by Anya Byrne
Gavin wished he had an answer to Jessie's question. "I think I do need to see a doctor, but... This is no tumor. I know that. I'm just not sure who I can trust with finding out what it is."
"I'll call my dad," Jessie offered after a small pause. "He might be able to help or at least give us a clue to what's going on. Come on. There's no time to lose."
****
Jessie's father, Dr. William Orwell, looked more like Jessie's brother than his parent. Gavin had met William before, and he'd liked his warm, accepting demeanor. He'd never expected having to appeal to William's medical skills, though.
William was a very renowned specialist in ob-gyn. Boasting all the latest equipment in the field, his private clinic teemed with patients waiting to receive his advice. Gavin had no idea if Dr. Orwell could help him, but he needed answers, and he didn't know who else he could turn to.
Upon Jessie's plea, William moved around some of his previous appointments and received Gavin as an emergency case. Jessie remained outside the examination room as his father guided Gavin inside. He gestured for Gavin to lie down on the examination table and offered him a comforting smile. "Don't be frightened, Gavin. Even if this is an unusual case as Jessie seems to think, we'll come up with a solution."
His smile changed into a frown when Gavin exposed his stomach. "How long have you had this?"
"Two weeks," Gavin replied. "At first, I thought I was just gaining weight because I've started eating like crazy."
William hummed thoughtfully. "And you say you felt something from inside?"
Gavin nodded. "Like a kick."
"Okay, Gavin. I'll just do an ultrasound and maybe we'll figure out what's happening after that."
He poured some cool gel on Gavin's belly and turned on the ultrasound machine. Gavin studiously stared at the ceiling, too afraid to look at the doctor, or the screen.
"Oh, dear," William finally said.
"What?" Gavin asked quickly. "What is it?"
He stared at the doctor and then tried to catch a glimpse of the screen displaying the ultrasound results. He couldn't really figure out what he saw there, but William started to explain, "The good news is that you don't have a tumor," he told Gavin. "The bad news—or second good news, depending on how you want to see it—is that there's definitely a living being inside you."
Gavin's head started to spin. "So... I'm pregnant. I can't be pregnant. I'm a man."
"Pregnancy might not be the accurate term. It could be a case of twin parasitism, although the strange part is how it never showed until now." William pointed at the tiny screen, where the little being was clearly visible. "Just the same, the baby is here. These are his legs and his hands. You can see his eyes. The foetus is strikingly well-formed and there seem to be no mutations. I do believe it's a boy."
Gavin just watched the screen in speechless shock. The baby was moving around now—Gavin could feel him, so restless, unsettled, maybe even a little scared. "That's enough," he told the doctor. "I think the ultrasound is hurting him."
William complied and stopped the ultrasound, although the image of the baby lingered on the screen. With the ultrasound gone, the baby settled down, and Gavin could almost feel the warmth of his child's gratitude.
How had he even missed it until now? It seemed so obvious now. Looking at the image, his vision blurred with tears. He was so afraid, and he didn't understand what was happening to him, but at the same time, he felt so happy, happier than he'd been since Saul had left.
William cleared his throat, snapping Gavin from his trance. "I'm going to ask you a private question, Gavin, and I need you to answer me honestly. This is very important. Did you by any chance have sexual contact with a man you didn't know very well around the time when this first started happening?"
Gavin turned away from the recorded image of his baby. "How did you know that?" It was embarrassing to talk about his sex life with Jessie's father, but he admitted, "Yes, I had a one-night stand. I kind of hoped it could be more but... Well, it didn't work out."
"I see," William replied. "And I assume it was unprotected sex?"
Gavin just nodded wordlessly. "Did this man seem particularly... aggressive in bed?" William continued to prod. "Perhaps, after the act, he stayed inside you for a while longer, and it seemed... different?"
Gavin was beginning to feel really uncomfortable now. Staring at his hands, he nodded once more.
