Alpha Principal

by Preston Walker

  However, he did now understand Tamara’s obsession with tea. Pausing to drink, to fiddle with the cup, was almost therapeutic in a way and allowed him to gather his thoughts during the brief pauses.

  Just as he set his cup down again, Tamara seemed to unthaw. The process was slow and occurred in increments, starting at her furrowed eyebrow and ending at her pursed lips. “I see. You two are a couple?”

  Simon didn’t answer.

  Tamara took this absence of an answer as an answer within itself, though she ended up looking at it the wrong way. “When’s the wedding?”

  Nathan choked on his tea, sputtering out a mouthful of blueberry-scented spray. “Wedding?”

  “Your scent is all over each other, young man,” Tamara said patiently. “I might be old and blind in one eye but the rest of my senses are as strong as ever. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? I knew you two were a couple from the moment I saw you at the front door with your shoulders all pressed together like that. It’s quite obvious. And if you’re going to have a baby together, you should be mates. You should get married, to make it official in the eyes of those silly humans. What are you waiting for?”

  “It’s not that simple, Mrs. Diamond,” Nathan said. “If word gets out that I’ve been having a romantic relationship with one of the teachers that I literally just hired, it’s going to reflect badly on both of us.”

  “What exactly do you care about that for?”

  “I could lose my job. We need to be very careful about this whole thing, like adults. We aren’t a couple of star-crossed teenage lovers who can just run away together. We’ve both got very real commitments that need to come first.”

  “Your first commitment should always be to each other,” Tamara said, her firm voice brooking no argument. “That’s the only path to a happy relationship. As for the whole spiel you just gave me about being adults, you’re acting like children. Children tiptoe around the big issues. You two are adults. Think about the most direct route through this. It wouldn’t be an affair if you were married, would it? Or even if you were engaged. It would be official. It is official, isn’t it?”

  “I would do whatever it takes for Simon to have a happy life,” Nathan said, using the same firm tone as Tamara had. That was the full truth and nothing else but the truth, even though it didn’t exactly answer the specific question she’d asked. Their relationship, such as it was, was by no means what she wanted it to be. All the same, he was going to take responsibility for the both of them and see this all the way through.

  Tamara turned to her son. “Is he a good man?”

  Simon glanced over at Nathan. His eyes suddenly sparkled with mischief, amusement rising out of nowhere. “He’s absolutely terrible, but he means well.”

  That won’t go over well.

  Surprisingly, Tamara laughed. “We’re strong like diamonds, Simon. You’ll wear him into shape. As for you, Mr. Nathan. What is your opinion of my son?”

  Nathan reached out and placed his hand over Simon’s, catching it as he reached for his tea cup. Simon glanced at him in surprise but then seemed to catch on, his hand turning over within Nathan’s grasp so their fingers clenched together tightly.

  “I’ve never known anyone else like him.”

  Tamara seemed pleased. Nathan held back a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping as he relaxed. Whatever she might think of the both of them, she seemed to have accepted that at least they were in this together.

  It surprised him, the depth of his own emotion. He knew he wanted her to approve of him, he just didn’t know how much that actually meant to him. It was almost as if he actually had chosen Simon as his mate, as if this relationship of theirs was actually real and true.

  For the first time, he wondered if it could be.

  “If there’s anything I can do to help the two of you, all you have to do is ask.” Tamara reached out to where the two of them were holding hands and placed hers on top of theirs. “I want to be sure that my next grandchild is born into this world safe and healthy.”

  “That’s actually why we came to see you,” Simon said. “We need your recommendations on a doctor.”

  Tamara smiled. “I think I know just the person.”

  They spoke for another while longer, finishing the entire pot of tea. By the time they were done, Nathan had already decided he would get Simon to introduce him to more of this tea thing. He really felt quite calm, going through the repetitive motions of making a cup and sipping on it creating some sort of ritual.

  “Well,” Tamara finally said, setting her cup down. “I think your father should be coming home any minute now, Simon. Then we’ll both be getting ready for our date. You both might end up seeing more things that you don’t want to.”

  Simon practically jumped to his feet, then reached down to start urging Nathan up as well. Nathan observed this with amusement. “I think we’ll just be going. Right, Nate?”

  Nathan smiled and stood up as well. “Should we help put everything away?”

  Tamara smiled at him and shook her head, then offered him her hand. “I believe I can take care of that. It was very nice to meet you, Nathan. I look forward to seeing more of you in the future.”

  He took her hand and shook it, not at all surprised by the strength of her grip. “I feel the same way. Have fun on your date tonight.”

  “Oh, I’m sure I will.”

  That gave Nathan a couple mental images he didn’t want to dwell on, so he followed Simon over to the door. Tamara came up behind them, clearly intending to see them out.

  Before any of them could step outside, the door opened and a man entered. His eyes were a soft and pleasant brown from underneath thick eyebrows. Simon’s facial features clearly echoed his, meaning that this man could only be his father.

  Simon’s father removed his coat and hung it up on a hook near the door, then turned and offered his hand to Nathan. There were strands of errant hair on his shoulders, a stray curl clinging to his cheek. He must have just come from the barber shop, getting his hair trimmed for this special night.

