Thank you ShyDoll97 for the picture!

The next few days were quiet.

Were.

Until Mikko came home pissed.

A small part of me wanted to roll my eyes at him. My family was going home today. With what went down with the packs, Finn wanted to ensure that the pack was gone before he sent off a few of his pack members.

Even if they knew JJ, Finn wasn't going to risk some of his wolves, especially when they were important to me and I was pregnant.

Nikki looked over at me warily. "Should we stay a few more hours?"

I shook my head. They were just stopping by on their way out to say goodbye before going back home.

I shook my head. "I'm sure it's just a passing thing. He'll get over it."

Nikki, Mike and Dad took turn trading kids for kisses and hugs goodbye. They wouldn't be gone long. They never were. I actually hoped that the day would come that they could transfer here and stay with us forever, but I had to get through my change before that would happen.

"Take care of yourself, Mama," Nikki said as she rubbed the belly after giving me a hug.

I nodded. "Of course."

Mike gave me a quick hug. "What she said." He wasn't mushy like Nikki and I were. I was surprised when he gave me the hug. I couldn't help but smile at it. Mike never really got close to anyone besides Nikki, though I had noticed a weird friendship between him and Philip.

Dad gave me a long squeeze. "Love you."

I hugged him back with the effort to hug him back just as hard. "Love you too old man."

He kissed my cheek, then they were gone.

The kids went down for a nap at the perfect time because I needed to find out what the commotion was with Mikko.

He was in his study looking at his computer screen and putting in real effort not to break the mouse as he moved it around.

"What's up with you?" I asked gently as I walked over. I knew how to tread lightly. I was going to make the effort to not be snippy.

Mikko looked up at me and took a deep breath. "Finn wants me to leave for a while."

I sat down on the armchair facing his desk. "Another job?"

He nodded. "My job is never ending."

I wasn't surprised. He always left.

"I told him I wasn't going." Mikko looked back at his screen.

That was surprising. "And what did he say to you turning him down?"

Mikko shrugged. "I'm not sure. I left before he could summon me back."

I couldn't help but laugh lightly. "You couldn't get away from Finn unless he allowed you to, and you know it."

Mikko smirked and looked away from the screen long enough to give me a quick glance. "That's probably true. Over the years I've picked up a trick or two to get out of listening to Finn."

"How do you manage to disobey your alpha?" I leaned back and got comfortable in the chair. It hit me in that moment how tired I was. I needed to nap when the kids napped. I needed every opportunity while I could get it.

As soon as the newest one is born I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep because of the FOUR children. What was I thinking?

"It's all about wording. As long as you know how to use it to your advantage, you're not technically disobeying."

"That's a kid's excuse." I commented grudgingly.

His smirk grew. "Let's hope the children didn't inherit that trait from me."

I shook my head and closed my eyes, slightly giving into the exhaustion I was feeling. "They've gotten something from one of us. They're going to be rebellious. I can feel it."

I felt Mikko's on me before I felt the tingles from the bond. "You should go to bed if you're that tired. You need to sleep and recover."

I nodded and sunk back into the chair more. I didn't like the idea of moving when I was comfortable. Mikko spent a lot of money getting the place together over the past year. Money had been no exception, Mikko made the place look expensive with the ridiculous price tags. I made it a point the keep the kids out of his study, where the more expensive items were.

I was about to bring my legs up and get comfortable, when I felt hands come under me and lift me up. My eyes were instantly open.

"What are you doing?" I asked alarmed.

"You were falling asleep on the chair. You need to take a nap."

I rolled my eyes, like he didn't know. "I can't nap during the day, it's impossible."

He nudged his bedroom door open without looking down at me. "We're going to test something."

"I'm not going to sleep with you."

He smirked. "Yes you are."

I shook my head and started pushing him away from me. "I am not!"

He gently put me down on the bed. "You're going to sleep right next to me."

"Oh." My mind had gone the other direction and he knew it.

"You sleep better when you're around me and we both know it."

"You're working."

He shrugged. "I'll take a break." He patted the growing bump once before going to the other side of the bed. "Baby's more important than work."

"Not according to Finn."

Mikko flopped down onto his side. "Well, I don't see Finn around to tell me to get back to work."

I just stared at him. I didn't want Finn to blame me for Mikko not getting whatever he was supposed to have done finished in a timely manner.

"Just close your eyes. If worse comes to worse, I'll boot up the laptop."

I sighed and got under the fluffy blankets. I did sleep better when I was around Mikko. I didn't know if it was the baby, if it was the link, or if it was just a feeling of safety and security being around him.

Whatever it was, it put me right to sleep as soon as I got comfortable.

And it wasn't just a nap. It was the kind of sleep where you forget everything around you, who you are, or what you were doing.

---

I rolled over onto my back and immediately knew I wasn't in my bed, even without opening my eyes. I knew I was in Mikko's bed. He had a thing for fluffy blankets and a soft bed. It took a couple more seconds before I processed the heat coming from someone next to me. I turned towards the heat and opened my eyes.

"I'm not used to waking up next to you."

I could only see the profile of his face, but Mikko's face forced a small grin.

"I'm not used to waking up next to you," he echoed.

"It's not too terrible, is it?" I asked tiredly.

"It's not." He turned his head and looked at me. "I'm going to send Philip to do my job."

I just looked at him. I could sense that he wasn't comfortable with the idea of sending someone else out to do his job.

"What did Philip say?" I asked carefully.

"He doesn't care. He's glad to get away for a while."

That made sense. If Philip had his way, he would be lone-wolf-ing it right now. I had noticed that since this pregnancy was announced that Philip had been a little more withdrawn.

Mikko's smile grew. "He goes through this phase every so often. It's just what he does."

"Doesn't mean it's healthy for a wolf to do," I stated matter-of-factly.

Mikko shrugged and nodded. "You know you're right." He rubbed the tiredness out of his face and sat up. "It's still weird to me that a human knows so much about wolves."

I smiled at his back. "If you think I'm bad now, just wait until I actually am one."

He let out a bark of a laugh that sounded real, like he actually hadn't expected me to say something witty. "I'm sure I'll get an ear load."

"Probably," I agreed during a stretch. It was time to get up. I could hear rustling on the baby monitor, which meant the babies were getting up.

When I started my slow sitting up process, Mikko put his hand on my stomach, stopping progression.

"I'll get them. You should rest some more." He leaned down and replaced his hand with a quick peck before getting up and stretching his arms. "You need to rest."

I gave him an annoyed look, which I was sure he felt burning through the back of his thick skull.

He turned and looked at me. "You don't want me to come over there and make you lay down. You're going to rest, whether you like it or not."

I narrowed my eyes on him. It wasn't fair. I was sure he had some ulterior motive. I laid back down.

He nodded once, satisfied that I had listened. "Don't get up until you're ready."

I pulled the blankets over me. I really did need some more rest. I could feel that my tiny nap didn't recharge the batteries. My job was very tiring.

Once Mikko was satisfied, he left the room.

Giving into what Mikko wanted, I laid down and closed my eyes.