“That was fast,” I said in surprise.
“LuLu heard you coming,” Shawn explained before kissing me quickly. As we parted, I looked down and saw LuLu jumping in happy circles around Cole who was laughing and jumping in return.
“She's still into the bowtie?” I asked.
“I guess she's still nervous about the you-know-what,” Shawn whispered, then motioned for us to get inside. “Come in, come in, it's freezing.”
Shawn had already told me he’d made pizza dough, so as we entered his kitchen we got straight to work to build our own pizzas. Cole loved stacking his base with way too many toppings, and Shawn did a great job of secretly picking a few of them off so it ended up evenly cooked and actually kind of tasty.
We ate at the table, and as Cole took a bite of his second slice, I cleared my throat and got his attention.
“What?” he asked with his mouth stuffed with pizza.
“Don't talk with your mouth full,” I told him.
“I wasn't until you looked at me and coughed,” he said after he'd swallowed his mouthful.
I laughed. “Sorry, kiddo. I just wanted to get your attention.”
“That's okay,” he said happily and gave me a big cheesy grin.
I glanced at Shawn, suddenly feeling like I was totally on the spot, and not quite sure how to proceed. He gave me an encouraging smile and nodded at me, as if to say he knew I had it in me.
“So, we have something important to tell you. Do you think this is a good time to talk about it or would you like to wait until after dinner?”
Cole stopped chewing halfway through a bite and looked at me suspiciously, then at Shawn, and then at LuLu. She cocked her head to the side, insisting she was innocent in this ambush. Cole swallowed, wiped his mouth and then sat back in his chair, calm and attentive. “Let's talk now,” he said, maturely.
I gave Shawn a smile. He raised his eyebrows, obviously impressed with Cole's decision-making. I then focused on my son while ignoring the nerves fluttering around in my stomach. “You know Shawn and I are closer than friends, right?”
“You're in love,” Cole said.
“Yes, we're in love,” Shawn agreed, reaching across the table and holding my hand.
“And you know lots of people who are in love, right?” I asked Cole. “Like Jaxon and Bryce?”
“Yep!” Cole nodded, following what I was saying.
“And do you remember before Lori was born, when Jaxon and Bryce told Liam they were having a—”
“Are you having a baby?” Cole exclaimed, practically flying out of his seat. I laughed and Shawn jumped in surprise, but then laughed as well.
“Well… Yes, we are,” I said, beaming at Cole. Shawn squeezed my hand.
“Oh my gosh!” Cole clapped his hands and started squealing.
“So you're happy then?” Shawn asked, but it was obvious Cole was ecstatic.
“I'm gonna have a brother or sister, just like Liam! I have to tell everyone!”
I let him use my phone on speaker to call Nicole, who already knew the good news but did a great job of acting like she was hearing it for the first time from him. Then he called Liam and a few other school friends. By the time he'd done the rounds, we were exhausted, hearing the same story over and over again, and he was looking a little tired too.
“Mom will be here to pick you up soon, kiddo,” I said. “How're you feeling? What questions do you have?”
“Well…” Cole said in a small voice. “If you and Shawn are having a baby, do I have to live with Mom?”
“Oh, kiddo, no way!” I said, letting go of Shawn's hand to reach across and push a strand of hair out of Cole's face. “You're not going anywhere. You’re my son just as much as this new baby is going to be my son or daughter. You’re not being replaced or anything. Is that what you thought?”
“No, not really, but there was a friend at school whose dad got married and had a new baby, and my friend got sent to his mom’s house.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen. You're an important part of the family.”
“Is Shawn part of our family too?” he asked.
“He is.” I nodded then grinned at Shawn.
“I'm also going to be part of your pack soon,” Shawn said.
I felt my stomach clench and my heart drop. I’d wanted to tell Shawn about the issues of the claiming bite later, when we were alone. Looks like that option had been taken out of my hands.
“Not soon. We're actually postponing the ceremony for now.”
Suddenly, LuLu started barking and the doorbell sounded.
