“Breathe, Cherise. I’m going to give you some medicine that will take some of the pain away,” Dae said gently, holding Cherise’s hand as she writhed on the bed, the powerful contraction visible under the thin skin of her abdomen. “The baby’s in position, and you’re fully dilated now. It won’t be long now, hon.”
He turned to Esther, who had returned with her arms laden with clean bedding. “We’re going to need to break her water so her labor will progress. I’m going to give her a shot of morphine. By the time we change her linens, she’ll be feeling the effects. We’ll do it then. Sean? Got that hypo ready?”
The drug worked quickly, relaxing Cherise. Dae watched her carefully, noting when the pain finally receded from her hollow eyes and the strain on her face lessened. With the help of both Sean and Esther, he quickly broke Cherise’s amniotic sac, the resulting flood of birth waters soaking the clean sheets Esther had tucked beneath her.
“Head’s crowning,” Dae said after another few long, agonizing minutes. “Esther, coach her breathing. Don’t let her push right now.”
The minutes ticked by, but time lost all meaning for Dae as he helped Cherise deliver her daughter. Quickly swabbing out the baby’s mouth and suctioning out its tiny nostrils, Dae thumped the bottom of the baby’s feet until she took a breath. Her resulting cry, soft as a lamb’s bleat, sounded like the peal of triumphant thunder to Dae.
Dae clipped the umbilical cord and Sean took the red, slippery bundle from his arms, leaving him free to deliver Cherise’s afterbirth. By the time Cherise lay back, exhausted from her labor, and Dae had quickly rinsed his hands clean, Sean had returned with Dae’s niece, washed and wrapped in a soft blanket.
“She’s beautiful, Dae,” Sean said. Dae was surprised to see Sean’s eyes glisten, unaware of the wetness that streaked his own face.
“Like her mother,” Dae said, smiling as he carefully took the baby from Sean’s arms.
“Like her uncle,” Sean whispered, his smile soft and tender.
Dae looked down at the tiny, wrinkled face of his newborn niece. Her face was red, just the tiniest trace of blue tinting her rosebud lips. She had a shock of black hair—fuzzy, soft strands that stood straight up on the top of her head. Her eyes were open, unfocussed, and the muddy-hazel common to human newborns. Dae wondered if they would lighten into amber to match her mother’s eyes or remain hazel like his own.
She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful baby Dae had ever seen, and as her tiny fist curled reflexively around his finger, he felt his heart melt.
“Hey, little one,” he whispered, carrying her to the head of Cherise’s bed. “Welcome. I’m your uncle Dae, and this is your mom.” He placed the baby in Cherise’s arms.
“Is… is she okay?” Cherise asked in a thin, weary voice.
“She’s perfect,” Dae said, gently petting Cherise’s hair. “You did well, little sister.”
“I didn’t think you’d come back. Jaeger told me he wrote to you, but it’s been so long….” She sighed, looking down at her newborn daughter cradled in her arms.
“I know. It took a long while for the letter to find me, but I came as soon as I heard.”
Cherise stiffened, her eyes flashing wide as if in sudden pain. “It was awful, Dae! I was alone, and they… they….”
“Shh… don’t think about it right now, Cherise.” He changed the subject, hoping it would take Cherise’s mind from her horrible memories. “What will you name your daughter?”
“Alastair names all the infants born to the pack,” Cherise said, the pain in her eyes fading to grief. “He’ll only name her after he decides whether or not I’ll be allowed to keep her.”
“What?” Dae sputtered, looking from Cherise to Esther, who stood nearby.
“The infant isn’t one of us, Dae. She’s part human. She may or may not be able to shift. Given Alastair’s feelings on the subject of humans, I doubt if he’ll allow Cherise to keep her,” Esther said, shaking her head sadly.
“What’ll happen to the baby if he won’t let her stay with Cherise?” Sean asked quietly, looking as upset as Dae felt.
Esther wouldn’t answer. Color blotched her cheeks, and she looked away, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. “Alastair isn’t known for his compassion” was all she’d say.
Dae felt the fury at Alastair he’d contained only a short while ago come roaring back. “This is my sister and my niece! I’ll be damned if I’ll let Alastair or anyone else hurt either one of them!”
