I glanced up at Quin, standing behind Abel with his own bag hanging from his shoulder. He smiled at me. “Yeah, the new Alpha wants his place.”
Fan’s excited chatter came to an abrupt stop. “Pap, why aren’t you Alpha any more?”
Abel grinned and ruffled Fan’s curls. “Because your uncle is going to be, so I can have more time to spend with you guys. We’re going to move into the new house tonight, and you guys can sleep in your new beds.”
Fan looked doubtful, but when Abel picked him up and put him on his shoulders, he cheered up. “Can we stay up late?”
“I think we can manage that.” He looked at me and grinned. “So, let’s move!”
It took about an hour to get everything together and down to the lobby. We didn’t have much—just our clothes and personal items, but it took a while to ferret them out from all the corners they’d gotten hidden in. All the furniture and kitchen things stayed with the apartment. The new house would have new furniture, paid for out of pack funds, but ultimately coming from the money brought in by Alpha Hunt. Abel chased the pups out the door and into the van, then came back to pick up a couple of suitcase. “You go get in the car,” he told me. “You’re already carrying enough.” He grinned at me, as excited as the pups.
We drove across town, toward the east, near where Abel planned to knock down the wall into the expansion when the day came, and near the pond, something which had made Mac lay claim to the land on the other side of the pond with a gleam in his eye.
I hadn’t seen it since the frame had been put up, nothing more than a skeleton that hinted at what it might some day become. I knew the basic plan for it—two stories, four bedrooms, with a small apartment attached to one side for Holland, since he was moving with us. The lights shone out of every window, and pack members streamed in and out, their arms full of the last of the furniture that had been carefully chosen and purchased for this place. A roar went up as we arrived, and we had to make it through a gauntlet of welcome backs and congratulations before I could get a look at it.
“It’s beautiful.” I hung off Abel’s arm and gazed, stupified, at my new home. They’d painted it yellow, with white trim, and while I could see that the insides were still bare and gray, I could already picture it with paint, and puppy art in places it shouldn’t have been.
“There’s one last thing to do,” he said meditatively. “Come up here.”
He led me up onto the porch, right in front of the door. “Hold on.” Then he scooped me up in his arms, laughing like he was lunar.
“Abel! You’re going to hurt your back!” But I was laughing as he carried me through the door. “That’s a human tradition.”
“Maybe I just wanted an excuse to pick you up.” He set me on my feet and led me through into the living room. “What do you think?”
It was bigger than I’d expected—the whole place was. “Oh, Abel, how could we afford this?” It had looked smaller as a skeleton.
He came up behind me and rested his head on top of mine, his hands curling around my waist. “Someday, all our people will be able to have houses like this. This is just a start.” He turned me around so I could look up into his face. “It’s only just beginning. Next year, we’ll have the fence completed and we can knock this part of the wall down. We can expand, have more space. Houses where we aren’t three pups to a bedroom. Room to run.” He rested his forehead against mine. “And then, maybe, no walls at all. That’s the goal.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him close, speechless.
Well, at least until the pups roared into the room. “Dabi, Pap, can we see our rooms?” And just like that, our tender moment was put on hold, but I was determined to finish it that evening, once the pups were in their new beds. In the meantime…
“Let’s go see!” I caroled and exchanged an ironic glance with Abel.
He grinned and patted my ass. “Race you up the stairs, Fan,” he said, and ran down the hall after our oldest.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
Harvest Moon. Jason’s gardens had outdone themselves, we’d gotten one small contract with a restaurant in the city for our cider, and Alpha Hunt was slowly gaining notice out in the human world. The foundation for the new enclave wall had been laid and next spring we’d be allowed to break an opening in the old one and start building houses there.
Abel and I were waiting for the final touches on our very own house to be completed. In the end, we’d made some changes to the design, adding in a small apartment at one end for Holland to live in. It hadn’t cost much more, and Holland was old enough we both thought he deserved a place he could call his own. Abel still stood guardian for him—that hadn’t changed.
As for me, I was well and truly ready for this pup to make his appearance. I waddled.
Grrr.
The only consolation was that the pups was finally so constrained inside me that he couldn’t continue with his campaign against my internal organs, being restricted to the occasional shove or stretch. And I’d been restless all day, which I hoped was a sign that he would soon be on his way.
“Soon, baby. Soon.” I stroked the curve of my belly and listened to my body tell me… no. I grunted and dragged my fat rear off the chair, thinking I’d hunt Abel down and make him as cranky as I was.
I found him over by the firepit, teasing Duke as Duke poked at long strips of meat stretched out over a grill borrowed from the barracks kitchen. The smell of roasting meat wafted past my nose and suddenly I was starving. “Is any of that ready?”
Abel laughed. “Soon. Hungry again?”
“Yes. It’s not like I can eat much at once.” I glared grumpily at him.
“I know.” He put a hand on my waist and pulled me close. “There should be something soon.”
“Good.” I rubbed at that itchy spot next to my bellybutton.
An hour later, I was as full as I could get, had been to the bathroom, and had been escorted to a chair near the clearing where the dancing was starting. Abel sat down on the grass beside me and I laid a hand on his shoulder just because I enjoyed touching him. He smiled up at me and bent his head to kiss my knuckles.
