by A. C. Katt
That afternoon while Elena took her nap, Armand and Sean took one of their own. They made slow, lazy love in the afternoon sunlight.
It was warm for a late October evening and Elena needed only needed a shawl with her costume to keep warm. They walked with Elena in the middle of her two fathers from house to house throughout the compound collecting popcorn balls, candy bars, and fruit. Everyone was prepared to meet at the Alpha’s house at nine for the party.
Meg made a potent punch housed in a lined, large pumpkin. She had apple cider for the two little girls and she brought Marie and her mother Lillian over to so that Elena could show them her new fathers.
“I’m so pleased to see that Elena found a home with you Alpha. She hasn’t been happy for a while. She withdrew into a world of her Barbie dolls and I didn’t think it was healthy. I spoke to Adele and she was concerned, but Bernard is always a problem. How the gods saw fit to give that man a mate is beyond my comprehension.”
“We’ll speak later this evening on that matter Lillian,” Armand patted Marie on the head. “Elena, why don’t you take your friend to see your new toys?”
“I think we should mingle, the Alpha Mate has to get to know the pack. He made his first shift earlier this morning and has come into his gift.”
“Congratulations, Alpha Mate, I wish you and the Alpha well on your new pairing. I hope to see more of you with Elena and Marie being friends.”
They moved on through the crowd. Sean suggested a swing set and a jungle gym for the compound in the common area. “If my la voix operates as planned, we will have more children in the compound in a few years.”
“That’s good idea, Sean. I want to encourage the pack to have pups now that the danger of child birth is diminished.”
The buffet was again spread out with autumn foods. There was more fried chicken, meatballs and veal parmesan with foot long rolls for sandwiches. A huge barrel of water stood in the center of the room where the adults could opt to bob for apples with the Alpha offering a prize of one hundred dollars to every successful contestant.
At nine thirty Meg came out of the kitchen with caramel and candied apples, some dusted with nuts; others plain. At that time Armand called the meeting to order.
“We only have one item on the agenda this evening which is the transfer of custody of Elena from Bernard and Adele Julien to myself and the Alpha Mate. Normally this would not be pack business but the circumstances of the transfer make it imperative to bring it to the pack’s attention.”
“What would be those circumstances, Alpha?” asked Henri, Lillian’s mate.
“Bernard asked for one million dollars for his niece. Before I was called to New York, Bernard took me aside and made this request. He wished me to peddle Elena to the other packs who have few females.”
Lillian spoke up. “Since she would have no blood relatives in another pack, she would be treated as a drudge and given no attention or nurturing. Other packs are not as well run as ours.”
Bernard got up. “No child would be abused if she cost the pack a mil.”
Henri jumped up. “That is not true, this would be cruel. Alpha, I protest any payment to Bernard for Elena, even from you.”
“In all deference to you, Alpha, I believe that Elena will have a good home with you and the Alpha Mate but I too think that it is a disgrace to pay Bernard so he can get rid of a child whom he should be delighted to raise for Adele’s beloved sister,” Martin said in a gruff voice.
“It’s easy for you to talk about delight, Beta. My art does not bring in the income you get from our Alpha.” Bernard stood up glaring at Martin.
Rene stood up. “I agree with my brother and will add in that all members of this pack can live very well on the money the pack receives from the Garou Corporation. Any money made from outside endeavors should put you well into the upper echelons of income in this country. If you didn’t spend so much time at the casinos in the pueblos, you wouldn’t have a problem supporting your kin.”
Bernard began to move toward Rene. Sean spoke, “Bernard, sit down. Rene, calm down. Let’s hear what the Alpha has to say.” Sean sat, amazed he was able to diffuse the escalating situation.
“A moment to consult with the Alpha Mate,” Armand said. He took Sean aside and said, “You just used it, la voix. Leave the rest of this to me.”
He walked over into the midst of the pack. “As you see, the Alpha Mate’s Omega gift is la voix which he just used. This is a blessing on our pack and all of the packs in North America. It means our children will be born in safety and that conflict will be avoided. I have made my decision in the matter of Elena.
