Babies for Nikki

by Lynnette Bernard

  “You’re sore,” Alex said immediately. “We’ve hurt you.”

  “Oh, don’t start that again,” Nikki stopped him immediately, a frustrated sigh escaping her. “You didn’t hurt me. I’m just out of practice. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve been intimate.” The pleased grins on both men’s faces made her laugh out loud. “Don’t be so smug,” she warned them, unable to keep the blush from her face at her admission. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”

  “Yes, you should have, Nikki,” Butler whispered against her neck as he kissed it tenderly. “It pleases us that you’ve chosen to be intimate with us. You have given us a beautiful gift. One that we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives.”

  “When we get back to our suite, we’ll be sure to take care of you with the salves that every newly mated triad female needs to help her with her soreness,” Alex promised, worry evident in his voice.

  “We’re not mated, are we?” Nikki asked softly, needing to clarify the situation.

  “Not yet,” Alex admitted. “But we still need to take care of you.”

  Was Nikki mistaken, or did she hear sadness in Alex’s voice? She turned to face him, intending to question him in order to understand what he was feeling, but the sudden sound of something running through the trees brought all three of their attention toward the tree line.

  Alex pushed her gently behind him, and she suddenly found herself looking at the very sexy backs of both her men. She reached up and touched the tense muscles of their backs before leaning forward to kiss both of them gently.

  “Stay behind us,” Butler told her firmly. “Don’t come out of this water if we have to leave it to protect you.”

  “But,” Nikki protested.

  “Don’t move from this water!” Alex demanded angrily as he saw five wolves prowl forward into the clearing.

  Both men knew these wolves were not from their pack. Their look, and especially their scents, was unmistakable. If they had been pack, Alex and Butler would have recognized them immediately. As one, both men edged their way out of the water, relieved that Nikki remained where she was. They would not be able to fight these wolves if they had to keep an eye on her as well.

  She needed to stay in the water, submerged to her chest. Besides wanting her safe and out of harm’s way, they wanted her away from the prying eyes of these shifters. No one was going to see their mate naked except them.

  “You do not have permission to be on Beckett land,” Alex told the five wolves angrily. “Shift and submit.”

  The wolves edged toward Alex and Butler, their lips pulled back as they showed their teeth and growled menacingly. There was a swirl of blue and Alex’s black wolf and Butler’s white wolf stood before them, their own teeth bared in warning as they growled at the intruders.

  Nikki watched in horror as the five wolves stepped toward the pack enforcers. Alex and Butler belonged to her, and she feared for their safety. Edging her way toward the water’s edge, she was prepared to fight beside her men if she had to. She looked around desperately for some sort of weapon. Spotting the few downed tree limbs not far from the water’s edge, she calculated her odds at getting to the possible weapons and using one of them before she was brought down by one of the wolves.

  The five smaller wolves rushed toward Alex and Butler. Nikki hesitated as fear gripped her. She watched in horror as the wolves attacked as one, and her men were immediately engaged in a full out battle. She winced in shared pain as she saw Alex receive a deep gash in his right shoulder as the large brown wolf that seemed to be the leader of the invading wolves latched onto it with ferocity. Nikki knew her men would sustain many injuries in this fight. Five against two was not a fair fight despite the strength and abilities the pack’s enforcers held. Nikki was determined to help even the odds however she could.

  Without hesitation, she stepped out of the water and made her way toward the fallen limbs. Lifting the smallest one quickly, she weighed it in her hands to get a good feel for it before lifting it and making her way toward the snarling mass of fighting wolves. She held that limb like a Louisville Slugger and waited for the best opportunity to use her weapon. When the brown wolf who had already injured Alex went for him once again and opened his jaws with intent to bite down onto Alex’s throat, Nikki stepped forward and swung with all her strength. The limb connected with a sick thud against the attacking wolf’s head.

  The wolf fell back, stunned for a moment, before turning to face Nikki and leaping toward her with murderous intent. Nikki pulled back and swung again, ignoring the crack of broken bone as she connected with the wolf’s front leg. The wolf crumpled to the ground, whining pitifully.

