Children of the Moon 2

by Yvonne Robertson

  If he had beat his chest and said, “Me Tarzan, you Jane,” she would have been less surprised. It was a side to Garrett’s normally cheeky, playful nature she hadn’t seen before but his worry for his sister was completely understandable.

  They left soon after Cillian went to bed and Garrett apologized to Seann for his outburst, but he waved it away and told him to go home and sleep it off. They walked back to the cabin hand in hand and he tried to call and then sent his sister a few texts, asking her to get in touch but as yet she hadn’t replied to him. Rylee was clearly Garrett's favorite, but he wasn’t as keen to talk about the others, at least not yet and she was happy to give him space, they had all the time in the world.

  Garrett obviously had issues with his family, but they were still his family and she knew he loved them. Cillian was vain and spoiled and she was thankful Garrett didn’t share the same traits. He was clearly gorgeous to look at, but she preferred Garret’s slightly too long hair and scratchy face to Cillian’s clean-shaven, over-groomed look.

  She slipped quietly out of bed and padded quietly into the kitchen to get some water. She poured a glass and went to sit by the window. The moon lit up the night sky and she was looking forward to their full moon run after Sophia’s birthday party on Saturday.

  She saw two wolves come out of the trees and run past their cabin to go further down the street. It looked like Zac and Bethany who were living in a small cabin that they shared with Sophia. They had all settled in remarkably well and Zac and Bethany had both started working. For the first time in a while, they had an income and were able to look after themselves. Sophia was studying with the homeschoolers, but she was also working part-time looking after some of the pack children with her sister.

  They had a new wardrobe thanks to ‘Wolverine’, her and Imogen’s new clothing company with clothes designed especially for shifters. The orders were trickling in regularly and they still had a lot to produce to keep the teenagers of the pack warm this winter. She had the designs ready for their spring/ summer range and knew they had to get the samples out in the next few weeks. She had also made a party dress for Sophia for her birthday party on Saturday, guessing correctly that their budget wouldn’t yet stretch to party clothes. And she had one she had never worn that would fit Bethany. She would take them down to the cabin tomorrow and have them try on their new clothes, she probably had shoes she could lend Bethany and Hope, or Bree could do the honors for Sophia.

  Garrett was restless, she could hear him tossing and turning from here and went back through to their bed and snuggled in beside him. He immediately stopped moving around and she held him and soothed him until he was fast asleep again.

  His phone beeped and she glanced over to see Liam’s name on the screen. If there was a problem with compound security, they would call him, not send a text so she ignored it for now. She wondered where his sister was and if she had got his messages, she had to know that he was on her side, Garrett said he was always her protector and he hadn’t been a part of their pack for a very long time. He said Rylee was capable of looking after herself, but he just wanted to hear from her, to know she was safe.

  Cillian was something else entirely. She hated to admit it, but she didn’t care much for her brother in law. He was gorgeous to look at, like a bronzed Greek god, but he left her cold. He was extremely entitled and selfish and none of these things could ever be attributed to Garrett. She wanted to like him because he was Garrett's brother, but it wouldn’t be easy.

  She dozed off and when the sun came up, she felt the warmth of the rays on her face. Garrett had opened the drapes and she could hear him in the kitchen, the smell of coffee tickled her nose but there was another scent in the air that made her want to gag!

  ‘What the hell was that smell!’

  She jumped out of bed and just made it to the toilet as she wretched painfully, emptying the contents of her stomach into the bowl.

  Shit, she hated being sick, she had too much work to do to be coming down with something.

  She rinsed her mouth and washed her face, pulling on clean panties and a tank top before she climbed back into bed for a few minutes to allow her head to stop spinning. Garrett came into the room with a cup of hot tea and a plate of toast. He had dark circles under his eyes and she knew he hadn’t had much quality sleep,

  “Tea?” she raised her eyebrows, “I know for a fact that there is a pot of coffee brewing in there, I can smell it,” she gestured to the kitchen, “I just don’t think tea will hit the spot this morning, Garrett,” she frowned, “And what were you cooking, something smells foul.”

  “Only some eggs,” he said, and she gagged at the thought of eating them.

  “Eat, it will settle your stomach, babe.” He handed her the plate and she nibbled on a slice of toast, and then a second and drank the tea despite her protests earlier.

  “I do feel better already.” She handed him the empty plate and started getting out of bed, but he stopped her and she protested.

  “Garrett I am fine, just an upset stomach, I have a lot to do today.

  Someone knocked on the door and she heard footsteps in the hallway and she was suddenly glad she had pulled on some underwear. Sleeping naked was a hazard in the pack and privacy often a problem.

  “Through here, Rafe,” he called out and she threw him a dirty look as he came back into the room. He had called the Doc!

  “Hey,” Rafe shook hands with Garrett and kneeled at the side of the bed to examine India. He was gentle as he felt around her tummy and took her blood pressure and temperature.

  “Should she stay in bed, Rafe?” Garrett asked, earning him another dirty look and when he stood up, he looked at both of them and grinned.

