Harder for Me to Let Go

The sweet scent of strawberry ice cream filled the dining table as the family of four feasted on the ice cream and cupcakes that Darius prepared for their birthday. Even if it was not as big as them having huge cakes with 'Happy Birthday' written on them, the three pups were happy with their birthday food.

Adrian was clumsily eating with his own spoon while keeping an eye on Megan, who was still perched on her high chair. She was receiving spoonfuls from Darius, while Dylan was licking his ice cream from the cone that came with the tub.

Moreover, there were two custard cupcakes on the table. Adrian gave his share to Megan in exchange for more ice cream, while Darius had to take half of Dylan's cupcake due to the middle child's insistence. There were supposed to be three cupcakes, but one of them fell victim to the pups when Darius was not looking last night.

No matter how many headaches they came with, Darius still looked at these three wolf pups warmly. He had a smile on his lips as he watched them at that small dining table. It had been three years since he had left the coastal city that morning. As wolf pups grew faster than human children until they reached the age of six, the wolf pups were like five-year-olds, despite the time that elapsed.

Darius then looked at the one seated next to him. It was the first time he caught Dylan having a nosebleed. The first few times all happened in the mornings when he wasn't home, Dylan only left to pass out until he woke up again like normal. Moreover, his golden eyes were becoming more inclined to a green color, which alarmed Darius in the back of his mind.

Green eyes belonged to the Deltas, the ones that possessed strange abilities that even an Alpha might not even have in the future. This posed questions and dangers, but Darius knew that he couldn't bring Dylan around while leaving Adrian and Megan home. It was also worth noting that the two other kids had the strong golden color of the Betas.

"What kind of woman was she? She's supposed to be a rogue, right?" Darius murmured to himself before putting a spoonful in his mouth. He then took another to feed Megan before noticing how Adrian stared at the tub. The dad scooped one big roll and placed it on Adrian's cup. "Eat as much as you like. You're a growing kid."

"Daddy, Daddy, the lady next door asked, 'where is our Mommy?' Do you know?" Megan suddenly chirped when she remembered what happened earlier.

Darius turned to his daughter and wondered what to say. How could he tell a little airhead that their mother was already gone? He brought a spoonful to her mouth, hoping that she would forget that she asked in the first place.

However, Adrian only pouted. "Who cares? Daddy is here! We can manage without Mommy."

With a nod, Dylan agreed without a word… only a crack of his cone.

"…don't take it against your mommy. She has to be somewhere else." Darius reached out to pet the confused Megan. "Go on, finish your cupcake now."

"You too, Daddy, eat your cupcake!" Megan reached out for her cupcake and held onto it with her small hands, taking small bites and leaving crumbs all over her side of the table. Adrian inevitably cleaned after her… by eating the crumbs that fell and lecturing the girl lightly.

"Daddy…" Dylan finished his cone and had his hand take and tear the cupcake in half. He then tore a piece of a half and reached out to hand-feed his daddy. "Daddy, here, I feed Daddy."

Darius only smiled and scooted closer to the middle child to indulge the small child. When he kept the piece in his mouth to melt it with his tongue, he heard Dylan talk: "Daddy, the lady next door… she also has children like us… but they're bad. They made fun of Megan and Adrian because we have no Mommy. I want to whoop them."

Adrian nodded and pumped his arms as if agreeing with Dylan. "Daddy, let's whoop them! Daddy whoops us when we do bad things!"

"Whoop them!" Megan mirrored her older brother.

"…I'll talk to the lady tomorrow before we leave for grocery. We can't whoop other people; they have their own Daddy to whoop them for us." Darius only sighed with a smile. Not only were his pups cute and sweet, but they were also naughty and evil.

However, his words only brought something else to the table. Their eyes all glittered and grew rounder in excitement. They even chorused in different expectant tones: "Grocery!"

Darius was caught off-guard. He forgot how much these kids love going to the grocery. Since they had forgotten about the bad kids, he only laughed at their excitement. He even hyped them up by asking them what they wanted to buy.

"Cereal! Cereal!" Adrian cheered along with his little sister. It's just that… "Let's go! Let's go! I push the cart! I push! Awoooo!"

"Push! Awoooo!"

"…awoooo!"

Darius's eyes widened at the howling and waved his hands to stop them visually. He wanted to make them stop, but he choked at the crumby cupcake in his mouth.

…

After a short bedtime story, the triplets were already knocked out on their shared bed. Megan continued to hug Adrian like he was the big plushie, while Dylan only curled up on his side. Darius only sat at the foot of the bed, watching over them as they continued to sleep.

He then rubbed his nape and turned his face away from them. "I forgot that three years is already enough for their blood to show their werewolf traits. It's coming too early for them, and Dylan… what if he's exhibiting his powers already? Man, I don't even know who to call for help…"

Darius leaned on one arm behind him and smiled at the three pups. "I should be looking for a pack to accept you three… but it's making it harder for me to let you guys go."

However, his eyes then grew dim as a faint memory flashed through his mind. "I also wish that guy from earlier isn't one of them. If that happens, where will I run to? Are my pups still safe with me?"