“He makes me so damn mad,” Astrid said, tearing Sten from his musings. “Are you really going to keep me here?”
Collecting himself, Sten managed to smile. He held up his hands. “Considering I cannot touch you, I’m not entirely certain how I can. I suppose I’ll have to make do with my arresting charm.”
Her fury giving way, Astrid laughed and gave him a beatific grin. She padded over to a stuffed cushion and took a seat.
“This was the stupidest fight ever,” she told him. “I didn’t even want to see the stupid bears. It just pissed me off that he said I’d be staying here—no discussion, no negotiation, he just tells me what to do and expects me to fall in line, like I’m one of his stupid wolves. Oh. Sorry.”
“No offense taken,” Sten muttered.
“I do try to pick my battles with him, but sometimes I can’t help it. I really don’t know how we’re ever going to be good parents when we’re always arguing.”
“Arguing means that there’s something worth fighting for.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “I suppose you’re right.”
Sten walked over to her bed and picked up a fur. He draped it over her shoulders, and she gave him an appreciative look. With her big eyes, full lips, and her mane of chocolate curls, Astrid was an unconventional beauty, the type of female that became more attractive each time you saw her. His fondness for her would not become brotherly overnight, but what he felt for her paled in comparison to the avalanche of lust brought on by the mere thought of Indigo.
“Can you keep a secret?” She didn’t wait for him to respond, and the next words gushed out of her. “I’m having twins.”
Sten tried to look surprised, and failed.
“Did Indigo tell you?” Astrid asked, wilting slightly. “Ila says that the two of you have been spending a lot of time together...”
He could feel the question she was needling into him, but he ignored it. “I suspected as much from how early your scent changed. In my limited experience, it’s usually indicative of more than one pup.”
As he said the words, he remembered that there had only been one time when his sister had carried a single pup. Coral had a twin brother, and her mother had been one of three pups born at once. Thinking harder, he couldn’t recall any of the Sedna wolves being less than twins.
If those facts were any indication, it was likely that once they mated, Indigo would carry more than one pup. He was not sure how he felt about that. Having one pup had been hard enough, though the circumstances had been wildly different. This time, he would have a mate that was nurturing, and eager to mother his pups. What would that be like?
“I haven’t told Erik yet,” Astrid, wringing her hands. “I’ve been waiting until I was sure, but this morning even Ila finally admitted that she heard two. I’ll probably tell him tonight, that way he’ll feel like a big jerk for the way he treated me today.”
Sighing, she fell back on the cushion. “Oh, who am I kidding? If anything, this is going to make him more overbearing, isn’t it?”
Selfishly, Sten hoped that the news would put Erik in a generous mood, and he decided that perhaps tomorrow would be the best time to talk to his brother.
“I won’t keep you here,” Astrid said. “Unlike Erik, I actually paid attention when you said that you had other things to do.”
“I do have places to be,” Sten agreed. “I’m heading up to the Siluit quarters. Would you like to come with me?”
Astrid sat straight up. “And get a chance to hold my squishy little nephew? Count me in!”
Sten helped her up and made sure that the fur was snug around her neck. She followed him from the room, and he took her hand, guiding her down a drafty passageway. It was a roundabout path to the upper chambers, one that would avoid the main room. Erik had not explicitly said that Sten couldn’t take Astrid from the room, but bringing her to where the bears might be would not earn him any favor with the alpha.
In the dark, his thoughts drifted back to when he’d imagined killing Erik. He knew that it wasn’t coincidence that this was happening now. Erik had been ordering him around for years, and while Sten had felt a healthy degree of disdain, he had always respected Erik’s position as alpha. But now that Erik was coming between he and Indigo, even in such a small way, Sten could feel aggression building within him.
That was the way it was when a beta male decided to take a mate. Sten was not sure why he’d thought himself exempt. He had already begun to resent Erik’s authority over him, and if he wasn’t careful, it could escalate to physical violence.
