With Hands to Hold | ✔

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When Vincent came to pick up the Spiraea, she was sat in a rocking chair, cradling little Max. The baby had woken up fussy, and hadn't stopped crying — not only that but his crying had set off a couple other pups before Spiraea had managed to get away into a quiet room. 

After Vincent had left, and her mini crash course with Kate, things went relatively easy for her. She really was naturally gifted when it came to caring for others. Once 6pm struck the clock, most of the working wolves came by to take their pups home for the evening so things eased up a lot. 

After all the parents had come by, there were only three babies left in the nursery. Kate explained they were all orphans. The first baby was a little girl name Dahlia, who was just over six months old, her mother had died giving birth to her and her father was unable to deal with the loss of his mate and ended up dying from broken heart syndrome. 

The second was a baby boy called Leon who had been placed in the care of the pack Mothers by his parents. They were both warriors and did not have time to look after the child on their own, they visited him every day and was still a part of his life. 

And finally there was Max; his story was the most heartbreaking of all. Max was only 3 months old, his mother had been an ex warrior for the pack. After being attacked and assaulted by rogues she fell into a deep depression; she hadn't known that she was pregnant when she decided to end things. Max though, like his mother had once been, was a fighter, and even though he was born a few weeks premature, his werewolf genes and relentless will to survive allowed him to catch up with the other babies in the nursery.

Kate was impressed by her Luna; she seemed genuinely interested and invested not only in the pups but in the way the Nursery worked. Even though it was her first day she had already began to suggest improvements to make the work both easier and more effective. 

The girl stayed particularly close to Max, and Kate suspected that she always would. What she didn't know, was that Spiraea felt a connection to the small pup for so many different reasons. His dead mother, his hard start in life, just how difficult he could be to handle- they were things related to and wanted to help with. 

When the clock reached quarter to seven, it was time to get the babies ready for bed. With help from Kate she managed to bathe, change and feed them before putting them down for the night which is where Vincent found her.

He watched her quietly, leaning against the door frame of the nursery as she gently rocked Max off to sleep. She looked serene, and completely in her element. So much so that the man couldn't help but think that her infertility was a cruel joke on the Goddesses part. 

Spiraea caught Vincent watching her as she got up, shooting him a shy smile as she walked back over to Max's crib and laid him down carefully on his back. Vincent came over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind before leaving a lingering kiss to her neck. 

His lips pulled into a small smirk as the girl gasped breathlessly and her pulse quickened in her veins. He was growing increasingly aware of his need to pursue more with her; there was plenty that they needed to talk about but for now he would savour the moment. 

"It's time for us to go home little one," His thumbs rubbing soothing circles against the material of her shirt as he spoke against the skin of her neck. The girl giggled as his breath tickled her, raising her shoulder to deny him access to her skin. 

"Okay let me tell Kate I'm leaving." Spiraea replied with a quiet yawn. She was utterly exhausted from her day; who knew looking after babies were to tiring. Nonetheless, the girl felt good, accomplished, as if she had done work that had meaning to it.