𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕|𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚃𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛

 

Win Chivaaree

I groaned when the sun's rays finally made their way into the blinds that I managed to close last night before I fell asleep. Turning to the other side of the bed, I tried to pull the duvet that covered me all the way to the neck, only it didn't, because apparently there were two little monsters that sprawled themselves on top of the blanket. Knowing very well that it would be difficult to go back to my deep slumber, I slowly rose from the bed and clutched my knees against my chest with a smile on my face. Prim's hands were spread wide with a bit of the blanket covering one foot and Nanon was curled into a fetal position while sucking his thumb.

Brushing away some of the hairs from their forehead, Nanon was the first one to flutter his eyes open and sat down on the bed while rubbing his eyes. He looked at me with an unfocused vision making me giggle with his cuteness, and he crawled on the bed towards me until he landed on my lap and I cradled him.

"Good morning my handsome little boy," I cooed and he smiled while rubbing his face on my chest. "Did my baby have a good sleep?"

"Morning, Daddy. Nanon is still sleepy," Nanon replied with his eyes still shut close making me giggle even more with his innocence, exuberance, and overall cuteness. Suddenly, he scrunched his nose and looked at me with a confused expression. "Is sad Daddy?"

"No, but Daddy miss Dad so much. Nanon missed Dad, too?" I asked and by now, he was already sitting on my lap and looking at Prim, giggling while covering his mouth before looking back at me.

"Uh-huh," he replied and crawled to where Prim was sleeping. "Prim...Daddy is sad," he poked Prim's cheeks making the little one push him lightly away, and Nanon pouted with his arms crossed on his chest.

"Prim is bad, Daddy."

There were more cute interactions happening in front of me until both kids were now running around in circles in the room while chasing each other, and me just happily looking at them while sitting criss-cross applesauce on the bed. Looking at the time, it was already 7 in the morning and I needed to prepare them for school which would then become the battle of strengths. Thankfully, they were cooperative enough which was unusual but didn't bother me because that would make my morning much easier. When done with bathing and slipping them into their outfit, I took both of them into my arms as we made our way into the kitchen.

Turning the TV on, I let them watch some cartoons first before I made my way to the stove and prepare breakfast. Turkey bacon, sausages, eggs, and some toast on the side with peanut butter and jelly, the twins' favorite. Warmed up some milk that I poured on their cups, and placed the plates on the table where they'd be sitting down, before calling them to eat. Both marched happily and excitedly towards the table and Nanon helped Prim climb on the seat, before taking his own seat which was right next to his twin. I grabbed my cup of coffee and settled on the seat across them, took a bite of the toast, and before I could even swallow it - I stood up and ran towards the bathroom. Threw up until there was nothing that I could throw up anymore.

"Oh gosh..." I mumbled and looked at my face in the mirror with teary eyes. After splashing water on my face, I made my way back into the kitchen with the twins looking at me worriedly making me smile.

"Daddy? Are you okay?" Nanon asked and I nodded before crouching down at eye level with both of them. Gently, he placed one hand on my cheek while Prim did the same thing as her brother, making me smile with the sweetness that these two have.

"Daddy is fine," I said. "Are you guys done eating?" I inquired and they both gave me big nods. I mind linked to Man and told him that the twins were ready for school while I let them sit in the living room for a moment. I made my way upstairs and grabbed all their stuff just in time for Man to tell me that he had arrived.

Yes, Man volunteered to drop them off every day at the daycare, and Bright or I would pick them up after school. Type had been such a sweetheart and was also very eager to see the twins in the morning before Man drops him off at work, after sending the twins. Yeah, Type's a human, and cannot actually have kids but these days they've been thinking about doing a surrogate mother so they could at least have one of their own. Or adopt. Either way, they're still in the process of deciding about it, so he satiates himself by just having the twins for himself for a few minutes a day.

"Good morning!" Type exclaimed and wrapped me in an embrace, pulled away, and crouched down with his arms wide open. "Uncle Type's here!"

Giggling, the twins ran towards where he was and soon tackled the male with big hugs and loud laughter making me snicker with their energy. On the corner, Man smiled wide while looking at his mate with the twins, and I bumped my hip into him which made him look at me questioningly.