“I came to tell Erik that I mean to take Indigo as my mate,” he said, knowing she would hear as much soon enough.
Her brows shot up. “I didn’t realize it was that serious. You only just met.”
Sten refrained from pointing out that she had known Erik for much the same length of time when they had decided to become mates.
“I suppose that’s the way it is among shifters,” Sten said mildly. “We are not so civilized that we can draw out courtship as humans do.”
She chuckled weakly. “I guess that makes sense. But you said that you’re going to be mates? Is she like Coral?”
Sten nodded, before remembering that her human eyes would not be able to see the gesture in the near darkness. “Her mother was human, but her father was a pureblooded shifter.”
“Do you love her?”
“Are you jealous?”
Astrid let out a puff of air. “Maybe a little. You are my favorite babysitter, you know. When you’re not trying to seduce me.”
His lips curved at the memory of kissing Astrid. It was one of the more underhanded things he’d done in his life, but he didn’t regret it. He could still remember the way she’d quivered with the effort of pretending not to enjoy it.
“If I had wanted to seduce you, you’d be my mate right now,” Sten said with more than a touch of arrogance. “That, or Erik would have gutted me.”
Astrid had always been easy to talk to, and they made pleasant conversation all the way up to the Siluit quarters. The light became bright enough for her to see, and he let her hand go as they entered the main thoroughfare.
The wide passageway was bustling with activity, shifters shuffling from room to room. He would have thought there was something going on, but that was the way the Siluit wolves always were. They cleared a path as Sten and Astrid walked by, some offering quick smiles and perfunctory nods, and others keeping their heads down in a show of submission. That was not exclusive to Sten. While the Siluit females mingled freely with Sten’s pack mates, the Siluit males found the larger Amarok males to be intimidating, and they did their best to avoid being noticed.
Sten stopped speaking as they approached Zane’s room. He could smell Indigo’s scent and knew that she was already inside. He could hear Zane speaking, and his ears prickled as he tuned in to what the alpha was saying.
“Give it a year or two, and if you still want to take a mate, I won’t stand in your way.”
He knew that Zane was talking to Indigo, and it irked him. Sten would have preferred Indigo wait as well, but as soon as she’d started talking about giving him a son, he had wanted to put said son inside of her belly that very moment. Now, he couldn’t even make himself contemplate waiting.
“I didn’t come here so you could stand in my way,” Indigo said derisively. “I’m not Coral. You’re not going to stash me away in a cave to suffer for a week.”
Sten tried not to look irritated as he threw up the door hangings and stepped inside. Astrid rushed in alongside him, beaming as though to compensate for Sten’s hard face.
Indigo was sitting across from Zane and his mate. Luken slept in a sling at his mother’s chest, oblivious to the tension in the room. While Astrid rushed over to sit beside her sister, Sten went to Indigo’s side without sitting. She looked up at him, her violet eyes shining with relief.
“I apologize for the delay,” he said, idly brushing back her hair.
&
nbsp; Zane seemed undaunted by their abrupt entrance, and he turned his attention to Sten. “This isn’t a decision to be made in haste. She’s not ready yet.”
“And we were?” Ginnifer asked. She carefully extracted the pup from the sling, and eased him into her sister’s arms, before turning to roll her eyes at her mate. “I don’t see how anyone can know that they’re ready, or even be ready to become a parent. I think it just happens as you go.”
“And Sten is a good father,” Astrid added. “I can’t think of anyone who would make a better mate for your sister.”
Ginnifer said, “If anything, you should be glad she’s even asking you. It’s not really your place to decide what she does with her body.”
Sten could see the frustration building on Zane’s face, but after a moment of silence, his expression slackened, and he looked between Indigo and Sten with tired eyes.
“Have you spoken to Erik yet?”
“He’s been busy today,” Sten said. “I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with him yet, but I’m confident he will allow us to remain in Amarok, should we choose to do so.”
