Kael’s POV

While Eira rested and we made sure she was stable, our attention finally shifted to our child when the nurse brought her to us after checking everything.

She looked at the five of us, clearly unsure whom to hand the baby to first. All of us stood there, our eyes fixed on the baby in her hands.

To be honest, I had never held a newborn before. I wanted to. But I hesitated.

"Kael," Jason called, taking the baby from the nurse before she left.

He walked toward me, placing her gently in my view. This time, I could truly see her. No blood, no cries. Just... her.

For a moment, everything inside me stilled. My child. My daughter.

"You can hold her," Jason said softly.

"She’s so small," I murmured, my voice quieter than I intended.

"You can," he insisted. "Just like I did."

He guided me carefully, showing me how to hold her.

And then... She was in my arms.

So small. So light. Warm. And her scent was so sweet, the kind I never smelled before. So comforting it felt.

My chest tightened, an emotion I had never felt before, something too overwhelming to put into words.

My breath slowed. My world narrowed. Without realizing it, my eyes grew moist.

I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "You’re beautiful," I whispered, taking into her scent, assuring myself to believe that it wasn’t a dream.

The words felt insufficient to express myself.

But in my mind I had already made a promise to myself. That I am going to protect her always, not a shadow of any harm will ever reach her.

They let me have my moment with her before Roman gently took her from my arms. I stepped back without protest. She was not just mine. She belonged to all of us, and each of them had been waiting for this moment just as much as I had.

I moved quietly to Eira’s side and sat beside her, taking her hand in mine. Even in her unconscious state, I wanted her to feel that I was there.

My gaze shifted to my brothers.

"Damn... she’s like a little angel," Roman said, holding her carefully, his voice filled with both awe and emotion. "Beautiful. Just like her mother."

Lucian took her from him with ease. He and Jason were more familiar with this than the rest of us, having cared for Alice since she was a child. He held our daughter with practiced confidence.

"And I’m going to make sure she stays protected," Lucian said firmly. "No bastard is ever allowed near her."

That was expected of him. His first thought was already about keeping her away from the world.

"What about you?" Roman teased lightly. "You don’t mind keeping your eyes and hands and everything all over her mother."

Lucian’s expression did not change. "Others aren’t like us. We love Eira. But most wolves out there are assholes. They’re not worthy of our daughter."

He sounded completely serious, as if he was already planning to keep her hidden from the world forever.

Rafe, meanwhile, stood a little apart. Silent. Watching.

Lucian walked toward him, holding the baby. "Are you just going to stare at her?"

Rafe swallowed, his gaze fixed on the tiny figure in Lucian’s arms.

"Didn’t you say you wanted to know what it feels like to be a father?" Lucian pressed.

"I might hurt her," Rafe said quietly, taking a step back.

But the longing in his eyes betrayed him. He wanted to hold her at least once.

"You won’t," Lucian said firmly, "You should trust me, trust my efforts."

Both exchanged the gazes, only they knew about.

"Hold her," Lucian urged.

"You should," Roman added. "Otherwise, you’ll never know what you’re missing."

Jason gave a small nod. "You should."

Rafe exhaled slowly, his breath unsteady. He stared at her for a long moment before finally reaching out.

Carefully. Almost hesitantly. He took her into his arms with Lucian guiding him well.

A soft gasp escaped him the moment he felt her. So light. So fragile.

His entire body went rigid, as if afraid even the slightest movement might harm her.

Though all of us were dealing with various emotions at the moment, the effect of it on him was greater. And we knew the reason.

None of us spoke.

We simply let him stand there, holding her, allowing the moment to settle within him.

His eyes had turned moist, emotions laid bare on a face that was usually filled with nothing but smugness.

This was... different. A side of Rafe we had never seen before.

The arrival of a child could change a man. And right now, he was proving it.

After a few moments, he finally reacted and looked at Lucian, "You are right. We won’t let any bastard to even look at her."

"That’s more like it," Lucian chuckled, "Let’s do that."

As expected of these two. With five fathers, I was sure her life wouldn’t be easier.

"What are we going to name this little angel?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, we didn’t even think about it," Lucian said.

"Then start thinking," Roman said.

"None of you are going to name her. I warn you."

A weak and tired voice reached them and they looked at us. Eira was awake and she was silently watching them, and I let her be.

"You have a name for her?" Lucian asked her.

She nodded and looked at Rafe, "and you are defiantly not naming her. Your choice of names is toxic."

"Better than you name her ’Baby’. A perfect, effortless name for a baby?" he said, but unlike all the time, his voice lacked that mocking touch.

"Shut up! Let me see my daughter," she said, not angry, but eager to hold her daughter.

Jason got the baby from him, and brought her to Eira. He helped her to hold her against her chest as she was in half lying position after I inclined the bed a little.

"My baby. So beautiful," Eira said, "Raven looked just like this."

But then she looked around, "Where is Raven?"

"He is sleeping. still night for him to wake up," Jason informed.

She hummed and paid attention back to our daughter, rest surrounding us.

"So what are you going name our daughter?" Roman asked, excited to hear it.

She gently caressed baby’s cheeks with the fingertips and said, "Kaya."

I felt like I didn’t hear it clear, and she looked at me, "Kaya, suits her right?"

I felt my throat chocked to even answer her. Memories of Kaya flooded my mind for a moment.

I remember talking to her about Kaya a while back, but didn’t expect her to do this.

"Hmm?" she asked again.

I finally nodded, getting hold over my emotions. "It’s a beautiful name."

She looked at others, and they offered her happy smiles as they approved of this name.