This is a cruel joke, right?

Than pov

The woman under my arm is nothing short of a Goddess. 

Seth knows how to carry herself and make everyone in her way bow, even if they have no idea how high she stands. She’s a woman in power. A woman who knows what she wants and how she wants it. 

Those are just a few of her features that drew me in. The few things that made me fall for her without noticing how addictive her presence became in a blink of an eye. 

What is more surprising is that her husbands, the four men that have stood by her side for decades, found no issue with me joining their rows. 

If anything, Luciano has been over the moon to have his best friend, or at least that’s what he calls me, live under his roof. Dominic, Ryder and Vlad are like school buddies who find no issue with any competition. 

Honestly, I believe that all men are so confident in their roles in her life that there’s no need to feel jealous or act out. Seth won’t drop them just because someone else came into her life. 

Besides, we didn’t plan this, so it’s not like anyone could blame either of us for ganging up on them. 

“You’re overthinking again,” Seth tugs on my arm, and I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my lips. 

As a matter of fact, I don’t remember myself smiling this much ever before, so I allow myself to give Seth credit for it. She’s the one who’s making me feel like a goofy, happy fool. 

“My apologies, love,” I chuckle at how easy the words leave my lips. 

Seth can read me like an open book, even when I don’t want her to. Maybe this was what some of my brothers and sisters meant when they claimed the human and shifter world is different from ours? The way they interact and learn about each other is the complete opposite of the ignorance of our kind. 

“Lenox is a good boy. A little twisted, yes, but he means good. There’s no need to worry,” she whispers as she leans closer to me.

Although I’m not worried about Lenox, I act like she’s right. Seth doesn’t have to overthink the things that run through my mind. Our relationship, even though very early and I dare to say fragile, isn’t something she should worry herself over. 

I adore the woman at my side, and even if there are bits of doubt about where I stand, I will do anything to become the best version of myself for her. 

Lazarus and Luka catch up with us, giggling like children that are up to no good. I got to learn a few things about the triplets, and their current behaviour is starting to worry me. 

“Mom,” Luka speaks up first, which is all sorts of a red flag. 

Lazarus is the more dominant, natural leader kind of man that always starts the conversations, so to have Luka talk first makes me feel like they’re ruffling my feathers. 

“You two are up to no good,” Seth responds. Her voice is low enough for everyone to catch on to the warning she’s giving her kids. 

The triplets are grown, and though many would disagree with me, I actually like the childish nature that tends to shine through whenever they’re in the mood to mess with someone. 

Surely, I must admit that these two are nowhere near as bad as Lenox, but he’s special. Yes, ahem, special. Very. 

“Mother, you… How could you make an assumption like that? You wound me!” Luka exclaims, placing a hand over his chest. 

I wonder if he knows how fake his attempt looks from our perspective? I mean, sure, kudos to the kid; he’s trying, but damn, is he a shitty actor.

“Don’t mind him, mom,” Lazarus mumbles and places a hand on Luka’s shoulder. “You’re a fucking shitty actor, brother. The little stunt just blew our chances at covering up anyway, so what’s the point in pretending anymore?” Then, he turns his attention to Seth and sighs. “Honestly? We want to ditch. Neither Luka nor I want to watch you two try to suck each other’s faces off. It’s still a little weird. And if we’re being really honest here, it has always been weird to see you and dads do it, so this is, yeah, the same level of weird and awkward.” 

Well, that’s all I had to hear to understand this isn’t my battle to join. It’s between Seth and her children. 

When I decided to jump at the chance and court Seth, I never let myself believe that I could get with a woman like her. She’s all sorts of amazing, unique, and damn it, is she gorgeous. However, once I did get closer, I was the one who said I wouldn’t involve myself in their family matters. 

Technically, I’m a part of the family now, so unless the children ask for my opinion, I won’t force it on them. The triplets have their fathers, they’re grown men, so I don’t believe I might have any right to gain an authoritative role in their life. 

Seth stops, sighs and turns to her children. She appears a little annoyed but manages to plaster a smile on her lips. “Leave, but don’t think about bothering Sarah. I think your brother already snuck inside the room to bother her, and we all know that Lenox is more than enough. Especially since she just gave birth. You two will have time to see the baby and bond, but for now, let them be. We did the same when you were born- Luciano was the first to see and hold you guys. Only then did the rest of the fathers come into the picture. Can you promise me that much?”  

Lazarus and Luka exchange glances as if they’re discussing something without our knowledge and nod at each other. “We promise, mom,” Lazarus voices their agreement. 

I step aside while the boys lean in to kiss their mother’s cheeks and walk away. I fully expect to see them head towards where Sarah’s room is located, but to my surprise, they walk towards the exit. 

Now, even after their words, I think they’re up to something. I have the nagging feeling in my chest that Lenox is in on it with his brothers. Whatever they’re about to do, I hope they don’t aim to give their mother a hard time.   

“They’re off to raise hell, aren’t they?” I cross my arms in front of my chest as I question Seth, keeping my gaze on the boys. 

My heart flutters as she leans against my side and sighs. “Yep.”    

“Let’s get you that coffee, love,” I suggest and offer Seth my hand. People are already giving me weird looks, and it’s getting a little worse if I stand in a somewhat protective stance. Seth warned me that often, men cross their arms and puff out their chests to show off their strength, so I’ll have to learn how to avoid doing such things for the most part. 

When we finally get her a cup of the liquid that reeks worse than the cells in hell, which unfortunately seems to be something that fuels my woman, we find a table by the window to sit down and relax. 

She shares brief details about Sarah and beams how proud she is of the woman her children chose. If I wouldn’t know better, I’d bet that Seth loves Sarah more than she loves her own sons. 

Again, not my place to speak up. 

I place my hand over hers and smile at the wonderful woman. It’s a pity that I got to know her only now, that I’ve wasted so many years without love and connection, but I’m happy I found her now. I’m overjoyed to be a part of their family. 

Everything seems rather calm and even the moment of silence we share feels like home. But again, it’s too calm, like the feeling before the storm. 

And the storm we get. Someone tosses a pile of paperwork on our table, and I’m about to growl at the unwanted appearance until I look up to see Lenox, with a grin wide enough to split his face. 

“Oh no,” Seth whispers, but I can’t catch on to what’s happening. 

“Ooooh, yes,” Lenox laughs. What the fuck did he do?

I raise an eyebrow at him, still as confused as ever, while he grabs the papers and hands each of us a copy of something. “I made like a hundred copies.” He cheers. “I got to hold the baby; she’s so pretty. I did real good. Anyway, Sarah made me leave so they could sleep, and I don’t know, she sounded passive-aggressive, so I had to do something about that. This will teach her a lesson.” 

My eyes dart to Seth. Her eyes are set on the paper, widening with each second passing. Once her face turns bright red, judging by the expression, it’s rage; I glance at the paper Lenox handed me. It’s a birth certificate. “Optimus Prime Ophelia Megatron Vincent? This is a cruel joke, right? Son, she’s going to kill you.” 

Lenox bursts out laughing while Seth and I look at him as if he has lost his mind. Again. Once he manages to stop the fit, he wipes the tears and adds, "I was thinking about adding Spoon, but I didn't, so be grateful. Here," he places a few more copies on the table. "Give these to the rest of the dads so they can see that the badass name is real," Lenox winks at his mother and hops away like the Easter bunny. What the fuck?