by Taylor Rylan
“I’m not upset and I get it. I was just trying to figure out what I could do to surprise you tomorrow. It’s our first Valentine’s Day together. But I’m as big as a house, and I don’t feel attractive at all, so you’re probably going to just get dinner.”
“There’s nothing wrong with dinner, Linus. But so you know, I have something planned for you already so don’t you worry about tomorrow, okay? I’ll take care of everything.”
“Really?”
“Yes, my pregnant mate. I have plans to pamper you like you’ve never been pampered before. Now, I want you to relax. Go to the library, pick a book, or take your e-reader with you, and curl up on the couch and spend the day reading. I’ll be home shortly after lunch, and we can spend the rest of the day together.”
I moaned at the thought of doing nothing. I was due in just under two weeks, and I was feeling it. I couldn’t see my feet, or my dick, and I know for a fact that I waddled when I walked. There is nothing sexy about waddling, but yet, if anything, Gage was even more attracted to me. I didn’t get it.
“Reading sounds good. A nap sounds even better.”
“Then by all means, take a nap. Your little body is working overtime to bring our little one to us. I’ll wake you up when I get home if you’re still asleep.”
“Mmm, that could be interesting.”
“Sweetheart, that’s not fair. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Awe, Gage, you know Arik said it was okay. As long as it didn’t hurt, we could still have sex. And you haven’t knotted me in over a week!”
“Sweetheart, we’ll discuss this later. When I’m there. Alright?”
“Fine,” I replied as I basically stomped off to the bedroom. If I was going to nap, I was going to be comfortable. And our king-size bed was like sleeping on a cloud.
“Sweetheart, don’t be like that. I said we’d talk later. I just want what’s best for you and the baby. You know that. But right now, I’m dealing with a pissed off and frustrated Emerson.”
“I’m sorry, Gage. I’ll be in bed. See you soon.”
“Love you, Linus.”
“Love you, too,” I replied as I climbed the stairs. I was even more tired by the time I reached the top. The thirty pounds I’d gained made me second guess all of the cheeseburgers I’d devoured while carrying this one. I couldn’t seem to help it though. They were what I craved. But really, our child would be what…ten pounds max? What’s the other twenty?
After stripping naked, I hefted myself up onto the bed and flopped down on my side. After I’d gotten my body pillow situated just so, I yanked the down comforter up and over my head. I was in my happy place. Our bed smelled like my mate, and it always made me feel safe and relaxed.
I woke up hours later to my equally naked mate sucking my dick.
“Alpha, oh! So good. Please don’t stop.”
“I have no intentions of stopping, sweetheart. You said you wanted me, so you’re getting me. But it’s going to be nice and slow,” Gage told me before he went back to sucking me. By the time he had several fingers in my slick hole, and I was ready to explode, he did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do. He stopped.
“What? You said—” I was cut off when Gage lifted my leg, and then in one smooth thrust, he was buried inside me. I went off all over the bed in front of me, and I felt Gage’s knot pop out and inflate at a very rapid pace. It often happened that way, and when he pushed in one last time, I moaned loudly when his knot pressed on my prostate and set off another orgasm. I felt Gage’s cock throb inside me before I felt the familiar warmth from his release. I sighed and relaxed completely. This is what I needed. This was home. He was my home, and when we connected like this, I was at peace.
“Glad I could help, sweetheart. I’m sorry for keeping this from you. I was just worried. Rest now, I’ll get us cleaned up when my knot goes down.”
I nodded and then drifted back to sleep. I woke again to a growling stomach. I was alone in bed, and I wasn’t liking that at all.
“Alpha?”
“I’m in the kitchen cooking you a late lunch, sweetheart. Come on down and we’ll eat.”
“Okay. Let me get dressed.” I crawled out of bed and grabbed the sweats and Gage’s T-shirt I’d taken off earlier. I’d left them on the floor where I’d taken them off, but they were over the arm of the chair, so I knew that my thoughtful mate had picked them up. He was like that. Always cleaning things up. I’d found out early on that I was mated to a neat-freak. I loved that about him though. I usually wasn’t messy, but it had gotten difficult to bend over to grab things off the floor.
I waddled my way down the stairs and was greeted by my smiling mate in the kitchen. He had made chicken and rice, and I couldn’t help but salivate at the smell, anticipating the flavor.
“Thank you, Gage. I really appreciate you making me lunch.”
“You know I like taking care of you. Besides, we can sit and talk.”
“Talking is always good. How was your day?” Gage groaned before looking over at me as he picked up two plates and brought them to the table I’d sat down at. Everything was ready except what he had brought with him. “That bad, huh?”
“Can I say worse? I understand Emerson’s frustration, but he’s making everyone else in the station miserable. I’m almost at the point of asking War to send him back to Forest over in Timber Valley. Then there’s Brice.”
“What’s wrong with Brice?”
“Well, he swears he keeps scenting his mate.”
“Really? How’s that a bad thing?” I asked as I took a bite of my chicken and moaned. It was so good.
“He keeps scenting him at the station.”
“Okay, I’m not following.”
“The only other person at the station is Atticus. And he’s a human.”