"He's good with kids, yeah?" I asked teasingly. He then blushed and cleared his throat making me snicker before finally pulling myself back together when Type was ready to leave the packhouse.

"We'll take care of them, and please don't tire yourself out since Bright's not here," Man reminded me and I nodded. "I'm serious Win, don't stress yourself so much. And don't forget that you have an appointment with Dr. Fang today at 10."

"Yes, Father," I replied playfully and kissed my twins making them giggle before finally letting me go from their embrace. "Go away now, because they'll be late. See you next time, Type."

Once the room quieted down, I found myself leaning in the doorway and just looking at my friends strapping both kids to their seats. Done, Man jumped on the driver's seat and Type on the other side while making some conversations with the twins until they left the ground. I shut the door behind me and dedicated my time washing the dishes, and cleaning up the table before moving on to vacuum the living room where the kids usually play. After doing so, I fixed our bed and the kids' beds which didn't really need fixing because they've been sleeping with me these past few days.

Focusing on my tasks, my phone suddenly rang and I grabbed it from the bedside table. I smiled as it screened my husband's number, pressed the answer button, and placed it against my ears until I heard his soothing voice from the other line.

["Good morning, babe.]

"Good morning, how's sleep? The kids just left with Man and Type, and I'm on my way to shower," I said while I grabbed a towel from the dresser and settled on the couch for a while.

["I couldn't sleep because you weren't here beside me. How's your sleep? How are the kids? Did they give you a hard time?"] Just hearing his voice, I could tell that he was pouting and cooing.

"No, they've been really sweet today. And Nanon said that he missed you," I shifted in my seat. "Prim missed you, too. I told them that you'd be coming home tomorrow and they were really excited. I am, too."

["I missed all of you. Yeah, hopefully, I could go home tomorrow while they're still awake. Peaches, I really want to continue talking with you but the clients just arrived. Can I call you later after the meeting, love?"]

"Yes, please," I smiled even though he can't see me. "Take care, I love you."

["I love you, too.]

•••••

Dr. Fang looked at me with a wide smile, and until now, I can't still forget about our first meeting though it had been roughly five years. Besides, she's my primary obstetrician so I usually meet with her for regular check-ups to make sure that I am healthy. Her office was large enough for her, coated with white from floor to ceiling with a few ornaments that I could say - matched her personality. A cabinet full of awards from her many years of service for humans and werewolves, though her specialty would be for the werewolves since she's one of us. On one corner was a small living room with a tall plant making the place, somehow - alive. Blinds were drawn making the place a tad dim with some slits of sunlight that passed the covering. A small table in the middle with stacks of magazines, and an office desk which was full of documents beside her personal computer.

"How have you been feeling lately? Any changes in particular?" she interrupted my thoughts and I looked at her with anticipation.

"Well, nothing much physically. But I did throw up earlier," I said. "I'm not sure why, though?" I expressed with curiosity and tilted my head a little. "And my sense of smell is getting quite sensitive, as well. Earlier, too, I had to sit down for a moment because I was getting light-headed though I didn't do much at that time. I usually feel bloated and I'm more in the bathroom than out of it," I relayed as a matter of fact, and Dr. Fang was just nodding all the time before pulling out my records.

Yesterday morning, I was woken up with painful cramps and churning from my stomach, my legs felt like jelly when I tried to stand up, and I was throwing up a lot. Even the kids were crying because they probably thought that I was dying in the bathroom, which was not the case. I did want to assure them that Daddy's fine, and to not cry - however, my stomach was making me a liar. Thus, I had no choice but to call Chase to prepare the kids for school since he's the closest one from the packhouse. And being the worrywart that Man was after Chase called him about my condition - he appeared at the doorway, panicked, dragged me to the car, brought me to the hospital, sent me to see Dr. Fang first who then took some series of tests on me, and Man then dropped me off at the packhouse before picking up the kids with Type.

Yes, still my lifesavers.

