Filed to story: Offered to the Lycan King Novel by Misha K (River & Hunter)
Shawn jerked his head back and then burst out laughing. “Oh, I am sorry. I always forget how territorial wolves are.”
The lunch was served to us while Hunter and Shawn talked to each other. Twenty minutes later, Faria came in and made the pups on the baby dining table and chairs. She smiled at Shawn and left. As Hunter introduced my pups to Shawn, a girl entered the room with a cute, blond baby in her lap whose eyes were just like her father’s. “And this is my daughter, Lia,” Shawn said proudly, holding her in his lap.
Lia’s eyes went to my pups who had both stopped babbling as their gazes fixed on her.
River was amazed how Hawk and Arthur simply quit whining and playing as their gazes fixed on Lia. She suppressed a laugh as her eyes ping-ponged between them.
Lia had a cute mop of curly blond hair on her head and had riveting amber eyes. She had a lovely heart-shaped face unlike her father’s whose face was oval and so River gathered that she got her facial features from her mom. She was wearing a pink onesie that had a teddy bear on it. The ten-month old had her eyes on my sons. She looked from one to the other without breaking her gaze.
“Shawn is very intelligent!” Shawn’s words snatched River out of her reverie.
He was telling Hunter about his daughter with so much pride that it was heart-warming. “Do you know that she has started catching on to every object to lift herself up. She wants to walk before time.” He gathered her in his lap protectively. “Do you want to play with the boys, Lia?” he asked her with a grin. Then he looked at River and said, “You should totally let them play together. Lia is starved of company!”
“Of course!” River replied. “I am sure that Hawk and Arthur would also love the company because they were always surrounded with older people for the last four days.” It was clear that Shawn doted on his daughter. River called Faria and she took the boys to a corner where a rug was spread. Then she cajoled Lia to come to her and took her also to the boys. As Hunter and Shawn talked about business and the hotel, River watched the kids with utmost interest. At first, Lia only looked at her pups with interest as Faria talked animatedly to the three of them and then suddenly she opened up and giggled, clapping her h*ands, revealing her two dimples. Because Shawn didn’t have them, River was sure that this was also her mother’s trait.
Hawk and Arthur were fascinated by this little human. They wobbled their way to her and sat down quietly next to Faria, least interested in what she was speaking but captivated by the little girl in her lap. While Hawk took her feet and examined them, Arthur caught hold of her little h*ands and turned them over in his.
River laughed silently as she watched the little ones. Her pups were starved of real company and that was why they were being so inquisitive about Lia. With a smile, she faced the two friends and still found them deep in conversation.
“Do you have any clue about the whereabouts of Lia’s mother?” Hunter asked, genuinely concerned.
Shawn pursed his l*ips and shook his head. “I have given up, Hunter,” he said in a dejected way. “She just doesn’t want to connect with me and frankly I have stopped thinking about her.”
River knew that even though Shawn was saying this, he hadn’t stopped thinking about his girlfriend. “Do you want me to help you about it?” Hunter asked. He had a lot of connections in the human world.
“Nope!’ Shawn raised his h*ands. “I don’t want an unwilling mother for my daughter. It would devastate her if her mother ghosted us again.”
River understood that it would rather devastate him.
The food was served a short while later. Grilled cheese, spicy prawn, crabmeat, mashed potato, Russian salad and a plethora of other dishes were served. River’s stomach grumbled at the sight of the food and she couldn’t help thinking anything else but to devour it all. Hunter chuckled as he served her one dish after the other. As for the kids, none of them were interested in what their parents were doing or eating. They were in their own little world which even God didn’t want to break.
River and Hunter left after two hours of great food, company and rest. When they got up and asked Faria to come with the boys, River was surprised that her pups didn’t want to budge from there. They both held the h*ands and l*egs of their new toy and tugged her along with them till the parking area.
When Hunter tried to put them in their baby seats, Arthur struggled to pull Lia with him. Little Lia cried when the two boys tried to drag her with them. She was terrified. Shawn had to pull his girl away from the boys as he barked a laugh. “Boys will remain boys!” he joked. “But mind you Hunter? he said as a warning. “If I see your boys around my little girl, I will not hesitate to grill them!”
Hunter was surprised at Shawn’s warning. And that was the first time he realized that he would be getting such warning more often than not, once his pups grew up. He gave a light nod as he understood Shawn’s protective behavior. He could easily relate to it and then some more. Lia was a human and she was surrounded by testosterone charged werewolves. She was going to have a rough time. He said, “When she grows up, send her to me. I will turn her into a warrior.”
Shawn jerked his head back. “No way! You got shifters everywhere!”
Hunter chuckled. “I understand your concern Shawn, but one day she has to get used to us. Sooner the better.” They did our goodbyes and were back on the road but Arthur and Hawk were pouty. They looked back every now and then. Arthur even started crying as if his favorite toy was left behind. “Boys!” River snapped. “You will get to play with your cousins once you reach home!”
Hunter laughed at River and his pups. He was so happy to get his family back. They drove for the next five hours before they reached the castle.
Lena was feeling like s*hit after River asked her to take a month’s holiday. “What were you thinking, Lena?” She smacked herself. “That she would stop you?”
Her mother entered the room to give her a glass of milk. “You are taxing yourself unnecessarily Lena,” she said. “River is angry but she will be fine in a few days. Give her time, okay?”
Lena rolled her eyes as she took the glass from her mother. She was packing to leave for her month-long holiday. She was pretty sullen since morning because River was avoiding her. “I guess a month away from all these responsibilities is what I need!” she decaled with a huff.
Her mother asked, “Where do you plan to go?” She glanced at the two suitcases and one backpack. “Are you planning a hike?”
“I don’t know!” Lena replied. “I haven’t thought. I will just go to the nearest human town and then plan!”
“Well, I have something for you,” her mother said mysteriously as she pulled out an envelope from her p*ants pocket. She h*anded it to her. “This is a week’s holiday plan to spend at the Hotel Sapphire. It is a new hotel, built on the highway and is owned by a human called Shawn. I heard that it is a great place to be. It is nestled in a thicket of trees and there’s a clear view of hills from whichever room you see.”
Lena was surprised as she took the envelope from her mother. “When did you-” she couldn’t complete her sentence, overwhelmed by her mother’s gesture.
Her mother chuckled. “Only this afternoon after you were back from the meeting. Your father and I think that this is going to help you out. They also have hiking plans for extra cash. It’s beautiful from what I’ve heard. You must try.”
Lena grinned and then she launched herself at her mother to hug her. “Thank you! I was so directionless at the moment!”
Her mother laughed. “I know. Just go and have fun. You have a month for yourself.”
Lena buried her face in her mother’s n*eck and inhaled her scent. “Do you know you are the best mom in the world?”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?