The whole drive home was as silent as the grave, Tiana the thirty year old Arctic Wolf did nothing but stare out the window at the city lights as Joseph the nineteen year old Snow Leopard took them home. Loric’s car was still at the airport, so she didn’t have a ride, though Joseph wouldn’t have wanted her to drive in her condition anyway. The usually youthful and sexy woman was just a hollow shell of herself, eyes puffy from crying and hair a mess. Loric’s blood still stained her blouse as well, an awful reminder that her husband had been shot to death- though he’d not actually died until later at the hospital. Joseph wanted to share with her what Loric’s ghost had said to him, but he sincerely doubted she’d believe him. She might even go ballistic and freak out over it, so he simply kept it all to himself. It was too soon. He’d tell her one day. He’d already sent a text to Misha letting her know that they were on their way and that he needed her help with Tiana, not wanting to leave the woman alone tonight, so when he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building, Misha the twenty seven year old Bobcat came out. With a gentleness he’d never before seen from his girlfriend, he watched as she lead the emotionally frail woman into the building. In his apartment, Joseph sighed as he closed the door behind him, watching Misha lead Tiana into the living room. The Chinese food had been cleaned off the floor but the smell was still there, his stomach growling hungrily. It was one hell of a loud sound in the quiet apartment and Misha gave him a look that was quite funny in its total disbelief. “What? I’m hungry,” he muttered before heading towards the kitchen, “I’ll make a pot of coffee.” She nodded and sat on the couch with the white wolf while gently holding her hands. The two of them talked quietly to each other after Misha expressed that the girls were asleep. Tiana tried then to stand to go to Gena but Misha stopped her and pulled her back down. “A mother has to be strong for her children. If you go in there now, you’ll only make everything worse. Just relax and let me tell you a story,” she said soothingly, compelling Tiana to heed her. When Misha started talking about how she’d lost her own husband, Joseph nodded to himself and finally entered the kitchen, heading straight to the coffee maker. He only had a cheap maker and cheap coffee but it was better than nothing he supposed, adding a filter to the machine and guessing the amount of necessary grams of ground coffee. He never really knew how much he put in, just tossing in three or four heaping spoonfuls for a full pot, but strangely the coffee never came out that strong, so he supposed he was either used to it or he made decent coffee. After filling the pot with water and turning the machine on, he turned to the fridge with the eyes of a predator but to his disappointment, he found it completely empty of food. Well… he had ketchup and mustard, but he’d be damned before he sucked condiments out of a bottle for nourishment. With a sigh, he turned to the pantry and took a couple slices of bread, not even bothering to turn them into toast before scarfing them down. They would have to do. You’d think he’d have food with all the money he had, but he was like any other man that lived alone- eating fast food and delivery whenever he felt like it and leaving the fridge bare. He waited for the pot to finish before fixing three cups of coffee, adding cream and sugar to both. He knew exactly how Misha liked her coffee but Tiana he had no clue, so he fixed hers like he fixed his own, enough cream to color and plenty of sugar. With Tiana and Misha’s cups in hand, he stepped out into the living room to find Misha holding the other woman and tenderly stroking her head. “The coffee is ready,” he said softly to them, watching the wolf pull away from the bobcat to accept her cup. When she took a sip, she sniffled a little and commented that it was good before sipping again. “He makes the weirdest pots of coffee but I’ve come to find myself addicted to them,” Misha told her before accepting her own cup, “Thank you, Hun.” Her hands had lingered on his for a few seconds longer than necessary and the look she gave him was gentle. Had she really forgiven him or had she pushed her hurt feelings aside to help another woman in need? Joseph just wasn’t sure as he turned and made his way back into the kitchen, retrieving his own cup before turning off the coffee maker and heading out to sit with the two women. He sat on the couch on the other side of Tiana from Misha and sipped his coffee as the two women talked about their daughters. Over an hour ticks by and they’ve all finished their coffee by this point, but Joseph could see that despite the caffeine, the wolf looked exhausted though she did appear more lively than she had in the car. He didn’t know if there was anything he could do for her except be here, so he was. He sat silent while the two women talked, quietly observing them both- Tiana for signs of calming down and Misha for signs that she wouldn’t leave him while they slept. Finally a thought occurred to him and Joseph stood, neither woman noticing, before slipping into his room. The girls weren’t in there, showing that they had chosen to rest in the guest bedroom. He sighed at that before opening his closet. He grabbed a shirt that wouldn’t be too big, and then returned to the living room. Misha looked over, saw it and knew what he meant by it. “Why don’t you change out of that blouse, Hun? Joseph’s