Oliver switched the radio off.
“It’s all over social media. He has been dropped from those movies he used the tape to get.”
“But there hasn’t been a trial yet,” Josh said. “There might not even be a trial.” The prosecutor had been clear that the evidence wasn’t exactly rock solid. But maybe with Stewart’s testimony…
“Right now, he’s getting trial by social media. We might not like it, but… turnabout’s fair play. He put you through that on a whim, without sparing a thought for what it might do to you,” Oliver said.
Josh curled back into Cole’s side as the alpha wrapped an arm around him.
“Then I guess this isn’t really over, is it?”
“It will be,” Cole said. “These are just the death throes.”
He closed his eyes and tried to let the rest of the journey wash over him. Soon he’d be home, and there’d be nothing to worry about but chores, horses, and grumpy alphas. That he could handle.
“They’ve got dinner waiting for us at the packhouse,” Oliver said. “Then you two can head home.”
Josh didn’t voice any objection to that. After a stressful day like today, he and Cole needed to see the pack just as much as the pack needed to see them.
“What’s for dinner?” he asked.
“Enchiladas,” Cole said. “Nathan’s specialty, when he’s in the mood for cooking.”
They turned into the driveway, and Josh felt Cole tense next to him. He sat up just as Brax said, “What the hell?”
There were a bunch of cars in the driveway, all big four-wheel drives in dark colors. As they braked to a stop, another car drove up behind them, blocking their exit. They were suddenly surrounded by people in uniforms, aiming guns at them.
“What’s going on?” Josh asked. “Who the hell are they?”
“Military,” Cole said shortly, as they were directed out of the car. “Stay here,” he added.
Josh sunk deeper into his seat as Cole raised his hands. The door beside the alpha was pulled open, and Cole stepped out. Brax did the same from the driver’s door. As soon as they were clear of the cars, the soldiers closed in, pushing both of them onto the ground and cuffing them.
“Oliver?” Josh asked, huddled in the back seat and watching with wide eyes. “What’s happening?”
“Someone’s trying to screw with our pack,” Oliver said, sounding pissed. “But it’s not happening. Not today. Follow my lead, okay?”
He got out of the car. Not knowing what to think or do, Josh followed.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Cole was not expecting the welcoming party that met them at the packhouse. Military, clearly, but he didn’t recognize any faces. Brax, on the other hand, seemed all too familiar with one man in particular.
“Officer Greggs.”
“Dr. Braxton. As you’ll recall the last time we met, I told you this wasn’t over.”
“And a county judge told you to back the hell off. You’ve got no jurisdiction over a civilian pack, and we’ve proven that’s exactly what we are. Our pack—”
The officer shoved a piece of paper in Brax’s face, silencing him.
“New orders, challenging the continued existence of your pack without military oversight.”
“On what grounds?” Cole asked. “We fall under civilian law now.”
“It’s a question of stability. A pack with four alphas, four betas, and only a single omega is an unbalanced mix. Ordinarily, the civilian authorities would intervene, but with all your alphas being ex-military, it falls to us to bring you to heel, so to speak.”
The look of triumph on Greggs’s face was sickening.
Oliver stepped forward.
“May I see those orders, Officer Greggs?” he said calmly. He even managed a smile. The best Cole could do was grit his teeth and not curse the officer out.
“Mr. Turner, we meet again. Of course, be my guest.”
Josh hovered behind Oliver, peering around nervously. Cole followed his gaze, spotting Duke, Thorn, and Zane already in the back of cars. He had no idea where the kids were—still inside the house, maybe? With Nathan, Kira, and the other civilian betas, if he had to guess.
“If I understand this correctly, the key issue is the ratio of omegas to alphas?”
“Omega to alphas,” Greggs said succinctly. “And not even an Anchor at that, I’m led to believe.”
“No,” Oliver agreed quietly. “I’m no Anchor.”
“That would be me,” Josh said, stepping forward. “And seeing as counting isn’t your strong suit, that makes two omegas to four alphas.”
Greggs eyed him dismissively.
“We’re aware of your presence here, Mr. Kinsley. You’re here as a volunteer, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Your information is out of date,” Oliver said sharply.
“Is that so?”
“A whole month out of date,” Josh added.
“Saying it doesn’t make it true,” Greggs argued. “You’d say anything right now to weasel your way out of this.”
Josh pulled his shirt taut, revealing his bump. “My babies and I would beg to differ, Officer Greggs.”
Greggs frowned at that. “That doesn’t prove anything.”
“Will a bond certificate signed by the county clerk do?” Cole all but growled. “Because we have that, too.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll take you all in and sort this mess out on base. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Cole saw the flash of fear in Josh’s eyes and tried to get to him, only to be stopped by two pairs of hands as the soldiers guarding him dragged him toward a vehicle.
“Are you sure this is the best course of action, Officer?” Oliver said coolly. “Have you thought through the potential consequences?”
“I have orders. All I’m doing is following them.” He turned to his men. “Get them in the cars, and then bring out the betas and the kids.”
Josh gave a sudden anguished cry followed by panicked breaths as he wrapped an arm around his stomach and fell to his knees.
