by B. N. Kasner
Her husband wasn’t like her friend’s mates. Nathan held back on his emotions and actions when they were around others. But in private, he was the sweetest, most passionate man she knew. “I’ve been thinking this is all on my shoulders and I know when to admit when I’m wrong. I’m wrong, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, but it’s alright because I haven’t been very vocal about how this affects me.” He paused, lifting his head to look around their little bathroom. “I didn’t think we’d have this conversation in here. In fact, let’s not.” She thought he meant the conversation was over.
Instead, he stood with her in his arms, carrying her to their bed. After getting them situated up against the headboard, he started again. “Every time I look at my buddies, I’m jealous. Then I feel like I’m lacking in my manhood somehow because they got their mates pregnant, and I haven’t. At least not yet.”
He winked at her, pulling her closer until Annie couldn’t tell where she began and he ended. “But it will happen, I know it. In the meantime, we lean on each other. We’re a unit Annabeth, you’re not alone in this.”
“I love you so much, Nathanial. You are my whole world, I just want to make our dreams of having a family come true.” Her mate got a guilty look on his face. “What? What have you done this time?”
Nathan had a way of trying to fix things without telling her. She knew exactly what the look on his face meant. He’d done it again. Sweet bear, always trying to make our life easier. “I may have kickstarted the whole family thing.”
“How? What do you mean?” Swinging her leg around to straddle his hips, Annie now faced him.
“Don’t think I did this because I don’t believe we'll have kids on our own. This could only help us in the long run. After seeing how happy Carter, Grace and Stella are, I realized adoption could be an option for us.” He cradled her face in his hands, leaning in to give her a soft kiss. “I should’ve talked to you first before I submitted the paperwork.
“I may have gotten a little excited. Just think about a little one who needs parents. We could give a cub or pup or whatever they are unconditional love. A good home-”
“A family,” Annie whispered, her lips brushing against Nathan’s as she formed the words. “It’s wonderful. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner. Did it say when we’d hear anything back?”
“No, it could take years.”
“But Stella-”
“Stella’s case was an emergency, that kind of thing doesn’t happen every day. Don’t forget, Carter and Grace already had some kind of claim on her. We don’t have any sort of sway over Shielded Shifters or Child Protective Services.”
“At least it’s a step in the right direction. For the first time in so long, I feel like I can breathe easy again.” Her lips peppered his jaw with kisses. “Will Mason care if you take the rest of the day off?”
“No,” he growled. Then groaned when Annie ran her nails over his hard chest and abs. Her mate was a handsome bear. “He’ll understand when I tell him my wife needed me.” Nathan rolled them over, pinning her to the bed under his weight.
“Needed me to comfort her.” His hands slipped her top off, leaving her bare for his ministrations. “Needed me to help her relax.” Nathan’s lips teased the mating mark on the top of her left breast. “Although, I won’t mention how she needed me to make her fall apart in my arms.”
Now, his hands pushed up her skirt, leaving her thigh highs and lacy, pale pink thong on display. Nathan growled as his fingertips traced up the inside of her trembling thighs, sliding to where she wanted his talented fingers most. “Or how she melted at my touch. Damn, I love your fascination with sexy lingerie. You drive me wild, you know that?”
Any reply she had disappeared the moment his fingers entered her. All she could do was hold on to her husband as he proved how true his excuses to Mason would be.
Nathan
Slipping his arm around Annie, Nathan used his other hand to set Corey’s birthday gift down. Ella and Mason had put together a huge party for the pup’s seventeenth birthday. Everyone but the boy knew his present was a truck of his own. Nathan and Annie had gotten him a set of seat covers. Obviously, the vehicle would be given to him first, so none of the gifts gave it away.
Corey was busy talking on the phone, so Nathan guided his honey towards where their friends sat. “Who’s the pup talking to?” He asked Mason as Annie left his arms to coo over the twins with Ella.
“First it was his teammates, now it’s his math tutor. Apparently, we have a hard house to find and the address doesn’t show up on a GPS.”
