Unexpected Mates (Red Moon Shifters Book 1)

by Grace Brennan

  “Yes!” Parker replied, a breathtaking smile on her face. “I never thought you would feel it this soon. Everything I’ve read says it’s still too early yet. This baby has his Daddy’s strength.”

  The feelings coursing through Ty were indescribable. Tenderness, affection, awe. For both the pup and its mother. He frowned as he realized what she’d said. He shouldn’t be feeling it yet? Strong like him? Shit. This obviously wasn’t normal, and what if the baby was too strong and hurt Parker?

  Would the fucking worries ever stop piling up? He’d need to call Jared again tomorrow. See if he had any answers. He couldn’t stand the thought of anything hurting Parker.

  “Ty? What’s wrong?” Parker asked, putting a hand on his cheek.

  He forced a grin and shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just can’t believe I felt the baby, is all.”

  He surged up and kissed her hard, hoping to distract her. He ended up distracting them both. He always lost all train of thought when his lips met hers, and all he could do was drown in sensations. He swiped his tongue over her lips, groaning when she let him and tangled her tongue with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer as they both threatened to go up in flames.

  Parker pulled back and looked at him, full lips swollen and glistening from his kiss. “We’ve had an appetizer and a main course. Is it time for dessert yet?”

  Ty chuckled as his dick thumped. He swooped back in and let his kiss be his answer.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ty kissed Parker on the lips before heading out of the house the next morning. He’d come back to the house to sit down with her for breakfast. He normally ate much earlier, but he’d held off today, wanting to eat with her when she woke up. He just couldn’t go all morning without seeing her, and he knew Parker was planning on having lunch with her sister today.

  He’d gotten up that morning and crept out of the room to shower and dress. After going back in to put his boots on, he’d stood by the bed, just watching her sleep, chest tight with emotion that he wasn’t sure he understood. She’d been breathtaking, her face relaxed and mouth slightly open as she breathed deeply in her sleep. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but farm work waited for no one.

  And Chase was right. The need for money was even more pressing with a baby on the way. He’d seen all the stuff Jared and Adara had for their babies, and although he and Parker wouldn’t need as much, they still needed a lot.

  Speaking of Jared, it was time to make that phone call. Ty walked over by the barn, where he could get good service and still keep an eye on the house. He didn’t want Parker overhearing this conversation. He pulled out his phone and dialed Jared’s cell, impatiently waiting as it rang.

  “Jared Montgomery.”

  “Jared, it’s Tyler. Listen, I have some news, and I need to ask you some questions if you have a minute.”

  “Hey, Ty. What’s up?”

  “I was out for a run last night as a wolf and I ran across a scent. It was a shifter, a female wolf. She was all over our woods and had gone in a circle around the house and the barns, but she never left the tree line. I tracked the scent but she cut through the river. Do you know of any wolf shifters in the area?”

  “A female wolf? No. I only know one other wolf in the area right now, besides you and Chase. Carter Evans, one of Ian Barrister’s fighters. He’s a male, though, not a female.”

  Ty huffed an exasperated breath. “Don’t tell me you go to those damn shifter fights, too.”

  Jared laughed. “Don’t be a stick in the mud, Ty. Chase told me you were uptight about the fights, but I didn’t believe him. I don’t go to all of them, but I’ve been to a few. They’re entertaining, and probably not at all what you’re imagining them to be.”

  “Whatever, man. There aren’t any females on that crew, or any of the other crews?”

  “Just one, in Ian’s, but she’s not a wolf.”

  Ty rubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. I didn’t think it would be that easy, though. Do me a favor and have everyone on Bear Claw be on the lookout, alright? She didn’t cross over the river on your land, but it can’t hurt to check around.”

  “Absolutely. I don’t like the idea of an unknown shifter hanging around so close, either. You said you had some questions, too?”

  “Yeah, about Parker’s pregnancy. Or rather, Adara’s. Parker has a doctor’s appointment this week. Should I be worried? About bloodwork and shit? She said she’s been to one, back in California, and I figure it was okay since she hasn’t been snatched by the government or some shit. But it’s still got me worried.”