even going to sacrifice one of his favorite shirts for you,” she said and gestured to Joseph, though Tiana looked down. When she saw the bloodstain on her blouse, her features tightened up a bit and it looked like she might cry again, but she only sniffled and nodded before standing, taking the shirt from him before heading to the bathroom to change- after he pointed out where it was. When she returned, she looked just a little bit like her old self, or if nothing else, she looked adorable practically drowning in his shirt- the giant band logo on the front making her look a little like a punk chick that had been through a rough night. “Jesus you’re tiny,” Joseph said, “You’re like a dwarf wearing a giant’s sock for a dress.” She wrinkled her nose at him, giving him a tired smile, though she didn’t comment. It was then that he really noticed the differences between them. The woman was barely over five feet tall and probably weighed a hundred pounds, her b-cup breasts and womanly curves hidden by the baggy shirt that extended down her thighs. “Don’t stare too hard, you’ll set me on fire,” she said back to him, obviously attempting at a joke, and it she’d said it with a little more life, it would have set him a chuckling, but instead, he only gave a small smile and shake of his head before guiding her back into the living room to Misha. “Jesus you’re tiny!” Misha said softly and Joseph gave a quiet laugh before pointing out that as being what he’d said. Tiana gave a small huff and all three of them turned when the door to the guest bedroom opened. “Mommy?” Gena the ten year old black Timber Wolf spoke up, looking out from the dark room with big blue eyes and a look that said she knew something very bad had happened. As stealthfully as he could, Joseph took the ruined blouse from Tiana and slipped away while Misha and Tiana quietly told Gena what had happened. He was in the kitchen, throwing away the bloodstained shirt when he heard Gena give a strangle sound of agony that was both short and heartrending. He gripped the counter with all his might, his heart squeezing in his chest. He’d comforted a crying woman all bloody night, but one whimper from that poor girl raised every protective instinct inside him like never before. It was all he could do not to go in there and scoop up Gena and hug her tight and never let her hurt again, but he could not. If he did, it would reveal too much the relationship he had with her and only cause more trouble. So instead, he bit his lip and waited it out, and to her credit, Gena didn’t scream or sob, nothing that would wake up Athaisce- Misha’s ten year old daughter. Finally he heard a door close and he came out of the kitchen, fluffy ears back against his head and tail sagging, feeling very much like a coward. It was obvious from his closed bedroom door that Gena and Tiana had retired to his room, leaving Misha in the living room. “I hope you don’t mind, I insisted she stay the night,” she said to him, looking quite tired herself. Joseph only nodded and admitted that he had wanted her to from the start. “I’m going to lay down with Athaisce. This has been a really long day,” she told him, retreating to the guest room without so much as a goodnight, an ‘I love you’ or a goodnight kiss. Joseph only sighed and sat down on the couch, suddenly feeling like they wouldn’t be okay at all… When morning came, just a handful of hours later, Joseph found himself being shaken awake by a very hungry looking Athaisce. The cute little bobcat girl was wearing her pink spaghetti strap top and white panties from the previous day and looked just a little uncomfortable- but then again if she hadn’t he’d have wondered if the previous day had even happened in the first place. “I’m hungry and the fridge is empty,” she whined and Joseph sat up, stretching a little as he did. He was sore from having slept on the couch but he was hungry too, so he wasn’t complaining… yet. “Go wake up your mom. I’ll get Gena and Tiana up then we’ll go out and eat breakfast,” he told her before giving her a little pat on the rump, causing the cub to jump and grin, wiggling her bump a little before running off to get her mom, clearly excited. With a shake of his head, Joseph stood and went over to knock on his own bedroom door before entering. He nearly tripped over a pair of discarded pants, which he quirked a brow at realizing they were Tiana’s. When he raised his gaze from the discarded jeans, he saw that Tiana and Gena were sleeping peacefully, mother clutching daughter to her breast. Said daughter was drooling up a storm all over his favorite shirt, which was cute as hell. What was even cuter is that like daughter, like mother. Tiana was drooling adorably all over his pillow, and it was almost too cute a scene to put an end to, but to an end it came when he walked over and gently shook her awake. “Loric?” Tiana mumbled as she sleepily looked at him then yawned wide while rubbing her eye. “What time is it?” she questioned, turning over to reach for a clock that wasn’t there. “Time for breakfast, and you’re at my place,” Joseph told her and patiently waited for her to wake up enough to realize it was him standing there and not her late husband. She finally did and she looked a little uncomfortable before gently shaking Gena awake. “Come on, get up and get ready you two. We’re going to Woaney’s for breakfast,” he told them, which instantly woke up Gena, seeing as it was her favorite place to eat breakfast food. She gave a happy sound of glee and dashed off to