“Josh?” Cole shouted as Oliver rushed to his side.
“It hurts,” the omega said. “The babies.”
“He’s faking it,” Greggs said. “We don’t have time for this. Cuff him and get him into the car.”
Another pained cry from Josh had the soldiers eyeing him nervously.
“He needs help,” Cole demanded. “Brax is a doctor. Let him check Josh, please.”
“We’ll get him checked out on base,” Greggs said, turning toward the vehicles. “Load them up, get the ones from the house, and—”
“Do you know what the penalty is for interference with a pack that results in the death of a child?” Oliver called out suddenly. “Because I do, Officer Greggs, and you won’t like it.”
“We both know there’s nothing wrong with him.”
“Are you willing to bet your life on that,” Cole asked softly. “Because that is what’s at stake here. If your actions take my cubs from me, the pack will seek retribution. A life for a life.”
“No court, military or otherwise, will agree to that.”
“Have you checked state laws recently, Officer?” Oliver called. “Pack law still supersedes any other. Cross the border and you’d have a different story, but we’re not across the border, are we?”
“One more omega isn’t going to make a difference,” Greggs insisted. “Why not come quietly now? We’ll just be back here in a few days or weeks, doing this all over again.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Cole said.
“We don’t recognize your authority,” Brax added. “Our pack is stable, we have sufficient omegas, mated and bonded, to ensure it stays that way. Now let me help Joshua, unless you want what happens next on your conscience.”
Greggs looked around at his men, but most of them avoided eye contact. They weren’t happy to be there any more than Cole was happy to see them.
“There is nothing wrong with that omega. It’s just
a stupid trick.”
Josh gave another pained cry, drawing all eyes to him. Cole watched as the omega pressed a hand to the front of his pants. When he pulled it away, his palm was smeared with blood. Cole growled and fought to get to him as the soldiers around them muttered unhappily.
Greggs froze. Cole saw the fear in his eyes that he tried to cover with more bluster.
“You can’t escape forever. My superiors want a pack under their thumb. They’re going to keep trying. Another omega isn’t going to make you untouchable.”
“If it gets you the fuck off our land, then that’ll do for now,” Cole growled. “Get us out of these handcuffs, and let Brax help my mate.”
Officer Greggs walked back to his vehicle, his pace slow and measured. Only when he had the door open did he gesture for his men to let Cole and Brax go. Cole almost went for him, but Brax’s hand was on his shoulder, urging him away.
“If you step foot on our land again, Greggs,” Cole shouted after him as he raced across the yard, “you’d better watch your back.”
Reaching Josh, he crouched down beside him. Around them, the soldiers were freeing the others and piling back into their vehicles.
“Where does it hurt?” he murmured.
Josh just shook his head and stayed bent over. His hand snaked out and grabbed Cole’s wrist.
Cole relaxed at the feeling of Josh’s strong grip on his arm. He picked him up and carried him inside. Oliver and Brax ran ahead of them, while Thorn and Zane stayed outside to make sure their unwelcome visitors left.
“I’m okay,” Josh promised as soon as they were in the door. “I didn’t want them to take you, so thought I could buy you some time.”
“But the blood…”
“I dug my nail into my palm, that’s all. See.”
He showed Cole the tiny, crescent-shaped cuts in the center of his palm. Cole set him down carefully on his feet, looking him up and down, and pressing his hands to Josh’s stomach. The omega was pale and trembling finely, but he managed a weak smile.
“You were faking it?”
“I am an actor,” Josh replied.
Cole let out a relieved laugh and pulled the omega into a hug.
“Where are the others?” he asked Brax over Josh’s shoulder. “Where are the kids?”
“In the living room,” Oliver said, appearing behind them. “They’re all okay, just freaked out by all the commotion. Kira’s putting a movie on. She wants us all to come in and join them.”
“What do you say?” Cole asked Josh, giddy with relief. “Feel up to watching TV with the kids?”
Josh gave a nod but still looked troubled.
“That was what you meant, wasn’t it? You said that there were threats out there, written in laws and statutes, and that you wouldn’t see them coming. That’s what that was.”
“Yeah,” Cole said softly, brushing a strand of hair from Josh’s forehead. “That’s what that was. And it was a close one. There’ve been a few more since the last time they were here, but we got advanced warning and headed them off at the pass. This one slipped through the net somehow.”
“Likely by design,” Oliver said darkly. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence they chose today, when the pack’s alphas would be very obviously divided, given the court case.”
“But thanks to you,” Cole said to Josh, “they didn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“It wasn’t going to stop them,” Josh pointed out, not looking reassured by anything they were saying. “They were taking you anyway. Taking me, too. Where would we have gone? What would have happened?”
The omega looked close to tears, and Cole pulled him into a hug, rocking him slowly.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m sorry. You’re right, it was close. Too close. And it shouldn’t have happened. But we’re all here, we’re all safe. And we’re going to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“How?” Josh demanded tearfully. “If you can’t see the danger coming, how can you protect against it?”
Oliver waded in.
“By shouting loudly from the rooftops, letting the world know we’re here. If we have public opinion on our side, if we have eyes on us, they won’t dare touch us. Think of the outcry if they did.”