  “I think you’re good to go there. Adara didn’t see an O.B., though. We went to Oregon a few times for ultrasounds and stuff, at a shifter friendly facility, and then had a midwife deliver the baby. Parker isn’t a shifter, though, so I don’t think going to Oregon will be necessary. I have a buddy whose mate is a human, and nothing ever showed in her blood work, so you’re good there. I’ll give you the name of the midwife, though. That might be a good idea, because the baby will be different, and it would be best if a hospital isn’t testing its blood, just to be safe.”

  Ty sighed, half relieved and half still worried. Hiring a midwife would take some explaining, although he supposed he needed to tell Parker the truth soon, anyway. He’d put it off forever if he could, but her having his pup put a time limit on telling her what he was. What the baby she carried was.

  “Thanks, man. One more question. I felt the pup move last night. Parker said it was early for me to feel it moving. Is the baby going to be too strong for her? Hurt her because of it?”

  “Shifter babies do tend to be a bit stronger than a normal human baby, and movement is felt early. Adara was around that far along when we felt the twins move. Remember I said I had that friend with a human mate? She’s gone through three successful pregnancies. She felt the babies move early with all three, and they never hurt her. Toward the end, some of the kicks and stuff can be pretty powerful, but that’s true for human pregnancies too, from what I understand. And my friend’s mate is just fine. She wouldn’t have gone through three pregnancies if they’d hurt her too much, and her mate never would have let her.”

  Ty blew out a relieved breath. “Thanks, Jared. There’s a lot of shit to worry about.”

  “Yeah, there is,” Jared agreed. “But there’s also a lot of amazing shit, too. Tell me you weren’t in complete awe when you felt your pup move.”

  A smile crept over Ty’s face. “It was awesome. I don’t even have the words for it.”

  “It gets even better. Wait until you hear the heartbeat or see it moving on that screen. I’ll be honest with you, man, the worry never goes away, not really. But there are so many amazing moments like those that make up for it, and it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

  Ty cleared his throat. “Listen, Jared. I really do appreciate all of this. I’ve been a dick to you since Cassie died. Hell, I probably would have tried to kill you that one day if Jake hadn’t pulled me off. It would have been understandable if you refused to talk to me about any of this.”

  The line was silent for a moment before Jared spoke again, voice gruff. “Don’t mention it, Ty. I know you were hurting when Cassie died. You loved her, too. I never held it against you, and I’m not going to start now. Seriously don’t worry about it anymore. It’s in the past.”

  They talked for a while more, about ranch and farm stuff, both of them uncomfortable with talking about their emotions. When Ty finally hung up, he smiled and relaxed a little, for the first time in a week. There was still stuff to worry about, but for now at least, it all felt like it would work out. The pregnancy, anyway, as long as nothing happened to Parker. Telling her what he was… that could go either way. And he still wasn’t sure that he could tell her yet, because she could run or react like Cassie had.

  Parker was smiling as she pulled up to the diner. She hadn’t seen Tiffany since her sister’s wedding, and she was excited to see her. They were cl
oser now that they were adults. It wasn’t that they’d fought or not gotten along when they were younger; they just hadn’t had much of anything in common.

  Tiffany had always been popular, with a ton of friends. Tall, blonde and athletic, she’d been a cheerleader and the star of the girls basketball team. Parker had been… well, Parker. Polar opposites in looks and temperament, with her nose always buried in a book. They’d had very little to talk about or ways to relate to each other back then.

  They hadn’t really started to grow closer until Parker moved away for college. Since then, they spoke often on the phone, and had found more in common. Her sister was her best friend.

  Parker entered the diner, jumping when she heard a squeal. She turned just in time for Tiffany to throw her arms around her in a hug.

  “Oh, Parker girl, it’s so good to see you! When did you get to town? And why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

  Tiffany led her to a booth in the back as she chattered away, never pausing long enough for Parker to actually answer her. Parker slid into the booth, noting that her sister had already ordered them drinks.

