Chapter Twenty
Their return to the Weir would have been a little bumpy except for the fact that the three of them were still on a high after their mating. It was harvest time in the Orchard so both Joe and Kai volunteered to help. It had the dual benefit of keeping them busy but also giving them a chance to get to know the other shifters around their age.
Once they realized Kai wasn’t really that strange of a stranger, they were full of curiosity about him. The fact Kai liked to spend a lot of time in shifter form only fueled that and spotting Kai’s fox became the favorite game of the pack’s younger kids.
They ate meals in the pack house with Axel’s family, who were slowly coming around to the idea that they were Axel’s mates and they weren’t going anywhere. Even Shane was getting better at tolerating them, though they were careful to keep out of his way.
Axel had regained the ability to shift but they were keeping it quiet from the pack. Joe suspected Shane guessed the truth, he’d seen the alpha giving Axel searching looks. They had deciding making it known wasn’t in the best interests of the pack just yet. It wouldn’t do the pack any good since Axel wasn’t alpha, and they didn’t want to raise everyone’s hopes.
It was about three weeks later that Joe began to suspect Kai was pregnant. The omega usually munched through a few slices of toast at breakfast but now he was barely managing one and disappearing mid-meal. Axel’s mom had noticed too and even took Joe aside to ask what he thought. That was a conversation he’d rather not have had.
Before he could get Kai alone for a moment to talk about it, the omega came to him about it while Joe was getting changed after a morning spent working in the Orchard. Axel had left early to drive to the Cove for a meeting with Seth and some of the other pack alphas.
“Would it be a bad thing if…” Kai started to say before trailing off. He was sitting on the side of their bed, not making any move to get dressed alongside Joe.
“If what?” Joe asked.
“If… if we… if I…”
Joe sat down next to him, taking Kai’s hand in his.
“Is this about the morning sickness?”
“How did you know?”
“I’m a midwife, Kai. It’s kind of my job.”
“I didn’t want to say anything yet, because I wasn’t sure.”
“Would you like to be sure?”
Kai nodded slowly.
“Lie back,” he said, urging Kai back onto the bed. He went to the wardrobe where he kept his midwifery bag and pulled out his Pinard.
“What’s that?” Kai asked.
“It’s like a stethoscope. It helps listen for a heartbeat. I could probably hear without it, but this will make it easier. You’re not very far along if you are pregnant.”
Kai watched him with fascination as Joe placed the Pinard on his stomach and leaned over to listen. He closed his eyes and tried to count but gave up seconds later.
“Am I?” Kai was almost shaking with excitement.
“Oh, yeah. At least three. Probably more.”
“More than three?”
“Uh-huh. When Axel’s home, we’ll arrange to visit River Den and do an ultrasound. Find out exactly how many little ones you’ve got growing in there.”
“Will Axel be happy?”
Joe raised his eyebrows. “Happy? He’ll be ecstatic. And when the rest of the pack find out… they’ll be overjoyed. This is great news, Kai. The best. For everyone.”
Kai struggled to sit up, reaching for him.
“But… what about you? How do you feel about our babies?”
It was strange the difference one simple word made.
“You’ve said it all, Kai. Ours. I couldn’t be happier. I’ve delivered tons of kids, but none of them were mine. You, Axel, and I are starting our own family. We’ll breathe new life into this pack and build a home.”
Kai grinned, leaning closer to hug him.
“How will we tell Axel?”
“You know, I have an idea about that.”
It took the two of them only a few minutes to get what they needed. The end result looked a little childish, but Joe could live with that. The rest of the morning and afternoon passed slowly as they waited for Axel’s return. As soon as they heard the car, they rushed to their places and waited.
They heard Axel call as he came in the door. Joe motioned for Kai to be quiet and the omega nodded, stifling a giggle.
The alpha’s footsteps thumped on the floor, growing louder as he neared. “Guys? Where are you?”
“In here,” Joe called, reaching for Kai’s hand across the table.
“So you are. What are you up to?” Axel ventured, sticking his head in the door.
“Playing Scrabble,” Kai said, the picture of innocence. It had become one of the omega’s favorite games when they were staying up on the hills.
“Oh? Who’s winning?” Axel asked, stepping into the room, and staring down at the board. It took a moment for him to react and another few seconds before he got it. “What’s up with… Wait… are you… are we?”
He trailed off, looking from Joe to Kai.
