by J. L. Wilder
“I love you,” she said to Jamie, coming up behind him as he worked on balancing the family’s budget one night, massaging his shoulders and kissing the top of his head. He reached up and pulled her hand down to his lips and kissed each of her knuckles gently, then stood and took her in his arms. The kiss they shared then was one of the best of Maddy’s life.
She was so distracted, so caught up in the lovemaking and the bliss of being newly in love, that it took her a week to realize she’d missed a period.
She felt none of the nausea she might have expected, none of the physical symptoms, and yet, as soon as the thought came into her head, she knew. She knew it was true.
It was Harley, her first friend among the Wolves, who she confided in first, and it was Harley who drove to the pharmacy nearby for a test. He sat with her as she waited for the result, holding her hand, and just as she always did when she was with him, she felt incredibly young and full of life and energy and hope.
After the minute was up, they approached the sink and regarded the little plus sign on the test.
She was pregnant.
She was going to have their litter.
Chapter Thirteen
“This is ridiculous,” Maddy said as she huffed along beside Mark. “Are you going to make me go on a jog every single day now that I’m pregnant?”
“Of course not,” Mark said, with a grin that felt like it was lighting up his very core. “Only until the second trimester. Then we’ll do yoga instead.”
“You don’t know how to do yoga.”
“I’ll learn,” he said, and increased his pace a little. “Come on, a little cardio and fresh air are good for you.”
“I thought you didn’t even want me to go outside.” Maddy hated jogging, and Mark knew it. She slumped along stubbornly; the way Amy did when she was angry about a chore but had to do it anyway. Mark didn’t think Maddy was feeling the pressure of alpha commands yet, though. More likely, she recognized the good sense in what she was being asked to do. After all, she had been brought up with the understanding that exercise was important for healthy babies. Of course, she was following Mark’s lead now, even though she didn’t enjoy it.
She was sweating and panting by the time they got to the river, and he called a halt and handed her a bottle of water. She sat down on a fallen log to drink, and he took a moment to examine her body. She had dressed for the run in purple leggings and a white racerback tank top, and he could see every line and curve of her, every effect the pregnancy had had on her body so far.
There wasn’t much to see, really. They were only a month in, and her belly hadn’t yet begun to swell. Her breasts were bigger, although he really only noticed that when he took her to bed, and they overflowed in his hands. Maddy seemed to notice their increase in size much more than Mark did. She was always complaining about it.
Really, if he hadn’t known she was pregnant, he probably would never have guessed it by looking at her. The only real clue was a contented glow that she carried around with her all the time now. He remembered the prickly, half angry half fearful woman he’d brought home from the Death Fangs’ auction. On that score, she’d changed completely. She was peaceful now. Happy.
Even now, as she sat on her log, she rested a hand on her belly as if thinking of the babies she carried. Mark couldn’t help but smile. Within her was the next generation of his line. The new alpha of the Hell’s Wolves pack. He and his brothers had accomplished what they’d set out to do, and now the pack would flourish. If his parents were alive to see this, Mark knew they’d be proud.
He sat on the log beside Maddy, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her close. She handed him back the water bottle and he took a long drink.
“This is where we were when you imprinted on me,” she said after a while.
“Craziest thing that ever happened to me,” he said.
She nodded. “Me too.”
“Really?” That was hard to believe. Maddy’s life had been far from ordinary.
She seemed to know what he was thinking. “I’ve been through plenty of wild things,” she admitted. “But feeling like I’d lost control of my body, like my rational thought wasn’t controlling my actions anymore? That was a new one. That was definitely the strangest experience of my life. So far, anyway.”
“Do you feel it all the time?” he asked. “The connection between us?”
“Yes. Like there’s a cord between us, something invisible that pulls me back if I move too far away from you. It’s hard for me when you’re out of the house.”
“It’s hard for me too,” he said quietly. “It’s like swimming against a current.”
“Even now, it feels like that,” she said. “Even just sitting here with you. As close as we are, it’s like—”
“It’s not enough,” he finished for her. “It’s never really enough.”
“You’d think I’d be frustrated, but I’m not.” She tipped her head up to look at him. “It’s delicious. I love it.”
“We don’t have to hold ourselves back, you know,” he said. “No one’s going to come out this way.”
Her eyebrows raised. “I thought you might not want to,” she admitted. “Now that—”
“What? Now that you’re pregnant?”
“Well.”
The truth was that he wanted her more than ever now. Knowing that she was carrying his babies, knowing that their line would continue, even seeing the subtle hints of her pregnancy that were starting to show—all these things lit a fire within Mark and strengthened the urge he felt to take her.
Instead, he cupped the back of her head, pulled her to him, and kissed her, deeply and passionately.
She melted into him and he felt the warmth of her body. How lucky they’d been. How perfect she’d turned out to be! In all his long time spent planning the acquisition of an omega for his family, Mark had never spent much time thinking about who she would be. What she would be like as a person, and how she would fit into their little pack. But now that she was here, now that it was all coming true, he couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone other than Maddy.