“I could help with that,” Josh said, sniffing quietly. “There are already lots of eyes on me. Why don’t we use them?”
“That might not be fair to you,” Cole argued.
“Being separated from you and locked up in some army base won’t be fair to me either. I’d rather have a choice I can control than no choice at all,” the omega snapped.
Cole ran a hand down his back, trying to soothe him as the omega closed his eyes and took another breath. He winced, a hand on his stomach.
“Josh?”
“It hurts,” he said. “Here.” His hand pressed low on his bump.
“Brax?” Cole asked.
The alpha stepped forward, pressing his palm where Josh noticed the pain.
“That’s a contraction,” the alpha said grimly. “It’s weak but it’s there.”
“What does that mean?” Josh asked, frightened.
Cole took him back into his arms, waiting to hear what Brax had to say.
“It means you’re stressed out, and your body can feel it. Let’s get you lying down, with Cole and a hot water bottle. The sooner you relax and let go of some of this tension, the better.” He paused and added, “If you’re both comfortable, having a few more members of the pack with you would help.”
“Anything,” Cole said, looking to Josh.
The omega nodded. “Whatever we need to do.”
They spent the rest of that day and night in bed. Oliver stayed a few hours with them, one or two of the cubs with him at all times. Everyone took a turn, from the smallest right down to Brax. Eric told Josh a bedtime story, Duke sang a song his mother had taught him, Kira led them through a meditation. By morning, Josh was fast asleep, his face free from worry.
“How’s he doing?” Oliver asked, padding into the room with a cub over each shoulder.
“Sleeping. Hasn’t had a contraction since before midnight. I think we’re in the clear.”
“Thank heavens for that,” Oliver said. “It was just one too many stresses yesterday.”
“But we weren’t alone. We had the pack, and you’ve seen us through.”
“Always,” Oliver said softly. “Get some rest, Cole. You’ve earned it. The pack is safe for now, and your mate is well. Let your mind rest.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
After his scare, Josh was only too happy to accept Brax’s recommendation of modified bed rest for the remainder of his pregnancy. At first, it meant plenty of naps in his hedgehog form, lots of breaks between chores, and no heavy lifting. It also meant no horseback riding, which made Josh a little sad. But it was only for two months, and riding in his condition didn’t exactly sound comfortable anyway.
“Let me take that,” Cole said, snatching the water bucket from his hands.
“I can manage an empty bucket,” he said with a laugh, trying to steal it back.
“I’ve got it,” Cole told him. “You look tired still. Why don’t you go back to bed?”
“All I do these days is laze around in bed. That can’t be good for anyone. Couldn’t we go for a walk in the woods?”
Cole glanced doubtfully up at the sky. “Looks like rain.”
“Then we’ll get wet. It won’t kill us.”
When Cole hesitated, he started to get a little ticked off.
“Can we stop with the whole ‘overprotective alpha’ routine? Everything is fine. I’m fine, the babies are fine. We just had an ultrasound yesterday. Three healthy, happy, growing babies in there. I’d like one equally happy omega out here, not one whose limbs are atrophying from lack of movement.”
Cole winced at that. “Okay, you’re right. Just let me fill the water trough, and we’ll stretch our legs.”
Josh, feeling he’d been a bit harsh on the alpha, pressed a
hand to Cole’s arm.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“It’s okay. Oliver and Kira have been saying the same thing. That I’m swaddling you in cotton wool, and it’s going to drive you crazy.”
“It’s not like you haven’t had reason to feel protective of me,” Josh said softly. “Between the court case, the military, and our scare. That’s a lot to have to deal with when it’s in your very nature to protect.”
“Yeah. The urge to grab you and find a safe place to hide out is pretty strong most of the time.”
“All the same,” Josh continued. “The court case is over, there’s nothing left for us to do there. We've got that writ of protection from the courts—the military can’t touch us for at least the next six months. And—”
“And you and the babies are doing just fine,” Cole murmured, pressing his hands to Josh’s bump. The babies shifted around in there, doing what felt like little somersaults.
“Exactly,” Josh said, letting his hands rest over Cole’s.
The alpha stole a kiss, taking Josh’s hands in his. “Six weeks to go,” he murmured.
“I know. I don’t know whether it’s too soon or not soon enough.”
Cole laughed softly, his breath warm against Josh’s skin as he kissed him again.
Not soon enough was definitely the answer. Josh had never known it was possible to be so uncomfortable in his own body. Parts of him he hadn’t even known were there ached. He felt like he had the back of a man three times his age, and there was no comfortable position to lie in anymore.
He spent as much time as possible in his shifter form, curled up in a pile of blankets on his bed. Cole often curled up with him, in human form because the practical implications of a horse in the bed just didn’t work. Sometimes the others in the pack joined him—Oliver’s fox, Brax’s wolf, Zane, Kira, Alice. Duke and Thorn stayed in human form. Josh didn’t even like to think of the practicalities of a bear versus a human-sized bed. The company balanced out the discomfort somewhat, but Josh was still counting down the days until his pregnancy would come to an end, and he’d get to meet his cubs.
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