by Parker Skye
Logan crept closer and Judas shot him his usual suspicious, yet simultaneously bored, look. Judas’ ears flattened and his odd mismatched eyes blinked slowly. When his tail started to tap rhythmically on the couch, Logan could feel Izzy’s anxiety ratcheting up. Any second now and the cat was likely to become a swirling, hissing deliverer of pain.
“Logan, wait,” Izzy said abruptly. “Maybe we should just leave him alone. He doesn’t seem to be angry or anything right now. Maybe if I just pretend he’s not there, it’ll be okay.” Logan was about to argue against the idea when Judas’ loud purr rumbled through the room. Logan stared at the cat in shock. The cat had never purred before in all the time he’d known it. Izzy laughed quietly. Logan looked at the smaller shifter like he must be losing his mind trusting the cat not to lash out eventually.
“Well, I guess anyone can change, can’t they? Maybe he’s just going to keep me company this morning. Go figure. You can go ahead and finish getting ready Logan. I think I’ll be fine. And if anything happens, I know where the Band-Aids are.” Judas’ mismatched eyes focused on Izzy and Logan could have sworn the cat winked. I’m losing my mind obviously.
“Alright, if you’re sure. I’ll have my phone on me if you need anything. I’ll be back about noon, okay?” Logan said, still hesitant to leave the unlikely pair together on the couch. Izzy shoo’d him away with the flick of one hand and Logan finally turned for the door. Logan checked his pockets to make sure he had everything and grabbed his keys. He paused one more time before locking the door behind him, still shocked at seeing the cat cuddling on the couch with his sick pack mate.
“Will wonders never cease,” Logan mumbled to himself, shutting and locking the door behind him.
Chapter 4
Logan was ruefully smiling when he unlocked the front door and walked inside shortly after noon. The TV was still on the Cooking Channel but Izzy was sound asleep on the couch. Judas had moved up to Izzy’s side and curled under his sick pack mate’s arm. The cat looked up and blinked guiltily as if Logan would be upset to find him sleeping with someone else.
Logan shook his head slightly and ignored it. Likely this was a one-time thing anyway. He fully expected the cat would go back to attacking them all again as soon as Izzy woke up. Unless aliens had come and traded out the Judas they all knew for another identical, but not psychotic, cat, Logan thought. Logan’s phone started to ring and he quickly silenced it to avoid disturbing the slumbering pair. Logan closed his bedroom door behind him and answered.
“Hey, it’s me,” Ryan said. “I talked to Sylvia and she does want to see Izzy this weekend. She has a theory but she can’t confirm it until she sees him.”
“What’s her theory?” Logan asked. Logan thought he might have lost connection for a moment when Ryan’s only response was silence. Finally, the other man cleared his throat and continued.
“Um, it’s really crazy,” Ryan replied. “She thinks he might be a little, um, pregnant,” Ryan almost whispered. Logan and Ryan shared the silence for several moments that time, both obviously struggling to digest that bombshell.
“No fucking way. But he’s male,” Logan finally said incredulously. “That’s impossible.”
“Normally,” Ryan agreed. “But Sylvia said there are stories about male pregnancies in the history archives. She thought they were just myth, but now she’s not so sure. She’s going to ask Alpha Leikos for access to the archives and do some more research before we get there.”
“Well, shit,” Logan cursed.
“Tell me about it. Hey, I’ve got to go. My next class is starting. Is he still okay?” Ryan asked. Logan could hear several sets of feet shuffling from the other end of the line. He imagined Ryan slowly being surrounded by throngs of humans and lowered his voice to prevent anyone overhearing their sensitive conversation.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Izzy’s fine. He’s taking up most of the couch and watching cooking shows in between naps. I’m home for the rest of the day, so don’t worry. I’ll take care of him,” Logan said. He was about to disconnect when Ryan called out again.
“What?” Logan asked. He flinched at Ryan’s question but forced himself to feel positive about the situation.
