“Welcome, my daughter. The gods have blessed us this day with a new daughter and a grandson. You brought Roark back to us, Natalie of Earth. I can never repay you for this miracle. Welcome. Welcome to our family.” Her voice cracked on the last, her cheek pressed to mine where I felt the wet trail of her tears.
I stood there, stiff, my arms wrapped around Noah as she hugged us both and cried. It was awkward and I glanced at the sleeping Roark in the pod, wishing he were awake to help me.
Roark’s huge father stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his mate, me, and Noah, and I immediately felt safe and protected. “Welcome, daughter.” His deep rumble was so similar to Roark’s that even little Noah stilled.
“I— Thank you.” I had no idea what to say, or how to react. This was not what I
