Shea’s instincts took over, and she tightened her muscles around him, causing him to growl and nip the side of her neck. For some reason that made her even hotter, and she pushed her neck closer to his mouth. Logan seemed surprised at her behavior and took her lips in a fierce kiss instead of kissing her neck. Shea didn’t understand why she felt somewhat sad at that, but then she didn’t have time to think about anything.
Logan unbuttoned the top of her uniform dress and released her breasts. They weren’t tiny, but they weren’t large either. Shea was wondering if they were at all pleasing to him, when he leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth. She moaned, and he growled. He pulled away and gave the same attention to the other one, before looking into Shea’s eyes.
“Perfect,” was all he muttered before continuing his assault on her body. Shea was beginning to feel the start of an orgasm when he pinched her nipple gently. She flew apart in his arms and came with a scream that he muffled with his mouth.
Logan didn’t seem to slow at her orgasm, he just kept on going. He pumped into her harder and harder until she was coming again, and he followed with her. He roared loud enough that anyone who was nearby would have heard him, but at that moment Shea didn’t care. She felt whole.
“Mom, Mom, Mom.” Shea was pulled from her daydream as Hudson came running in, followed quickly by Sasha. They both jumped on her bed and bounced around.
“Sasha says the baby’s going to…” Before Hudson could finish Shea stopped him.
“Sasha knows many things, but I think anything regarding the baby will be kept a surprise for now. All right?” Shea smiled at the kids and went into her bathroom to get ready for the day.
Logan was talking with one of the shifters working on the house, when he felt like he was being watched. He looked up and all around, but couldn’t find the source of his unease. He scanned the trees that started about fifty yards from the house, but he still didn’t see anything. He didn’t like the feeling, but he wasn’t about to go away from the house his very pregnant mate and kids were in. Instead, he made a mental note to talk to Caleb and see if there were any newcomers to the area that might be in the woods near his den. The bear wanted to investigate and kill anything that came near its cubs and mate, but Logan kept a hold of him.
Logan went inside and found his mate holding onto the banister and slowly walking down the steps. She was getting larger by the day, which he did not mention to her, and he was worried the cub would give his little mate problems during delivery. He made his way quickly to her side and put his arm around her back, assisting her with her descent.
“You should wait for me before attempting to come down the stairs. It’s dangerous now that the baby is getting so big.” Logan spoke gently to his mate, sensing that she was upset about something, and she tended to get emotional for no apparent reason sometimes. He knew it was because of the hormones, but he hated it when she cried. But his mate did not start crying or anything else he expected. She shocked the hell out of him when his mate got to the bottom of the stairs, turned to face him, and growled at him.
“I can go down the stairs just fine without you holding me and my giant belly up!” She was snarling, and though it was completely inappropriate, Logan was getting turned on. His mate never spoke to him like this or got mad. “I don’t need your furry butt to tell me that I am as big as a house and that I’m ugly!” She turned to walk away, and Logan stopped her.
“Ugly? Baby, what are you talking about? You are the most gorgeous thing I have ever laid my eyes on.” Logan kept a calm, soothing tone, but it seemed to enrage her more. She pushed him, though he refused to budge and snarled at him again.
“Don’t lie to me! If I was any kind of attractive to you, we would be mated by now!” After she yelled the words, she seemed to realize what she said and clamped her lips shut. Logan’s head was spinning at the accusations, and he was at a loss for words. Before he could respond to her accusations, someone knocked on the door. He grumbled at his mate.
“This conversation is not over,” He insisted, and went to answer the door. Not find her attractive? How could she possibly think that? He woke up next to her every morning with a cock as hard as concrete, but kept his distance so as not to scare her. He was grumbling to himself when he opened the door.
Logan stood there blinking for a moment at the sight before him. The alpha female of the Grey pack stood before him in all of her five foot four glory, with her arms lying calmly at her sides. Next to her was Indigo, mate to one of the betas, with a very noticeable pregnancy of her own. Behind them were Nia and Sade, two of the alpha female’s closest friends and perhaps a little protection. Caleb was possessive of his mate, and also took her security and that of his children and family very seriously.
“Good morning, Logan,” Eira said in a happy, upbeat voice that made Logan suspicious.
“Good morning, Eira. Can I help you with something?” Logan wasn’t sure what was going on, but he didn’t think he was going to like it.
“Sure. You can go get Shea. We are going to the spa today.” Eira seemed delighted to tell him something he didn’t know, and smirked at him. That was when Logan was sure that his quiet little mate had been complaining to the alpha female about what was making her so upset with him. Before he could answer, he was nudged aside by his little mate, who was walking fairly quickly for being so large.
Shea had a bag slung over her shoulder, and Logan’s bear snarled. Logan didn’t realize he had growled, until his mate turned and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Did you just growl at me?” She demanded, while not raising her voice. But Logan wasn’t fooled. He had one very pissed off mate. Logan cleared his throat and verbally jumped off a cliff, put his foot not just in his mouth, but all the way down his throat, and pissed off five predator women standing on his porch. He had no doubt that though his mate and the alpha female were human, they were just as much predators as the shifter women.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to be out of the house. It might not be safe.” Eira snorted at him and turned to walk down the steps and leave him with his fuming mate.
