Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

F en grinned at Liam and Dean, who had rattled up the mountain in their old truck, bringing all manner of supplies and toys and more. They were good men, good pack members. And he was about to give them some amazing news.

Well, he hoped it was as amazing to them as it was to him. Rory had been having a terrible time this morning with his belly, and he’d asked Fen to talk to his brothers alone.

He chuckled. Rory was a little freaked out. Still. But he was singing to himself again now, his smiles coming more and more regularly, his worry less evident. And he was popping out fuzzy parts less and less, shifting mainly when Fen did and running, gently, with him.

His love for Rory grew every day, and it stunned him.

“Where’s Rory?” Liam was the most suspicious of all the brothers, but also the most adventurous. It made Fen wonder if those qualities came together. “Let’s see if I can guess. Is he too fuzzy to come see us? It’s not like we haven’t seen him fuzzy. We were there for the original fuzz.”

“He’s fine. He just wanted me to speak to you. He’s having a bit of a belly thing.”

“Oh, that sucks. There’s some mint tea somewhere in here. Possibly. If not mint tea, there’s at least some dried mint in here. Again, possibly. I don’t know. We brought a bunch of stuff.” Dean seemed less concerned. “We brought a pretty big haul though. You know, now we have to keep getting up here before the snows start, making it harder and harder. Once that happens, we come up once every two weeks with the snowcat.”

“Much appreciated.” He gave Dean what felt like an insipid smile. Supplying really wasn’t in his purview, but he supposed these men were his family now, so he sort of had to be interested, or pretend to be. Honestly, he wanted to work with wood, enjoy his mate, and periodically play cards with Timothy and a few of his other new friends in the pack. “Rory and I have some news.”

Liam blinked at him. “Are you getting married?”

“Pardon?”

“You know, like, hitched. Are you going to have a big wedding? Do wolves have big weddings? If you do, are they done fuzzy with fancy collars?” Liam looked at Dean, who shrugged.

“How the hell would I know? I mean, I’ve never seen a wolf wedding.”

Liam tilted his head. “Isn’t that a song?”

Fen was beginning to think that he was completely and totally lost, and maybe this was a terrible idea. Surely, Rory would have done a better job than this. These men spoke a different language than he was used to.

“We’re already mated. That’s enough.”

The moon had brought them together. Everyone knew that they lived in the same home. They were having a baby. How much more proof of their love would anyone need?

“Oh. That’s cool. We’re glad he’s happy.” Liam offered him a grin, and Dean nodded.

“What’s the news then?”

He couldn’t have hidden his happy smile for love or money. “We’re pregnant.”

Liam blinked. Dean’s mouth fell open. They stared at him as if he’d grown two heads.

“Who’s pregnant?”

“Rory and I are going to have a baby,” Fen said.

They still stared at him. Finally, Liam asked, “Who’s having the baby?”

“Rory is.” He tried not to grin. Fen supposed that if they had all thought they were solely human, then this would be a shock to them.

Just as it had been to Rory at first.

“But—”

Dean elbowed Liam in the ribs. “Congratulations, man. That’s awesome. Right, Liam?”

“Well, I mean…the baby part is cool.” Liam’s eyes were gigantic, completely panicked. “He’s going to be okay, though? I mean, all weirdness aside, this isn’t dangerous or anything, right? That’s my brother. I’m not going to let anybody hurt him, not even my niece and nephew.”

Fen’s heart melted. “It is perfectly normal. He’s been to the midwife, and the pregnancy is progressing beautifully. He has morning sickness. He can’t smell coffee without throwing up. He cries a lot. But the midwife says that’s normal. He’s really worried you guys are going to be angry at him.”

Liam frowned. “That’s stupid. Why would we be angry at him? He didn’t get pregnant alone. If we were gonna be angry, we would be angry at you.”

Dean chuckled. “That’s right, you knocked up our baby brother. That’s just rude. That requires us thinking about our baby brother having sex. Well, that’s nasty. So, you’re in big trouble, mister.”

“Yep, big trouble. You have to help us unload the truck.” Liam smiled, the expression wolfish. “And then we have to see Rory. We need to see him. He’s our brother, and I gotta know what you need for the baby.”

