"That'll be the dry mouth. Happened to Nash too," my mom said, standing. "I'll get you some water and ice chips."
She disappeared. Phin watched her go. "She seems better."
"She's… helping." I'd leave it at that. "I want to talk about you. You started seizing, babe. Shaking and shifting."
"I'm sorry," Phin mumbled.
"Don't apologize!" I started laughing, not because I thought the situation was extremely funny, but because I had all this pent-up nervous energy. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I cupped his face. "Don't ever do that again."
And though we both knew he hadn't had control of himself this time—and wouldn't the next time if it ever did happen—he nodded. "I promise."
My mom came back with the water and crouched to her knees to help him take careful sips.
The babies sat patiently through this, but when my mother sat back, they began to cry again.
Phineas patted them automatically, the urge to console them as ingrained as his need to breathe. "I can't believe they are on the outside of me. Is this real? Am I dreaming? I don't even remember it happening."
How odd it must feel for him to lose awareness and come to with twins. "It happened. They're real. Our children, Phineas. A son and daughter. Both alphas. I guessed overachieving runs in our genes." Sneaking a peek to my mom, she had tears in her eyes but was smiling.
Phineas had allowed me to see past the hate I'd kept in my heart for the woman of my memories and see the mother that she was. She wasn't completely forgiven, but I couldn't ever hate her as I once had.
"What are their names?" Nana asked. Thank goodness for her. While I was spacing out, coming to accept the fact that my family had tripled this evening, she'd been checking over the newborns using expertise she'd had years to perfect.
We hadn't spent a lot of time on this, deciding we would know when we saw our child for the first time. And as Phineas gazed down at his babies, I thought that had happened. He knew what they needed to be called. "Madison and Patrick."
"For Branson's father?" I asked. Of our parents, he'd been the innocent one. The few years that he'd been Alpha were remembered as the pack's golden years. He'd died when we'd all been very young.
"My father and mother. My dad was a Patrick too." Phin snuggled them both, feeling strong enough to hold them against his chest without my help. His dark crow tattoos shone brightly at his wrists. He was still a little pale from his ordeal.
"Their names are perfect, omega. Madison and Patrick Walker." I pushed away the thought of the blowback we might get from naming our alpha son after the pack's late Alpha. Pack politics had no place in this home, and even less of a place around my children. I lifted Madison, careful to keep her stable as I brought her to the spot just below my neck. She snuggled in perfectly, already asleep. "This one's gonna break hearts. But she'll have her brother to—"
"Hang on, don't go choosing for them. Maybe she doesn't want to break hearts," Phin protested, sounding even stronger. He held Patrick tight as he moved to sit up.
"You're right. I don't care what they end up wanting to do—"
"I wouldn't go that far," Nana said.
Phineas looked around. "Where are the others? What happened with Charles?"
Oh, right, the man who was targeting my omega. I hated him even more now, for cutting this perfect moment short. "Wyatt and Branson went to pick him up, and then we are going to have a chat."
"Do you really think it's him? All of this?"
All and—if I was completely right—more. "Yes. Phin, I think he might be the one—"
Though we were inside, the boom that ricocheted through the house felt as if something had exploded in the next room over. The babies screamed. Down the hall, Bran Jr. started screaming from his crib. Riley rushed to retrieve him while Nana, Aver, and I went to the back patio. It didn't take long to see the cause. The other side of the bay was burning.
Dread crept up my gut, threatening to choke me. I'd sent my brother after that man, my cousin as well. Had I sent them to their deaths? Who else could be to blame for the fire raging through the dark trees?
"The pack," Nana whispered. "You have to help them."
I shook my head at the same time as Aver. "We have to find Branson and Wyatt."
My mother joined us but would go no further than the back door. "Is it him? That man? Can you see what is burning?" Emotion made her words thick.
My phone rang, but it was Paul, not Wyatt. "What's going on?" I barked into the phone.
"Finally, one of you picks up. I couldn't get Wyatt to answer. The ceremonial fields are on fire. It felt like a bomb. Sounded like one too. The elders weren't hurt, but I'm worried about the houses closest to the blast. Some of the houses didn't hold up well against the blast. We need more strong bodies to pull people out, and I'm useless. Can you guys come help?"
No, we really couldn't. I didn't know where my brother or cousin were. My mate had just given birth to surprise twins, scaring the shit out of me in the process, and I didn't know if this blast had been coincidental timing or a retaliation.
"Please, Nash. It's the homes on the outer edges, the lower members in the pack. Everyone ran to the elders when the blast happened—no one's rushing to help them."
I thought of little Tanya and her mother. They'd all been through so much already. "Fuck!" I snarled into the air. I'd send Aver, but he didn't have my emergency response knowledge. We'd get the job done in half the time if we went together. "Fine. Aver and I will take the supplies I have and go there, but you need to come here and protect Phineas. He's given birth and… we found out who the arsonist is, so—"
"Wasn't me then?" Paul said. I liked that he was just petty enough to bring that up now. I would've done the same thing.
"No. Not you. I'm sorry, Paul. Will you come?"
"For Phin, not you. But also for you too, since you're coming to help. Tyrone already went down. So did the others. They're going door to door, flagging houses with wounded or at-risk members. Nash, please hurry. We don't have a lot of first aid supplies on hand right now."
A good Alpha would've seen those supplies replenished after all the emergencies the pack had gone through, but I didn't have time to think about that now.
I spun around, finding Nana and my mother. "Nana, we have to go."
"I heard. Don't worry about us. We will protect your mate." She folded her arms, and I didn't see a frail woman attempting to act tough—I saw a badass wise shifter who I wouldn't want to come across. I reminded myself that they would be safer here. The danger was over there, across the bay. Or it was wherever Wyatt and Branson were.
"Paul's on his way to help. We'll go to the pack," I said.
"Riley, keep calling Wyatt and Branson. We need to get a hold of them," Aver said calmly.
That was good thinking. We rushed through the kitchen. Aver split off to wait at the door with keys in his hands, while I veered into the dining room. I dropped down, helping Phineas to his feet. "Let's get you to the couch where you can be more comfortable." I'd meant to carry him, but he used me for balance and got to his feet.