by Sy Walker
“I –“
Greg’s voice cracked and Luke pushed his way into the bathroom, his lips pursed as if he were trying not to smile.
“There now boy, it’ll be all right.”
Luke pulled Greg into a bear hug and slapped his back. “It’s just those crazy wolf hormones messing with your body. You might cry off and on but it doesn’t make you less than a man.”
Greg’s lower lip trembled and Luke laughed quietly, pulling away from Greg’s body and retrieving a cloth from the closet. He ran it under some cool water and wiped off Greg’s brow. It felt good, and made Greg dissolve into another irrational bout of crying.
Luke sighed deeply and rubbed his back.
“I’ll tell you a little story to take your mind off things,” he said. “Now I’m a construction worker. I own a company and was contracted to build a house for this guy. He was a real piece of work. Couldn’t stand him at first. Well one day he came by to check on the house and he howled out in pain. Had no idea what was goin’ on. So I went over to him wondering what in the hell was going on with him. Turns out he was in labor, and had been being a dick because of his hormones. Poor guy’s alpha had recently been killed by hunters so he was all alone and needed a place to raise his pups.”
Greg listened, mesmerized by the story. He had never heard about the birth of shifter pups, and he was curious to know what it was like. Especially now that he apparently had some of his own growing in his stomach.
“What happened?” Greg asked.
“I’d never birthed pups myself, but long ago my mother, may her soul rest easy, was a midwife. I had seen her work a hundred times, and she spoke about it candidly enough that I knew just what was expected of a successful birth. I had the guy lay down, fetched the supplies. Fortunately, the house was just about done and had running water and everything we needed. We eventually managed to bring two pups into the world. A girl and a boy.”
“Twins?” Greg said wistfully. “I’ve always wanted twins.”
Luke’s eyes sparkled. “Well, they came out kicking, I know that. And their daddy was so happy. Said they looked just like his mate who had passed. It was a really moving experience. Anyway, they moved into the house where the babes were born and together they started a new life. It was a good thing there was a legacy left behind. Sometimes these things happen.”
Luke grew quiet for a moment. Greg moved shyly beside him and Luke draped a heavy arm over his shoulder.
“Feeling better kid?”
“Yeah,” Greg said with a nod.
“Good.”
Luke led him back to the bedroom, where they both dressed. Greg was surprised when Luke offered him a brand new toothbrush and some comfortable pajamas.
“Why don’t you shower. It will get your spirits back up. I’ll make us something special to drink. It’ll be good for the pups.”
“Okay,” Greg said uncertainly. He disappeared into the bathroom again as Luke’s whistle quietly trailed off as he made his way to the kitchen.
Chapter 6
Greg re-emerged, feeling like a new man. It was nice to have the minty taste of toothpaste in his mouth, and he gently touched his swollen abdomen as he wandered through the unfamiliar house in search of Luke. He found the man sitting at a wooden table in the kitchen, two mugs of steaming liquid in front of him. They smelled very herbal, and Greg wasn’t sure if he liked that. They reminded him of the Chinese medicine stores he had lived near in the city before he had met Jorge.
“Good to see you,” Luke said. “You look great. Glowing.”
“Thanks,” Greg said, looking down at the floor with a blush. He had never considered the possibility that he would become pregnant, but somehow this was exactly what had happened. He had wistfully pretended once or twice during childhood that he could have his own babies, but this was something that took him by surprise completely.
Luke patted the chair beside him and Greg sat down.
“Bottoms up,” Luke said, picking up the mug and nodding expectantly at Greg. He picked up his own mug. It was warm, and he felt nervous butterflies in his stomach. What was it going to taste like?
“Thanks,” Greg said, bringing the mug to his lips. He was surprised to find that the concoction was sweet, with only a small bitter flavor left as an aftertaste. It tasted really good actually, nothing like anything he had ever eaten before.
“Any time,” Luke said with a wink. “What do you think?”
