Derrick held onto Christian's hand, unable to take his eyes off his face. "Thank you," he said, reminding himself of their first kiss. He pecked Christian's cheek.
#
If Derrick hadn't been there, Christian likely would have freaked out waking up in a hospital gown, a sheet separating him from his lower half and two guys down there with sharp instruments. Derrick held his hand though so he knew he was safe and when the first baby cried, Christian cried right along with it.
"It's a boy," Felix said, passing the baby to one of his assistants. "And a girl," he said seconds after, passing the baby again. "And a boy." The last assistant waited with her arms out. One by one they were wiped. Derrick disappeared long enough to cut the cord.
"I want to see them," Christian said. He knew it would be a little while before he could hold them.
Derrick brought the first baby around the sheet so Christian could see him. Christian smiled and kissed his head. Then Derrick went back so that Christian was able to meet each of his babies individually.
They were perfect, beautiful and crying. Christian couldn't wait to snuggle them all against his skin. Derrick had wheeled the hospital cribs over so that the five of them were together, with Derrick crouched, protectively, lovingly over his family.
"Just going to close you up and clean everything on my end," Felix said conversationally.
"We need to get so much," Christian said, looking at his three perfect children.
"Actually," Derrick said sheepishly, "I bought a lot of it already. I had wanted to months ago but had to wait to find out how many children there would be. I have an employee bringing what we'll need."
Christian held Derrick's hand. "Can we trust them? Your employees? Dante said—"
Derrick's expression grew dark, but Christian knew it wasn't directed at him. "I've already got Bridgette working on it. In the meantime, I've pulled all of the scouts in this area and am operating with only my assistants. No one in my close circle wants things the way they were. Their benefits packages are too big."
Christian sighed with relief. If Derrick said he was handling the danger, then the danger would be handled.
By the time Christian and Derrick had been moved into a different room to recover, one of Derrick's employees arrived with a triplet stroller, car seats and diaper bags full of everything a newborn baby would need.
"Where will we go?" Christian asked him. He couldn't imagine bringing the babies back to the place he'd just been stabbed in. But Finn's house was already full.
"About that, I sort of bought the house right next to Finn's."
Christian gaped at him.
Derrick blushed. "I needed to be near you. It's surprisingly adequate. We can stay there until the triplets are old enough to travel. Which reminds me: one what do we name them? And two will you marry me?"
Christian gasped and then smiled wide. "Yes, yes I will."
Derrick beamed. He bent down and kissed Christian, sweetly. There was a commotion in the hallway, loud, southern voices and people bumping into walls. Derrick's smile turned into a grimace.
"What is it," Christian asked.
"When you got hurt. I lost all of my cool. I called…everyone."
Christian cocked his head to the side and relocated. His stab wound barely hurt, but he thought that was probably due to some awesome pain relievers. "What do you mean, everyone? Finn and Luke? Sorell?"
"Yes. And your father."
"What?"
"And Mémé and Bridgette."
"Bridgette?" Christian wasn't as annoyed as he thought he should be by that. He'd liked Bridgette before. Her biggest flaw had been being engaged to Derrick. He couldn't blame her for her part in Dante's scheme. They'd all been his puppets at one time or another. "How did they get here so fast?"
"Well, you were in surgery for a while, and well, we are really rich." He shrugged. "Your dad was surprised to hear you were back. And even more surprised to hear that you'd just given birth. He handled it pretty well. I'm pretty sure they are all outside that door right now." Derrick indicated the closed hospital door with frosted glass that prevented Christian from seeing anything more than dark shapes.
He looked from Derrick's face, to beside him where his two sons and daughter slept. They had yet to choose names, and that didn't matter one bit to Christian. They were his, and they were Derrick's and together, they would raise them as a family. A pack.
Derrick squeezed his hand. He hadn't let go of it after arriving in the room. Christian gave him a reassuring squeeze back. "Let them in. Let our family in."
Epilogue
Christian shut the nursery door softly. By some magic, he'd gotten the triplets to all nap at the same time. He tiptoed down the hallway, sure he would hear a cry at any second. He walked by Derrick's office and felt him grab his hand and pull him into the room. In a moment, Christian was held tight against Derrick's body, not pushed against the wall as he would have liked—his wound was still healing.
"You're a wizard," Derrick mumbled against his lips.
Christian wrapped his arms around Derrick's middle, absorbing his strength, his warmth. "Little Derrick will be up soon. Unless today is the day he decides to start sleeping while his brother and sister sleep." Little Derrick was the most rambunctious one for sure. He was also the oldest. Kathryn, the middle child, was quiet and sweet and happy as long as she was being held, which was often since there was always someone over to visit. Whether it was Finn and Frannie with some meal they'd prepared, despite Derrick telling them they didn't have to bother, or Sorell, Pippen, Conner and Felix coming to check up on them. And Mémé visited as often as possible. Sometimes she even brought Emma.
Christian had been worried about Emma's reaction to seeing her grandchildren. She'd taken one look at them and had dissolved into a mess of kissing noises and promises of shopping trips. Even Derrick's father had gotten a little misty-eyed and had puffed with pride when he realized they were continuing with the family name.
