#Chapter 16 – Bedtime Story

“Ohhhh no you don’t,” I say, laughing anxiously. I start to stand up but Alvin lunges for me and grabs my hand.

“Come on, mama, we want to hear the story!” Alvin looks up at me with big brown eyes, hard to resist.

“Yes, mama! We want to hear daddy’s side!” Ian stays curled up next to his father, clinging to his arm.

“Yeah, come on, mama” Victor says, smirking at me, his voice low and mocking. “What are you afraid of? That I’ll tell them the truth?”

I know I’m rising to his bait, but I sit back down on the bed. “Fine. But I get mediation privileges. I demand the right to correct you when you lie.”

Victor nods graciously and the boys cheer.

“Closer, mama!” Alvin tugs on my arm, pulling me to the top of the bed with the rest of them. I curl up on Alvin’s far side, careful to stay as close to the edge as I can without falling off.

I start the story. “Mommy and daddy met at a party,” I say, beginning to stroke Alvin’s hair as I always do at bedtime. I pause, wondering how to phrase Mommy had just put on her sluttiest dress, bent on revenge…

“There were lots of people at the party,” Victor’s voice interrupts me. I look up to see him watching me, smirking, “and they were bothering your mom.”

I nod and smile a bit, keeping his eye contact, thanking him, silently, for skipping over the parts the boys don’t need to know.

“Yes, so many people bothering me,” I say to the boys, lying easily, “and as soon as daddy saw them pestering me, he drove them away – whoosh!” I make a flying motion with my hands, and the boys laugh.

“It wasn’t quite like that,” Victor says, his voice low, resonant. I raise my eyebrow, surprised to hear his edits. “In fact,” he says, “your mother was very very tricky, like a little fox.” I can see him work to repress a smile. “She was pretending to be very pitiful and helpless, and letting all the people pester her, just so I would save her.”

The boys gasp, and so do I.

“Mommy, so tricky!” Ian laughs. I can tell he is impressed. Alvin also looks at me fondly, his eyes bright.

quite the hero. “After all, a damsel in distress is… a damsel in distress. How

is not quite true,” I say slowly, willing to play Victor’s game. The boys heads turn to me, eager. “You see,

and Victor smirks at the twist. I can see him

feet.” I make another woosh-ing motion with my hand, and allow it to land softly on Alvin’s belly, tickling him

that daddy had to catch her and hold her up. And when I did“ he pauses for effect, “do you know

Ian,

mimics my voice in a silly falsetto: “Ohhhh Victor, if you wanted to dance with me, you just had to ask!” We all laugh at that, and I’m surprised, again, at this new side of a man

“Daddy stepped on my toes so that I would fall in the

mission to catch daddy,

on the

low here, reacting to my jab. “Mommy knew that

for a thing,”

I feel a little bit of shame, first because I let him bait me, and then because I let the boys

asleep,” Victor whispers after a few

am pleased to see that their heads have fallen

over Alvin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Victor,”

agree,” he says, and I note that he doesn’t apologize in turn. Always the Alpha.

between the boys. As he does, Alvin lets out a little cry and clutches at Victor’s shirt. We both freeze

think you should stay,” I whisper, “at least until they’re fully asleep. It won’t take long.” I then move to shift myself off the bed and

look. “It’s fine, just until they fall into a deeper sleep,” he says in response. “They have had a big day, they need to sleep

and curl up with my little Alvin, resting my head next to his, as Victor pushes a button on a remote and the room fades to darkness. I feel Alvin breathing

push the button on the remote again? That’s stupid –

light – that’s brilliant, beautiful dawn pouring through Victor’s floor-to-ceiling windows. I blink and look around further, my eyes and mind still blurry with sleep, and look

Oh god. What the

chest of an Alpha. I jump, trying to get myself out of this embarrassing situation, but find that his right

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