“This is really good,” Greg said, smiling shyly at Luke. He seemed so strong and capable. Even if he was a biker, when he was at home he seemed to be laid back and ready for anything. Whether that was soft feelings or hard, he seemed like he would be a master of them. That type of wisdom was unbelievably sexy.
“I’m glad you think so. That means the pups are taking well to it.”
“What is this?”
“Oh, trade secret,” Luke said with a wink. “Some herbs and stuff in a recipe that wolf shifters drink once in a while to keep their morale strong. Helps us grow and stay strong long beyond the lifespans we would have as normal wolves. That way we can keep up instead of dying before our time. Though the phrase ‘only the good die young’ might as well have been coined by one of our kind. Before this recipe was brewed up, it was hard for us to keep up with the humans in us.”
“Wow,” Greg said, studying the mug. “So this will help the pups age well?”
“That’s the theory. And look at me,” Luke said with a wink. “I’m getting some silver yet.”
Greg’s heart fluttered from Luke’s attention but he tried not to let it. He didn’t want to let himself become too vulnerable. He had seen what the shifters were capable of, and now that he was pregnant with pups, did that mean that he would have to associate with them for the rest of his life? He wasn’t part of the pack, so where did that leave him? He wished he could call his friend. Maybe he would understand what it was like to be a normal human carrying shifter babies unexpectedly. But Alex was different. Alex had been obsessed with wolf shifters since they were in high school. It was no surprise to find that he had quickly immersed himself in wolf shifter culture, and somehow found the ideal mate for himself. No, maybe Alex wouldn’t be so comforting to talk to after all. He would simply rave about how perfect his life was now that he had achieved his dream of being accepted into a family of shifters.
“Whiskey for your thoughts,” Luke said with a deep chuckle. Greg was startled and felt self-conscious at the idea of revealing what he was thinking to Luke. The man’s cool blue eyes were staring at him, full of mystery and amusement. What kind of things had they seen? He clearly led a much different life than anything that Greg would be able to relate to. Maybe he could just have the pups and leave them with Luke and return back to his normal life. Luke would know how to raise a shifter. He wouldn’t though. He would be a clueless father.
“This is all kind of weird,” Greg admitted. “I never would have imagined that something like this would happen to me. And I’m not sure how in the world I am supposed to raise a shifter baby. I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”
“Don’t worry, you’re going to do fine. It’s one of the most natural things in the world. You’ll see.”
“Yeah, but what if I mess up? Maybe it would be better if – “
“Look, I know you’re scared. Most normal humans are terrified when this kind of thing happens to them. I’ve heard it all. Some guys even go a little bit crazy and start clawing at their bellies, doing horrible things to try to kill the pups so they don’t have to live with the mistake they made in thinking they could handle getting involved with our kind. All I ask is you don’t hurt the pups. Don’t hurt yourself. If you can’t handle it, be honest with me. But give it a chance first. I have a feeling we will be able to work through it together, you and me. If we give it a chance.”
Greg stared at Luke and his eyes filled with tears.
“Oh hell,” Luke laughed when he realized that Greg was crying again. “Here w
e go.”
Luke pulled Greg into a big hug and Greg let it all out. He cried for what felt like an eternity, wetting Luke’s fresh white shirt as the man’s deep, rumbling voice soothed him.
“It’ll be all right. Just stick with me for a while and we’ll see what happens. All right?”
Greg sniffled.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll stick with you.”
***
When they finished their drinks and Greg had finally settled down a little, Luke led him back into the bedroom.
“Now, it’s late and you have a lot to think about. I want you to sleep here for a while, all right? I’m gonna make a bed on the couch in case you start feeling hormonal or something. Might as well give you some space, especially on the first night.”
“Okay,” Greg said. It made sense but for some reason, he really didn’t want Luke to go. He felt a small surge of panic at the thought of sleeping alone in the big room, but Luke’s mind was already made up. He packed up a blanket and a pillow and grabbed one of the sketchbooks from his bedside table.
