Mating Season (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 1)

by Theresa Hissong

  “Mom!” Tessa gasped. “He’s a good man.”

  “Yeah, well,” her mom tsked. “I also told your brother that he better be careful, because those shifters were brutal and would eat him.”

  Tessa laughed loudly. Her mother knew about Drake. Drake had encouraged Tessa to tell her mom and brother what they were, and how she was also one of them now. Her mom had taken the news as if Tessa had called her to tell her she’d adopted a new puppy. Wait…that wasn’t the best analogy. Maybe more like she’d gotten an upgraded apartment.

  “Mom, I don’t think Drake will eat him,” Tessa sighed. “He’s anxious to meet you and Ross.”

  “I’m ready to meet him,” she said. Tessa could hear the happiness in her mother’s voice. She hadn’t heard that in a very long time. Over the past few years, there had been sadness there whenever they would talk.

  “He saved my life, momma,” Tessa sniffled.

  God, she hated crying. She didn’t tell her family that Drake had killed Bradley in a fit of rage. Even then, Tessa knew why Drake did it, and she learned later on that shifter law was a lot different from the human ones. Tessa had no remorse for the feelings her newfound species had about the killing, either. In her mind, and the mind of her bear, the kill was justified.

  “I know he did, baby girl,” her mom replied.

  They talked for a few more minutes, and Tessa promised to be at the airport to pick them up the next afternoon. Her mom was going to help her plan a quick wedding with Drake to make it official by human laws.

  Drake wanted her to be a Morgan, and she had no problems with changing her name. The moment she fell in love with Drake, Tessa already felt like she was a part of the family. Rex and Gunner had treated her like a sister from the moment they’d met.

  Gunner was the sweetest, most accepting of her in the beginning, and Rex took a few days to warm up to her, and she assumed he only did it because Drake had touched her and found out they were true mates.

  Realizing her coffee was going cold, she lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. The moment it hit her stomach, her gut twisted and Tessa shot up from the chair. She ran for the half bath off the kitchen and barely made it in time to retch up the coffee and whatever was in her stomach.

  “Tessa!” Drake called out. She tried to kick the door closed, but his large hand caught it before it closed completely. “What’s…”

  Tessa laid her head sideways on the toilet seat and looked at her mate. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and his hands shook as he moved toward her. “What are you doing?”

  Drake dropped to his knees beside her and pulled her body to his. The warmth and feel of him wrapped around her took the nausea away, but only for a moment. She swayed a little as she sat on the floor but didn’t throw up again.

  “My mate,” he sighed and held her close. “You’ve made me the happiest male on the face of the planet.”

  “Oh my god, Drake,” she moaned. “Why would my throwing up make you so happy?”

  “Do you feel different?”

  “Of course, I do,” she complained. “I’m sick.”

  “Little one, you’re not sick,” he cooed, stroking her hair. “You’re pregnant.”

  “W…what?” she gasped. There was no way.

  “I can scent your pregnancy,” he explained, wonder coating his words. Drake placed his large hand on her flat stomach.

  “How? When?” she stuttered. “How the hell can you scent it?”

  “You can’t?” he frowned, inhaling deep.

  “No, I can’t!” she barked. “All I’ve been doing is throwing up since I drank that coffee.”

  “Oh, no,” he shook his head, standing up from his position on the floor. “No more coffee for you. It’s bad for my son. Come on, let me take you back to bed.”

  “Your son?” she asked, her eyes still wide as he scooped her up off the floor.

  As soon as Drake’s brothers entered the living room, Rex and Gunner froze in their steps and scented the air. Both men whooped loud enough to startle Tess. “Y’all are scaring me.”

  “Holy shit! We’re going to be uncles,” Gunner laughed loudly.

  “Oh my god,” Tessa gasped and covered her face. “You can scent that?”

  “Shifters can scent pregnancies within hours after conception,” Rex blushed.

  “Great, no privacy at all,” she mumbled against Drake’s shirt. It smelled of dirt and hard work. “Are you sure I’m pregnant?”

