by Dannika Dark
The silence ruptured when a shout exploded into a howl.
A joyous howl.
The door swung open, and Austin’s bright eyes glittered with all the happiness a woman yearns to see in her life mate. It made me tear up, and he rushed to the bed and sat down, kissing my neck and face until I giggled and pushed him away.
His hands moved across my breasts and down to my flat stomach. He lifted the hem of my shirt and placed a gentle kiss against my skin. I feathered my fingers through his hair, daring to hope for the first time.
A few inquisitive faces appeared at the door.
“Do they know?” I whispered.
He glanced up and smiled. “I cleared their asses from the hall when the exam started.”
“What’s going on?” William asked, drifting closer to the bed. “I heard a shout.”
Austin rose to his feet and strutted toward them.
Yeah, strutted.
He had his swagger going on and the cockiest look I’d ever seen. “Anyone feel like going out for beers tonight? We have some celebrating to do.”
“What’s the occasion?” Denver asked. “Did you set an orgasm record?” He popped a few peanuts into his mouth. It looked like he’d made a pouch using the bottom of his shirt and had filled it with nuts.
“I hope the celebrating involves a bed for the guest room,” Wheeler grumbled, squeezing past Denver and into the room.
“I’m going to be a father,” Austin announced.
Denver dropped his peanuts all over the floor.
After a few beats, the smiles changed to laughter, howling, and dancing.
Yeah, dancing.
The pack didn’t know anything about my past miscarriages, but on that day, they danced in my bedroom.
Chapter 9
I spent the next three days resting in bed. After my dizzy spell, Austin urged me to stay home for a day before returning to work. When he started bringing me my favorite barbecue from The Pit (even though his mother had cooked stew with deer meat) and giving me foot massages, it was hard to say no. Normally a little pampering wasn’t something I’d complain about, but I’d grown tired of appearing weak in front of the pack.
“Knock, knock,” my mom said, opening the door. She glanced at the windows on my left. “It’s a pretty day outside. You should sit on the porch with me.”
I tossed the magazines aside to give her a place to sit, slightly embarrassed that all I had on was an oversized biker tank top with skulls, roses, and motorcycles. “I think I’m ready to come out of quarantine. The Relic didn’t recommend bed rest—that was all Austin.”
She sat beside me and fixed my hair so it wasn’t in my face. “My little girl is going to be a mommy.” Tears were shining in her eyes—the good kind.
“I hope so.”
“What do you mean? Of course you will be.”
I studied the tiny white flowers in her black blouse and admired the butterfly necklace I’d given her years ago for Christmas. Her dark roots with silver hairs needed a touch-up, and the signs of age were carved into her features like hairline fractures on a sidewalk. Thinking about children made me reflect more on my relationship with my own mother.
“Mom, I don’t want you to die.”
Just as soon as the words left my mouth, my heart constricted.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She smoothed her hand over my arm.
“But someday you will. It’s not fair that I get to live hundreds of years without you.”
She took my hand in hers and studied me closely with her blue eyes. “Hon, I don’t need to live more than one lifetime. I’m just glad that you’ll have a long life—both you and Maizy. Maybe you can get things right the way I never did. Do I like getting old? No. I hate that my lips are disappearing, and I have to comb my hair a certain way because it’s thinning on top. And no matter how much walking I do, I can’t get rid of these bingo wings.”
I busted out laughing. “You don’t have bingo wings,” I said, pinching her upper arm.
She smiled, a small dimple appearing on her cheek. “I hate the idea of aging. But I don’t mind the idea of dying. It’s a natural part of life and something everyone will have to face sooner or later, even you. So there’s no sense in being afraid of something you have no control over.”
“Maddox doesn’t mind?”
I’d never really pressed on their personal arrangement, because I was afraid my mother might think I had doubts about it.
“Maddox loves me, sweetie. We had a long discussion about this and decided that we have to do what makes us happy. Love isn’t conventional.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Someday I’ll be gone, but I’ll still be here every time you look into your children’s eyes. We don’t have to be related for you to see that. Every time you teach them the things I taught you, I’ll be there. Whenever you see the color blue and want to roll your eyes because of how much I loved it, you’ll remember me, and remembering means I’m never really gone.”
Without a word, I gave her a hug and wept against her shoulder. She stroked my back, assuring me it would be okay.
I leaned back and took a shaky breath. “I’ve had several miscarriages.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “You didn’t tell me that! I feel just awful you had to go through that alone.”
“It’s private. Please don’t tell the pack. That’s why I’m scared to be excited over this pregnancy. I’m afraid to fall in love with the idea of it.”
She wiped the tears off my cheeks. “This baby needs you to love it no matter what your fears are. I wish you would have told me about all this.”
“I had my reasons.”
“Maybe this one will feel all the love and support from the family. Where’s that brave girl I raised?”
“She’s feeling like a chickenshit.”
Her gaze drifted. “When your father—”
“He wasn’t my father.”
“Well, when Nelson brought you home, I didn’t know if I’d be able to keep you. You weren’t ours. He took you away from someone, but I couldn’t let the impermanence of how long we might have together stop me from loving you. Things will work out one way or the other—the way they’re meant to. Love takes courage. Why don’t you come outside and get some fresh air? I think that’s what you need instead of staying cooped up in here all day like a hen.”
