What if this is all the Love I'll Ever Show

Shaye slept as he slipped into the darkness of the den. She stirred slightly as he cuddled up to her. A soft murmur left her sleep drunk lips and she distracted his racing mind. Rhyme expected her to fall back to sleep as he lay beside her unable to grasp at the rest he needed. She surprised him though, and suddenly the warm lumps of pup were nestled between them. Even through his exhaustion and sadness the pups were able to make him smile. Make him focus on the living, the ones who needed him. He felt guilty leaving Tana with only his mother to take comfort from.


Shaye's soft chuckle brought his attention to her, and his lack of lactation. The tiny little girl tried unsuccessfully to feed, but fell back to sleep before she could vocalize her failure. She seemed a bit more awake now, her touch seeking to fully occupy his thoughts. He reacted in kind, holding her close but keeping aware of the tiny squishes between them.


"So much has changed today." He whispered as her buried his nose into her soft scruff. He realized then that they were laying on the sheepskin he'd squired for her. The day that changed their whole dynamic. He was hers and she was his. Rhyme had his own little family. Almost half a year of freedom and he'd done so much to catch up on all the life he'd missed.