“Love you,” he whispered.
I stood up and very carefully leaned over to kiss his lips. “I love you too.”
It was then, looking at his pained face that I knew what I had to do. What I had to say. It had been a long time coming and I’d almost lost my chance all together. I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore.
“I have something to tell you.”
He cracked an eye open and looked at me. “What?”
I licked my lips and took a deep breath, knowing there was no turning back from this moment. “I’m pretty sure we’re fated mates.”
He continued to watch me before a ghost of a smile stretched his dry lips and he closed his eye again. “S’that all?”
I frowned at him. “Um. Yeah?”
He chuckled and then groaned, his hand covering the wound on his stomach. I jumped to my feet, but there was nothing I could really do for him. I was just as helpless now as I’d been hours ago, and that was beyond frustrating.
“Think I’m surprised about that, Callie girl?”
My eyes darted to his face, still twisted in pain. “What?”
He smiled again, but it was grim. “Of course we are. I should have known the moment you looked in my eyes and the whole damn world stopped.”
I plopped onto the chair with a huff, at a complete loss for words.
He chuckled again, but this time more cautiously. “Was that your big secret?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes.”
His smile only grew. “And you were keepin’ it from me all this time?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Yes.”
He shook his head slowly and sighed. “What am I gonna do with you?”
“This really doesn’t matter to you?”
He opened that eye again and looked at me, his expression sober. “All it means is I’ll never have to live without you. But I’d love you even if we weren’t fated. How could I not?”
The irritation quickly left my system as I remembered the events that led us here. How close I’d been to losing him. I grabbed his hand again and squeezed tight. “I was so scared today. I didn’t know if you were going to make it,” I said quietly, worried if the words were said too loud that I’d breathe them into existence.
He shook his head before pulling my hand to his mouth and kissing my knuckles. “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, love. Besides, you promised me a mating ceremony and I’m not missin’ that.”
I smiled and ran my fingers gently through his short hair. “I guess we’d better get planning then.”
Epilogue
Callie
“It’s almost time for your appointment.”
Wyatt sighed from over on my bed as he tossed a tennis ball in the air and caught it over and over. “Do I have to go?”
Now it was my turn to sigh. “I’m not doing this with you again.”
“But I feel fine. And my stitches look great. You said so yourself last night.”
My face heated as I thought about all the other things I’d said last night. I cleared my throat. “I don’t care what I said, I’m not a medical professional. You need to be looked at by the doc.”
He rolled over, trying to hide the wince, but I, of course, caught it. “But you’re the smartest person I know. If you think they look fine, I have total faith that you’re right and I don’t need to see the doctor.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Carter. Now get up and let’s go.”
He sighed again, this time louder and longer, but I ignored it and crossed the room to him. “I don’t need help,” he grumbled. But his hiss of pain as soon as he tried to get up himself proved that he did need my help, so I ignored that too.
It had been two weeks since he’d been shot, and thankfully, he was recovering well, but still. He needed to keep his appointments with the doctor so we knew if his healing was progressing like it should. And I needed to speak with the doc’s mate, Doreen.
I wrapped my arm around his waist as I continued to ignore his grumbles and led him down the hall to the staircase.
“Callista, I can walk.”
“Barely.”
He sighed again, but when he tried to take a step too fast, he hissed in pain and cursed under his breath.
“See? Just stop being a pain in my butt and let me help you.”
We continued to make our way slowly down the stairs as a blonde, round-bellied figure made her way up. Ellie was looking more pregnant than ever, which was something we all loved to see. This pack had been void of children for too long. Now that the alpha was procreating, it gave the rest of us free rein to do the same. Some of us sooner than others.
“Hey, Callie. Hey, Wyatt. How are you feeling?” Ellie asked as she climbed the stairs toward us.
“Fine, Ellie. Don’t worry about me,” Wyatt grumbled as I rolled my eyes.
Ellie shook her head. “Not gonna happen, pal.”
I knew I liked that girl. She didn’t put up with crap, but also cared deeply for those around her. She had a heart of gold and I was so lucky I’d gained her as a sister.
“Where are you two heading?” she asked.
Wyatt was grumbling in pain, so I answered for him. “He has a check-up with Doc Monroe. We’re heading there now.”
She frowned, her eyes darting to where we all knew Wyatt had been shot. She’d dealt with a lot of guilt over that in the past couple of weeks, knowing it was protecting her that almost got him killed. “Everything’s okay, right?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Wyatt grumbled his response before I could. “I’m perfectly fine. I just want everyone to quit fussing over me.”
She reached us on the stairs and patted Wyatt on the shoulder. “Again, not gonna happen, pal.”
I laughed as Wyatt grunted at her. He’d been a lot crankier lately, mostly because he was in a lot of pain, despite what he said. But I didn’t care. I’d take a cranky Wyatt every day of the week as long as he was alive and well.