  “Well?” Her sister demanded.

  “Oh, are you actually going to let me get a word in edgewise?” Parker replied laughingly.

  Tiffany threw a balled up napkin at her. “When did you get here?”

  “Almost a week ago.”

  “And you’re just now calling me?” Tiffany asked in disbelief.

  “Well, I had some stuff to get straightened out first,” Parker hedged, still not sure how she should start, or if she should just blurt it out like she’d done with their parents and Ty.

  “What in the world would you need straightened out before you called me?”

  “You know Tyler MacKeltar?”

  Tiffany wrinkled her brow. “Of course, yeah, I know who he is. What does he have to do with anything?” She asked, picking up her glass to take a sip of tea.

  Parker took in a deep breath. “I’m pregnant. With his baby.”

  Tiffany choked on her drink, spewing tea across the table. “Shit. Sorry!”

  Parker laughed, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at her shirt before using it to clean up the table. “It’s okay. Lesson learned, don’t tell anyone while they have food or drink in their mouth.”

  Tiffany finished mopping up her side of the table and then looked up, shock still in her eyes. “You’re having Tyler MacKeltar’s baby? Ty? Big, tatted up, gorgeous, Red Moon Ty?”

  “Geez, is that so unbelievable? Or did you think I was a lesbian, like Dad did?” Parker said with a wry laugh.

  “Wait, what? Dad thought you were a lesbian?” Tiffany shook her head and waved a hand. “We’ll get back to that later. I’m more interested in Ty. No, it’s not that shocking, I just didn’t even realize you knew him.”

  “I didn’t, not really. I ran into him the night of your bachelorette party.” Parker proceeded to fill her sister in on what had happened that night and since. “So I’m staying at Red Moon for now. We’ve been getting to know each other more.”

  “Getting to know each other more in all ways, I hope,” her sister replied, waggling her eyebrows.

  “Shut up, Tiff,” Parker said, laughing as she blushed. “But as of last night… yes.”

  “A baby,” Tiffany sighed. “And with Ty… You lucky, lucky girl. I think half the girls in town would kill to have his baby.”

  Parker smiled softly, looking down at the straw wrapper she was twisting around her fingers. “I’m excited, Tiff. This isn’t exactly how I saw my life going, but I wouldn’t change a bit of it.”

  Tiffany reached across the table and laid a hand over Parker’s. “I’m happy for you, Parker. Just be careful. Don’t go giving away all of your heart until you know you have his.”

  “I know,” Parker reassured her sister, although she was afraid the warning had come too late. “I’m being careful. It’s all new. Really new, and I’m not getting my hopes up.”

  Tiffany sighed. “She’s my friend, so I hate to say this, but watch yourself with Wendy. She’s been after Tyler since we were teenagers. She’s not going to be happy about this at all, and she can be nasty when she’s crossed.”

  “Oh, I know,” Parker said wryly. “I’ve already had a run in with her, twice now, with Ty. The things she said were nothing new, though. I’ve heard them all before.”

  “Wait, from Wendy? She’s been mean to you before?”

  Parker looked down, going quiet. She’d never told her sister about the way Wendy had always taunted her, or the things she’d said. She hadn’t meant to today.

  “Parker,” Tiffany said louder, waiting until Parker met her eyes before speaking again. “Tell me. Was Wendy mean to you before she saw you with Ty?”

  “She’s always said things that weren’t nice, Tiffany. She was no different than most of the girls in school, just a little louder and more consistent than they were with it.”

  Tiffany sat back in her booth with a huff, frown growing darker by the second. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me, Parker? I could have said something. Done something.”

  Parker shook her head. “I didn’t need my big sister fighting my battles. I still don’t,” she said with a pointed look at her sister. “I thought it was best to just ignore it. And that’s my plan now. To ignore her. She only has as much power as I give her.”