  “One hundred percent,” Drake beamed. Tessa loved when he dropped the grumpy demeanor and showed his happiness. It wasn’t very often, but since they’d mated, she was seeing it more and more. “We can always have Harold come over to check you out.”

  “I’d prefer that,” Tessa agreed. “I mean, I trust you guys, but I just need some reassurance.”

  “I’ll get him over this afternoon,” Drake promised, pulling out his phone. He composed a quick text and slid it back into his pocket. “For now, you need to rest. I will make you something to eat. Our cub needs strength.”

  “I’m not going to argue with you on that,” she mumbled as she paused to yawn.

  Drake’s brothers high-fived him as he returned to the main house. He was overjoyed that Tessa had become pregnant after their alone time the night before. Her scent had changed drastically since the night before, and he hadn’t noticed when he‘d woken up at five in the morning, because he had been in a hurry to get out to the fields.

  “You’re going to make a great papa, Drake,” Rex commented. Drake nodded and looked over his shoulder, knowing Tessa needed to rest, but he wanted to celebrate. “We will have a feast tonight in celebration.”

  “I’ll make something easy on her stomach.” Gunner smiled and walked into the kitchen, digging through the freezer for a pack of chicken.

  “Thank you both,” Drake said, clearing his throat. He felt emotions inside him he’d never felt before. His beast was roaring with its happiness, as well.

  “Get your work done, and probably Tessa’s too,” Rex ordered. “She’ll be tired for the next few days.”

  “I agree,” Drake said, wandering off to the computer desk in the living room. He looked around the house and realized he probably needed to add on to the main house. There would be a cub running around soon and having their small office in the living area would cause problems. Maybe he could bust out the wall in front of him and add an actual office with a door?

  It wouldn’t be any trouble. The cats had a construction company, and he was sure they’d send over a few of their employees to help him.

  What the hell was wrong with him? Humans worked for Shaw Construction and he was willingly wanting them to come work on his home. Two months ago, he would’ve bared his fangs at the thought of a human coming on his land, but now, Tessa had softened his heart to the other species.

  Her mother and brother would be arriving the following day for a small wedding. He’d encouraged Tessa to tell her family about him. He didn’t want her to hide from the ones who loved her. Thankfully, her family was as understanding about their secrecy as Tessa had been when she’d found out about them.

  His phone pinged with an incoming text. Harold would be out to the house in the next twenty minutes, and Drake figured he’d use that time to pay some bills for the business. After the doc checked Tessa, he’d encourage her to sleep until dinner.

  Harold arrived ahead of his schedule, and Rex let the panther’s healer inside immediately. Everyone was smiling, and Drake accepted a hearty handshake from the doc. “Congratulations, Drake.”

  “Thank you!” He smiled, again.

  “So, is Tessa okay?” Harold asked as he set his black bag on the kitchen table.

  “She’s still new to this and wants you to give her a pregnancy test to confirm what we’ve told her.” Drake walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer, cracking the top even though it was the middle of the day.

  “Let’s go reassure your mate,” Harold chuckled, slapping Drake’s back.<
br />
  He left Harold in his private living area as he slipped inside their bedroom. Tessa wasn’t in the bed, and if it wasn’t for the light glowing from under the bathroom door, he would’ve panicked, wondering where she was.

  He knocked softly, and after a mumbled response from her, he entered to find her resting her head on the toilet seat. His mate was sick, and he had no idea how to make her better.

  “Harold’s here,” he whispered, and rubbed his hand over her silky, blonde hair. Tessa nodded and started to get up from the floor, but Drake scooped her up and took her back to bed. As soon as she was settled, he stepped out to get the healer.

  A quick pregnancy test confirmed their senses, and Harold spent another few minutes checking her vitals.

  “I’m so happy,” Tessa started crying.

  “So am I, little one,” Drake cooed as he lay beside her on the bed, looking up at the healer. “Is there anything we can do for this sickness?”