Dean’s eyes went wide. “So, are you going to be able to tell if it’s a boy or girl, or do you have to wait? When’s he going to have the baby? Where are you going to put the baby? There are so many questions.”

“Right. Like is he going to have a puppy?” For a moment, Liam seemed utterly horrified.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Seriously? We saw when John had the puppies—babies! Babies. When John had the babies. They were baby shaped, not puppy shaped.”

Oh, Goddess help him. He was going to kick Rory’s butt for making him do this. He supposed he ought to be grateful that it was only Dean and Liam today. From what Rory had told him, he had an indeterminate amount of brothers. Far too many for one family.

And Fen was going to have to meet them all.

“We’ll know before the birth if it’s a boy or girl,” he said, grabbing a box of foodstuff out of the truck. “And where else would we put the baby but with us? Rory—we—have a house, you know.”

Liam nodded. “Sure. We helped frame it out. He wanted a little cabin, but for some reason, Jameson and Keegan told him to go bigger.”

“The alphas are very smart, intuitive.” He liked them both very much. They weren’t friends per se, but they were kind to him, welcoming him and allowing him to make his own way in the pack.

He was much more an artisan than he was an enforcer or guardian, so they ran in separate circles. But Jameson and Keegan were very kind, giving, and Rory seemed to have a very close relationship with their families, which helped cement his place in the pack.

It was so helpful to have such a smart and connected mate, even if it worried him sometimes how easy it had been for him to integrate into this new family, this new world.

“They’re something else,” Liam admitted with a wide grin. “Good men. We like them.”

They got to work unloading in earnest, and soon everyone in the pack was bringing things back and forth.

They sent bespoke furniture and hand-dyed woven fabric down to be traded, while the Calhouns had brought food, gifts for Yule, necessities, as well as a lovely tool chest for him along with a whole new set of tools.

“What is this for?” he asked, and Liam shrugged.

“Rory wanted you to have it, so here it is.”

“I will put it in the wood shop. We can all share it.” Fen’s cheeks burned. Rory embarrassed him by all this spoiling, but honored him as well.

“Now can we see our brother?”

He rolled his eyes. “I suppose so.” Mate, your brothers want to see you. They’re not angry.

I didn’t think they were angry, I just thought they’d be wigged.

Well, they’re a little, what do you call it, wigged. A little.

Okay, bring them to the house. I’ve got some cider warming on the stove. I’ll ladle up everyone a glass, and then they can leave.

Whatever you say, mate. He smiled at his new family. “He says come on. He’s got cider waiting at the house.”

“Well, go him, look at him deciding that we’re not the enemy.” Fen thought Dean sounded a little hurt.

“You’re not the enemy, he’s just very hormonal.” And if the brothers upset him. Fen might bite them both on the butt.

“Be nice, D,” Liam said. “Rory is still trying to figure all this out too. Right, Fen?”

“Very much so. It’s all new to everyone.” Fen chuckled. “Even me. I didn’t expect to find a pack, let alone a mate and one who thought he was human at that. So now we all have much to learn.”

Dean paused, staring at him a moment, then nodded. “That’s fair enough.”

“Lead the way, man. I wanna see my brother.” Liam didn’t actually wait for him to lead the way, which was fine because Liam knew where he was going.

“It’s going to be nice in the summer when everything is growing on your porch. It’s one of my favorite parts of Rory’s house. Your house. Y’all’s house.” Dean was obviously trying to make conversation. “The pack planted sunflowers all around the outside, that was really neat.”

“Rory said that he liked to watch things grow. And the children. He likes to watch the children. I like to watch the children too.” Goddess, this was excruciating.

“Are you excited about becoming a dad?” Liam asked.

Fen nodded, swallowing hard. “I never dared to dream that I was going to have a child of my own. I’m very pleased. I—I cannot wait.”

“That’s cool, man.” Dean clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry; you’ll get to know us.”

“I know. I will.” He chuckled, but then they were inside, and Rory came to see what was going on, only looking a tiny bit green around the gills. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey.” Dean grabbed Rory to hug him. “Congratulations, bro.”

“Thank you.” Rory smiled, but he looked tired.

