Wolf of her Own_Salvation Series

by N. J. Walters

  She began to shift as he tossed the water bottle back into the knapsack. Before he could return it to its hiding place, she’d left her human form behind and had embraced her wolf. He was tossing the blanket in after the knapsack when she took off.

  She felt young and free as she raced toward home. Mikhail surged past her, his wolf much larger than hers. There were no detours, no wasting time. They both wanted to be home.

  Home. The word had an entirely new meaning now.

  She slowed as she rounded the last bend and the house came into view. She was trotting by the time she hit the steps. Her dress was still back in a tree. She’d get it later. Right now, she wanted to brush her teeth and kiss her mate.

  Her mate. She was mated. She was surprisingly excited about it.

  Mikhail shifted first, leaving his wolf behind. He was big and strong and tough, and he was all hers.

  She shifted more slowly. As soon as the transformation was done, she wavered on her feet.

  “Elise.” Mikhail leaped toward her, catching her before she fell. “What in the hell is wrong?” he demanded. She knew his anger was due to fear.

  “I’m just a little dizzy.”

  “Why?”

  She shook her head, but that only made matters worse. Mikhail scooped her up and carried her inside. “I’m calling Corrine.” He strode down the hallway and set her carefully on the bed. He was on his way back to the kitchen for his phone when she stopped him.

  “Mikhail.” He turned in the doorway, his features tight. This wasn’t exactly the celebration either of them had wanted. She patted the mattress beside her. “Come here.”

  He shoved his fingers through his hair and stalked back to her side. “I need to call someone.”

  She shook her head. She was very much afraid she knew the reason for her sickness and her dizziness. Elise grabbed the quilt from the bottom of the bed and covered herself. Now the idea had taken root, she noted other changes she’d ignored. Her craving for lemon pie, the slight tenderness of her breasts.

  Mikhail gripped both her hands in his. “You can’t be ill.” It went without saying that if a werewolf was ill, it was a very serious situation.

  “I’m not,” she promised him.

  “Then what is it?”

  “I think I’m pregnant,” she blurted. When he continued to sit there with a blank look in his eyes, she kept rambling. “I didn’t put it together until I got dizzy outside.”

  “You didn’t mate with me because you’re pregnant.”

  She could see how he might think that. She shook her head. “No. Mikhail. I assumed my childbearing years were behind me.” And that worried her.

  His frown deepened. “Is it dangerous for you? I can’t lose you.” He buried his face in her lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “I’ve known of women to give birth as late as seventy. It’s like a human giving birth in their forties. Not unheard of, but certainly not the norm.” She was pregnant. Oh God. She was pregnant. Her child would be younger than her grandchildren. It was enough to make her head spin.

  Mikhail’s head jerked up when she swayed. “Lie back. Shit, should we have mated with you in this condition? It didn’t hurt you or the baby, did it?”

  He looked so flustered, so unlike her calm and steady Mikhail, she smiled. “No, it didn’t hurt us.” She touched her mating mark. “I’m glad we mated before we found out.”

  “Me, too.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “How do you feel about this?” She’d told him she didn’t want another child, but that had been before they’d truly become close, before they’d mated.

  “Surprisingly, I’m excited about it.” And she was. The thought of having a little boy or a little girl was exhilarating. “How do you feel?” This wasn’t something they’d really discussed, because it wasn’t supposed to happen. Technically, she was still in her childbearing years, but near the very end of them.

  A slow grin cracked his face. “I’m going to be a father.” He tugged the blanket aside and pressed his hand lightly against her stomach. Tears filled her eyes when he leaned down and kissed her tummy. She wasn’t even showing yet. Her skin was a bit taut, but that was all. “I’ll be a good one,” he promised her.

  “I know.” Unlike her first mate, this man knew how to be a father. That much was evidenced with Rina.

  “We’re going to be parents.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she slapped her hand in front of her mouth.

  “Not until I brush my teeth,” she reminded him.

