11. Arthur

Chapter 11

Arthur

2022

S omething was going on with Patrick, but I couldn't quite figure it out. We'd been together for over five centuries, and I adored him as much now, if not more, than I did when I first learned he was mine.

"Love? Where are you?"

"I'm in the atrium," came an immediate reply. "Did you need me to join you?"

Did I? Always. But if Patrick was with his plants, I didn't want to interrupt. Since the very beginning, Patrick had always been drawn to plants. I did everything I could to make sure he had his own little spot that was just his.

"No. I'll see you in a bit," I told him.

I sat at my desk, going over the last few weeks in my mind. Something felt off. Patrick, like always, was loving and attentive. He was enjoying the new additions to the coven and was excited about the little ones that seemed to be following our members finding their Ones. We had always wanted a large family, and we were grateful for each of our three children. Sadly, we'd only ever had those three. They had filled our lives full of joy though, and I didn't have any complaints.

"Grandpa Arthur, can I talk to you?"

I smiled at Julius. He was Louis and Vincent's second born. He'd found his One when Alistair had sent the wolf shifter Cameron to us to recover from the situation he'd been in.

"Of course," I said, gesturing for him to come into my office and sit. "Let me guess. Cameron is pregnant again," I said, guessing what he wanted to talk to me about. Julius and Cameron had disappeared for about a week a month ago, and it made sense since their precious little one was now a year old. So many babies lately.

"Yeah. I wanted to let you know that when I told my dads, they asked if we were going to be returning to the pride anytime soon."

Julius looked as if he wanted to say more but didn't. I had assumed this would eventually come to a head. "Julius, you know that your grandfather and I love you very much and that you will always be welcome here. But we also love your father, Louis, and his One, Vincent. If your alpha father wants you to return to the pride and you wish to go, don't feel as if you must stay here at the coven." I got up from behind the desk and walked around it to lean against the front.

"I like it here," Julius told me. "Especially since there are so many other warlocks. But Cameron doesn't have a pack, really, and he's comfortable running with the lions in Dad's pride, even if they aren't wolf shifters like he is. I'm torn because I want to be here with you and Grandpa, but I also want to be in Seattle with my dads and the rest of the pride."

"Julius, you have to do what makes you and your One happiest. We've loved having you here to visit as often as you do, and you will always have a suite here if and when you want to visit. But there is nothing that says you can't split your time between several places. Alistair does, and it works out for him and River quite well."

Julius seemed to think about that for a moment before he nodded. "Thanks, Grandpa. I appreciate it. I'm going to go talk to Cameron and see what he wants most. Madison won't be shifting for years yet, but I know Cameron would like her to grow up around other shifters so she gets that experience."

"Then there is your answer. We only have just a few here, but I foresee more in the future." I held up my hand to keep him from leaving just yet. "While you're here, your brother Miles. Has he finished college yet? Do you know?" Constantine, although quite capable, had been taking on more and more by agreeing to help not only with the local clowder but also out in Montana when needed. I had the idea of it being beneficial if he had help.

"Just this last May, yes. He's working at a hospital out in Seattle somewhere. Why?"

"No reason. Just thinking out loud, really. Give Madison kisses for me, would you?" I told him, not wanting to give anything away just yet. A hospital in Seattle though? Not for the pride? That was a bit surprising, really.

"I will. You and Grandpa Patrick need to come and see her this afternoon if you can," Julius said as he stood and started for the door.

"We will," I said, making a mental note to be sure to stop by their suite to love on the little one because it seemed that she was going to be heading off to Seattle soon. It would break Patrick's heart to not be able to cuddle her anytime he wanted. He'd enjoyed having Julius here with us. I knew he would understand their reason for relocating to Seattle though.

It wasn't far, not when you could be there in the blink of an eye. But our family had become so busy and had scattered. William and Stanley were in Europe with their own growing family. Alistair and River were in Montana with Father, Dad, Elliot, Arin, and Arik and their immensely growing families. Then Louis was all the way on the opposite coast in Seattle with his One, Vincent. Patrick's and my children were scattered and doing their own thing, and I missed them.

"Love, what's wrong?"

I smiled. He was so in tune with me, always.

"Nothing, my heart. Just thinking about the kids. Julius was here. Cameron is pregnant again."

"Really?" Patrick asked, suddenly in the office with me. His face lit up with a beautiful smile that I still loved to see, even after all this time.

"Hello, my love. How are you?" I asked, pulling him into my arms. "And yes, really."

"You just saw me an hour ago at breakfast. But I'm fine. My orchids are thriving, and I can't wait until they bloom next year."

I leaned in and went to kiss Patrick but froze when I picked up something I never thought I'd sense again. Not from my One. It had been so incredibly long.

"Patrick?" I whispered and pulled my head back to look at my heart. There were tears in his beautiful blue eyes and a smile on his face that couldn't be compared to anything else.

"I've been waiting for you to sense him," Patrick said. "My last fertile period. It's finally happening again, Arthur. Please tell me you're not upset. I've wanted more children with you for so long, but the fates just haven't blessed us with one. But then…well, it seems as if they've decided to gift us with another baby."

