Unexpected Alpha (Gay M-Preg)

by Chris McHart

  “Okay.” Josh tried to think. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t send the woman home to take care of those kids. She had definitely done what she could, but now it looked like she was at the end of her rope.

  He mentally went through which of the women and men who were here might have a child or two, but they all had enough problems. He couldn’t ask them to care for two more kids.

  “We’re gonna figure this out somehow. What are their names?”

  “Hanna and Leon.” The little girl on Avaya’s lap hadn’t said a word yet and seemed completely happy to watch her surroundings. Josh looked at her and reached out, trying to say hello.

  Leon had finished his bottle and Josh placed him over his shoulder. He gently patted him on the back while he looked at the girl. “You’re a sweet mouse. I’m Josh.”

  She stared at him with big eyes and didn’t react any further. All in all, she seemed well-fed and healthy, just like her brother. That was a good sign.

  “I think we can keep these two here if that’s what you want. Or should I see that I get milk and diapers and whatever else you need?”

  She shook her head and held Hanna tightly against her body. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take care of two little kids right now. My mate left, too, and I was actually going to look around for a new pack, maybe to start new. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been thinking about staying here, and I fully support the new laws, but I’ve been trapped here my whole life. I want to see something else. I just want to leave what happened behind and find myself.”

  Josh nodded. “I can understand that too well, believe me. Then I’ll take them and find a solution, and you think about what you want to do with your life. Thank you so much for taking care of them, and if you could perhaps give me some more information about them, that would be wonderful.”

  “Of course. Thank you very much. I feel really bad to leave them here, but I think that’s best for them.”

  “I really understand that. They’re not your children, and still you’ve taken care of them so far, which not a lot of people would’ve done.”

  For the first time since she’d come in, a tiny smile appeared on her lips. “Thank you. I can get you the last diapers, and I think I still have some clothes, but I didn’t have much more. Maybe there’s something else in the house where they lived before, but I don’t know. I can definitely tell you where to find it.”

  Josh nodded. “All right. Then tell me what else you know, and I’ll make sure we’ll find a good home for them.”

  Avaya nodded and began to talk briefly about their sleeping habits and whatever seemed to come to mind. What she knew wasn’t much, but every bit helped.

  Josh listened, nodded, and at some point noticed that Leon had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He placed him a little differently and looked at the baby’s cute, rounded face as he listened. Hanna was a little more careful, but she started wriggling around on Avaya’s lap until she finally managed to slide down and sit on the floor, where she looked at something interesting.

  Theresa entered the kitchen again and handed her a small cookie, which she’d found who knew where.

  Hanna looked at it for a second and started chewing. She hadn’t spoken a word yet, which worried him a little. She should at least talk a bit, as far as he remembered. He had to call Ash tonight to get some tips.

  Wait a minute. When exactly had he decided these children were his problem?

  He looked at the baby in his arm, then at the little girl on the floor.

  Yeah, they were his problem. He wouldn’t be able to burden anyone with them.

  He was the alpha’s mate, and the problems of the pack members were also his. And two children whose parents didn’t want them fell among them.

  He thanked Avaya, who seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Without looking back, she disappeared from the guest house. She didn’t even say goodbye to the two children.

  “We’re gonna make the best of it, aren’t we?”

  Neither of the children answered him.

  It was probably time to inform Anthony that they were suddenly no longer just two people, at least until they had found a solution. He pulled out his cell phone and called Anthony.

  Anthony promised to come immediately, and in fact, he stood in the kitchen less than two minutes later, staring at Josh with a questioning look.

  “Um… What is that?”

  “This is our newest problem, I’d say.” Josh repeated what had just happened as Anthony’s eyes grew bigger and bigger. “So I guess we have kids for now. At least until I can think of a solution. I don’t like them being moved around again, but I can’t change it. I can’t think of anyone who can take them on such short notice.”

  Anthony sank to the chair opposite Josh and sighed deeply. “You’re right. I don’t like it either, especially because it’s not good for the kids, but what should we do?”

  He watched Hanna. She’d still been sitting on the floor, but now she stood up curiously and swayed towards Anthony. He caught her when she stumbled and lifted her onto his lap.

  “Hello, kiddo. It’s nice to meet you.” She turned to him and put her hand on his beard, clearly fascinated. Then she pulled. “Ouch!” Anthony loosened her fingers and grinned. “Don’t pull. It hurts.” She seemed to be unimpressed and watched him with big eyes. “Did you ask who her parents are?”

  Josh nodded. “Yes, they were the first to leave the pack. I think she was one of the elders in the pack, but her mate decided to go with her. Either they really love each other, or she forced him. I don’t know. In any case, it was obviously more important for them to leave than at least let us know about the kids.”

  “I’ll never understand some people. But we’ll take care of them now and find good new parents.” Anthony rubbed Hanna’s back, and she started playing with his big hand.

  Josh wouldn’t have ever imagined it, but it looked right as Anthony sat there with a child on his lap.

  He’d never wanted children, but now it stuck him that it’d be somehow nice to have that with Anthony.

  A child of their own. But he couldn’t get pregnant, so there was only adoption. Anyway, there was still time. First they’d take care of the two kids here, then figure out about kids on their own.

