Lone Wolf Pack 03 - Expecting His Alpha's Child (11 page)

As soon as they were gone, Gavin retreated inside to see his son. Parker remembered what William had told him before he'd left, and headed toward the kitchen. An hour later, he was still halfheartedly trying to consume a sandwich when Gavin entered the room.

"You need to get some sleep." Gavin scowled at Parker as he sat on the couch, Shannon in his arms. "And eat more. I know when I was pregnant I ate so much I turned into a whale."

Parker picked at his meal, knowing Gavin was right, but still having trouble complying. "I just... It's been so long. And... I'm so confused, Gavin."

Gavin gave him a sympathetic look and Parker abandoned the sandwich on the kitchen counter in favor of sitting down on the tiny couch next to Gavin. "I miss him. How is that even possible? We barely know each other."

"I realize this is hard. But you have to believe he'll get better. He'll wake up any moment now, and then you can kick his ass for knocking you up and deciding to take a nap after that."

Parker couldn't help it. Even through the stubborn tears he was still fighting back, he smiled. "Sounds great," he replied as he caressed the small lump in his belly.

In the past couple of weeks, he'd gone from shock, to disbelief, to acceptance, to happiness, to depression. He'd then oscillated between wild enthusiasm and crushing sadness that Finn wasn't here to share these moments with him.

Gavin and Jessie had been very helpful, though, and so had William Orwell. Without them, Parker would have probably had a nervous breakdown, especially since the Simmons pack still remained in a state of complete chaos.

"Have you heard anything from Alpha Simmons, Andreas and Erdi?" he asked his friend. Now that Gavin's brothers were gone, they could speak more openly of what had been going on.

Gavin shook his head, his expression sobering. "Nothing specific. Saul doesn't say it, but he's worried. The silencer guilds are notoriously unpredictable, and apparently, an advance Gathering is never good. According to Jessie, they're fine—he'd have been able to tell—but beyond that, it's a mystery."

Parker slumped against Gavin's shoulder, absently tickling Shannon's chubby chin. "I really hate this. It's so fucking clear that the guy is crazy and wants the Simmons pack lands. Why does anyone want to debate it?"

"Because even if Alpha Adler is crazy, he's still an Alpha," Jessie said from the doorway. "And apparently, if he were to be punished for his transgressions, it would cause yet another imbalance. With what's been going on here, Alpha Simmons isn't in a very good place, or considered very trustworthy."

He looked tired as he literally waddled into the kitchen. He'd grown quite voluminous in Parker's time here, and these days, he was even more depressed than Parker, since his own mate had departed into the unknown to fix a situation that was not his fault. He'd also been trapped in his room for a while now, since clothing had stopped being enough to hide his condition.

"You feeling okay, Jess?" Gavin asked as he watched his friend.

"Nope. I feel like crap." Jessie plopped down on a chair and grimaced. "Well, actually, I feel like a balloon that's going to pop any moment now. And apparently, I'm going to keep growing. Cos you know, I'm special, and I just had to have twins."

"It'll be worth it in the end," Gavin whispered, his gaze going to his sleeping son.

"Yeah," Jess whispered, his hand resting on his large stomach. "I just wish Andreas..."

He trailed off, since they were all in agreement on that one. Even Gavin was worried, because with Alpha Simmons gone and Finn out for the count, Saul had been forced to take over the leadership of a pack he didn't belong to.

At least Kyle and Jackie were safe, and Jensen hadn't been drawn into the mess. Courtesy of his concussion, Jensen didn't remember anything about the shape-shifting attackers. He'd been returned to the Amaretto, and while the Simmons pack still had people watching him, so far, he hadn't been targeted again.

Parker was debating giving Jensen a quick call to make sure everything was all right when he felt it, a niggle at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell what it was. In fact, he almost thought he was imagining it. That fear soon faded, though, settling into a sudden certainty.

He shot to his feet, drawing alarmed gasps from both Jessie and Gavin. It would have probably been a good idea to reassure his friends, but he was too focused on that knowledge, on the hope that finally, he'd see Finn's eyes opening again.

****

Parker.