“Yes, I got a job, but I’ll fill you all in on the details at dinner. Now be a good little boy and run along to class,” Logan answered. Before Ryan could ask any more questions, Logan hung up.
Izzy’s color was better by the time Logan had started preparing dinner. Izzy’s stubbornness had made a comeback, too, as the other shifter insisted on making the sides. Logan half-heartedly tried to talk him out of it, but couldn’t pretend the thought of Izzy’s perfect mashed potatoes and honey-glazed carrots didn’t make his mouth water in anticipation. By the time the rest of the group was walking in the door, Logan was sliding his mother’s meatloaf into the oven. Ryan made a beeline for where his mate sat at the table and looked him over like he was expecting some new deformity.
“What?” Izzy asked, looking down at what he could see of himself in matching concern. He’d obviously picked up on Ryan’s unspoken suggestion that something about him looked different.
“Nothing,” Ryan lied. “I’m just glad you’re looking better. That’s all. Did you have a good day?” Ryan deflected. Apparently buying it, Izzy smiled and puckered his lips in offer. Ryan bent down and their chaste kiss smacked through the room. Logan would normally have pretended to be disgusted by their blatantly public display of affection, but this time he kept his mouth shut. Izzy may have decided Ryan wasn’t really worried about something, but Logan could feel his pack mate’s nerves as easily as if they were his own. Logan’s filter might be faulty, but it wasn’t totally broken.
“Hey, bro. Heard you got a job,” Ben said, returning to the kitchen after putting his bag in his room. “Which one did you get?” Logan forced his face to remain expressionless. Ben was aware he’d hoped to land one of the sales jobs. They all knew he was willing to do construction but that his heart just wasn’t in it.
“Which one do you think?” Logan responded, plastering a smile on his face the best he could.
“Construction,” all four of his friends answered in unison. Logan grabbed his beer from the counter and took a swig. Obviously he was as shit at faking enthusiasm as he was at everything else, Logan thought to himself.
“Sorry, man. I know you wanted to do something else, but at least it’s a paycheck,” Ben commiserated. Ben grabbed his own beer from the fridge and joined his mate at the kitchen table. Adam was already deep into studying apparently and shook his head when Ben offered him a sip of his beer.
“Yeah, and it’s something to do so I’m not stuck around here feeling like the fifth wheel all day. Besides, if Izzy doesn’t get better soon, he won’t be working much longer and we might need the income. I know the Alpha said the pack would support us financially, but I’d rather not put that kind of burden on them if we don’t have to,” Logan said. Izzy blanched at the mention of his mystery illness and started fingering the piercing in his lower lip. Ryan squeezed his other hand gently and shot Logan an angry glare.
“Izzy’s going to be fine, Logan. Don’t start borrowing trouble,” Ryan growled. Izzy kept playing with his lip piercing unconsciously. After several moments of tense silence, Izzy’s left knee started to bounce up and down, as well. Obviously, he was more unsure about his future wellbeing than he was letting on. Ryan shook his head slightly, silently signaling Logan he hadn’t told his mate anything about Sylvia’s suspicions.
“Absolutely,” Logan’s fakely confident voice boomed through the kitchen. “You’re absolutely right, Ryan. Izzy’s going to be fine. That was a stupid thing for me to say, Izzy. I’m sorry. You’re going to see Sylvia this weekend and she’s going to fix you right up. Don’t you worry,” Logan continued in a rush. Izzy huffed irritability and abruptly left the room. Ryan shot an annoyed glare at Logan and followed after his mate.
“Wow. You’re shit at lying, Logan. I thought I sucked at it,” Adam said, b
arely looking up from his book to stare at his mate’s brother dumbfounded. Logan shot Adam the bird and took another long swallow from his beer.
Logan felt soft fur on his legs and looked down to see Judas weaving himself slowly around his ankles. The cat blinked his mismatched eyes up at him and meowed plaintively. Logan bent and risked a pat to the cat’s head, deciding a little pain would be a blessing right now anyway. Judas’ ears flattened but otherwise he tolerated the contact. Logan smiled faintly, secretly pleased at the progress they seemed to be making that day. Hopefully it was a sign of further good things to come for all of them.