Wheeler poked his head in the room. “Is she coming out, or am I dragging her by the heels?”
“You just try it,” I said. “Because I have a waxing kit that would love to meet your face and chest.”
He frowned but not at me. A long black tail that kinked at the end moved past him, but I couldn’t see anything more. Spartacus leapt onto the bed and sat down, staring at me with his freakish yellow eyes.
Mom stood up and fixed her hair. “We’re going to have to do something about that cat. When the baby comes, he’s not allowed in the nursery.”
“Nursery?” Wheeler opened the door all the way and leaned on the doorjamb, dressed no better than I was in a sleeveless shirt with a black panther on the front. “We’re Shifters, Lynn. Babies belong in the bedroom with the parents. Like over there.” He motioned toward an empty spot on the left side of the room with a window on each wall.
My mom put her hands on her hips. “And how is Lexi supposed to get any sleep with the baby fussing every two hours? Sometimes they cry for a little while, and you have to let them go back to sleep on their own or else they become dependent on you picking them up at every whimper.”
He chuckled darkly. “That’s why I suggested Austin’s side of the bed. It’ll do him some good.”
Mom lifted the cat off the bed and gave Wheeler a peevish glance when she passed by him. “Maybe we should rotate diaper duty.”
When Mom moved out of sight, he scraped his teeth across his lower lip. “I need to learn when to keep my mouth shut.”
“You haven’t been able to do that for decades. Why start now?” I swung my l
egs off the bed and stood up.
Wheeler charged forward and slipped his arm around me. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m not an invalid.”
“No, you’re just the Packmaster’s pregnant mate. It’s a big fucking deal, just so you know. Not everyone who has kids has an alpha, and if you don’t have one the first time, well… that’s probably the only shot you get. Alphas have better odds of having an alpha son the first time around.”
“So? Jericho has two alphas, in case you forgot.”
“Some of these assholes who have alpha kids don’t raise them right, and the kids grow up to be rogues. Lennon and Hendrix are good kids, but if Jericho fucks it up and doesn’t teach them how to be leaders, then they might end up delivering pizza for a living. If you’re looking at a Packmaster’s son, you’re pretty much looking at a future Packmaster in the making.”
He walked me into the hall, and then I created distance between us. The last thing I needed was the pack seeing me as a weak link. We entered the game room where Maizy and Denver were playing a game of pool. By the intense look on Denver’s face, Maizy was clearly winning.
“Well, look who decided to join the living,” Denver said, taking his shot. The ball cracked against the other and bounced around the table. “Did you get bored with all the sponge baths or did Aus finally get tired of being emasculated?”
I sat on the barstool to the left and tossed a peanut at him. “So what’s been going on around here lately? I feel out of the loop.”
Maizy put her pool stick in the cue rack. “Katharine’s been teaching Mel how to shoot with an arrow. She’s pretty good at it, but I don’t think she has the heart to kill an animal. Meanwhile, poor April hasn’t been able to eat anything Katharine’s cooked. She goes to her room during dinner so she doesn’t offend anyone. She’s afraid the main course will be one of the critters that hangs out at the squirrel feeder.”
Wheeler poured himself a glass of whiskey in front of me. “Reno should take her out to a restaurant instead of sneaking food to the bedroom.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know April doesn’t like eating out.”
Denver leaned between us and grabbed a bowl of honey-roasted almonds. “Yeah, she’s afraid someone’s going to hock a loogie in her food.”
Wheeler knocked back his drink. “I don’t see what’s wrong with Ma’s food. She cooks a mean venison chili. You could use some of that meat on your bones, Lexi. You have two to feed now.”
I shrank in disgust. “I’ll be the first to admit I’m spoiled with prepackaged food. Why hunt if you can buy it at the grocery store?”
“Because one day there might not be a grocery store. You might be in a situation where you have no choice.”
“Well, if there’s a food apocalypse, then my wolf will hunt and eat for both… oh wait.”
Wheeler licked the rim of his glass with the tip of his tongue. “See? It’s all dandy when it’s just you, but you can’t shift anymore until that baby’s born. It’s too dangerous, and your wolf won’t let you anyway.”
Every hair stood on end when a faint scream cut through the chatter.
We sprang from our chairs and hurried through the hall and down the stairs. The scream intensified, becoming recognizable as one of the children. Wheeler shot ahead of us and flew out the front door, jumping off the porch and moving on instinct. It took me a minute to get my bearings and find out which direction it was coming from.
My blood ran cold when I saw Hope, Lorenzo and Ivy’s only child, emerging from the high grass on the left. Melody was two steps behind, looking over her shoulder as if someone was following them. Hope’s face was stained with crimson, and Wheeler almost stumbled backward when he saw her. After he glanced at Melody to be sure she was all right, he lifted Hope into his strong arms.
“Call a Relic!” he bellowed, sprinting toward the house.
“On it!” Denver disappeared behind me, bumping into Maizy and my mother, who were both coming outside.
