The kids were inside their walker seats, happily playing around the clubhouse.

As always, the firstborn was the first to notice that his mommy was home. His little ears perked up at the sound of the front door closing, his eyes lighting up instantly as his hands gripped the plastic tray of his seat.

Leonny giggled as he hurried toward Faye in his walker, completely ignoring his Mama, Princess, who had actually been waiting for his embrace. His little legs moved in a frantic blur, the small wheels rolling fast across the floor as he made a straight line for the omega.

"Okay... Mommy first,"

Princess muttered before walking over to the other three pups, whose faces lit up the moment they saw their Mama.

Faye lifted Leonny out of his walker. She tucked her hands under his tiny arms, her chest rising with a deep, happy breath as she brought his warm weight against her chest, burying her face in his soft neck.

The little boy was so excited to see his mommy that he couldn’t stop giggling. He wrapped his chubby arms around her neck, his small feet kicking back and forth in the air as he let out loud, happy squeals.

"Mommy’s boy," Princess said as she watched the happy reunion. She had somehow managed to scoop up the other three all at once, her broad alpha shoulders balancing the heavy load as Minny and Ronny clung to her shirt while Donny tugged on her collar.

"You’re holding three while I’m only holding one," Faye teased as she walked over with Leonny. She smirk as she watched her girlfriend struggle to keep all three balanced.

"Didn’t you see the way he rushed to you first?" Princess pouted, her slurred, tired voice full of mock offense as she shifted one to her other hip.

"Oh, Leonny, Mama is jealous of us," Faye said, tickling the little boy. She poked his round stomach with her finger, making the baby break into another fit of wild giggles that filled the open room.

From Princess’s arms, Donny reached toward Faye. The little girl leaned her entire upper body forward, her small fingers stretching out toward her mommy’s hoodie.

Faye took her as well, happily holding two of her pups. She balanced one on each hip, her posture locking into place as her maternal instincts completely took over, her breathing settling into a steady, content rhythm.

"I see you’re back," Kiara said.

Both Faye and Princess turned to see Kiara completely wrapped inside a giant sheet of bubble wrap. The clear plastic was taped tightly around her torso and arms, making her look like a walking package as she shuffled out from behind the hallway corner.

"Oh my God!" Faye exclaimed. Her mouth fell open, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as she took in the ridiculous sight.

"What are you doing inside bubble wrap?" Princess asked. She blinked several times, her jaw dropping as she stared at her ex-girlfriend’s plastic suit.

"Protecting myself from them. They’re really good at poking people," Kiara answered. She lifted her wrapped arms slightly, the plastic crinkling loudly with every tiny movement she made.

Princess carefully set Minny and Ronny down before helping Kiara escape from the prison she had made for herself.

"How did you even fit yourself inside that?" Faye asked in disbelief. She shook her head, watching the plastic fall to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"I’m flexible, and my calculations are perfect," Kiara bragged as she finally freed herself. She puffed out her chest and smoothed down her shirt, trying to regain her usual superior attitude.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" Faye asked, her voice dripping with skepticism.

"Trust me... you don’t want to find out." Kiara shuddered, her eyes darting toward the four pups who were now happily playing on the floor.

Kiara picked up her bags. She hoisted the heavy leather straps over her shoulder, her breathing turning shallow and fast as she eyed the exit door like a lifeline.

"Alright, I’m done here. Time to go home, take a very long shower, and put some ointment on my face. I don’t need wrinkles at my age."

"Thank you, Kiara," Princess said. She took a step forward, giving her a genuine nod of appreciation.

"Oh, no need to thank me. You have a lot of work to do. Bye-bye."

Princess watched as Kiara practically ran out of the house.

She didn’t even wait for Faye to thank her because she already knew she wasn’t getting one.

"Why is she running like that?" Faye wondered, looking toward the closed door with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, back to our daily lives. What do you want for dinner babe?" Princess asked as she headed toward the kitchen.

"Whatever’s available, as long as it’s made by you," Faye replied, giving all her attention to the pups, who had gathered around their mommy for hugs.

"Holy shit... this place is a mess!" Princess shouted from the kitchen. Her voice carried right across the clubhouse, full of genuine horror.

"What is it?"

Faye stood up to check. She carefully untangled herself from the kids and marched toward the kitchen doorway, her eyebrows knitting together.

The kitchen was completely upside down.

Broken dishes. Scattered utensils.

Flour everywhere, covering the counters like fresh snow. A thick white powder coated the dark wooden surfaces, the refrigerator door standing wide open as a slow puddle of spilled milk crept across the tiles.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

Their bedroom was a disaster. When Faye peeked down the hall, she saw the mattress pushed half off the frame, the blankets twisted into knots on the floor.

The closet had clothes and shoes scattered all over the floor. Handbags were pulled from their shelves, and hangers were bent out of shape, littering the floor like a hurricane had passed through.

The kids’ room was even worse, with toys and tiny clothes thrown everywhere. Plastic blocks and stuffed animals formed a miniature mountain chain across the entire floor space.

Now Princess understood why Kiara had said she had a lot of work to do...

...and why she had run away without asking for the payment she asked. She had known exactly what kind of destruction she was leaving behind.

The entire clubhouse looked like a battlefield. Smoke didn’t rise from the rubble, but the pure chaos was enough to make both teenagers want to turn around and walk right back out.

The young couple spent the rest of the night cleaning. The hours ticked away slowly, the quiet hum of the vacuum cleaner replacing the usual evening peace.

Princess did most of the work while Faye kept saying it would’ve been better to take the pups to Eriko’s house than leave them with Kiara. She wiped down the flour-covered counters with a wet rag, her breath coming out in sharp, annoyed huffs.

Princess didn’t argue. She knew when to keep her mouth shut, especially when Faye was in a mood.

She quietly continued cleaning. She swept up the broken porcelain and organized the scattered shoes back into the closet rows, her muscles aching from the long day.

After everything was finally back in order, they put the kids to bed. The four pups were completely worn out from their day of destruction, their tiny eyes closing the moment their heads hit the fresh sheets.

Faye and Princess waited beside them until they fell asleep.

While waiting, Princess decided to check the CCTV footage to see how the house had become such a disaster.

The moment the kids woke up, they started throwing tantrums. On the screen, the four tiny shapes began screaming, their faces red as they kicked their legs against the playpen.

Kiara tried everything she could to calm them down. The video showed her dancing, offering bottles, and waving toys around like a crazy person, her movements growing more frantic by the minute.

When they began throwing toys at her and poking her nonstop, she finally surrendered.

She wrapped herself in bubble wrap and let the tiny tyrants take over the house. The footage showed her shuffling to the storage closet, tapping herself up, and then sitting completely still on the couch while the kids went wild.

The footage showed them making a mess of almost every room. They pulled down curtains, emptied drawers, and dragged the flour bag right out of the pantry.

Except...

The closet.

There, they saw Kiara searching through their closet as if she were looking for something.

"I’m going to kill that bitch tomorrow," Faye muttered.

Princess let out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head as she kept her eyes glued to the display.

Then something on the screen caught her attention. Her finger froze over the glass, her heart giving a sudden, violent thud against her ribs.

Leonny...

Inside the closet...

He let go of the shelf. His tiny fingers released the wooden ledge, his balance wobbling for a fraction of a second as he stood upright on his own two feet.

He took one step.

Then another. He walked a full yard across the floor before tumbling safely into a pile of laundry, a wide, toothy grin on his recorded face.

"Oh my God..." Princess whispered. Her voice cracked, a sudden lump forming in her throat as she stared at the screen.

"We missed our first son’s first steps."