  He scooped her off the bed and carried her into the bathroom. “Brush fast. I need to kiss you.”

  Her entire body tingled at his heated gaze. He wanted to do more than just kiss her. She put toothpaste on her brush but stopped just before she put it in her mouth. “What will Jacque and Louis think?” Not only was she mated, but she was also pregnant when they were both grown with pups of their own. It would be a huge adjustment for them.

  Mikhail slowly grinned. “I can’t wait to tell them.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “You’re what?”

  Elise flinched slightly at Jacque’s question. She couldn’t really blame him for being upset. The rest of the pack was sitting and standing around the room, all staring at her and Mikhail in shock.

  “Your mother and I are mated, and Elise is pregnant,” Mikhail stated. He was standing behind her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders. His free hand was resting protectively on her stomach.

  She was glad they’d waited a couple of hours before heading over to Jacque’s place. It was just their luck that everyone else had already gathered there for supper. Even the children were there.

  Amy walked over to her and tugged on the sleeve of her dress. Elise looked down at Cole and Cherise’s precious little girl. Would she have a girl this time or another boy? She didn’t really care as long as the child was born healthy. “Yes.”

  “I’m going to be an aunt,” Amy announced. “Like Sue is to Sage and Reece.” The little girl acted much older than her five years.

  Cherise came over and scooped up her daughter. “You have to be related in order to be an aunt,” she tried to explain.

  Amy was having none of it. She crossed her arms across her tiny chest and frowned. “But I want to be an aunt. I’d be a good one,” she promised.

  Elise’s heart was touched by the child’s offer. “I’m sure you’ll be an excellent aunt.”

  Amy smiled as her father took her from her mother. “I’m going to be an aunt,” she informed her father.

  “So I hear,” Cole told her.

  “You’re pregnant,” Jacque repeated.

  “And mated,” Mikhail reminded him.

  The dazed expression left Jacque’s face, and he narrowed his eyes. “You agreed to this. To all of it.”

  Mikhail bristled, but she laid her hand on his arm, and he settled almost immediately. “Of course I did.” The slight reprimand in her voice had no effect on her son. She couldn’t tell what either Jacque or Louis felt about the situation. It was one thing for her to get mated, another to be pregnant at her age. She knew she’d shocked them all.

  Gwen pushed by her mate. “That’s wonderful news, Elise.” Her daughter-in-law leaned in and hugged her. It was awkward because Mikhail didn’t let her go. “I’m so happy for you both.”

  Everyone else in the pack was looking to Jacque to see how he was going to react. This pack might be a lot more progressive than most, but he was still alpha, and his word was law.

  He shook his head and sighed. “I’m going to have a little brother or sister.”

  She nodded. “Yes.” Mikhail’s big palm pressed more securely over her stomach, as if he wanted to protect their child from whatever might be said.

  “Mama.” Jacque walked toward her with his arms wide open. She wasn’t sure Mikhail was going to release her, but he did just at the last second. Her son’s strong arms closed around her. “Are you happy?”

  It meant so much to her tha
t his concern was for her well-being. “Yes, I am. I was shocked, of course.”

  “How long have you known?” Louis came up beside them and touched his hand to the side of her face.

  She gave a weak laugh. “A couple of hours. I almost fainted after we mated. That along with the fact I’ve thrown up a few times made me realize what was happening.”

  “You were sick. You almost fainted.” Louis had her in his arms before she could blink. “You should be sitting.” He glared at Mikhail. “What were you thinking to let her just stand there.”

  Mikhail walked over to stand next to the chair Louis deposited her into. “I was thinking that your mother is a grown woman who knows her own mind.”

  She had to bite her tongue over that one. Mikhail had complained the whole way over when she wouldn’t let him carry her. She looked up and saw the humor in his eyes. He was enjoying himself.

  Corrine pushed through the men to stand before her. “Congratulations.” Elise knew that neither of them could have ever imagined this outcome to their lives.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  The entire pack surged forward to offer their congratulations. Her grandsons pushed their way through until they were standing in front of her. “Are we going to be uncles?” Nicholas asked. He was so serious, so like his father.