My eyes widened, and I looked down at Patrick's stomach. That was what felt off. There was… "That long weekend we spent in our quarters—you were insatiable. You're pregnant?"

I gently touched Patrick's flat stomach, and when I did, I felt a pulse of energy that I knew was coming from our unborn son. I pulled Patrick tightly to my chest, buried my face in his neck, and cried. We'd wanted more children for so long and had thought that we would only ever be blessed with the three, but now fate had gifted us a fourth time.

"A baby?" I asked, looking at my Patrick. There were tears streaking down his face, and I reached out and gently wiped them away with my thumbs. We were going to have another baby. After all of this time. Now that we were grandparents many times over, and even great-grandparents, we were going to have another baby.

"Yes. You're pleased?"

"I didn't need another child to be pleased, but I'm thrilled we're to be parents again. I love you so much." I leaned in and kissed Patrick gently before I pulled away and wiped at his eyes again. He did the same to me. "You are and will always be my heart. I can't wait to share the news with everyone," I said before I pulled Patrick to me again and kissed him again. A baby. We were going to have another baby. "How long have you known?"

Patrick swiped at his eyes and then grinned. "Not long. Just a few days, actually. I'm really surprised you didn't pick up on his aura before I did. With the others, you seemed to know before me."

I couldn't help but grin. "Well, I happen to be quite in tune with your body." I took a step back, keeping my hands on Patrick's shoulders though. "Every inch of your body."

Patrick rolled his eyes at me. "You should after all of this time. I'm surprised you're not sick of looking at me by this point."

Immediately, my smile dropped. "Are you tired of me? Do you wish you'd been gifted a shifter for a One?"

"No. Why would you ask such a thing?" Patrick tried to push away, but I pulled him tightly to my chest.

"Because you asked an equally senseless question. Why would you ask such a thing?"

Patrick sighed. "I don't know. I guess I simply wasn't thinking clearly. Do you think I'll be able to handle the pregnancy? I'm a lot older than I was when I had our other children."

I gave Patrick a look. "You aren't nearly as old as Father was when he had Elliot or the twins. You will be perfectly fine. Besides, Constantine is here, and you know he will be watching over you as much as you will allow." It would be different not having William deliver this baby. Sadly, he passed long ago, as did Constantine's fathers. I liked to think that Alexander and Lancelot would still be here with us if they'd not been caught in that explosion. It was possible.

"Do you really think I won't have any issues?"

"I'm sure of it. If you're so worried, we can go talk to Constantine about it and see what he suggests."

Patrick seemed to consider it for a bit before he shook his head. "Maybe later. Right now, I'm not ready to announce it to everyone just yet. I know the majority of them are warlocks and will be able to sense the baby soon if not already. But I would like to wait just a bit longer before we make any sort of formal announcement."

"We can certainly do that." I kissed Patrick's temple before I started toward the couch that was in the office. When I sat, I pulled him down beside me. "Before I forget, we need to swing by and see Julius and Cameron soon."

"Cameron's pregnant," Patrick said.

I chuckled. "Yes, but that wasn't really a secret. They completely disappeared for a week not long ago, and Madison is a year old now. It was expected."

"True. Is there another reason we are stopping by? I have an adorable outfit for Madison. It has a matching hat and so many ruffles."

I smiled. Patrick truly loved all of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I sighed, hesitant to say what I was about to. "Julius has decided that he and Cameron are going to be moving back to the pride," I told him. Immediately, the change in Patrick's demeanor was noticeable.

"What?"

I turned Patrick on my lap, hoping he would understand. I knew he'd so enjoyed having them here, but now they were leaving again, and I wasn't sure how well Patrick was going to take it. He was pregnant again, and when he'd been carrying Louis, he'd been overly emotional.

"Cameron doesn't have a pack. Not really. But his wolf has really enjoyed being around Vincent's pride and doing pride things. With Madison being a shifter, they would like to raise her in a pack or pride setting. So they thought it would be best for them to go to Seattle to raise their children." It wasn't unheard of. Julius was Louis and Vincent's child. Unluckily for us, all three of our children had all moved away once they'd found their own forever loves. That meant that the only way we had ever had any time with our grandchildren had been when we had visited or they had come to us. It wasn't quite the same as having them with us all the time, but it was better than nothing.

"You're right, of course. They should be with Julius's parents—allow Vincent and Louis to have the enjoyment of their grandchildren."

I slowly started rocking Patrick side to side. "I know it's difficult to think about. Our children all left. But just think. We're going to have a new little one to fill our days and nights." I felt Patrick's mood lift. I didn't ever wish for my love to be upset or sad for any reason. But life sometimes wasn't quite fair, and we had to make the best of things.

"True," Patrick said. He looked at me and smiled. "What do you think he'll be like?"

I chuckled. "Amazing, just like you are. And our other three children. Do you want to share the news with them?" I was, of course, elated with the news. But I felt that it was Patrick who should share our excitement with the others.

"Not yet. Soon though."