find Athaisce, her bushy tail wagging. Unable to help it, he chuckled as he watched her cute little rump while she dashed off. She too wore only a top and panties, what was it with kids and minimal clothes? He shook his head and looked back over at Tiana to find her shifting uncomfortably, still hiding her lower body with the blankets. He stared at her a second with a flat look before saying, “You’re commando in my bed aren’t you?” She blushed almost visibly under her white fur and nodded. “For shame,” he teased before stepping out of the room to give her privacy, closing the door behind him. An hour later and they piled into Joseph’s car, the girls and Tiana sitting in the back while Misha took shotgun, leaving him to drive. On the way over to the restaurant, the mothers called their daughters’ schools and explained that they were keeping them home for the day, not giving details as to why. No one had mentioned Loric’s death or the funeral that would need planning, that would come later. For now, they went to the restaurant, ate and joked playfully with each other while trying to forget the veil of sadness that threatened to fall once again. Four days later and the five of them stood silent above the fresh grave of Gena’s father and Tiana’s husband. It was a distinctly sobering experience, standing there among those lain to rest and knowing one day you’d join them in eternal slumber. Tiana stood there quietly holding Gena’s hand while the girl cried once again over a father she’d never see again. To her credit, Tiana had not shed a single tear in front of her daughter, but the weight of her sorrow rested upon her shoulders in a way anyone could see. Ever since the night Joseph had brought her to his apartment, Tiana had stayed the night, sleeping in his bed with Gena, refusing to go home even once. They both knew she’d fall apart if she went back to her home but Joseph had become increasingly unhappy with sleeping on the couch every night, and Misha had not once asked him to come sleep with her and Athaisce. He knew it bode poorly for their relationship and it gnawed at him every moment of every day. During the time she’d stayed with them, they’d all discovered that someone had already taken over Loric’s job and Tiana had been fired- or laid off as they called it so sweetly. Apparently the new boss knew Tiana wasn’t a whore and wouldn’t suck him off on a daily basis, so the fat bastard had told her she wasn’t needed anymore. It had been yet another blow to the already emotionally frail wolf, but so far she hadn’t shown any outward worries beyond the initial panic. As they walked away from the grave, Joseph gently pulled Tiana aside and took a slow breath. “Look, Tiana, I know you’re in a bad spot right now. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he said softly and she raised her brows, giving him a look that pleaded for him not to give her bad news. “That night, in the hospital… I saw Loric’s ghost- just before the doctor came out…” he paused, expecting her to slap the fuck out of him, but she didn’t, she simple stared at him, waiting. That surprised him but he didn’t hesitate any longer, “He asked me to look after you and Gena, to make you happy like I’ve made Gena happy.” She quirked one brow, then both went up before dropping and that single brow quirked again- like a series of things had occurred to her at once. Before she could speak, he held up his hands, shaking his head, “I don’t expect to do the later, but I want to help you and Gena. I want you two to move in with me.” When she opened her mouth, he spoke before she could, “I overheard about your house- I’d thought yall were pretty well off before then. I wasn’t expecting you to be in debt that bad. It’s practically a sin how much the funeral cost and without a job, there isn’t any way you can pay your bills.” She shifted uncomfortably and worried at her lip, looking away, “I... I have a little saved up.” She sighed though, the next moment, “But it isn’t enough. Loric and I… We saved up for years for this vacation, and with what happened and all, I can’t get everything refunded- especially not the resort fees and hotel rooms.” She frowned, ears back, realizing how she sounded. “It’s a kind offer but you can’t-“ “But nothing. You two will come live with me. I’m loaded, remember? I have enough money to support a family of ten for just as many generations, I can’t just sit by and watch you suffer in silence,” he told her and she looked to him, an indescribable emotion displayed on her face before she sighed and accepted. “Good… Now… Can you do me a big favor?” he asked as they walked towards the line of cars where the others waited. When she asked what it was, he gave her a smile, “I need some alone time with Misha. A lot happened that day before we learned about you and Loric, and I haven’t had the time to really pull her aside and talk it over- not to mention I have rocked her world since that morning.” When he said that, she looked at him in disbelief, as if she almost couldn’t believe he said that in a graveyard of all places, in funeral attire. He smiled a little with embarrassment, “Sorry. It’s part of being a guy. The dick doesn’t care where it is. It wants what it wants when it wants it.” She actually smiled at that, a small smile but a smile none the less and he had high hopes that maybe he could make her happy again- maybe not with sex like with Gena- but by being a weird as hell best guy friend. A hilarious thought considering she was eleven years older than him. Back at