Chapter 32

The office staff is polite as we check in for Laken's appointment. It's an entire process of her filling out paperwork, having lab work done, and giving a urine sample before we're finally shown to an exam room.

The wait isn't bad, but we're all clearly on edge.

We meet Dr. Garza, get shooed out while Laken has a physical exam, and then we're brought back in while they do an ultrasound.

It becomes blatantly clear that she is pregnant about the time we hear the heartbeat echoing around the room.

Ranger keeps a placid face.

That fucker.

My jaw drops, and I may stagger a little into the wall.

As of a week ago, I was single and planning to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

"Well, there you go," Dr. Garza says, leaning over the ultrasound tech's shoulder. He points at the blob on the screen. It kinda looks like a lima bean to me. "This is the gestational sac, and that's the fetus." He moves to what I think is the butt and says, "There's the head, and here's the spine."

I frown, tilting my head, but no matter how hard I squint, I'm not seeing what he's seeing.

Laken laughs, holding out her hand to me. I shove off the wall and head over to link our fingers.

"All I see is a blob too," she whispers, shrugging.

"Does everything look healthy?" Locke asks from behind me.

"So far, so good," the doctor says.

"I'm going to have to kill so many people," Ranger says, then lets out an oomph.

"Ignore him," Locke says, likely to the ultrasound tech. "He doesn't make good jokes."

"So. Many. People," Ranger repeats slowly.

"Ohmigod, stop." Laken laughs. "I already have to pee."

"Okay, I'm going to let the tech finish up, and we'll regroup before you head out," Dr. Garza says.

I ignore everyone else, kissing Laken's cheek. "We're having a baby."

Her eyes widen. "I guess so."

Once Laken is dressed, we head back to the first room and wait for the doctor all over again. He goes over a bunch of Laken's and Locke's family medical history, gives us copies of the ultrasound pictures—which still look like abstract art to me—and writes our omega a prescription for prenatal vitamins.

Ranger waits patiently for a pause in the doctor's speech before diving in to a shitload of questions. "Our bonds are fresh, but now that she has those, will her system regulate? Or will she continue to have what feels like waves of heat?"

"Every omega is different." Dr. Garza spins in his rolling chair to face Ranger. "Some continue to have pretty severe cravings for pheromones and semen throughout the pregnancy. Others taper off." He shrugs. "I take the stance that her system will make its needs known. Listen to that, and you've done all you can. The majority of miscarriages happen within the first trimester. You're finding out a little later than some, so you only have another month or so to go before you hit the second trimester."

"I'm still baffled that I haven't had any nausea." Laken sits forward on the exam table. "Is that a bad sign? I swear I heard that somewhere, but I guess it could be an old wives' tale."

"It's nothing to worry about," the doctor says, spinning to face her. "You may still experience some as you go along, but don't stress if you don't."

Locke wraps his arm around Laken's shoulders. "Any other questions?"

Her head shakes.

Ranger opens his mouth, likely to move down the bullet point list on his phone, but I wrap my hand around the screen.

"The doctor has other patients. Let's save some questions for our next visit." I grin shamelessly while praying he doesn't stab me.

"That, I do." Dr. Garza stands. "But I'll be happy to answer another ten when I see you next month."

I snort.

That wasn't an exaggeration. Ranger has no shame about monopolizing the doctor's time.

Immediately upon arriving back at the house, Bless and Stacia pull Locke and Ranger away to talk. Maverick, Gunner, and the dogs perk up at the sight of the take-out bags, but they stay put, likely to be in on the conversation about to be had.

I personally couldn't give a shit less about any of that.

I follow Laken into the kitchen and drop the mountain of bags containing the food containers on the table.

She puts down the bag of crap they gave us at the doctor's. Her long hair falls over her shoulders and around her face as her palms flatten against the wood.

I try to feel her out in the bond, slowly sliding up behind her. One hand lands on her hip and the other pulls her hair back from her neck. "How are you doing?"

She scoffs. "Well, that was a mindfuck."

"I noticed the doctor didn't mention your options, but I'm pretty sure you're early enough that there are choices available, if you decide you don't want to be pregnant right now." I kiss her throat just below her ear. "A lot has happened in the last few weeks, and I just want you to know that I support you in whatever you decide." I move my hand from her hip to loop around her stomach as I pull her back to my chest.

"Thanks, Tanner." She twists her head to blink up at me over her shoulder. Her eyes are so bright, they always throw me off a little. She wraps her hand around mine on her middle, giving me a pat. "Everything with you is just…easy. You always make me feel safe."

I bend, brushing my lips over hers. "You know I've got you, firecracker. I think I've been all in since you mean-mugged the hell out of me and told me I better get them before they get us when I took you to the bathroom at the Andretti mansion."

We eat together, and afterward, Laken is exhausted. I think she's mentally worn out. I accompany her upstairs and cuddle with her in Ranger's bed until she falls asleep.

At some point soon, all of us are going to need to come to terms with the fact it's actually the pack bedroom, not Ranger's bedroom, but that's a fight for another day. Or it is, until I sneak out after Laken falls asleep. I wanted to check in with the others and see what was discussed with Bless, but once the door closes…

I realize I don't have access to let myself back in. I'm unreasonably pissed as I stomp downstairs and look for Ranger.