William's warm hand landed on Gavin's, and the gesture made Gavin look up at the doctor once more. "I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, Gavin. You might choose to believe me, or you might not. The fact is that, yes, you are pregnant. That's your baby inside you. The guy you had sex with was probably not human and managed to impregnate you even if you are a man."
"Y-You're joking, right?" Gavin stammered. "Not human? What else could he be, an alien?"
"I can't answer that, I'm afraid. It is a secret that I swore to never reveal. Just know that yours is not the first case of male pregnancy I've seen, but it's only possible under certain, very specific circumstances. I won't ask any more personal details, because it's clear you don't feel comfortable with sharing something so private. But as a doctor, I must warn you that this is a serious matter. The male body isn't built to carry a child. By the time the foetus is completely developed, your stomach and your intestines might be affected. You'll have trouble breathing and you might not be able to keep much food down. It could be very hard and painful for you, even life-threatening."
"Are you saying... I should... abort?" The words were too crazy to even utter. Gavin felt like he'd fallen into a dream, and if he himself hadn't felt the baby kick, he'd have suspected he was in some sort of evil Candid Camera episode.
"I can't make that decision for you," the doctor replied. "Again, this type of thing is very rare. With the other case I've seen, the birth father survived and so did the child. But it was a very close call, for both of them, and the child suffered long-term problems due to the traumatic birth. Therefore, you might not even be able to carry the child to term. On the other hand, you'll find that carrying the child comes with some DNA changes meant to help you. The end result is that once these changes settle in, you'll probably start aging slower and be more resilient to regular pain and stress. But again, there are no guarantees. The one case I have to go on isn't really a reliable sample, so it might be completely different for you."
Gavin just lay there, musing over the information William had offered. He'd always wanted a baby of his own. It had been an unachievable dream that he'd set aside because he'd known he shouldn't even consider pursuing it. But now, he had a life growing inside him.
His train of thought came to an abrupt halt there. He was pregnant. The doctor had uttered the words DNA changes. Even if everything went well, he'd give birth to a baby who wouldn't even be fully human. He himself would never be the same again. Shit, shit, shit. What was he going to do?
In his belly, his child stirred, as if feeling Gavin's fear. Gavin closed his eyes and he could almost imagine his baby reaching out to him, as uncertain as Gavin felt, so frail, so small, but so alive.
"I can't give him up," he whispered. "I'm keeping him."
"Fair enough, Gavin," his doctor said. "I'll help you with everything I can. Remember to eat well. Meats work best, but don't push yourself. Eat slowly, small snacks once every hour or so. If you feel sick or start bleeding, call me, no matter the hour. Try to go for a walk once a day, preferably in a park—ten minutes or so, nothing tiresome. Fresh air helps. And I'll prescribe you some vitamins that will be good for the baby. Just keep in mind that what we do this must be completely secret. If anyone learns of it... You don't even want to imagine the consequences."
Gavin mentally jotted down everything William had said. He kind of wanted to ask how William had learned all these things, but he didn't. He just considered himself lucky that he was not alone in this.
And yet, in spite of William's sage advice, Gavin realized he felt more alone than ever. He
didn't know why, but as he slid down off the examination table, his thoughts went to Saul. Please, Saul, help me. This is your baby, too. I can't do this alone. Please, Saul. Come back to me. Come back to us.
Chapter Eight
There was something wrong with his mate. Saul could feel it, in his bones, in his fangs, in every single inch of him and especially in his desperate heart. He tried to reach for Gavin, but the darkness kept him trapped. A silver collar seemed to be encasing his throat, keeping him from breathing right. His whole body appeared to be in a silver cage, unbreakable, impossible to bypass.
And then, the words drifted into his mind. Please, Saul, help me.
The fact that his mate had managed to reach out to him even if they hadn't completed their bond spoke volumes of the urgency of Gavin's situation. It was unusual even for full mate bonds, let alone unfinished ones. Saul howled in distress, leaping forward, tossing his head back and forth. The silver collar bit into his neck, threatening to cut off his breathing. The more he thrashed, the harder the silver was on him, the poison of the substance seeping into Saul's body through the raw wounds caused by Saul himself.
