Claimed by my Brother’s Best Friends (Alyssa) novel Chapter 69

King

"Niko," I groan, hearing Zuri cry through the baby monitor on the dresser. It's only been a few hours since we passed out, but that's what happens when you spend all night fucking.

"I got it," Alyssa mumbles against my chest, her voice slurred with sleep. But her body says otherwise. She's already snoring again.

Niko and I share a quiet chuckle. We really wore her out last night, but I could tell she loved every second of it.

"Nee-koo," Zuri screams louder.

"Looks like I've been summoned," Niko mutters, throwing his clothes on. "She's hungry for a bottle."

The man's a natural, despite his fucked-up upbringing. It's only been a month, but he already knows her routine like the back of his hand. Fuck. I need to step up. Alyssa and Zuri come as a packaged deal, and if I want this work, I can't leave all the baby stuff to Niko. I've got to do my part too.

Yeah, Zuri isn't mine by blood, but blood doesn't mean shit to me. I'll raise her like she is. Alyssa didn't give me a chance to breed her first, but I'm claiming them both. And once this shitstorm calms down, I'm gonna put a baby in her too.

I'll be the father I never had. A father Isaac could only dream of being.

Planting a kiss on Alyssa's forehead, I slip out from under her and find Niko downstairs on the couch, feeding Zuri a bottle.

Niko glances up at me with a hint of surprise. "You could've slept in a little longer," he murmurs as I sit in my chair.

I grunt, crossing my arms. "I'm good. And we need to talk about last night before Gray starts blowing up your phone."

I run through the details of how Mason and I tortured that fucker for intel before I put him out of his misery. Bones is pushing closer to our turf, sending in spies like he's planning something big.

I let Gray know before coming home last night, and of course, he wants to deescalate the tension before we even consider war with them. Like Bones is actually fucking capable of reason. I've seen them in action. The Iron Serpents are fucking thugs, bugs that need to be squashed.

But Gray is the President. I'll argue with him on anything when it comes to Alyssa, but club business? That's his shit to deal with. I'll just do what I'm told. We're meeting him at the clubhouse this morning to figure out our next move. Mason's probably on his way over now, so we'll head out as soon as he gets here to watch the girls.

When I finish, Niko's expression is tense. "Fuck," he growls, then looks down at Zuri. "Sorry, princess. You shouldn't have heard that."

He picks up a toy drum from the floor, placing it on her lap. "Can you play me a song, pretty girl?" He taps on it lightly and shows her how. Zuri giggles, smacking the toy with her tiny hands.

"A turf war means Gray's gonna fight harder to take them away," he mutters without looking up at me.

"And we'll keep reminding him that we won't allow that to happen," I reply, my voice cold. "Since we're all sharing my bed, Mason can move into the guest bedroom for now. That way, they'll continue to have protection, even when we're tied up dealing with Bones and his thugs."

That's Mason's specialty—fitting into any role, handling shit when we need him to.

"Speaking of Mace-" But his phone buzzes, cutting him off. He pulls it out, glances at the screen, and immediately answers. "What's up, Pres?" His face darkens as he stands, walking into the office to take the call, leaving me alone with Zuri.

I take Niko's spot on the couch, watching her bang away on the drum. She looks up at me, clenching her fists and shaking them. Alyssa's been teaching her more sign language. I think that means "play".

"You want me to play with you?" I ask, mirroring the gesture with my thumbs and pinking extended. I feel fucking stupid, but I'm impressed with how much she can communicate like this.