A/N: Do read Ch 38 before you read this... 

I never imagined myself with kids.

Because of some genetic defect that I still didn't understand till now, I was born to be unable to give birth to children. When I learnt this from my own mother in my teens, I was nonchalant about it, perhaps even relieved.

Kids are troublesome pups, that’s what I thought then. However, I finally understood why my mother was so apologetic towards me when I found the man I love. To be able to conceive for the mate you love… It's an unexplainable happiness that I can never experience.

But he said it was fine, that even though some part of him wanted kids of our own, I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the most, not just his children. And that if we really decide that we wanted pups, we could always adopt.

The day after he said those words that made me decide I would stick with him for life, that unfortunate incident happened. I would forever be thankful towards my best friend for saving his life, even if he was gravely injured from trying to protect my best friend's kid.

From then, things escalated so quickly. With my mate agreeing to a favour, I suddenly gained six pups. I agreed to it happily then, even if I knew that it was gonna be a hell of a life taking care of not only one pup, but six at one go when I had no experience. Despite all my complaints all these years, I didn't, and will never regret my decision then. Because they are my precious little happy pills.

Doojoon is always too mature for his age. When I first met him at age nine, he already had the manners of a fine gentleman, and there was that calming charm of him, in addition to his reliable capabilities, that put people at ease. He was really good at taking care of his brothers and making them listen, which made my job a hundred times simpler. Perhaps it was because he was always so strong that I thought I could divert some of the attention meant for him to his other brothers, and unknowingly, an awkward distance grew between us while I got closer to his brothers.

It was only until three years later, about two months after Doojoon first entered middle school, did I see him cry for the first time. For an unknown reason, he had been utterly quiet and dazed during dinner – though he was one of the quieter three and spoke mostly in serious and necessary circumstances, his occasional humour was something the family enjoyed. But there was just something really off about him that day, although he claimed that there wasn’t when Minhyuk asked him about it. Late at night, when I woke up to use the toilet, I heard soft sobbing noises in the living room. At the corner by the glass doors sat a trembling figure, whom to my surprise, was the strong Doojoon that I never thought would cry so heartbreakingly. In a bid to protect his brothers, he had been targeted by bullies in school, who wouldn’t stop laughing at him for being “sold by his parents”. That night, I told the pup in my arms for the first time that although I don’t know what happened to his parents, I am and will always be his mother. That night, I learnt that strong wolves didn’t mean that they are always strong, but just that they are stronger at more times than the average wolf. And the next day, I showed the ferocity of a mother wolf at the school office.

On the other hand, Yoseob, in my eyes, couldn’t be a better partner to Doojoon. The kid is bubbly most of the time, putting on a smile on not only Doojoon’s face, but all of our faces together with Junhyung’s antics. He has that childlike charm about him that renders me helpless with his pranks, only able to give in to those teary eyes that would sparkle in mischief the next moment after receiving permission or forgiveness. Yet, when Doojoon required help or a matter of importance has surfaced, the pup becomes a reliable beta we are always thankful for.

Additionally, even if he doesn’t enjoy showing it, Yoseobie is kind. I could hardly remember the number of little animals he did bring back secretly when he was young, asking Dongwoon for help to nurse them all back to health. When I ran into the little bird the pair of brothers kept temporarily in the corner of the backyard, Yoseob begged me not to harm the animals because he thought I was angry. I wasn’t; I became his second helper in his quest to help little animals. Hence, I always believe he would easily give a limb or even his life for the ones he loved, and that was the reason why I gave Doojoon the harshest scolding he ever received from me when I found out he had made his beta take all the pills received in return for the dirty jobs and information. It must have tortured my tender-hearted pup so badly on the inside, and it still is so…

Junhyung is the most talented in the arts out of the six. If he wasn’t taken in by the Cho family and sent to us, I’m sure he will be flourishing as an artist or musician in another household that didn’t dabble in politics. It was regrettable in some sense that my six pups felt compelled to repay their debt to the Cho family, like how me and my mate did, and that they grew up spending time by Kyuhyun’s side as aides. Even if he gives off a happy-go-lucky and I-don’t-want-to-care-about-this-damned-world vibe most of the time, at the end of the day, the loyalty in his heart is truly admirable.

I heard him humming a really sad melody once when he was about ten years old, playing with a stick and soil by his own in the garden. He had always been a joker from young, so I was curious as to where he had heard such sorrowful music from. I could hardly believe it when he said he was the one who came up with it, and I asked, “Did you write it down on paper or something? Can I see the score?”. He replied with a confused expression, “Score? It wasn’t homework from any teacher, but I would have gotten hundred marks,” before giving a huge grin and pointing a finger at his temple, “and I wrote it in my head!” Well, he had yet to learn even the basics of music then, but after Minhyuk and I sent him for lessons, the now-composer would have laughed at his young self. He refused to consider a professional