Chapter 26

Kadeem

There was already a hint of a smile on his lips as Kadeem walked into the studio. He heard the children’s eager voices before he saw them. They were all over the place, freely running around the set as multiple members of the crew chased after them.

Kadeem came to a stop, his hands resting on his hips as he took in the scene again. He swore he was about to laugh as one of the little boys began to jump on the bed and then leapt as soon as a woman tried to grab them. Watching the clever escape made something warm pull at Kadeem’s heart.

Figuring he should put his team out of their misery, the Alpha suddenly cleared his throat.

“Excuse me,” he began, his deep voice having an immediate effect. The whole room seemed to come to a standstill, everyone’s head snapping in his direction. The instant relief that ran over his crew's faces didn’t go unmissed.

Nor did the happiness that flashed over the little girl’s face as she dashed toward him. Kadeem wasn’t sure what came over him, but the moment the girl reached him it was as if his body immediately knew what to do.

He knelt down briefly, scooping her up into his arms before he lifted her. The girl wore an adorable and full smile as he rested her against his hip, her hands wrapping warmly around his neck.

“Hello, little wolf,” he murmured, feeling that same prickle again as she hummed. However, he then noticed the silence over the rest of the room, causing him to turn back as he realized his crew was staring at him in disbelief.

“Why are you all just standing around?” he asked, taking steps forward as he carried the girl. “We have a commercial to film.”

“Well, there were a few -“

“We’re wasting time,” Kadeem cut off the man as he set the girl back down. “I didn’t realize you wouldn’t be able to handle a few excited kids.”

“But -” the man tried.

“Let’s get everything set up,” Kadeem interrupted again, walking away. “I want to start filming in ten minutes.”

Sending everyone scrambling to get ready, Kadeem turned his attention to another crew member, watching as the woman still tried to get the boy off the bed. He was bouncing again, a shit-eating grin straight across his face.

With the little girl on his heels, Kadeem went over, causing the woman to quickly step back as soon as she noticed him. He then stared up at the little boy, keeping his expression smooth - amused even - as the boy kept jumping.

“Having fun?” Kadeem partially teased. The boy answered with a content nod as he didn’t stop.

“Why don’t you come down?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “I have something to show you.”

Already thrilled, the boy hopped right off, leaving the woman at Kadeem’s side gaping as he easily followed the Alpha’s orders. However, Kadeem ignored her as he knelt in front of the boy, fishing out a pocket watch from his jacket before he held it out. Immediately, the boy’s face filled with wonder.

“Pirates gave it to me,” Kadeem stated, improvising. It seemed to do the trick, though - the boy’s eyes only grew wider as he lifted hesitant fingers toward the watch.

“It’s fine,” Kadeem insisted gently. “You can touch it.”

Smiling, the boy finally cut the distance, brushing his fingers over the metal with his stubby fingers. Kadeem’s lips twitched with a hint of a smile as the boy managed to graze part of his palm.

“I wanna feel it!” the girl chimed in, leaning her weight against Kadeem’s side as she stuck out a hand. Humoring her, the Alpha turned, holding it out so she could reach it. However, as he fingers got closer, a real smile spread across his face just as she drifted one finger over the watch.

“Boo!” he slipped out, nudging her with his shoulder and causing the girl to yelp. She then threw her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his neck as she whimpered.

“You scared me!” she stated beside his ear, hugging him tighter. Kadeem hummed a laugh, giving her back a small pat as he sensed the third baby finally coming over - likely wanting to see the watch too.

“I’m sorry,” he said - meaning the words. Slowly, the girl pulled away, her lips in a small pout as she looked over to her brothers. In turn, Kadeem shifted his weight, ready to greet the third baby who’d joined them.

Only, as he glanced over, his entirety froze as he stared straight into the boy’s eyes.

“Who are you?” he asked, taking in the child’s black hair, his light green eyes. Kadeem had expected to find the boy from the other day - the one who looked like his practical twin. However, it appeared someone had been brought in to take his place.

“I’m their brother,” the boy said, chewing on his lip.

Brother? So that meant they weren’t just triplets…but quadruplets.

“What happened to your other brother?” Kadeem asked, looking over to the girl.

“He’s sick,” she stated.