Holland came across the grass toward us, Fan running ahead of him, Beatrice in his arms. “They wanted to see you again before the pups activities started.”
I hugged Fan and let Beatrice scramble down onto what remained of my lap. Fan sat on my feet, one arm wrapped around my left leg. “Thank you for looking after them tonight.”
Holland smiled sweetly and sat on the grass on my other side. “They’re adorable.”
I reached for his hand and said a silent prayer that he’d have his own some day, regardless of what had happened in his first mating. The tentative not-yet-a-relationship between him and Quin was reassuring, though neither of them did much more than stare at each other and moon. I’d have to stick my finger in that pot someday, once I’d popped this pup out of the oven.
Beatrice grumped and whined, trying to force herself into the chair. “Dabi, move!”
“I can’t, sweetie. That’s all me. And your little brother or sister.” She stuck her foot into the side of stomach, and the muscles of my womb tightened, squeezing down on the baby. I stopped breathing, listening intently to the message my body was sending. This wasn’t a contraction like the ones I’d been having the past couple of weeks.
This one had purpose.
I reached for Holland again. He glanced up at me in mild curiosity, then his expression tightened. “Is it…?”
I nodded. “There’s no rush. But if you wanted to be there, you’ll need to find Becca or Patrice.” I had thought it would be a good idea to have Bram help too, but I didn’t see him. “Could you find Bram, too? I promised him he could be there.”
Holland nodded and got to his feet. “I’ll be back soon.”
I waved a hand to indicate there was no rush and settled Beatrice more securely in the crook of my arm.
When I looked up, Abel was watching me with excited in
tensity. “Should we go?”
I laughed and shook my head. “We have time. I’d like to watch some of the dancing. And Holland’s gone to find Becca and Bram.”
He nodded and reached up to take the hand that rested on his shoulder.
Fan tilted his head back. “Dabi, is the baby coming?”
“I think so, sweetie. You’re going to go stay with someone tonight, okay? Maybe Becca or Patrice. You and your brother and sisters.”
“But I want to see the baby.”
“You will. First thing in the morning.” I let him crawl up on my lap too, and heard Abel laugh softly beside me.
“You need a bigger lap.”
“I need to get this pup out,” I told him tartly, but gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before I had to steady Fan on my lap again.
They were on the third dance when Holland came back, Becca and Patrice and Jason right behind him. “I couldn’t find Bram.”
That worried me. Bram had become even wilder over the summer, encouraging all the alphas, but Justin the most. It seemed to me that he was throwing it all in Duke’s face, and I wondered what had happened between them. I’d been certain, as had Jason, that Bram felt something romantic toward the huge shifter, but his behavior this summer was atrocious, and his parents couldn’t seem to do anything with him. We’d tried, Abel and I, and Holland as well, to talk some sense into the young omega, or scare some into him, but it never seemed to last.
Cale jogged up. “Did I hear you were looking for Bram?”
“Yes. Where is he?”
Cale gestured us all close and in a low voice said, “He went into heat yesterday. Really pissed about it too. I heard he was throwing things.”
Oh. It was a shame, but at least he wasn’t rollicking through the pack’s alphas while I was unable to perform any sort of supervision. “Well, he can be there for the next one.” I’d bring the baby over to visit him as soon as I was allowed out and around; maybe that would help make up for it.
Another contraction hit, and I breathed through it. For sure there would be a baby in my arms by morning. “It might not be a bad idea to go now.”
Abel plucked Fan off my lap, setting him on the ground in front of me. Beatrice didn’t want to go to Becca, but eventually we found a bribe that worked, and she let Becca pick her up, visions of ice cream sundaes dancing in her head I was sure.
“Where are Noah and Teca?” I asked.
“Noah’s in bed at the daycare, Teca’s playing with Rosalie and her family. They said she can have a sleepover tonight.”
So that was the pups taken care of. I let Abel help me to my feet and we headed back to our house.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE
Abel and I had a brief argument about where I would have the baby, quickly settled by the onset of another contraction. This one seemed to be coming like Teca had, and if that was his plan, there was no time to waste arguing. Instead, I had them spread a sheet of plastic between the mattress and the old blankets they laid beneath me, because I wasn’t backing down on that.
Jason helped me out of my clothes and Abel handed me up onto the bed, then went around to sit on the other side where he could hold my hand. His fingers shook as he laced them through mine, and I squeezed and smiled at him to show him I wasn’t scared.
Holland leaned me forward so he could pack pillows behind my back, helping me to sit up against the headboard. I hadn’t noticed Jason leaving, but he came back through the door with Cale, carrying my new birthing kit between them. They laid everything out on the dresser, ready to hand for when we’d need it.
I relaxed into the pillows and smiled happily at everyone.
Abel shifted a few inches closer to me. “So, how long does this take?”
I laughed. “It takes as long as it takes. But I think this will be quick. I must have been having contractions all day and didn’t notice, so we’re pretty close to the—” Another contraction, this one both stronger and longer, stole the last word from me. I curled around my belly and breathed out slowly, my mind diving deep, so I became unaware of the people around me. Instinct took over, and I followed the call of my body as it took command.
