17. Jude

Chapter 17

Jude

I must've slept, but when I opened my eyes to the first trill of birdsong, it felt like I'd been staring, enthralled, at my mate the entire night. It was almost like I kept expecting to find it had all been some incredible dream, only to wake up to a nightmare reality where Morgan wasn't mine, wasn't pregnant with our child.

But he was here, and he was mine.

The sky had only just begun to lighten, and I settled in to wait for him to wake. I had no intention of moving a single muscle because humans needed more sleep than shifters, especially pregnant humans, and yesterday had been eventful. Outside the tent, I heard the rest of camp begin to stir, starting with Red, Tristan's rooster, crowing his usual wake-up call. Shortly after came the happy chatter of my packmates as they headed to the kitchen to get breakfast started, followed by squeals of laughter as the kids played in the snow. I heard Malachi's overloud voice saying, "I'm gonna go wake up Joo-Joo!" but he was quickly waylaid by Brody, who thankfully distracted him with the promise of maple syrup on his pancakes.

It was surprising how much Morgan could sleep through. My bladder was just about at its limit when he finally stirred in my arms. He rolled over and blinked up at me, before his smile widened, his whole face filling with joy. "You're still here," he said, reaching out of the sleeping bag to trace my jawline.

"I did warn you that you would be stuck with me," I joked. Any lingering fear I'd had that he might regret mating evaporated as he pulled me down by the back of my neck to give me a proper good morning.

My cock immediately perked up, ready for a different kind of good-morning kiss, but when I moved to deepen things, Morgan put a hand on my chest. He bit down adorably on his bottom lip, looking nervous. "We can't!" he hissed. "Someone will hear us."

"So?" I probably shouldn't tell him that everyone had likely heard us already last night. I'd lost track of how many times I'd been forced to listen to my packmates having sex. It was simply the way of things with randy shifters living in close quarters, but the way Morgan was shaking his head and wiggling out from under me, it was clear it was different for humans—or my human, anyway.

"Nuh-uh. No sex." He shivered as he crawled out from the sleeping bag and began searching for his clothes.

"Ever?" I asked, my voice bordering on whining, and I watched with disappointment as he began covering up all that delectable, freckled skin. In an attempt to remind him of what he was missing, I tossed off the sleeping bag, revealing my erection pointing straight up, thick and full against my belly.

He made a choking sound, his wide eyes devouring the sight hungrily. "Well, no, that sounds… impossible," he said, chuckling as he licked his lips. "Maybe just… after the kids go to sleep? Do pups have naptime?" His voice was breathy as he searched for a loophole in his sexual morals.

"Or maybe I could take you to see the pond and waterfall. It's a bit of a hike, but I could carry you if it's too far."

He laughed. "I'm human, not a snail. I'm sure I can manage."

"What if I want to carry you?" I asked, moving to my knees and reaching for him.

He swatted at me playfully, with no real intention of trying to stop me, but the tent was too small for him to get far, and he soon found himself in my arms. He sighed blissfully, tilting his head to the side when I nuzzled in to press a soft kiss on his mating mark, now scabbed over.

"Does it hurt?" I asked. I wasn't sure what I would do if he said yes; it was too late to take back, and I wouldn't, even if I could. He was mine now, forever.

"Just a little tender. What about yours?" he asked, tracing his fingertip over the outline of his teeth, already entirely healed into a pale scar.

"Ouch! Don't touch it, it burns horribly," I said, playing it up, and Morgan jerked back, gasping in concern. "I think you might've given me some human infection, like rabies or the plague or something."

He quickly caught on to my teasing and mock scowled, jabbing the mark once sharply. "Don't make fun of me! I'm still new to all this shifter stuff. For a second, I thought I'd actually hurt you." He stuck his lip out in a pout, and I kissed his protruding lip.

"I'm sorry, my beautiful most perfect mate. I didn't mean to make you worry. I will forever be your servant if you will please forgive me."

He sighed dramatically. "If I must," but he couldn't keep his smile from peeking through.

I had a feeling that our love was just going to be like that—bursting from us at every moment, overflowing into every corner of our lives—and I couldn't wait to get started. " Now, let's go introduce you to your new pack. I know they're dying to meet you."

Since Morgan was shyer about nudity than I was, I quickly threw on some clothes, and I suspected my packmates had likely done the same for his benefit, since they obviously knew he was here. The more we delayed, though, the more nervous Morgan seemed to become. "Would you rather we wait?" I asked. "We could do this tomorrow instead."

"And what, spend the whole day hiding in your tent?" I shrugged, smirking, and I was about to open my mouth and remark on all the things we could do with our time, but he held a hand up, stalling me. "No, I'm no coward. I can do this."

