by T. Cobbin
A wolf appeared in seconds, creeping out of a bush.
“Get Grace,” he ordered, already turning around to return to Raven, not waiting to see her go. He knew she’d follow his order.
“Ahh, Ohh. If this is what I have to go through, I ain’t never having another fucking pup again.” Raven moaned. Duke felt so useless rubbing Raven’s back as each wave of pain filled his senses.
“Do you know how fucking long I had to wait for that bitch to disappear?”
The deep, forbidding voice had Duke’s heart thundering in his chest. He turned to see Timmy standing in the bedroom doorway. It was then Duke remembered the dark emotions from before. They must have belonged to Timmy.
“For the last few hours she has been patrolling this cabin. Several times, I was sure she’d picked up my scent. But seeing her rush off now, perhaps she didn’t.”
Duke stood and crouched, ready to pounce on the male, keeping his back toward Raven so she was out of the male’s eyesight.
“Don’t even think about it, Alpha.” Timmy spat and raised a gun, pointing it straight at Duke’s heart.
“Low blow bringing a gun. Not wolf enough to challenge me?” Duke hissed, staring at the pistol in the male’s hands, wondering how the fuck to get rid of it. By the time he shifted, Timmy could fire it. Even if he ran straight for the male in his human form, the gun could still go off. Bide your time, Duke, your pregnant mate is in labor behind you, he reminded himself.
Timmy growled low, pissed. “I’m not here for you—”
Raven’s shout of pain interrupted Timmy’s ravings. “Ahhh, fucking kill him and get me help,” she cried out.
Duke moved an arm behind him and placed it anywhere on Raven’s body he could find without looking. He couldn’t do much at the moment but try and reassure her.
Timmy, suddenly realizing the situation, roared with laughter. “Oh, two for the price of one. Fucking father and pup. I guess that’s why she’s yelling, right? She’s in labor?” The gun shook in Timmy’s hand as he continued to laugh. “Fucking awesome. I couldn’t have timed this better.”
Deciding to get the male’s mind off Raven and his pup, Duke asked, “Several hours you say? How the fuck did you get onto pack land and no one noticed? We’ve increased patrols.”
“Duke, Duke. Duke.” Timmy sighed as if exasperated. “When will you realize I am just superior in all ways?”
Bullshit! More like superiorly sneaky, or maybe he had an enforcer in his paws. Duke hoped it wasn’t the latter. The thought of one of his pack, especially an enforcer, deceiving them made him feel ill.
“So, which enforcer did you pay off?” Duke dared to ask.
Timmy looked surprised for a few seconds before shaking his head and grinning. “Was that a guess, Alpha? Why don’t you use that emotion thingy of yours and find the guilty party?”
“Because I’m standing in front of a madman with a gun.” Duke growled low.
“It was Bruce.” Raven moaned behind Duke. The hand he still held behind his back was grabbed and squeezed. Hard enough to make him wince.
“See, my mate knows her shit.” Timmy nodded and snorted out a laugh. “Bruce was a good friend of mine in school, and we always had each other’s back. We kept in touch when I left. His mate was one of the first to go into heat. Alas, when his mate, poor old Masie, found she wasn’t pregnant, they both went for some tests. It would seem Brucie isn’t shooting right, and he can’t make his mate pregnant.”
Duke already knew that. Bruce had come to see him when he’d received the news. The male had asked something of Duke that he wasn’t sure he could make happen.
Bruce wanted Duke to ask his fellow unmated males to be a sperm donor. Duke knew that would potentially cause problems. If Masie were to get pregnant, Bruce would be able to scent the donor the entire time. And once she gave birth, the pup would always carry the slight aroma of the male. It would drive Bruce nuts. Could the love the pair had for each other outweigh the fact the pup wasn’t Bruce’s? Duke had promised his fellow pack member that he would talk to Raven, but with everything that had happened the last week, it hadn’t been the first thing Duke had thought about.
“So anyway,” Timmy continued. “Not hearing back from his alpha,” Timmy said, spitting the last word, “he asked me for help. I agreed. He let me through the patrol line and covered up my scent, and I will impregnate his mate. So, it’s just you and the pup now that stand in my way.”