  “No, she can do whatever she feels like, just don’t overdo it and cut back on any alcohol.”

  India sat up in bed and her hands flew to her stomach.

  “I’m pregnant?”

  He nodded.

  “Only a few weeks. Come into the office in a month or so and we can do an ultrasound, make sure everything is good and see how many babies you are carrying, India.”

  “Only one, I hope,” She smiled and looked at Garrett, who had been struck dumb and was just standing there staring at her stomach.

  “Chances are, there will only be one but there is a higher than normal probability for shifters of a multiple birth, just be prepared.”

  Rafe said goodbye and showed himself out and Garrett finally snapped out of his trance and sat down on the bed beside her.

  “India, this is amazing news. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you and now our baby on the way. Do you want to keep it to ourselves for now or should we tell everyone?”

  “Whatever you want, Garrett,” she smiled, “I will tell my sister anyway, but I can wait on the others if you want.”

  “I want to shout it from the rooftops, Indi!” I want the world to know how truly blessed I am. We can keep it to telling Seann, Imogen and a few others for now.” He stood up and stripped off his jeans, got back into bed beside her, and she reached over and pulled him against her.

  “I think this is the perfect way to celebrate, Garrett.” She wrapped her legs around him as he rolled them over and pulled her on top of him. His fangs were already punched out over his lip and his pale green eyes glowed with desire.

  “No better way, my love.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Garrett

  The sound of the shower running gave him a little time alone with his thoughts and his heart was breaking and rejoicing all at the same time. He was so happy that he and India were going to have a baby, but it also dragged his pain to the surface again. Losing his precious little Kali had been the most wretched time of his life.

  He spent most of his days keeping it under lock and key and this was going to be a testament to how strong he could be. He knew he had never grieved properly for her, how did you do that, grieve for a child who should have outlived you by hundreds of years. He had mourned her mo
ther's death too; she wasn’t his mate and she had left him to go with the man she loved but he had wanted her to live a full happy life and it had been cut short.

  It had gotten much better since he found India but the pain of her death would never leave him, of that he was certain and he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to be because she didn’t deserve to be forgotten or to be pushed aside to make way for another. She would be six years old now, almost seven and he wondered what she would have looked like, who she would have favored as she had grown. Her beautiful little face was burned into his memory, but she would have changed so much as the years went on.

  He opened the back door and knew his clothes were toast as he shifted on the fly and tore through the forest. He knew it was the only way to clear his head, even if it was only for a little while. He ran for miles before he was forced to stop and rest, and he lay down and panted until he felt a little calmer. His feelings were a little more muted in his wolf form and it gave him the temporary relief he needed. Only his feelings for his mate remained as strong and his wolf purred contentedly.

  He ran back to the cabin by a more direct route and hoped India didn’t see his running as a sign he wasn’t happy with their news because that couldn’t be further from the truth. He thanked the gods he didn’t even believe in every single day for India.

  He recognized his brother from a fair distance, even his fuckin wolf was all golden and pretty. He obviously wanted to talk and Garrett needed to reign in his hostility toward him, all said and done he was still his little brother, he was just extremely spoiled.

  He shifted as he approached the cabin and saw the remnants of his clothes in tatters. There was a bundle of clean clothing on the swing and he threw his brother a pair of shorts and pulled on the boxer briefs before going into the cabin.

  India had made a fresh pot of coffee and he smirked when she said hello to Cillian without once even glancing at his perfect abs. He went into the bedroom and came back dressed in clean jeans and a t-shirt and handed another shirt to his brother.

  “Shredded my clothes,” he said apologetically and India grinned,

  “Maybe we should make clothes for the adults too, not just the teenagers.

  He knew she was trying to lighten his mood and he was grateful she didn’t pepper him with questions about where he had gone and why. She just got him.

  He ate two pastries even after his large breakfast and India nibbled on a banana muffin. The color had come back to her cheeks too and he was bursting to tell someone his news. He caught her eye and she smiled and nodded.

  “Cillian, India is pregnant, we just found out this morning,” he blurted out and India had to suppress a smile, he was just a big kid at heart.

  “Congratulations brother,” he shook Garrett’s hand and pulled India toward him for a hug, but she pulled away after a second and busied herself at the sink.

  “Do you know how many yet?”

  He asked the question as if it was a common question to ask a pregnant woman, but Garrett had told her that multiple births were a lot more common in shifters than in humans. She already knew about a dozen sets of twins in the pack, but she secretly hoped there was only one little wolf cub in there. She didn’t know anything about being a mother, it would be hard enough.

  Garrett could sense her anxiety and sometimes he forgot that she was only twenty-one herself, still a babe by shifter standards and her sister would have had a baby by then too. There would be no shortage of surrogate aunts and grandmothers in the pack either, they all loved a baby. He knew his mother would want to come and stay for a while when she had a new grandbaby to spoil but he didn’t know how India would feel about that.

  He shook his head.