I nodded. "Since you've known for a few days, have you thought about names? I know we had at least three or four more picked out all those years ago. Is there one you would like to use?" It had honestly been so long ago since Louis had been born, and I couldn't remember what the other names that we'd discussed were. They were written down somewhere, but I wouldn't be able to put my fingers on that journal easily. We'd moved a few times since then, and although the journals were here somewhere, it had been so long since I'd seen them as they had been put into storage with other things.

"I know I don't necessarily want to use a currently trendy name. It just doesn't feel right. I can't really see using an incredibly stuffy name either." Patrick sighed. "We have time though. The baby won't be here for several months yet."

"Very true. Well, if you come up with any ideas, I'm all for listening to them."

"Do you have any?" Patrick asked.

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. "No. I know we had several names picked out and were on a list a long time ago, but I can't recall what names were on it." I moved in and kissed Patrick on the nose. "Besides, I'm not the one who is carrying the baby. You get final say in his name."

Patrick made a face.

"What?"

"Do you have no preference at all?"

I thought about it a moment before shrugging. "I'm of the same mind as you. I would suggest staying away from a lot of the trendy names. No Brayden, Caiden, Jayden. None of the Aiden names."

Patrick made another face, but this one was completely different. It only took a moment before he started laughing. I quickly joined him, and after several minutes of fits of laughter followed by what I could only describe as silly looks, we finally seemed to get ourselves under control. Well, that and the fact that Constantine came knocking on the doorframe.

I quickly composed myself and did my utmost best to become serious. "Yes, Costas. What can I help you with."

Constantine seemed as if he were arguing with himself. He finally found his voice though. "Nothing, Master Arthur. I was simply checking in on the noise." Constantine's eyes left mine where they moved to Patrick, then down quickly before returning to me. The gesture was fleeting, and if I'd not been watching him as closely as I had, I would have most likely missed it.

"You might as well come in, Costas. And please close the door behind you," I told him. I moved to the edge of the couch before I stood. I wasn't going to have this conversation with our coven's doctor while I was sitting on the couch. I moved to my preferred position: standing in front of my desk and leaning against it.

"Is something wrong, Master Arthur?"

I sighed. "You and I have been friends for how long, Costas?"

Constantine slowly sat in one of the plush armchairs that I had in front of my desk. I did my best to make the men and the few women who were part of our coven as comfortable around me as possible. I liked to think that I'd more than proven my abilities to be able to be coven master and hoped that they didn't simply feel that I'd been given everything in my life because of who my carrier was.

"A very long time," Costas said.

"Yes. So why the master ? I thought we were beyond that?" Constantine glanced toward Patrick, and I rolled my eyes. "Patrick is just as much your friend as I am. Perhaps more so. And if you're going to be weird about it, yes, Patrick is carrying our fourth child, much to both of our surprise and elation."

Immediately, Constantine relaxed. I sent Patrick a quick look and found my One grinning. I knew he had just said he wasn't ready to make an announcement or share the news just yet, but Costas was our coven's doctor, and he had obviously sensed the baby's aura already.

"I didn't wish to speak about something you weren't yet sharing. Congratulations to the both of you," Costas said.

"Thank you," Patrick said. He was still all smiles, which made me happy. My One being happy always made me feel as if I was doing something correctly.

"Yes, thank you," I told him. "You were correct though. Patrick wishes to hold off just a bit longer before making any sort of announcement."

"Of course," Costas said. "I wouldn't make your announcement. But with all of the babies that seem to be happening in the coven lately, others are more in tune with what's going on, and keeping the baby a secret won't be possible for long."

"I don't want to keep him a secret," Patrick said. "I'd just like to tell our other children and Arthur's dads and siblings before we announce anything."

"Understandable."

"I did have something to bring up with you," I said, hoping to change the subject. "I was thinking that perhaps we could get you some help."

Costas looked at me, confusion on his face. "Are you unhappy with the services I provide?"

"Not in the slightest. But if we were to get you an assistant, a nurse or maybe even another doctor that could help lighten your caseload, then you wouldn't be so overwhelmed."

Constantine looked torn. In the end, he simply smiled. "Thank you. I hope you don't feel as if I am unable to continue my tasks."

"Not in the least. I just know that with the growing coven, and now that you are helping the clowder, things can be a lot at times. I only wished to help. If you don't want an assistant, I can simply not look."

"An assistant would be most welcome," Constantine said. His phone chimed in his pocket, and he sighed. "Case in point. I will be out for the evening, I believe." Costas glanced at his phone and nodded. "I apparently have a patient in labor. I'll be at the clowder if I'm needed here."

"Best of luck to the parents-to-be," I said.

"Yes," Patrick added.

Constantine nodded, and then he left. I met Patrick's eyes, and he winked. "That's going to be us soon."

I couldn't help but grin. We were a bit out of practice, but it would all come back to us quickly enough. And now things were so much more advanced than when we had our other children. "True. Who would you like to tell first?" I asked.

"Dad," Patrick said without hesitation. I chuckled because I should have anticipated that he would want to tell my alpha father first. He loved children as much as Patrick, and I knew he would be incredibly excited about our news. I joined my One on the couch again and pulled out my phone so we could call Dad and share the news.