was already alive with noise long before Derek and Kira made it downstairs.
Nana sat at the head of the table like a queen holding court, with Declan, Connor and Gavin lined up along one side, and Claire, Jessica, Kai and even Braxton settled in on the other. Maids bustled in and out, arms laden with steaming platters, and the smell of breakfast hung warm and rich in the air.
Then the doors opened, and Derek walked in with Kira at his side. The whole table erupted into a cheer.
Kira went scarlet on the spot, ducking her head, though the wide smile splitting her face gave her away completely. Derek, on the other hand, looked very unbothered, sweeping his gaze around the room with smugness.
"Well," he said, pulling out a chair for Kira. "I see we’ve got a full house this morning."
"Full house, full plates, full everything," Kai said cheerfully, already halfway through a mountain of eggs. "Sit down before Nana hurts her pretty feet while tapping them eagerly, waiting for you both."
Laughter rolled round the table as Kira lowered herself into her chair, still glowing, still trying and failing to wipe the grin off her face. She reached for a glass of water just to have something to do with her hands.
Jessica sidled up to Kira, her eyes narrowing as she leaned in close. She took a dramatic sniff of the air around Kira’s shoulder.
"Hmm. I smell something fishy," she whispered, her eyes dancing.
"Jessica," Kira warned, batting weakly at her.
But Jessica had already spotted it. Her gaze locked onto the fresh mark curving along the side of Kira’s neck, a crescent moon cradled by a scattering of tiny stars, and her mouth dropped open.
"I KNEW IT," she shrieked, jabbing a finger at the mark, making the entire table go quiet. "You two marked each other! Look! Look at her neck!"
Kira mock-glared at her friend, trying to hide the mark with her hand, but it was far too late. She buried her face in both hands with a groan as the entire room erupted into gasps, whoops and delighted teasing all at once.
"A mark!" Kai cheered, raising his teacup. "Official and permanent!"
Nana clapped her hands together like a child on Christmas morning. Claire beamed; Connor let out a low whistle. Even Declan, usually the most composed man in any room, was grinning like an idiot.
"Jessica, I am going to strangle you," Kira mumbled through her fingers.
"Worth it," Jessica said, beaming.
"Alright, alright," Derek said, settling into his own seat, deeply amused by all of it. He reached over and gently tugged Kira’s hands away from her face. "No hiding now. It’s out."
Kira peeked round the room, cheeks still burning, as everyone gushed and congratulated them on officially, properly belonging to each other at last.
"Thank you, all of you," Derek said.
"We’ve also got a scan later today," Kira added, once the noise had died down enough to be heard. "To check on the baby."
Nana practically vibrated with joy. She leaned forward, eyes twinkling with mischief. "And how many more pups are we planning after this one, hmm? Five? Six?"
Kai chuckled. "Nana! Let them breathe for five minutes!"
Connor nodded firmly. "Agreed. One is enough trouble for now."
Claire laughed softly and patted Nana’s hand. "They’ve barely marked each other, and you’re already ordering half of a football team."
Nana pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes going wide and innocent. "What? What did I say? What have I done wrong? I’m only curious." She looked around the table. "And honestly, the house is far too quiet. I need more pups running around these halls. Adults are boring. Somebody has to say it."
The whole table dissolved into laughter again.
Even Braxton found himself chuckling despite his lingering doubts. He still wasn’t used to any of this. The way Kira let Derek in without a scrap of hesitation, like the man hadn’t spent a good portion of their marriage making her miserable.
He still didn’t fully trust the Lycan King, but the pure joy around the table was hard to ignore. He caught Gavin’s eye across the table. Gavin was laughing along with everyone else, and when he noticed Braxton watching, his smile slowly faded.
Well, Braxton said into the mind-link. I suppose you were right. Seems like one big happy family here.
Gavin shrugged outwardly, keeping his expression neutral as he took a sip of his coffee. Well, I told you so, Alpha, he replied back through the link. "Now, can I laugh in peace?"
Kira, still smiling, decided to fully indulge Nana. "I’m thinking," she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "at least ten."
The reaction around the table was hilarious. Derek almost spilled his coffee, his eyes popping wide, while Kai roared with laughter, nearly falling off his chair. Nana’s whole face lit up with pure, shining admiration, as Kira had just recited poetry.
"Ten!" Nana laughed. "That’s the spirit, my dear!"
"Or maybe twelve," Kira added, her eyes twinkling.
"Twelve," Derek repeated, dabbing coffee off his chin. "Kira."
"This," Nana declared, "is exactly why I love this girl so much." She clasped her hands together and looked upward, positively glowing. "The goddess has blessed us all. Truly. We must have lived very good lives in the past to deserve this one."
The rest of the table chattered on, teasing and laughing, the warmth of it filling the whole room. In the middle of it all, Derek quietly reached over and took Kira’s hand, interlacing his fingers with hers.
They both turned and looked at each other, and for a moment the noise seemed to fade to the background.
He slipped into her mind-link with a teasing voice.
Hello, stranger, Derek said, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. Can’t tell you how glad I am I can finally talk to you in here. His mouth curved. Fair warning, though. You’d best get ready to be assaulted with my thoughts at all hours now.
Kira grinned so wide it looked like she’d swallowed a light bulb. Is that a threat, Your Grace?
Oh, absolutely.
"Oh, what a lovely family time this is."
The voice came from the doorway, and it cut through the warmth of the room like a bucket of cold water. Every head at the table turned at once.
Standing in the entrance, pale, gaunt, and looking like he hadn’t slept or eaten properly in days, was Brian.