Epilogue

 

 

Jordan was a ball of nerves; he’d thrown up three times that morning, and he was pacing his room hoping to calm his nerves. In less than twenty minutes he was going to meet Duncan’s mother. His stomach felt queasy again, causing him to make a mad dash for the bathroom. Since the chaos that had happened at the hunters’ compound, there had been a flurry of activity. Duncan had called a special meeting of the Alpha council to discuss and come up with a plan on what they needed to do. There was also an addition to the pack of more nyxians who rebelled against Bergstrand and wanted to help fight against him. No matter how many times he’d told them to call him Jordan, they still referred to him as Prince. His mother was tickled pink.

Laxus quit his job and took over helping Aoi and Hayato with setting up a base for the nyxians. He started to see a different side of his father and how serious he could be. But also, how much his dad missed Aoi. Jordan heard chuckling and looked out the window, seeing Ryo, Sen, Maddison, and Benjamin outside playing. After days of calling them Thing One and Two, they’d finally told him their names. The twins really seemed to take everything in stride.

Their little world was expanding and nothing seemed to phase them. They’d even started calling Bronx Uncle, which made the man blush more than anything.  Bronx and his coven were also trying to get other covens to rally to their cause. The uneasy feeling of a war coming settled like a heavy fog in the air. No sect was safe or sure of what was coming. They had asked Ayumi about the portals, but she had told them unless they were able to hear where exactly the person who opened the portal was going, there was no way to track them. It angered Jordan that his grandfather was still out there waiting to strike. As well as the leader of the hunters. Everyone had to be on their guard.

The captured nyxians and hunters were now in a prison built to keep lykosians who’d committed heinous crimes against their own kind and humans.  Duncan and Bronx pleaded with their councils to keep the men there for the crimes they had committed against the sects.

They were also being interrogated and gaining any information they could. Some willingly gave up information, and some were proving to be more difficult. Bronx was also having a hard time with his mate. Jordan wasn’t sure what was going on because Duncan refused to tell him and so did his friend. He really wanted to help, but Bronx told him that it was something he had to work out for himself. Since what happened in the warehouse, Duncan and Bronx had become friends of sorts, something Jordan had not seen coming.

Feeling nauseous again, he ran to the bathroom, emptying his already empty stomach. He sat back on his shins before getting up and flushing the toilet. He brushed his teeth for the fourth time. He exited the bathroom just as Duncan walked into their bedroom.

“Hey, my mom will be here in a couple of minutes,” he said as he sniffed the air. “Are you okay, you smell weird,” he asked worriedly.

“Yeah, just nervous jitters meeting the mother-in-law,” Jordan responded, rubbing absently at his mating mark on his hip. It had been itchy, as if he had a rash for the past couple of days.

Duncan pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, instantly his nervousness went away and so did the need to run back to the bathroom and upchuck once again. “You know that you don’t need to be nervous, my mom already likes you. Considering that she already knows Ayumi, she’s very excited to meet you.” He nodded and inhaled Duncan’s calming scent, purring at the calm feelings that overtook him. His stomach growled with hunger for the first time that day. Causing both him and Duncan to snicker at the loudness.

“I guess I’m a bit hungry,” he said, pulling out of Duncan’s arms. He got a bit dizzy and stumbled a bit, Duncan caught him before his face met the wooden floor.

“Okay, that’s it,” Duncan said with finality as he picked him up in his arms and placed him on the bed. “This is more than just nervousness. You’ve hardly eaten in the last two weeks and you’re running to the bathroom whenever you come close to any kind of food. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you’re pregnant.”

Jordan cracked up with laughter. “You do realize I’m not equipped to carry a child, right?”

“I know that,” Duncan asked worriedly.

“It’s like I told you, I’m nervous meeting your mom. That’s it.” He got off the bed and praised the gods when there was no dizziness or nausea. His stomach growled. “See, I’m just hungry, so let’s go downstairs and be there when your mom gets here.” Duncan still didn’t look convinced that there wasn’t something wrong with Jordan. He walked over and took Duncan’s hand. “How about this, tomorrow I will have Hinato check me over?”

Hinato was the nyxian doctor who was one of the nyxians who rebelled against Bergstrand. He was on the research team and strongly opposed what the king was up to. He gained Jordan’s trust by saving Duncan’s life. And although he didn’t want to admit it, Duncan liked Hinato as well, considering the man was developing a vaccine that could help counteract the deadly effects of aconite using aconitum. It wouldn’t cure them, but if the vaccine was in their system and they came into contact with silver, they wouldn’t die right away. Hinato thought the only reason Duncan was able to last so long with the amount of silver in his body after being shot and stabbed, was because he had some of Jordan’s blood.

Duncan nodded. “I would have preferred it be Blayze, but…” He didn’t need to explain further, Jordan understood perfectly. Blayze had disappeared, or rather flew off into the sunset. It was a complete shock to everyone when during the fight with the hunters, Blayze turned into an honest to goodness fire-breathing dragon, shocking and mystifying everyone in the entire compound.

“I know, I miss him, too,” Jordan told his mate, Blayze had become more than a friend to him since he moved in with Duncan.