His mate's voice returned, haunting, yet so beautiful, full of so much craving it nearly hurt. Please, Saul. Come back to me.
Just like that, the silver cage broke, and Saul opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and found himself staring at the ceiling of what seemed to be one of the mansion's sick rooms.
"Saul?" a familiar voice asked by his side. "Shit, can you hear me?"
Saul blinked a couple of times and when he could focus, he saw his brother had been sitting by his side. A memory shot through Saul's mind, that of his treacherous brother separating him from his mate. Snarling, Saul extended his claws, his anger taking care of the lingering traces of silver poisoning in his blood.
Finn leapt back, avoiding Saul's attack. He rushed to the door and called out, "He's awake."
Saul left the bed and stalked his brother, already planning how to remove Finn from his path. He could still feel how much Gavin needed him, and any delay was unacceptable.
Finn lifted his hands, as if trying to say he was harmless. "Stop this, brother. Get back in bed. You're still weak."
"I'm strong enough to take care of you."
Finn grimaced and replied, "I know I disappointed you, Saul. I'm really sorry. I didn't want to go through with it in the first place. But you always leave the pack and don't really care about pack politics, so you don't know the kind of pressure we're under from other packs."
Saul listened more closely now, wondering if he could use any of the information his brother provided. He waited, struggling to leash his instincts even if, at this point, he didn't care about what happened to his pack.
"I don't get any of this, Finn," he admitted. Frowning, he tried to remember what had happened that had led him to be here. "It seems so convoluted and my memory's still fuzzy."
"You do remember Lisbet shot you, right?" his brother inquired.
Saul nodded. Slowly, it was all coming back to him. "The elders were angry. They wanted me to... Sleep with your mate." He grimaced. "This is crazy. So Lisbet can't fall pregnant. Big deal. There are plenty of females in the pack who give birth to whole litters of pups."
"There hasn't been a born Alpha since you," Finn said. "As you know, our strength is unique, and it is needed as a pillar of the pack."
"Just the same, it's bound to happen. This whole thing is insane," Saul said. "I'm not an idiot, Finn. Why did Lisbet have to be the one to give birth to the next born Alphas?"
"It was Elder Terrence," Finn whispered softly. "He was blackmailing Father. Father agreed to step down as soon as one of the two of us has a litter of pups, preferably containing a born Alpha. Terrence's condition was that this litter had to be with Lisbet. She never liked you, so she picked me to be her mate. It didn't work as she'd have liked, because my wolf rejects her."
"Shit. This is what happens when elders fuck up."
Finn nodded. "We feared what would occur if other packs found out about all of this. They'd run us into the ground and take our territory. But you don't have to worry about that anymore. Lisbet has been banished, and so has her grandfather. The other elders have retreated into their wolf forms. At this point, we were just waiting for reactions from other packs. And mostly, we were waiting for you to wake up."
Growing increasingly agitated, Saul asked, "How long was I out?"
"Two weeks," Finn answered. "We were very worried, Saul. At first, we didn't think the injury was so serious, but then you wouldn't open your eyes. There's been talk of hunting down Lisbet and enacting vengeance the old fashioned way if... If you didn't recover."
Saul froze. Two weeks. He'd been away from Gavin for fourteen long days. He could only imagine what Gavin was thinking of him now.
His mind completely focused on the incomplete mate bond, Saul pushed past his brother. Finn grabbed his arm and said, "Saul, come on. You've just awoken. You can't..."
"I'm perfectly fine." And ironically, he was. His concern for Gavin had cancelled whatever effects the silver still had on it. "Let go of me. My mate is waiting."
Finn went completely rigid. "What? That can't be... When... did you..."
Saul kind of regretted mentioning it, but it couldn't be helped now. "It's a new thing. Finn, you have to help me out. My mate needs me. I can feel it. Our bond isn't complete, but it's there, and it's driving me crazy."
It didn't take long for Saul's brother to connect the dots. "It's the human, right? The one who called that day. I could tell you were furious that I insulted him."