the apartment, Tiana made true on her word and- after reluctantly taking Joseph’s debit card- took the girls out shopping, which left himself and a very confused Misha alone. “Misha, I need to talk to you about some things, okay,” Joseph said and she at once looked uncomfortable. “Hey hey! It’s been four days now. We have to get through this to stay together, and the fact that you’ve been here, all this time, means you at least want it to work. So let’s make it work already cause I dunno about you but I’ve had nothing but the thought of eating out your cunt on my mind for the past three days and I’m starting to go insane over here,” he said, gasping for breath after, Misha staring at him with mouth agape and clearly at a loss for words. “She’s my daughter, Joseph,” she finally said and Joseph shook his head. “That’s not what I mean, Misha. We already had that discussion. What I want to know is why you’ve both stayed by my side but also avoided me like the plague for days,” he told her. “That doesn’t mean I accept it!” she said back with a huff but it was clear in her body language that she knew she was lying. “You’re just distancing yourself from me because you think you should and because you think you shouldn’t accept it, but you’re only hurting us when instead you could come the hell over here and let me show you exactly what I’ve been thinking about doing to you,” those last few words were said in a low purr that made her shiver and instinctively take a step closer. She made a weak attempt to say more in her defense, but she’d missed him too, badly, and had woken several times over the past few nights with one hand jammed between her legs and her cunt so wet she’d felt ashamed. Saying nothing more, he kissed her and just like that, the walls she’d erected between them crashed down and she clutched at him desperately, kissing him back with need he matched. A few frantic moments of clothes flinging, bodies rubbing, and heavy petting later and Misha sat on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest while Joseph knelt before her. She mewled with pleasure as his rough tongue worked over her delicate folds while his hands stroked her soft thighs. Just the taste of her on his tongue had his hard feline cock throbbing eagerly, wanting inside the hot pussy of his girlfriend. “Such a wet pussy,” he purred up at her, making her bite her lip, “I could eat you all day-“ “Shut up and fuck me already, stud,” she commanded, a rare thing for her, which made him break into soft laughter while he raised up. He fed his arms through her legs just behind her knees so that her ankles brushed his upper arms. He entered her them, both of them groaning with ecstasy as he filled her up with his length, the soft nubbly barbs near the head of his cock stroking her insides even as his cock stretched her. “Fuck me,” she whispered, suddenly breathless and he could only nod before starting the age old dance, moving his hips back and forth, sliding his cock in and out of her. “Oh gods… Too long,” he whispered, “So good!” He shivered and clutched at the couch cushions as he worked faster, harder, urged on by her delighted sounds. Her hands buried in his hair, scratching at his scalp and lightly pulling at his hair, just a tiny teasing of pain to mix with his pleasure as she pulled him down to kiss her. Their tongues fought, teeth gnashed briefly before he broke the kiss and lay her neck victim. He bit her, not hard enough to break the skin, but just the way he knew she loved, and growled with primal need. It did the trick and she shattered beneath him, screaming out his name as her nails raked down his back. He lost it only a few thrusts later, the time apart having been too much for him to hold back. His cock throbbed mightily as he painted her insides white with his hot seed, making her purr in delight. After taking a brief time to catch their breaths, they changed to gently making love, bodies rubbing and caressing as he slowly thrust into her while laying atop her along the length of the couch. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her hands tenderly stroked the length of his back, as if to soothe the stinging her nails had inflicted. He wouldn’t be surprised if they found she broke the skin, but damn was it worth it. They’d just reached a second mutual climax when Misha’s phone vibrated on the table, a text from Tiana warning them that she was bringing the girls back. Apparently they’d been doing it for nearly two hours, so they reluctantly pulled apart and frantically tidied up the living room before collapsing, now clothed, on the couch, snuggling close to each other. “Misha?” Joseph asked, getting a sated ‘hmm’ from his girlfriend, “Move in with me? Tiana and Gena are moving in and it wouldn’t be right to not have you and Athaisce here as well. It’s been nice, these past few days living with all of you. I don’t want that to end.” She blinked and looked up at him before smiling gently and nodding, “Sure. I’ll move in with you. If I don’t, you’ll plow Gena every night and forget all about me.” She was teasing, but he knew it was a fear of hers. “Hush, sweetie. That won’t happen. But if that’s your reason for agreeing, I won’t argue,” he told her with a soft smile before slipping away. “Now then… While this apartment is nice, it’s not big enough for five people. Not with one bathroom and two bedrooms. Not by a long shot.” He gave her a grin and grabbed the phone and phonebook, sitting back down to call a realtor just as Tiana returned with the girls.