  “Hello, there,” he said, and his voice was very quiet and mellow, in complete contrast with Tamara’s. “I’m Owen. And you are?”

  Normally when Nathan met another alpha, he always felt some sort of wariness or threat. Owen simply exuded an air of calm. He must have been the rock in the relationship, the steady feature around which Tamara orbited.

  “I’m Nathanial Pepper, sir. Your son is having my child.”

  Simon winced. Nathan didn’t see it but he could feel it, as if Simon’s entire soul grimaced. He supposed that he’d been a little less than eloquent just now. He was just tired of having to explain himself.

  Owen looked back and forth between the two of them, and then smiled. “It’s about damn time.”

  12

  A week after that awkward, yet pleasant, meeting at his parent’s house, Simon went to see the doctor with Nathan in tow. He almost insisted the alpha wolf not accompany him on this trip, though he managed to hold his tongue by reminding himself that Nathan had just as much right to be there as he did. Even though they weren’t actually a couple, Nathan was still the father.

  Even though Simon had seen Nathan in the wishing well, they weren’t a couple. He didn’t know if he should bring that up at some point or not, if the standard operating procedure was to politely mention it to your destined mate that you were meant for each other.

  At this point, he wasn’t even sure what it meant to be mates. Nathan hadn’t marked him, but the baby most certainly belonged to him. Wasn’t that enough to technically make them mates, since they had mated? And no one had ever told him that seeing his true mate meant he would actually fall in love. Who was to say that this whole thing about the well wasn’t just the result of wishful thinking? He could have seen anyone and been told they were his true mate, and he wouldn’t know the difference.

  It was too much to think about, though that didn’t stop the thoughts from continually circling
cyclonically in his head the whole time he was sitting in the waiting room with Nathan. He supposed he could have looked around at the rest of the expectant mothers in the room, though he wasn’t certain if that would make him feel better or worse. Undoubtedly, there were couples in this room who were so excited to have a new addition to their family, who had hoped and prayed and tried for years. And here he had gone and done it accidentally, irresponsibly, uncertain if he even wanted to keep it. Uncertain if he had what it took to keep it.

  Uncertain if it would ruin the pup’s life if he didn’t.

  Eventually, Simon heard his name being called gently from a door in the corner of the room. He stood up and approached the woman in question who had called him, a nurse who wore a candy striper uniform despite the fact that she looked about a week from retirement. Her face was stern, her wrinkles so prominent that her skin appeared to be melting, but her eyes twinkled with understanding.

  The first part of the exam was exactly like a physical. His weight and blood pressure were recorded by the solemn nurse with the understanding eyes, and then she asked him some basic questions about his level of activity and diet. She seemed rather approving of the fact that he was a PE teacher, though she did comment on the fact that he might find himself slowing down throughout the next months as his life went through this change.

  Simon resisted the urge to tell her that no shit, he was going to slow down. He was going to get fat and slothful and bloated and ugly, and he would go insane from being incapable of doing anything he wanted to. He hadn’t asked for this. It was his own stupidity that had gotten him into this situation. He should have denied Nathan, screw whatever the wishing well said; or he should have brought protection once he realized that sex with his boss was going to be a regular thing. That would have been the adult thing to do.

  Smiling pleasantly, Simon just said, “I’m sure I’ll notice when it starts to happen.”

  After another few questions, such as if this was his first pregnancy and what medications he took habitually, the nurse patted him on the hand and took a step back. “Well, the doctor will be here in a few minutes. I’ll be back shortly after getting some informational pamphlets for you to read.”

  “Thank you,” Nathan said. He sat in the other corner of the room on a stool, his hands folded in his lap. “I’ll read all of them even if he won’t. One of us has to be responsible.”

  She smiled and left the room, gently shutting the door behind her.

  Simon glared over at Nathan, who looked as perfect and unruffled as ever. Not even a strand of his hair was out of place. Part of him wanted to be annoyed at Nathan for being so put together at a time like this. The rest of him was grateful to have such a strong, steady presence here with him.

  “Neither of us was responsible.”

  Nathan smiled breezily. It was a great deal harder to be angry with him when he was wearing such a charming expression. “I know, but she was paying too much attention to you, and I got lonely.”

  “You’re just a big puppy, aren’t you?” Simon found himself smiling back and he shook his head.

  “Yes, I am. And like any puppy, I’m kind of excited. Aren’t you?”

  “You’re excited? How can you be so excited? This is terrifying!” Simon blurted out. He was aware of his voice rising, and he struggled to bring it back down to a manageable level.

  Nathan started to lift his hands in that gesture he liked so much, then seemed to realize what he was doing and dropped his arms down again. “I’m trying to have a positive outlook on this. It’s kind of exciting. It really is. Just look around you and tell me that it’s not fascinating.”

  Look around me?