Raven let out a long groan behind Duke and squeezed his hand again. After a minute or so, she released his hand and pressed on his back to move him out of her way. He held fast, his muscles tensed. There was no way he was mov—
“Move, Duke,” she yelled and pressed a hand on his back again. “Or I will grab your balls and squeeze them instead.”
Timmy roared with laughter. “Let me see my mate,” he said, stopping his laughter and allowing a serious look to come over his face.
He waved the gun at Duke, motioning for him to move aside. Duke reluctantly took a step to the side. Raven moved faster than either male could have imagined. The look of surprise on Timmy’s face undoubtedly echoed his own. Raven was up and across the room, and the gun Timmy held in his hand was wrenched free and thrown so hard it embedded itself in the plaster on the wall.
“Never mess with a mother and her pup,” Raven warned before drawing her fist back and punching Timmy straight in his face. The male hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Holy fucking shit! I fucking love that woman. Duke would have laughed if it hadn’t been for the pain etched on Raven’s face when she turned back to him. Stepping toward her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and led her back to the bed.
“Get me Grace.” Raven looked at him and growled, showing her teeth.
On his way out of the room Duke paused to pick the male up, but Raven moaned at him again.
“Leave him,” she said, turning herself to kneel and lean against the bed. “Get Grace. If the bastard wakes up, I’ll just punch him again!”
With reluctance, Duke rushed to the back door and opened it. Relief flooded him when he came face-to-face with the midwife and Jasmine. “Shit, I’m so glad you’re here.”
Duke couldn’t believe it. Him, the alpha of the Ash Tail Pack, was nearly panicking. The thought of leaving Raven and the male in the same room hadn’t sat well with him. But here, with the goddess’s luck, were the two women he needed most.
“Raven’s in the bedroom.” Duke pointed down the hallway.
Grace headed to the room with Jasmine and Duke following. Jasmine gasped, causing Duke to turn around.
“Timmy is here?” she asked, looking around.
“Raven took him out,” Duke said with pride. “We need him moved to the cage, and also for Bruce to be taken there too.” Jasmine looked confused, so Duke quickly filled her in on what had happened.
A few minutes later, Duke was back by his mate’s side once Jasmine had departed with both Timmy and his gun. Timmy would be placed in the basement cage, whereas the gun would be put somewhere safe until it could be disposed of properly. Shifters didn’t do guns.
“Well, it certainly looks like this pup wants to meet his or her parents today,” Grace said cheerfully, kneeling between Raven’s legs.
Duke glanced at the hole in the wall where the gun had been and shook his head. He had been so close to losing both, he felt like crying. A strong grasp of his hand and overwhelming pain from Raven’s emotions brought him out of his depressed stupor. Shit! Duke grimaced. His woman was going to break his fingers.
As if reading his mind, Raven pulled his hand closer to her body and looked at him. “There’s a whole lot more to come,” she warned as her face scrunched up in pain.
“That’s right,” Grace crooned softly. “Push now, dear.”
“Ahhh!” The air was filled with Raven’s moans, the pressure on Duke’s hand so harsh he honestly felt like each bone was being snapped one by one. He hated seeing and feeling his mate in so
much pain. He wished he could take her place.
“I can see the head. One more push, dear, and we will see what this beauty looks like.”
“Just get it out please,” Raven pleaded, before yet again moaning and turning red in the face as she pushed.
Duke didn’t know what to say or do. All he could do was stroke his mate’s back and try to calm her. Inside his mind, Duke was frantic, worried, and angry that this day had been nearly ruined by Timmy, Bruce, and a gun. He could also feel the pack’s growing excitement. It would seem word had begun to spread that their alpha female was having the pack’s first pup in ten years.
“Yes, here we go. There’s the head,” Grace cheered. “Pant now, dear. We need to turn the shoulders a little.”
Duke peeked down between Raven’s thighs to see the most beautiful sight he’d ever witnessed. A scrunched, swollen-faced pup with a head of dark hair, poking from between her legs. Duke looked up at Raven, and although she had a red, sweaty face, he couldn’t help the mile-wide smile on his own.
