by Jade Alters
“You’re safe now,” Stone insisted, shifting closer to reassure me. “We’re here.”
I didn’t know how to tell them the truth, but to keep it from them any longer would be a lie — and I certainly couldn’t lie to them.
“It’s not that,” I managed eventually, speaking past the cracks in my voice. “I mean… it was awful, and I’m exhausted, and I’m so glad we’re all here, but there’s… there’s something else. It’s not just that.”
I could feel them moving around me, and opened my eyes to see a knowing, wordless glance pass between them. I could feel my jaw tightening and shuddering as I pressed myself to speak again.
“You seem nervous,” said Hale, voice a pleasant hum beside my ear. “You don’t have to be.”
“But it’s just… what I have to tell you…”
“We already know.”
I looked sideways, tugged as if strung by Stone’s simple announcement.
My jaw dropped open a little, and I turned between all four of them. Brow creased and heart hammering, I tried to grapple with the truth of that. How could they know? I’d only just found out myself. Even if yesterday evening felt like a long time ago now, it was really only a couple of hours. Unless they’d gone searching thoroughly through my room, they shouldn’t know — and I couldn’t imagine any of these respectful, kind men doing that, not even while I was missing.
“Jess, it’s okay,” said Blake. “Let’s just put that out there right away. We’re not mad; we’re not hurt. We’re not jealous. We tell each other everything.”
I tried to process what he was saying to me. They weren’t jealous? That wasn’t something you’d say about a pregnancy. So what exactly where they talking about?
My brow furrowed, and Blake found my eyes as he pressed on.
“I think there are a couple of things we ought to tell you, too.”
Hale
This was not the ideal way for us to have this conversation, but we had no other option. After all our concern about her physical health, it seemed that maybe pure guilt had been harming her the whole time. It hurt to know that she’d been unkind to herself about this — that we could have alleviated the pain at any time with a dose of truth, if only we’d known about it.
Well. Better late than never.
Her eyes slipped from each of us to the next, trying to read the situation. I moved around from behind the couch to sit next to her, leaving room for Preston and Blake.
“You thought something bad was happening, being with the four of us?” I suggested.
She nodded, eyes cast down.
“You felt drawn in and you couldn’t help it, even though it doesn’t make sense? Like you need us just as bad as we need you?”
She turned to face me. Eyes creased with confusion and surprise, her eyes bored into mine, lips thin and unsure. “Yeah,” she admitted, in a half-whisper. “Exactly that.”
“Well,” I said. “We’re the same, Jess. Pulled to you. Wanting you.”
“Since the start?”
I glanced at Stone, passing the baton to him.
“We weren’t looking for someone to make us feel like this,” he said. “If that’s what you’re asking. We really did need your help. It just happened that we met you, and… yeah, for me? I felt that right from the start.”
Their eyes locked. Hearing Stone speak his truth, specifically and openly, made me feel a twist of approval and happiness in my stomach. He was an asset to our pride, much as we liked to tease each other. In this moment, I couldn’t have respected him more. I could see the weight he was lifting away from Jess’ shoulders, bit by bit.
“And you always knew?” she pressed, voice still stumbling. “About… when… I spent time with each of you? You’re not mad?”
“No,” Preston confirmed. “Not at all. We knew, and we never minded. It’s not supposed to be that way between us.”
“Meant to be…?”
This was a lot for anybody to take in, but I was impressed with how Jess was handling it. Though I could see a storm of questions in her eyes, she wasn’t freaking out. She wasn’t falling to pieces. She was just holding on for more understanding, eager to understand.
“We mean that literally,” Blake clarified. “See, this is part of what we wanted to tell you, Jessica. I’m sorry we couldn’t before, but… I’m sure you’ll understand why it had to be a secret.”
She blinked. She took a deep breath, and Blake took the opportunity to carry on.
“We are shifters,” he said, in as plain a tone as he could manage. “Lion shifters.”
Now it was our turn to inhale. I looked away, sure she would prefer not to spend these few seconds being stared at. It was a lot to come to terms with, even without four pairs of eyes on you.
“Wait,” she said, after a pause. “What?”
“That’s why we’re here,” Blake continued, even and steady. “That’s the special something we have that no other group can provide.”
“But they’re not real.”
Stone rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, drawing a gentle circle around her knuckle. “To most of the world, yeah. We know how it sounds.”
“You’re teasing me.”
She didn’t sound convinced. Clearly, this was already a lot for her to work with. To save her the mental gymnastics of trying to decide whether this really was an elaborate joke on her, I shuffled forward in the chair.
“Would it help to get this part out of the way if I showed you?”
Jess nodded, eyes wide. The corner of her mouth turned up in a sweet smile — half challenge, half apology.
“Alright,” I said. “Let’s see.”
I rolled my shoulders back, already feeling the lion in me unfurl. Knowing that I was about to shift was always a thrill, even after 27 years; it was a formative but secret part of me. I had to be careful of guarding the secret, and hiding away a part of yourself didn’t come naturally to anybody. It warmed me to know that Jess was finally about to see all of me — not just the human-filtered side I had been forced to limit her to.
