A wail pierced Kai’s sleep like shards of glass in his ear canal.

“It’s your turn,” Rhys mumbled, snatching the pillow from under Kai and shoving it over his own head.

Kai moaned. “Are you sure he’s not a banshee? Doesn’t he ever sleep? Is this a werewolf thing?”

“This is a baby thing. He’s teething,” Rhys said.

Kai shuffled from the bed, scooping the baby up from his crib. He didn’t know how the crib had ended up in Rhys’s room, but somehow R.J. had become their responsibility. So much so that Isa hadn’t once questioned Kai sleeping with Rhys every night. “What’s the matter, buddy? Your gums bothering you?”

R.J. whimpered, tears welling as his chin wobbled. “Buh.”

Kai glanced at the clock. It was just after two thirty in the morning. He’d barely been asleep two hours. How did people do this? He laid the baby on his side of Rhys’s bed, quickly changing R.J.’s wet diaper and tucking his legs back into his romper. “Maybe he’s hungry,” Rhys grumbled from the depths of the covers.

Kai glared at the comforter. That was the last time he let Rhys take the first feeding. Kai had a test in first period tomorrow, one he was probably going to fail. He made his way to the back stairs, stopping at Donovan’s door. It had been days, and they were no closer to finding him. Miller said he and the Glades wolves were searching for clues, but Kai didn’t trust the witch. Not anymore. He trusted Oggie, but there was no word from him either.

“Buh, buh, buh.” R.J. whined, shaking his rattle frantically.

“Shh, you’ll wake the whole house,” Kai whispered, stilling the rattle before he thought about it and then handing it back. “You know what, wake the house. Why should we be the only ones suffering?”

R.J. leaned forward and blew a raspberry on Kai’s chin. Kai sighed, wiping baby spit from his face. When he hit the bottom stair, he stopped short. Quinn was sitting at the island, staring into nothing.

“Hey, dude. Couldn’t sleep?”

Quinn jumped, his head jerking to Kai.

“You okay, man?” Kai asked.

Quinn nodded. “Yeah, I think maybe I was sleeping with my eyes open.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s going on with you?” Kai asked, snagging a bottle of formula from the fridge and popping it into the bottle warmer. He gave R.J. a teething ring from the freezer and yawned hard.

Quinn looked at him for a long minute. “I’m fine. I just had a fight with Ember; she’s not talking to me, and your sister said she refuses to be my second choice in sleeping companions. Which is hardly fair because, like, I never knew she was any option.”

Kai nudged Quinn’s shoulder with his own. “Who would’ve thought two girls would be fighting over you?”

“Ha-ha,” Quinn said without any real mirth. “And who would’ve thought you’d be a teen mom?”

Kai flipped him off. “Bite me, bitch.”

Quinn looked scandalized. “Not in front of the baby.”

“You’re hilarious.”

They both jumped at a sudden pounding at the back door. R.J. startled, arms flailing at the sudden interruption, partially shifting. Kai’s heart was hammering so loud he missed the footsteps pounding down the staircase until Rhys was at his side, eyes glowing as he stared through the glass door. Kai’s lips twitched as he realized he was wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. “My hero,” he murmured.

Another wail pierced the air, and Kai’s shirt was suddenly damp. R.J.’s fang had bitten a hole in his teething rattle. Kai tugged it from the baby, dabbing at him with a dish towel and bouncing him. “Who is it?” he whispered to Rhys.

Rhys’s brow furrowed. “Oggie…and Miller.”

“Together? That’s somewhat terrifying,” Quinn said, getting up and pulling the door open.

Oggie’s eyes widened then narrowed. “Quinn? Is that you in there, boy?”

“Yes, sir,” Quinn mumbled with a sleepy nod.

The huge man picked Quinn up off his feet, crushing him close. “Damn, it’s good to see you on this side of the veil.”

It took almost ten minutes for the rest of the pack to stumble from their beds. Kai was already brewing coffee. Isa’s hair was a knot of tangles at the back of her head, the remnants of her makeup smudged under her eyes. She wore Wren’s t-shirt from his Tennessee high school and a pair of boxer shorts. Wren wore only pajama pants and a groggy expression. He smiled when he saw Oggie, giving the man a big hug and slapping him on the back, but Oggie’s smile faltered, and Kai’s heart stumbled in his chest. Rhys tensed next to Kai.

