Micah raised his head, glancing toward the front door. He moved toward the porch and watched as an unfamiliar car pulled up to the front drive. A small smile broke across his face as the driver exited the car. Well, I’ll be damned. Speak of the devil and that swamp wolf shows up on my land. Tall, tan with brown hair falling below his shoulders, the driver stared at the front door for a moment until the passenger door of the car opened.

Micah watched as the small auburn-haired woman got out of the car. She smiled at the man, said something he couldn’t make out and then moved to the back car door. The man shook his head at her, opening the back door on his side of the car. Within moments the couple was heading toward the lodge, the man carrying a child carrier and huge diaper bag, the woman holding two toddlers by the hands.

Micah opened the door just as they stepped onto the porch. The woman released the children to throw herself against his chest with a huge smile as the man behind her growled softly. Micah knew it was instinctive, knew it wasn’t a challenge, so he ignored it to hug the woman briefly.

“Hello, Joie, Slade. Welcome.”

“Micah, it’s so good to see you!” Joie’s soft Southern accent charmed him, as always. Slade simply nodded, uneasy with the relationship they were still carving out after nearly three years. Besides, he had a hard time with other Alphas and he was out of his element on Micah’s territory.

“How are you? It’s been way too long, you know. Tante Kay asks about you all the time.”

“How is your godmother?” Micah smiled at the memory of the ancient traiteuse who lived deep in the bayou.

“Kay’s fine. She sent you some herbs. They’re in the trunk. Had a hell of a time getting them on the plane. Damn drug-sniffing dogs.” Slade’s gravel-laced voice gave evidence of his discomfort. A soft squawk from the carrier drew Micah’s eye to Slade’s burden and to the twins who stared up at him with matching grins. He moved back, opening the door wider for the family to come inside.

Micah swung one of the toddlers up in his arms as she stepped over the threshold and looked into eyes as green as moss. “Hello, little sister.”

He couldn’t stop his grin as the child’s twin brother tugged at his pants leg. Micah scooped the boy up in his other arm, seeing the same green eyes in this face. “Hello, little brother.”

“They’re twenty-one months old now and growing like weeds. This one has just hit eight months.” Joie reached over to touch each of her children and then looked up at their father. “We wanted to let you see them and share our news.”

The curly redhead looked deeply into his eyes. “Micah? What’s wrong? You’re in pain.”

“You’re pregnant again?” Micah ignored the healer’s insightful words and redirected the conversation.

“I hate it when you do that,” Slade grumbled even as he slipped his arm around Joie. “Yes, she’s pregnant again, just barely, and for whatever reason, she insists that we ask you to be godfather again.”

“I would be honored, thank you.” Micah knew the pain of loss Joie had suffered and knew her joy at being able to carry Slade’s children. Apparently, from the rapid growth of their family, Slade had settled surprisingly well into fatherhood. Either that or he just couldn’t keep his hands off his mate. Micah knew the feeling. He looked at both of them then turned to lead the way into the living room. “Come in, make yourselves at home.”

He set the twins down long enough to start removing the snowsuit from his goddaughter. She smiled and waved her arms around, babbling as only a toddler could as he took her snowsuit off.

Slade had stopped just inside the door, his eyes taking in the décor even as he scented the air. Micah waited for the question he knew the other man would ask. As a human, Joie wouldn’t recognize the scent, but Slade would.

Sure enough, a grin started across his face and he turned his gaze to Micah. “Where’s your mate, Micah?”

“Mate? You’re mated? Oh Micah, how wonderful!” Joie rushed across the room but stopped short of hugging him again. Her eyes were thoughtful as Slade took a seat and helped his older son out of his snowsuit before pulling the baby out of the carrier, removing his snowsuit much more deftly than Micah had for their sister.

Slade hugged the infant against his chest as he spread a blanket out on the floor. He set the baby down on his tummy, patting his diapered butt softly. The boy raised his head and shoulders up then started scooting around on his stomach. Micah envied his friend’s ease with the children.

Micah watched the twins toddling around the living room then met both Joie and Slade’s expectant gazes. “She’s gone.”

“Gone?” They spoke together. Joie’s voice held sympathy-Slade’s surprise.

“Yes. She went to New York.” Micah got to his feet and headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll go make sure your room is ready and then I’ll check on dinner. Make yourselves at home, enjoy the fire. There are some toys in the wooden box against the wall.”

He moved swiftly out of the room, not willing or able to talk about Olivia leaving just yet. He knew there would be questions, especially from Slade, but he wasn’t ready to discuss it. He wanted to bring up Talia but didn’t know how.

Despite his reluctance, he sighed when Slade walked into the kitchen. Giving the beef stew another stir, he glanced at Slade.

“You let her leave?”

“I had no choice.”

“Bullshit. She’s your mate. She’s a shifter. Why’d you mate with her if you were going to let her leave you?”

“She doesn’t accept what she is, what we are.” Micah shrugged, forcing his pain back down deep where the other man couldn’t sense it. “She has a life elsewhere.”

“So you’ve tied yourself to a woman who wants nothing to do with you? And I thought I was the screwed-up one when I left Joie. Oh, and who was it who told me what a jackass I was? Wasn’t that you? Wasn’t it you who told me I should go back?”

Slade pushed away from the doorway to stand in front of Micah. “You don’t practice what you preach, Shaman?”

The emphasis and insult he put into the word had Micah’s ire rising. Only Tante Kay Joie’s godmother called him Shaman on a regular basis.

“Leave it alone, Slade.”

Slade bristled. “You’re such a fraud, Micah. Here you are, screwing up your own life but you can preach to the rest of us about how to live?”

“I said leave it. I have other worries. My child is also gone.” Micah slammed his hand down on the counter, growling low in his throat. Slade answered the growl with one of his own, in spite of the fact that he was in Micah’s territory. The two men, nearly equal in size, were inches away from one another.

“Both of you, stop it!” Joie’s voice cut into the charged atmosphere. She ran across the room, grabbing her husband’s arm and yanking hard.

“Stop it! I put you back together twice, you stubborn jackass. Don’t make me have to do it again. Besides, I don’t have my medicines with me. Stop it, right now! Malcolm Slade, you stop it! Micah, you had a child with this woman?” Joie’s stunned look seared Micah.

“No, the child is not mine by birth. She was Shelly’s daughter. Shelly and apparently,” he growled at Slade, “apparently Curtis was the father. Had you done your duty by your Pack as Alpha we would have known this by now and none of this would have happened. Talia wouldn’t be at the Compound Pack now.”

In spite of his aggression, Slade gently shook Joie off his arm to shove Micah hard in the chest. “My fault? How is this my fault? You can’t keep your woman or your kid and I’m to blame? Yeah, fuck you, Micah.”

Joie grabbed Slade’s arm again. “You do one more thing to push Micah over the edge, Malcolm, and I’m never sleeping with you again, you great big couchon! And I’m gonna make any stitches I have to take in your sorry hide so tight you won’t be able to bend.”