  “Bland foods for the next few weeks,” Harold stated. “She will need to stay hydrated. If she has any weird symptoms, I’m only a call away.”

  “So, our baby is okay?” she asked.

  “Your cub is going to be strong,” Harold promised. “I will be able to check his or her heartbeat in about nine weeks to confirm that for you.”

  “I can’t wait.” Tessa smiled at Drake.

  “I will leave you and your family to celebrate,” Harold said, removing his special gloves. Shaking Drake’s hand, the healer told them to call him if she had any problems and left the room.

  As soon as he left, Drake returned to his mate and pulled her in close. He kissed the top of her head and just kept his lips pressed there for several minutes. “I am the luckiest male alive.”

  “My mother is going to be so happy,” she sniffled. “My brother has never married.”

  “I can’t wait to meet your family,” he said, reaching behind him to fluff a pillow. He leaned back and pulled her to his chest. The scent of her pregnancy reached his nose, and he sighed from the peace and calm it brought him.

  “Even if they’re human?” she asked. Drake looked down and saw a frown form between her eyes.

  “They’re your family. Of course, I’ll love them as you love them.”

  “Thank you,” she grinned, rubbing her hand over his chest. “Thank you for saving me, Drake.”

  “I think it was you that saved me,” he argued.

  “How’s that?” Tessa sat up so she could look him in the eyes.

  “I was so angry that a human took my parents, I turned that into hatred for all humans.” He paused to take a deep breath. “You showed me that there are still good humans out there, and you loved me even when I was being a grumpy asshole.”

  “You really were a grumpy asshole,” she confirmed, giggling when he tightened his hold on her.

  Epilogue

  January

  There was snow falling on New Year’s Day, and Drake only knew about it when he woke up to check on Tessa. She’d been craving some hot chocolate, and he sleepily made his way to the main house to find some extra supplies.

  The Morgan clan had retired to their private rooms to hibernate for the winter about three weeks prior. Drake was beyond tired, because he couldn’t rest like he’d done all those winters in the past. His cub was due any day, and his beast wouldn’t let him sleep more than a few hours at a time.

  Tessa, on the other hand, had been sleeping like a pregnant bear should. He only woke her to check on the babe, and when he did, she’d beg for food. That was normal and nothing to worry about, but it made for a tiring winter rest. After the hot chocolate, Tessa would hopefully sleep another few hours, and Drake could get some rest, finally. He didn’t care. As tired as he was, he’d do this every winter if his mate was carrying his cub.

  As he descended to his room, he heard Tessa suck in a harsh breath. It took him three steps to push the door open to their quarters. “Tessa?”

  “The baby is coming,” Tessa panted as he entered the bedroom. She was standing beside the bed, bent over as her hands rested on the tops of her knees. A puddle of water pooled between her feet.

  “Okay, little one,” he said, setting the cup of hot chocolate on the bedside table. “Let me get the bed prepared. I need you to sit in this chair.”

  He maneuvered her to the recliner next to their bed. He grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and set it down before she slowly eased into the seat. Stripping the sheets from the bed, he retrieved a plastic sheet and placed it over the mattress. He’d been planning and training for this day since he came of age many years ago.

  “Do we need to call Harold?” she asked. “Are you sure you can do this by yourself?”

  Drake smiled where she couldn’t see it. Even in labor, his mate was full of questions. He wouldn’t change that for anything in the world.

  “I know what I’m doing, but if you would like for him to assist me, I can place a call right now,” he offered.

  “I want you to deliver our cub.” She paused, panting as she rested her hand on top of her rounded belly. He checked the clock to keep time of her contractions. “Can you call him though? Can we keep him on standby should anything happen?”

  “I can do that,” he replied, finishing up what he needed to do so he could focus his time on her comfort. “I’m going to help you back into the bed, and we will wait until the cub is ready to come into the world.”

  Tessa took his hand after arguing she could do it herself. With a hard glare, Tessa smiled and shook her head, “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good girl.”

