He did not care if the others felt as though he shouldn’t speak to them in the way he had. He didn’t care if he wasn’t the father of Lenae’s cubs, or that he was the youngest member of the pack. He didn’t really care about anything. Cyril just knew that the new mother wouldn’t want a haggle of wolves bickering outside her den while she was trying to give birth or nurse her cubs.

And that his mother wouldn’t tolerate such nonsense from her subordinates.

However, when she approached, her instinctively took a step to the side to give her space. His ears swept to the side as his yellow gaze remained fixated on the trio of wolves gathered outside of Lenae’s den, his tail sweeping from side to side. He did not know if it had been his place to tell the others to piss off, but he had been too angry to just ignore them. But, as his mother began to speak, a wave of relief washed over him. It appeared she was on his side, or at least supporting what he had said, just as he had expected. He remained quiet, his wrinkled expression mirroring his mother’s words. If they wouldn’t depart as instructed Cyril would force them away from the den. He was, however, surprised to see the pale girl make the first move—toward the medical den. His tail twitched in frustration but he bit his tongue, his gaze sweeping over to Odin as he planted himself at the den’s entrance. While he’d always sort of liked the one-eyed male, he was part of the problem. His stupid drama with the blonde brat. He couldn’t be bothered to remember her name. Mostly because she talked too much and Cyril wasn’t interested in listening.

Cheedo, as expected, seemed offended by both his and Piety’s words and retreated without a word. He mentally shrugged at her departure. Piety would likely apologize to the tawny woman. While Cyril knew that her intentions had been good, they weren’t needed. Not here. All Lenae needed was peace and quiet. Support. Which Cheedo had tried to offer, but she had still been part of the problem.

His ears twitched as his mother spoke, his head turning in her direction as his expression began to suffer. He nodded at her words, and padded away from the scene as he began to circle around the den to ensure nothing was lurking nearby.

He was still reeling about what had happened. How the other Tarn wolves had made a big fuss outside of the new mother’s den. Couldn’t they just leave her be? Odin had a reason to be there—Cyril knew that—but Lenae didn’t need to deal with all of this… this bullshit. Not when she had a newborn to worry about. It should have just been his mother and Odin … and Cyril from afar. They were all closest with the new mother. They had every right to be there.

As he finished his extended lap around Lenae’s den his breathing had begun to return to normal and his posture had become less defensive. He was still on edge, mostly because he was worried about Lenae and her newborn, but he was far more relaxed than he had been before. He was pleased to see that the ivory female had disappeared as he returned to the small gathering, his expression neutral. His yellow gaze drifted to his pale mother before he silently dismissed himself once more—this time for good. He would seek out his mother later to get an update on Lenae. For now he was just another unnecessary body making Lenae’s birthing even more difficult than it needed to be. He could check up on her, too, once the crowd had disappeared.

Cyril’s exit.