  Jacque put his hands on his sons’ shoulders. “The baby will be your uncle. He will be my brother.” He paused and canted his head to one side. “Or possibly my sister.”

  Aaron frowned. “But we’re older. That’s not fair. Amy is going to be an aunt. I want to be an uncle.”

  Jacque looked to her for support. All Elise could do was laugh. “We can figure it all out when the baby is born.”

  Aaron scuffed his shoe on the hardwood floor. “I want to be an uncle.”

  Elise drew his small, sturdy body close. “Then you shall be an uncle.”

  He peered up at her, his brown eyes solemn. “I’ll be the best uncle in the world.”

  “I know you will be.” She brushed his blond hair away from his eyes.

  Nicholas was agitated, biting his bottom lip. “Will I be an uncle, too?”

  Elise nodded. She didn’t care what their real relationships were. These young boys wanted to love and protect her unborn child. That was a gift beyond measure. They were following in their father’s footsteps and were on their way to becoming good men. “When the baby is older, he or she will look to you to learn.”

  “I won’t let you down,” he promised. She could already see the promise of the alpha he would one day become.

  Jacque scooped up Nicholas, and Louis grabbed Aaron, moving them out of the way as Rina and Sage moved closer. Elise had totally forgotten Mikhail’s sister. What would she think?

  “You’re really mated?” she asked her brother. Rina’s gaze dropped to Elise’s neck. It was impossible to miss the mating mark. And this close, it would be impossible for her not to smell her brother’s scent all over Elise.

  Mikhail wrapped his arm around his sister. “We are.” He reached back and cupped the back of Elise’s neck with his big palm, connecting them.

  Rina burst into tears. “I’m so happy for you both.” She flung herself into her brother’s arms, and he was forced to use both hands to support her. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

  “Hush,” he whispered in her ear. “Everything is okay.” Mikhail looked to Sage for help, and Rina’s mate pulled her into his arms. Then Mikhail turned to face Jacque. “Everything is okay, isn’t it?”

  She’d thought everything was settled. She looked at her sons and at the other men of the pack and knew this was far from over, but for some reason she wasn’t worried.

  “Let’s go outside and talk.” Jacque strode toward the door with the other males following. Even Joseph, Sage, Reece, and Elias went with them. She’d only expected the original five members of the pack to confront him.

  Worry made her stomach jump, and she placed her hand over it to try to settle the unease churning inside her. Mikhail followed them all, stopping at the door long enough to wink at her before he followed them.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, Gwen waved her hand in front of her face. “All that testosterone could choke a woman.”

  They all laughed, all except her and Rina. Nicholas tugged on his mother’s arm. “What’s testosterone?”

  Gwen leaned down and kissed her son’s cheek. “Something you’ll have in spades in about a decade or so.”

  Nicholas frowned and then shrugged. “Can we go play?”

  “Absolutely,” Gwen told him. Nicholas and Aaron ran from the room with Amy behind them. Etienne, Gator and Sylvie’s young son, paused beside Elise. “I won’t be an uncle, but I can be a good friend. Like Papa and Uncle Jacque.”

  He was such a serious child and totally sincere in his offer. “My child will be lucky to have you as a friend.”

  Etienne nodded, and then his gaze turned a little sly, and she saw Gator reflected in his son. “And if it’s a girl, I’ll marry her when we’re older.” With that pronouncement, he ran off to join the other children.

  Sylvie buried her face in her hands. “Oh God. He’s only six and he’s already thinking about mating.”

  They all laughed, and the women converged on her and hugged and talked all at once. It was overwhelming, and it was wonderful, but it didn’t quite take her mind off what was happening outside.

  …

  “So you mated with our mama.” The clearing just beyond the house was cool now that the sun had set behind the trees. Jacque and Louis were standing side by side with their hands on their hips and aggression in their eyes. He couldn’t fault them for being protective of their mother.