“Bernard, you are exiled to the Colorado pack under the supervision of Alpha La Farge after the birth of your child. He and his Betas will take responsibility for you to attend Gambler’s Anonymous meetings so you can get help for your problem. Adele will stay with us to heal and learn to control the household accounts so that you have less temptation when you return home.”
Sean asked, “Adele, do you have any idea how much you owe?”
Adele shook her head.
“Get an accounting from Bernard and it will be paid out of my funds. But should this happen again, Bernard, you will face banishment and become a lone wolf in North America and thereby release Adele from all ties to you. This will give you leave to mate again, Adele, should you wish.”
Adele cried out as water ran from between her legs. The meeting broke in chaos. Sean spoke again. “Everyone please calm down. Rene and Martin, help Adele over to the clinic. Has Dr. Artis arrived from Albuquerque?”
“Not yet, Alpha Mate,” Meg said hurrying to remove her apron and follow Adele to the infirmary.
“Pierre, get on the phone to the doctor and find out how far he is from the compound. I suspect that Adele has been in back labor all day. Armand, can you disperse the pack? Lillian, can you take Elena until the Alpha and I have seen to Adele?”
“Certainly. Henri, gather up our things and whatever Elena needs for a sleepover. She’ll show you where her night things are kept. We’ll leave you to your business, Alpha.”
Sean ran across the compound to the clinic.
“There has been an accident on I-25 north that is delaying Dr. Artis. He plans to get off at the next exit and use the back roads to get to the compound. His ETA is about thirty minutes from now,” Pierre told Sean.
“Meg, let’s get her into the bed. Do whatever you would normally do for a woman about to give birth. I’ll talk to Adele and the child.”
Sean left the room while Meg readied Adele for the birth.
“Armand, I’m so afraid of this, what if I can’t pull her through? What if I’m not strong enough?”
“You’ll be fine, Adele, just fine. Rene, get Artis on the line and put the phone in the room with Meg on speaker. Sean and I will stay right outside the room until needed. Martin, Bernard is on lockdown in his home until the baby comes, please see to it. If you need help, bring two of the enforcers.”
“I’m going inside back inside the room to see what I can do to help. Maybe I can talk Adele through her contractions.” Sean opened the door and stepped inside. Armand followed.
* * * *
“Adele breathe, did you go to Lamaze class? Use me as you focal point. Now breathe with me.”
Adele huffed out several breaths until the contraction passed.
“How many minutes apart?” asked Artis over the speaker.
“About seven minutes, doctor.” Meg answered.
“Have you set up an IV line in case I have to do a Cesarean section? Is the baby monitor attached?”
“Yes to all of the above,” Sean answered while Meg checked the fetal heartbeat.
“I hear two heartbeats, Doctor. Has Adele been for a sonogram?”
“Adele?” Sean asked.
She shook her head no.
“Why is it, Alpha, that our people, knowing that they have trouble with birth, do not avail themselves of modern medical care? You have to do something about this.
It’s not as if anyone can tell that we are loup-garou from a hospital stay for childbirth.”
“The old ways die hard, doctor, but now is not the time for this discussion.”
“Adele is in active labor, doctor. Dilatation of the cervix is about four centimeters. The babies’ heart signs are weak.” Meg noted.
“Sean, talk to the mother and the baby, I’m about ten minutes out.”
“What should I say?” Sean paced showing his nerves.
“Anything that comes to mind, son.”
“Would it be better to take her over to the hospital?”
“Not at this point, and we would just introduce fear into the situation.” Sean, resigned, walked over to the bed.
“Adele, I need you to concentrate on my voice to help you through the contractions. It seems you are having twins. Have you picked out names? Think about names for the babies. This may seem strange, but I’m going to talk to your tummy.”
Sean pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and rubbed Adele’s distended stomach in concentric circles speaking in a low calm voice. “Hi guys. You’re worrying your momma and you shouldn’t do that now. Concentrate on coming out. Think of what strong young pups you are going to be.”