“If you need anything in the night you just holler. I have excellent hearing so I’ll come and get you in a hurry. Got it?”
Greg nodded and Luke grinned before turning away and closing the bedroom door behind him.
Greg was left enveloped by the darkness of the room. He could hear Luke moving through the house like a phantom, stirring the wood in the wood stove and sinking heavily onto the couch. The rustling of paper as he opened his notebook and flipped through the pages. It was surprising how comfortable it felt to be in this man’s home, especially considering how strange it was to consider that they had never met before. Here they were, already acting like a married couple. Granted, the kind of married couple that gave each other all the space they needed, but still, it was funny.
Greg closed his eyes and sighed. What would it be like if he and Luke really were a couple? What was it like to date a shifter? Maybe a call to Alex really would be a good idea. He seemed like the person who would be the least judgmental of his condition. Marty would laugh him into next week if he found out, but Alex might have insight. But if Luke’s hearing really was as good as he said it was, then it would be difficult for him to get away with a private conversation. He would just have to wait it out and see what happened.
It wouldn’t be so terrible to have a relationship with someone like Luke, Greg decided. Luke was handsome, strong, and considerate. Those were some of the sexiest qualities that Greg could think of in a man. Not only that, but would it be so bad to try and make the best of his situation? He was going to have the man’s children for fucks sake. They might as well try to get along. And besides, the sex had been the best thing that Greg had ever experienced. It was so good that he could feel himself trying not to cry again just thinking about it.
Those hormones were really screwing him up. He had never been so emotional in front of any of the men he was intimate with. However, it seemed that life was Luke was already different than life with every other kind of man he had ever known. Every experience they had had together so far have been extremely emotional. From having his life saved to getting pregnant in the same night by the same man. In the sense that he was feeling a little bit off-balance. It was irritating and he couldn’t wait to get back to normal. He had so many questions about what it meant to the pregnant with wolf shifter puppies. How long would it take him to bring the pup to term? How fast would it grow, and how emotionally attached would he be to it? He already felt viciously protective of the unborn child. How human would it be, and what types of things should he expect from being its parent?
These were all questions he would have to run by Luke later on. It had already been a very difficult and exhausting day. Although he wished that Luke was lying in bed with him, providing him with the same comfort that he had given him all throughout the day, it was nice to have a little bit of space so that he could think about these things on his own. No matter how long and hard he thought about it, the fact remains the same. He had gotten himself pregnant by a sexy older man, and now nothing in his life would ever be the same.
Chapter 7
Greg awoke the next morning to the sun streaming hotly on his body from the window above the bed. For a moment he was confused and wondered where the hell he was, but when he looked down at himself, he saw that the bulge in his abdomen had swollen even bigger than the night before. He had a sudden realization of what was going on.
“Luke?” He asked, sitting up with his eyes darting around the room.
“Morning sunshine,” Luke said, grinning at him.
The man’s goatee had been freshly groomed, and Greg wondered how long he had been awake. He couldn’t remember his dream from the night before, and somehow he had woken up feeling as if everything was perfectly normal.
“Good morning,” Greg said.
Usually, when he had a bad one night stand or an experience that was embarrassing with someone, such as crying three different times in one night, Greg felt self-conscious of his company and wanted to make a quick escape. This time however, for some reason he only wished that he could get closer to Luke. Luke seemed to sense this and sat down on the edge of the bed. He had already dressed himself into a new pair of tight jeans, and splashed himself with a spicy scented cologne that drove Greg wild. Greg crawled closer to him until they were sitting next to each other on the bed.
“How did you sleep last night?” Luke asked. “Was it weird? I know I hate sleeping in strange places. I tried to make my den as comfortable as possible while I was building it. There isn’t a day that I don’t try to get home to sleep. It’s nice to sleep under the stars and all, but it’s dangerous out there these days. I feel safe here.”