Dr. Fang stood up to her full height and motioned me to do the same - all the time pointing at the bed and asking me to raise my shirt up to reveal my stomach. Though confused, I followed through while she took the things that she needed and I lay there nervous because I've done this before. Taking my thoughts away, she slathered enough amount of gel on my stomach and placed the ultrasound transducer then started to move it over my body while we looked at the monitor.

"Wait? Am I?" I asked her with a shocked expression and she nodded happily.

"Yes, you're around 6 or 7 weeks pregnant. Congratulations!"

•••••

"How's the appointment?" Man asked when they dropped the twins at home who were clinging to me like koalas.

"Nothing much, we just talked a bit. Thanks for dropping the kids, and sorry for troubling you again," I said almost apologetically before looking at my treasures sleeping soundly on my shoulders by now.

"Please, stop saying that you're a trouble because that would never be the case," Type said while glancing at the kids with too much fondness.

"Did they make trouble at the daycare though?"

"Well, Prim did have a little fight with one of her classmates because she was teasing Nanon because of his hair," he said and ruffled my son's silver hair which by the way - he didn't inherit from anyone of us. Maybe from his ancestors, but definitely not from Bright and me.

"He was crying when I picked him up, asked me to shave his hair so Prim doesn't get in trouble. Poor kid, being bullied at such an early age but kudos for his self-control though. For Prim, she had always been a fighter so there was no doubt that she'd defend the brother."

"The more reason for me to be worried about. I'll talk to them later. Thank you again for dropping them off, please be safe."

With a smile, Man and Type nodded and gave the twins some gentle kisses on their hair before turning their heels towards the door. After a while, I climbed the stairs all the way to our room so they could sleep better on the mattress. Once inside, I gently laid them down and I dipped on the bed beside them to also travel into my deep slumber.

•••••

"Baby..." Bright's gentle voice echoed against my eardrums stirring my sleep, before finally opening my eyes I questioned this moment because why would I hear him if he was overseas? Though puzzled, I focused my vision on the silhouette hovering on top of me which was soon revealing my husband with that lovely beam on his face making my heart jump out of my chest.

Realizing that it was indeed not a dream, I sat up from the bed and scooted closer. "Welcome home," I announced making him pause on the spot, smile wide, and placed both hands on either side of my face as if he has just seen his favorite person in the world.

"I am home," he replied and pressed his lips to mine. "Yes, it does feel good to be home," Bright said and nuzzled on the crook of my neck, sniffing my scent and I wrapped him in a warm embrace.

"Did I disturb your sleep, my love?"

"No, that's fine. I need to wake up anyway and prepare dinner," I ran my fingers on the locks of his hair making him hum in satisfaction.

"Come here, I missed you so much," Bright tapped on his lap when he pulled away making me giggle, but I did find myself comfortable on his lap as he cradled me like a baby with our babies still sleeping soundly.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Chicago today?" I asked after recovering from the blush that I was sent into, and Bright pecked on my lips once more. Couldn't get enough of my lips, I suppose?

"I rushed everything so I can come home tonight because I really missed you a lot and the twins. Also, Man called me that he brought you to the hospital yesterday. What happened? Is there something wrong? What did Dr. Fang tell you?"

"Nothing, it was just overfatigue, love. Don't worry too much," I lied. "Look at the kids, they're growing up so fast. I wonder where all the time went, and why did they have to grow up?" I asked and Bright shook his head in response with a small smile and ran the pad of his thumb on the exposed skin on my waist.

"Time flies so fast right, love? They were so small when they were born, and now, they're already five years old," Bright said with those shimmering eyes as if remembering them when they were still small - and I did, as well. I hummed in response.

"True, and your daughter, by the way, defended your son from the bullies. Man said that Nanon was crying earlier when he picked them up and even asked him to shave his hair. I feel bad for him, but I'm not that worried because Prim sticks out for him," I said proudly.

"Hmm...well, she got your patience so we'd expect for her to get in trouble all the time," Bright said making me pout and poke his cheeks. He snickered before wrapping me in between his tight embrace just a bit more.

