by Sky Winters
Zebe felt sick at his stomach again. He couldn’t even help Blake. It was his fault that this was happening and he couldn’t do a thing to intervene. It seemed to go on forever as the two bear shifters clashed with one another, using teeth and claws to do damage. Though Blake was a bit larger, Jacob seemed more agile and was getting far too many swipes in against him. There was blood everywhere.
Blake fell to the ground, heaving for breath, giving Zebe just enough time to pull away and head for the door again. Zebe stood his ground, refusing to run from the piece of human waste that had killed his brother. The bear was almost upon him when Blake once again threw himself onto him and pushed him away to one side. Their heavy bodies thudded against the side of the house and Zebe watched as Blake bite heavily into Jacob’s neck, ripping his throat out and falling back on his haunches as it lay bleeding and panting on the ground.
Jacob’s bear form faded away as he resumed human form, his eyes fixed and his breath still. He was dead. Blake shifted and walked over to him, looking down at him with tears in his eyes. It was obvious that he was distraught at what he had been forced to do, but Zebe couldn’t say he was sorry about it. He made a note that Harper would be dealt with personally when he was able to do so. Looking up, he saw a scratched, bloody Blake walking toward him, his wounds healing rapidly.
“We need to get you out of here until I can deal with this. People will come looking for him and they will smell you, just as he did. I’m going to take you home until after they’ve come to deal with his body,” Blake told him in a shaky voice.
“What will you tell them happened?”
“Just that he attacked me and it was self-defense.”
“They will want to know why he attacked you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with them. I just need to get you someplace safe first.”
“Okay, Blake. I need to take care of some things at home anyway.”
“Let’s get going then. I’ll call them on my way back.”
Zebe followed him out to the car and climbed in on the passenger side. They drove back to his place in complete silence, each lost in thought. Zebe looked out over the water as they crossed the bridge that divided them. Today’s events with Jacob only made him warier of how things might unfold when they confronted the elders with their news. While he’d like to think a hybrid baby might be just the thing to bring their people together, he had some serious reservations about it.
Finally, they were pulling into his driveway. Blake helped him from the car. It had already begun to be uncomfortable just getting up and down with his growing belly in the way. How women spent months in this condition was beyond him. It was decidedly obtrusive and inconvenient for him already. Blake walked him into the house and looked around to make sure it was okay before kissing him goodbye.
“Lock the doors and don’t answer them for anyone.”
“No one is going to bother me here.”
“I’d just like to be sure of that.”
“Okay, Blake. I’ll see you soon.”
“You certainly will.”
Hours passed and Zebe was beginning to get worried. Finally, headlights flooded the front window. He waited breathlessly out of sight of the window to make sure it was Blake before going to the door. His heart thudded as footsteps sounded on the front stoop and there was a knock at the door. He hated being so frightened, but without his shifting ability and an unborn child to protect, he had little choice but to exercise caution.
“Zebe, it’s me,” Blake called from the front door.
“Thank goodness! I was getting worried,” Zebe told him as he unlocked and opened the door.
“It was a bit of a mess, but it’s settled now. I told them that he confessed to me that he had been the one who killed the wolf shifter on the river for no other reason than he had drifted into our territory by accident and that we had words, as I felt it would only bring more trouble. Then, he attacked and I had to put him down. It was mostly the truth. I just left you out of it. They will learn that part of it soon enough.”
“At least it is over now and one of my brother’s killers has been brought to justice.”
“No, both of them have. I told them about Harper. They will take care of him.”
“How so?”
“Let’s just say he will be of no harm to anyone else. The fact that they are concerned with an unnecessary kill tells me that they will be open to what we will be sharing with them next week.”
“I certainly hope so.”
“They are clearing Jacob’s remains from my house. Do you care if we just stay here for now? I think it might be best if we steer clear for a couple of days. I told them I was going to get away for some fresh air.”
“That sounds good to me.”
“Good. I brought your supplements and the pads the doc gave you.”
“I still am not quite certain what those are for,” Zebe responded.
“I have a feeling you’ll figure it out if and when they are needed.”
“Unfortunately, you are probably right.”
Several days passed during which the couple remained at Zebe’s. Blake checked in with the club and his family periodically just to keep up appearances, but mostly stayed by Zebe’s side. Zebe had been forced to claim an emergency out of town and go into hiding until after the birth due to the rapidly increasing size of his abdomen. Before he knew it they were only days away from the birth of their child.
“We’re going to have to head back to the house now. The doctor will not come to this side of the river to deliver and I don’t want to risk having you out and about in your condition when it comes closer to time,” Blake told him.
“That all makes sense. I definitely don’t want to do this without a doctor, even if it is an old, crotchety one like him.”
“I agree. I don’t think I’m equipped to deal with delivering a baby, much less one being born in such extraordinary circumstances.”