  Lifting his head, Simon looked around the room. He hadn’t taken in the scenery when he first walked in because he expected it to just be like any other doctor’s office. Now that he actually paid attention, he realized the posters on the wall weren’t of the standard fare he was used to. Instead of posters of muscles and fliers detailing all the latest, most popular infectious diseases and how to protect against them, he was looking at images of newborn fetal development.

  His first instinct was to look back at Nathan and tell him that all of this was gross, not exciting, when another realization struck him.

  All of those depictions were showing what was happening inside him right now. He looked closer.

  One chart displayed the approximate size of the baby at various stages of the pregnancy. Right now, his own pup was hardly the size of half a grain of rice. It was nothing more than a miniscule blob of fleshy cells. Soon enough, it would double in size, then quadruple, developing limbs, internal organs, a brain. All the things he had, that he took for granted, were things that his pup would have to grow on its own. Fingernails, fingerprints, eyelashes…

  Another chart showed when the baby could hear, when it would open its eyes for the first time, when it would start testing out its forming body.

  He hadn’t quite understood all of this until now. He knew he was pregnant, knew there was a child inside him that would change him physically; he hadn’t considered the changes that the pup would go through. It would wind up anywhere between 6 and 10 lbs on average, created from an amount of matter so small that it was literally almost nothing.

  There might as well have been an entire universe developing in his stomach right now.

  A little dumbstruck, he looked over at Nathan. Nathan grinned back, knowing he’d gotten his message across.

  Maybe, just maybe, this might be a little exciting after all. He wouldn’t be working or planning anything school-related, but now he had all these various milestones to look forward to.

  A knock on the outside of the door brought him back to reality, and he turned to see the doctor entering the room. Tamara had recommended him based on what she’d heard from old friends when they talked about their own grandchildren. The man was supposed to be mild-mannered and very knowledgeable about shifters. Simon wasn’t sure if the guy hit all those criteria exactly right, since he seemed more or less like a normal guy, but at least he seemed competent. He talked for quite a long time about things Simon already knew, about shifters having shorter, more difficult pregnancies, and then suggested they get on a regular schedule for visits. When Simon agreed, not knowing why he wouldn’t, the doctor looked at him like he’d made an incredibly smart decision.

  After that, the man listened to Simon’s heartbeat, had him turn his head and cough, and that was it. The nurse came back in bearing all the various pamphlets that she’d promised, and then she guided Simon and Nathan back to the front desk to make another appointment in two weeks.

  Holding onto all his informational papers, Simon followed Nathan out to his car and slipped into the passenger seat. He kicked his feet, feeling like a kid on his way to an amusement park.

  Nathan glanced over at him while pulling out of the parking lot. “You seem to be in a surprisingly good mood.”

  Simon looked at Nathan. Their eyes meeting made him shiver slightly, his heart skipping a few beats before evening out again. “I’m thinking that you might actually be right, you know? Maybe things are going to be okay after all.”

  “Of course they will be. I’m going to take care of it. I told you that.”

  There was a lump in his throat, constricting his breath. He flexed his fingers against his thighs, feeling the material of his jeans a little too intensely. For whatever reason, adrenaline was starting to permeate through his body, heightening his senses. Maybe it was anticipation. Maybe it was simple, primal attraction to another wolf.

  Deep in the back of his mind, where Simon kept his secret thoughts that he would never dare speak aloud, he wondered if it might not be the beginning of love. He didn’t know if it was mate-love, though it was certainly love of some kind. Wolves were really such simple creatures. If two lupine souls came across each other and were compatible, that was it. Nothing else was required.

  This wasn’t a situation he had wanted, but there were worse people in
the world to be stuck with than this one sitting right beside him. He had Nathan’s child inside him, the child of a strong and capable man with a sense of humor. No, he was definitely not all that bad off right now. All he had to do was take it one day at a time.

  He kept glancing over at Nathan as the alpha drove him home, knowing that every look would send a tingle of awareness running down the other’s spine. It was exactly as it had been during their interviews, light and teasing and tempting; the difference this time was that Simon knew what he was doing.

  Nathan parked in the driveway of his house, then leaned over and grabbed him around the waist with his broad hands. The contact sent a rush of fire through Simon’s body, immediately stealing his breath away to feed the flames. “You fucking little tease…If I didn’t have to get back to work…”

  Simon leaned across the center console and pressed a soft kiss to a patch of stubble on Nathan’s chin, which he must have missed when he was shaving that morning. The prickling of short hairs against his sensitive lips was decidedly erotic. “I guess you’ll just have to make time for me, won’t you?”

  “The first chance I get, I’m going to pounce on you.” Nathan growled deeply in the back of his throat, then turned his head to press their lips together. Their mouths sought the other, their tongues tangling sweetly between them. Simon reached out and pressed his hand flat on Nathan’s firm chest, feeling his heart beating, calling his name. Nathan’s pulse ticked at the hollow of his throat, keeping time with the rapid thumping of his heart.

  Unable to resist himself, Simon slid his mouth down from Nathan’s, over his chin and down to his throat. He flicked out his tongue, tasting musk, tasting sweet desire, and then pulled back with a shudder. Nathan let go of his hair, though Simon wasn’t quite sure at what point he’d grabbed on.