"A few more years and they'd be looking for their mates and leave us," I mumbled catching Bright's attention who then gave my temple a gentle peck, a reassurance.

"You're worried about them finding their mates?" Bright whispered softly against my ears, as he traced the outline of my spine with his fingers to pacify the overwhelming emotions that were about to erupt.

"I am always worried about them, even to you," I replied and snuggled closer to Bright, sedating myself with his calming scent. "I just can't imagine the time that they'd both leave us, find their mates, and build their own families. Of course, I'd be the happiest when that time comes, it's just that I'm not ready to let go of them yet."

Bright tore himself away from me and gently pinched either side of my cheeks making me jut my lips out, and he snickered all the while scrunching his nose - he still finds me cute. With adoration, a warm peck landed on the tip of my nose making me smile before finally feeling his lips pressed against mine. When he released me from his soft and loving kiss, Bright offered me a beam which I responded with one.

"I'm not ready to let them go either, peaches, but when the time comes that they'd finally leave us, I would still have you," he expressed making me blush and he chuckled lightly. "Don't worry about them too much, love, because our twins will be the most responsible Alphas when they grow up. They would know how to set their priorities and make decisions that would be beneficial not only for themselves but for their mates."

Expelling a quick and deep sigh, I nodded as my response before going back into my husband's embrace as he cradled me like the baby that I am - I'd always be his number one baby anyway. It was as though the time paused for a moment as we both found ourselves just being comforted with the presence of each other. Within the many years that we've been together as partners in life, the thrill that we once had in our relationship from the beginning had somehow faded - and what remained was the amount of respect, commitment, adoration, and love that we have for each other. It never once faded, instead, it grew into a much stronger one as the years went by. Yes, we may not have all the liberty of doing the things that we did back then during our younger days. But we've stayed connected and bonded, that we're both each others' universe that no one could change nor replace. On top of that, we've been blessed with so much love from our family, friends, and the twins. Nothing about our life was lacking, instead - we have too much to receive and give, as well.

Too engrossed with our own utopia, we never even noticed the twins already awake not until they both found their way to separate me from Bright. I know, they missed their Dad, too. I shook my head and joined the fun with ripples of loud giggles from the twins, and the loving coo from my husband which I found cute. After our little merriment, Bright scooped the twins and shouldered them as the four of us made our way into the kitchen so I could make our dinner. The three of them were just playing in the living room while I busied myself in front of the stove - still finding the smell of garlic not to my liking. But at least, Bright's scent wasn't something that I hate unlike the first few months of my first pregnancy.

After cooking, we shared a lovely dinner and asked the twins about their day at school. Prim talked about how a girl teased Nanon, and how she talked to her about not being bad to other people. Thankfully, nothing physical happened because I'm not sure how she'd handle herself when she's provoked. Nanon, however, was just smiling and taking small bites of his meatballs while listening to Prim. I could tell that he was very proud of his sister, and was even nodding eagerly when Prim says something that he'd agree upon.

The dinner was lovely, and it was almost nine o'clock when the twins basked on the softness of their own beds and traveled to their deep slumber. Bright and I made our way back to the living room to watch TV since we were both not yet sleepy anyway, and he's excited to tell me about the upcoming business that we were about to open pretty soon - that was what he flew to California for three days. In the midst of our movie marathon, Bright managed to slip his hand underneath my clothing making me tweak and look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's make more pups?"

"Aren't you tired? And do you think you can handle more kids your age right now? You're old."

"Excuse me, but I'm only 30 years old, and can very well handle kids because I am strong," he shrugged his shoulders. "I was actually suggesting having sex, not getting you pregnant. Unless you'd want it raw then that would be so okay with me," he said with much anticipation making me shake my head. This man sure doesn't know what tired means.

"Oh, please, stop!"

After recovering from the slight embarrassment from his words, I placed both hands on either side of his shoulders as his hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him while I gave him a massage making him hum in satisfaction.

"Baby, don't cook dinner tomorrow."

Confused, I asked. "Why?"

