Status: Finished.

More Than Just Baser Instincts.

This Place Isn't Home

The next day, Tiberius insisted on staying at my side all day. All I did was play with my nephews, but he acted as if it was the most interesting thing anyone had ever done. Of course, I knew it was just to get in my good graces. And I also knew that no matter what he did, I would never forgive him for what he was going along with.

"Have they even named them yet?" Tiberius asked me, staring at one of the boys with a concentration-filled face.

"No. I figured Gerald would demand to pick the names," I snarled. Surely it was something my father would do.

He cast me a sorry look as he held the boy's tiny hands and bounced him up and down on his leg. "What names do you like?"

"Tiberius—"

"It's going to happen one way or another, Elaine," he sighed, shaking his head before looking back to the cub. "We might as well take control of whatever we can. What do you want to name our cub?"

"There will never be a cub!"

He glanced back at me before saying, "I like Titus. If it's a female, we can name her Enna."

"Stop it."

"You don't like Titus? What about Rory?"

"I'm not mating with you, Tiberius! You can just get that through your thick skull!"

Tiberius gave me a stern look, and both of the boys began wailing. Tiberius calmed his much more quickly; I resented him for it.

"Give me one good reason why you won't even give me a chance. If this is to be our future, shouldn't you at least try it before condemning it?"

"I have a future waiting for me at Home."

He took the crying babe from me and lulled it to sleep within seconds before putting him and his brother in the crib. Then he turned to me, his eyes closed.

"Give me one good reason that doesn't involve your Transvaal male. And—" he added upon seeing my rising protest "—don't give me that crap that you only find him attractive. I saw your supposed mate, Elaine. We look very much the same, if I dyed my hair and closed my eyes."

"But you're not him," I whimpered, dropping onto the edge of my bed. "Only he can touch me without a wave of nausea passing over me. Only my mate is allowed to touch me!"

"I can block it from him," he murmured, having crossed the room. I leaned back, uncomfortable with his closeness as he planted his hands on either side of me and breathed in my face. "If you're so concerned about him suffering for this, I can make sure he doesn't know." His hand caressed my cheek and tilted my head back. "Think about it, will you?"

He kissed me quickly before ducking out of the room, surely gone until nighttime. I scoffed: why would I even consider it! I wouldn't. Besides, Leonard would come up with a plan for escape.

He would.

He had to...

I spent the rest of the day with Arianna, playing with her cubs with her. When asked about their names, she said she hadn't given it any thought. That being said, I told her to fetch Leonard. And we had a baby-naming session.

They named one of the boys Leonard Jr., which was appropriate because he was the spitting image of his father. But as for the other one...

"I was thinking Elliot. Ell for short." Arianna cut a sly glance to me. "As a thanks for taking care of him, Elaine."

"That's very sweet, but you don't have to—"

"Elliot Quinceton." She glanced to Leonard, who was smiling.

"I think it's beautiful, Arianna," he murmured, nuzzling his face against her neck for only a moment.

Love in this desolate place... It gave me hope.
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This one's short, and I can't leave it at that after not updating for so long, so there should be another update by now! :) Thanks for reading! Comment, subscribe, whatever tickles your fancy.