30. Denial

Pregnancy was… I had no words for the wonder it was. Sure, I’d had morning, afternoon, and evening sickness, heartburn, soreness everywhere, and was generally exhausted, but it was the greatest time of my life, growing our little one.

The pregnancy hormones were to blame for the tears I shed during my niblings’ birthday celebration, something that was nearly cut short because of another attack, not because I thought they were just too adorable in their outfits and covered in cake.

I used that excuse again for Hayden’s birthday, and Halloween. Pregnancy was hard, okay?

While I was over halfway through my pregnancy, we were nowhere close to getting the elves to believe even part of the recent revelations.

First, they did not believe Teárlach was now a shifter. Parliament had spread rumors of magic cast by our witch friends. They believed it to be a ruse. Propaganda to make them accept shifters as more of their equals.

Then, they flat out refused to believe their goddess and The Luna were one and the same. An idea we could not back since she had gone quiet on us. ívarr believed it was likely because of the energy she would have used in order to tell us, especially when she switched between Seers. Then there was the appearance at the funeral. All the pack believed her, as did the elves who gathered with us to say goodbye.

ívarr had needed nothing other than Teárlach’s word it was all true before he believed us. Those who knew us knew we wouldn’t lie over something that big.

The worst problem we were having with parliament was they did not believe my baby was Teárlach’s. They refused to recognize our mating as legitimate and had begun a smear campaign against me. They claimed I had tricked T into believing he was the father and had used donated sperm, or worse, had another alpha on hand, to finish my heat.

It was ridiculous and hurtful. So much so, T was refusing to go anywhere near Abrocaelum. His mother had come to Sweetwater for a scan appointment so she could see her granddaughter, but other than a few calls, he was keeping his distance.

T was determined our lives were better away from the toxicity of the court and parliament. His mother did her best, but she was one person against many. Ellgar had too much influence over the rest.

To be fair to Teárlach, the pack had welcomed him with open arms. They treated him like he had been a shifter all his life. He was now spending time with the wing guard because his flying ability was more important than his rather basic research skills. My mate was a fighter, not a scientist. Not that he wasn’t smart, he was just better at reading intentions than statistics or lab reports.

While I was working, and even overnight sometimes, he took his turn touring the skies with another flier. They would work shifts and cover the more vulnerable areas of our territory.

Word had gotten out about my transformation into an omega, and about Teárlach’s ability to shift, to other packs all over the country. It was crazy to me that the old council and even the Northarbor aviary believed it was possible for T to be the father of our baby when his own people denied it!

Thanks to the news getting out, the attacks had been less frequent. We had a few shifters come from other packs, hoping we could help them solve the mystery of unlocking the beta gene.

Chase, as Second, was instrumental in checking they were being truthful in their intentions. We were welcoming to new pack mates only after they had been questioned about their intentions.

So far, it seemed to be an alpha bite was the only way to trigger the change, which was untenable for mated pairs of betas like Jake and Sebastian. They deserved to stay together. Also, it only benefitted beta to omega changes. No alpha wanted to mate another potential alpha, especially if they had a reaction like Asher and his lion did.

So only Dalton had his dream. He was an omega. Things were just… complicated with his mate. He was keeping their arrangement quiet for the most part, aside from when they had shown up together at the clinic wanting a spot in the trials. His choice in a partner was unexpected but I hoped things would work out for them. Their idea was unconventional, yet they were going into this with their eyes wide open.

Dalton was desperate to have a baby by any means necessary. We just had to hope he could have a baby soon, or he would drive Chase out of his mind.

I’d already cut my time in the office to not rub my growing belly in his face. Not going to the office was easier than having to listen to his complaints, which made me a shitty friend. It also meant I didn’t have to hear the crap some of the enforcers were talking about me.

Which is why I was packing up the last of my stuff in the room Chase and I shared as an office. I was done pretending I could do this job without the support of the enforcers.

Betas, like Melody, had tried. The others were just so stuck in their ways. They couldn’t see that I could beat their asses if I wasn’t pregnant.

My alter grumbled an agreement with me. They didn’t see the stupid gendered expectations as anything other than nonsense.

Being pregnant was the problem. They saw me as weak. Less. All because I was growing a child.

The baby kicked within me. Every time she did that, I wanted to just soak in the feeling. For so long, this had been my impossible dream. Now I had it all, my elf as my fated mate, my baby, and my family around me.

A job didn’t matter.

Except, in my heart, it did. It hurt like fuck that they were rejecting me, that their opinion of me was so fragile, a change in designation could ruin it forever.

“Ah-ha!” Dalton cried as he rounded the corner into my office dressed smartly in a shirt and bow tie covering his shiny new mating bite. “I knew Chase was keeping me away for a reason. Explain yourself!” he demanded.

“I–uh–fuck!” I dropped the photo frame I’d been holding into the box.

Dalton’s false smile fell. “Axel, please don’t avoid me now. I thought we were friends!”

“We are!” I protested, automatically moving to soothe him.

“So friends avoid each other?” He held himself stiffly, arms crossed over his vulnerable middle.

“No. I… I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

He hung his head. “I don’t want you avoiding me because you have what I don’t. You know that, right? Even if I never get to have a baby, I’m still an omega. I’m a step closer than I was before. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to experience it through you.”

“I… never thought about it like that.”

Drawing closer, he reached out a hand. “Can I?”