“You’re going to be a daddy,” Kai burst out. “Surprise!”
Axel sank to crouch between their two chairs, a hand on each of their shoulders.
“Seriously?” His eyes were wide with shock and he was smiling in that half-dazed way people did when they weren’t too sure if they were dreaming.
“Seriously,” Joe answered. “There’s at least three in there.”
Axel hugged Joe, then Kai, pressing a hand across Kai’s stomach. “How long have you known?”
“For sure? Um, since this morning.”
“Your mom suspects, but we haven’t told anyone yet, of course,” Joe added.
“My mom? How does she know?”
“I think Kai only eating one slice of toast this morning gave him away.”
Axel choked back a laugh. “I can only imagine. Hey, are you feeling alright now?” He cupped Kai's cheek and the omega sighed with happiness.
“It’s just morning sickness. Joe said it’s very normal and should pass soon. Though I do have a craving for peanut butter.”
It was Joe’s turn to laugh. “How about I go get you a snack?”
He stepped out to the kitchen, hearing Axel and Kai talking and laughing in the next room. He was happy, so very happy, and not just for Kai but for himself, for Axel, and for the Weir. Kai was fulfilling a lot of hopes. Hopes that had been terribly dashed between Dex’s death and Axel’s choosing to mate with him instead of Jessa. But there was this tiny niggle inside him, a voice, that wondered where his place truly was in this mating. If he wasn’t there, would anything really change? Axel would still be having kids, would have his wolf back. Kai could give him all those things. What was Joe giving him, really?
He pushed those thoughts aside as he made his way back to the others. Kai and Axel were thick as thieves, whispering to each other. They grinned when they saw him, welcoming him back to their circle with no hesitation. Joe was where he belonged, he just needed to trust that.
Axel’s mom’s reaction to the news of Kai’s pregnancy was just as jubilant as they’d expected. Within minutes he’d found himself fawned over, coddled, offered every food known to man and shifter. It was a little overwhelming and he was glad to escape with the others outside.
“Sorry, Kai,” Axel said. “I suspect it’ll be like that the whole of the pregnancy. Thankfully, it’ll be a short one.”
“How short?” he wondered.
“About four months,” said Joe. “It depends on how many in the litter and the growth rate.”
Joe had given him a baby book to read which answered some questions but left him with lots of others.
“You should write your own,” he suggested. “About shifter pregnancies and litters.”
“That’s a great idea,” Axel chimed in.
Joe smiled in reply but seemed a little distant. It worried Kai and he vowed to keep a closer eye on his mate.
A few more weeks passed with Joe taking back on midwifery duties elsewhere while Axel was involved in some council the wolves were putting together to foster greater cooperation between the packs. Shane wasn’t too happy about it, and Kai knew he’d refused to attend himself or send anyone else from the pack there. He’d also refused to take on board any of the suggestions. It was worrying Axel, Kai could tell, finding the alpha staring into the distance with a frown on his face more than once.
And then there was Joe who was attentive in so many ways and yet… distant. It didn’t help that a complicated pregnancy in the den had him over and back on a regular basis. He also worried Joe was feeling left out because of all the positive attention Kai was getting what with being pregnant. Even Shane managed a few kind words toward him. But as nice as they were being to Kai and as many times as they’d congratulated Axel, they acted like Joe wasn’t there. Even worse were people like Axel’s mom who treated him like Kai’s midwife and not his and Axel’s mate.
Kai tried to talk to Axel about it, but the alpha, distracted with pack issues, brushed it off. He tried to broach it with Joe, but the beta changed the subject. He’d even tried talking about it with Axel’s mom, but she pretended she didn’t know what he was talking about. So, he quietly fretted about it, unable to do anything to help or change things.
It all came to ahead about a month later and in the worst possible way. He’d been outside, enjoying the sunshine, and decided to head into the pack house kitchen for a snack. It seemed like he was hungry all the time now. And his belly was growing bigger by the day.
When he got to the door, he heard loud voices. He almost left again only he heard Axel’s voice and curiosity got the better of him. Stepping closer, he moved into the open doorway, unable to see Axel or who he was talking to.
“I don’t understand why he’s still here.”
It was Axel’s mom, which surprised him. They rarely fought. Not like Axel and Shane who seemed to always be at loggerheads over something.
“He’s our mate, Mom. Of course, he’s here.” Axel’s reply was testy.
