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“If you want to start cooking the bacon, I’ll get the oatmeal started.”

“I can do that,” Logan replied, downing the last of his tea before joining Rusty at the counter.

“If you want, I can start dicing fruit,” Wild offered. “Movement makes the blood flow faster, and this tea went a long way towards knocking the chill off.”

“You don’t have to…” Rusty began, only to have Wild shoot him a look. “Big bowls are in the cupboard besides the sink.”

“On it.”

With three of them, it wasn’t long before cooking smells filled the kitchen. The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was inevitable, but Rusty had kept Roark apprised of everything that had taken place, so he knew there was nothing to be worried about. Rusty wiped his hands on a dish towel before turning and scooping Wren up, hugging them the moment they skipped into the kitchen.

“Good morning,” Rusty said. “You were a magnificent big sibling this morning.”

“I was scared,” Wren admitted, clinging to his neck. “But I didn’t want them to be.”

He squeezed them gently and kissed their forehead before setting them down so he could help serve the food, knowing that the morning could have brought a far more dangerous surprise than an owl mimicking a carrier pigeon.

And hoped like hell that it never happened.

Chapter Nine

(Roark)

Days of snow meant plenty of bonding time, but eventually the storm blew out, which meant that it was time to get back to normal again. The first thing on their agenda was getting their mate a new cell phone and their new pup registered for school. They needed supplies too, and Wren and Logan were woefully lacking in winter clothes. With word circulating that this would be one of the harshest winters to roll through in over thirty years, they needed to remedy that.

With the smaller pups running Baz and Rusty ragged playing in the snow, Roark was thrilled to have the opportunity to go into town for something other than business. Wren’s little nose was practically glued to the back window of the SUV as they tried to peer through it while their breath kept fogging it. That didn’t stop Wren from trying though and squealing when they saw the massive park come into view, teeming with pups Wren’s age.

“Wow, Papa, there are a lot of pups here!”

“Plenty of new playmates for you to get to know,” Roark declared as he pulled into the parking lot in between two other SUVs.

“I get to play?” Wren asked, eyes meeting Roark’s in the rearview mirror.

“For as long as you’d like,” Roark told them as he parked.

The high-pitched screech they let out nearly deafened him as Wren undid their seatbelt and bolted from the vehicle.

“I don’t remember seeing this stop on our itinerary,” Logan chuckled as he got out.

Roark snagged the thermos he’d filled with hot cocoa before joining him, while Wren had already reached the first group of kids, their bright aqua and grey coat standing out among the assortment of colors.

“Figured they wouldn’t have the energy to be squirmy if they had the chance to play first,” Roark said, “and that they might not feel so apprehensive about the first day of school if they had the chance to make friends.”

“Yeah, I bet it will,” Logan replied as they found a bench and sat as Wren stood several feet away, chatting with other children as they introduced themself.

“My siblings range from twelve years older than me to ten years younger,” Roark explained. “I’ve got a lot of experience being both a younger sibling and an older one. If there’s one thing it taught me, it’s that pups need friends their own age as well as sibling time.”

“I’ll have to take your word on it.”

“Cocoa?” Roark asked as he unscrewed the cap.

“Maybe later. What was it like to have siblings?”

“Choas, but in the best possible way. It was like we were our own mini pack, romping through the woods, engaging in failed hunts and not-so-well-thought-out ideas and strategies. When the older pups stumbled, the younger pups still learned from it, even if we hadn’t been participating in the activity, because they’d talk about it afterwards, giving each other a hard time if one of them messed it up. We were each other’s best friends and worst enemies at times, but we had each other’s backs when we needed it.”

“Are they all still here at Comet Lake?”

“And then some, with the way some of them can’t keep their paws off their mates,” Roark replied, chuckling. “My folks will want to have a welcome to the family party once the weather cooperates, but by then, you’ll already have met a few. In fact, you’ll probably get to meet one of my sisters today when we’re at the meat market. My family already knows about you and Wren and are thrilled to know that you’re here. Stella will be over the moon about being the first to meet you.”