5

Hope was sitting listening to the dawn chorus, the first song of the coming day made her feel so good inside. She knew Ifan was approaching, his smell as distinct as he was and she smiled as she turned and shifted on her seat to allow him room beside her.

He had a filled roll in his hand which he handed to her, another in his other hand. She knew he had stolen them, stealthily sneaking through the kitchen to snatch some of the morning food and she also knew Francine would have seen and allowed it as she knew who he would be sneaking out to see.

"What are you thinking?" he asked as she bit into the roll and found still hot bacon inside. She hummed and after clearing her mouthful she answered.

"When we have whelps I will be benched like Taddy was with the twins and Pippy. I do not know how I feel about that" she replied.

"Only until you pop them out, then I will have them" Ifan replied sagely "You know I will be a good Tadda to them all. I only wonder who they will look like. You look so much like your Dad but you have your Tad's grace. I look like my Dad but have my Mama's brain. I can kind of happy about that, Dad can be a tool sometimes."

Hope laughed softy, then popped the last of the bun onto her mouth and hummed softly, something her Taddy did around food to and Ifan offered the last of his as he told her he would have more at breakfast. She needed more, being Wolfling.

"So, you will bond to me?" Ifan asked "Like you promised?"

"Always" she smiled "I want no other in my life. I did think maybe I would but … I don't know. Maybe Frank will be in our pack too … he seems to want to be with us and …. He feels safe when I am near him. Do you feel anything about that?"

"I sort of thought so too, he is not your normal cat. I think he will be happy with us and will protect our babies. Billy loved Janet, talks of all the good things she did … I have no doubt Frankie should be with us" Ifan nodded.

"I do not know what Dean is doing … maybe he wants Frank" Hope frowned, "I feel seething … he does not want this sorted yet. I think he loves Frank for himself."

"What about Bella!" Ifan was surprised but then shrugged, these children not having known bias or bigotry. Love is love.

"He wants Whelps of course but … he does not see her as a mate. More as a friend. I do not think there is a spark there" she answered truthfully, their conversations those so much older when alone and Ifan nodded.

"Well … I don't see why the two of them can not be in our pack then. If it is just the two of them, surely there is room for them to share our Whelps?" Ifan stood and brushed down his trousers "You know … between our bonding and now you might fall on love with someone better anyway."

Hope looked at him as she rose with that strange otherworldly grace of her Dam and she smiled softly "Don't' be a Divvy. SO much like your Daddy with that lack of self-worth. You are mine. Now and always. As I am yours."

"So" he changed the subject with the blustering his father does sometimes "We are Bigs now. It will be our first time above ground with Big Privileges."

"Like?"

"Driving. I wanna learn to drive an ATV. Think Dadda Jack will teach me?" he asked.

"I think he would love to" she laughed "Since he is going to let me have the Bug too."

"No!" Ifan breathed, the little VW convertible with that amazing roll cage was being watched by everyone thinking it would be for Mica or something. To learn Hope would be getting it was a boon, then he frowned "Why?"

"Why what?"

"You don't need it. You run after. Why?"

She looked back at him over her shoulder as she started to head inside "Pippy. He wants to explore too and is too little in the body to match his big brain. I will be driving him about as the farm get on line and things start to happen topside."

"Still the boss" Ifan smiled "My friend will always be a force to be reckoned with, won't he."

"Yes, another reason why you are to be my mate. You are the only one he would not kill for entering my bed" she chortled and Ifan laughed as well, neither of them even considering the true power this little one might wield one day.

This gift from the Mara was stronger than they all thought.

Except for the one who watched him intently sometimes.

His Dam knew.

Turning from his vantage point in the tree line to go in for food as well. He had heard the conversation in the bond, Ifan already there although he did not know it.

Pip had bonded to him as much as Hope.

It was settled.

Ifan had always been family.