“But is he really? I know you cared about him when you and he were younger. I know all about teenage hormones and first loves. But what has Joe given you? Nothing. Kai, though, he’s given you back your wolf. When you become alpha, the whole pack will benefit. And now he’s having your children. Through him, our alpha line will continue. Kai is your true mate, Axel. Joe’s midwifery expertise is helpful, of course. But he doesn’t belong here. Let him go home now and call him back for the birth.”
Kai saw red, stepping forward through the door, ready to set her straight, only to see, to his horror, that Joe was standing in the hallway opposite, frozen, his face ashen. He caught sight of Kai and that seemed to break the spell.
“Joe!” Kai called even as the beta turned and ran.
“Joe?” Axel was staring over at Kai in confusion before he heard the front door of the house slam closed and realized what had happened. “Joe!”
Kai ran through the kitchen hearing Axel’s footsteps behind him even as the alpha shouted something angry back at his mother.
When Kai got outside, Joe was nowhere to be seen.
“I didn’t see which way he went,” he said to Axel when the alpha appeared next to him.
“I’ll check our house,” Axel replied. “Why don’t you check the orchard?”
Axel ran toward their house while Kai headed toward the orchard. But then an idea occurred to him and he turned, heading the opposite direction, to where Joe’s car was. If he was Joe, he might want to be very far away from the Weir at that moment.
He found Joe in the driver’s seat, the engine on, about to pull away.
“Joe! Wait!”
The beta put on the brake and rolled down the window.
“I need some space, Kai. Go back home, please.”
“We need to talk about this.”
Joe shook his head, not looking at him. “I don’t want to talk about it. I want to go.”
“Please, Joe.” He was close to crying but held back his tears. It was Joe’s distress he needed to focus on, not his own.
He heard footsteps running toward them and turned, relieved to see Axel but surprised to see the alpha carrying a bag over his shoulder.
Axel came up to where Kai was standing at the driver’s side window. He put his hands on Kai’s shoulders, urging him to move. Kai did, bemused as Axel opened up the back door and ushered Kai into the backseat. Then he calmly walked around the car, putting the bag in the backseat next to Kai before climbing into the front passenger seat next to Joe.
“Where are we going?” he asked simply. Joe’s hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly. He didn’t look at Axel.
“Axel… I need some space.”
“I know you do, and you’ll get that wherever we’re going. So, what’ll it be? The Cove, River Den, Hilltop?”
Kai shuddered at the idea of Hilltop. They wouldn’t want one of them, let alone three unannounced arrivals.
“You need to be here,” Joe said. “Kai should be…”
“I need my mates. Kai needs us. I promise you can have all the space you need once we get to our destination. But the one thing I know at this moment is that we are not staying here.”
Still, Joe made no move to drive. Kai, feeling himself shaking as the adrenaline wore off, spoke up.
“Joe, please.”
That did it. Joe turned the brake off and put the car into drive.
“Where are we going?” Kai asked as they left the Weir behind.
“River Den.”
Joe didn’t say anymore, but once the pack was a few miles behind them, he pulled over into a lay-by and put the car into park. For a minute, no one did or said anything then Axel got out, crossed around to the driver’s side, and opened the door. He reached for Joe, but the beta shook off his touch. Axel took a step back and gave him some space. Another minute passed before Joe climbed out. Axel opened his arms and Joe threw himself into his embrace, sobbing loudly.
Kai couldn’t wait any longer, scrambling from the car to join them. He’d never seen Joe cry like that, and it scared him. Axel pulled Kai into the hug and he wrapped himself tightly around Joe, wanting the beta to know he was there.
“I love you,” he whispered. “So much. Without you, none of this would be.”
“You’re what holds us together,” Axel added. “You are everything.”
Gradually, Joe calmed, his sobs petering away. He pulled back and dried his eyes, managing a watery smile.
They got back in the car, Axel in the driver’s seat this time while Joe sat in the back with Kai, holding the omega’s hand tightly.
“We can go back now,” Joe said.
“Like hell we can,” Axel replied. “I told my mother that was the last straw. I’m not raising my family in a pack that can’t accept us for who we are.”
“Then where to?” Kai wondered.
“River Den, just like Joe said. Sure, it’s a little crowded, but that means nothing when people take you as they find you.”
Joe gave another sob, of relief this time, and Kai realized he felt the same. The constant tension on the Weir had been draining them. He was more than happy to wave it goodbye.