  “I came to tell you that I will be going home on Sunday. I need to get back to the business but if Rylee shows up, please tell her to contact us, let us know she is safe?” he asked, and Garrett agreed. He wouldn’t force her to go back though, she was an adult, he would talk to Seann about her staying here if she wanted somewhere to make a new home. He didn’t think it would be a problem, Seann had always liked his sister and treated her just like he did Hope or Bree.

  Cillian left and Garrett came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed his hand over her flat stomach.

  “I’m sorry I took off, I just needed to clear my head. Not about the baby, I couldn’t be happier about that.”

  She turned to face him and reached a hand up to his cheek.

  “This baby can’t and won’t take Kali’s place, Garrett, never. He or she will always know they had a big sister. I can’t even imagine how hard this is for you my love but let me help you, please.”

  “You already do, India. I have known the first peace I have had in years since I met you. I will never stop loving her or grieving for her, but I am also really happy to welcome this little one into our world.”

  India’s heart was breaking for him and she vowed to do something nice for his daughter. The only photographs she had seen were the ones in his wallet and she wondered if he didn’t display any because it was too painful or if he didn’t have any to display. She was going to the Den to see Imogen, Seann and Garrett had some business to attend to in town. She would ask Hope and Bree for help, they had known Kali’s mother fairly well, it was as good a place to start as any.

  Imogen was in the kitchen and there were racks of cookies, cakes and pastries on every flat surface. India raised an eyebrow and Hope rolled her eyes.

  “She got up at five this morning and started baking, she hasn’t stopped since. Not that it’s a bad thing,” she laughed as she bit into a brownie and closed her eyes, “Delicious!” she declared.

  Imogen rubbed her huge tummy a couple of times and India made her sit on one of the chairs around the large table.

  “Are you okay?” she asked her.

  “Fine, just a few cramps, there’s not much room left in there and he kicks constantly,” she winced as the baby lodged a foot under her ribs,

  “Him?” India asked.

  “I don’t know, I just don’t like saying ‘It; him or her is much better.”

  “Do you think it’s a boy?”

  “I go back and forth, and I truly don’t mind either way.”

  “Yeah, I don’t mind what I have either,” India said and watched her sisters face closely for a reaction. It took a few seconds and then Imogen snapped her head up.

  “You’re pregnant!”

  “Bingo, give the girl a giant teddy bear!” She grinned, and Imogen stood up and pulled her close for a hug.

  “This is so awesome, Indi. Our babies will be so close in age, when are you due?”

  “I’m only a few weeks so springtime but they will be very close in age.”

  “Is there only one?”

  “I hope so, maybe it’s different for bitten wolves, who knows, but you’re only having one so maybe I will too.”

  “Is it a secret?”

  “You can tell Seann. Cillian knows and we will tell a few others, but the gossip mills will pick up on it anyway and then everyone will know.” He grinned.

  It was true that wolves were notorious gossips, it was also true that they only gossiped with other wolves, never with the humans they came in contact with.

  “I will need to call Dad and let him know too, have you heard much from him?”

  “No, you know how he is, he is coming to the party on Saturday though, Roisin invited him and he said he would be here.”

  “I can tell him then,” India said, glad her father was coming for a visit.

  Seann came into the kitchen and hugged her, and she was as taken aback by his show of affection as Imogen clearly was. Seann wasn’t a hugger, he was a bear, a grizzly bear at that and Imogen was the only one who saw his softer side. Garrett was behind him and he raised his brows at his alpha’s behavior.

  “Garrett told me the good news; I couldn’t be more pleased for you both.” He released her, and Imogen walked out onto the porch with him.

&
nbsp; Garrett kissed her goodbye and she breathed in his familiar scent and joined her sister as they watched the pickup truck disappear around the corner towards the gate.

  “We have a ton of things to catch up on today and get everything ship-shape before you pop, sis. I also have all of the new designs ready for spring/ summer and Stella is going to bring the samples over after lunch.” India said as Imogen waddled back into the house in front of her.

  “I want to show you all the new baby things I bought and they finished painting the nursery yesterday, it’s so cute.”

  India closed the screen door behind them and a flash of something caught the corner of her eye. Cillian was watching them from the trees, now that she was focused on him, she could smell him too, but he wasn’t aware that she could do that from way over here. There was something creepy about Garrett's brother. She shivered as she followed her sister to the office.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  India

  She stood up and stretched her limbs, delighted with how much work they managed to get through. Everything was up to date and their orders were standing by the front door in two large boxes, packed ready for shipping.

  Imogen loved every single one of the spring and summer outfits she had designed and Stella was going to start production on Monday. She had already hired a new girl from among the school leavers who could sew to help with the increase in orders.

  This range was larger than the winter collection and they had used all of the valuable feedback from the kids testing them to produce twenty-two separates that would each come in a variety of fabrics and colors. It was a huge undertaking, but India was confident they could do it. Imogen also projected that they would start to turn a profit by the year’s end and India knew this was partly because Seann refused to take any form of rent from them, but she was still pleased by the news.

  “You need to sit down and put your feet up.” She dragged her sister into the living room and Imogen gratefully sank into the nearest chair. Roisin appeared with a tray with tea and snacks.