  She looked to Alex and Butler and saw them still engaged in the vicious fight with the remaining four wolves. Nikki stepped toward them, swinging the limb at the closest wolf, connecting solidly with the back of its head as it rushed Butler. It fell to the ground unconscious. Two down, three to go.

  Before she could continue her attack, there was a commotion to her right as three wolves bounded from the cove of trees to stand and fight beside Alex and Butler. The black wolf was bigger than Alex, and the brown wolf matched him in size. The third wolf was equal in size to both Alex’s and Butler’s wolves but was a soft gray color. There was a scar than ran across his snout from its eye to its top lip. Nikki knew that this wolf had to be Carter.

  With the addition of these three wolves, Nikki felt that the odds had been greatly increased in her men’s favor. She dropped the limb and waded back into the water until she was submerged to her neck, and watched nervously as the wolves faced each other. Their growls and snapping filling the silence of the peaceful cove with violence and scared her to her core.

  With a shimmer of blue, the three wolves became men, and Nikki recognized Jace and Jackson and silently congratulated herself on guessing correctly that the third wolf was indeed Carter. Alex and Butler shifted to join their packmates. Nikki couldn’t help but appreciate the naked backsides of all five men, but restrained herself from whistling. She knew it would not be safe to distract them, and she knew Alex and Butler would not be happy with her ogling the other men. For the moment, she would just have to keep her ogle to herself.

  “Shift now,” Jace’s deep voice boomed at the wolves. There was no mistaking he was alpha.

  There was a slight hesitation, then a shimmer of blue, and five men stood before them. They all looked like they needed to shower, and they definitely looked like they needed a meal. Nikki watched as Jace and Jackson stepped toward them, their raw power filling the area.

  “These men are from my old pack,” Carter spoke up. “I wouldn’t trust them, Alpha,” he told Jace firmly.

  Jace nodded to acknowledge that he had heard the man, but never took his eyes off the five men before him. “Carter seems to think you can’t be trusted,” Jace told them firmly, no hesitation in his commanding voice. “I agree.”

  Carter stood next to Jace and nodded at the man closest to him. “That’s Boyd,” he told him calmly, a soft growl escaping him as he looked at the man. “He’s the one who carries out the alpha’s punishments. I would find out why he’s here and who he’s after.”

  “We’ve come for Mitchell,” Boyd spoke up before Jace could question him. “Our alpha has changed his mind about banishing him.”

  Alex and Butler stepped forward, their arms crossed over their massive chests as they stood beside their alpha and beta. Mitchell had come to them beaten and bruised by his old alpha. They both knew there was no way Jace would allow him to be returned to the alpha for more brutality. Alex and Butler were going to defend and protect the cub with everything they had.

  “Mitchell will not be returning to your pack,” Jace told them angrily. “He is under my protection. He is part of my pack now. Go back and tell your alpha that he has no claim over him. If he wants to challenge me, have him come here himself. I will gladly fight him.”

  “You might want to rethink that, Alpha,” Boyd answered, his voice fill
ed with contempt for the man before him.

  “Why is that?” Jace stepped toward him only one step, deriving satisfaction when the man took a defensive step away from him.

  “Because Mitchell’s sister Susannah is being held by our alpha until Mitchell is returned to us,” Boyd told him, disrespect dripping from his voice. “You remember Susannah, don’t you, Carter?”

  Nikki jumped in fright as Carter howled as he leaped forward and took Boyd down to the ground. She saw the other men from the intruding pack step back and wondered what could possibly have made Carter lose control. Jace stepped forward but waited silently as Carter pinned Boyd beneath him, his hand squeezing the arrogant man’s neck without mercy.

  “What have you done to her?” Carter snarled.

  “Nothing,” Boyd gasped. “Yet.”

  Blue energy swirled around Carter as he shifted back to his wolf form. His lethal jaws surrounded Boyd’s neck immediately and he bit down firmly, drawing blood.