“His tutor hasn’t stopped by before?”
“No, we’ve met her. They always meet at the school library. With two little ones, it’s good for the kid to get out, interact with people other than all of us.” Mason paused, studying the boy who had become his son in every way. “I worry about him. He seems too quiet and shuts down sometimes, especially around new people.”
“Not everyone is outgoing.”
“No shit, asshole.”
“Look, it’s okay to worry about him. He’s your son, man. But I think you might be worrying about the wrong thing.” Mason just waited for Nathan to continue. His alpha was nothing if not consistent.
He wouldn’t ask you to tell him something, he expected you to just spit it out. “Corey is dominant. Enough so for his presence to already make the submissive shifters squirm. The pup is only going to get stronger as he gets older. Maybe mull that over instead of him not liking new people.”
A train of cars barreled down the dirt driveway blasting music. “Besides, do you really want Corey being friends with those little pricks?” Nathan saw Mason nod his head, agreeing with him. Several guys got out of each car, gave their birthday wishes to Corey then meandered away. He caught some of them giving his wife and Ella leering looks.
“Not at our son’s birthday party.” Ella appeared beside a growling Mason, laying her hand on his arm. His growling stopped, but the tension didn’t leave him. “Let the boys look their fill, I’m only yours mate.” She pulled Mason down to her level, laying a passionate kiss on his lips.
Nathan looked away to find his own mate and stake his claim. Only certain things got under his fur. One of them was someone looking at his wife like she didn’t already have a mate. It probably had something to do with the way they’d met. With her engaged to someone who wasn’t Nathan.
Now, whenever someone looked at her with anything more than friendliness in their eyes, the fur on the back of his neck stood on end. She’s ours. No one will ever take her from us. At least his bear still had a clear mind. “Wife.” His voice held a snarl in it.
“What’s wrong?” Annie handed Mikey over to Grams. Standing, she followed him around the side of Mason and Ella’s continuously expanding house. “Nathaniel.” He loved hearing his full name from her.
She was the only one to call him by it. Just as he was the only one, who used hers. “Annabeth.” The tone of his voice must’ve given him away because she pressed her body up against his. “They were looking at what’s mine.”
Annie used her lips to reassure him, kissing him like her life depended on it. Nathan knew he had overreacted when the red haze lifted from his mind. He didn’t however, pull away from his wife. Not until they were both panting, wanting to run off into the woods together. Coming around the corner, Nathan got knowing looks from both Carter and Alex.
Those two were becoming close. He thanked the Goddess it hadn’t been the middle Wilson brother. Isaiah had a mouth on him, one which didn’t have a filter. “Wow.” Annie breathed from beside him.
His eyes followed her line of sight, and wow was right. The tiny young woman making her way to Corey wore a smile from ear to ear. She carried a large present wrapped in paper covered in wolves.
“Goddess, Sophia, let me get that.” The pup hustled over, lifting the present up and out of her hands. She barely made it to the center of his chest. “It looks just like me, wait till my Ma
sees it.” The smile Corey gave Sophia had Nathan taking a double take.
He knew that look. Actually, almost all the men there knew the look. It wasn’t a look male shifters gave to their math tutors. “Kid sure knows how to pick ‘em.” Isaiah whistled low.
The wolf was right. Sophia’s long, straight, strawberry blonde hair blew around in the late spring breeze. She pushed black framed glasses up her delicate nose, the large frames couldn’t hide her grayish blue eyes. “Well, this party just got a helluva lot more interesting.”
“Can someone find Corey? I wanna do cake and presents before the twins get cranky.” Ella asked to no one in particular. Nathan started to get up, along with half the table. “He’s one seventeen-year-old. Not all of ya’ll have to go.”
“I’ll look around. You guys stay and visit, Goddess knows it’s going to be harder to get together with all these babies.” Nathan realized how much all their lives were changing. Wives, kids, jobs, the whole territory.
No matter what, they were still family. These men were more like his brothers than his actual ones. Their wives were his sisters. He knew they’d make it work out. Somehow, they’d find time for each other, even with their chaotic lifestyles.
