Chapter Twenty-Five

Scott

Inside the house I sat down on the sofa with Salta and asked Terrick to make us some blood shakes. They both definitely needed them after all the running around the woods they did. I picked a twig out of Salta’s hair and flashed her a sad smile.

“Change sucks, huh? It always brings out the big emotions,” I said to her once we were alone. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I can’t. It’s a secret,” she huffed, looking down at her lap.

“What’s a secret?” I asked.

“That my brother’s pregnant,” she said.

I laughed and she stared up at me as if I lost my mind.

“Pregnancy isn’t funny. People die from being pregnant. My dad died from being pregnant.”

The laughter died in my throat and I let out a long breath.

“Terrick isn’t pregnant. Terrick is an Alpha. I’m pregnant.”

“Well, I don’t want you to die or almost die either,” she said as if I missed the point.

“My parents are doctors. I’m not going to die,” I told her gently.

“You better not,” she crossed her arms. “I still want you guys to move back home, though. What happens if the humans come for the babies?”

“Salta, can I ask you a question? A serious one?”

“Okay,” she looked weary.

“Have you met a human before? One who doesn’t shift, that is.”

“No,” she shook her head.

“So, the baby’s probably safe from them, right?” I asked.

“Probably, but ---” she huffed out a breath.

Poor kid was running out of points to argue.

“What about this? How would you like to have two bedrooms?” I asked her.

“Mom would never let me,” she sighed.

“Well, you’d have your bedroom there and then you could have one here with all sorts of stuff and space too. That would make two bedrooms and your mom wouldn’t say no, because you’d only have one at her house.”

“Will I be allowed to see the baby?” she asked.

“Of course! You’re Aunt Salta!” I grinned as some of the fear left her scent.

“Okay. So, have you been to see the baby doctor?” she asked, putting on her grownup voice.

“Not yet,” I shook my head.

“Why? Is it hard to get an appointment? Mom says we’re lucky because we don’t have to wait a long time for appointments like some people do in other places.”

“No, it’s not that,” I smiled.

“Then why?” she asked.

I didn’t want to explain to an eleven-year-old that my wolf was crunchy enough to try to eat a dragon right now. So what the hell was I supposed to say?

“We were waiting on you,” Terrick walked into the living room carrying the bloodshakes and both saving my ass and betraying me.

There was no way I could go see Dara right now. My wolf hadn’t calmed down at all.

“Why?” she asked, taking the bloodshake he offered her.

“We wanted to make sure you were here to get a copy of the sonogram,” Terrick handed me my shake and sat down on the other side of his sister with his.

“When are we going?” she asked.

“It’s the weekend. I bet no one’s at the clinic,” I said, covering my own tail.

“Dara will come over if he’s not working. The clinic says seven days a week,” Terrick smiled at me. “We can go as soon as we’re done with the shakes, if you want to, Scott.”

“That’s a dirty rotten trick!” I spat the words out over our mating link.

“I’m concerned too. I think we need to make sure everything’s okay and if having my little sister around is what it takes to get your wolf to behave then I’ll use it as a dirty rotten trick. We don’t know how my current situation will affect the babies or if it will at all. I think we need to go and why not today?”

“Okay,” I said aloud.

Terrick was right. Regardless of how riled up my wolf was I had to go to the clinic sooner or later. Sooner would be better, but the thought of anyone touching my stomach made me feel extra bitey.

“It’ll be okay. I don’t like the doctor either,” Salta nodded. “They’re bossy and always want to vaccinate you against something.”

***

An hour later, I lay stretched on Dara’s exam table with my shirt still on. Terrick sat in a chair, close enough to hold my hand while his sister perched on the arm of the chair. Dara entered slowly, waving his clipboard through the crack first as if checking for danger before entering. Salta laughed and my wolf’s muscles coiled tight ready to pounce.

“I’ve heard that you are the bitey one,” Dara grinned at me when he fully entered the room and shut the door behind him. “Oh, and you brought the girl who has the sword. I better be on my best behavior!”

“You better. That’s my brother’s baby in there!” Salta nodded at him.

“Oh, I’m on notice,” he grinned. “I like to think I’m always nice to my patients. I’ve never bitten one of them, but I’ve been bitten.”

“Probably because you give people shots,” she scolded.

“Eh, sometimes,” he shrugged. “So, we’ve gotten the pixelated baby already?”

“Yes,” Terrick and I said at the same time.

“Good to know.”

“I haven’t had morning sickness, but I’ve been using the gummies as a preventive,” I told him.

“Good idea,” Dara nodded. “We’ll start with an ultrasound to take a look at baby and then see where we’re at.”

I sat up and Dara flashed me a knowing grin.

“I’d prefer not to be bitten, but here,” he held out his hand, “I find it easier to get the biting out of the way in the beginning.”

My wolf cocked his head to the side. Why did the dragon want to be bitten?

“No, okay then. You can’t say I didn’t offer,” Dara shrugged, rounding the examination table to the machine.

Terrick squeezed my hand and I lay back down. He stood up and with his free hand pushed my shirt up just enough to show the important part of my stomach. Salta sank into his chair and he stayed there holding my hand.

“I almost wish I brought you a snack,” he teased. “I could’ve distracted you.”

“I have granola bars in the office, if you’re hungry,” Dara said, turning on the machine.

Terrick flinched and Salta covered her small, pointed ears as the whoosh-whoosh filled the room.

“The gel shouldn’t be cold,” Dara announced picking it and his wand up.

I let out a long breath and begged my wolf just to let this happen. He snapped inside his inner sanctum, but I didn’t copycat his movements. A growl rumbled low in my throat. Dara ignored it and focused on the task at hand. I wanted to look at his monitor to see what was going on inside me, but my wolf wasn’t having it. He shifted my eyes to his and the world grew more vibrant.

“What?” Terrick asked.

My wolf growled again, and the sound echoed up my throat.

“What? What?” I asked, still watching Dara’s hand now that the wand was against my stomach.

“Mate. Scott, look at the monitor please, because someone is playing a joke on us,” Terrick said.

“It’s not a joke. I told you. I told you four of them, but you didn’t understand,” his hound cut into my thoughts.

“What?” I said again.

This time I had to look at the screen. They were right. Four little jellybeans sat inside me.

“Four?” I blinked.

“No wonder your poor wolf is extra stressed out. You’re having a litter, friend,” Dara said. “A proper wolfen litter.”

It didn’t happen often, but it could happen. Twins and multiples ran in my family, but four?

“Still don’t want to come home?” Salta asked, her eyes sparkling at the screen.

My wolf growled again, at Dara not Salta, but the little girl fell quiet too. Four babies.

“You’re not allowed to go with Frost now no matter what. I can’t raise four kids on my own!” I said to Terrick over our mating link and squeezed his hand as if I jumped straight into the labor part of pregnancy.

“I’m not going anywhere. He’d have to fight me and the hound to take me,” Terick said.

“Damn skippy and I’ll do more than shit dinosaurs! Two of those are glowing. Those are my pups too! No dragon is taking me away from my pups!”

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Dara prattled on but I lost track of what he was saying as he turned off the machine and left the room. Something about how I’d need to come back later for a well omega and baby exam. Something about sonograms. Something about a lot of things, but I heard none of it. Four puppies. I always wanted a big family, but would I even be able to walk by the time they were ready to come?