Ember and Tristin came down the staircase together, too tired to remember they were mortal enemies, at least until they hit the bottom step. If Isa looked tired, Ember looked dead. Her hair was a disaster, and her eyes were red like she’d been crying. She wore Mace’s black hoodie, a pair of ratty boxer shorts, and knee socks. His sister wore his Ramones t-shirt and his sweatpants. The women in this family seriously needed to stay out of his closet.

Neoma came in last from the hallway looking refreshed in her white nightgown, everything perfect except the ugly bruise still healing under her eye and the cut on her lip. Romero was hot on her heels, panting loud in the silence of the kitchen. The dog padded silently over to Wren and sat almost on his feet. Kai frowned, nudging Rhys and nodding towards the animal’s odd display. Rhys tipped his head, scenting the air before grimacing and putting an arm around Kai and the baby. Something was wrong. Kai was grateful his stomach was empty, or he might have just vomited on the floor.

For a long time, nobody spoke; maybe everybody was trying to wake up, or perhaps, like him, they knew that nothing Oggie or Miller had to say was anything they wanted to hear. Isa gave the two men a sleepy wave as she made her way to the coffee pot, pouring Wren and herself a cup. She didn’t say a word until she took her first sip of black coffee. Oggie kept shifting his girth from one foot to the other and wouldn’t make eye contact with Wren or Isa.

“What brings you gentleman to my doorstep at almost”—Isa glanced at the clock—“three a.m.?”

Tristin crossed her arms, glaring at Miller. “Did you come to tell us you’ve finally found your nephew?” Miller shook his head, and Kai was both relieved that this visit wasn’t to tell them Donovan was dead and disappointed that Donovan was not with them. Kai didn’t want to think about what the Legion could be doing to his friend.

“What are you doing here?” Ember asked, voice grumpy.

Quinn looked at Ember. “I’m sure they’re going to tell us.”

She scowled at him and headed for the coffee pot. The rest of the pack watched their tense exchange. Quinn looked to Kai and shrugged, but Kai could see it hurt.

R.J. chose that moment to snag the teething ring from Kai and whack him hard in the mouth with it. “Ouch.”

The baby giggled, his eyes still glowing. Good thing he hadn’t done that in the restaurant. The bottle warmer dinged, and Kai tested it on his wrist and then looked down, unsure how to proceed. He looked to Rhys, gesturing to the baby.

“What?” Rhys asked.

“Well, I can’t exactly feed him with fangs out. Look at what he did to his teething ring. He’ll choke to death.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?”

“Uh, I want you to work your wolfy magic so he’ll de-fang and we can feed him. I thought that was obvious.”

Rhys clenched his teeth hard enough to crack enamel, but still scooped R.J. up and flashed his eyes at Kai. The baby giggled and slapped Rhys’s cheeks, pumping his arms and legs, tiny claws exposed. Kai cringed. That was super dangerous for a baby. He should trim them before he put somebody’s eye out. He didn’t shift back. When Rhys growled, R.J. growled back with a giggle, and Kai’s heart flipped in his chest. Rhys looked at Kai, glaring at him as if it was his fault.

When Rhys noticed his audience, he turned away from them, murmuring something into the baby’s ear, cupping a hand over the back of his head. Isa and Wren smiled, obviously hearing whatever he told the baby. When they turned back around, there was no sign of fang or claw. He plopped the baby back into Kai’s arms.

Kai tipped the baby backward, and R.J. chased the nipple of the bottle, giving a shuddering sigh as he caught it and started to drink. Kai shook his head. Rhys could have just fed the baby himself. Rhys pretended not to notice Kai’s annoyance, tugging him until his back rested against the wolf’s chest. Did Rhys think Kai didn’t notice Rhys using him as a human shield against his boyfriend’s partial nudity?

“Look at you two. When’d you guys have a baby?” Oggie asked, before adding, “When did you two fall in love?”

“Long story,” Isa said. “What are you doing here? Together?”

“We were out looking for Donovan when I got word from a contact out of state,” Oggie said. “There’s been another attack on a pack.”

“What? Why? What pack did they go after this time?” Wren asked.

Oggie’s face fell as he looked at Wren, and that slick feeling was back in Kai’s stomach.

“Yours.”