“I will be perfectly safe, and I can assure you that with the way I am feeling, only a stupid ass polar bear would think that anything or anyone could do me any harm right now!” By the time she reached the end of her statement, she was yelling and breathing hard from the exertion. Logan watched her catch her breath, breathing in and out. As she composed herself, she met his eyes. “I will be back tonight. The kids are playing in their new playroom. I am not going anywhere except the spa and back here. I will stay safe.” With the parting comment, she turned around and waddled down the steps to the other women. Logan let her go and hoped he would be able to fix the anger he had caused in his mate. He wanted to keep her safe and he had the lingering feeling that all wasn’t right around them. His instinct was to hunt the potential threat and eliminate it but he wasn’t about to leave his family right then.
Chapter 7
Shea relaxed in the reclining chair, as the masseuse worked on her feet. Her anger had dissipated enough that she felt a little bad for snapping at her mate. But he made her so angry. He insisted they were mates, but wouldn’t touch her. Living under the same roof for three months should have had some effect on him. She knew that she was being unreasonable with him, though. How could he know about her anger with him, if she never told him of her desire for him?
“So, how long are you going to deny Logan and make him work for you?” Nia was young. Though only three years younger than Shea herself, she seemed far younger to Shea.
“She isn’t making him work for anything. He’s just not being the possessive alpha male he should be, in regards to his mate, and Shea doesn’t want to throw herself at him.” As one, all four of the other women looked to the end chair, where Indigo was getting her feet massaged and lay back with her eyes closed.
“You know, sometimes—not always, mind you—but sometimes, you are a little freaky.”
Nia didn’t know how to hold her tongue, and while Shea knew that Indigo wouldn’t take the comment personally, she wasn’t sure what the hormones coursing through the peacock shifter would cause her to do. Shea needlessly worried, because all Indigo did was lift her hand and wave off the comment.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m the freaky one. I am so not going to tell all of you about how freaky some of the people in this town actually are.” All of the women got quiet at Indigo’s statement and let it soak in.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say, we really do not need to know what goes on behind closed doors.” Nia might be young but her intelligence went up a few notches in Shea’s opinion at the reply. All the women voiced their agreement, and they allowed themselves to be taken back into the pleasure of their massages. After a while, the alpha female broke the silence.
“So why don’t you just tell him, Shea? Logan cares for you and Hudson and of course the baby. Are you worried you could turn out like your sister?” Shea wasn’t shocked at Eira’s question. She knew the other woman had the ability to see and know things that hadn’t been told to her. Not to mention that Indi had plenty of abilities herself. Shea thought about it for a moment. Did she think Logan could do the things Darius had done to her sister, to her or Hudson? No.
“No. I don’t think Logan would ever hurt us like that. Logan is a good man and has control over his bear, also. I’m more worried that he might not really want me and might be staying for the cub.” Shea voiced her fear for the first time, and it felt good. It was relieving to be able to talk about her relationship with other women who had similar men.
“That is bullshit.” Sade surprised everyone and voiced her opinion. The eagle shifter was a quiet woman and was always very watchful of things around her. Sade sat up and turned to face Shea in her chair. “That man doesn’t just like you or care for you. He is in love with you. Anyone who pays any attention can clearly see how much he adores you, and honestly, it’s quite nauseating. All of you couples with this lovey dovey crap make me want to puke.” Sade reclined again in her chair, and Shea wasn’t offended by her words. In fact it made her laugh. And laugh she did. All of the women started laughing out loud at the eagle’s outburst.
“Well, don’t sugarcoat anything, Sade. Tell us how you really feel,” Indigo choked out between laughs. They all stopped laughing, and froze at the noise that Indigo made. They all looked at her and saw she was looking under her chair. Shea noticed water dripping and wondered where the glass was that had spilled, when Eira burst out,
“Holy crap on a cracker, Indi! Is that your water?” Eira demanded. Indigo looked guiltily up at her best friend.
“Yeah. I might have got the feeling this morning that today was the day.” Eira narrowed her eyes, but went immediately into action.
“All right, everyone get dressed, and we’ll get Indi into the car and home, so she can birth the dog.” Shea knew Eira was teasing, when Indigo growled at her friend.
“Wolf,” she insisted. Shea wasn’t surprised that they knew it was going to be a wolf. Shea felt a little sorry for Indi and Eira’s kids, because they were never going to be able to get anything over on their psychic parents. The chances that Indigo and Nico’s child would be a wolf were fifty-fifty. When two different species of shifters had children, the baby could be of either species, and it would be a surprise until they shifted the first time. The first time a baby could shift was within a day after birth. They didn’t all shift so quickly, but many did. Shea remembered Hudson shifting as she was rocking him to sleep many times, and was thankful for heavy-duty furniture that could hold the weight of a bear cub.
All the women gathered their things and dressed. Then they helped Indi dress through the contractions that had started and were getting stronger by the minute. Sade helped Shea dress quickly, as it was difficult for her to hurry with her size. They all made their way out to Eira’s SUV and loaded in.