"It's been a while since I took you out for a date night since the kids were born. We could ask Rose to look after them for a while, or if you want, we could bring them with us and make it a family dinner instead. It's your call," he smiled. "Either one, I'd be very happy to be able to spend time with you since we've been busy with the business. I miss you so much," he expressed and I nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, love. Te Quiero," I whispered lovingly.

"사랑해," he replied. (I love you.)

"Spanish, Korean, English. What language will we be learning next?" I asked Bright with curiosity

"Let's wait for Prim's mate, and see what language will he or she be using," suddenly, Bright nipped my nipple playfully and I pushed him lightly with furrowed brows. "But..." he pouted, and brushed the pad of his thumb on my nipple making me bite my bottom lip.

"Your nipples were screaming to be nipped and I was just doing them a favor, love."

"Nope," I shook my head, holding back the lust that was forming in my throat. "Nipples don't scream and isn't it too early to think of Prim having her mate?" I asked and shrugged a shoulder. "But then again, Nanon imprinted his female when he was still three. So, there's no surprise there."

"Baby..." Bright called out. "Let's go make babies!" He exclaimed before scooping me up from the couch bridal style making me yelp and snaking my arms around his neck - to make sure that I don't fall. With a smug, he pressed his lips against mine making me smile through the kiss and allowing my desires for my husband to take over. As our lips continued to move in sync that matched our growing lust and yearning, Bright skillfully found the way into one of the rooms on the first floor of the packhouse.

With a light slamming of the door, our kisses turned into a deeper and rougher one until I found myself being laid gently on the mattress - as if I was a delicate thing that would break if not handled carefully. Pulling away, Bright stared at me with those ocean-blue eyes which reflected the amount of love and pining that he had for me, and he still has for me until now. Softly, he lowered himself on top of me and imprinted a peck on my forehead making me shut my eyes instantly. Another warmth landed on the tip of my nose as his hand found its way underneath my clothing, and I gasped from the sudden skin contact with his large hands. Bright made small kisses on my jawline, my Adam's apple, and run his moist tongue on the mark on my neck eliciting a faint moan to escape my mouth.

"Win," he whispered and I fluttered my eyes open to see him already staring at me, and my heart bursts into an uncontrollable amount of happiness just knowing that after all these years - he still loves me unconditionally. Those gazes were great evidence.

"Bright," I said in a breathy one, a hand on his face, tears brimming my eyes, and love that never once ceased nor diminished. "I love you. I love you so much. Please stay with me until we turn old and gray."

Lovingly, he clasped our hands together, raised them towards his lips, and imprinted a chaste one on my knuckles making me sob.

"I love you, too, Win. I love you so much. And yes, I will stay with you until we're old and gray, that I can promise you. Remember what I said when I proposed?"

"Yes," I nodded. "To infinity and beyond."

"To infinity and beyond," he repeated. Bright lowered himself once more to land a kiss, but I remembered something that I needed to do so I placed a forefinger against his lips. He furrowed his brows in the middle and looked at me with a questioning look, slightly annoyed perhaps.

"Oh, I remembered something..." I said and pushed him lightly so he could sit on the bed. "I have to show you something. It's in the room, come with me."

Though reluctant and disappointed by the sudden interruption, he still followed me back to our room which was on the second floor of the packhouse. I swear to the Moon Goddess, I need to move into the first floor again after this because my calves would be killing me pretty soon. Once inside the room, I took a seat on the couch and took my time to rest while Bright looked at me with a comical expression on his face. Smiling, I pointed to our dresser.

"Can you please grab me a different shirt? This one has sweat on it."

"Huh? We're going to take it off anyway, why do you need to change into new ones?" He asked, and I was about to laugh out loud but I didn't. Instead, I just pouted and shooed him away towards the dresser.

Shaking his head, he walked towards the dresser while I sat there on the couch - nervous, trembling, and unsure of what reaction will I get from him this time. Bright opened the dresser, paused for a moment, tilted his head, grabbed something before he turned around to where I was sitting with an unsure expression plastered all over his face.

"Uhm...babe..." he trailed with a quavering voice while I sat there feeling a tad excited now.

"Yes, love?"