“What? Oh! How’s that going to work? I mean, Brice is a lion, right?”
“Yeah, and from what I’ve been told, a very aggressive one.”
“So then would Atticus be his omega? How does that work?”
“It works like any other pairing. Only theirs would be trickier, because Atticus is a human. We have to be careful when we reveal ourselves to humans. We’re only supposed to do it with our mates. If Atticus is Brice’s mate, that changes things at work.”
“Wow, you guys need a deputy whose mate isn’t having a baby or isn’t about to mate and start having babies.”
“In a way, it works out better if we all know about shifters and the like. But yeah, it’s going to be tricky for Brice. He was going to swing by this evening and see if he gets any kind of reaction from Atticus. If he can ask him out on a date and things go well, it’ll be easier. But even as a human, he’d feel the pull.”
We continued eating, Gage finished everything that was on his plate and most of what I had. I just didn’t have a whole lot of room left in my stomach with it cramped by our baby.
“You know what we haven’t decided on yet?”
“What?” I asked as I finished my water.
“A name.”
“Oh! I have some ideas for that. Let me go get my list,” I told him as I got up from my chair and waddled into the office to retrieve the list. I was desperately hoping he liked the name I was in love with.
“Okay, so here it is. Do you want me to read them to you, or do you want to read it?”
“What’s your favorite name? Be honest. You know I’ll know if you’re not.”
I blushed for some reason at his statement. He was right though and I hesitated.
“Sweetheart, we can name the baby anything you want. I’m beyond excited that I have a mate, let alone a little one. So, what’s the name?”
“Avery. It’s perfect. It’s so cute and I’m—”
“Then Avery it is. And I agree. That’s a cute name.”
“Seriously? Just like that?”
“Yep. I like the idea of having a little Avery running around here.”
“Wow, so I don’t need the other names, huh?”
“Good point. Okay, I’ll keep the list. I want to have more children. My parents never had more though. Maybe that’s why I had difficulties getting pregnant?”
“Linus, we’ve been over this. Edison is almost positive it was because you bit me first. So in a way, you claimed me. It’s not really important, is it? We’re together, we’re having a baby, and I love you more than anything.”
I snuggled into Gage’s arms and sighed. I was a romantic, but I’d become so hopeless while pregnant. Gage constantly made me melt.
“How about a drive? I know you’ve been cooped up in the house for weeks now.”
“That sounds wonderful, but is it safe for me to leave the house? There’s absolutely no way I don’t look pregnant. What if someone saw me?”
“There is that, but I don’t think anyone will see you. Besides, it’d do you good to get out and get some fresh air. And I know you’d love to go and see Arik. War would love it, too.”
“Arik wanting to cut off his dick again?”
“Yeah, that about sums it up. He’s only carrying one this time, too. Last time it was worse.”
“So far, I haven’t had those feelings. If anything, it’s the opposite for me.”
“I’m aware of that and very thankful. Now, come on. We’ll get you bundled up and into the truck, and I’ll take you over to see Arik. He’s stuck in bed which is probably part of the desire to harm War’s anatomy.”
“Hmm, probably. Why’s he stuck in bed?”
“Because our Alpha has demanded his mate rest and take it easy. Arik can have the baby any time. War had mentioned that some light contractions started but nothing yet.”
“Well, let’s go so I can talk to Arik, and you can rescue our Alpha.” I smiled up at my mate as he helped me into an oversized coat. We were on our way before I could really say much about it. But I’d never admit just how much I’d wanted out of the house. We’d been very careful lately; we had to be with Atticus working so closely with Gage and War.
Gage — 19
“Oh, thank the fates! Linus, please. You need to go talk to Arik. Edison is in with him, but he’s pissed at me and is ready to maim me.”
My mate giggled at our frazzled Alpha. He was like this when the twins were born, as well, but Linus wasn’t a member of the den then. I looked at War and raised an eyebrow.
“What? You’re telling me that Linus doesn’t want to cut off your dick?”
The gasp from my mate should have clued War in. He looked at Linus like he was an alien or something. “Absolutely not! If anything, I want it knotted inside me more than my mate is willing. He’s afraid he’s going to hurt me or something. Hmph.” Linus turned and did his best to stomp off but all he managed to do was waddle. It was adorable but he didn’t think so.
“How the hell did you get a mate that wanted to have sex when he was due in less than two weeks?”
“Lucky I guess? I’m not really sure. I think that it’s honestly just you. What’d you do to your mate anyway? He was like this with the twins as well.”
“Wallace said it’s the tiger in him. He’s uncomfortable and therefore pissy. And it knows that it was my dick that did this to him.”
“Well, aren’t you just lucky. I got your message.”
“Obviously. Come on, we’ll go into my office.”
I followed War into his home office, and after closing the door, we sat down to talk about Emerson.
“What are your thoughts about Emerson?”
“He’s a good kid. I say kid, but the man is what? Fifty?”
“Something like that. He’s come to me and asked if he could resign. I’m not at all surprised about it either. He’s made it two months but has three more to go before she’s eighteen.”