He got to his feet and brought her with him, holding her hands, deepening the kiss. Almost, he abandoned his plans for the day right then and there. Wouldn’t it be divine to blow off all his responsibilities? To spend the next several hours here, by the river, naked with Maddy, reveling in her beauty?
But that would be giving in to his animal side. He was going to be a father. He needed to find balance.
He drew back from her. “Let’s get back to the house,” he said.
“More jogging?”
“You’ve got to keep up your strength.”
“Sex is exercise,” she pointed out, a little stubbornly.
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “It’s on my to do list. But later. We can wait.”
Together, they jogged back toward the house.
AMY HAD COMPLETED HER schoolwork and was graduating months earlier than anyone had anticipated. The results of her GED test were in, and she’d passed with flying colors. And Jamie thought that deserved a party if anything ever had.
He was at the table with Piper, peeling potatoes she’d grown in her garden, when Mark and Maddy came back from their run. They were both flushed, and it occurred to Jamie to wonder whether they’d had themselves a little romp in the woods, but he decided not to ask. The fences between him and his brothers were still too newly mended.
It had been impossible to stay angry when they’d learned about the babies. Maddy had been in tears when she’d given them the news, begging them not to fight anymore, and they’d looked at one another and immediately set their anger aside. It all seemed so small and petty now that they were going to be parents. This was so much more important.
Mark went upstairs to wash up. Maddy washed her hands, grabbed a knife, and sat down at the table to help.
“When the babies come,” said Piper, “will they be my brothers and sisters? Or what?”
<
br /> “How would they be your brothers and sisters?” Jamie cuffed her on the head. “We’re not your parents.”
“No, I know that,” she said, flushing. “I just mean...what kind of relationship will we have?”
“They’ll be your packmates,” Maddy said, smiling. “Sometimes, it will feel like you’re their big sister. Sometimes, it will feel like you’re a parent to them. That’s how it was in my old pack, when I was growing up.”
“You never talk about that,” Jamie said.
“I hadn’t thought about it much until recently,” she said. “When I was with the Death Fangs, I had to put that behind me. I couldn’t afford to get caught up reminiscing about how nice it was to be part of a family, to have people who loved me. It’s not so painful to think about that now.”
Jamie kissed her. Piper giggled.
There was the sound of a motorcycle coming to a stop outside the house, and all three of them stopped what they were doing to listen as the engine disengaged and light footsteps came up the patio stairs. A moment later, the door burst open, revealing Amy. “I got a job!” she declared.
Piper shrieked with glee, jumped to her feet, and hugged Amy, who grinned as she returned the hug. Her eyes sought Jamie, though, and Jamie knew she was looking for approval.
“That’s great,” he said. “What’s the job?”
“It isn’t anything much,” she said. “Day manager at the movie theater in town, that’s all. But it’s something. I’ll be able to bring in some money.”
“That’s going to make all the difference in the world,” Jamie said. Though he hadn’t told the kids, not wanting to put pressure on them, their reserves had been getting low again. With the babies coming, having another income would take a huge load off Jamie’s mind.
He dumped the rest of the potatoes into the pot, picked up the masher, and began mashing them. Maddy got to her feet to clear away the peelings. “Sit down,” he said. “Piper will do that.”
“I can do it,” she protested.
“You’re pregnant. Sit down.”
“What? She sputtered indignantly. “Mark just had me out jogging, for God’s sake! I think I can manage to clear the table without rupturing anything.”
Jamie stood, took her by the shoulders, and gently steered her back to her seat. “You’re pregnant,” he said again as he eased her down. “Will you let us baby you a little bit please?”
“There’s no need—”
“For me?”
“Oh, fine,” she said, mock irritated, and craned her neck up and around to kiss him again. “Only because it means so much to you, though.”
“I know you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself,” he assured her, picking up the potato masher again. “If you want to help, you can dice up the onions. But be careful with the knife.”
“I’m surprised you’re letting me handle a knife,” she grumbled, but she pulled the knife and the onions toward her and commenced chopping.
A timer went off, signaling that the venison in the oven was ready. Reese came skidding into the room, grabbed the hot pads, and lifted it out, placing it carefully on the stovetop. The mouthwatering aroma of perfectly cooked meat filled the air, and Jamie felt a swelling of pride in himself. He had been the one to catch the deer for tonight’s dinner. He had made the kill. Usually, it was Mark who brought home meat for the family. Harley was fairly reliable too. But today, Jamie thought he had proven that he could be just as adept a hunter as his brothers.
And tonight, they would feast.
One by one, everyone came to the table and took their seats. Jamie dished up servings of meat as plates were passed to him. He made sure Maddy was given a little extra—probably more than she would eat, truth be told, but he wanted her to have the option. After all, she was eating for—
Well, for who knew how many?
Jamie wondered how big the litter would be, how many children would be born to them. Would there be just one alpha among them, as was normal, or would there be a group, as there had been in his generation? What would it be like to raise infants? To raise toddlers?