When the contraction stopped, I let out a long sigh and let myself flop back onto the pillows. Abel pushed my curls back off my forehead. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just labor. That’s why it has that name.” I dropped a kiss on his lips and laid my head on his shoulder. “Can I have one of the blankets?” It was just a little too cool in the room for naked at the moment, though I knew I’d be grateful for the temperature once things really got rolling.
Jason handed him one from the end of the bed. Abel shook it out one-handed and draped it over me, tucking the edges down over the two of us. His body heat filled the space under the cloth and I hummed happily as I snuggled closer. “I’ve decided that you’re going to hang around and provide body heat every time I’m in labor from now on,” I told him.
“Happy to be of service,” he said. His fingers closed tightly around my hand and he smiled.
Holland sat on the edge of the bed. “Is there anything you want before we get busy? Something to drink?”
“No, I’m good. But thank you.” I watched him, searching for some hint of how this all made him feel. But his face was calm, and if he was upset by my fertility, none of it showed.
He patted my knee under the blanket. “I might go warm those towels up in the oven. I’ve heard that’s nice.” He kissed my cheek, then slid off the bed and gathered up the towels on the dresser and disappeared out the door. Perhaps he wasn’t keeping it together as well as he seemed.
That train of thought was interrupted by another contraction. My omega line began to burn with this one, and I panted a little to stay on top of the pain.
“Bax?” Abel’s worried voice sounded right by my ear, but I didn’t have any attention to spare for him at the moment. I pushed my feet against the bed, because it felt good to do something, even though it didn’t help. This was always the worst part—once my line opened, everything would go kind of numb down there, and the rest of it would be easy.
The contraction let up and I relaxed back against the pillows.
“Bax?” Abel asked again. His had was tight in mine and when I turned my head, his forehead was furrowed with worry.
“It’s fine. This is normal.” I glanced down at our hands, now on top of the blanket. “Did I hurt you?”
“You can do whatever you need to get through this.”
I laughed, and Jason echoed it.
“Don’t give him your whole hand or he’ll break it.” Jason leaned over me and gently rearranged our fingers so I only gripped two of Abel’s. “Much safer now.”
Abel stared bemusedly down at our hands, then back up at me. “Really?”
I nodded. “It’s different from everyday. Like nothing exists outside my body.”
“I’m going to go wash my hands,” Jason said. “Cale, you stay here.”
“Sure,” Cale said, and curled up in the rocking chair in the corner of the room.
I cuddled in Abel again, and we began our usual bickering over baby names until another contraction stole my breath. They were much closer together now, and when I ran my hand down over my belly at the end of this one, I found a gap in my omega line, about an inch and half long.
Jason came back, drying his hands on one of our towels. “How’s it going?”
“I’m gapping,” I told him.
“That’s good. How long do you usually take after?”
“Not long. Maybe an hour?”
Abel broke in. “Gapping?”
I took his hand and ran it over my belly until he could feel the opening.
“Holy shit,” he breathed, his eyes wide. “Is that…?”
I leaned over and whispered in his ear. “That’s that omega line that you like so much. The baby’s going to be here soon.” I leaned back just in time. Another contraction came, hard and fast, and I watched as my stomach ten
ted up into a hard ball under the blanket. Sweat broke out at my hairline and under my arms, and I pushed the blanket away, suddenly too warm. Abel sat up and leaned toward me, encouraging me in my labor, but I could barely hear him over the clamor of my body.
It went on longer this time, and a trickle of blood seeped down between my legs. I put a hand on Abel’s cheek and kissed him, then lay back to prepare for the next one.
When it came, it opened me wide and then there was gush of fluid, the baby waters, and from that point on, it was one long contraction. Or at least it felt like one.
Cale and Abel supported me, holding my weight and wiping the sweat from my face with a damp facecloth. Holland came back with the towels, laying one over my belly, another against my gaping omega line. The heat felt good, soothing some of the ache, and then the contraction grew stronger again. I grunted and breathed when Jason reminded me to, and squeezed Abel’s fingers tightly.
All of a sudden, between one moment and the next, I felt everything move down. My belly went from round to pear-shaped and I felt a stretching sensation where my omega line stretched to make way for the baby.
“I can see the head,” Holland said, and tucked the towel down between my legs.
“You’re doing fine,” Abel told me. “You’re so brave. Come on.” He kissed the top of my head and laid his hand against the back of my neck.
I laughed breathlessly and pushed with the next one, and the one after that, and the one after that. My belly stretched and then Holland was yelling, “Here come the shoulders!” and then with a rush and slither, the baby landed in Holland’s hands.
CHAPTER NINETY
Holland laid the baby face down on my chest while we waited for the afterbirth. I stroked his head—it was a boy, I’d seen that much, and big—and whispered a soft hello to him while he wailed his distress at leaving his warm, comfortable home.
“Is he okay?” Abel asked. He leaned forward, reaching tentatively toward the baby as if he was afraid to touch him.
Abel's Omega(Gay Paranomal MM Mpreg Romance) (Mercy Hills Pack Book 2) Page 40