  Contrary to all expectations, things went relatively well with the two little ones. Josh had spent enough time with D and Ash’s children to know how to take care of toddlers, and so far he’d managed not to do too much wrong. The nights were hard, but that was to be expected. Josh slept in Anthony’s room, but he was awake a lot, because neither of the children slept through the night.

  Babies were a lot of work, and a baby and a toddler together? That was even more work. During the day, he took care of the guest house, where some of the mates were still staying, even though they slowly began to move to various empty houses. It was a slow process, and many of them needed time to feel ready to live on their own.

  It wasn’t surprising he was always tired.

  One night, he stumbled into the nursery because Hanna was crying. What had woken her? He had no idea.

  His eyes fell on the bed Leon was supposed to be sleeping in, but it was empty. He lifted Hanna into his arms and tried to calm her down as he looked around in panic, trying to figure out where the baby had gone.

  Had their parents returned? His stomach started turning when he imagined what might’ve happened. He ran back into the bedroom to wake Anthony, but the bed was empty. He hadn’t noticed it, because he’d been more or less asleep when he’d stumbled out of bed. Anthony and the baby were missing? What the hell was happening here?

  He hurried into the kitchen, the sleepy toddler still on his arm. There was Anthony, leaning back in one of the kitchen chairs, giving Leon the bottle. He looked like he was half-asleep himself, but he was watching the baby.

  Josh balanced Hanna on his shoulder while staring at Anthony. “What are you doing here?”

  Anthony looked up, clearly surprised to see Josh standing
there. “He cried, you were sleeping, so I made him a bottle.”

  His words were so matter of fact that Josh didn’t know what to answer. Yes, Anthony had given him a bottle from time to time, in the evening before Josh had brought him to bed, but nothing more.

  “I didn’t know… That’s what I’m supposed to do. You’ve got enough to do with the pack, don’t you?” It wasn’t really a question. He saw how exhausted Anthony was in the evenings when he came home. They still managed to spend some time together, but it’d be a lie if he claimed he didn’t see how tired Anthony usually was. He was, too, but that was different. He had only the guest house and the two children. Anthony had a whole pack.

  “I didn’t mean to cross any lines. I’m sorry. I just thought I’d let you sleep and try to get Leon back to bed.” Anthony looked like he’d done something wrong.

  That was absolutely not what Josh had been hinting at. In fact, he was damn grateful Anthony had tried to give him a bit more sleep. “No, no, that’s not what I meant at all. My point was that you gotta get up in a few hours and take care of your people. You can’t spend the nights feeding a crying baby.”

  Anthony shook his head. “I know how much you work, and I also know that you’re very tired right now because it’s just too much. I think the least I can do is take over when I wake up because he’s crying. It’s not like you woke me and asked, anyway. I volunteered. And honestly, what kind of ass would I be if I woke up from our kid crying, only to wake you so you can feed him?”

  Josh stumbled back. Anthony had said our kid. Our kid. He stared at the drowsy Hanna in his arms, then at the baby sucking on his bottle. They weren’t their children, at least not biologically. But somehow… Josh didn’t like the idea of leaving them to someone else at all. So, basically, they were his children. Their children. After all, they were together, and if Anthony felt the same way…

  “Did I say something wrong?” Anthony looked ready to drop down on his knees to grovel.

  “No, not at all. It just… Hearing you think of them as our children confused me for a moment. I was struggling from the beginning with the idea of finding new parents for them, but I didn’t think you would agree. I wanted to wait a little while I searched – which I really did – and then maybe talk to you about adopting the two of them. I know that we haven’t been together long, and I also know it’s a big responsibility, but just the idea of giving them away… I just can’t do it. They’ve been through so much in their young lives and I feel like I’m passing on a discarded piece of furniture when I’m looking for new parents. I’ve been asking around, I really have, so please don’t think I haven’t done–“

  Anthony interrupted him. “I figured from the beginning they’d stay with us. I know you asked around, but I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be anyone to adopt two kids. So I accepted it’d be the way things would go. Maybe I should’ve talked to you, but I thought you knew that, too. And for me, the two of them were like my own children from the very beginning. I know we can’t have any, and… I think it was fate that they ended up with us.” Anthony’s voice was just a whisper, and at the end his words were barely audible.

  “You wanted kids?” Josh asked quietly.

  Anthony shook his head. “No. I never wanted a mate, let alone a female one. And I really didn’t want kids, but now, when I look at them like that? Something’s changed. I may not have wanted kids, but I’m not so coldhearted I’d turn them down. The mating is going quite well, I think, and maybe I’ll somehow manage to be a father to them. After all, I have you to help me.” He looked Josh in the eye and smiled, uncertainty lacing his features.

  “You’re doing great, and I think we’re both gonna make it work. How does that actually work in a pack? Adoption, I mean?”

  “I have no idea, but I can find out. So… We’re on the same page here?”

  Josh nodded and caressed Hanna’s cheek. She’d fallen asleep during their conversation, and when she got heavy, he switched to the other hip.

  He couldn’t believe Anthony had actually agreed, even though his heart beat like crazy and he couldn’t help but smile.

