Chapter Nine

Nelson

I waited for Holden to say he wanted me as his mate. Still not sure if I would remain in the Enchanted Forest, I knew I had no desire to stay or be paired with anyone else. But, without a response, I expected to return to my life in the outer-world. In both, I had no place of my own and no job to keep me occupied. And my heart would be broken—again.

"Holden?" The wizard snapped his fingers in front of the turtle shifter's face. "Any response?"

He blinked hard before he swallowed. "I didn't know I was allowed. What will Banir do when he finds out?"

Ahmed slapped Holden's back. "You let me talk to him. In the meantime, take Nelson here to see Walter, and prove he's not being held captive."

Holden nodded quickly. "Okay."

He'd seemed so confident before, when he assumed I would be Banir's mate, but that confidence turned to fear. Maybe even terror. Was he afraid of me?

Starting to walk in the direction of what I assumed to be where Walter lived, Holden stopped abruptly. "But I don't have a place for you to live." He glanced behind me to the wizard. "Ahmed, where will he live? Outer-worlders don't sleep in ponds."

"There are many new huts recently built." The wizard smiled at him like a parent would to a child. "It will be an adjustment for you both."

Holden glanced at me before giving a determined nod. "Okay, let's go introduce you to Walter."

On our hike through the woods, Holden's initial fear seemed to ebb away. At first, he was several feet ahead of me, only slowing down occasionally to ensure I still followed. It gave me a great view of his bare back and ass, but the distraction caused me to stumble a few times. When we reached a path, his pace changed and he walked beside me, causing other parts of his body to capture my attention.

"Of all the beings I introduced you to, you really picked me?" He shook his head slightly before he rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you sure?"

I reached over for his hand and threaded my fingers through his until he finally relaxed his grip. Focusing on his face and the path ahead, I tried to convey my thoughts. "You were kind to me from the moment I arrived. Except when you left me with Banir." I meant the last part to tease him even if I was still bitter about it.

He slowed down and scuffed his foot in the dirt. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Pulling myself closer to him, I brushed my shoulder against his. "That's okay. But I have a better reason to stay now since I can be your mate." I paused, letting go of him. "That is, if you want to be with me." I shouldn't have forced him into something with me the way I thought they were going to force me to be with Banir. He might not have any attraction to me at all.

He spun in my direction and gulped, his semi-erect cock bobbing with the motion. "I'm not sure what I have to offer. Whether I'll be a good mate. I've never lived in a hut."

"And neither have I." Though I had the urge to palm his cock and kiss his full lips, I didn't want to be like any of the creeps I'd left behind. Instead, I reached for his hand once again. "This is all new for me, too. We can figure it out together. Especially the pregnancy part, because I'm still not sure how that works, but I'm willing to give it a try with you."

His eyes shimmered as his smile widened, and he squeezed my hand. "Okay. Walter and Oscar's place is just up ahead."

Instead of another hut like I'd expected, the home we came upon resembled a cabin with a covered porch that spanned the front, and a pile of wood off to the side of the place. Two men sat on Muskoka chairs out front while two young children, maybe three and five years of age, raced around the yard, chasing each other as they shifted. At first, the shifting seemed normal for this world, until I realized they weren't shifting into the same animal. One was a rabbit, while the other appeared to be a badger.

As we got closer, the children rushed up to us. "Hi, Holden," they echoed.

"Who is this?" the taller bunny shifter asked.

The younger darted in front of his older brother. "And why does he have so many clothes on his body?"

Holden squeezed my hand. "This is Nelson. He is from the outer-world, and he would like to talk to your father about what it's like to live here with us."

They both gave me a once-over before darting toward the cabin. "Daddy, Daddy! An outer-worlder is here to see you."

"Finally." The one I assumed to be Walter waved as we approached. "Ahmed came through at last." Walter was bald with a broad, heavy build, and when he stood to greet us, I realized he was expecting another child. With a pair of black, loose-fitting cotton shorts and a tank top, he wore less than me but more than anyone else I'd met in the Enchanted Forest. "I'm so glad to meet you. I'm Walter, and this is my new mate, Oscar."

I was stunned by the word new . I paused for a moment before sticking out my hand to shake Walter's. "I'm Nelson."

Oscar seemed to understand the custom, too, unlike anyone else I'd met since arriving. He was tall and lanky with a full head of jet-black, wavy hair, and matching facial hair kept neatly trimmed. I realized at that point, all the shifters I'd met either had scruffy beards, or, like Holden, no facial hair at all. I wondered if it related to what kind of shifter they were.

"I will leave you two to talk." Oscar gestured to the chair he'd been sitting in before stepping to the door. "Come with me, Holden, and we'll prepare some snacks and drinks."

I was already impressed with Oscar, though still wondered if he was a badger, and if he wasn't, what that meant for me, and Holden as my mate.

Walter chuckled as I sat down. "I know exactly what you're thinking, so I'll tell you right away. Winston is the father of my first child. He was the head of the forest council at the time, but we weren't a good match. And he isn't a good parent." He shimmied in his seat before rubbing his belly. "Sorry, this one is active right now."

I nodded, trying to remain calm, even though I was taking in so much information about this world, including how he got pregnant in the first place.

"When Banir became the head, he thought he would become my mate since Winston and I were no longer together, but I refused him. That's why he's so bitter." Walter winked at me. "Don't forget that. You always have a choice here, no matter what some of these beings try to tell you."

"Anyway, I was with Colton after that, a shy badger. I think I hooked up with him to piss off Banir even more. Colton was good to me, but he had a hard time adjusting to living here. I told him to return to his underground borough. Still visits every now and again, but only to see the kids.

"Oscar took me by surprise. He works at the community garden. I always saw him there, and he was so kind to me and my children. I fell in love with him."

The smile on Walter's face made my heart flutter. It was possible for an outer-worlder to live happily in the forest, but would I find the same happiness with Holden, or would he be the first of many? I didn't want to go through all those breakups again. Especially with children involved.

Holden brought out lemonade for us and the kids. He smiled at me, but it didn't reach his eyes, like he was worried. Or maybe he didn't want to be my mate after all.

"I just wanted to find my forever someone," I blurted out. "That's what I wished for to come here."

Walter tilted his head and gave me a tender smile. "You and Holden seem to have a connection. He's a nice enough guy, but I've never seen him so concerned about anyone before. I can see it in his body language. He wants you to be okay. If you two can adjust to all the changes, you'll be good together."

"How big of a change was it?" I held out my arms, gesturing to the land in front of me. "This seems very much from our world, but it's not like this in the village."

He ran one hand across his belly while he took a drink. "The builders are good at their jobs. You just have to tell them what you want. Those from this world have never been to ours, so they don't know what we're used to living in. And Ahmed can bring many things here if you ask."

"But is it worth it? Would you still stay if you had to do it all over again?" I needed to know while I still had the chance to return before this world changed me.

"Nelson, I had nothing to return to." He sighed. "Even though I was plucked from our world against my will, at least here, I felt wanted. It wasn't perfect at first, but it is now."

Oscar came out then with a tray of fruits and vegetables. He leaned down and kissed Walter before calling the kids in to get something to eat.

When Holden came out with another tray, it made me hope we could one day have the same thing. I wanted to stay and try.