Chapter 5
“I’m pregnant?!” Izzy’s shout was audible even through the thick door of the healing center. Ben and Adam’s eyes flew open wide with shock as they looked toward Logan for confirmation that he’d heard the same thing.
“No fucking way,” Logan muttered under his breath. “I can’t believe she was right.” Before they could discuss the situation any further, the door opened and Sylvia stuck her head out.
“Izzy and Ryan want you here for this discussion, so you can come in now,” Sylvia announced, holding the door open until they all shuffled inside. “I’m going to have the Alpha come over, too. He needs to know what’s going on,” Sylvia said as she left the room, apparently to make the call.
Izzy leaned back on the hospital-style bed with a look of shuttered disbelief painted across his face. Ryan leaned on the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest and staring at the floor in silence. Logan looked back and forth between the mates, easily picking up the tension between them. From the blank expression he wore and the faint trembling in Ryan’s shoulders, Logan wondered if the other shifter could be going into shock.
Ben shot Logan a look of concern obviously concerning Ryan’s reaction, but Logan had no answer for his brother. He could only offer a faint shrug in response. Ben grabbed Adam’s hand and squeezed it tight, apparently needing the contact. Logan couldn’t fail to miss Adam’s flinch of pain, but he was proud of his brother’s mate when he made no move to pull his hand free.
“Why does everyone look like someone’s dying?” Sylvia berated when she came back in the room. “This is a happy day and good news for the pack’s health. So everybody smile!” she ordered. Logan glanced around at the rest of his pack mates and found them sheepishly looking at each other as if seeking permission to be excited. Adam, as usual, started the laughter and the rest of them slowly followed one by one. At the moment, Logan was thankful for Adam’s ability to laugh at anything, but he suspected he wouldn’t find it so helpful at the next funeral they attended.
Finally even Ryan was laughing. In fact, he laughed so hard tears were streaking down his face. Logan hoped he was crying due to excessive laughter, but from the way he’d been acting before, Logan wasn’t entirely sure. A knock on the door announced their alpha’s arrival and Logan strode over to let him join in the odd celebration. The alpha’s mate and Adam’s mother, Lucy, was with him. Her presence wasn’t much of a surprise given how she mothered all of them, especially since Adam had become a full member of the pack.
“Now that you’re all here, let me tell you what I’ve found on Izzy’s exam. Izzy, you are definitely pregnant. About eight weeks along, I suspect. That’s what’s causing your stomach problems. I’ve made up an anti-nausea tonic you will need to drink twice a day to help with the symptoms. Once you are about twelve weeks along though, your morning sickness should get better. Most women stop having morning sickness about then,” Sylvia said.
“But I’m not a woman or did you fail to notice that small fact,” Izzy asked, more than a little sarcasm seeping into his normally pleasant tone. Sylvia flushed but did no more to put Izzy in his place. She was obviously used to having to deal with pregnancy hormones and the moodiness they caused.
“I know that, Izzy, but honestly that’s the only data I have to work with here. So we’re just going to use that as a guideline for what’s normal, okay?” Sylvia calmly explained. Izzy crossed his arms over his chest but nodded once in acceptance.
“How much more do you know about what to expect? Did you find anything helpful on your review of the archives?” Alpha Leikos asked.
“Well, there wasn’t much, but what I did find indicated that this has only been seen before in turned wolves. Even then it was rare. I’m not sure if it has something to do with Izzy not being entirely human before he was turned or not. Or if being fated mates has anything to do with it,” Sylvia added.
“So you mean I might get pregnant, too?” Adam asked. He looked from Sylvia to his mate in obvious concern. Ben put his arm around Adam’s shoulder and pulled him closer.
“Honestly I don’t know, Adam. It’s a possibility, I guess,” Sylvia answered. Adam seemed in no way relieved by this news of his possible fate.