Nathan heard Corey before he saw him. “If I hear you talking bad about her again, not only will I beat all of your asses. But I’ll tank this fucking season so fast you’ll wish you’d never even joined the team. Do we understand each other?” The snarl in the pup’s voice almost had Nathan turning to find Mason.
A murmured chorus of yes’ rang out, then a group of four boys came around the corner towards him. “You wanna tell me what that was about, or no?” Corey whipped around shaking, his eyes the silver of his wolf.
“No. It’s nothing, just looking out for a friend.” The young woman in question popped out from around the other side of the house at that exact moment.
“Oh. I’ll…um…just go. It’s time for gifts and cake.”
“Damn it.” Sophia had disappeared back around the corner by the time Corey went to chase after her. “Soph, wait.” Nathan shook his head, the pup still had a lot to learn about women.
Or more importantly, the one young lady Nathan had a feeling was Corey’s mate.
Annie
“Vivienne, can I borrow you for a moment?” Annie didn’t want all her friends to hear about her problems. She knew they would’ve been there for her, they’d support her in any way possible. But, with her emotions still running high, Annie was nervous she’d say something she’d later regret. Besides, Ella was busying helping Mason get Corey’s truck into place.
Lani had James making little gummy smiles at Gene, while Grace and Carter played tag with Stella. Pulling Vivienne away from Grams was easy enough, even if Grams’ cunning eyes seemed to peer into her soul. “What is it dear?” Vivienne’s voice had a soothing quality to it. At least to Annie it did.
Others, like Alex for example, said it was more haunting than soothing. Although, he had issues with witches. “The tests came back negative.”
“Oh honey, I’m sorry. I was sure that combination of herbs would do the trick.” Her white-blonde brows pulled together as she frowned. “Did you test too soon?”
“Maybe. I don’t have a regular cycle, so it’s possible.” The idea hadn’t dawned on Annie before. Holy shit, had she been testing early this whole time?
Stressing herself out for nothing? She wanted to kick herself in the ass. “Try again in a week. All the dreams I’ve seen of you, there are children involved.”
“Children, not child?”
“Yes dear, children.” Vivienne smiled, patting her on the shoulder like Annie’s mother or grandmother would’ve of. “And if it truly is negative, come back and see me next month. I have a few other tricks up my sleeve.
“Ah, here comes your mate. If you excuse me, I’m going to find my bear.” By the time Nathan made it to her side, Corey came around the side of the house. Everyone yelled, “Surprise!” when he saw the gleaming silver truck. Instead of being excited, he looked disappointed.
And Annie wasn’t the only one who noticed. “You don’t like it?” Ella’s voice cracked at the end. Even from across the clearing, Annie saw the tears gathering in her eyes.
“He’s just shocked, little wolf. Don’t fret. Right, Corey?” Mason had been tender with his mate, like always. While for the first time, he snarled at the pup.
“Shit, sorry. Ma, I think it’s great, just what I wanted.”
“No you don’t.” The sniffles coming from Ella turned into full on sobs. Corey’s human friends, except for Sophia, scattered to their cars. Hell, even some of the shifters took off. A sobbing Ella only meant one thing.
They were about to have a very pissed off alpha on their paws. “Goddess help me.” His growl echoed through the silent yard. It made her eyes shoot to the ground. She grabbed onto Nathan’s hand for strength.
Annie was a submissive bear through and through. An irritated alpha wasn’t something she wanted to encounter. “Apologize before I say or do something I regret.” Without looking up, she knew Mason had spoken to Corey.
“He didn’t do anything wrong.” A small voice spoke up. Goddess that tiny human has some balls. Annie secretly smiled to herself. Maybe the meek girl was more than she looked like.
Mason growled at being talked back to, but a fiercer snarl cut him off. The sound made Annie bare her neck, submit herself to an alpha. “Holy fucking shit.” Isaiah sounded excited. “This- fuck you, Alexander.”