That was the first thought that burst into Finn's mind the moment he came to. Regularly, when he recovered consciousness from an injury, there was a process, opening his eyes, taking heed of his condition, testing each muscle to figure out what damage the silver poisoning—it was always silver poisoning—had done. However, now he simply shot out of the bed and he was halfway across the room before he even became aware there was someone else there with him.

Saul intercepted him and grabbed his arm before Finn could make his escape. "Shh. Lie down. You're still recovering."

Finn shook his brother's hands off, aware that Saul meant well, but also knowing now was not the time to rest. "Parker. I need to see him. We were attacked. Lisbet... She tried to—"

"We know," Saul interrupted him. "And I didn't say you can't see your mate. He's fine. Erdi stepped in before they could harm him. You remember Erdi, right?"

Finn nodded, a little dazed. "The silencer. Andreas's friend."

"Quite," Saul confirmed. "He was tracking the movements of the Adler pack, and he kept them from hurting your mate. So breathe and relax. Parker is safe. Besides, you've been very ill, and I suspect Gavin and Jessie might have my hide if I let you do anything stupid."

Finn arched a brow. "I do believe we've been through this before, Saul—the other way around."

It was almost funny if he thought about it. A few months back, he'd been the one who'd watched over his wounded brother while Saul recovered from Lisbet's attack. Despite the way things had eventually turned out for Saul, Finn knew better than to believe it necessarily meant his own mate was fine.

"Fair enough," Saul told him. "Just calm down. You can reach out to him through your bond, and you'll be able to tell that he's unhurt."

Saul was right, of course, and if Finn hadn't been in a panicked haze and his last memory hadn't been of his mate in Lisbet's clutches, he'd have figured it out himself. He took a deep breath and sought out the incomplete link between him and Parker.

It was there, steadier and stronger than he'd expected. Finn released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. "Okay. I'm calm. I still want to see him."

"Well, that's fine, but you should probably get cleaned up a bit at first. Perhaps even get dressed. I know it's a delay, but we have guests on the premises."

Finn blinked, trying to figure out what was hiding behind Saul's vague replies. Clearly, at one point, he'd been taken to the pack house, since he was in one of the mansion sick rooms. But there was also something Saul wasn't telling him. Something big.

Still, Saul had a point. Despite Finn's urgency, he had to admit that he'd been out for quite a while, during which time his family had been unable to wash him too much. He couldn't let his mate see him this way.

With that thought in mind, Finn went to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. He washed quickly and efficiently, his mind focused on his goal—to reach Parker as soon as possible.

As it turned out, he didn't have to go in pursuit of his beautiful mate. Just as he was stepping out of the bathroom, the door to his quarters burst open and Parker rushed inside. Before Finn could even get a good look at his mate, Parker was launching himself into his arms.

At first, Parker just held him, tightly, so tightly, his hands roaming over Finn's body as if he was trying to map every inch of Finn, to assure himself Finn was really there. Finn was still naked, so the touch could have quickly grown sensual if not for the fact that Parker suddenly pulled away and punched him.

It wasn't a real punch, more like a light hit against Finn's shoulder. However, Parker's glare made up for the lack of force behind the blow. "You're such an idiot. How dare you get yourself shot like that? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Finn might have been concerned about his mate's anger, but that latter question simply melted his heart. He caught his mate's wrists, keeping Parker from hitting him again. "Were you really?"

"Of course." Parker's lower lip trembled, and unexpectedly, his eyes filled with tears. "You almost died, you asshole."

The about face in emotion seemed so sudden it took Finn by surprise. He hugged Parker, taking comfort in his mate's proximity while at the same time trying to reassure his mate. Yes, he'd nearly been killed, but so had Parker, and that was one thing he'd never forgive himself for.

Finn held Parker as closely as he could, too easily remembering the way he'd looked with Lisbet on top of him, seconds away from tearing his throat out. She might have even succeeded, because Finn's efforts to stop her and her accomplices would have never managed to save his mate. Who'd have thought a silencer would be the one to do what Finn couldn't? Finn owed Erdi more than he could ever say.

Just as he thought this, Finn became aware that something was different about Parker. His usually slender body seemed slightly more... swollen around the middle. Suddenly light-headed, Finn broke their embrace and dropped to his knees.