Maverick and Gunner are still in the living room, stretched out on the couch. Maverick has his phone in his hand and a wide grin on his face as they both study the screen.

"Any idea where Ranger and Locke disappeared to?" I ask, scratching my beard.

"Basement, but get your ass over here and look at this," Maverick says, waving a hand. I walk around the back of the couch and lean over. "How likely do you think it is that Ranger will toss us down there when he spots this?"

My eyes widen as I check out the puppy. It's definitely a Belgian Malinois or a German Shepherd.

"You got Laken a puppy?" I snort.

"Yup, she's sixteen weeks old, potty-trained, and she just completed her first round of personal protection training." Maverick chuckles. "They're pretty useless for the first year or two, but that time is all about bonding. If you keep up her training, you'll have a beast completely capable of taking down a full-grown man in less than three years."

"Ranger hates dogs," I say, trying not to give in to the adorable puppy face. If Ranger won't let us keep her, then I can't let myself get attached.

"Not even close," Maverick says. "He used to play with them all the time when they were puppies?—"

"He just only did it when he thought no one was watching," Gunner says. "Plus, Karma is third generation bred for companionship. She'll bond with Laken, and that'll be her person. She won't want to let her out of her sight. It'll also help your omega not to feel so isolated."

All of that seems logical to me, but I'm also pretty sure they're unaware Laken is pregnant. It's a really cute dog, though. I mean, she's got floppy ears and an adorable little puppy face.

"You might want to give the gift and run." I chuckle, slapping Maverick on the shoulder. "But goddamn, she's cute."

"She really is," Gunner agrees. "But two is plenty for us. Although, Kane mentioned he'd snatch her up for Annika if Laken isn't interested."

"Nah, let's see how it plays out first," I say, a little disappointed at even the thought of her going to someone else.

I fucking love dogs.

Nova and Haze are so well-behaved that you hardly notice them unless you're tripping over their massive bodies when you're not paying attention.

"Okay, wish me luck. I'm going down to the basement to demand Ranger add me on to the keypad to unlock the pack bedroom," I say, rolling my shoulders back.

Gunner snorts. "Good fucking luck with that."

Yeah, I probably am going to need it.

I figure it's a good idea to bring refreshments when forcing my way into Ranger's torture dungeon…

Basement.

It's just a basement.

I mean, basements are creepy in horror movies, but I'm a badass.

It's not cool that I should have to wait for Ranger to give me access, just so I can get back into the room with Laken. He can take a five-minute break from whatever he's doing and accompany me to key the lock to my fingerprint.

The first set of doors pulls open when I yank the handle, but I'm guessing that's because Ranger and Locke are down there.

The stairs are weirdly intimidating. They're narrow, and the lighting isn't especially bright.

Who the hell is excited about the prospect of shoving a prisoner in their basement?

Just put a bullet in their brain and move on.

I hit the double doors at the end of the stairwell and have to give myself another mental pep talk once I'm on the other side.

This place is like a labyrinth when the secret passageways are open. I know the basics of where I'm headed, but it's still ridiculously hard to force one foot in front of the other.

Normal people don't have fucking torture dungeons, but this is my new normal, so I better just nut up and deal with it.

I tuck the bottles of water under my arm and snatch the last door handle.

My instincts can sense the level of pure wrongness coming from inside because it's nearly impossible to make myself tug the door the rest of the way open and step inside.

The muffled screaming makes my asshole pucker.

Good god.

Someone is in agony.

Ranger sits in a folding chair with his back to me.

Will kneels on a drain in the middle of the floor, and his arms are stretched behind him with the ropes connected to a beam on the ceiling.

Ranger holds the end of the ropes with small handles attached. They seem to be connected to a pulley system on the roof beam.

Locke isn't just watching. He's got Braxton on what looks like a hospital bed with the top tilted downward. Every bit of the blood in his body has to be rushing to his brain.

My head tilts as I attempt to understand what Locke is doing to his cousin's feet.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus. He's not performing acupuncture. He slams another needle into each of Braxton's feet, one by one, and yanks a massive lighter from his pocket.

Okay, that's inventive.

Ranger's head tilts almost preternaturally. "Did you need something?" He tugs the handles, and both of Will's pinky fingers rip backward at a disturbing angle. Laken's ex wails, but the gag blocks most of the noise.

Holy shit.

They're both absolute psychopaths…

And I've done nothing but taunt and harass Ranger since I met him.

"I just brought you some refreshments," I lie.

Ranger nods, raising a hand. The handle is still wrapped around his fingers, and Will screeches in agony.

Some extreme sounds of misery come from Braxton. Locke's dark waves fall around his face as he holds the lighter to the end of one of the needles.

"I told him to work smarter, not harder," Ranger says blandly, tugging the handle with his fingers. "But I think he has a bit of long-term resentment to work off."

"Right," I choke out, striding forward to drop the water into his hand before heading over to Locke.

"Set it next to my chair, if you would," Locke says, tucking his hair behind his ear. "How is Laken?"

"Sleeping," I say, trying to decide if I should mention that I can't get back in. "Uh, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I left the room, and now I can't get back in."

Ranger hums. "I suppose it is time to give you both access." He glances at his watch. "We have twelve minutes left in this session. I'll be happy to rekey it for you after they're settled back into their cells."

"That works," I agree, backing away slowly. "I'll just wait upstairs."

Consider my eyes officially opened to the reality of pack life.