  “I did. It was her idea. I thought we’d have a picnic, but she had other ideas.” He couldn’t help but smile at the memory. His cock began to stir as well.

  “For fuck’s sake, you mated with her outside.” Louis took a step toward him, but Mikhail held his ground.

  “I would have mated with her any time and any place. She is mine.” His wolf rose inside him, wanting out. He hadn’t asked formal permission. As an alpha male, it went against everything inside him to do so. Besides, they were all adults, and both her sons had known he wanted to mate their mother.

  “And you got her pregnant.” Louis dragged his fingers through his hair. “At her age it could be dangerous.”

  And that was going to keep him up nights for the next seven months or so. “That was not planned. Neither of us anticipated such a thing. But I’m not sorry it happened.” The idea of having a child with the woman he loved was a dream he thought would never come true. “I’ll be taking good care of her over the next few months and for the rest of her life.”

  The men had formed a small group around him. He didn’t want to fight any of them, especially not Elise’s children. That would not start their life together out on the right foot.

  “I love her,” he told them. “She’s everything to me.”

  “Shit.” Jacque growled and rocked back on his heels. “How can I stay angry when you say things like that?”

  Mikhail shrugged. “It’s the truth.” The corners of his mouth turned upward. “You can call me Mikhail or you can call me dad.”

  “Fuck me.” Louis began to pace. “Don’t go there. Do not even think it.”

  Gator began to laugh, and Armand smiled. Even a ghost of a smile crossed Cole’s face. The others were doing their best not to laugh at their alpha. Jacque did not look happy.

  “That will never happen,” the alpha informed him.

  Mikhail rubbed his hand across his chin. He was enjoying this far more than he should be. “I never thought it would. But your mother is my mate. I’d like for us to get along. And I will not have her worry about anything, especially not during the coming months.”

  She was carrying his child, and it was his duty and honor to protect her. It would be an uphill battle. Elise was not the kind of woman to sit back and let another ta
ke care of her. He would enjoy pampering her. It was all too easy to imagine her soaking in a bubble bath while he watched. Maybe he’d even join her so he could wash her.

  “I don’t want to know what you’re thinking about.” Louis pointed his finger at Mikhail. “That’s my mama.”

  “She’s my mate,” he reminded them. But he understood that they didn’t want to think of Elise as a vital, sexual woman. And she was all woman.

  Jacque whirled around and started back toward the house, his shoulders stiff. “I can’t stand here and watch the expressions on your face any longer. If I don’t leave, I’m going to have to beat the crap out of you for the lascivious thoughts you’re having about my mama.”

  Mikhail couldn’t deny the charge. His thoughts were very lascivious at the moment. “Thank you,” he said.

  Jacque stopped and slowly turned. Mikhail couldn’t imagine how difficult this was for the alpha and his brother. For all the men. They didn’t see Elise the way he did.

  “All I want is Elise. She’s the most important person in my life.” She was his home, his reason for living.

  Jacque nodded. “As long as it stays that way, we’ll have no problem.” He growled and shook himself. “Welcome to the pack.”

  It was the official acceptance from the alpha. Mikhail hadn’t even realized what a huge burden that worry had been until it disappeared. It was like dropping the weight of the world from his shoulders.

  His wolf chuffed and wanted to challenge Jacque, but he put a tight rein on the creature. He had Elise. He didn’t want to be in charge of a pack. Nor would he fight his mate’s children. It was his job to protect them.

  Jacque’s long legs ate up the distance back to the house. Louis and the others all stopped and slapped him on the back. He braced himself but still stumbled forward a step when Cole hit him. What was worse, Mikhail knew Cole wasn’t even exerting himself.

  “I knew you were smart,” Gator told him. “Now we eat and celebrate. I only hope someone checked the roast I had in the oven, or we’ll be eating well-done beef tonight.”

  Sage hung back and waited until the others finished. He and his twin shared a glance before Reece sauntered away.