  Jace and Jackson stood by their packmate, waiting. They would not interfere with Carter’s show of power. Although it was news to them that the woman who was from Carter and Doc’s previous pack was also Mitchell’s sister, they would support Carter in whatever he needed. It was obvious that this woman was someone special to Carter, and in turn, special to Doc as well.

  Both Doc and Carter had been with them for nearly fifteen years. At the time they had petitioned to join Jace’s pack, they were in desperate need of a place of refuge from their previous alpha. Jace remembered their description of their life within their old pack on Alpha Randall’s pack land. Their time living there had been filled with prejudice and abuse.

  Jace and Jackson had welcomed the people who made up Doc’s and Carter’s families with open arms. They had been in desperate need of medical attention and Jace remembered how they had almost lost Carter and his brother Reece to the injuries they had sustained at the hands of their alpha and the men who followed him. Knowing now that Mitchell came from the same pack and had suffered the same abuse gave Jace a better understanding of the life the cub had been subjected to.

  Jace realized that both Carter and Doc had taken an instant liking to Mitchell and had set themselves up as protectors for the cub since he had come to their pack land. They must have been drawn by the similarity to his sister’s scent.

  “Stand down, Carter,” Jace told him softly, stepping forward to touch the wolf’s shoulder lightly. “We’ll make sure this woman is found and protected.”

  Carter’s growls slowly eased, and he released Boyd’s throat. Stepping back slowly, he called upon his magic to shift him back to his human form.

  “Where’s Suzie?” Carter demanded, his eyes never leaving the downed man’s face.

  “Some place safe,” Boyd said, standing slowly. He ignored the blood that was dripping down his neck. “When you bring Mitchell to us, Alpha Randall will trade him for the girl. She has outlived her usefulness to the pack since her visions have stopped. She is worthless to us now. Since Mitchell has the sight, he can take her place.”

  Carter’s growl sent shivers down Nikki’s spine. She watched in silence, afraid to move, afraid to draw any attention to herself and distract the men who were determined to protect them all. At that moment she realized that what Laurie had been trying to tell her was very true. These people were a real family. They may not be genetically related, but they were closer than any family she had ever seen before.

  Except for Laurie and her children, Nikki had never experienced a true and loving family. Her own family had been cold and deliberately cruel to her. Only her grandfather held any degree of caring or warmth for her. As she watched the group of men before her stand together as a united family, she knew without a doubt that she would become a part of this pack and receive the same instant support and protection.

  “Go back to your alpha,” Jace’s deep, commanding voice broke the silence. “Tell him Mitchell will not be coming back.”

  “Alpha, Suzie is in danger,” Carter told him quietly, his anger barely under control as he stared at Boyd. “She belongs to Drew and me,” he finally admitted, his voice strong and proud. “She’s our mate.”

  Jace nodded briefly, acknowledging Carter’s admission. He was now obligated by pack law to aid in the release of the woman. She was part of a triad mating waiting to bond. No man or wolf could stand in the way of a fated mating.

  “Your alpha is breaking pack law by preventing the mating of Drew, Susannah, and Carter. My pack formally challenges yours. I officially place myself in the position of Susannah’s advocate, and I will defend her right to choose her pack and claim her destiny.”

  Boyd snorted and stepped back. “It won’t matter,” he stated arrogantly. “Our alpha will be sure to keep her away from Carter and Drew. And he’ll make sure we get Mitchell back, too.”

  Jace remained still as the men glared at him, watching the intruders warily as they seemed to come to a consensus. It was only when he saw Boyd look at Nikki as she waited silently in the water that a warning growl left him. He saw the flash of anger that crossed Boyd’s face and knew that the wolf shifter held contempt for Alex and Butler’s mate. Jace had to force himself to keep the smile from his face as he remembered the way Nikki had easily defended her men with the tree limb and looked forward to telling Laurie how her best friend had stepped forward to fight for her mates.