Zane leaned back on his hand. “What’s Erik so preoccupied with?”
Sten told him about the bear shifter’s arrival, and a dark look passed over the alpha’s face.
“It was only a matter of time,” Sten said.
“It doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He paused for a moment, several emotions passing over his features before he spoke. “How long do you think, until…” Zane grimaced.
“Coral thinks it could any day now,” Indigo said. “I don’t feel all that different, aside from being hungry all of the time.”
“You’re making sure she has enough to eat?” Zane asked Sten.
Sten nodded. “I’ll be speaking with Erik tomorrow morning, and we’ll be leaving after that.”
He finally settled down beside Indigo, and the few minutes were spent listening to Zane’s objections, though it was clear he’d resigned himself to the situation. Many of the concerns he expressed were things Sten himself might have said if he’d been dealing with a male that intended to become Halley’s mate.
By the end, as Indigo was embracing Zane, Sten recognized that when his parents had died, Zane had not only taken on the role of alpha, but also as something of a father to Indigo. It made Sten respect the alpha all the more, and also regret that he hadn’t expressed his intentions before he’d pursued Indigo.
But what was done, was done. Indigo would be his mate.
Chapter 26
From their vantage point in the raised alcove, Indigo and the other females could see the entire main room. Siluit and Amarok shifters were together, most of them conversing in human form. The atmosphere was far more jovial than when they’d first arrived at the pack, though there was an undercurrent of apprehension. During breaks in conversation, gazes would shift to the entrance, where Erik stood, waiting with Henna and Vale.
For Indigo’s own part, she remained mostly silent, quietly contemplating her morning. She had been so apprehensive about how her brother would react, and now that she had his—albeit reluctant—approval, a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Lake filled her cup from a pitcher of carved stone. She swished the water around in her cup, but didn’t drink from it.
“I don’t get it. Why do we have to sit in here? And why are they coming in our den?”
After the scouts had notified the pack leadership of the approaching bear shifters, Erik had sent Sylvestre aboveground to greet them. They’d be sharing the main room for a meal, before being sent on their way to Siluit. All of the shifters, with the exception of Zane, the pups, and the Siluit betas, had been instructed to convene in the main room and go about their mealtime as usual.
“It’s not our den,” Coral said as she made her way up the ramp towards them. “And they’re being brought in here so that they can see our numbers. It’s a display of power that will make them think twice before attacking us.”
She looked different today. Maybe it was the color on her lips, or her hair, which she’d finally given a thorough combing to, but Indigo had trouble seeing past the plate of fresh meat that she carried.
Coral sat down across from Kya, dodging Lake’s grasping hand to give the tray to Indigo. Sten had made sure she’d had a large meal only a few hours before, but her hunger was a clawing emptiness today. She wasn’t sure if her body was becoming more demanding, or if understanding why she was hungry made her all the more ravenous.
Indigo thanked Coral profusely, getting only a haughty sniff in return. Coral still claimed that she didn’t like her, and Indigo didn’t doubt it, but she suspected that Coral was glad to not be the only shifter female in the pack that could bear pups.
“How do you even know this stuff?” Lake asked.
Coral shrugged. “I overheard Erik and one of the beta males talking about it this morning.”
“One of the beta males?” Lake asked. She glanced at Kya. “Two guesses which one.”
“So what if it was Sylvestre?” Coral said, giving Kya a level stare. “I can smell Ciel on you. I know you slept with him last night, so what does it matter to you?”
Lake rolled her eyes back so far Indigo thought they would get stuck that way. “She’s only trying to make Sylvestre jealous.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Coral said. “Why do you think sleeping with his friend would make him jealous when he’s not even remotely interested in you?”
Coral seemed genuinely confused, and Indigo wanted both to laugh, and to comfort Kya, who looked stricken.
“He told you that? That he’s not interested in me?”