They rushed toward the blue-haired teenager. Mel carried a look of horror on her face as she stumbled into my mother’s arms. Uncertain of the danger, they led her back to the house as quickly as possible.
Wheeler hurried past me, and I caught a glimpse of blood as he went inside.
Melody ascended the steps, but her eyes were fixed on the grassy field. A gust of wind blew her razor-cut hair in front of her face. “It happened so fast,” she said, her breath shaky. Melody gulped some air and took a step away from my mom. “One second we were playing down by the oak tree, and the next… he attacked her.”
“Who?” I asked, rage heating my veins like lava.
Her large green eyes glittered with memories. “A wolf. A Shifter. I could sense him, and he went right for her. I grabbed a stick to beat him off, and when she screamed, I guess it startled him, and he ran away. Shifters aren’t supposed to attack girls, are they?”
No, they weren’t. Even in animal form, Shifters were reluctant to turn on women or children, not unless they perceived them as an enemy.
“Everyone inside,” I growled.
***
Only a few minutes had elapsed since the rogue had attacked the girls. Wheeler placed Hope on a sofa in our downstairs study so Katharine could assess her injuries.
Melody peered into the room. “How is she?”
“Come with me, sweetie.” Maizy led her out of the room and closed the door behind them. I turned my attention back to Hope, who was lying unconscious on the small sofa. She was the embodiment of innocence and wisdom, and it tore me up to see that someone had hurt her.
“What did you give her?” I asked Katharine.
“Something I always carry with me. Once you have your own children, you’ll learn that the most crushing experience a mother can endure is to see her child in pain.” She stanched the bleeding by pressing a bloody towel against Hope’s temple. “I’ve given her just enough to let her sleep peacefully while we control the bleeding. Head wounds always look worse than they actually are. I don’t want to traumatize the poor dear.”
“What kind of depraved animal would attack a little girl?” I asked.
William stood by the window, keeping watch. “Someone who’s trying to pick off the weaklings from the herd. Have you ever watched how lions hunt?”
“That’s sick.”
“Indeed.” He pivoted around, his tattered black jacket swirling with him. William’s head was a mess of waves and curls, and I could barely see his eyes.
Not that I wanted to see his eyes.
I hadn’t seen a look of murder in them since the time he’d gone after Trevor’s ex. When Wheeler brought Hope into the house and William saw the brave girl crying, he’d looked ready to skin someone alive. Wheeler had shifted to guard the property while we waited for Austin and Reno to arrive, and they were no doubt running every red light to get home as fast as they could.
A knock sounded at the front door, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. It must be the Relic.”
Their approaching footsteps rattled the floorboards, and when Edward swung the door open, he went straight toward the teenager without breaking stride.
Edward set his black bag on the floor and changed places with Katharine, holding the bloody rag to Hope’s temple. “Has she been unconscious this whole time?” he asked, his British accent more difficult to understand when he spoke quickly.
“No,” Katharine said. “I sedated her.”
He gently lifted the rag and examined her wounds, the cadence of his voice more controlled and calming. “Yes, I can see three puncture marks. One on the temple and two under her jaw. They’ll require a few stitches. Rest assured this isn’t serious. I’ll just need to patch her up before infection sets in. It’s a good thing it wasn’t close to her eye.”
Edward stood up and dragged a small chair beside her.
William stepped away from the window, turning his attention to the Relic. “Will she scar?”
The Relic rummaged throu
gh his bag before pulling out a cloth to drape over the chair and then lining up several instruments on it. “Show me a Shifter who has pulled through childhood unscathed, and I’ll show you my bum. I have medicine that will help reduce scarring, but I’m less concerned over her injuries as I am the cause of this wound. They said a rogue attacked her?”
I collapsed in a chair. “Yes. Mel, my niece, was with her. She said the wolf came right up to them and attacked without provocation.”
“Curious,” he muttered.
William’s jaw set. “What do you mean?”
Edward glanced over his shoulder. “Only that this is the fourth case I’ve seen in the past two weeks.”
“Children?” I asked in disbelief.
“The first one was not so fortunate. She was a small child who couldn’t defend herself against two wolves. Before I was able to get there, the Packmaster had already sent out his second-in-command to hunt the wolves and kill them. At first I thought it was a strange sickness going around—something new and unique afflicting Shifters. But the Packmaster refused an autopsy or further investigation. He was content with an eye for an eye. The other two children sustained minor injuries, but their stories were similar. I’m not one to pry, but I overheard talk about a pack war. Is that true?”
Katharine gripped the back of the couch, watching him treat the wounds. “I suppose there’s no sense in hiding the truth from a Relic since you understand the importance of secrecy. We know nothing about when or how, but we’re quite certain it’s coming.”
Edward prepped a needle for the local anesthesia. “Either their animals are growing restless for blood, or they’re creating discord by random acts of violence.”
I rubbed my eyes, my head pounding as the adrenaline began to taper off.
“Might I recommend you share this knowledge with the Breed community?” he suggested. “There are those who would be willing to fight alongside you. Yes, many would stand idly by and do nothing, but rest assured times have changed. Even if the number is small, it’s more than you have now.”