"My fearless mate," I praised, giving him a quick peck on the lips before reaching for the tent flap. I paused, though, staring at my mate. He looked different, but not just in the wearing-my-mark kind of way. After a moment, it twigged in my brain. "Where are your glasses?"

"What? I—I don't know." He reached for his face, as if surprised to find he wasn't already wearing them. "Huh…" He frowned, his gaze drifting off, a little spaced out.

"What? What's wrong?" There would never be a time when I didn't worry about his wellbeing .

"Oh, nothing, it's just… well, I can see. I guess I don't need my glasses anymore. You don't think it has anything to do with your blood or the mating bond, do you?"

My brain immediately went to Dr. Taylor's suggestion that my mate might have interesting physical benefits, which of course led to me worrying about all the experiments they would perform on him if they ever got their hands on him.

"Maybe…" I told him vaguely, quickly changing the subject. "Come on. As much as I don't want to share you, I also can't wait to show you off, and I can hear them all waiting." The air inside the tent had been downright toasty, but as I opened the flap and stepped out into the crisp, cold day, it made my skin feel tight, my breath coming out in a silvery cloud.

Sure enough, there was a small collection of pack members leaning against the wall of Shan's cabin, no doubt waiting to ambush us, though most of them had made themselves scarce, perhaps to avoid overwhelming Morgan with too much at once.

Tristan was already grinning, and he elbowed Shan in the ribs as he pushed off the wall. "Well, would you look at that," our Beta taunted as I emerged from the tent. "Is that a… a smile ?! Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" He came over and gave me a hug, then pulled back my shirt collar. "The mark looks good on you, brother." Tristan sniffed the air, picking up Morgan's aromatic scent. "And already pregnant? Damn, you work fast."

I shook my head, sighing. I was no stranger to his good-natured ribbing, but it was also true, there was a massive smile on my face. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this happy—maybe never.

But then the smile sagged as I remembered everything we still had left to do.

First things first. I reached back and took Morgan's hand, drawing him out from where he was half hiding behind me. "Morgan, this is my Alpha, Shan, and Tristan, my friend and pack Beta—that's like a second-in-command."

"N-nice to meet you," he stammered, looking up at them with wide-eyed uncertainty. Then, his insecurities getting the better of him, he blurted out, "Sorry I'm human!"

Shan smiled warmly and reached to shake his hand. "You are welcome here, Morgan. You're family now. Human or wolf, it makes no difference to us."

Tristan shook his hand next. "Heck, my mate's a panther, so you're not the only one who's felt like an outsider. You two might have more in common than you think. He's from Fairhome too. "

The cabin door opened behind them, and Brody stuck his head out. "Can I come meet him now? You guys said you wouldn't hog him."

Shan rolled his eyes at his mate. "It's been five minutes. I'd hardly call that hogging."

Brody came bounding out, carrying Wynn. "Morgan, I'm Brody. You have no idea how excited I am to meet you. I just knew that whoever fate picked for our Jude, they were going to be amazing." When Brody shook his hand, he gasped. "Your fingers are so cold! Shame on you guys for making him stand out here. Come with me, Morgan. We'll get you something warm to eat and drink, and you can meet the rest of the pack."

"Oh… okay. Th-Thank you." Morgan looked back over his shoulder at me as he was led off to the kitchen. He still looked a little nervous, his shoulders up around his ears, but now I was wondering if it was mostly from the cold instead. I was going to have to pay more attention to his human needs.

"I'll be right there, Mo. I just need to update these guys real quick." We shared a long look full of understanding. A lot happened yesterday.

I waited until they'd disappeared into the kitchen, the door closing out the happy chatter of a few more of my packmates. It was hard to drag my attention away from Morgan when all I really wanted right now was to be touching him, but important decisions needed to be made.

Shan seemed to sense that something monumental was about to happen, so he gestured with a tilt of his head toward the outdoor table. We didn't typically use this during the winter anymore, but it was sheltered from the wind under an overhanging tarp. We brushed snow off the cut-log stools and sat, leaning in.

"We had some trouble on the way out of town," I said, though I felt like " trouble " was oversimplifying things. "One of the doctors I told you guys about yesterday, he'd been following Morgan. I don't know if it was a coincidence that he found him or if he'd been tipped off about Morgan having witnessed a shifter, but either way, he wasn't going to let us go without a fight."

"And?" Tristan said, propping his forearms on the table. "Did you give him one?"

I smiled grimly. "I did."

"Did you kill him?" Shan asked. There was no judgment in his voice, he was just asking for the facts.

Shaking my head, I felt a growl building in the back of my throat. "No, but I sure came close. Before I could finish what I started, he said something… curious. "

Both Shan and Tristan waited, poised for whatever I was about to drop on them. I closed my eyes in a long blink. "He said my dad was alive."

