(Changed Little Lucien's name to Noah for smoother understanding)
I knelt, wrapping my arms around as many of them as I could manage. Four pairs of small arms squeezed back with surprising strength—wolf pups, even at five, were never truly fragile.
“How was school?” I asked, even though I’d already heard a very creative version of the day from the pack messenger network.
“School was great! We learned a lot!” Noah spoke up first, chest puffed like he’d personally discovered knowledge itself, and the others nodded so hard I worried their little necks might snap from enthusiasm.
“Mhm,” I murmured, narrowing my eyes slightly.
Four innocent faces stared back at me with identical expressions. The kind that always meant trouble had been successfully hidden.
I let the silence stretch just
