Nolan’s POV

Talia waited until we were past the school gate.

“What does ‘Sleeping Beauty Queen’ mean?”

“A name people made up,” I said.

“Who made it up?”

I didn’t have a good answer for her. The twins walked ahead, and Nyla’s shoulders slumped. She obviously knew the name and didn’t want to talk about it.

So I put on a face.

“Nyla.” I crossed my arms and tried to sound serious. “Come back here and tell me what’s going on.”

She came back at half speed, and Elian stepped in front of his sister, as he always had.

“Am I in trouble?” Nyla asked.

“That depends on what you say. Where did that name come from?” It’s not hard to keep a straight face with a five-year-old, but it only works half the time.

She looked at her shoes, then at her mother, and it came out in pieces.

“Some kids said we didn’t have a mom.” Her voice got quiet. “One boy said the Queen died when we were born, and the adults just say she’s asleep so we don’t get upset.”

Talia made no sound at all beside me.

“And what did you say?” I asked her.

“I told them she’s not dead, she’s just sleeping.” Nyla lifted her chin. “I said a doctor comes to see her, and you wouldn’t do that for someone who’s dead. But they said ‘asleep’ is just what grown-ups say.”

“They didn’t believe you,” I said.

“No.” She scrubbed her nose with her wrist. “So they started calling her the Sleeping Beauty Queen. In the story, she isn’t dead either, but it wasn’t nice that they called her that.”

“She told them a bunch of times,” Elian said, standing in front of his sister again. “They just laughed and kept saying it at lunch. It is not their fault that they kept saying it.”

“Nobody’s saying she didn’t,” I told him.

“I told him if he said it again, I’d make him stop. Nyla said that would make things worse, so I didn’t.” He stared at the ground.

I crouched in front of them, not sure what to say. I just hugged Nyla and Elian, hoping they understood how much I cared.

Five years of those two telling me every small thing that happened to them, who sat where and what was for lunch. Neither of them had ever brought this one to me. Somewhere they’d decided not to tell their father.

I got an arm around each of them and pulled them in.

“You both did nothing wrong. Nyla, you were right to tell them. Elian, you only wanted to protect your sister. And you two were never without a mom. Now she’s here with us.”

Nyla got a fist into the front of my shirt and left it there.

“You were already sad about her,” Nyla said. “So we didn’t want to make it worse.”

“That was never your job to worry about.” I pulled back to look at them. “From now on, if anything like this happens, even if it’s an adult, you tell us. We’ll handle it together.”

Elian shrugged, which is as close as he gets to agreeing out loud.

Talia got down beside me and put her arms around them both.

“I’m awake now, and I’m not going anywhere.” She hugged them tight. “No one gets to talk about you or me like that again. If anyone tries, say your mom’s the Queen of the Werewolves, and say it to my face.” NovelPeak.org

Nyla laughed into her coat.

We walked home with a child on each of her arms.

The house was loud all evening. They got her on the floor and played everything they owned. Nyla brought down the stuffed animals and made a guessing game of their names, and Talia got half wrong on purpose and let Nyla correct her. Then Elian had her at cards for an hour,

cheating badly, and she let him.

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I sat by the window with a cup of cold coffee, just watching them play. Talia’s

laughter filled the house, and the kids couldn’t get enough of her. I felt grateful, even

if I don’t say that word much.

I’d spent five years working out how to hand those two back to their mother. In my head, it took weeks. I had no idea it would be instant.

‘Their bond has always been strong,’ my wolf said. ‘Pulling from her wolf made it stronger.’

At 8:30, it was time for the pups to go to bed.

“Mom has to come tuck us in,” Nyla called from behind the couch.

“Mom’s tired. She’s been up all day and tomorrow’s busy,” I said. “I’ll read to you tonight.”

“Just one book, please.” Elian had her sleeve and pulled her toward the stairs. “Then, we’ll sleep properly.”

“Elian, your mom needs to get some sleep,” I said.

“I don’t mind,” Talia said.

She had that tired look in her eyes she got at the end of a long day. It made me want to tell the kids to let her rest, even though I knew she wouldn’t agree.

“You don’t have to,” I said.

“I know,” she answered. “I want to.”

“One thing before you go. Tomorrow we’re picking the new Deputy Chief Warrior. Walden narrowed it down to three, and the final round’s at two o’clock.”

“I remember,” she said.

“So just read one story and go to bed early,” I told her. “You’ll be busy all day tomorrow with everyone watching.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Talia said, and went up with a child in each hand.

‘You’re sulking,’ my wolf teased.

‘I’m going through the watch rotation.’

‘You’re sulking because the pups got her and you didn’t.’

‘I’m not jealous of my own pups.’

‘Sure, you’re not,’ my wolf chuckled.

‘I’m glad she went up with them,’ I said. ‘They need time with her.’

I watched the stairs long after they’d

gone. I wished she would look back them, even in just

and ask me to fol

for a moment. I went down to the

guest room, turned off the lights,

undressed, and got into bed.

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I stared at the ceiling, listening to Talia’s muffled voice as she read the twins a story.

Talia’s only been awake for several days. It’s way too soon for me to want her to ask me to stay, but I wanted to anyway.