I waited for them to say something, but when the silence seemed to drag on, I looked up to find Shan's eyebrows pinched, his mouth downturned, and his eyes focused on the woodgrain of the table in front of us. Tristan seemed likewise deep in thought. "What are you thinking?"

Shan huffed a breath. "I'm just debating on the chances that he was lying through his teeth."

"I know, but that's not even the biggest problem right now."

Tristan groaned, raking his fingers through his messy blond hair. "We're not going to like this, are we?"

"Not likely, no." I tried to set my own feelings aside—the panic, the fear, the remembered terror of my childhood—and gave them nothing but the facts. "These people, scientists or soldiers of whoever they are, they aren't the type to give up. Dr. Taylor followed Morgan out this way, so he knows the general area of our camp. With that kind of information, even without pinpointing an exact location, they're likely to burn the entire forest down if that's what it takes to flush us out."

"Well, shit," Tristan cursed, turning on his stool to stare out in the woods that made up our home. "I know it's been a few years, but I feel like we just got here. I was hoping we wouldn't have to move again. This is our home."

Shan remained still and quiet, thinking everything through. There was a reason we'd unanimously chosen him as our Alpha. He was smart and cautious but also brave enough to make the tough decisions in the best interest of our pack. He would always do what needed to be done.

We were interrupted by the kitchen door opening, and I knew without looking that it was Morgan. I could feel him there behind me, closing the distance between us. Brody and Dylan were with him, though they'd left the kids with the others.

I reached for Morgan instinctively, and my mate took my hand and let me draw him into my lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I missed you," he whispered, though of course everyone heard.

"I missed you too," I said, even though it had only been a couple minutes. I couldn't stand being without him for even that long. Giving in to him had officially knocked down all my walls. I cradled him into my arms, and he nestled in close so I could keep him warm. I even went so far as to tuck his hands under the hem of my shirt, allowing him to place his fingers directly against my heated skin. I saw the way my packmates exchanged surprised looks, likely because they'd never seen me so open about physical contact and affection, but they all seemed to agree it was a positive change, if their sly grins were anything to judge by.

"Why so glum?" Dylan asked warily, sitting next to Tristan and taking his hand, lacing their fingers together. "What'd we miss?"

Shan looked around the table and nodded, seeming to have come to some kind of decision. "I think we need to go on a little trip," he said.

Brody took quick measure of all our body language. "I think it's safe to assume you don't mean a family picnic." He'd fallen well into the role of Alpha Omega, and he took keeping us all safe just as seriously as Shan did.

Shan lifted his chin at me, indicating I should fill them in, so I gave them the quick version. "Mad scientists hellbent on snagging themselves some shifters to experiment on, and they know where we are." I took a deep breath, my nostrils flaring. "And it's all my fault."

"Fuck that," Tristan snapped, rounding on me. "You were a child, and they fucking abused you. That's nobody's fault but theirs. And I say they'll get what's coming to them." His blue eyes flashed dangerously, a muscle in his jaw ticking, a reminder that beneath his usual carefree exterior, he'd taken men's lives before. He was more dangerous than he seemed at first glance.

I took comfort in Morgan's touch, anchoring me in the present. I was no longer that scared, helpless child. I'd grown into a man who could take care of himself—could take care of his family. "What do you propose?" I asked Shan.

"That we should take the fight to them…" Before anyone could argue, he held a hand up, eyes shifting to his wolf's liquid gold. "Look, we have options, sure. Yes, we could run, hide, start over somewhere else, and if that's what everyone else wants, then I'll go along with it, but there are other packs in these woods. Innocent shifters and their communities that we would practically be handing over, including pups."

I knew how much that kind of decision would kill him, and honestly, I couldn't live with it either. And as I looked around the table at our small group, I knew I wasn't the only one thinking it.

Morgan lifted his head from where it was resting on my shoulder, his brown eyes glassy. "I know it's not really my place to say, being new and all, but someone needs to stop these monsters."

"It is your place," I said gently, my heart near bursting with love for this man. "You are my chosen mate, and your opinion matters just as much as anyone else's here. Our decisions will affect us all, and everyone must be heard."

Shan turned his attention to Morgan and forced a smile. "I meant it when I said you were family. Your opinion matters."

At Shan's side, Tristan added, "Yeah, especially since you've been right in the middle of this disaster since the beginning. You might be able to offer some unique insight into who these people are. I definitely want to hear what you have to say."

I was so grateful for my pack for making Morgan feel welcome. He sagged back into me, sniffling. "That's so… beautiful," he said, wiping tears from his cheeks. "Sorry, it's the hormones."

Brody reached over and rubbed Morgan's shoulder, buried under layers of his clothing and coat.

Tristan's leg was bouncing under the table, sending vibrations through the wood. "Okay, so let's assume for a second that everyone agrees to take action against these assholes. We have a few obvious roadblocks that will need to be addressed. One, where would we even find them?"