As I slipped forward into my paws, I heard an audible gasp from Jess. When I lifted my head, great mane flopping around my face, I saw the awe on her face. To my relief, it definitely outweighed the fear.
“I…”
The others gave her a little space as she shrank to the floor to reach out for me, one shuddering hand slowly closing the gap between her fingertips and the top of my head. Just before she reached me, I bumped my head up playfully to touch her first. She jumped, but gave a breathless laugh a second later.
“So it is you in there, huh?”
“Nothing ever changes with that one,” Stone agreed. She looked between us, peering into my dark lion’s eyes, and Stone’s human pair.
“I don’t want to be a jerk,” she said, voice still sounding a little shaky, “but this is really weird.”
I laughed, a rippling roar-purr that transformed into a sound she’d find much more recognizable as I shifted back. “Yeah, I guess it must be.”
“And there you are again.”
Her eyes met mine, alight with what looked like attraction. I imagined her hands on me, and watched both her smile and her blush spread.
“So it’s real,” she accepted, sitting back in the chair again. “And you’re a… a pack?”
“A pride,” said Preston. “But yes.”
“It finally makes sense.” Her head fell back against the couch cushion as she processed the news, though her body language was a lot more relaxed now. She seemed to be safe and secure, surrounded by all four of us. It seemed like a natural place for her to be. “And you’re really not mad about…?”
“We don’t get jealous about this stuff,” said Stone. “Not under, uh. Certain specific circumstances.”
She blinked, shaking her head. “What do you mean?”
We all turned to Blake, even Jess was able to sense the potency of his authority in this moment. When he looked at her, his eyes warme
d and creased at the corners — a rare visible sign of happiness in his serious, ageless face.
“We think you’re something special to us, Jessica. We think you’re our One Mate.”
Jess’ brow furrowed in confusion, lips pursed into a tight line. I cleared my throat and answered the unspoken question. After all, this was all very new to her; she shouldn’t have to ask.
“It means you’re the fated partner for all four of us,” I explained. “Mate to the whole pride.” I traced my fingertips across her upper arm, and down over the curve of her elbow. It felt like a new level of intimacy, somehow more than the private moments we’d already shared together. She felt vulnerable and light, her skin was satin-soft. Still, the enormity of the announcement had shaken her. For a few moments, she just blinked down at her hands, thinking — then looked up, voice low.
“So. This shifter thing. It’s genetic…?”
Blake nodded, but for some reason this was a tipping point for her. She closed her eyes, head falling back against the couch again. It seemed involuntary; she had gone limp.
“Jess?” Stone said, squeezing her hand. “Are you okay?”
“Lion baby,” she said. “I’m having a lion baby.”
Jessica
I hadn’t fainted. At least, I didn’t think so; I could still hear all their voices around me. I was just a little overwhelmed, and had to take a moment to withdraw. Surely anybody would feel the same way? Even so, I felt an irritating flicker of weakness coursing through me. I was surrounded by these form-shifting beings, skilled and talented enough to conduct top-level government work — and here I was fading away like some damsel in distress.
Granted, I was supporting another life now, but… jeez. The kid couldn’t take up that many resources so quickly, could they?
When I opened my eyes, I saw four concerned faces around me, and reddened with embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to freak out like that.”
“Don’t apologize,” said Stone. “It’s a lot to take in. But, uh. You said…?”
I ran my tongue over the back of my teeth. Me and my big mouth. “I said, um, Lion baby.”
It was Stone’s reaction that reassured me. The instant it came out of my mouth, still hesitant and unsure, his eyes illuminated.
“Are you sure?” he pressed, lifting his hand to grip my forearm instead. He seemed consumed with excitement — filled to the brim with the exact opposite of the disgust and anger I had been so afraid of. “I mean. You took a test? It’s — definitely, yes? You’re pregnant?”
I looked between Stone and the others. His face was always easier to read than anybody else’s, but I could see traces and glimmers of the same excitement in their eyes too.
“Yes,” I said, after a moment’s hesitation. For the first time, I felt free enough to smile about this whole situation — to acknowledge my excitement and my happiness, not just the panic and upset. It felt like ages since I’d seen that test develop, but in truth it had been less than 24 hours. As they all shifted in closer to me, hands petting and smoothing at any inch of me they could reach, I felt my eyes brim with happy tears. “I’m sure.”
They peppered the bare skin of my body with eager kisses, too quick and numerous to track. Blake alone sat upright, his gaze steady and soft as he met my eyes. “As though there was any doubt about who you are,” he said. “As though there ever could be.”
“I don’t know whose baby it is,” I admitted.
He shook his head. “It’s our baby. We’ll all parent it together. The biological details are… not all that important.”
I swallowed, trying to push down the knot of emotion in my throat. I had experienced such extremes of emotion today that I had no stamina reserves left to use. Still I wanted more; I didn’t want to spend a second away from them ever again, but we still had so much lost time to catch up on. I felt one of their hands smooth over the flat plane of my stomach, as if feeling out for the young life inside. It would be some time yet before our baby could ‘talk’ back.
“Is this what you were worried about?” Blake asked. “What was making you sick?”