“Oh, I might get to be a grandmother after all,” Lucy gushed. Apparently she would be excited for the both of them, Logan decided, as the alpha’s mate rushed over and pulled Adam into a huge hug.
“Mom!” Adam groaned self-consciously. Alpha Leikos and Ben shared a knowing smile before Lucy finally released her son from her rib-crushing embrace. Lucy’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She was obviously more than a little pleased at the possibility of grandpups to spoil.
“Do you know what’s going to happen to my mate? I mean, how is he going to deliver a baby? He doesn’t have the right anatomy for that,” Ryan asked seriously, turning the conversation back from the realm of possibility to the reality at hand. Izzy held out his hand and the mates intertwined their fingers together in solidarity.
“Well, he’ll have to have a C-section, I suppose. Some women have to do that, too. Even shifters. I suspect the pregnancy will last between eight and nine months if we assume it’s going to follow the usual shifter versus human timeline. There’s only a single fetus, so at least that’s good. Less risky for both. And I wouldn’t go out decorating a nursery and buying clothes yet. We are still early in the pregnancy and things could happen. Even females miscarry sometimes. I would suspect the risk of fetal anomaly would only be higher in a male pregnancy,” Sylvia continued. The more she explained, the more anxious the entire group became. Even Lucy’s previous exuberance was dimmed.
“So, we'll just have to wait and see,” Sylvia finished. When her final words of wisdom were met with tense silence, she continued, “Okay, I guess that’s all for now. Izzy here are your vitamins and the anti-nausea powder. Drink it with a full glass of water or juice twice a day. Make sure to get enough rest but there are no other restrictions on your activity for now. I need to see you back in a month for another sonogram. Call me sooner if you have any concerns.”
Izzy took the offered medications and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Ryan’s hand was on Izzy’s forearm in support as he climbed down from the table. Lucy was instantly on his other side and beaming again.
“I’m so excited for you both. Congratulations again,” Lucy beamed. “Look, I know this is a shock, but you are going to be fine. I just know it. And you are both going to make wonderful parents. Oh, my sweet, sweet boys. Alpha and I are so happy for you,” Lucy gushed as she hugged them both, first separately, then together. Logan stifled the laugh he felt at seeing both Izzy and Ryan’s embarrassed expressions as the alpha’s mate continued to fawn over them both.
“My mate is right, as usual,” Alpha Leikos agreed. “We are thrilled for you both. This is great news. Let’s go back to the main house and have a drink to celebrate. Well, everyone except Izzy, that is. Bearers can’t drink.” Izzy groaned aloud. Logan realized whether the complaint was aimed at his new ‘bearer’ status or at the lack of liquid fortification didn’t really matter anymore.
Chapter 6
They were all exhausted when they eventually pulled back into their driveway the next evening. University of Alabama had seemed convenient to their home pack in the northern part of Florida when they’d all decided to relocate, but now that this was going to be a regul
ar occurrence, Logan wasn’t so sure. Just thinking about the sixteen hour round trip drive they were going to make at least monthly from now until the baby was born had Logan tense. He wondered if Ryan and Izzy were going to have to move back to pack lands when they got closer to delivery time. It might be for the best, but Logan wasn’t going to be the one to suggest it just yet.
The news was still too fresh and Izzy had bitten his head off enough for one day. The other shifter’s car sickness was mildly suppressed with Sylvia’s tonic, but the ride had still been hard on Izzy. Izzy’s tongue had reacted to his physical stress by spewing acid at any perceived slight during the drive. Unfortunately, since Logan was driving, he’d taken the brunt of Izzy’s ire.
Despite the persistent nausea, Izzy appeared to be coming around to the idea of being pregnant, but Ryan was having a surprisingly hard time coming to terms with the news. Logan wondered why he wasn’t as ecstatic as most mates when they found out they were going to be a dad. Ryan had never had a problem with children before that Logan had noticed. Logan decided to let it go for now, but would pull Ryan aside to talk it over if his reticence seemed to continue much longer.