  The way Boyd was looking at Nikki with vicious anger and murderous intent made Jace growl, blinding fury filling him. The thought of Nikki being the recipient of Boyd’s violence made his gut tighten. His hands fisted at his sides. He would not allow any harm to come to Nikki. He was her alpha now, whether she realized it or not. As part of his pack, she was now his to protect and defend.

  “Be careful, Boyd,” Jace warned him. “I have no reservations about sending you back to your alpha dead.”

  Boyd’s attention snapped back to him. “I will give my alpha your message,” he told him in clipped tones. Despite his words of submission, anger flashed in his eyes, and his lips curled back as he growled.

  The five intruders shifted back to wolf form and turned to run back toward the cove of trees. Jace watched them go, his thoughts racing with the possibilities that could present themselves because of this confrontation. There was much planning to do with his beta and their lieutenants. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on Carter’s shoulder.

  “Go and tell Doc we’ll be getting your mate back, Carter,” he told him quietly. “It will only be a short time before she’ll be here with you both where she belongs.”

  Carter turned toward his alpha and experienced the first rush of hope he had felt in a very long time. “Thank you, Alpha.” He was barely able to get out the words, his voice hoarse with emotion. He bowed his head in reverence, thankful for Jace’s unconditional support. Shifting quickly, his wolf turned and raced away from them.

  Nikki’s wolf whistle of appreciation brought their attention to the woman who waited in the water. Turning, Jace smiled at the sight of Alex and Butler grumbling beside him.

  “Turn around, Nikki,” Alex growled.

  “Hell no!” Nikki yelled back.

  Jackson’s burst of laughter made Jace smile despite his lieutenants’ anger. He turned to Jackson and tipped his head toward the two men. Jackson nodded knowingly before shifting to his wolf form and racing off into the trees.

  “We’ll see you back at the lodge,” Jace told them both.

  Neither man looked at him, so intent on the woman who waited in the water.

  “Yes, Alpha,” Butler said curtly, walking toward the water and wading in quickly toward Nikki.

  Jace smiled as he watched the two men make their way toward their intended mate. He couldn’t be happier that his men had finally found the woman who would complete their triad. It made him even more pleased that it was Laurie’s best friend who was fated for them. This triad mating would make all of them happy.

  Shifting quickly, he bounded toward the tre
es, intent on making his way back to his sweet mate as quickly as he could. He was suddenly in the mood to give Laurie some serious loving.

  * * * *

  Nikki squealed in delight as Alex and Butler dove under the water, swimming powerfully toward her and surfacing in front of her to pull her into their arms. She expected to see their happiness and desire and was taken aback by the anger that covered their faces as they looked down at her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, confused.

  “You will never, never, put yourself in danger again,” Butler told her sternly, grabbing her face so that she looked directly into his eyes.

  “I couldn’t stand by while you were being hurt,” she protested, pulling out of his grasp. “Alex was already injured. Alex, let me see your shoulder.” She reached out to touch Alex, but he grasped her hand and pulled her to his chest forcefully.

  “I’m fine,” he insisted angrily. “You were told to stay in this water and stay safe.”

  “Butler, were you hurt?” she asked, ignoring Alex as she reached out to touch Butler and looked over his upper torso, checking for any injury.

  Butler stayed her hands with his own. Nikki’s eyes went to his face immediately, confusion mirrored in the light blue of her eyes.

  “Butler?”

  “I. Am. Fine.” He was obviously exerting every bit of control over himself as he looked down at her. His voice was deep with anger. “But you could have been fatally injured.”

  “You are not telling me that you’re mad at me because I helped you!” Nikki’s voice rose in volume at the ludicrous thought. “You were outnumbered. I just evened the odds until Jace, Jackson, and Carter came to help. And I did a damn good job, too!”

  “We have been in worse situations,” Alex interrupted her. “And we have been able to defeat all challengers. Do you not trust that we are competent in our jobs?” His voice was angry yet betrayed his hurt at her lack of confidence in them.