“But don’t worry,” the new boy chimed in, causing Kadeem to turn back. “I can do it! I’m very smart. Ask me what two times two is.”

Again, Kadeem wanted to smile as the boy set determination across his face, ready to fire out the answer if Kadeem dared to ask. But the Alpha decided to let him off the hook, standing before he ruffled his hand through the boy’s hair.

“That won’t be necessary,” he said. “I trust that you’re capable.” After all, the other babies had already proven they were surprisingly intelligent.

“But that means that you have to behave, okay?” Kadeem said, raising a brow as the children smiled up at him. He swore they all stared with admiration. “You have to do whatever the nice lady says - and the other adults. Understand?”

Immediately, the babies started nodding.

“If you do a good job then I’ll give you this pocket watch,” he said fondly, drawing their attention to the shining metal before he slid it back into his jacket. “But protect it with your lives - we can’t let the pirates get it back.”

“We will! We will!” the babies all called together, pulling a quiet chuckle from Kadeem. From there, he nodded toward the woman still standing at the sidelines, letting her know she could take it from there.

Still, she stared at him in shock as she came closer, easily steering the children back to their starting positions. Kadeem watched them go, feeling other sets of eyes pointing in his direction as the babies finally listened to the given directions and sat down next to a collection of toys. However, Kadeem was soon distracted as he felt someone stop next to him.

“What are you doing?” a hushed voice asked, causing Kadeem to look over. Beside him, Sam had appeared.

“What do you mean?” Kadeem asked nonchalantly.

Sam began to reply, but stopped himself as crew members passed by closely. Finally, he grabbed Kadeem’s arm, leading him away so no one could hear them.

“I mean,” Sam pressed out once they stopped. “Why the hell are you wasting your time with those kids?”

Kadeem squared his shoulders, giving a small shrug. “What difference does it make?”

“It makes a huge difference, Kadeem,” Sam clipped out. “People are staring and I already heard them whispering over your little ‘show.’ They kept commenting about how much those kids look like you.”

So he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the strange resemblance?

That thought had Kadeem glancing back, studying the babies once more as he noted the color of their hair, eyes, and even skin again.

“You need to tread lightly,” Sam warned, bringing Kadeem to stare back at him. “If you keep this up then people are going to keep talking. They’ll make up rumors - claim you're the kids’ illegitimate father or something.”

Kadeem rolled his eyes at that.

“Sam,” he began, placing a hand on his Beta’s shoulder and giving him a small squeeze. “You worry too much - it’s fine.”

Only, Sam seemed anything but convinced as he eyed Kadeem suspiciously, appearing as though he was also starting to believe Kadeem might actually be tied to the kids somehow.

“I was just calming them down,” Kadeem reasoned, pressing more firmness into his voice. “Plus, I have my own child on the way. I’m preparing to be a father. Forgive me if I wanted to see if I could wrangle up a few kids.”

Sam scanned Kadeem’s face a moment longer, but eventually he gave in - offering the Alpha curt nod. However, his brows pulled closer again as he seemed to consider another thought.

“What about Chelsea?” Sam asked then.

“What about her?” Kadeem asked, his hand sliding from Sam’s shoulder. The mere mention of the woman had his skin already feeling warm.

“What you said the other day…about thinking she was supposed to be yours,” Sam said slowly, shaking his head. “What did you mean by that?”

Kadeem rolled his jaw, keeping his gaze hard on Sam’s as he considered the man’s question. The last time they’d spoken, he’d mentioned he was close to figuring out who the woman from his memories was - believing it was Chelsea. Hell, he was still convinced it was her.

Only, he didn’t have any real evidence to prove his case. When he’d gone to her house, she’d stayed tight-lipped and sent him packing. And then, they’d kissed - but even that didn’t necessarily mean his suspicions were true.

There had to be another way for him to gain insight. He wasn’t sure what that entailed yet, but he was determined to figure it out. But until then, he needed to play it safe.

“Nothing,” he lied, watching as Sam’s expression slightly fell. Kadeem could see the indifference behind his Beta’s eyes, proving the man didn’t fully believe him.

“Just be careful,” Sam said then with a sigh. “I’m not sure what you’re up to, but…”

Sam stopped, shaking his head as he looked off toward the babies.

“You can’t let Susan find out.”