“That must be Nicole.” I quickly stood and grabbed Cole's bag before ushering him out of the kitchen. I glanced back at Shawn. Tears were welling in his eyes. His cheeks were flushed and his bottom lip was shaking.
“I'll just… Just hang on,” I said, hurrying to answer the door.
He didn't reply. He just turned his face away.
12
Shawn
“When were you going to tell me you postponed the claiming ceremony?” I stood up to challenge Linc as soon as he’d closed the door behind Cole. I was barely able to contain my rising anger, and my heated cheeks probably reflected that.
“I’m sorry, I know you really—”
“No, actually, apparently you don’t know. I was so excited to be officially yours and to be a member of the pack. I felt so special and loved. You can’t just change your mind after making me an offer like that without even asking me how I feel. Well, I’ll tell you how I feel! I feel like a jilted omega left at the altar, and we haven’t even set a date for the ceremony yet. If you have changed your mind, tell me right now. Better yet, just walk out that door. I don’t need to be abandoned again—”
Linc put his hands on my cheeks and stopped my tirade with a passionate kiss. I immediately calmed down when all the love and devotion he had for me seeped through his lips and into my heart. When he pulled back slightly I looked up into his warm eyes, full of compassion and tenderness.
“Absolutely nothing has changed, my love. I just want to talk to Dr. Reed to make sure the claiming bite won’t hurt you or the baby,” he explained. “Neither Jaxon or Greer were positive nothing could happen, and I don’t want to take a risk.”
I took a deep breath and felt my cheeks get ever hotter, this time with embarrassment. “Oh my god, I’m sorry,” I said, covering my face with my hands. “Ughhhh, I’m such a hormonal, emotional mess.” I sank into a bar stool in the kitchen. “I don’t want to take that risk either… Obviously.”
“I knew you would understand,” Linc said patiently, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs. “I only spoke to them last night, and this was the first opportunity to tell you.”
I nodded, feeling such an idiot, but that fear of abandonment wasn’t something that had entirely disappeared after Phillip had run off on me. “I’m sorry. Can we just watch a cheesy romantic comedy or something? I probably just need something to cry about. Maybe I’ll feel better after that.”
“Of course. You go snuggle up on the couch and I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
I gratefully took him up on his offer, as did LuLu, following close behind me as I made my way to the living room. She curled up at my feet at the end of the lounge section of my couch and rested her chin on my foot, staring at me with concern in her wide eyes.
“It’s okay, LuLu,” I said in reassurance. “I was just upset over nothing.”
When Linc set my tea down on the coffee table before coming to join me on the couch, I scooted up so he could sit behind me and I could rest my back against his broad, firm chest. We didn’t get more than a few minutes into the movie before his affectionate nuzzles and gentle massaging of my shoulders turned into nibbles on my ear lobe and kisses on my neck. When he brought his tongue into the picture, treating the side of my neck like a melting popsicle, I let out a soft, involuntary moan.
“Sorry, am I distracting you from the movie?” he whispered in my ear.
�
��I’m starting to think maybe it’s not the movie I need to make me feel better…” I said, running my hand up his leg to rest on his thigh.
“Say no more,” Linc replied, his deep voice sending a tingle down my spine. He wrapped his arms around me then carried me off to my bedroom.
After carefully laying me down on the bed, he lay next to me and slid his hands beneath my sweater as he slowly possessed my mouth. I unbuttoned his shirt and skimmed my hands over his rippling, muscled back, reveling in the feel of him beneath my palms; his strength, his gentleness. The bed creaked as he shifted his weight to crouch over me on all fours.
“Want to make this good for you,” he said, his voice a low growl. He pulled my sweater up over my head then dragged off my pants and underwear. Before I knew it, he’d drawn my cock into his mouth and started stroking the length of my shaft. When he moved his mouth to my balls, sucking on each of them one at a time, I groaned.
“That feels amazing.”
Linc looked up to smile at me. “Good. Because you deserve amazing,” he said, but then he changed tactics and pressed his finger against the wet opening of my hole.