The baby started at the thunder in Dae’s voice and began to cry. Her wails were soft and fragile, as delicate as she was, but enough to cut Dae’s outburst short.
“Dae, perhaps we should let Cherise rest,” Esther said softly. “It won’t do to get them both upset right now. I’ll take care of them. Don’t worry. You need to see your brothers, and if I were you, Dae, I’d be long gone before Alastair wakes up.”
“I’m not afraid of Alastair, Esther,” Dae growled. His eyes softened, glancing at the misery on Cherise’s face and the squalling bundle in her arms. “I’ll be back to check on them as soon as I’ve seen my brothers.”
He grabbed Sean’s elbow, leading him out of the infirmary to the porch. Fang was waiting for them, his tranquilizer gun still cradled in the crook of his elbow. “Well, it sure was good to see you, Dae. Guess you’ll be shoving off again, huh?”
“I’m not going anywhere, not until I’ve seen my brothers and know Cherise and my niece will be okay,” Dae said. He looked back toward the infirmary. “Fang, drag Alastair’s worthless hide out of there and take him to his quarters. I don’t want him anywhere near Cherise or the baby.”
“Sure, Dae. I can do that, but you have to remember Alastair is still alpha of the pack. When he comes to, there won’t be nothing I can do to keep him inside his cabin. I’m not strong enough to challenge him.” Fang stared hard at Dae for a minute before turning to go back inside the infirmary.
He hadn’t given voice to it, but Dae had seen the unasked question in Fang’s eyes. Fang wasn’t strong enough to take on Alastair, but was he?
Dae had to admit he didn’t know if he even wanted to challenge Alastair. He’d left the pack so young and untried. He’d never challenged another shifter for dominance, never had the ambition or reason to even consider it before. Was he ready to put his life on the line for his sister and her newborn? What about Sean? Sure, Dae had won a short battle of wills with Alastair, but a full-on physical contest was another story. A positive outcome was far less than certain. If Dae challenged Alastair and lost, what would become of Sean? Surely Alastair would never allow him to live, let alone leave the compound.
No, never. One thing was for certain: if it came down to a fight between himself and Alastair, Dae would make certain Sean was miles away and safe before it began.
Chapter Five
SCATTERED ABOUT the compound were four separate clusters of log cabins. Dae led Sean across the wide clearing toward the grouping of homes on the opposite side from the infirmary. The cabins were large, single-story dwellings, with cedar-shingled roofs and wide front porches. They all looked similar, each one different from its neighbors only in the smallest of details—a shingle missing from the roof on one, a colorful wind chime tinkling softly in the window of another, a brass doorknocker versus a cast-iron one hanging on the simple wooden doors.
Dae had no trouble telling the dwellings apart or knowing who lived in which house, even though he’d not set foot there in years. Most of the scents were familiar, names attaching themselves as his memories—long suppressed since he left the pack—resurfaced. Some of the scents were new, belonging to children born here since he’d left, but they all smelled strongly of shifter, and mixed heavily with the scents of their parents.
The Cantors lived there, in the house with the wind chime. He remembered them both as quiet folks, whose sharp eyes missed nothing. They were getting on in age; Dae could smell the effect their advancing years had on their bodies. The smell of their adult
male twins clung to the Cantors’ house, along with those of their mates. There was a young litter living there as well, their scent as light and fresh as a rain-soaked meadow of spring grass. The Cantors’ grandchildren, Dae assumed bitterly. I guess they’re not of mixed blood since they were allowed to live. His previously controlled rage smoldered anew, and he tamped it down with an effort.
The house next to the Cantors smelled strongly of Esther, the nurse from the clinic, and her mate, Wilton. They’d been childless when Dae left, and his nose told him they remained so today. The other scents emanating from the cabin were adult—three males and a female, all familiar to Dae from his childhood. At one time, they’d been Dae’s friends.
All of them had turned on him when Alastair cast him out of the pack.
