Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 264

Chapter 264: Ten Little Pups

The following morning, the formal dining room was already alive with noise long before Derek and Kira made it downstairs.

Nana sat at the head of the table like a queen holding court, with Declan, Connor and Gavin lined up along one side, and Claire, Jessica, Kai and even Braxton settled in on the other. Maids bustled in and out, arms laden with steaming platters, and the smell of breakfast hung warm and rich in the air.

Then the doors opened, and Derek walked in with Kira at his side. The whole table erupted into a cheer.

Kira went scarlet on the spot, ducking her head, though the wide smile splitting her face gave her away completely. Derek, on the other hand, looked very unbothered, sweeping his gaze around the room with smugness.

"Well," he said, pulling out a chair for Kira. "I see we’ve got a full house this morning."

"Full house, full plates, full everything," Kai said cheerfully, already halfway through a mountain of eggs. "Sit down before Nana hurts her pretty feet while tapping them eagerly, waiting for you both."

Laughter rolled round the table as Kira lowered herself into her chair, still glowing, still trying and failing to wipe the grin off her face. She reached for a glass of water just to have something to do with her hands.

Jessica sidled up to Kira, her eyes narrowing as she leaned in close. She took a dramatic sniff of the air around Kira’s shoulder.

"Hmm. I smell something fishy," she whispered, her eyes dancing.

"Jessica," Kira warned, batting weakly at her.

But Jessica had already spotted it. Her gaze locked onto the fresh mark curving along the side of Kira’s neck, a crescent moon cradled by a scattering of tiny stars, and her mouth dropped open.

"I KNEW IT," she shrieked, jabbing a finger at the mark, making the entire table go quiet. "You two marked each other! Look! Look at her neck!"

Kira mock-glared at her friend, trying to hide the mark with her hand, but it was far too late. She buried her face in both hands with a groan as the entire room erupted into gasps, whoops and delighted teasing all at once.

"A mark!" Kai cheered, raising his teacup. "Official and permanent!"

Nana clapped her hands together like a child on Christmas morning. Claire beamed; Connor let out a low whistle. Even Declan, usually the most composed man in any room, was grinning like an idiot.

"Jessica, I am going to strangle you," Kira mumbled through her fingers.

"Worth it," Jessica said, beaming.

"Alright, alright," Derek said, settling into his own seat, deeply amused by all of it. He reached over and gently tugged Kira’s hands away from her face. "No hiding now. It’s out."

Kira peeked round the room, cheeks still burning, as everyone gushed and congratulated them on officially, properly belonging to each other at last.

"Thank you, all of you," Derek said.

"We’ve also got a scan later today," Kira added, once the noise had died down enough to be heard. "To check on the baby."

Nana practically vibrated with joy. She leaned forward, eyes twinkling with mischief. "And how many more pups are we planning after this one, hmm? Five? Six?"

Kai chuckled. "Nana! Let them breathe for five minutes!"

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