  He took a moment to text the cat’s healer, and a reply came back with an offer to help if he was needed. Drake told Harold he’d be in touch. He climbed into the bed beside Tessa and held her through the next contraction.

  Eight minutes apart.

  The next few hours were spent with Tessa increasingly becoming more uncomfortable. She cried a few times, but never complained about the pain. Drake was in awe of her strength.

  “Have you picked a name?” he asked, trying to keep her mind off of the contractions.

  Four minutes apart.

  Tessa nodded her head and squinted her eyes when the next contraction hit. She breathed through it, and finally fell back into the pillow. Drake took a cool washcloth and laid it across her forehead.

  “I can’t believe I have the sole responsibility of giving our child a name.” She rolled her eyes, rubbing absently at their child through her belly.

  “It’s tradition,” he shrugged. “I hope you picked my son a strong name.”

  “I only picked a name for a girl,” she teased and sucked in another breath. The contractions were changing, and Drake waited patiently for Tessa to breathe through them.

  Three minutes apart.

  “Oh, no,” he teased, tweaking her nose. “It’s going to be a boy.”

  “It’s a girl,” she argued, narrowing her eyes.

  “You can’t know that,” he frowned. “Unless Harold told you what the sex of our cub was after that last ultrasound.”

  Tessa shrugged and laughed, “He didn’t tell me. I just feel like it’s a girl.”

  “Well, I feel it’s a boy.” Drake knew she was teasing him, and he loved her for it.

  “I guess we will find out soon,” she winked and cuddled closer to his side. He rested his hand on her belly where his cub still remained within the protection of its mother’s womb.

  The next contraction hit and Tessa curled in on herself. Drake soothed her by petting her head and whispering encouraging words in her ear. She didn’t cry out again, but he could feel her pain as if it was his own.

  Two minutes apart.

  “I feel pressure,” she said a few moments later.

  “Let me look,” he offered and took his position at the end of the bed. Drake steadied his hand and pushed her gown up where he could see if the cub’s head was visible. Tessa cursed when he shook his head. “Not yet, little one.”

  “I ca
n’t do this much longer,” she panted with the next contraction.

  “It’s almost time,” he promised.

  “I really need to push, Drake,” she said, gritting her teeth.

  “Not yet, Tessa,” he ordered. “You will push when I tell you to.”

  “It hurts,” she cried out when the next contraction hit.

  Within fifteen minutes, Tessa was in so much pain, Drake actually became worried. He shot off a text to his brothers and the healer. He hoped Rex and Gunner were awake enough to hear the messages. Harold replied he could be at the house in ten minutes, but Drake held him off. Tessa wanted Drake to bring their cub into the world, and he was going to give her that wish.

  “Okay, Tessa, I need you to push on the next contraction,” Drake said after taking a look.

  The next hour was hectic as Tessa worked her body to deliver their child. Drake stayed focused and did everything exactly the way he was trained.

  Finally, at five minutes before midnight, his daughter was delivered. He held the cub close to his heart as he cut the umbilical cord.

  “It’s a girl,” he said in awe. At that moment, he didn’t care what sex the cub was, because the child was his and Tessa’s.

  And she was perfect.

  Her face was rounded like a cherub and her legs were long and thick. His thumb slipped into her tiny palm and she squeezed him hard and tight. “Aren’t you the strong one?”

  “Let me see her,” Tessa begged, tears streaming down her face. “Give me my daughter.”

  Drake carefully bundled his daughter and rested her against Tessa’s chest. His mate brought their cub to her breast, and he watched as she fed for the first time. His eyes were wide as he stared at not only one woman he loved with all of his soul, but two women who completely owned him.

  “What’s her name?” he asked as he kissed Tessa head.

  “Her name is Aria Shay Morgan,” she announced with a grin, looking up into his eyes.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Drake held his mate and cub, thankful for the day that Tulley sent Tessa to his land. She’d taught him how to love and gave him everything he ever wanted in a mate, and now she had provided him an offspring.