“Doctor, this is impossible, the contractions are coming every two minutes and there is seven centimeters of dilation. The babies’ heartbeats are now strong.”
“Keep talking, Sean, I’m on my way in.” Dr. Artis came down the corridor and was in the room within two minutes. He picked up the sheet and checked his patient. “She’s crowning. Push, Adele.”
With three pushes the first child arrived. It was a little girl. Meg took the baby to clean and put in the bassinet. Adele continued to push. “I can see the head of the second child.” Dr. Artis put himself back into position to catch the second child. “It’s a boy, Meg, clean this one up while I see to the afterbirth.”
A half hour later, Adele held one child in each arm. Dr. Artis was amazed. “I’ve never seen such as easy labor. Meg swore the heartbeat was weak until you began to talk. You are responsible for the successful birth of two pups into the pack, Sean, congratulations.”
“Adele did all the hard work, Dr. Artis. All I did was talk to her and the children.”
Armand put his arms around his exhausted mate’s shoulders. “This has taken more out of you than you want to believe. If everything is good here, I’m taking Sean home. Is Pierre outside?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Pierre answered.
“Please go over to Adele’s and let Bernard come to see the babies. Make sure at least two enforcers accompany him.” Armand walked over and kissed Adele on the forehead.
“Two live births, I think my mate has proved his mettle tonight.”
“Alpha, with your permission, I’d like to name the boy Lucien after Sean’s father.”
“Lucien Bernard?” Armand raised his eyebrow.
“Yes, Alpha.” Armand nodded his head in acceptance.
“I’d be proud to have your child named after my father. The little girl, what is her name?”
“Evette, Alpha Mate, after my sister.”
Dr. Artis came over to examine his patient. “I see no reason for Adele to stay here more than a few hours. The birth was easy, there is no excess bleeding, and the patient and the babies are doing fine.”
Sean went over and gave the babies kisses. “I’ll make each of them a cup in my new studio Adele, if you’d like.”
“You just saved my babies, Alpha Mate. Anything you want to do is fine.”
Armand and Sean were leaving the room as Bernard entered. Bernard sneered at Sean. Rene was behind him. “According to the doctor, Sean is the only reason you now have two healthy children. You need an attitude adjustment. I hope you get one in Denver.”
Armand guided his very sleepy mate across the compound and into their home.
Chapter 15
“He doesn’t leave the compound without at least four armed guards. It’s difficult to get near him.”
“I have the artist here with me. He says the best route is through the little girl. He knows a way to get in the compound.” The Alpha sighed into the phone. “I think it’s better if we wait until he leaves the compound. The Alpha Mate is young. He won’t like the restrictions Armand places on him. He didn’t grow up as a shifter. I’ll send the artist back to you. He’ll get the woman to provide the intelligence.”
“Okay. We use the kid as bait. So, eventually he’ll leave the compound,” Dimitri agreed. “But the Alpha won’t let him go alone.”
“We’ll pick a time when their guard is down. We have to bide our time. As soon as he takes the kid out with a minimum of guards, they will walk right into our trap. We’ll use the woman. She’ll cooperate because of her mate.”
“You’ll have to gag him, he has la voix,” Dimitri said. “If I have to deal with him, I want to make sure I get to keep him. That was the deal.”
“I know that it was the original point. You get him, I get the Alpha and then the council.”
* * * *
About a month after the births Armand and Sean sat down to breakfast. Sean slipped a heavy cushion on his chair.
“I see you have your pillow. Sore again? I wanted to hold off the third time.” Armand buttered his toast.
“Well I didn’t and it’s my ass.” Sean cut his steak.
“No, you’re wrong there. Every beautiful inch of those cheeks are mine.”
Sean got up and moved across the table. He sat on Armand’s lap putting his arms around his husband’s neck. “I need good morning kisses.”
“And I’m happy to oblige.” Sean wiggled off Armand’s lap and went back to his own steak.