“One more big push, dear,” Grace said.
Raven tucked her chin against her chest and pushed with all her might. Duke didn’t feel the pain in his hand as she squeezed it, he only saw the miracle of life. Looking back down between Raven’s legs, he watched his pup plop out onto the mattress and begin to cry.
“You have a son,” Grace said proudly.
Excitement welled up inside Duke. A proud emotion he had no idea what to do with. Shifting his neck and vocal cords to his wolf’s, he lifted his head and howled.
* * * *
A couple of hours later, all cleaned up and settled back in bed, Raven watched her big alpha male coo over their seven-pound newborn pup. He was sitting by the bedroom window in a rocker they’d bought last month. Well, they’d bought two; one for their room and one for the nursery. For the next few weeks, the pup would be sleeping in a bassinet in his parents’ room. Raven couldn’t even think of the boy being out of her sight.
She couldn’t help but glance at the hole in the wall, the one where Timmy’s gun had been embedded. It would be a constant reminder that she nearly lost her man and pup in one day. Even when it was filled and repainted over Raven would know it was there.
She again peeked over toward Duke. He looked carefree and relaxed, and happiness radiated from him. But underneath, she could feel his anger at nearly losing her too. Tomorrow they would have to take care of both Bruce and Timmy, but for today, they basked in the birth of the first Ash Tail Pack pup in ten years.
Raven suddenly thought about her father and how she wished he was there to celebrate with them. Duke lifted his head and looked at her, and it was clear to see he had read her emotions.
“He’s watching over you with the goddess at his side and cooing over this pup.” The smile on his face grew wider. Raven couldn’t help but echo his smile. Their son was a blessing.
“You know the pack is gathering outside, don’t you?” Jasmine asked as she stepped inside their bedroom doorway.
Raven giggled, imagining Duke holding their son above his head, introducing him to his people, like a scene from The Lion King. When she looked up, Jasmine and Duke were staring at her with funny looks on their faces.
“I just imagined the scene from The Lion King,” she admitted.
Jasmine snorted, before she too giggled. “You know what, I could actually see him doing that.”
Raven thought their beta looked pretty with a smile on her face, but she rarely allowed anyone to see her emotions. She kept everything hidden deep inside.
“I wouldn’t do such a thing,” Duke denied incredulously.
Jasmine and Raven looked at each, then burst out laughing.
“Oh yes, you would.” Raven chuckled.
Duke ducked his head lower to their infant’s ear and muttered he wouldn’t do any such thing, which only made Raven laugh harder.
When Raven managed to calm her giggling, she asked Duke to bring their son over so Jasmine could start letting the pack in slowly. Raven knew by the day’s end, their small cabin would be filled with gifts for her family.
Duke settled beside her and placed their bundle in her arms. She gazed at her son’s face, trying to memorize every detail of it. His stunning, bright green eyes stared back at her, as if trying to do the same. His tiny fingers on one hand curled around her pinkie tightly. He gurgled before kicking his feet underneath the blanket.
Raven still felt a little shocked that this tiny person had been made in a matter of months, and still he was perfect. The love she felt for this child overwhelmed her already. Lifting her gaze, she found the matching pair of her pup’s eyes, belonging to her mate.
“I love you,” she said softly.
Duke placed a sweet kiss on her lips before doing the same on the pup’s forehead. “I love you too.”
“Before I start letting people in, what are you going to name him?” Jasmine asked.
“Nova,” Raven said without lifting her gaze. “It means new beginnings.”
A few hours later, as night drew in fast, Raven felt so tired Duke had to tell the waiting pack members who hadn’t yet seen the new pup to go home and come back tomorrow. Raven found keeping her eyes open a chore.
Duke lifted their son from her arms and told her to rest. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then sat in the rocker near the window. The last thing she heard before drifting off to sleep was Duke telling their son the pack’s story.
Epilogue
“Another pup was born this morning. That makes twenty-three now,” Jasmine said as she filled Raven and Duke in on the morning news. Today was Nova’s first birthday, and a huge party had been planned.
“Boy or girl?” Raven asked, spooning a mouthful of breakfast into her son’s mouth.
“Girl.”