“Someone call the clan house and tell them to find Nico!” Eira demanded, as she drove them toward her home. Shea picked up her cell phone and called the house, informing them that Nico needed to head home, because his child was going to be born soon.
A few minutes later, Eira pulled up to Indigo and Nico’s cabin, not far from the clan house. No one came to greet them, and they all helped Indi from the vehicle and helped her inside. Shea got water for Indi, and everyone made her as comfortable as possible on her bed.
There was a pounding on the door, and Sade went to answer it. She looked every ounce a fierce warrior protecting her family as she checked to see who was at the door.
“It’s doc,” Sade told them and let him in, leading him back to Indigo’s room. There were all of three shifter doctors in town because of the sheer number of shifters populating Wild, and this one was not Shea’s doctor but was very close with the Grey Clan. Doctor Graham Young was in his early forties, and if Shea wasn’t completely taken with Logan, she might have been attracted to him. He was new to Wild, but seemed to know many of the residence and was a close friend of Caleb’s family. Graham was a grizzly bear shifter, but when not shifted he was quite impressive. He stood six foot seven, taller than the alpha lion, and had massively wide shoulders. His chin-length, dark brown hair wasn’t turning grey yet, and it made him look a little bit like a bad boy. For all of his size, Graham was very gentle. Shea had seen him playing with cubs, and he was like a teddy bear with everyone. Though she would never call a grizzly bear teddy. There were just some things you didn’t do in a shifter town.
Doctor Young immediately attended to Indi, and all the women present paid attention. Shea sat in a chair in the room while the others hovered around the bed. She wanted to be more help, but at that point, there wasn’t much she could do, and she knew she shouldn’t be on her feet.
Just as Graham was beginning to check Indigo, there were heavy footfalls on the front porch, and the door burst open. Sade, with Nia behind her, immediately blocked the door to see who the intruder was. They quickly parted, and Nico walked in. The man was barely hanging onto his wolf, and when he saw the grizzly near Indigo, he snarled and started to shift. He stopped before much of his body changed at Indigo’s pleading.
“Nico, stop. Please. He’s the doctor, and I need you.” Nico returned to his human form and growled at the grizzly, as he knelt next to the bed and took Indigo’s hand in his. He smiled gently at his mate and turned to Graham. He snarled, and the grizzly didn’t flinch.
“Mine!” Nico’s wolf was voicing his authority and his claim. Graham was clearly a very smart man, because he dipped his head.
“Yours. Only yours. I wish to help. That is all.” The male clearly had experience with male shifters and their pregnant mates, so everything turned out smoothly. The contractions kept coming, and Shea felt bad for Indigo, but knew the woman was doing this all for her child, and that it would be worth it.
The arrival of Eira’s mate, and then Logan, had everyone but the doctor and the couple leaving the room. Some waited in the house, while Shea opted to sit on the front porch. Her mate approached and sat on the large, shifter-sized swing next to her. They didn’t speak, just took in the cool air around them. When Shea shivered, Logan surprised her by picking her up and putting her on his lap.
“I’ll keep you warm,” was all Logan said in his deep voice that made Shea shiver. He chuckled at her reaction, and she snuggled into him, blushing.
Soon, all the noise Indigo had been making stopped, and Shea smiled when there was a baby’s cry. Shea got up, and Logan helped her into the house with the others. They all stood there, facing the closed bedroom door and waiting for any news.
When the door opened, Nico stood there, holding the baby all wrapped up. He looked up at everyone and smiled. He walked toward them and turned the baby so everyone could see.
“This is Jonah Thomas Grey. My son.” Nico’s smile was huge at his statement, and everyone looked at the new member of the clan with so much affection. She knew that Nico had abandoned his family name yea
rs ago, and claimed the clan name, which was a surprisingly common trend among shifters.
Shea and Logan gave the couple well-wishes and left them to bond. Shea was so tired that on the way home she fell asleep, and she didn’t remember Logan carrying her to bed. She also didn’t feel the way Logan tensed when he walked into the house with her in his arms, because he knew he was being watched.
Chapter 8
Shea opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her bedroom, and it was clearly still dark outside. She remembered falling asleep on the way home, but she didn’t remember anything after that. She lay there, trying to figure out why she had woken. Logan wasn’t beside her, and it didn’t look like his part of the bed had been disturbed. It was a large bed. There was no doubt it would have to be to fit her large mate.
She rolled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. When she was done, she listened to the sounds throughout the house. She didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. In fact, the house was quiet. Something about that quiet made Shea uneasy. She quietly walked out of her room and down the hall to the kids’ rooms. Logan had redone this entire part of the house, and Hudson and Sasha both had large rooms with separate bathrooms. Logan had insisted that boys and girls shouldn’t share bathrooms when they got older, if they didn’t have to. There were two other large bedrooms on this end of the house that were joined with the kids’ rooms by jack-and-jill bathrooms. They didn’t know if this cub would be a boy or a girl because Shea wanted to be surprised. For now, they were waiting to set up a nursery until the baby was born.
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