Brindle (6 page)

Brindle steps closer to me, and the heat from his body radiates, making me want to be held in his arms. “You made me think you hate being stuck with me. That’s what you’ve been saying for over a year now.”

I stare at him. “No. I mean, I did at first because I didn’t want to accept being a werewolf.” I reach out and take his hand. “But I don’t anymore. I think I might even like it. And it doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.” I open his palm and place the box in it. “It’s always been you. I just needed time to grow up and realize it.” I close his fingers around the black velvet and gaze into his eyes. “Brindle, will you marry me?”

Confusion clouds his face, and he opens his hand to stare at the box. He hands it back to me. “You’ve known for months that you’re pregnant, and you kept it from me. I can’t be with someone who does things like that. I don’t trust you.”

He turns to walk away, and I jump down from the truck to follow him. “Brindle!” I grab his arm, and the muscles flex in my hand. “Wait.”

My mate turns back to me, and his face is hard when he says, “I know we have to end up together some day, but now it’s my turn to push you away. Because I just...” He throws his hands up. “Can’t.”

T
he day after Brindle turned me down, I went to see Mr. Ryan to figure out how to assimilate into the pack. I also asked about how werewolves have babies and learned the process isn’t nearly as complicated as humans make it. Then I returned to work and school to keep myself too busy to mope.

I glance up from the screen of a laptop to Devon’s last client. I say, “Oh, I love the new color.” Gloria is a friend of my mom and here at her suggestion.

“Isn’t it great? Devon is a magician.” She flips her hair over her shoulder and strikes a dramatic pose.

I chuckle with her as paper spits out of the credit card machine. “Shall I book your next appointment?”

We work out a date, and when Gloria leaves, Devon comes over to talk to me. “I heard Brindle broke up with the other girl.”

I love that my best friend refuses to give her a name, and I smile. “One small step in the right direction.” The thing is, I know eventually Brindle and I will end up together and that he needs time to get over what I did. I just hope it’s not years.

The door to the salon whooshes open, and Devon’s eyes get wide. She says, “And here’s another one.” She moves to stand in front of my counter as if she’s protecting me. “Hi, Brindle.”

He gives her a quick nod. “Devon.” Stepping around her, he gazes at me, and his stormy gray eyes flood me with apprehension. “Got a minute?”

I stand up and try to keep my nervousness in check with a one-word answer. “Sure.”

“Let’s walk.”

I glance at Devon, and she says, “I’ve got it.” She shoos me toward the door with her hand. “Go.”

When we get outside, I notice a tree across the street is tipped with the red color of leaves kissed by icy temperatures. Fall happens early in Winter Valley, and soon the town will be full of fiery color. Our feet pound in unison for a few steps before Brindle speaks. “I hear you met with the midwife.”

His voice is stern, and I wonder if he’s mad I didn’t ask him to come along. “I did. I would have asked you, but... Well, I didn’t think you’d want to go if it meant you had to be around me.” There’s a long silence, and now our footsteps seem to beat along with my heart. I ask, “Would you like to come to any of my appointments with me?”

Brindle stops and takes my arm to turn me so we face each other. His gaze holds mine for a moment, and then he drops it to my lips. He sighs. “I set us up for birthing classes. I figure you’ll want to understand the whole process, since there aren’t exactly books on what to expect when you’re a pregnant werewolf.”

I smile. “Are we going to get to do that huffing thing?”

His lips turn up a little, so I hit his arm playfully. “You probably get to tell me to push, too.” I dart my gaze down to his crotch and back quickly. “You might like that.”

He pulls me against his chest and palms my head. I wrap my arms around his waist and inhale his scent. His cotton T-shirt is a thin barrier on my cheek, blocking me from his warmth, and it quickly seeps into me. Brindle whispers in my hair, “Don’t make me laugh. I’m still mad at you.”

I pull away and crane my neck up to see him. “And I’m so sorry. I know I’ve been your worst nightmare for over a year now.”

He lets go of me and gives me a smirk, as if he’s agreeing with me. “Will I see you at the pack meeting tomorrow night?” He starts walking us back to the salon.