A few months ago, pregnancy wouldn't have been his first guess in such a situation, but he'd considered it as a possibility from the moment they'd had sex. When he pressed his hands to the slight swell of Parker's belly and his mate shivered, he knew he'd been right. Still, because he had to hear it, because he had to know, he asked, "Parker?"

Parker released a soft, shaky laugh. "I guess this is where I reveal you're going to be a daddy? Well, technically speaking, we're both going to be daddies. How does that even work? Do you want to be Dad or Pop?"

He was rambling, almost hyperventilating, but out of it all, Finn grasped how difficult it must have been for Parker to find this out and get used to the thought without Finn being there to support him. Moon be blessed, Finn felt like such an asshole for not at least managing to warn Parker of the possibility.

He pulled Parker down and into his lap, petting his hair, taking in his familiar scent. Slowly, his self-deprecation and guilt settled into something else—into a warmth that emanated from his heart to every cell in his body.

A pup. A child born out of him and Parker. The thought should have scared him, and in a way, it did. Pups were so fragile, and despite the time he'd spent unconscious, Finn knew the current climate of the werewolf world wasn't the safest for pup rearing. Still, the idea that Parker wa
s expecting his child made him happier than he'd ever believed he could be. And the best thing was that Parker felt the same. Beyond all the wariness and the panic, Finn could f
eel his mate's enthusiasm, wild, almost overwhelming.

That enthusiasm suddenly began to swirl into a limbo of confusion and anxiety. Finn's bond with Parker was incomplete, so he couldn't reassure his mate as much as he'd have liked to, at least not at once. Parker broke away from him and pinned him with a torn look. "Finn?" he asked quietly. "Are you... Are you crying? That wasn't exactly the reaction I'd been hoping for."

Finn blinked, for the first time realizing that a few tears had indeed pooled at the corners of his eyes. It would have been ridiculous, because he didn't remember when he'd last cried. Possibly a few decades ago, when his mother had died. He also figured out his emotional outburst was the whole reason for Parker's anxiety.

"Oh, baby," he whispered back. "You have no idea... I'm just... I always wanted to have a family, and when I met you, I could see us together, raising a pup. But... I didn't dare to hope for too much."

As he spoke, he peppered Parker's face with kisses. He didn't want to say that he'd feared Parker's reaction to his werewolf nature. That was one thing they still hadn't discussed, even if Parker obviously knew about it.

The kisses melted his lover's apprehension, turning it into an ever-growing arousal. "So... You're happy about it?" Parker asked, a little breathless.

"Happy? I'm... I have no words. I don't know what I did to deserve all this, but I promise you, baby, I'll protect you, and our child."

He meant for the vow to come out like a solemn vow, since it was a promise he had every intention of keeping. It didn't turn out quite like that. His body always responded to Parker's proximity, but the knowledge of how easily he could have lost this fueled the fire of his need for Parker.

Their mouths met in a fervent clash, and soon, Finn was thrusting his tongue in Parker's mouth, greedily taking in his mate's taste. Parker gave as much as he took, moaning as he buried his fingers in Finn's hair and melted into the kiss.

They broke apart to breathe, at which point Finn realized something very important. "Wait... We can't do this. I don't want to hurt you," both of them said at the same time.

A long pause followed as they stared at each other. Finally, Finn decided to elaborate on his train of thought. "You're pregnant."

Parker scowled. "You just recovered from a three week coma."

Yikes, okay, Finn could understand where his mate was coming from. He felt fine. His werewolf physiology had made sure of that, and he wouldn't have come to otherwise. But he couldn't fault his mate for worrying, not when he himself was concerned any possible strain might endanger Parker's pregnancy. They'd already been making out on the floor, and while Finn didn't particularly mind the discomfort, he didn't want even the slightest risk to endanger their baby.

Despite the need bubbling in every cell of his body, Finn resigned himself to the unavoidable. Still holding Parker, he got up. "I can walk," Parker sputtered as Finn carried him to the bed.

Finn smiled at him. "I know. Just indulge me this time around, okay?"

Parker released a weary sigh. "You're going to be insufferable about this pregnancy, aren't you?"