Nodding, I clasped his hand and placed it gently over my bump.

“Oh! She kicked!” She was really going for it.

I laughed, relieved at seeing the wonder in his eyes without a tinge of jealousy. Maybe I hadn’t been giving Dalton enough credit.

“Of course she did. She’s happy to meet her Uncle Dalton,” I said, extending the olive branch, hopeful he would forgive me for avoiding him these last weeks.

“Uncle Dalton?”

“Outside of my family and my mate, you’re the closest thing to a best friend I have. So would you be her honorary uncle?”

Dalton threw his arms around me and cried into my chest. I just held him and let him get it out before giving him the space to back up.

“I’m going to be the best uncle ever!” Dalton’s grin stretched across his face.

“Just don’t let Chase hear you say that, okay? That’s starting a war you can’t win.”

His eyes twinkled mischievously. “This is going to be fun!” He turned to leave the office before turning and leaning against the frame.

“Ax?”

“Yeah?”

“Just… don’t avoid me anymore, okay? I’m not jealous of what you have because I don’t, yet. I can be happy for you and sad for me at the same time, alright?”

“Yeah. Besides, it’s early days. Plenty of time for it to happen.”

He brightened. “Exactly.”

Blake rapped his knuckles against the doorframe a little while later. My stuff was nearly all packed away.

“Packing?”

I rolled my eyes. “Clearly.”

“You don’t have to do this, y’know.” He crossed his arms, a defeated look on his face.

“We can’t keep going like this, Blake,” I said, chucking the last things into boxes. How had I accumulated so much shit? “You punishing the ringleaders is doing absolutely nothing to change their minds.”

“Kade had an idea.”

My hands paused on the next thing to throw in the box. My brother-in-law always had the best ideas. “Yeah?”

“He thought you should become head of security for the omega compound. Being as you are a very well trained omega yourself. Some of the most sensitive omegas struggle with even the mated alphas.”

“But—“

“Before you say anything. I spoke to the alpha in charge there. His omega daughter just started having heats, and he’s struggling. The idea of being around while… yeah, he can’t be impartial now. He actually sounded relieved when I floated the idea.”

“Oh-kay.” I thought about it. The job was the ideal one for someone of my skill level and experience. It was better I was now an omega. They wouldn’t be afraid of me like the alphas. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Great. I’ll get that set up. Are you and T having dinner here tonight?”

“Nah, we’re going to the new house. It’s time to start moving stuff over.”

“Baby stuff?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“I remember that time. Vividly.” He shuddered. “Babies come with so much stuff!”

“So much! Where’s the baby going to go after all the stuff gets delivered?”

Blake laughed. “You’ll figure it out. Plus, there’s always the next baby!”

Teárlach wouldn’t let me carry any of the boxes to the golf cart or from the vehicle into our new home.

“I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” I muttered.

“You are precious and carry our treasure. I’m just the muscle.” He did a little flex, which made me laugh.

“Fine. I’ll just sit here and get fat.”

“Impossible. Certainly not with your sickness.”

Being plagued with morning, noon, and night sickness wasn’t the highlight of being pregnant, but I couldn’t complain. I was getting everything I wanted, and it really hadn’t been that bad. I’d figured out most of my trigger foods and learned not to wait to eat. T kept crackers by the bed for me to eat in the morning so I wouldn’t puke up breakfast.

“Can we sleep here tonight? My wolf wants to get our scent over more of the furniture.” He looked at me with a glint in his eyes. “Not that way!” I yawned. “I’m exhausted, though I’m not opposed to an earlier wake up call.”

“Hmm, I love morning sex. Alright, dear one. We shall sleep here tonight and tomorrow I can spend the day moving our things over whilst you check out your new place of work.”

“You don’t have to waste your day—“

“It’s not a waste when I’m spending it on my family. Getting our home ready is a pleasure. Something I have never had. Please, give me this.”

“Okay.” I was happy to give him a new experience. His face lit up with happiness and he kissed me quickly before returning to get the last of our things.

Teárlach had a shift with the wing guard, so after a frotting session and a nap, he left me to sleep. He would wake me in the morning and we could christen our room properly before I went to work, and he caught more sleep.

Except, perfect plans don’t always work out as you hoped.

“Axel, dear one, wake up. There’s exciting news!” T’s voice was louder than normal. Buoyant with joy.

“Hmm?”

“Hiroshi had his baby!”

“What?” I shot up, a wave of dizziness almost taking me back down again. “She’s early!”

Teárlach handed me a glass of water, which I sipped gratefully, followed by a cracker.

“Yes, but she’s perfectly fine, just on the smaller side. An omega wolf. They have called her Kanako. Is it not a beautiful name?”

“It is. She’s healthy?”

“Very! I got to hear her cries, but I did not go in to see her, though I was invited. I thought we should do that together, perhaps later.”

“I’d like that.” My mate was so thoughtful. He knew I would want to be with him when he met the newest baby in the pack without me having to voice it.

“Later then. I look forward to our baby meeting Kanako. I hope they will be friends.” T settled on the bed next to me wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“Me too.” I played with one of his braids.

“It makes me sad that the elves in Abrocaelum are still resistant to the truth. That they can deny what we have.”

“We’ve got time to show them.”

“There will be no denying their princess when she arrives.” He laid his hand on my stomach, rubbing gently. “This little princess will prove them all wrong.”