Finally, there was the youngest, Eddy, who slept the most out of the three but he also ate the most.
Christian loved learning his children with his partner by his side and couldn't believe he'd almost lost all of this.
The lights in the room blinked on and off. It was part of the noise-free doorbell system Derrick had installed in every room but the nursery after he'd almost murdered a solicitor for ringing the doorbell seconds after the last time the babies had all gone down at the same time.
Christian pulled out of Derrick's arms and went to the door. Sorell stood on his doorstep, a fresh bruise on his cheek. Christian pursed his lips.
"I fell," Sorell said in response to Christian's expression.
"Again? You're clumsier these days."
"I've got a lot on my mind," he said.
Derrick came into the room, his expression dark. "Is that other pack giving you guys trouble?"
Sorell shook his head. "No. It was a little crazy for them after Luke killed Lucian and didn't assume the pack master position. In the beginning, there were back-to-back challenges. A lot of violence and a lot of injuries."
Christian wondered how Sorell knew so much about the early days of their so-called enemy pack.
"But they have an alpha now who's stood the test of time," Sorell said, sounding proud.
Derrick scoffed. "The test of time? Six months?"
Sorell scowled. "You try challenging a wild pack for leadership," he said to Derrick staring pointedly at the canine wrapped by a thin strip of leather that hung around his neck, freely given to him by Derrick's father. Though, at that point, it had been more of a symbolic gesture.
"Why are you so defensive about the guy?" Derrick asked.
"Defensive about who?" Felix stepped through the open door at that moment. He had his doctor bag over his shoulder. Christian figured he was probably the last doctor left in the world to make house calls.
Sorell's face burned red. He was suddenly very interested in his shoes. "No one. I
got to go," he mumbled, walking by Felix.
Felix caught him with a hand on his arm. "Another bruise?" he said, but the anger in his tone was obvious.
Sorell pulled his arm free. "It's nothing." He turned back to Christian. "I was supposed to grab some flour for Pippen's recipe. Maybe you could bring a cup when you two come over later?" he suggested and then walked out without so much as a goodbye to Felix.
Felix watched him go, so lost in thought that he just stood there, the door open.
"Sorry to tell you," Derrick said, causing Felix's head to snap back around toward them. "But the babies are all asleep, and if you go in there to take so much as a temperature, you will have to teach Christian how to stitch you up."
"What? No, of course not," Felix said, distracted. "I'll just, come back." He was already down the sidewalk and walking to Finn's house next door.
"That was weird," Derrick said.
At the same time, Christian said, "I'm worried about Sorell."
"Do you want me to hire an investigator?" Derrick asked, coming up behind him.
Christian turned around and wrapped his arms around Derrick's middle. "No. He'll come to us. When he's ready. We'll just have to wait until he is ready to talk."
THE END
Saving Sorell: Wolf Shifter Mpreg Romance
(Wolf's Mate Book Three)
By
Kiki Burrelli
Saving Sorell
Copyright © 2016 by Kiki Burrelli
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Chapter One
Sorell kept his head down, going so quickly along the cement sidewalk that the tips of his toes nearly snagged on the cracks at every other step. The sky was dark with autumn storm clouds and the crisp air bit his face.
He felt like he was a frightened deer, running away from a hungry, advancing predator. Which was stupid.
You're a wolf, damn it! It was time he acted like one. Sorell stopped abruptly and spun around. Sure enough, his predator approached. When he saw Sorell standing there, the curly-haired man with the kind eyes froze.
That's right, Sorell thought triumphantly. You're the deer!
Felix continued his advance slowly. Each of his steps landed on the sidewalk with deliberation and control. Felix was always in perfect control around Sorell. Just once, Sorell wished Felix would lose control. He wished he would throw Sorell against a wall and kiss him until his lips were bruised.
Sorell's breath caught with the force of lust that raced through him. He was instantly thankful that Felix didn't possess the heightened senses of a shifter, because if he did, then he would have noticed Sorell's clear arousal. He licked his lips, in longing. None of his Felix fantasies would ever come true. Not just because the older man was a Type-A controlaholic, but also because Felix was straight and Sorell's pack doctor—oh, and the older brother of Sorell's pack master's mate. Not only was all of that hard to say, but it made absolutely certain that nothing would ever happen between Sorell and the sexy doctor.
Besides, Sorell already had a partner.
You have a replacement.
He'd made a mess of that, as well. Sorell should have known that anyone who wasn't Felix would never be more than a runner-up. But, Isaac had seemed to scratch his itches—at first.
His stomach twisted and not with pleasure. Isaac did like to throw Sorell against walls. A little too much.
"That's a nasty-looking bruise," Felix said once he had gotten near enough.
Sorell brushed his wild hair out of his eyes. This was why he'd been running away down the sidewalk in the first place. He didn't want to have this conversation with Felix. Sorell could handle the bruise on his cheek. But he felt a little sick to his stomach at the thought of Felix seeing it.