We passed a few more well-wishers on our way to Doc’s house, which only made him grumpier. He didn’t like the attention he was getting. Didn’t feel like he deserved any notoriety since he hadn’t even been there to fight in the battle against the Charlotte pack. Everyone knew protecting the pregnant alpha was just as important of a job. Everyone but Wyatt, of course.
Just as we made it to Doc’s house, a door opened two houses down and Aubrey stepped out. Her eyes widened as they met mine, but I looked away before she could start anything. I’d done my best to avoid her since the fight we’d had, and if it were up to me, I’d have kept it like that. Apparently, she had other ideas.
“Hey,” she called as she walked over to us.
Wyatt and I looked at each other. His brows furrowed before turning back to Aubrey. “Hey?” he said finally.
She stopped a few feet away from us, her eyes darting from him to me and back again. Finally, she sighed and shook her head. “I didn’t know you guys were fated.”
Unsurprisingly, news spread fast in this pack. Shortly after the fight with the Charlotte pack and Wyatt getting injured, we’d stopped caring if people saw us together. A few had asked and we’d been honest about the situation and what we were. Apparently, that news had even reached Aubrey.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have tried to come between you two,” she continued. When we remained quiet, she started talking again. “And I’m sorry about the half-breed comments. They were uncalled for and unfair.” She looked down at the ground and kicked a piece of gravel aside before sighing and looked up at us again. “After everything this pack has been through recently, we don’t need this dumb shit between us. Can we just forget it all happened?”
I looked back at Wyatt, who seemed just as surprised as I was. He shrugged and we turned back to face Aubrey. “That’s fine with me,” I said first.
“Yeah. No worries. It’s in the past,” Wyatt said next.
Aubrey smiled. “Okay, cool. See you guys later
.”
She walked past us toward the lodge as we watched her walk away in silence. Finally, Wyatt broke it. “I did not see that coming.”
“Me neither.”
He shrugged and turned to the doc’s house, his expression grim. “Let’s get this over with, yeah?”
I rolled my eyes but continued to help him walk up to the first pack house and knock on the door. Doc answered almost immediately and took my place at Wyatt’s side, ushering him into a room for his exam.
I watched them walk away until they were out of sight before I went looking for Doreen. I found her in the kitchen, reading a book.
Pasting a smile on my face, I knocked on the doorway. “Hey, Doreen, do you have a minute?”
She looked up with a grin and set her book aside. “Of course. What’s going on?”
I bit my lip, my stomach twisting inside me. “I was wondering if you had a pregnancy test lying around.”
***
“The stitches are healing up nicely, but you need to keep taking it easy, Wyatt. You already were a hero, you don’t need to be one again.”
I watched Wyatt duck his head from my spot on the couch. “I’m not a hero, Doc.”
Doc Monroe patted him on the shoulder. “That’s how we all see you, son. Just accept it.”
Wyatt shook his head before raising it to look at me. Just like every time, the world came to a screeching halt and all that was left was us. I rose from my seat and gave him a smile. “You all set?”
“Yeah, I’m good to go.”
My smile felt more unnatural as I wrung my hands together in front of me. “We just need to do one more thing before we leave.”
Wyatt frowned as a door opened in the hall behind him and Doreen called, “You guys can come on back.”
I crossed the distance between us and grabbed Wyatt’s hand. “Come on.”
His brows were still furrowed as I helped him to the next room over where Doreen was waiting. The ultrasound machine was booted up in the corner as I led Wyatt to a chair pulled up next to the exam bed. He sat down slowly, only grunting softly in pain.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
I took a seat on the bed and grabbed his hand again, figuring I should probably explain what was going on before we went any further.
“I’ve had a hunch that something wasn’t quite right for a few weeks now, and today I had Doreen confirm my suspicions.”
His eyes widened as they traveled up and down my body. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
My smile was wobbly, but I held on as best I could. “I’m great, Wy. I’m pregnant.”
His whole body froze. Everything from the tips of his toes to his face turned to stone as I watched him try to process the news. The thawing stage took a little longer as first his fingers gripped mine tightly and finally his lips curled with the most tentative smile.
“Are you serious?” he whispered.
I nodded, my eyes burning with unshed tears. “Doreen’s about to do an ultrasound to confirm it.”
He glanced at her quickly, then the ultrasound machine, then my still-flat belly and then back at my eyes. “You’re pregnant?” he whispered again.
I just nodded, words failing me at the moment.
“All right, hun, if you want to lay back and roll down your pants, we can get a look at what’s going on in there.”
I squeezed Wyatt’s fingers tightly as I reclined on the plastic-covered bed and did as she asked. A few squirts of jelly later and Doreen placed the wand on my belly, moving it in slow circles until she found what she was looking for.
“There they are. I’m seeing… one… two… three sacs in there. Congrats! You guys are having triplets!”
My heart clenched in my chest as I watched the three little heartbeats flickering on the black and white screen in front of me. I turned to Wyatt with easily the biggest smile I’d ever worn in my life.