“I need to go to see artists at the pueblos to study their technique or I’ll never finish my masters,” Sean said to Armand. “No one has come near us since we came to New Mexico. I suspect Dimitri Petrovich is long gone.”
“I knew something like this was coming. Those were suspicious kisses. No, Sean. I want confirmation of that before we loosen our security.” Armand cut into his own steak.
“We could wait forever for him to turn up. What if he’s dead? Do we wait for five years, ten?”
“Baby, there is always going to be a need for security because you’re my mate. I’m the Alpha of all Alphas and that makes me a target and an easy way to get to me is through you. I can’t lose you, I couldn’t take it. Please let me protect you.”
“Honey, everywhere I go you send four cars, mine plus three more. Can’t we cut down on security a bit? I’m not the President. I think all of the security makes me a larger target then if I just went out anonymously.” There was a distinct whine in Sean’s voice.
“How about if I cut security in half, two cars only?” Armand countered.
“Okay, two cars, but we revisit this in a few weeks. I can’t walk around being wrapped in wool forever. I want to go to the museums and see their pottery collection and pick up a few pieces of my own to study. I want to take Elena to the children’s museum in Albuquerque and walk around the artist’s district in Santa Fe.”
“How about we go to Santa Fe this weekend and you take Elena to the children’s museum this week? The teacher will arrive next week and then Elena’s days will be busy with school, so if you want to go to the children’s museum, go this week.”
“Only two cars to the children’s museum, okay. I’ll go with her today?” Sean pleaded.
“Mate, this is against my better judgment.”
“We’ll be in a museum with guards all around.” Sean got up and began to rub Armand’s shoulders.
“That’s an unfair tactic. You know when you start to do that I turn into goo. Go ahead, before I change my mind. But take both Rene and Martin.” Armand and Sean finished their breakfast in charity with one another.
When he finished his steak, Armand left his chair, “Baby, I have a bad feeling about this.”
“You can’t renege now!”
Armand took Sean into the
circle of his arms. “You know I’ve gotten used to having you around, I’d be lost without you. Please be very careful. I’m serious, I don’t feel good about this.”
* * * *
Sean went to Elena’s room to get her dressed. He picked out a pair of denim overalls with a red turtleneck. It had a matching jacket, hat, and gloves.
“Are you going outside to play with me?”
“No sweetie, we’re going to the children’s museum.”
“What’s a see-um?” Elena asked.
“A museum, sweetie, they have one especially for kids in Albuquerque, I’ve never been there but I spoke to Lillian and she said Marie liked it.” Sean buttoned up her coat.
“Can Marie come with us?” She was wiggling as Sean tried to tie her shoes.
“Marie went grocery shopping with her mommy, I called.” Sean stood up. “Rene and Martin are going with us.”
“That’s good, I like ‘ne and Martin.”
“You promise to be a good girl and hold on to my hand.” Sean asked as he got a bit of a shiver up his spine.
“I promise.”
* * * *
The drive to the museum was uneventful. Sean’s nerves began to calm. Perhaps Armand was overly cautious. Martin drove the other car and rode behind them. Elena sat in her booster seat in the second row and he sat up front with Rene.
“Did you know that Adele went out today with the babies?” Rene asked as they turned off I-25 south to downtown and the museum area.
“Yeah, she told me she was going downtown, we might run into her there.” Sean answered absently.
“She doesn’t usually go out alone. Two babies by yourself is a lot to handle. Isn’t it a bit early for them to be out on such an expedition?” Rene looked out the window for a parking space.
“She said she needed the air, I offered to ask Armand to send one of the pack enforcers with her just to help out. She refused. She said that if Bernard was to be away for six months she had to learn how to handle them on her own.”
“I suppose. Did you tell her we would be downtown today?”
“I did, I told her before she told me where she was going. I admit I asked if she would come with us but she insisted on going out by herself. She seemed off somehow. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.” Sean pointed. “There’s a spot near the Toyota.”