“Oh, you get to share a birthday with a girl,” Raven cheerily said to Nova.
He gurgled, spitting back some of the food.
“Eww, you little monkey.” She tickled her son until he started laughing. His small, chunky face scrunched up, and he gave her a toothy smile.
“That’s my boy,” Duke said proudly, getting up from the table. “I’m off,” he said, briefly stopping to kiss both Raven and Nova’s head. “Make sure she rests,” he ordered Jasmine, pointing to Raven.
Raven growled low. “Don’t you order her to make sure I rest. I have stuff to do today too.”
Duke stopped just inside the doorway and sighed. “Jasmine, would you kindly watch Nova for a while? I have a point to make.”
Oh shit, she knew that look and tone of voice. Before she had time to reply, she was whipped up into his arms and carted down the hallway to their bedroom. She wasn’t concerned that he might drop her; she was always safe in his arms.
“If you won’t rest, then I will just have to make sure you do.” His green eyes sparkled as he looked down at her.
“I’m pregnant, not ill.” She was only three months, and with this pregnancy developing at the normal rate, she wasn’t as tired or as big as before. Her morning sickness had been pretty light too. But the night before Nova had been fussy and she hadn’t gotten much sleep.
Duke leaned down and kissed her. His light touch to her lips quickly became harsher, needier. Her tongue entwined with his, both sliding along each other, tasting and licking.
“Don’t you dare. I have things to do today too,” she said, pulling away from him. Her breathing had already picked up with anticipation, her pussy dampened, and her nipples grew hard.
“I do dare, and all I was going to do was my monthly visit to the mutts.”
The mutts he was talking about were once Frank, Bruce, and Timmy. After Nova had been born, Raven and Duke had decided that Bruce and Timmy would suffer the same fate as Frank. Each one was bound inside their wolf. Raven had dared to see them a few months ago. They were all well fed and quiet; the barking collars that had been equipped when they were first turned had worked. Now, none of them howled or barked excessively. Each
wolf was tied to a long length of thick chain to stop them from entering human land where questions might be asked.
From the animals’ emotions, she knew Frank was one with his animal now; not one ounce of human emotion remained inside of him. Bruce wasn’t far behind. It had been suggested that because Frank was a mellow animal now, he could be trained to be a house pet. Raven and Duke were still thinking that over. Timmy, however, still had huge amounts of anger inside him. When he had spotted her, his eyes sparkled with discontentment, and his emotions promised revenge if he ever got free. She didn’t hang around long, just long enough to make sure in her mind that she’d made the right choice.
A door slamming shut brought Raven out of her thoughts. She looked up into Duke’s sparkling, lust-filled eyes as he lowered her down onto their bed. His arms encased her upper body, keeping the bulk of his weight off her.
“Don’t disappear into that mind of yours now.” Duke chuckled above her. “I want you all—mind, body, and soul.”
“You have me in all ways,” Raven replied huskily.
In a tale as old as time, their tongues danced again. Duke’s hands moved over Raven’s body, undressing her slowly. She drew up his shirt with her hands and pulled it over his head, breaking their mouths apart for a fraction of a minute. She discarded his shirt, throwing it across the room. Raven broke their kiss again, panting. She looked down his gorgeous body and smiled, her previous annoyance about him wanting her to rest, forgotten. She loved her mate’s body, both when it was inside and outside of her.
“Goddess.” She sighed. “I love everything about you.”
Duke began to nibble down her neck, along her collarbone and up to her ear. Taking her earlobe between his teeth, he tugged.
“What’s not to love?” he asked, pulling back so she could see the mirth in his eyes. “I’m your everything, like you’re mine.” He placed a hand between them, down lower until one of his nimble fingers slipped through her wet folds. “Always ready for me.”
He drew his hand back up, over her waist, and ran his fingers over the raised ridges of his mate mark. Lifting her hands, she wrapped them around his shoulders and copied what his fingers did, only on his back. For a few moments, her eyes met his, and the intense look of love, lust, and passion shone back at her. He moved slightly, so his cock sat at her entrance, and with a jerk, his hard shaft plunged deep inside her, taking the wind from her lungs.