When his eyes met mine, they were watery but so warm and full of love it felt like my heart would burst. “Those are our babies?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” I whispered, a tear finally breaking loose and running down my cheek.
Wyatt reached out to gently wipe it away before cupping my face. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe I get to be this lucky,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper and meant only for me.
I turned my face and kissed his palm as another tear followed the first. “We are lucky, Wy. And now we really need to start planning that mating ceremony.”
He chuckled softly as he worked to keep up with the tears that continued to fall from my eyes. “I’m free tomorrow, Callie girl. You just say the word.”
I laughed too, the knots in my stomach loosening and falling away as I stared into the face of the man I loved. My best friend. My fated mate.
Things hadn’t always been easy between us, but every up and down we went through was worth it because it brought us here. To this point. Where we had our future growing inside me and the rest of our lives to spend loving them and each other. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect start to our forever.
Belonging to Bea
Will an ancient loss keep them apart?
No one can deny that Beatrice McCoy is tough. As the second in command of a large pack, she’s had to be. But when one werewolf in particular wanders into her life, she finds she’s got a soft spot for him and she hates that. So, when she’s sent to take over the Charlotte pack, she figures it’s for the best. Some distance is exactly what she needs to get over this infatuation she has with him.
Will is the original werewolf. The first one of his kind. And it’s made for a lonely existence. He’s wandered the globe for centuries, searching for something he’s never been able to name. Something he thought he’d never find, or perhaps lost long ago. What are the odds he’d discover it in a small mountain town in North Carolina?
When Will shows up on Bea’s doorstep, they’re both forced to face what’s been between them all along. Can she let down her guard long enough to let him in? Or will his age-old heartache stand in the way of their future together?
Coming 2020
Read on for the first chapter of Shift, book one in the Southern Werewolves Series!
Shift
“We, the people, find the defendant: not guilty.”
Yes.
The courtroom erupted with sound. Some in celebration, some in denial, but I sat there quietly.
This was my first case as lead attorney, and I’d knocked it out of the park. The jury had only deliberated for an hour before they’d returned with their decision. The only decision I’d left them with after the words I wove and the evidence I’d pranced before their eyes. Since the first day of this trial, I knew they’d be putty in my hands.
My lips pulled into a small, tight grin as the judge called for order. She dismissed the case with a bang of her gavel, and my lips stretched into a full smile.
I did it.
I packed my things in my brown leather briefcase and stood to face my colleagues.
“Nice work, Montgomery,” John Walsh said as he extended a hand for me to shake. The brittle smile on his face belied his sincerity.
“It was a team effort, John,” I lied.
He’d been expecting me to fail, like most of the other men I worked with as junior associates at our law firm. I’d had to work harder, stay later, and take on more cases to get exactly where that half-wit was standing.
But it had all paid off.
The other lawyers on the case offered their own brand of insincere platitudes and half-hearted handshakes, and I took them all with a smile. Just like the good southern girl I was.
When I got to the end of the line of lawyers, my defendant was standing there, seemingly lost in thought. I cleared my throat, and his dark brown eyes snapped to mine.
“You did it,” he said softly.
My smile returned. I wanted to pump my fist and make a celebratory lap around the courtroom, but instead, simply nodded.
&nb
sp; “I did.” I was sick of sharing the win with the other attorneys. I’d done the research. I’d done the interviews and fact checking. I’d been putting in the overtime for the past few months, and damn it, I would take the credit.
“I don’t know how I can ever thank you. You saved my life.”
His words hit me hard, but I recovered quickly. That I’d had such a huge positive effect on this man’s life humbled me.
“I did my job and made sure you weren't convicted of something you didn’t do. It’s so tragic that your wife took her own life, but it would have been made worse if you’d gone to prison over it. I’m just glad it all turned out the way we’d hoped.” The way I’d planned all along.
Without warning, Henry launched his short, pudgy frame at me, and wrapped his stubby arms around my waist. I’d never been comfortable with displays of affection, and this was no different. My face burned with what I’m sure was a fierce blush as I awkwardly patted his back.
“There, there,” I muttered, hoping I’d placated him enough to get off me.
Henry pulled back with a sniffle, and I pretended to not see the wetness in his eyes.
“It was nice working with you, Henry. Hopefully, our paths won’t cross again professionally.” My attempt at dry humor did its job, and Henry’s face cracked into a small smile.
“Yeah, no offense, lady, but I hope so too.”
I gave him another smile and a nod before making my way out of the courtroom, and into the warm North Carolina day.
It was only May, but the air was humid and the sun was hot. I slipped my suit jacket off my shoulders and folded it over my arm as I made my way to my car.
I zipped across town, making good time in the light midday traffic. When I got to my office building, I rushed inside and over to my cubicle. If I could get out of here in the next thirty minutes, I could make it to my apartment and be on the road before rush hour.
“Heard about your win, Montgomery. Nice work.”
Chasing Callie (Southern Werewolf Sisters Book 1) Page 33