I groaned again, louder this time as he took the head of my dick into his mouth once more. The combination of suction on the swollen tip of my cock with the pressure of Linc’s finger pressing into my ass was enough to send me reeling. I arched my back and squirmed closer to him, and he eagerly provided me with more of what I wanted, taking me deeper into his mouth and pushing his finger all the way inside me, massaging my prostate in a maddeningly slow rhythm. Then he lifted off me and sat back on his heels.
“Do you want my cock?” he asked, his lips looking deliciously wet and red. I nodded, and he grinned before opening his jeans and wiggling out of them. Once he was as naked as me, I craned my neck to kiss him again, hungrily biting his lower lip and sucking it into my mouth. He moaned and reached down to angle his cock toward my opening, gently pressing the tip against me, then pushing harder. He reached up to touch my cheek and looked into my eyes.
“I love you,” he whispered, sliding his cock deep into me before pulling out halfway.
“I love you too.”
Linc leaned forward, and then started moving, gently at first, like he always did, but then building up speed until the bed rocked with the force of how hard he fucked me. I grabbed my cock, which was slapping against my stomach, and started to rub at the weeping head with my thumb. My body throbbed with pleasure as Linc thrust deeper and deeper, catching my prostate with every plunge.
“Oh, I’m gonna… I’m gonna come,” I cried as my balls pulled up and heat flashed over my skin. I gripped Linc’s shoulders, just as spunk shot out of my dick covering my stomach. My hole pulsated wildly around Linc’s cock and he moaned loudly, leaning down to kiss me as he hammered my slick hole faster than ever before. I clenched my ass, hoping to increase the intensity of his orgasm. It seemed to work as he let out a rumbling growl just before hot liquid spilled inside me.
As he came, Linc collapsed on top of me, slowing his thrusts to a few deep pushes until he let out one final groan. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, nuzzling my face into his neck and taking in the smell of his sweat and cologne. He raised his head and kissed me again, his lips so soft they felt like butterfly wings.
“I’m crushing you,” Linc said, slowly rolling off me and lying at my side before he pulled me into his arms and held me close.
I rested my head on his chest and my hand on his hip. He was still breathing heavily, and I loved that I could do that to him; turn him into an alpha full of need and want for his omega.
“Love you,” I said softly.
Linc kissed the top of my head and ran his fingers through my hair.
“Love you too, Shawn. Love you so much.”
“Alright, let’s have a look at what’s going on,” Dr. Reed said in a confident, professional tone. It was my first appointment and I felt a flutter of nerves in my belly as I took off my shirt to start the ultrasound.
Dr. Reed squeezed warm gel onto my stomach and started moving the ultrasound wand around, looking for the fetus growing inside me. I watched her slide it left, right, up and down. Then left again. I looked at Linc. He smiled at me contentedly. Knowing he wasn’t worried calmed me down a little. Still, I craned my neck to try and look at the screen of the ultrasound machine, but I couldn’t see it from my position on the bed.
The wand finally came to rest. I looked at Dr. Reed’s face expectantly.
“Very good, we’ve got a heartbeat,” she said with a smile. I exhaled loudly and laughed with relief. Linc squeezed my hand and I turned to smile at him. His grin was already threatening to split his face in two.
“Wow,” he said. He looked like a little kid on Christmas morning.
“Hmm, hang on,” Dr. Reed said, moving the wand slightly again. My head whipped back to look at her.
“What is it?” I asked, worry slamming into me.
“I’m not sure, it might be another heartbeat.”
“Oh my gosh,” I whispered to Linc. “Twins?”
“I hadn’t even considered twins…” Linc covered his mouth in shock.
“Nope, sorry, false alarm. Just one heartbeat, but it’s very strong,” Dr. Reed said with a smile.
Linc and I sighed in unison. “Disappointed?” I asked Linc.
“Not at all. I think I’m relieved, actually. One baby is plenty of baby for me,” he added with a smile.