  “I could have at least stopped being friends with her. Hell, I’m still friends with her. That shit stops now, though. I never want to be friends with someone that hurts you, Parker, and you let me walk around doing just that for years.”

  Parker sighed. She hadn’t thought of it like that. “I’m sorry, Tiff. I’ll tell you in the future if you’re friends with someone like that again.”

  “You do that.”

  They ordered their lunch, and spent the rest of their time talking babies as they ate. When they were finished, Tiffany gave her another hug. “I really am happy for you, lil sis. Call me when you get done with your doctor’s appointment.”

  “I will. Love you, Tiff.”

  Parker got in her car and headed back to the farm, smiling the whole way. Her parents and sister’s unconditional support meant the world to her. She had them in her corner always, and she was coming to believe that she had Ty there, as well. Life was definitely coming together.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Parker blew out a nervous breath as she checked out her reflection in the mirror. Today was the day. She had her doctor’s appointment in an hour, and Ty would be with her.

  She was excited about that. Ty was so into everything to do with the baby, and she couldn’t wait to share this with him. There was some nervousness. There always was, when it had to do with the baby. She was anxious to hear the heartbeat, anxious to see that tiny image on the screen, to know that the baby was good and progressing like it should be. She had a feeling she would be watching Ty the whole time to catch his reactions, though.

  The past few days had been borderline magical, even in their simplicity. Ty had moved her things into his room, and waking up in his bed every morning after being loved to exhaustion the night before was still awe inducing, even if she didn’t get to wake up in his arms. He was always up with the dawn to get a start on the farm, but one day, she hoped they could wake up together.

  Her mornings were spent either getting a head start on some of her deadlines or exploring the farm. She never went far, but it seemed like everywhere she turned, there was something new or different to see. Ty would come home from lunch, and she spent her afternoons in his office with him while they quietly worked. She’d learned a lot about the farm operations as she worked on designing the website. The most surprising of which being just how much it cost to keep the farm running.

  After dinner, she and Ty would take walks or just hang out watching movies or talking. Mostly talking, because they’d yet to watch something past the first thirty minutes without getting into conversations that lasted longer than the movie did. And her n
ights… Her nights were in Ty’s bed. Which was magic of its own.

  They’d had dinner at her parent’s house the night before, and she thought that had gone fairly well, too. Her dad had glowered at Ty for a while, but Ty had been polite and engaging, and by the end of the night, her dad was smiling and laughing along with the rest of them. Ty was a charmer when he wanted to be, and he’d charmed the socks right off of her mom, too. When she and Ty had left, her parents had been on the porch, relaxed and smiling as they waved them off.

  Ty had also felt the baby a few more times. She’d Googled it, and while it was rare, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility for him to feel it so soon. She wondered, though, if it had to do with the baby being part wolf. She wanted to ask Ty if he thought so, but he still hadn’t fessed up. She wondered what the hold up was. Maybe she could drop some hints, or maybe let on that she knew. Anything to get him to open up to her.

  Being able to turn into a wolf was a huge part of his life, and she wanted to be a part of that. She wanted to be a part of every aspect of his life. And there were so many questions she had about the baby and what to expect. She was trying to be patient, because they had time before the baby was born and she needed to know those things, but patience about this was hard.

  Ty poked his head in the door, interrupting her musings. Poor guy looked as nervous as she felt.

  “You about ready, Parker?”

  Parker smiled at him as she walked over, going up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Everything’s going to be just fine, Ty. Breathe.”

  He gave her a half smile as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Tell me you weren’t like this before your first appointment. Besides, I can tell you’re nervous, too.”

  “Maybe a little,” Parker admitted. “Mostly excited, though. I can’t wait for you to experience this, too.”

  Ty took a deep breath and stepped back. “Let’s go do this, then.”

  The drive to town was mostly in silence, with Ty holding her hand the whole ride. They pulled up at the obstetrician’s office, and he told her not to move before running around the truck to open her door and help her out. He held her hand again as they walked in and went up to the check-in desk.