It was no longer a matter of him working for Duncan Pryde, he was now Duncan’s lover and partner in work and at home. Duncan had added him to his company and announced a couple of days earlier that he was married and had two children. That was also something new. There were a few broken-hearted women who were still waiting in the wings, hoping Duncan would one day ask them to marry him. Some were still hoping him being with a man was just a phase. They had adopted the twins, with their approval of course. They still called Uncle Duncan by his first name, but figured that would change over time. They still called Jordan Daddy or Dad. Jordan thought about asking them why they called him that, but left it alone. He didn’t want them to think he wasn’t okay with being referred to in that way. 

“I just hope Ryland finds him soon.”

“He will.” Duncan smiled. “Ryland’s known that Blayze was his mate from the moment they met.”

“Things have been so busy, and I’ve been meaning to ask you. How come you didn’t know he was a draconem?” Jordan asked.

“We have a powerful sense of smell, but other sects have a way to hide their scents. Take you for example, I recognized your scent, but I never thought it was because of what you are. Blayze hid his scent very well. But no matter what he is, he’s still a part of this pack.”

“I know that and you know that,” Jordan said. “The question is, does Blayze? Maybe he thinks we won’t want him because of what he is.”

“True, I just want him back. He’s not just the pack doctor, he’s also my…our friend.”  Jordan nodded. “Come on, let’s go downstairs, my mom’s car just pulled up.”

The queasy feeling returned, but Jordan masked it by walking behind Duncan as they headed down the stairs. The twins were jumping out of their skin waiting to greet their grandmother. Jordan’s mom, Ayumi, was walking between the twins as they dragged her to the door. They had grown attached to Ayumi and Laxus over the past couple of weeks. Jordan stopped at the bottom of the stairs and took in a large breath as he waited for Duncan to open the door, the most beautiful woman stepped through the door. She had long, flowing, deep red hair and the same bright blue eyes as Duncan. Jordan stood rooted in the same spot, afraid to move. He could only stand and watch as Duncan and the twins gushed over Galicia.

He cleared his throat, hoping that his voice wouldn’t squeak when he spoke to her. Galicia looked around Duncan’s tall shoulders to him and he was graced with the brightest smile he’d ever seen. It released some of the nervousness he was holding on to.

“And you must be Jordan,” she said coming over to him. “I must say, you look just like your mom. She was just as beautiful as you are.”

“I…ah…ma’am,” he stuttered before simply saying, “thank you.” He blushed as he extended his hand in greeting.

“Oh, none of that,” she said and pulled him into a hug before pulling back and looking at him strangely. She leaned in and sniffed him and Jordan wondered if she smelled vomit on his breath. She stopped sniffing him and turned around and looked at Duncan and his mom.

“Duncan, son, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” Duncan asked confused. Truthfully, so was Jordan.

“That your mate is pregnant, of course,” she said nonchalantly.

“I’m what?!” Jordan yelled. Just as Duncan said, “He’s what?”

“I knew there was something I forgot to mention,” Ayumi said, causing both Jordan and Duncan to look at her.

“Seriously?” Jordan exclaimed.

“What?” Ayumi said, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m an old woman, you can’t expect me to remember everything. Besides, it only happens between same-sex nyxians. I didn’t think it would happen to you.”

“You’re far from old, Mother. And you should have told me.” He couldn’t believe she was acting so nonchalant about the whole thing.

She walked over to Jordan and pulled him into a hug. “Congratulations, son.” She kissed him on his cheek and turned to look at Duncan. “You as well, Duncan. Wait until I tell your father.” She stepped away and wrapped an arm around Galicia as they started walking to the kitchen with the twins following behind their grandmothers. “It’s so good to see you, I must say you haven’t changed one bit since the last time we saw each other…”

Jordan was staring at his mate who had the same gobsmacked expression on his face. I’m pregnant! He chanted over and over in his head. He felt arms wrap around him, that pulled him out of his mental freakout.

“So do you think it’s a boy or a girl?” Duncan asked.

“You’re okay with this?” Jordan asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Duncan bent down and kissed him, taking his breath away. “From the day you walked through the door to my office, you’ve turned my world upside down. I’m ready for anything.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?” Jordan asked, wrapping his arms around Duncan’s neck.

“Oh, it’s good. Definitely good.” Jordan rested his forehead on Duncan’s chest as laughter bubbled out of him. “It’s just hitting you isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he said, raising his head. “I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a daddy. And to think we just officially adopted the twins.”

“Yup, you too, it seems,” Duncan said with a proud smile.

“Holy shit.” Then his eyes widened. “Oh gods, let’s hope it’s not twins!”

Duncan chuckled. “I’m sure we will figure out a way to deal with it as it comes. Even if it is twins.” He leaned down, kissing Jordan quickly. “Life with you will never be boring.”

“I hope not. I don’t want you trading me in for something better.”

“There’s no one better than you,” Duncan told him.

“Sweet talker, flattery gets you everywhere.”

“I try,” Duncan said, leaning down, giving him a quick kiss before they walked into the kitchen to spend time with their family. No matter what was coming, they were going to handle it together.

The End!