Chapter 99
I shook my head, heart full.
“Nah,” I murmured, watching our little prince disappear into the bustle of family and warmth and love. “Let them spoil him.”
Levi
There was something surreal about watching my parents fuss over a child again. Not in the way they did with us, strict but loving, loud but loyal. This was gentler, like they’d learned the value of slowing down.
“Alright, hold it straight for me now,” Dad said, hammer in hand, a nameplate tucked under his arm.
Elliot stood in front of the door of the room they had prepped. His door. His mouth slightly open as he traced the carved letters with his eyes.
“Elliot’s Room.”
He held the plate carefully, his small hands trembling just slightly as Dad gently helped him level it.
“Right there?” Dad asked.
Elliot nodded hard. “Yes, sir.”
“None of that now. You can call me Pa. If you want.”
Something flickered in Elliot’s expression. He nodded again. Slower this time. “Okay… Pa.”
I could’ve sworn my father’s heart burst open right then. With a few solid taps of the hammer, the nameplate was in place. Elliot stepped back, hands behind his back like he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. Then Mum stepped forward. She was holding a gift box and knelt in front of Elliot and opened it.
The moment I saw the ears, I choked.
“No way,” I whispered to Xavier beside me.
“Is that…?” he blinked. “It can’t be.”
“Oh, it is.”
Elliot’s eyes went wide. “A teddy bear?”
Mum chuckled. “Not just any bear. This little troublemaker nearly tore my household apart.”
“That’s Fergus,” I whispered, a grin breaking over my face. “We fought over that bear so much that Mum had to hide it. I thought it was lost forever,”
“No, no,” Mum said with a secret smile. “I just needed him to survive your childhood. He’s been in my drawer for the last decade.”
Elliot hugged it to his chest like it was sacred. “Thank you…Nanna”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” She whispered, brushing his hair back. “He’s always been meant for someone special,”
Something swelled in my throat. Pride. Grief, Relief. Joy. I wasn’t sure. But as Elliot was shown inside, where old toys of ours had been cleaned and displayed like tiny trophies, shelves lined with wooden dragons, plush hellhounds, and glow–stone nightlights, I felt the world tilt slightly back into place. He was already home.
Afterwards, dinner with the pack was loud, Exactly how it should be. The long tables had been dragged out under the canopy of string lights, and the scent of roasted meat, herbs, and spiced cider hung heavy in the air. Kids ran between legs, chased by overly enthusiastic omegas pretending to be wild beasts. Someone was singing off–key nearby. Tommy and Aleisha were mid–banter over who made better gravy. Someone had spiked the punch again and Elliot sat nestled between Noah and Macey, a plate piled high in front of him. He kept glancing around like he couldn’t quite believe this was his life now. Xavier leaned close to me as he refilled my glass. “You okay?”
I nodded, watching as Elliot shyly offered Fergus a nibble of roast potato.
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107 PM
Chapter 99
“I think,” I said softly, “I’ve never felt more okay.”
This messy, noisy, love–drenched chaos wasn’t just home. It was family and Elliot had finally found his place in it.
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