“Well, everything looks healthy. You’re about ten weeks along, so we can see you again in a couple of more months to determine the sex, if that’s what you want.”
Linc nodded before looking at me. “Do you want to know the sex of our baby?” he asked, as if realizing I had a say in this too.
I smiled. “Yes, please, when we can.”
Dr. Reed made a note on her chart, then glanced between Linc and me. “Is there anything else you want to ask me?”
“Um,” Linc said, biting his bottom lip and looking nervous. “Yes, actually. Maybe you can help us… I spoke to Jaxon and some of the other alphas, but no one seems to have an idea what might happen if I give Shawn a claiming bite. Will that have any effect on him or the baby? We were planning a ceremony, but I wouldn’t want to risk any complications for either of them.”
“There shouldn’t be any complications… I’ve never heard of any.”
“But Shawn is human. That’s different, right—because I’ll be turning him and not just claiming him as if he were already a shifter.”
“I don’t see why. There have been plenty of humans turned with the claiming bite.”
“Pregnant humans?”
“He’s carrying a shifter baby; the bite definitely won’t affect the unborn child. The only difference is that Shawn won’t be able to shift until after he’s given birth.”
“I know that, but—”
“Linc, in all my years as a doctor, I have never heard of any complications. Jaxon claimed Bryce while he was pregnant.”
“I know, but—”
“Linc, I think what Dr. Reed is saying, is that there won’t be an issue,” I said gently as it was obvious Linc would continue to argue. He was worried, and that was fine, but I didn’t want him pissing off the doctor who was going to be my obstetrician during my pregnancy.
Dr. Reed nodded. “Exactly. The baby is in good health from what I can tell, and it’s not a high-risk pregnancy.”
Linc finally nodded. “Thank you, Maddie.” He bit down on his bottom lip, but then looked at me. I smiled up at him, trying to be positive.
“Thank you so much, Dr. Reed,” I said, clambering off the table.
“You’re very welcome. Congratulations! I’m looking forward to the claiming ceremony.”
“Thank you! Me too,” I said, ushering Linc out of the examination room. I hoped that would be the end of Linc’s worries, but as we got into the elevator, Linc shook his head.
“I think we need to get a second opinion.”
&n
bsp; “From who?” I asked. “Do you know of another wolf shifter obstetrician.” I threw out the problem in an attempt for Linc to drop the matter, but Linc nodded.
“There are other packs in Timberwood Cove, and in other towns. It’s Jaxon’s job to keep in touch with all the pack leaders, so I’m sure he’d be able to find other doctors.”
I sighed. I was perfectly content with Dr. Reed’s opinion, and though I didn’t want to push Linc into claiming me when it was obvious he wasn’t comfortable with it, getting a second opinion seemed too much. “Linc—”
The elevator door slid open, and in order not to have a heated discussion in the middle of the hospital, I bit my lip—only to gasp when I saw who was standing at the reception desk. “Shit!”
Linc stared down at me. “I know you don’t want to wait, but—”
“It’s not that. It’s… We have to go. Now.” I grabbed Linc’s hand and pulled him out the door to the parking lot, and then started speed walking to the car.
“You’re gonna pull my arm out of the socket, Shawn. What’s going on? Do you have a pregnancy craving or something?”
“Did you see that guy standing at the reception desk?” I asked, unable to keep my voice from sounding high and sharp.
“No? Why?”
“Do you think he saw me? Shit, what if he saw me?”
“I have no idea. Shawn… What. Is. Going. On?” Linc growled.
When we reached the car I leaned my back against the passenger side door and tried to catch my breath. I felt dizzy, feverish, and the world seemed to be spinning around me.
“Shawn? Are you okay?” Linc’s words floated into my mind as if he were walking toward me through a thick fog.
“That was Phillip,” I said, my voice now flat as a sort of numbness invaded my body.
“Your ex Phillip?”
I nodded, folding my arms against my chest as an attempt to steady myself.
“So? He’s out of your life now. You don’t have to worry about him.”
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