He didn’t know. He couldn’t imagine. All he could do was watch Maddy as she ate the meal he’d brought home to feed her and their babies, flush with pride and satisfaction that he was able to provide for the woman he loved and the children that would be theirs.
THAT NIGHT, HARLEY and Maddy lay in bed together. It was the first time he’d taken her to his room.
She rested her head on his arm and traced patterns with her fingers in the air. “Where will the babies sleep?” she asked.
“In the common room of our suite,” he said. “With you. We’ll convert it into a bedroom for you to share.”
“The others won’t mind?”
“It’s what they want,” he said. “We all voted on it. We’re agreed.”
She turned and kissed his cheek, and he closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch of her lips to his skin. “I like that,” she said. “Say it again.”
“What? We agreed?”
She kissed him again. “It felt like you would never stop fighting,” she said. “It felt like I’d driven you apart forever.”
Now he turned his head to meet her and kissed her back, his lips catching hers. “You didn’t drive us apart,” he said. “You brought us back together, Maddy. You and the babies. You made us remember what was important in life.”
She took his hand and rested it on her stomach. He imagined he could feel a soft swell just beginning to grow there, a little bump that hadn’t been present a week ago. “What do you think it’s going to be like?” she asked.
“I think you’re going to get as big as a house.”
She swatted him. “Take that back, Harley Driscoll.”
“Sorry, babe. Can’t do it. You’re going to be carrying around a litter. You’re going to be massive. There’s no avoiding it.”
She laughed and rolled into him. “Is it weird that I’m looking forward to that?”
“Not remotely,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“You are?”
He nodded. He’d thought about it a lot since the day he’d sat with her as she’d taken the pregnancy test. What she would look like months from now. How her body would change as the babies grew. There was something deeply, fundamentally attractive about the idea. “I’m picturing it now,” he said, closing his eyes and calling up a vision of her, heavy with her pregnancy, lounging in the very bed they were lying in now.
She swatted him again. “Is that just because you want to make fun of me for being a house?”
“No,” he said. “It’s hot.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off you, Maddy. You’re going to drive me wild.”
She rolled on top of him, straddled him. “I could drive you wild right now.”
“You already do, are you kidding me?” he groaned. “I can’t keep up with you.”
“It’s the pregnancy hormones. I feel like I could fuck you all night long.” Her eyes gleamed.
He laughed low in his throat. “You really shouldn’t have said that.”
The sex was quick and raucous, as it usually was between them, and by the time they finished, they were no longer on the bed. Harley wasn’t sure exactly when they’d moved to the floor. He felt drunk with lust and satisfaction and joy.
“I can’t get enough of you,” Maddy whispered, kissing her way slowly up the length of his arm. “God, Harley. I already want more. If this is what my pregnancy is going to be like, I don’t know how I’m going to stand it.”
Harley felt himself beginning to get hard again. Maddy had that effect on him. He often found he could be ready for her as many times as she needed him, as if his body was made to serve hers in this way. It was strange, but it felt good to know that he was there to serve her just as much as she was there to serve him. Her job was to bear his children. His end of the deal was to provide her w
ith all the pleasure she could stand.
And by God, he was going to do it.
He rolled her onto her stomach and took her from behind this time, and she gasped and pushed back into him. They wouldn’t be able to do it this way for much longer, he thought, so they might as well get it out of their systems now. The angle allowed him deeper penetration than before, and he moved slowly, careful not to hurt her, but kept his thrusts steady and rhythmic. Maddy panted in ecstasy, fucking back against him, grinding her hips.
He reached around beneath her, pressed his fingers against her, and a second later, she was sobbing out his name and straining forward into his hand. The sound of her orgasm and the feel of her shuddering in his arms was enough to send him over the edge.
Thoroughly exhausted, but sated, they climbed back into Harley’s bed together. He pulled her close and eased the blankets over them. “I’m sure we woke the others,” he said, and Maddy giggled. “We’re going to have to see about soundproofing these rooms if we’re going to keep this up.”
“We’re definitely going to keep this up,” Maddy said, and Harley chuckled.
“Jamie’s probably just going to be upset that we were up past bedtime,” Maddy said. Jamie had become especially strict about adhering to proper sleeping hours since the pregnancy. Harley felt that was silly—wouldn’t they do better to get used to staying up all night? That was what was going to happen when the babies came anyway.
For now, though, he was happy to go to sleep with Maddy tucked against his side. He dreamed that night, dreams of Maddy, ripe and pregnant, dreams of beautiful new babies being passed into his arms. Dreams of fatherhood. And in all his dreams, his brothers stood beside him, the animosity between them long forgotten, as they gazed down on the family they had created together.
It was one of the most restful nights of sleep Harley Driscoll had had in years.
Chapter Fourteen
Several months passed without incident, unless you wanted to count the fact that Maddy had begun to feel like she could eat everything in the Hell’s Wolves’ refrigerator without batting an eye. Was it normal to feel this hungry all the time during pregnancy?