I'd known this was coming, and I'd been dreading it, but with Morgan's support, I finally felt ready to face my demons. "I can find them," I said, though it came out as little more than a choked whisper. Morgan squeezed my hand, and I cleared my throat and tried again. "I think I can retrace my steps. I mean, it's all a bit of a blur, and the landscape might've changed over the years, but between me and my wolf… we can find them."

"Okay, so that brings me to my next question. Who are we going to recruit? Because let's be honest, we don't have the manpower for this kind of thing. Not even close. These guys are equipped with military-grade weapons and training, and there's a chance they know we're coming. We're nothing but a handful of wolves—no offense."

Dylan had been quiet since they sat down, his amber eyes unfocused. Now, though, he perked up. "I think I can help with that." His declaration made everyone shift in their seats, wary of what he was about to propose.

"What is it? Why is everyone acting weird?" Morgan asked, picking up on the unease. There were a few things about Dylan I hadn't had the chance to tell him yet.

Dylan's smile looked pained. "Let's just say, my father's business doesn't exactly fall on the right side of the law. If we're worried about weapons, my dad can provide us with some firepower. He'll have trained shifters to spare as well." He huffed a little laugh devoid of humor, shaking his head. "And when all is said and done, his cleaning crew can cover it up and make it all go away. "

Shan propped his elbows on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed as he tried to control his breathing. I knew how hard it was for him to cross that line between right and wrong. In this case, though, I wasn't sure there was a line. These men were evil, and the world would be better off without them, plain and simple.

At last, Shan tipped his head up. "We're not mercenaries, but I have another suggestion for manpower, and it won't be popular." He looked to his mate, and they locked gazes for a long moment. I felt like I was intruding on an intimate moment, the way they shared a deeper understanding, their intense love and devotion bared for all to see.

"It's okay," Brody said, nodding. "It needs to be done." He had that haunted look in his eyes, the one he got whenever he thought about his old pack, and I realized with a sinking dread what Shan was about to suggest.

Our Alpha turned to the group. "Like I said, we're not the only wolves in these woods. There are other packs, stronger packs…"

My blood went cold, before swinging back to boiling hot. I gritted my teeth. "You want to recruit Silas."

"I do. "

Silence descended over the table—hell, the whole camp, and I wondered if the others were listening from the kitchen; we weren't exactly being quiet out here.

"After everything he did…" I began, rage surging through me. "He was Thorn's Beta!" I snapped, slamming a fist down on the table.

"And Silas helped us take Thorn down," Shan said, annoyingly calm.

"For his own selfish gain!" If Morgan weren't sitting on my lap, I would've been up and pacing, but as it was, I was hyperaware of his fragile human body, and I kept my hold on him gentle. I didn't want to scare him, either, though if anything, he seemed to be getting angry on my behalf, heat creeping up his neck and making his cheeks flush.

"Jude," Brody said sharply, and I immediately felt the ripple of power from my Alpha Omega through the pack bond, and Morgan gasped softly at the new sensation. I bowed my head in respect. Brody sighed, relaxing against the table. "I appreciate that you're holding a grudge on my behalf, but… Shan is absolutely right to consider this. They have the numbers, and they have the experience and… ruthlessness. As much as I hate to admit it, we need them. It could mean the difference between win or lose." Between life and death .

Brody had more reason to hate Silas than I did. Silas's Alpha, Thorn, had kept Brody as a prisoner, abused him, raped him, done everything in his power to break him—and if Brody hadn't escaped, Thorn would've killed him eventually. If he'd had his way, he would've killed us all. In my mind, Silas was just as bad, an accomplice to the abuse.

In the end, though, he'd betrayed his Alpha, manipulating a scenario that pitted Shan and Thorn against each other, one on one. Shan won his mate, Thorn paid with his life, and Silas got exactly what he wanted—leadership of the pack—but as much as I hated to admit it, he'd likely also saved countless lives in the process, on both sides.

If Brody of all people could accept Silas's help in this, then I had no choice but to agree. "Okay," I said, blowing out a sigh and forcing the tension to leach from my body.

"Thank you," Shan said. "Things are about to get rough. We need to be a team in this."

As much as I hated it, I knew he was right. "I trust you, Alpha. I'm with you."

To help break the tension, Tristan drummed out a little rhythm on the wood and said with exaggerated excitement, "Great! Looks like we're going to war. Again." He was smiling, but I didn't miss the way Dylan reached for him under the table. All jokes aside, he was as scared as the rest of us.

Shan stood from the table, looking grim but determined. "Don't go calling for war just yet. First things first. Let's go talk to the rest of the pack. I want to hear what Vesta has to say."

It was time to take a vote.