"Really?" he said with as much false bravado as he could muster. "I'm surprised you can see it. I'd honestly forgotten it was there. Can't even feel it." Lie. Big, fat lie. The bruise hurt every time he spoke, or smiled, or ate.
Felix didn't look like he believed Sorell anyway. "How'd you get it?" he asked with a cautious tone.
Isaac had been drunk, like usual, and in his excitement he'd shoved Sorell toward the bed. Sorell had tripped and landed hard against the side of the bed frame. Isaac was a powerful man, the pack master had to be. And, he was under a lot of stress and sometimes the pleasure-pain power games they played could get a little dicey. That was only one of the reasons Sorell had been planning on breaking up with him. The relationship wasn't fair to Isaac.
Sorell wouldn't tell Felix that he'd tried approaching the topic of breaking up the night he'd gotten hurt. He didn't want to give Felix any reason to look at him with anything that resembled pity.
He raised his chin obstinately in the air. "I got it making mad, passionate love." He leaned forward and spoke in a stage whisper. "It gets kinky sometimes." Inwardly, Sorell winced. Outwardly, he winked.
Had he expected his words or actions to force Felix into a response? Yeah, right.
Why did he expect anything he did to get a response from Felix? The first time he'd met Felix—before he'd been appointed pack doctor—Sorell thought he'd sensed a connection.
That was bullshit. He hadn't sensed a connection. It had been like an invisible force was tugging him down the hallway toward the older man. At that time, Felix had seemed jittery, on edge. But back then the pack was just starting out and there had been bigger issues to worry about that had eclipsed his intense urges. Finn's pregnancy for one. Keeping the pack together for another.
Sorell loved his new pack. He'd never say something so cheesy out loud, but every day he woke up in the pack house—technically Frannie's house—he couldn't believe his luck. Sorell's life had maybe turned around, finally.
Even if Sorell's life had turned around, his feelings for Felix had remained. Meanwhile, Felix's reactions toward him had cooled like an ice cube.
"Sorell," Felix said his name like a disapproving authority figure. "Last month it was a sprained wrist, a handful of bruises before then; these injuries aren't random."
Sorell almost spilled everything right then. How he was going to break it off with Isaac, not just to be fair to him, but because he took it too far, too often. How he was really, fucking nervous about trying to bring the topic up again with him. But, Felix's worry was edged with annoyance and Sorell would be the object of no one's pity.
"Don't know what to tell you, Doc," Sorell shrugged. "Weren't you on a house call for Christian and his new litter?"
"They're asleep," Felix said, staring at Sorell's bruise.
Christian was a soothing force to be reckoned with. His ability to put triplets to sleep at the same time was unnatural.
Felix pinched the lobe of his left ear. Sorell had come to learn it was an unconscious gesture. "You know, Sorell, I've worked in some pretty horrible places, have seen people who are truly stuck. You aren't. You have friends. A family."
Sorell swayed back, depositing his weight to the heels of his feet. "Family? Friends? Like you?" Why did he keep challenging him?
Sorell knew he liked pain. Apparently, he really liked it as he seemed so dead-set on f
orcing Felix to reject him.
Felix took the last steps that separated them, breaking into Sorell's personal bubble. He towered over Sorell, more so with his bulkier, more muscled frame. This close up, he filled each of Sorell's heightened senses. It was too easy to get lost in the endless depths of Felix's brown eyes. He felt caged in by the mere scent of him, a deep mix of smells intensely male but rich like fresh ground coffee. Sorell sensed a hint of latex, though that was likely from the gloves he kept in the satchel over his shoulder that the doctor brought for house calls. Sorell wanted to reach out and slip a finger under the strap of that bag. He'd let it slide down, off Felix's shoulder and down his arm.
Sorell let himself linger on the fantasy. He concentrated on the heat of the other man, the sounds of him breathing quietly in and out until all that existed in Sorell's world was Felix and the dirty things he longed to do with him. Sorell's dick stirred to life between his legs and he took a jerky step back. He did not need to get an erection right now.
Felix winced briefly before his face assumed its cool, controlled expression. He cleared his throat. "I am here for you, Sorell. I've been where you are."
Sorell scowled. "I don't think you've been where I am."
A dark cloud formed behind Felix's eyes. "You're lucky the reverse isn't true." His nostrils flared like he was inhaling Sorell's essence.
Whenever Felix did stuff like that, gestures more accustomed to a shifter, Sorell forgot he actually wasn't one. Just a doctor for shifters. "I've got to...Pippen is waiting," Sorell mumbled, unable to get away from him fast enough.
"Of course. Hey, I heard your birthday was this weekend," Felix said a little too brightly.
Sorell cocked his head to the side, evaluating the other man. He blamed Pippen for spilling the beans. Growing up and into his teen-aged years his birthdays had been strict and stifled events. Then, when he'd joined his first pack, they'd become non-existent. The second Frannie found this out, she'd begun to plan a party. "Yeah, the party. It's kind of lame. But sweet. And there's no stopping Frannie."
Wolf's Mate Mpreg Romance Box Set Page 33