“Actually, no. I didn’t even know until Doctor Gray came. I was worried about causing a fight between you guys. I’ve never… I mean. Not that I spent a whole bunch of time around military units,” I admitted, lips twitching into a smile. “But I’ve never seen a group so tight-knit. The thought of ruining that… I don’t know.”
Preston fingers combed through my hair, gentle and soft. I leaned into his hand, closing my eyes, and tried to let go of all the weight.
“I guess I don’t need to worry about that any more.”
“Definitely not,” Hale confirmed. “We just want you happy and safe.”
I opened my eyes, ready with a bright smile for him — but was surprised to see looks of guilt and sadness on all their faces. I blinked, looking between them all. “Wait. What’s wrong?”
“The safety part,” said Stone. “We failed you on that one, pretty hard.”
I flushed, shaking my head. “That was my fault. I went out for a walk by myself. I should have known better than that.”
“It’s our job to keep you safe,” Blake said. “We’re glad that you are, but-”
“We’re all safe now. That’s all that matters,” I insisted. I felt the intensity of all their eyes on me, and took the time to meet their gazes one by one. I wanted them to know that this wasn’t on them — that I didn’t think they’d failed me in any way. Far from it. They’d rushed ahead their mission and risked their lives just to bring me back as quickly as possible.
I caught Blake’s eyes last, strong and certain. After a beat, he relented, nodding his head.
“Okay,” he said. “You’re right. But still, I-”
“Ah!” I reached out for his lips with my finger, playfully tapping him into silence. I felt him smile underneath my fingertip. “Quit while you’re ahead.”
“Game’s over, guys,” said Hale, grinning at us both. “If that’s how easily she controls an alpha, we’re all screwed.”
We laughed, but there was already a jolt of electricity in the air between us. Before it could bubble up and over, I extricated myself from the pile and stood to face them — my four North men, all gazing at me as though painlessly staring into the sun.
“I’m going to get a shower,” I announced, trying to keep my voice even. “You should all clean up too, and then — then maybe we’ll see.”
Either I’d forgotten how to be subtle or they were highly receptive to my suggestive tone. Whichever it was, it was immediately obvious that the North men understood exactly what I meant by that. They were already scrambling up from the couch, smoothing down the cushions and practically tripping over themselves to do what they could for me. Stone’s hand was already extended to try and help me up on one side, and Hale’s on the other.
“Jeez,” I said, grinning. “Anyone would think I’d said something exciting.” They hovered at my heels all the way to my bedroom door, stopping right at the threshold as though some forcefield held them back. When I looked over my shoulder at them, the ardent hunger in their eyes sent a flush of lust over my whole body.
Just imagining their desperate hands on me, all at one time, had my heart pounding.
“Well, go on,” I said, sounding shyer than I intended. “Clean up. I won’t be long.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Blake, turning on his heel. Hale had already taken off down the hallway, and Preston wasn’t far behind. Only Stone remained behind, eyes trailing a soft and eager line over my still-clothed body as though there wasn’t a stitch of clothing on me. My toes tightened in my socks, and I felt heat throbbing inside me.
“Sure you’re okay?” he asked, voice both solid and soft like candlelight. “I know this is a lot to take in. We wouldn’t want to rush you into it.”
That warmth crept up the back of my neck, and I had to fight myself not to close the gap between us. I wanted to kiss all that hope and sweetnes
s off his lips until there was only something dark and animal left — but right now we had to wait. All five of us did.
“You think you four pussycats could pressure me into anything I didn’t want?” I teased, shedding my sweater as I sloped into the bathroom. Looking back at him one more time, I was pleased to see desire painted all over his face. “Fifteen minutes. We’ll see who’s feeling rushed.”
By the time I closed the bathroom door behind me, my face was flushing pure red. I wasn’t sure who this woman was — this cool, confident person who was taking this entire ‘One Mate’ thing in stride. In the moment, it all felt so natural. The way it felt to have their hands and their eyes on me made it impossible to question. Only now that I was out of the spotlight could I begin to question myself.
This couldn’t really be happening. And even if it was, why had they all chosen me?
The hot water beat down over my aching body, washing away the stress and uncertainty of the past 24 hours. In truth, I figured I should probably sleep off the stress and fear, but I couldn’t have closed my eyes and rested right now for all the money in the world. I knew that my four North men were out there waiting for me with bated breath and eager kisses for many different parts of my body.
Once I hopped out of the shower and the roar of the water left my ears, there was only deceptive silence in the cabin around me. Feeling my nerves begin to riot, I took my time lathering on moisturizing lotion and spritzing myself with perfume — teasing my hair away from my face, twisted and fastened back in the hopes that it would dry into loose waves.
When I looked back at myself in the mirror, I was stunned to see the woman standing there. What they said about pregnancy really must be true. There was a glow to my skin, so golden and light that I almost looked unfamiliar, or even magical. I saw the rise and fall of my chest, gentle and smooth as though I wasn’t panicking inside. I felt good in a way I hadn’t in a long time — empowered by the life inside me and the effect I had on the North men, and anticipating all the pleasure to come.
