Princess got to Eriko’s cottage. Inside Faye’s bedroom were her four pups. Together, they were sleeping on Faye’s bed. They were tangled up in a big pile of soft cotton sheets, their little chests rising and falling with long, quiet baby breaths.
It turned out that Kaye had left the room the way it was, and he still slept on his side of the bed.
Kaye also happened to be asleep on his bed. His steady snoring filled the small bedroom, creating a calm, rhythmic background sound that made the entire house feel completely at peace.
Princess stood by the door as she watched her little pups sleeping peacefully, all comfortable on their mother’s bed. Her own chest rose with a slow, heavy breath as she leaned her shoulder against the wooden frame. The sight of their tiny hands and soft cheeks made the tight knot in her stomach twist even more.
Princess might have said some hurtful words to her girlfriend unintentionally because she happened to be angry, and she still was.
"Who would have thought that little Princess would have four pups this year?" Eriko said as he joined Princess by the door. His voice was a low whisper, his feet moving silently across the hallway.
He was wearing his pajamas when Princess had come knocking. Everyone in the house had already called it a night.
Princess tried to smile, but it was faint. Her lips moved just a fraction of an inch before falling flat again, her eyes remaining fixed on the sleeping babies.
"I wouldn’t have... If someone had told me a year ago that I was going to be a mom, I would have just laughed it off," Princess said. She kept her voice down, her lungs expanding with a quiet, tired breath.
"Also, I wouldn’t have believed I would be outnumbered. Your Omega just popped out four in a single day. Me? It’ll take decades." Eriko muttered, tilting his head to look at the pile of Kings pups.
"Even if she had just one, we would still have outnumbered you and Leo," Princess said. She shifted her weight, her jacket creaking softly in the dim hall.
"Oh, come on. That’s because we’re not together. If we were, we would have had five by now," Eriko bragged. He smirked, his shoulders rising with a proud chuckle.
"Good luck with that." Princess replied dryly.
"So where is your Omega?" Eriko asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed the tense line of Princess’s shoulders.
"...She’s at home. We just had a fight, so I came on my own," Princess said. She looked down at her feet, her breathing turning a bit shorter as the anger flared up in her chest all over again.
"Oh, little Princess, always running away from fights," Eriko teased. He nudged her arm with his elbow, his tone light.
"I did not run. I just needed to calm my mind before it exploded into tiny bits." Princess snapped in a tight whisper, her fingers curling into fists inside her pockets.
"So what did Paye’s little puppy do to make you angry?"
"Just something irrational. Always doing things without thinking twice or considering the consequences." Princess said, her voice dripping with bitterness as she thought about the one million dollars and the Lycan contract.
"Oh my God... is she pregnant again?" Eriko gasped, his eyes widening in sudden shock as his breath caught.
"No."
"Then why do you look so angry?"
"Can’t tell. It’s our family secret." Princess finished, shutting down the topic with a hard, flat look that left zero room for more questions.
Eriko gave up trying to find out what the issue was. Princess wasn’t going to spill it anyway, so he simply said what he knew. He let out a long breath through his nose, his posture relaxing against the wall.
"Look, Princess, you should already be aware by now that you’re dating an impulsive wolf. From a young age, that girl has always done things without thinking...."
"Even if it’s going to cost her her own life?" Princess asked, her eyes flashing with a sudden, painful heat as she stared at him.
"I’m not sure that girl thinks about her own life first. What I do know is that Faye jumps in too quickly. When she likes someone and sees them as her own person, she gives everything she’s got. It’s her nature. Even her brother has spent years trying to stop her from being that way, but Faye is Faye." Eriko explained, his face turning surprisingly serious in the dim light.
He paused before continuing. His chest rose with a steady, quiet breath as he gathered his thoughts.
"I can tell you so many impulsive things she’s done."
Eriko thought for a moment before speaking again.
"Faye once got lost looking for a shelter for a snake egg. She got herself kidnapped just to save her homie. She jumped into a well to save a girl without thinking twice... and that girl was you."
He chuckled. The sound was soft, his shoulders shaking with the old memory.
Princess smiled a bit hearing those last words.. it was that moment she was supposed to know the kind of girl she was falling for..
"Let’s talk about something recent. When she came back, she drank my beer despite the note I left on the fridge that said, ’Drink my beer and you die.’" Eriko added
Princess sighed. The sound left her lungs in a heavy, exhausted rush, the anger in her chest mixing with a strange, aching weight.
"She punched me on her first day of school, twice. She drugged the school’s water system to erase herself, and now she can’t even remember how much she hurt me in the past by leaving me." Princess murmured, her eyes softening just a bit as she looked back at the bed.
"She had no choice. Her brother took her everywhere he went. It was his duty to protect the Moon Wolf from evil eyes like your grandfather... and Silviana," Eriko said. His voice dropped into a dark, harsh whisper at the mention of the names.
"I understand running from my grandfather, but Silviana had nothing to do with Paye and Faye leaving town." Princess argued, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
"Oh, is that two-faced bitch still your therapist?" Eriko asked. He turned his head quickly, his mouth twisting into an ugly scowl.
"No. I’m changing my therapist because my girlfriend told me to," Princess replied.
"That is very good news. I owe Faye a pack of beer," Eriko said proudly. He let out a satisfied huff, his arms crossing tightly over his pajamas.
"Why do you hate Silviana so much? You always talk badly about her." Princess asked, her curiosity finally peaking as she watched his angry expression.
"Because she’s a two-faced bitch, and she stole my best friend’s man."
"That is a lie. Paye cheated on my brother and got himself knocked up by some random Alpha. So Silviana had nothing to do with that. She just happened to be there for Adam..." Princess started to explain, her voice rising slightly.
"Girl, I’ve got things to do tomorrow morning, so I need my beauty sleep. Pack up your puppies and leave," Eriko said as he walked past her and headed toward his bedroom.