“Yeah. Mr. Ryan’s going to make the formal introduction. I’m nervous.” I’m more than nervous. I’m panicked. I have to stand in front of a group of werewolves that know my mate doesn’t want to be with me. If it weren’t for the fact I’m carrying a precious child they so desperately need to continue the bloodline, I wouldn’t matter at all.

“Oh, wow. I didn’t know that. Want me to be the one to present you?”

Now I’m the one to stop and tug his shirt so he’ll face me. “You’d do that?”

“Katie, I don’t hate you. I won’t make my mate feel like a lone wolf.”

“Oh.” So he’s worried what people will think about him. Great. But I’ll take it, because it’s one step closer to our being together again. “Thanks.”

“I’ll come get you at six. And be ready to eat. There’s always plenty of food.”

We return to the salon, and Brindle leaves me at the door. When I get inside, Devon asks, “So? What happened?”

“He signed us up for birthing classes, and I’m meeting his extended family tomorrow night.” Devon’s grinning, and I am, too, when I add, “But he’s still mad at me.”

***

M
y mom’s dancing on the inside because she’s convinced Brindle showing me off to his family means he’s forgiven me. I can’t tell her that the family is a wolf pack, and this is a formality any new werewolf would have to endure. So I let her be happy, and it boosts my mood, too.

Slinky stretch cotton hugs my curves and baby belly when I put on a blue maxi dress and strappy sandals. I figure since I haven’t exactly endeared myself to the pack, the least I can do is remind them of why they have to be nice to me.

When I greet Brindle at the door, I decide I made the right choice, because he gives me a slow once-over with his eyes and shifts his hips a bit before stepping in to say hello to my parents. My mother gushes over him in her not-so-subtle way that makes me roll my eyes.

The cool night air dances its way around us as we walk to Brindle’s truck. He asks, “What did you tell your mom?”

“That I’m meeting your extended family. She thinks you’re going to ask me to marry you.” I step on the running board to slide over the leather seat, and he slams the heavy door shut. After he gets in on his side, I add, “I’m sorry. It was the best explanation I could come up with.”

We ride in silence for a while, and I notice how high up we are on the road in Brindle’s truck compared to my sedan. Brindle asks, “Do you want to tell your mom that you’re a werewolf?”

“Can I?” Being so close to my mother has made my secret hard to keep, and I’ve been wondering how I’m going to tell her I’m using a midwife instead of a traditional doctor to have my baby.

“Some humans know about us. If you think your mom will be cool with it, we can ask Paul Ryan.”

The sun is low in the sky and casts an orange glow over the landscape. “I’m not sure I’m in the position to ask any favors just yet.”

My stomach flutters with nerves as we roll slowly into the parking lot of the wolf pack’s lodge. Brindle says, “It’s a reasonable request. Especially since I know how close you are to your mom. I’m sure Paul will want to avoid the drama it might cause if she found out on her own.”

The silence is deafening once Brindle turns off his truck, and I wipe my sweaty palms on my lap. “Right. That makes sense.”

Brindle grins at me and gets out to come to my side. His large hand is strong as he helps me down. “You’re not talking. You must be beyond nervous.”

I nod, because vomiting might be my new reaction.

My mate doesn’t let go of my hand. “I’ll be right by your side. You’re a big deal, Katie. Everyone already likes you.”

The image of his ex-girlfriend snarling at me comes to mind, and I wonder if she’s here tonight. We approach a wooden building that is simple in appearance. A large porch is scattered with a few people, and they all take notice of us.

A man slaps my mate on the shoulder. “Brindle.” His blue eyes are striking in a face that’s spent years in the outdoors, and he tilts his head toward me. “And you must be Katie.” He extends a hand. “It’s a pleasure.”

Brindle says, “This is Warren. He’s the beta and Paul’s right-hand man.”

I meet another handful of men before we make our way inside. There must be at least one hundred people in the building, and they swarm us like ants going for sugar. Women touch my stomach as they say kind things, and I slowly warm to the idea that maybe Brindle was right. They want to like me.

The lodge has an open floor plan with a kitchen off to the side and a stage that takes up one wall at the opposite end of the entrance. Apparently, werewolves take their food seriously, and we’re eventually led to a large buffet full of potluck containers. I load up my plate with things Brindle suggests as he tells me who made them. There seems to be a competition over which pack member has the best dish, and I notice people watching what I choose.