"Uhm..why is there a baby onesie and sonogram here?" He asked bewildered, scratched the back of his neck, and looked at it again as he tilted his head. Trying to understand the situation, but I think his mind just short-circuited and I wanted to laugh so hard at his face but restrained myself.

"What does it say though?" I asked cheekily.

"Uhm...surprise, you're going to be a daddy?" Bright pursed his lips into a tight line, looked at me, and then the onesie.

"But I am already a Daddy..." he trailed and looked at the sonogram.

"Babe..." he looked at me with teary eyes. "Oh my, this sonogram...it's taken today," he said, finally noticing the date before making a peal of light laughter with tears in his eyes.

His knees must have finally turned jelly that he just slumped on the floor, smiling like a total idiot, wiping his tears while I just sat there looking at him with the tears rolling on my cheeks, and smiling like an idiot, too. Finding my husband's reaction a bit cute compared to the first pregnancy announcement that we had with Dr. Fang, I snickered and spread my arms wide open.

"Come here."

Bright wiped the last of his tears and just walked towards me, pulled me into a hug while he let out breathy laughs in a cracked voice. His embrace tightened while I rubbed my palm against his back to soothe him, as he sobbed on my shoulder like a little boy. Pulling away, he placed both hands on either side of my cheeks, beamed a wide one, and imprinted a soft kiss on my lips.

"You're pregnant?"

"Surprise?"

"How? I thought you could only do one pregnancy in a lifetime? How? I don't understand..."

"Me, too. But..." I placed Bright's hand on top of my stomach with mine on top of his. "Our baby is here now, swimming, and playing inside. Are you happy?"

"You..." he trailed and kissed me again, this time, it was softer. " Babe, I almost had sex with you, and you're pregnant," he inhaled a lot of air and breathed it out to calm himself. "And yes, I am really happy, and don't worry babe, we'll make sure that everything goes smoothly and no complications would happen. Oh, Moon Goddess..." he snickered.

"I'm going to be a Dad again, wow, just wow! You are full of surprises Win Chivaaree!"

With glee, Bright was now on bended knees with his hands on either side of my hip as he pressed his ear to my stomach making me giggle - because he wouldn't hear anything yet since I'm still 6 weeks pregnant. Gently, he kissed my stomach before looking at it with a very wide beam that would almost touch both sides of his ears, wiped his tears once more with the back of his hand as he sniffed the last of it. My fingers were now playing with the locks of his hair as I watch him in amazement, and I can clearly feel the amount of excitement that he has in his heart - the same happiness that mirrored mine.

"I love you, Bright," I said out of nowhere making him look up at me, tilted his head a little with a teasing smile on his lips which I shrugged. He then stood up to his full height and trapped me in a warm bear hug, while I enjoyed the warmth that he was emitting - and the tranquilizing pheromones that he was releasing.

"I love you, Win. Now and forever. To infinity and beyond..." he paused and cupped my chin. "Until we're old and gray with three kids..." and another moist and warm lips melted on mine, making my heart soar higher and higher with the amount of contentment with my growing family.

Bright started to talk about buying stuff for the baby while I just listened there, smiling, and giggling with how excited he's becoming once more. And a lot of things started to crowd my mind before finding myself inside his embrace and receiving kisses on the temple.

We've been through a lot, and we've waited for a long time to finally express the amount of love and adoration that we have for each other. Those times when Bright made sure that I was secured and safeguarded all the time, the first kiss that we shared at my house and the first night that we slept together. I can even remember how he panicked when I had my attack, and asked Rose for my pills. When we separated, gave each other time to understand the situation before going back into each other's arms with a stronger bond. The many twists and turns, almost felt as if it was a roller coaster of events - and my true identity was revealed because of that. The kids, wedding, honeymoon, and everything that happened were all a reminder that no matter how many troubles and problems that we encounter - we would face it together. And the love that we had from the beginning of this relationship, never diminished, instead, it was nurtured - plus one more on top of our two little monsters.

And whatever life may bring, we would never be fazed and shaken. Because truly, our endless love for each other from the day that we were born until we're old and gray only means one thing, and one thing alone, Bright and I were mated together.