Chapter 322 Second Place
Author
When the twins turned two, Nancy announced she was pregnant.
The news spread through the pack like wildfire. Within hours, every wolf in the territory knew that Yardley and Nancy were expecting.
Orion was obsessed with little Hailey. He saved his best toys for his baby cousin and followed her around like a lovesick puppy.
"Mom, are you going to give me a sister too?" he asked Nancy one morning, watching Hailey play with a stuffed wolf on the living room floor.
Nancy laughed and ruffled his hair. "We’ll see, baby. We’ll see."
Nancy and Yardley hadn’t officially found out the gender. But during the ultrasound, the doctor had dropped a few heavy hints.
"I’m not supposed to say anything," the tech had whispered with a grin, "but don’t buy too much blue."
Even the normally quiet Yardley had been happy enough to share a drink with Alpha Hunter that evening.
"A daughter," Yardley had said, his voice rough with emotion. "I’m going to have a daughter."
Hunter clapped him on the shoulder. "Girls are trouble. But they’re worth it."
Alpha Dominic had mostly given up drinking. Between two toddlers and his wife, alcohol just got in the way.
"I don’t need whiskey to deal with my life," he told Hunter once. "I need a nap."
Elara was genuinely thrilled for Nancy. "Congratulations. You finally got your wish."
Nancy rested her hand on her stomach, smiling softly. "I honestly thought it wasn’t going to happen."
"But then, right when I stopped hoping, it did."
Elara sat on the porch swing, looking up at the stars. The summer air was warm, and somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. "That’s how the best things usually work, isn’t it?"
"Yeah." Nancy settled beside her, both of them watching the night sky. "If the timing had been different, earlier or later, I might never have ended up with Yardley. Funny how life works."
"Oh, by the way, the finance reporter from Forbes called. They want to interview you tomorrow about the Park Hotel expansion." Nancy nudged her. "Congratulations, Elara."
Park Hotel Group had grown fast. Elara had stopped being shy about using Wolfe Enterprises’ connections. What started as two or three locations was now a nationwide chain with fifty properties.
They were even talking about expanding into Canada.
And she had done all of this in just three years, while raising twins.
"I still remember when you were just my scary boss," Nancy said with a grin. "Now look at you. CEO. Mom. Alpha’s mate. You’re kind of a big deal."
"Shut up." But Elara was smiling.
Elara and Nancy had gone from boss and employee to real friends. The kind who fought side by side.
--
Alpha Dominic was proud when he found out about Elara’s magazine feature.
"Babe, when does this come out?"
"Friday, I think." Elara didn’t look up from wrestling Hailey into her pajamas.
Alpha Dominic ordered fifty copies. Just to support her. Maybe a hundred. Okay, two hundred.
But when he actually read the interview, he stopped smiling.
Reporter: "You and your husband both have demanding careers. How do you make it work?"
Elara: "Honestly? He does more than his share. Way more. I couldn’t have built this company without him carrying the weight at home."
Reporter: "Last question. What’s the best thing about your marriage?"
Elara: "That we’re a team. He’s got my back, I’ve got his. The kids come first right now because they need us, but at the end of the day, he’s still the one I choose."
Alpha Dominic read that line four times. "He’s still the one I choose." Okay. That was good.
But then he read it again. "The kids come first."
"Huh."
He put the phone down. Picked it up. Put it down again.
That night, when Elara came to bed, Alpha Dominic was already under the covers, scrolling through his phone.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Silence.
Elara crawled in beside him. "You’re quiet tonight. Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just thinking."
"About what?"
Alpha Dominic put his phone down and stared at the ceiling. "That interview. The last question."
Elara frowned. "What about it?"
"You said the kids come first."
She waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she said, "Dominic, they’re two years old. They need us to survive. That’s not the same as loving them more."
He turned his head to look at her. "So where do I rank?"
"Are you seriously asking me that?"
"I’m just curious." His voice was casual, but his jaw was tight. "Am I second? Third? Somewhere behind the hotel chain and that one coffee shop you like?"
Elara stared at him. Then she started laughing.
"You’re an idiot."
"That’s not an answer."
She grabbed his face and made him look at her. "Listen to me very carefully. The kids come first in terms of who needs me more right now. But you? You’re the one I chose. You’re the one I keep choosing. Every single day. There’s no ranking, Dominic. It’s not a competition."
He was quiet for a moment. "So I’m not second?"
"If you ask me that again, I’m putting you in third."
He grinned. There it was. That slow, dangerous smile. "That’s my girl."
"Shut up and kiss me."
He did.