Princess stayed inside her car. She didn’t drive away even though she had places to go.
Instead, she stayed close to her pups. She was still trying to calm herself and prepare to face Faye after what had happened. Every single time she pictured the Faye’s words from the night before, her lungs would tighten, her ribs expanding with a sharp, furious gasp that she had to force back down through her teeth. Her heart thudded in a fast, unsteady pace, the rage inside her chest still swirling around like a dark storm that refused to clear out.
Then someone knocked on her window. The sudden, sharp rap of knuckles against the glass made her jump slightly in her seat, her eyes flashing toward the driver’s side door.
Princess rolled it down and saw Kaye and Dina standing there with five strollers. The cool morning air rushed into the warm car, carrying the loud, high-pitched babble of the toddlers who were wriggling around in their seats.
"We’re going for our morning walk, and we need an adult. Do you mind following us?" Dina asked. She tilted her head up, her small chest rising with a perfectly calm, businesslike breath as she gripped the handle of the front stroller.
"Can’t you just leave the babies inside?" Princess asked. She rested her forearm against the window frame, her voice sounding tired and gravelly from the long hours of sitting in the dark.
"No," Dina answered. She didn’t blink, her posture completely stiff as she gave the simple, flat refusal.
Princess had no choice but to step out of the car and follow the kids.
As they walked through the woods, Kaye spoke.
"Did you and my Aunty Faye really have a big fight?"
"You don’t have to worry, Kaye. Everything is fine," Princess replied. She was also pushing the strollers..
"It’s a question, so I’m expecting either a yes or a no," Kaye said with a serious face. He stopped walking for a split second, turning his head to look up at the tall alpha with a sharp, demanding expression that looked way too old for his small face.
"...Yes, we did," Princess admitted. She let out a short, defeated sigh through her nose, her broad shoulders slumping down just a fraction of an inch.
"Are you okay?"
"No, I’m not. Faye did something very stupid." Princess muttered,
"I’ll say I’m not surprised, with her level of intelligence." Kaye sighed. He shook his head slowly, his small chest expanding with a long, dramatic breath.
"My aunty always causes a lot of trouble in the house. Every time, I have to be the one who settles the fights between her and my Nanna. Sometimes Nanna doesn’t talk to her for days whenever she does something really stupid."
"Looks like I’ve inherited your Nanna’s responsibility." Princess said, a bitter little smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
"Yes, and I’ve also inherited Aunty Faye’s responsibilities... Aunty-in-law," Kaye said.
"Yes, Nephew-in-law." Princess replied, her eyes softening slightly as she watched him handle the stroller with so much care.
"Please don’t send my aunty back. She really does love you more than she loves my Nanna. If she didn’t, she would’ve never left us to stay with you," Kaye said kindly. His voice dropped into a softer, gentler tone.
Princess couldn’t help but smile at the little boy’s innocent way of thinking. The heavy, suffocating weight in her chest loosened up for the first time all morning, her lungs filling with a deep, genuine breath of fresh air.
"I’ve told you many times, I’m never going to leave Faye, and I’m never going to return her. Your aunty belongs to me forever." Princess said, her voice full of absolute certainty.
"That is very good to hear... and forgive me for what I’m about to do." Kaye murmured, his expression turning completely blank in an instant.
"Forgive you for what?" Princess asked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
Before Princess could react, Kaye kicked her hard on the leg.
Twice.
He swung his leg back and delivered another sharp crack to the exact same spot before she could even twist her body away.
"Ouch! Why?" Princess groaned. She stumbled back a step, her face twisting in sudden pain as she bent over to clutch her bruised shin, her breathing catching sharply in her throat.
"Nobody shouts at my Nanna like that. He is a very good man, and you should be thanking him for giving you Faye. Her leaving us was the hardest thing in his life." Kaye snapped fiercely, his small chest heaving with an angry breath as he stood his ground in front of the alpha.
"Okay, okay. I won’t do that again," Princess said, rubbing her leg. She let out a ragged, whistling breath through her teeth, completely shocked by how much force the little omega had packed into those kicks.
"Dina, I’m done. It’s your turn." Kaye announced, his posture immediately relaxing as he stepped away from the strollers.
The two switched places.
"So, I’m here to defend my Aunty Faye," Dina declared. "She is a very, very good person, and you should never leave her side. Don’t be like my two... fathers." She added the last part with a sharp, bitter edge to her voice, her small chest rising and falling with a fast, heavy breath.
"Dina, I’m not leaving your Aunty Faye," Princess said, still holding her leg. That kick had been surprisingly painful for an Omega like Kaye.
Dina looked at her aunty and shook her head in disappointment. She let out a loud, dramatic scoff, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth.
"I can’t believe you. Be an Alpha for once and swallow the pain."
She then placed both hands on her hips. She stared straight into Princess’s eyes, her tiny chin lifting high into the air as she tried to project a massive aura.
"After our morning walk, you’re going to bring my Aunty Faye here so we can have a tea party together, okay?" Dina said, trying her best to sound dominant despite her tiny size. Her small chest expanded fully as she delivered the order, refusing to back down.
"Alright. I’ll go get her." Princess sighed, her shoulders dropping in total surrender.
"Tea party? I thought we agreed she was taking us to the mall," Kaye mumbled from the back of the line, his mouth twisting into a pout.
"After the tea party, Aunty Faye is taking us to the mall as punishment for fighting with my aunty," Dina said. She turned her head slightly to shoot him a sharp, knowing look over her shoulder.
"...Fair enough," Kaye agreed. He nodded his head once, completely satisfied with the arrangement as he helped pushed one stroller forward again.
Princess couldn’t help but do as the children asked. Spending time with them had already begun to calm the anger inside her. The fast, violent rage that had been boiling in her veins all night was finally starting to burn out, replaced by a deep, exhausting tiredness as she watched the babies babble under the green trees.
So after the walk, she dropped the kids back at the cottage and drove off to get her girlfriend.