Coral’s expression hardened. “I inferred it on my own. He doesn’t talk about you with me.”
“What exactly does he talk about when he’s bringing you meals?” Kya asked, a touch scornfully.
Coral’s eyes widened, as though she hadn’t expected the question, and Indigo tensed. Coral didn’t know how to handle being caught off-guard, and it led to her either indiscriminately lashing out, or if she was particularly flustered, rambling nonsensically.
“He… We don’t… I don’t say anything to him, except when he makes me answer him. That’s the kind of male he is, you know—stubborn and arrogant. He thinks that just because he’s tall, and muscular, and handsome…” She trailed off, her cheeks flushing. “I don’t want him. I don’t.”
Lake snorted. “Are you trying to convince us, or yourself?”
Abruptly, Coral stood. She looked like she was going to leave, but then glanced at Indigo, who had just set down her empty tray.
“Do you need more?” Coral asked. “I can find Sten for you.”
Indigo could have easily eaten two more full meals, but she was also tired and considering returning to her room to rest. Before she could make up her mind, Lake cut in, looking scandalized.
“Sten brings you extra food? I knew you were getting fat, and now I know how. Does Zane know that you’re violating the rations rule, or does he just let you get away with it, too?”
“It’s not like that,” Indigo said. She hadn’t had a chance to explains things to Kya and Lake yet, and while she searched for the right words, Coral swooped in with her usual bluntness.
“She’s going to be carrying Sten’s pup. She’s entitled to as much food as she wants.”
Lake’s eyes bulged, but for once her mouth remained shut.
“Is this true?” Kya asked. “You and Sten are going to be mates?”
Indigo realized that since Coral had explained that she was going to become fertile, she hadn’t questioned it again. It was more than her insatiable appetite. She’d known from the first that Sten would be her mate, and she didn’t doubt that in the months to come, she would be carrying his pup.
“Yeah,” she said, giving them a small smile. “Sorry, I would have told you sooner, but I only just found out myself and…”
“I get it,” Kya said, leaning over to pull Indi
go in for a hug. “I’ve been so hung up on the idea of a relationship with Sylvestre that I haven’t even paid attention to the actual relationship happening between you and Sten. I should have been a better friend.”
Indigo blinked back tears as her chest tightened with emotion. She knew they weren’t easy words to say. She’d had to wrestle with her own feelings of envy when Coral had become fertile for the first time, and she’d handled it with much less grace.
“It’s okay,” Indigo said, rubbing Kya’s back.
“I’m happy for you,” Lake said with a sour face. “So are you going to stay in Amarok? If you get to stay, I want to stay, too. It’s not so bad here, as long as you can stay clear of Erik.”
“We’re going to wait until the end of winter to decide,” Indigo said, inwardly thinking that she’d happily choose her pack based on where Lake wouldn’t be.
“They’re here,” Coral said, drawing their attention to the wide entrance.
Sylvestre led them in, and the sight of them made Indigo’ stomach twist into knots. She could feel Kya tensing as well. When she’d pictured the bear shifters, she’d imagined giant, grizzled males, but every one of the eight bear shifters was a tall, attractive female. Most had pale hair that hung loose down their backs, and they all wore white pelts and coy smiles.
They stopped to receive a greeting from the betas, and Ciel seemed particularly enthusiastic as he shook their hands one by one. Henna and Erik exchanged glances, before Henna introduced them to Erik. Impervious to their physical allure, Erik merely stared at them, only speaking once to dismiss Ciel.
If the females were put off by Erik’s brusque manner, they didn’t show it. They lingered in the entryway, speaking with Sylvestre and Henna. Indigo strained to hear what they were saying, but she could only pick up fragments that sounded like small talk about the trip and the weather. It didn’t help that her wolf was growling inside of her head, telling her to get away from the bear shifters, to find Sten, and of course, get more food.
Chasing the Alpha: Shifters of Nunavut, Book #3 Page 23