“I figured it was going to get there. I think being here with Cassie is probably too much. I thought I bumbled things; he’s a complete mess. Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“Yes. The fates have obviously decided they were ready to scent each other. Why else would they have found each other so soon? The problem is Ivan. He has to give his consent for her to be mated before she’s eighteen. He’s holding out for three more months.”
“So, you’re saying we need to convince Ivan?”
“Yes. I think the perfect way to do that would be to have your little mate go and pay a visit to Sam. If anyone can get Ivan to change his mind, it’s Sam. I’m not sure what happened, but after Hank, and Sam going into heat again, Ivan’s completely changed. He dotes on Sam like he should have all along. So if you take Linus over, and Linus can talk to Sam, maybe we can get him to mention something to his mate, and he’ll give in and let Cassie mate with Emerson. I’m seriously worried about the levels that Emerson might take to get his mate. I agree, he’s a mess. But he’s asked to quit so he can go back to the pack.”
“Does he really think that putting distance between them will help? If anything, it’ll only make it worse.”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to ask you about taking Linus over for a visit.”
“Sure, we can do that. If Linus is up for it, we can stop today. If not, I’ll take him the day after tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Gage, I really appreciate it. With Linus having come here with Ivan, I thought maybe that would be reason enough for him to visit. I don’t want him to get suspicious.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. They’re both pregnant, too. I don’t see it as being an issue.”
“Good. I’d go, but I don’t want to get too far from Arik. He’s not shown any signs of going into active labor, and town isn’t far, but I just can’t bring myself to leave him here.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be sure to take Linus over, so he can have a chat with Sam.”
“Thanks,” War said before he got up from his chair. “Be right back. Arik called for me,” he said over his shoulder on his way out the door. I hung around in the office for all of about a minute before I got up and wandered into the kitchen.
“Wallace, have you become the den’s unofficial chef?”
“Hello, Gage. I saw Linus upstairs. He looks ready to pop. But not as much as Arik. And in a way, I guess. I love to cook. It’s something that I’ve enjoyed since, well, forever really. When Edison found me, I was living in a cave and had been for decades. I mostly ate what I could hunt, and most things were cooked over a fire pit. I didn’t have any pots though, so I had to improvise with stones and rocks.”
“That’s interesting you were able to figure that out. That’s a good thing.”
“It is. And as cooking utensils have evolved over the centuries, so have I. I enjoy cooking. Like any alpha, I need to know that my mate is fed and taken care of. Edison can just basically wave his hand and voila, food. But I actually enjoy cooking it.”
“Well, whatever you’re cooking smells good.”
“It’s chicken stew. The bread is in the oven. You two will be staying for supper. Arik is calm and relaxed, and Linus is the reason for that, so please don’t take your mate away just yet. I love all of my sons, but because Arik is a tiger, he’s a little temperamental. Especially when pregnant, it seems.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. I was so thankful I had a sweet, adorable, arctic fox for a mate.
“We’ll be happy to stay for dinner,” I told Wallace after I finally stopped laughing. He chuckled because it was his fault Arik was a tiger—just like him.
Waking up with Linus in my arms never got old. We’d had a great visit with War and Arik just before Valentine’s Day. And then before going home we’d visited with Sam and Ivan in hopes of convincing him to let Cassie and Emerson mate. I didn’t want to tire my pregnant mate out too much, but whatever Linus had said to Sam worked, because Ivan gave Emerson permission to mate with Cassie immediately. That made life so much bet
ter at the station.
While we were having a romantic and sexy time on Valentine’s Day, not only did Arik have little Valentina, but Jai gave birth as well. Jai and Grayson had one of each. A little panda cub they named Li, and a polar bear cub named Kaiden.
Sam wasn’t due until the end of March, but Linus was due eight days ago. The fact that we still didn’t have our little Avery in our arms was causing my bear to be overly anxious. I did my best to remain as calm as possible, but this morning, my bear was almost uncontrollable.
Carefully, sneaking out of bed so I wouldn’t wake my mate, I grabbed my jeans and pulled them on and cautiously zipped them. I probably should have taken time to grab some boxer briefs but I wanted to get to the kitchen to make Linus something to eat. He wouldn’t eat much last night, and I knew he was uncomfortable, but I was concerned.
When I got downstairs, I was not at all surprised to see Edison and Wallace sitting at the table in the kitchen, drinking coffee.
“Should I be concerned? Is Linus okay?”
“Your mate is just fine.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Well, why would you expect me to be here?”
“Are we having a baby…” I was cut off when an immense, stabbing pain went through my stomach and caused me to double over. I gasped as I looked up at Edison who was smiling at me.
“Right on time. Shall we go meet your little one?” Edison said, and then we were in the bedroom and Linus was screaming.
“Get her out! Oh, for fate’s sake! I’ve ruined the bed!”
I walked over to Linus and threw the covers onto the floor. My eyes went huge when I looked at him and his omega line was completely open, and he was lying there, drenched in sweat, as well as things I didn’t want to think about.
“Gage, you need to sit behind Linus and support him. Lean him on your chest so he’s not lying flat on his back,” Edison said as Wallace entered the room with a diaper, pink blanket, and outfit.
“This is adorable. We should find something similar for Valentina. All these little ladies. I’m so excited about it all!”