Chapter 348
Ella's POV
"They are both Volana wolves?" I whispered, staring at the pups.
My mother and Diana brought me the twins so that I could see for myself. When I was met with two pairs of violet eyes and two pairs of blue eyes, my heart swelled with joy. Tears instantly filled my eyes as I held my two Volana boys.
"I guess we got the stronger jeans," my mother teased as she rubbed my head.
I chuckled as I peered up at Colton who stood with a clenched jaw, but there was amusement in his eyes.
"Colton has Volana's in his family too, don't forget," Diana said with a chuckle.
Colton walked toward me and it excited Val like it always does. I loved that he had this effect on me. He ran his fingers down the side of my face, making me tremble from his touch. Then he brought his lips down and brushed them across mine. I closed my eyes and soaked in his embrace and his kiss.
One of the twins started to squirm in my arms and I looked down to see Asher, wiggling and then a small cry escaped his lips.
"Awe, Ash, it's okay," I said, bouncing him slightly with my forearm.
There was a soft knock on the door and after a second, Dr. Schmitt popped her head inside. When her eyes found me, she smiled.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said, closing the door behind her. "I came to grab the babies for some bloodwork."
I didn't want the doctor to take my babies away, but I knew it was necessary. I almost lost them; it was a miracle that they were still alive.
I handed my babies off to Dr. Schmitt and watched as they left the room.
"You should use this as an opportunity to get some rest, Ella Bean," my mother said, giving me a wink. "I'll come back to visit later." She bent and kissed me lovingly on the forehead.
"I'm going too," Diana said as she gave me a quick hug and then turned to hug Colton. "I'll see you both later."
With that being said, our mothers left, leaving Colton and me alone in the hospital room. I was utterly exhausted; my mother was right. I needed to use now as the opportunity to nap. Colton must have had the same thought because the next thing I knew he was sliding under the covers of the bed and wrapping me tightly in his arms.
I laid my head on his chest and listened to the rhythmic beat of his heart. I felt so safe with Colton, and I knew whenever I was with him, nothing bad could ever hurt us. We are much stronger together than we are apart.
With his warmth and protection, I was finally able to fall asleep.
....
"Are you sure you're ready to go back to school?" My father asked, narrowing his eyes at me as I brought down the last of my bag.
"I have to or my grades will suffer," I reminded him.
"I just feel like you need to rest more," he said, frowning deeply. "You've only been out of the hospital for a couple of days."
"School isn't going to wait for me to recover," I told him, kissing him gently on the cheek.
Colton walked down the stairs holding Asher in one arm and Cooper in the other.
"Colton, can you tell my father that I'm going ot be just fine returning to school," I said, placing my hand on his upper shoulder.
"I honestly think you should take a few more days off," Colton said shrugging.
"Exactly," my father agreed.
I rolled my eyes and walked toward Colton. I pinched Asher's tummy, making his little legs kick. I turned to Cooper and poked him playfully on the nose, making his little cheek dimple. I smiled at my boys before looking up at Colton.
"Well, I'll have you with me. So, it won't be so bad," I murmured, puckering my lips for him.
Colton chuckled and met me the rest of the way with his own lips. Our kiss deepened but only for a moment because soon, my father was clearing his throat, making us jump apart. Colton ran his fingers through his hair, and I tugged at my fingers nervously, trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks.
Despite the fact that I was married with children now, it was never okay to make out in front of your dad.
"Sorry, Dad," I said blushing as I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly.
He returned the hug.
"Have a safe trip back," he said, pulling away. "Your mother and I are returning to the Nova pack this afternoon. But if you need anything, call us." "I will," I assured him.
"Oh, good. You haven't left yet," my mother said, rushing down the stairs. "You forgot Barry the bear."
She held up a light blue bear with a polka dot bow tie.
This was the only toy that could get Cooper to sleep.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
"Oh, goddess," I said with my face warming. If I couldn't even remember my son's bear, how was I going to do motherhood?
Colton took the bear from my mother and then went to pick up the car seats that held Cooper and Asher.
"I'll put the bear in the car along with these two," he announced before turning toward the door.
My mother waved, with her finger, to the babies before they were out of sight. Then she looked at me and she studied me with her eyes. "Everything okay?" She asked, still staring around my face.
I swallowed, hard.
"I'm just a little nervous," I admitted, trying to ignore the heat rising in my cheeks. "What if I screw up? I couldn't even remember a stuffed bear."
"It's not like you are doing this alone, Ella,” my mother said smiling. "It's what you have family and friends for. It's what you have Colton for. Lean on us for support whenever you need it and make sure to communicate your feelings with your mate."
I nodded, blinking away the tears, as I hugged my mother.
"I love you," I whispered.
"And I love you back," she said in return.
After I said goodbye to my twin siblings, who were excited that I had twins of my own, I told them all to drive safely before I turned and left the packhouse to join my little family on our journey back to school.
et
We only had to stop once in the thirty-minute drive to change diapers, but we ended up back at school promptly. I was surprised that my friends were waiting in the parking lot for us to return, but once they spotted Colton's car pulling around the corner and into the lot, they all started jumping up and down and cheering. Content belongs
When I got out of the car, Becca ran toward us and helped herself to the back seat where the twins were.
“Auntie Becca needs some twin time,” she chuckled, unbuckling Cooper who was sleeping with his bear tucked under his arm. "Same with Auntie Rachel," Rachel said as she opened the other side of the car to get to Asher, who was wide awake.
"I'm going to bring our stuff to the house," Colton said, kissing the top of my head before going to his trunk to grab our suitcases.
I smiled lovingly at him; I couldn't
help but watch my mate as he walked toward the faculty houses with our bags and suitcases. He was such a great man, and I knew he was going to be an excellent father. I don't know why I was so worried; my mother was right. I needed to lean on my friends and family for support, especially Colton.
"How are you feeling?" Brody asked, giving me a side hug.
"Exhausted and I don't know if that's ever going to go away," I admitted. "But I don't want to fall behind on school so I returned earlier than the recommended return date which would have been next week."
"If you need help babysitting, you have plenty of volunteers," Brody chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder at Becca and Rahel who were cooing and bouncing the babies.
I laughed.
"I don't doubt that," I told him. But
then I looked around with a frown. I saw Kayla watching Becca and Rachel. She had a fond smile on
lips and looked as if sheer
wanted to take a turn with one of the Then, my eyes trialed back to Brody who seemed much more relaxed than lately. "Where's Sarah?" I then asked him.
He met my eyes, and his grin grew.
"She apologized to her old friends for mind-manipulating them. They forgave her and now they are hanging out," he said, pointing to the student lounge. "They want me to meet up with them in a bit. But I'd rather be here, hanging out with you now that you're back."
I smiled fondly at him.
"We can all go to the lounge," I said with a shrug. "I should get used to being seen with a baby."
He nodded in agreement, and I motioned for the others to follow us. As we walked into the student lounge, the room fell silent as everybody got a look
at me. No doubt the rumor mill had been spinning and everybody already knew everything.
After they got a glimpse of me, their eyes widened when Becca and Rachel brought the babies into view.
"It's true..." one of the girls sitting at a nearby table breathed, staring at the babies and then back at me. "You had Professor Colton's babies."
Then someone else whispered, "You're his mate."