She didn’t need her sight to know Alex had just smacked Isaiah on the back of his head. It was Alex’s go to move when his middle brother got mouthy. “Keep your damn mouth shut.” A light giggle sounded, then Ella too, started laughing.
“Your family, other than the crying stuff, is amazing.” Finally, some of the alpha dominance lifted enough for Annie to look up. Sophia smiled at the Wilson brothers first, then Mason and Ella, finishing with Corey.
“I’m sorry about all the crying, I’m just emotional.” Mason had Ella’s face in his hands, wiping her tears away.
“You haven’t been like this since…” He trailed off, a strange look on his face. “You’re pregnant.” Before Ella could confirm or deny Mason’s declaration, he swept her up into his arms. Twirling her around with a smile stretching his face.
“You idiot. Of course she’s pregnant. When are your paws not all over my little sister?” Isaiah gave Mason a ‘come on’ look.
“Isaiah, brother. Really? Maybe for like two seconds, you can be quiet?” Alex had to know that would be a long shot.
“Oh, big brother. Do you honestly think that’s every going to happen?” He rolled his eyes, smirking.
“See, they’re hilarious. Are they always like this?” Sophia bounced around while giggling. Her and Corey were so adorable together, Annie barely held her squeal in.
“Unfortunately.” But Corey smiled at his brothers. “So, I guess I’m gonna be a big brother again?” Mason sat Ella on the ground lightly, the overprotectiveness already starting.
“Yes. Sorry about the outburst-”
“It’s fine Ella. You’re carrying our young, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Oh Goddess,” Ella groaned. “Not again.” Annie leaned against Nathan laughing. Instead of feeling jealous, she felt happy for her friends. The bone-deep sadness wasn’t there anymore.
Spending the other day with Nathan had made Annie feel like herself again. She didn’t have to pretend anymore. Annie could just enjoy the moment, knowing someday it would be her and Nathan’s turn.
Nathan
Every night for the past week, Nathan listened to his wife getting sick. It had become a routine. While she was in the bathroom, he’d make her tea. This night, however, he waited by the door holding something else in his hand. “Annabeth, open up.” The door slowly opened, revealing his wife looking paler than normal.
“Oh, honey. Come here.” Annie basically collapsed into his open arms. “You still think t
his is just a stomach bug?”
“Mhm.” She mumbled, snuggling him. “All I need is some sleep.” She took a nap every day and still went to bed early.
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“No?”
“No, you feel up to taking a test?” Sleepy, hazel eyes peered at him through thick eyelashes. “You’ve been sick for a week. Tired, moody and you hate vanilla ice cream. But at the store yesterday, you were basically drooling all over the carton.” He raised a blonde brow, waiting for his honey to catch on.
He saw the moment Annie realized what he had implied. “Vivienne did say to test again, and I haven’t.” She snatched the test out of his hand, shutting the door in his face.
“Annabeth.”
“You know I can’t pee in front of people.” Her giggle came through the door loud and clear. Ever since their talk about adoption and struggling, his honey had come back. Her personality shined like a beacon to him. He followed her light, strived to do the best he could by her.
The air whooshed in front of him as Annie flung the door open. “We have to wait three minutes.” They looked at each other, knowing they wouldn’t be able to wait. “Let’s just watch the test.”
“Yeah.” Nathan held his breath when he saw the test. Annie had taken enough of them that he knew what to look for. He knew the plus sign already showing up, and getting darker, meant his wife was pregnant.
He didn’t realize he was crying until Annie’s hand cupped his cheek. “We’re going to be parents, Nathanial.” The elation, love and devotion he felt for Annabeth grew into a feeling he couldn’t describe. Hell, he could barely think straight. Nathan only felt his and Annie’s emotions mirroring each other.
Finally, some of his mind focused enough for him to form sentences. “You already made me the happiest bear in the world, but this? My sweet, sweet Annabeth. This is beyond words.”
“This is our luck, huh? Fill out paperwork for adoption, then find out we’re going to have a cub.” Annie laid her head on Nathan’s chest, holding him like her life depended on it. It was their luck.