When we make our way to a table, Paul Ryan, the alpha, gives us the slightest nod, and Brindle returns the gesture as he leads us toward him. A well-groomed woman is next to Mr. Ryan, and I remember she made the potatoes on my plate. I’ll be making sure I gobble them up and get seconds.

After everyone’s belly is full, Mr. Ryan begins the meeting. He stands behind a podium on the stage and talks about pack business that I don’t really understand. When I’ve begun to tune out the words, Brindle’s hand finds mine, and he squeezes. I glance next to me where he’s sitting, and my mate winks to let me know my announcement is coming.

Mr. Ryan’s voice booms throughout the lodge when he leaves the stage and speaks without a microphone. He gestures for me to walk toward him. Brindle and I stand, and he leads me by my hand to the front of the room. Our footsteps echo as we make our way.

Paul places Brindle and me side by side facing the crowd. Brindle’s voice is strong when he says, “Winter Valley pack, allow me to introduce to you my chosen mate, Katie Winslow.” He pulls me in front of him and places both of his hands over me and on my stomach. “And welcome the next members of our pack.”

Members?
As in more than one baby? I do my best to hide my shock, and I smile as people call out their congratulations and welcome.

The alpha speaks, and his words reverberate through me, giving me no choice but to follow his order. “Let’s run.”

Whoops sound as the crowd strips down, and clothes are folded or piled on chairs. Someone yells, “No shifting in the lodge!” A back door is opened, and naked people file out to transition into werewolves.

I giggle at the mayhem and nudity as Brindle and I join the pack to run through the woods.

I
groan as the alarm goes off. It’s midnight, and I’m meeting Brindle to frolic with the Winter Valley pack under the full moon. Although “frolicking” is not what my large body will be doing. I feel like a pumpkin ripe for the plucking as I near the end of my pregnancy.

The wooden stairs are cold under my feet, and I shiver in spite of my thick robe when I make my way across the lawn. My breath comes out in frosty tendrils, and I wish I’d remembered shoes as I try to jog my large body toward the shelter of the woods to shift.

Brindle is in human form when I get there. I raise my eyebrows at him while I try not to stare at the object of my desire. He chuckles at my poor attempt at hiding my glances.

His arms wrap around me. “Is there something you want to do to me before we go?”

While we haven’t discussed it, Brindle and I have worked our way back to each other. It’s like when we were back in high school. We hang out most days and talk about everything. I think we’re falling in love all over again, but it’s going to be a while before Brindle is ready to say it. I can wait.

Meanwhile, our physical relationship is quite healthy. I reach down and grip his cock. “Is there something you want
me
to do?”

He groans as I slide my hand up and down his shaft. “Always. I don’t think I could ever get enough of you, Katie.” He notices my shivering. “But it’s too cold. We can go to my house later.”

Brindle lives near the rest of the pack on the other side of town. Eventually, I’ll live there, too, but I haven’t brought up the subject, wanting him to make a move when he’s ready. I think he’s forgiven me for keeping the baby a secret last summer, but I’m not going to make any assumptions. I’ve learned respect and gratitude are important in a relationship, and I’m trying to keep my selfish urges under control.

As much as I want him sexually right now, my need to be warm is greater, and I agree that shifting is a better idea. I drop my robe to taunt him before I do. He follows my lead, and we sprint through the woods in wolf form. Even though my pregnancy makes me slower and less agile, I’m comfortable in my animal state and enjoy our game of tag as we head toward the pond.

The pack will meet at the big rock on the top of the hill farther in the distance, but Brindle knows the clearing by the water is my favorite place, and we like to stop there first. The fur on my body is warm, and our running has heated me up enough that the cold air is welcome when we slow down and sit by the pond.

I lean my body into Brindle, and snow flurries begin to swirl around us. Brindle’s wolf tongue licks at my snout, and he says,
“First snowflake of the year. It tastes good.”

I lick back and tease him.
“Yes. It does.”

Brindle nuzzles me and asks,
“Do you still have the small black velvet box?”

I think about the wedding band I have safely stored in my underwear drawer at home. “
I do.”