  “Yes, we are. I’ll put her back down, and I think you can put Leon back to bed. He seems to be falling asleep again.”

  Anthony nodded. “Looks like it.”

  Josh watched them for a moment, then he turned around and brought Hanna back to the bedroom. He carefully laid her in her little bed, pulled the blankets up over her, then pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Welcome to the family, kiddo,” he whispered, then turned around. Anthony was standing right behind him, his eyes soft. He’d probably heard every word.

  Josh pressed a kiss on the forehead of the sleeping baby in Anthony’s arms then went to the tips of his toes to kiss Anthony just as gently. “Thank you.”

  He left the room without saying anything else. He didn’t know what exactly he was thanking Anthony for, but it had felt right.

  A few minutes later, Anthony joined him in the bedroom and under the blankets. Josh was already dozing off, but he turned around, put his head on Anthony’s shoulder and a leg over his hip. Cuddled up to him like that, he fell asleep within seconds.

  The days passed, and they managed to find some kind of working rhythm with the kids. Whenever Josh was in the guest house, he’d carry Leon in a sling, while Hanna played with two girls of the same age who lived there. One of the women or men who lived there watched the three.

  It worked quite well, but Josh noticed that even the older children didn’t attend kindergarten or school. They were always at home and seemed to be taught by their parents. These too were things that had to be changed.

  The parents needed a certain amount of time for themselves, and the children also needed contact with other children of the same age. He put that on the long list of things he had to deal with.

  He ran a hand over his face and yawned. His tiredness had gotten worse and worse, and sometimes he was about to just fall asleep standing up during the day. Anthony got up a lot with the two little ones at night, and Leon had started to sleep through some of the nights, so it was a bit surprising. Why was he still so tired after eight or nine hours of sleep?

  The stress started showing through his weight, too. He’d definitely put on a bit, especially on his stomach and hips. Not that it’d be particularly obvious, but his pants were tighter. Since his clothes were all rather slim, it was noticeable when they suddenly didn’t close anymore. That was something he couldn’t ignore.

  He shook his head, caressed Leon’s fine hair and went on with work. He’d pay attention to what he ate and, above all, cancel the small snacks he’d allowed himself. He didn’t need the cookies or the chocolate, no matter how much he wanted it. Then the pounds would quickly disappear, and he’d fit into his clothes again.

  Anthony entered the room, Hanna on his arm. “I have to go leave for a bit. I promised Marianna I’d stop by to see her. Can you take care of Hanna?”

  Josh nodded and sighed inaudibly. Of course he could watch her, but with both children, he wouldn’t be able to do much. While Leon still slept a lot as long as he got his bottles regularly, Hanna was completely different. She didn’t sleep, at least not outside her normal nap times, and she’d had that today already.

  That meant she wanted to be entertained, which made it hard for Josh to get anything done. Slowly, Hanna had begun to speak, little words, but it was a start. She already said Dada and Dad.

  When she said Dad the first time when she saw Josh, he’d had tears in his eyes.

  “Of course, no problem. Put her down on her blanket. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  Anthony said goodbye after he dropped the little one off, and Josh watched his daughter for a moment. She stood up on wobbly legs and began to cross the room. Not a minute later, she’d opened the first cupboard and had started taking out the pots and pans. That noise would wake Leon within seconds, so Josh stopped her.

  Damn, he couldn’t work this way. “Come on, baby. Let’s pac
k up for the day and go home. I don’t think this is gonna work out.”

  She looked at him, then at the pots, then dropped the one she had in her hand with a deafening clatter.

  Leon woke up with a scream, and Josh flinched. Damn it. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, then searched in his sling for Leon’s paci.

  He gave it to him and tried to convince the baby nothing bad had happened. His crying calmed down quickly, and he seemed to fall asleep again while Josh stared at Hanna, who looked fascinated at the pot she had just dropped.

  She looked like she was wondering if it’d make that much noise every time she did it, but no, she wouldn’t try that again right now. He didn’t mind Hanna playing noisily, but not while her brother was sleeping.

  With a resigned sigh, he took the pot from her hand, put it back in the cupboard and pulled her toward the exit. If he could lay Leon down at home, he could play with Hanna and maybe even let her have one or two pots. But her little brother had to lie in his room and not be strapped to Josh’s upper body.

  Together with the two children, Josh left the guest house and went back to their home. They still hadn’t moved, and Josh had gotten used to living here. He liked their little house, and having Lindsay and Jeremy as roommates had unexpected advantages. For example, they also watched the kids when Josh wanted to take a shower, the children were awake, and Anthony wasn’t at home. They also cooked and chipped in with household chores.

  Anthony also helped as much as he could, but his time was limited. Besides, Josh didn’t want him to spend his spare time wiping floors. That was just wrong. He’d considered asking one of the women from the village if they wanted to clean – or one of the men, of course. But he’d noticed that many of the shifters were very attached to traditional gender roles, and therefore housework was mainly women’s business.

  He didn’t personally care. He did it because it had to be done, and he didn’t care who’d come to them to clean. But he needed to change something. Otherwise, he’d collapse soon.