His feet paused in front of the fourth cabin in the grouping. He knew every inch of it, from the tiniest cracks in the dovetailed logs comprising its exterior, to every knot in the polished pine paneling inside. At one time it had been Dae’s parents’ home and his own; now it smelled strongly of his three brothers, their families, and Cherise. He felt a stab of pain lacerate the anger he harbored in his heart, wondering if his parents had ever regretted their decision to allow Alastair to drive Dae away.
New sorrow colored his emotions, taking him by surprise since he hadn’t known his parents were gone until that very moment. It came as a shock when he realized their scents were missing from the mix, and he wasn’t prepared for the wave of grief that washed over him. He wouldn’t have expected to feel anything at all for them, since he hadn’t seen them for ten years and their parting had been hard and harsh, but there was no other accounting for the pain of loss piercing him. He wondered how they’d died and hoped neither had suffered. His compassion also surprised him, but he turned his attention to the scents emanating from the house rather than spend time sorting through his feelings. There would be time for that later.
He caught Jaeger’s scent immediately. He was the youngest of Dae’s brothers, the one who’d stood by Dae longer than the others, although in the end, he’d turned his back on Dae as well. Dae could smell Joshua too, and the scents of their mates and children. Jericho, Joshua’s twin, was missing. A nugget of worry nibbled at the edge of Dae’s mind, but he shoved it aside.
He caught a glimpse of a young, round face peeking out at him from behind the white lace curtains of one of the windows and bit back a smile. He had other nieces and nephews, it seemed. His smile faded as he realized they most likely knew nothing of their uncle’s existence, and if they did, they would probably think he was an abomination, as Alastair believed.
His feet took him over the familiar path toward the house. It was still strewn with the multicolored stones of his childhood. He remembered playing with the small, smooth rocks, pretending they were jewels, and wondered absently if his new nieces and nephews did the same. The memory strengthened both his feeling of homecoming and his anger at being driven away from all he knew.
They did you a favor. If you hadn’t left, you’d never have found Sean. The thought made him feel better but didn’t do much to dampen the bitterness in his soul. Coming back had resurrected the white-hot pain he’d felt when his family betrayed him, and it ached every bit as sharply as it had the night he’d left them.
Sean seemed to sense his misery, and Dae felt Sean’s fingers brush against his own. He looked down into Sean’s eyes, and found not only comfort in Sean’s presence, but strength too. He smiled and managed a quick wink.
The door opened as they approached, a tall, broad silhouette filling it. Although backlit, his features cast into gray shadow, Dae instantly recognized his scent as Joshua, his eldest brother. As he walked closer, Dae realized that Joshua had changed little from Dae’s memory of him. Older, certainly, his hair shot through with gray, but he was still as burly as ever.
“You shouldn’t have come, Dae.” The voice speaking was much deeper than Dae remembered, but the scowl on Joshua’s face was familiar. He’d worn the same one on the day Dae left the compound.
“Jaeger wrote to me, asking me to come. I just delivered Cherise’s daughter. You have a new niece, Joshua. Aren’t you even going to ask how they are?”
“You should have stayed away.” He made no effort to move aside, blocking Dae’s view of the interior of the cabin.
So much for being welcomed with open arms. He noticed Joshua failed to offer any comment about Cherise or her daughter and wondered if Joshua supported Alastair’s purebred bigotry. No matter how much bad blood flowed between Joshua and Dae, he hated to think he might end up fighting Joshua for Cherise’s daughter’s life.
Then another man shouldered past Joshua, and walked out of the house. Dae recognized Jaeger immediately, even though he too had aged. Before Dae knew it, Jaeger had him wrapped in a bear hug. “Thank God you came, Dae,” Jaeger said. “I didn’t think you would. Did I hear Cherise had a girl? Is she… are they okay?”
Dae nodded. “The baby is fine. Cherise has lost a lot of blood and is very weak.” His eyes shifted toward where Joshua still stood at the door, barring his entry. “Where’s Jericho?” Jericho was his third brother, and Joshua’s twin. “I don’t smell him.” He felt Jaeger stiffen at the name and, from over Jaeger’s shoulder, saw an unfathomable look cross Joshua’s face.
“Didn’t you hear yet?” Jaeger said softly. “He’s dead.”
