Page 178 of Pack Baby for the Silver Foxes

Mac brightened. “Duchess likes Fergus.”

“Duke,” Ivan said from the doorway, appearing as if summoned by scandal. “Her name is Duke.”

Mac frowned. “But she’s a girl.”

“Yes.”

“Then she’s Duchess.”

“She likes being called Duke.”

“Duchess,” Mac said. The Doberman’s ears pricked.

Ivan considered this with the seriousness it deserved before he ran a palm over his hair and sighed. “I will inform security of her new name.”

Mary wiped her face, staring at the enormous Doberman and the tiny dog below her.

“Is Fergus still playing hard to get?” Ivan asked.

Gregor appeared behind him and chuckled. “He’s hardly going to be able to do anything else.”

Maeve pointed at the dog. “Where’s my slipper?”

Fergus yawned. Duchess lowered her head and sniffed him. Fergus leaned away, offended but not enough to move.

Mary shook her head slowly. “I thought my life was weird.”

I laughed.

For the first time in days, the sound didn’t hurt.

Hudson still had one arm around Mary. I still had my hand over hers on the babies. Mila was patting Mary’s thigh. Mac was explaining to Ivan that girl dogs needed girl titles otherwise Fergus would be confused. Maeve was threatening a criminal terrier with consequences nobody believed she would enforce.

Then Mary started laughing, tears lined down her paint-streaked face. Then she looked at me and then Hudson and whispered, “Take me home.”

Chapter 30

Mary

Family dinner , Hudson had said a week later.

Casual, Lincoln had added. I should have known better.

Casual, in the world of wealthy alphas, apparently meant a private dining room above a restaurant in Mayfair.

Maeve arrived first with Artem, Ivan, Gregor, Mac, Mila, and a paper bag containing what she described as emergency biscuits.

“For me?” I asked.

“For everyone,” Maeve said. “But mostly you.”

“Because I’m pregnant?”

“Because your alphas look like they have planned something, and these will stop the nausea.”

I turned toward Hudson. He looked like he was up to something, which meant Maeve was right. I chose not to ask.

Presley came next with Pack Hastings, Henry, Etienne, Fritz, minus her kids but with enough bright, northern energy to make the room feel less stuffy and more survivable.