“They just wanted to see you, love. Then we’ll head up to the top of the mountain.” He wanted Rory to rest. His poor mate was pale and a little sweaty.

“Of course. I’m not upset.” Rory’s eyes widened, and he bolted for the bathroom.

“Oh, man. Should we wait outside?” Liam looked a little green now too. Apparently, he didn’t do well with hearing Rory be sick.

“We’ll go out.” Dean winked at him, not at all worried, it seemed. Dean was a solid citizen, he thought. Liam a little more…flighty, if a Calhoun could be called flighty.

He supposed they all had their personalities just like any pack did.

He missed his pack so much just then that it almost doubled him over.

Fen went to look in on Rory, knowing stress made his morning sickness so much worse. “Love? Are you doing okay?”

“Mmmmph.” Rory just knelt in front of the toilet, his body shaking.

“Shhh.” Fen squatted behind him, stroking his back. “It’s okay. Do you want me to tell your brothers to go without me?”

“No.” Rory leaned back, then hugged on Fen. “No. No, I want you to go with them. If that other pack is up there, they might need you. As a wolf, I mean.”

“Of course, love. Let’s get you to bed.”

“Oh, I just need to?—”

“Bed. Crackers. That lemon-lime soda they brought. Now, please.” He lifted Rory into his arms as he rose.

Rory laughed, the sound breathless. “You should at least let me rinse.”

“Okay.” He set his mate down, allowing him to freshen up. Then Fen lifted him again.

Rory hooted. “I love how strong you are.”

“I wish I was truly an alpha sometimes.” But he wasn’t. Oh, he was, as far as knots and growly protectiveness were concerned. But not when it came to leading a pack. Maybe if he were, his family would still be alive.

“You’re sad all of a sudden.” Rory touched his cheek as he lowered his mate to the bed.

“No, I’m fine. Do I need to send someone to sit with you?”

“Of course not.” Rory smacked his chest now. “I’m queasy, not really ill. Go on. If you need help, though, put me on blast.”

“I will. I promise.” He took a kiss, since Rory had cleaned up and he could. Then he stroked Rory’s hair back from his face. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Go on.”

So he headed out to the four-wheelers with Rory’s brothers.

“Is he all right?” Liam asked. “I mean, seriously, that was…whoa.”

“He’s fine. I swear. He just got up too early. He needed to just chill.” Had they never seen a pregnant person? Ever? Fen decided just to change the subject. “So what are we hoping to find up here in the compound? I thought that dragons were gone.”

“They are. I just, I want to check out the house. I want to see what’s there. I’m… I just need to go up there.” Liam rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. I guess maybe I just want to see for myself.”

“Fair enough.” Fen understood curiosity. He also understood exploring all the edges of one’s territory.

“Do you know if you were up there when you got shot?” Dean asked. “We have a rifle with us, but I would prefer a no-shooting day.”

“I think we all prefer those days,” Liam said, dry as dust.

“Shut up, brother.” Dean rolled his eyes.

Fen’s shoulders tightened, the wound throbbing like Dean’s question opened it again. “I… I don’t know exactly where I was because I’d just been running. Traveling.”

Dean tilted his head. “So…obviously you’re not from anywhere near here.”

Liam’s eyes went wide. “Like, are you on the run? Are you a fugitive? If you are, I mean, we’re cool with it, I’m cool with it, but you need to tell Rory if you are a fugitive. If you are, what are you going to do about it?”

Dean looked at Liam with the long-suffering gaze of someone who had dealt with these questions for many years. “Liam, shut up. Let the man speak.”

“Thank you.” He guessed he should thank them.

“You’re welcome. Now. Are you on the run?”

“No. Well, not exactly.” He sighed. Love, can you listen in? Rory needed to hear this.

I’m right here. Resting. Nothing else to do but hear you.

His heart swelled at Rory seeing him and hearing him. “My family and our extended family were banished. The pack was taking a very anti-human stance. Killing their meat animals. Attacking them if they came on our territory. It made us a target for the human hunters. So my family, and many of our cousins and friends, protested.”

Oh love. I’m so sorry. Rory’s sorrow bled through, mingling with his own.