"Don't remind me," Saul replied, not even bothering to deny it. "I'm still tempted to skin you alive because of it and right now, I'm not in the best mood to begin with."
"Saul... You can't be serious about this. You can't mate a human male. It's simply not done."
"Oh, dear. And yet, somehow, I did it. I wonder who has it right in this situation—me with a human mate whom I love, or you, with a fake female werewolf mate who ended up a rogue."
Finn snarled at him, and Saul snarled back. He bared his extended canines at Finn, his claws at the ready should Finn decide to attack. He saw the moment something changed inside Finn. A realization seemed to dawn in his eyes, and Finn's eyes lit up with that emotion that had once made them close—before Alpha sibling rivalry kicked in. Finally, Finn seemed to make a decision and he smiled. "You're lucky, Saul. On my part, go with the blessings of the moon. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. If I'd known, I never would have agreed to this."
"You never should have agreed to this at all, but whatever. I don't care anymore."
Finn didn't argue against that. He just stepped aside and even opened the door to the room. Saul took off running, already heading toward the exit to the mansion. His brother caught up with him and said, "You're going to need clothes and your car if you want to go see your human."
Saul hated to admit it, but Finn was right. He couldn't exactly run into the city as a wolf—he'd end up in some pound before he could even reach Gavin. Changing directions, he headed toward his room.
Finn joined him, which kind of irritated Saul, since he didn't need a keeper. Once he reached his room, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a random shirt, thrust his feet into some sneakers and pulled on a jacket. His keys were nowhere to be seen, but Finn tossed him his. "Here. You can take my car."
Saul acknowledged his brother's peace offering with a nod. He hoped he'd be able to leave the mansion without further delays. Still, he wasn't surprised when, upon exiting his room, he ran straight into his father.
The Alpha smiled at him, fixing Saul with his piercing gray eyes. "Welcome back, son."
In spite of his need to be with Gavin, Saul had to acknowledge his father's words. "Thank you for caring for me," he replied.
"I should have never let them hurt you." The Alpha's jaw clenched. "It was all my fault. My past came back to bite me in the ass."
Now that his father mentioned it,
Saul thought he could remember bits and pieces of the conversation between his father and the elders. "He was blackmailing you with information about your true mate, the human."
His father sighed heavily. "I suppose both you and your brother deserve to know the full story. Yes, I did fall for a human, and a man at that."
Saul could have been told the moon was made out of cheese—it would have shocked him less. "You mated a human male?" he asked his father.
"I wanted to, but I never did." His eyes gained a distant look, like he wasn't speaking solely for Saul's benefit anymore. "I was young when I found him, and I was afraid. Both of us were. It was a hard age for homosexual humans too, and my mate had to risk his life to come to our dates. So in the end, we went our separate ways. I claimed your mother, the one werewolf female who accepted I would never love her, but loved me anyway. She was amazing, though, your mother, and I did care about her. Whatever happens, boys, I want you to know that."
"We do," Finn replied, sounding as shocked at Saul felt.
For Saul's part, he couldn't help but marvel at this twist. He was more like his father than he'd ever thought. He'd agreed to come here precisely to protect his mate. It must have been similar for his father. "Did you... Did you never try to find him? After Mother died?"
"I did try, but he disappeared without a trace." Dean sighed again. "In my heart, I know he's still alive, but by now, he must be over seventy, anyway. I can only hope he had a happy life."
"I have a human mate, too," Saul admitted. "I... He's calling to me. He's terrified. I can't stay with the pack, Father. I need to go."
All the blood drained out of his father's face. "Moon be blessed... I can't believe I came so close into forcing you to repeat my mistakes. Don't worry about the pack, Saul. Go to your mate."
Saul didn't wait to be told twice. He ran past his father, ignoring the calls of the pack members who greeted him with enthusiasm. Outside, he slid into Finn's jeep and started the car. As he drove away, he caught a glimpse of Finn and his father waving at him. "Good luck!" Finn shouted. "Keep us posted."