Dae felt his stomach plummet to his feet, staggered by the news. Out of his three brothers, Jericho had always been the strongest of them and Dae’s favorite. He remembered Jericho hoisting him onto a pair of broad shoulders, carrying Dae through the encampment. Jericho had been Dae’s protector many times, except for the last, when Dae had needed him most. Still, the news of his death hit Dae hard. “What happened?”
“Alastair,” Jaeger spat. “Jericho challenged him after he refused to look for the men who attacked Cherise. Joshua and I begged Jerry not to do it, but he wouldn’t listen to us.”
Dae ground his teeth. Now he had two scores to settle with Alastair: one for Cherise, and one for Jericho. He looked toward Joshua. “Couldn’t you stop him?”
Joshua bared his teeth. “Don’t you think I tried? Who are you to question my loyalty to my brother?”
“He was my brother too, and I can question it because your ‘loyalty’ wasn’t worth jack shit when Alastair ran me out of here,” Dae retorted. “I was also your brother, as I recall.” The small hairs on the back of his neck rose as his wolf snarled just beneath his skin.
Jaeger stepped between Dae and Joshua. “Knock it off, the two of you! The last thing we need is for you two to tear each other’s throats out. Who’ll be left to save Cherise’s daughter if you kill each other?”
To Dae’s amazement, Joshua looked away first. He suddenly looked a lot older than Dae’s first impression of him, old and tired. As he turned his head, Dae saw for the first time a mass of shiny, pink scar tissue covering the right side of Joshua’s head and neck.
Jaeger’s voice was soft when he spoke again. “Joshua didn’t side with Alastair when you were driven out, Dae. None of us did. Dad made us turn away from you and forced you to go because he was afraid Alastair would kill you and us if you stayed. You were Dad’s favorite, Dae, no matter what he said to you. After you left, Josh tried to go after you. You saw what Alastair did to him.” Jaeger looked down for a minute, then returned his bright green gaze to Dae. “Dad hired a human private detective to keep tabs on you after you left. Got reports on you all through vet school. If Alastair ever found out about it, he would’ve killed Dad. They were so proud when you opened the animal hospital. That’s how I knew where to send the letter. After Alastair killed Jericho, well… Dad and Mom seemed to give up. They died within a couple of weeks of each other. They never stopped missing you, Dae.”
The news staggered Dae, and he swore. All these years he’d thought his family hated him, when it had been Alastair’s doing all along. “I… I’m sorry, Josh. I didn’t realize….” His mind was ree
ling. Everything he’d believed for the past ten years had been a lie. The waste of it all hit him like a sledgehammer to the gut, and he suddenly felt violently sick to his stomach.
Josh inclined his head slightly. “Yeah, well… maybe I should’ve said something, instead of letting you think we were all against you, no matter what Dad made me promise. And I guess I shouldn’t have been so hostile today. I just… I keep thinking about Jericho, and now Cherise, and I feel so fucking useless!”
“You could’ve written,” Dae said, his mind still whirling from the shock of having his entire perspective skewed in a matter of minutes.
“No, we couldn’t. Mom and Dad begged us not to contact you. They said you were safe and happy, and we should let you lead your own life,” Jaeger said.
“Jaeger took a huge chance writing you about Cherise,” Josh put in. “If Alastair found out, he’d be dead too, and so would you.”
Dae bared his teeth, his alpha wolf bristling under his skin. “I’m not afraid of Alastair.”
“No?” Josh said, his scowl returning. He touched the scarred side of his face. “You should be, if you had any sense.”
“Dae?” Sean’s soft voice reminded Dae of his presence, his hand squeezing Dae’s arm lightly. “Are you okay?”
Dae felt his tension melt a little at Sean’s touch. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. These are my brothers, Jaeger and Joshua. This is Sean, my mate,” Dae said. He watched Jaeger and Joshua for any shift in their postures that would indicate a threat to Sean. No matter what they’d said, Dae’s sexuality had brought him grief at the hands of his pack, and he expected hostility toward Sean. Although he supposed he should’ve been used to surprises by then, he was floored when both of his brothers simply nodded a greeting.
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