“Are you as scared as I am? I mean, I have no idea how to parent and we are going to have a child that is decidedly out of the ordinary to bring up. What will he be and how do we train him if we don’t understand how our different gifts affect him?”
“We’ll be like any other parents with their first child, making mistakes and just doing the best we can. Hopefully, when the elders become involved, there will be things they can advise us on that will help us along.”
“I just hope you are right. It would be a much better benefit to have them on our side rather than against us. If we have to run, we’re completely on our own.”
“Let’s just not worry with that right now. We’ll focus on getting the baby here safely before we worry about all that.”
“I can’t help it, Blake. I am worried. This has all been so sudden. For the first time in my life, I feel genuinely frightened by something.”
“I do too, but we’ll be okay. Come here.”
Blake pulled Zebe into his arms and held him. Even their relationship was different for Zebe. He had always been the alpha male in his relationships, but it seemed Blake had taken over that role in this one and it didn’t really bother him. Their relationship worked. Despite all of the what ifs and concerns, he felt happier than he had ever been in his life. Perhaps it was just some sort of hormonal thing due to the pregnancy, but he was very content to just let things be instead of feeling as if he had to be in total control as he usually did.
Zebe awoke the morning of the tenth day with the most incredible pain. He had just been to the doctor the day before due to heavy bleeding that had really worried him until he was told what it was. The exit was forming and now he knew what the pads were for. This must be what women felt like at least once a month . . . bloated, bleeding and in pain.
“You are going into labor. It’s time,” the doctor told them.
“No. I’m not ready,” Zebe said woefully.
“You are ready. Today is your due date. The baby is on the way. You have to be ready.”
&nbs
p; “I can’t do this, Doc.”
“You can and you will. I will take good care of you. I promise, even if you do smell like a dirty dishtowel.”
Zebe almost laughed at his continued distaste for his wolf scent, but it caused a sharp pain in his side to laugh and he quickly stopped, grimacing instead.
“This is so great. We’re going to be fathers!”
“You’ll be a father. I am apparently a mother,” Zebe said sarcastically.
“As long as you don’t start wearing dresses and pearls, you can call yourself what you’d like,” Blake told him playfully.”
“It seems apt. Of course you realize that makes you a motherfu. . .,” Zebe began, his words cut off by a pain that seemed to rack his entire body.
“See, that is what you get for being mean to me,” Blake teased.
“Doc, can you check and see if he has a womb? I think I’d like to return this favor to him once we square all this away.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll get right on that. For now, get undressed and up on the table. Let’s get you into the stirrups and work on bringing this baby into the world.”
After several hours of labor, during which Zebe was quite certain he would pass out or perhaps even drop dead, their son was delivered. He smiled weakly as the doctor help the baby up and cleared its lungs, bringing forth a ferocious fit of crying. It was beautiful. He looked over at Blake, still holding his hand despite his efforts to squeeze it clean off his wrist during delivery and noted tears falling down his face.
“You did great. Just look at him. He’s perfect.”
“He looks so normal.”
“What did you expect? A wolf snout and fur covering?”
“I don’t know, some sign of what he will be, I suppose.”
“Time will tell.”
The doctor finished cleaning up the baby and lay him on Zebe’s chest, letting the two of them enjoy him as his tiny hands grasped their fingers and he cooed quietly, now calm and at peace near Zebe’s heartbeat. He was stunning. A sadness passed over Zebe as he realized that the real work would begin now. They would have to face the council of elders from both families and they would have to raise this very special miracle of a child.
“Alright boys. The easy part is over. Now, it’s time for the hard part,” the doctor told them as he finished tending to Zebe after the birth.
“The hard part?” the asked, almost in unison.
“Yeah. You have to raise the little booger now.”
They laughed as they went back to admiring the baby. After resting for a while in the doctor’s makeshift delivery room, Zebe was allowed to go home. They spent the next few days just enjoying their child and allowing Zebe’s wounds to heal. He was grateful to get back to normal, even stepping out into the back yard where he couldn’t be seen if someone happened to come to the house and shifting into wolf form long enough to make sure he still could do so without a problem.
Finally, they each called their respective elder councils and asked to meet with them, explaining that there would be members of the other shifter family in attendance so there were no surprises. Though each side had arguments against attending any peace talks, it seemed more like posturing than a sincere desire not to make peace. When the day arrived, both Blake and Zeke were extremely nervous. They took the baby, whom they had named Michael Darren after each of their grandfathers, with them.
“You ready for this?” Blake asked.
“As ready as I will ever be,” Zebe replied.
“Just remember, Michael comes first. You make sure he is safe and I’ll do most of the talking.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s do this.”
Blake kissed him on the forehead before they walked into the large building where council meetings hadn’t been held in decades. It sat on a barge in the middle of the river with a walkway coming in from either side. Neither was surprised to see that the elders sat on their respective sides not speaking or looking at one another as they waited for them to arrive.
“Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming here today to listen to us. Before we begin, we want you to know that we have the deepest respect for each and every one of you on both sides. We hope that you will hear us out and consider what we have to say with the gravest consideration. As many of you are aware, there was recently an incident in which a wolf shifter was killed after having drifted across the river into bear shifter territory. This is his brother, Zebe.”
Everyone’s eyes fell on Zebe and looked curiously upon the bundle he held in his arms as he greeted them with a warm smile. Of course, most of the wolf elders knew him from previous discussions of how to handle the murder of his brother and they smiled thoughtfully at him. The bear shifter elders remained expressionless as they waited for more, looking back toward Blake.
“Zebe is my partner and the bundle he carries in his arms is the first wolf/bear hybrid born in thousands of years. We came here today to ask that you consider this great miracle as a sign that our people should restore the peace that existed not that long ago between us. Our fighting has gone on long enough and we feel it is time you established your places in history as the elder council that established a new era of nonviolence and perhaps even friendship.”
“What sort of nonsense is this? That is just a myth. What do you think you are trying to prove?” one of the elders said angrily, jumping to his feet.
“I promise you that it is not a myth. This baby is, in fact, our offspring and while we don’t know what traits he will possess, we can tell you that it seems to us that he is just the sign that has been needed that we’ve reached a point in modern times where it is in all our best interests to make peace with one another,” Blake said hastily, moving in front of Zebe and Michael protectively.
“Have you any proof of this, son?” one of the bear shifter elders asked quietly, drawing the eyes of all the others, including the one who had burst out in anger.
“Doctor Dunson will confirm what I am saying to you. He assisted us with the birth when the time came. He can provide you with the assurance that this is Zebe’s child and since only another shifter can impregnate a man, you will have to afford me the willingness to accept that I know I am the father.”
“Let me see the child,” a wolf elder said, stepping forward toward the center of the room. Zebe nodded toward Blake and stepped forward, opening Michael’s blanket and letting him view the child. He was surprised when the elder reached for his foot, gently pulling his toes apart and nodding. “He speaks the truth. This child bears the mark.”
Several other council members stepped forward to see for themselves and before long, the entire council was intermingled looking at the baby. Many of them broke out in smiles and hugged the men, shaking their hands and congratulating them. Finally, they all returned to their seats and looked at the two of them.
“Zebe, I am sorry for what happened to your brother. I have learned that the culprits have paid the price for their actions. We have no desire to escalate the situation with further acts of violence. If your elders can agree, I believe it is in everyone’s best interest to make peace with one another and take action against any that dare breach that promise,” the Chief elder of the bear shifters said.
“I see no reason not to make such a pact and require our people to honor it,” the Chief elder of the wolf shifters replied.
“Then we are at peace?” Blake said, more a statement than a question.
The two chiefs nodded their agreement.
“Then I suggest we have a grand celebration and share the good news with everyone,” Blake said.
The elders agreed and began calling in other members of the community to join them in celebrating a new day where bear and wolf shifters would live among one another peacefully. Blake and Zebe smiled down at Michael as he smiled up at them happily. It was hard to imagine that one day, this tiny child would be found in the history books of their people as the one who brought peace between their people. Not only were they his very proud parents, b
ut they were falling deeper in love every day.
DADDY WOLF
Chapter 1
Greg trudged into the condo he was renting with his fiancé Jorge. Jorge, as expected, was up in the loft in front of his giant easel. The canvas was blank, as it usually was, and Greg sighed. Jorge kept promising that his next masterpiece would sell for as much or more as the first, but somehow he just never seemed to be working on anything at all. It was starting to weigh on Greg, who spent nearly twelve hours every day at his soulless, corporate job. His cousin Brad had started a successful company years ago and had hired him in early. Although the pay was great, the long, grueling hours were destroying him.
“Jorge,” Greg called.
“Yes?” Jorge’s falsetto pierced the air and Greg cringed.
“I thought I asked you to take out the trash. And those tissues are still on the table. You’re going to get me sick! You know I can’t afford to miss work. We’d be late on rent again.”
“Of course,” Jorge said, his French accent thick and playful. “My bad.”
It was always his bad. Ever since moving in with Jorge, Greg’s blood pressure had been on the rise. Dealing with his soul-sucking job might have been okay if he was still living in his affordable bungalow, but Jorge had insisted they find something fancier, where they could truly start their lives together. But spending the rest of his life cleaning up after a lazy man-child who was all talk and no action, was the last thing that Greg wanted to do. Still, he had made a commitment. Maybe, eventually, Jorge would catch on and pick up his slack in the household. One could only hope.
Greg didn’t have time to argue with him. He had been working all day and needed to get some sleep before the next shift. Brad’s company had a big shipment coming in, and huge deals were in the works. While Brad was on vacation in the Bahamas, Greg was in charge and pulling double shifts to make ends meet, and do whatever had to be done to keep the company afloat while Brad dodged phone calls.