“I feel safe here too,” Greg admitted.
“It’s good to hear that,” Luke said. “So how are you feeling?”
“Not too bad,” Greg said. “I just have a lot of questions.”
“I’m sure you do,” Luke said with a laugh, his handsome face lighting up.
Greg was half tempted to kiss him, but he had to stop himself. Luke was not Jorge. Although it felt like they were close and everything was very comfortable between them, Luke might not feel the same way. It was better to keep himself at a distance instead of making a fool of himself. Although Luke was gorgeous and had given Greg the best sexual experience of his life, that didn’t mean that they were dating. He didn’t just kiss them out of nowhere. Besides, sex might hurt his pup. That wouldn’t be something a good parent would do.
“You ask me them over breakfast?” Luke said. “I’ve been busy this morning. It isn’t often that I have visitors here, but I do try to treat them properly when I do.”
“Thank you,” Greg said, sincerely surprised by the idea that Luke rarely entertains other people. He figured a man who looked that good and wasn’t tied down might want to explore his options. Why else would he have been at the club that night when Greg needed him the most?
Luke slapped Greg’s back and let him into the kitchen, where fragrant smells of food wafted through the air. Greg stomach growled loudly and Luke laughed.
“Sounds like you have a whole litter in there,” Luke said.
“This is just my favorite meal of the day,” Greg replied. Luke’s dazzling white teeth smiled out at him and again, Greg found his heart palpitating with desire. He couldn’t believe how attractive he was. Greg had never considered himself to be the type who is attracted to older men, but in Luke, he saw every single reason why other men would say they were. There was so much about this man that Greg adored, and he had only known him for a few hours.
“So how come you never settle down?” Greg blurted. He couldn’t believe that someone like Luke could possibly stay single for so long. He was the ultimate catch. He was talented, smart, and unbelievably strong. His body was amazing and had total intuition of how to please other people. These were qualities that he didn’t expect and someone who was a bachelor. Maybe something terrible had h
appened to his family. Greg hoped not.
However, Luke only smiled and shrugged.
“I guess I never really found the person who clicked with me,” he said. “I don’t feel comfortable talking to most people. They piss me off. Being born a wolf shifter, it’s kind of a common rite of passage to find yourself at a motorcycle club like the one where I met you. We going to talk about issues in the community that are threatening our kind. The younger ones mostly just use it as a place to hook up though. Especially that dirt pile in the city where you found yourself. You go there often or something? I’ve never seen you before, but it seems like a stupid move to go there at all if you ask me. At least if you’re not part of the pack already or you don’t already trust the guy you’re with.”
“Yeah, that was a pretty stupid move. This was the first time I’d ever been to a shifter club at all. Let alone a motorcycle club. I guess I was just acting out after breaking up with my acts. Yours looks down on shifters and I have it. I’ve never really interacted with them on a personal level, so I thought it was time. He always said how dangerous it was, but I’m not afraid. Or at least I wasn’t. I might be a little more terrified now.”
Luke laughed, his eyes crinkling kindly.
“Sounds like you found some perspective on the subject,” he said approvingly.
“A little bit,” Greg said with a laugh. “So anyway, what kinds of things am I supposed to expect from this pregnancy? I know it’s different than what women deal with, but how different is it?”
“Well the wolf pups tend to grow a lot faster than human babies do. But you have a lot of the same symptoms as the mothers of human babies. You have some nausea eventually, some bloating. Maybe some incontinence and mood swings. I wouldn’t worry too much about it though. I can walk you through every step.”
“You aren’t mad?”
Luke’s face contorted in confusion. “Why on earth would I be mad? You haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, I’m ecstatic. Out of all the jackasses in the world I could be spawning with, I found someone who seems to be sincerely the kind of person I would want to be raising my children. I know we don’t know each other very well, but I just get a good feeling from you, you know?”