“So… So you made your own pack? I mean, is that what happened?” Liam had turned to look at him from the front seat.

“I suppose?” He jostled and bounced on the back seat of the truck. “That’s what we wanted to happen. My sister and her mate and my parents came with me, while most of the others headed far north. Because, you know, white Arctic wolves, right?”

Dean nodded once. “Well, that makes sense.”

“I was trying to make it so. They wanted me to be the pack alpha and…” He shook his head.

The fact was, he wasn’t an alpha. Not like that. He wasn’t interested in leading people. He wasn’t interested in leading anything. He wanted a family and a home and a workshop. He didn’t want a pack of his own, and he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be ashamed of that or not.

Was he supposed to just want to constantly climb the ladder, to fight to be in control? Because he didn’t, he liked his rung.

“You don’t have to tell us,” Liam said, but Rory was listening, and he did have to tell his mate.

“My sister’s mate. His family came. I was out hunting, trying to find food because it was the dead of winter. They killed them all. All of them. And I wasn’t even there to protect them. I?—”

He didn’t even have an answer to that, more to say. He was what he was supposed to have been there. He had to find food. He had lost everyone.

Oh, my sweet love. You haven’t lost everyone. I’m here and your child is here and we love you. Please, sweet. This wasn’t your fault. This was their fault. They killed your family. They were the murderers, not you.

“Jesus, that sucks, man.” Dean’s voice was serious as a heart attack. “You don’t have to be ashamed. You were out trying to provide while someone was a murderous asshole—I can’t even imagine. That stinks. Are they still around?”

The words eased him, Dean’s, of course, but Rory’s easy acceptance was a balm. “I don’t know. I—I went a little crazy, I think. I walked out and ran, not out of fear, just out of…”

Liam nodded. “Pain. Pain, that’s enough to make you crazy. I hear you.”

I should have been there. My sister was the sweetest wolf you’d ever meet. Gentle and kind.

What was her name?

Samantha.

Well. I wish I could have met Samantha. I’m sorry that I never got to. You have a home now, and we intend to keep you.

He had to smile. I love you too, mate.

Liam waved his hand toward the windshield. “So this here, this part of the trail, this belongs to Niall and Loyal. They’re the pack leaders of this territory.”

That sounded familiar. “Niall. That’s the name of the shaman?”

“Yes. I guess.” Dean shrugged. “I don’t really get out of the house much.”

“Luddite.” Liam rolled his eyes. “Yes, so. Niall is the shaman. He’s pretty new. Neat guy, really cool. So is Loyal. Actually, Loyal’s Keegan and Jameson’s brother. The pack wasn’t big enough for three alphas, so Loyal is up here, packing away. If you ever need anything though, you can stop here and they’ll know you’re pack. There’s lots of babies.”

“Oh, one day I’ll have to have Rory introduce me.” It was important to meet the pack shaman. Shamans could be difficult. Not in personality. Just—seeing what they saw meant it was hard to be part of the pack. They had to hold themselves apart.

“You want to meet them?” Liam asked. “I mean, you haven’t yet, right?”

“I haven’t. I am happy to if we have time, or I can have Rory introduce me.”

“Sure. Why not?” Liam swerved down the trail, revving his ATV engine a little. He had a feeling the conversation had made Liam wickedly uncomfortable.

He’s not good at emotional stuff, love.

Fen chuckled. Neither am I.

But he wants to do right by everyone. Let him take you to Niall’s. That way he can see if they need anything.

Fair enough, my love. Are you doing all right?

Sleepy. Rory’s mental voice was slowing . My stomach feels better. I love you.

I adore you. Rest. I’ll go meet this Niall and tell them about our good news.

Thank you, love. I will do that. He watched curiously as they went along the trail to Niall and Loyal’s…home? Outpost?

It was actually quite lovely. Rustic, yes, but well maintained and obviously a series of homes. The plants were dying back, but the houses were decorated with swags of dried herbs, flowers, and ribbons. It was breathtaking.

As soon as they pulled up, a couple of males came out, waving at them, their expressions welcoming and warm.

“That’s Loyal and Niall. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

As soon as they stepped from the truck, shots rang out from the trees.