Chapter Nine
“Hi, sweetheart.” Finn bent over the playpen and gave Annie what he hoped was the kind of smile a little girl pup wanted to see.
Chewing on the ear of a raggedy stuffed wolf, she eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds. Then she raised her arms.
With a relieved chuckle, Finn obeyed the silent, universal command of a toddler to be picked up. He swung Annie into his arms and sat her on his hip. “I’m going to take you to your daddy.”
“Oh, Will’s heat is over?” Mabel asked the question from across the room where she let the shuttle fly through the threads of her loom.
The wool they’d traded for a month earlier was being put to good use. The sigma’s weaving skills were amazing. Although Finn’s talent ran more to woodworking, he admired the more domestic crafts of the female sigmas. Soon the longhouse would be filled with colorful throw rugs, and the blankets would come in handy the next winter.
When Will would be heavy with their pup.
The reality of having impregnated another mate weighed heavily on him this morning. The previous night, after realizing that Will’s scent had changed, his mind had been focused on caring for the boy. Washing him, making him comfortable, had been easy priorities. Now, in the clear morning light, holding Annie and knowing that soon his other arm would hold a second offspring, kind of freaked him out.
Thoughts of Ashley and their pup threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn’t help but worry about losing his new family, too. It took effort to beat back those fears. He was a beta, damn it, born to reason his way through any situation. He couldn’t let raw feelings take control.
“It’s going to be fine,” Mabel observed. Startled, he gazed over at her. She’d halted her weaving and stared back at him with an astoundingly astute gaze. “I have a good feeling about you two. You are going to make an awesome family.” With a shrug, she sent her shuttle flying again.
Unsure of how to respond, he fell back on the mundane. “Thanks for watching Annie.”
“Any time.” She waved good-bye.
Finn carried Annie out into the warm sunshine of the morning and hustled back to the longhouse. He entered through the kitchen because Joey had already promised to fix a plate of breakfast for Will. Finn wanted his mate to sleep in as long as he needed, but also knew he’d require food first thing.
Joey beamed at him. “Here you go.” He handed Finn a pretty basket filled with all kinds of delicious smelling food wrapped in napkins, along with a refill on the water bottle.
Grabbing it on the fly, Finn strode down to his family’s room and entered quietly. If Will still slept, he didn’t want to wake him. The sight of the slender body, lying on its side and wrapped up tight with the blanket, made his heart do a slow roll. He stumbled from the feeling, confused and somewhat alarmed at the unexpected reaction.
And, of course, Annie wasn’t with the program about giving her father a break. The minute she saw Will’s back, she tried to fling herself out of Finn’s arms. Which in turn, forced him to focus on her and not himself.
“Da!”
Will rolled over and sat up, adorably rumpled, yet instantly awake. His face lit up. “Annie!” He held up his arms, so between his mate and their pup, Finn was a slave to their intent to reunite. He barely managed to get Annie into Will’s embrace before she tumbled to the floor.
The omega buried his face in his daughter’s neck. “Oh, sweetie, daddy missed you so much.” Annie kicked and bounced within the hold, giggling the way only a small child could.
The scene was so intense, so private, that Finn had to look away or risk letting tears fall. He busied himself by shutting the door and arranging the basket of food beside the pallet. He took out first the water bottle, then a couple of blueberry muffins, a bowl of cut fruit, and finally a plate stacked with scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns.
When he was done, he sat cross-legged and waited from his mate to come up for air. Will finally did, sitting Annie on his lap. He turned to look at the feast.
“Oh, my. Is that all for me?”
“Of course. Annie and I have already eaten.”
Annie immediately belayed that observation by reaching for the food. With a laugh, Will grabbed a muffin, pinched it in half and gave her one of the pieces.
He stuffed the other half into his mouth. “I’m starved, but that seems like a lot for one small omega.”
Finn scratched the back of his head. “Well, you are eating for two now.”
Will stopped mid-chew, before swallowing with an audible gulp. “That’s right. My heat has ended.” He pressed his free hand against his abdomen. “That was fast.” He blinked rapidly, as if holding tears back. “I shouldn’t be surprised. It happened even quicker the first time.”
That observation struck Finn as odd. With the revolving door of shifters Magnus had allowed during Will’s first heat, Finn had assumed that meant the impregnation must have taken days. He didn’t prod his mate on the matter, however. What difference did it make? This time, the boy had been treated right, even if Finn’s wolf had gotten a little overly enthusiastic. The only reason Finn didn’t feel guiltier about it was that Will had responded with such ardor. The boy had clearly derived pleasure from his breeding and had even encouraged Finn.
Sitting back on his hands, he let himself enjoy the sight of Will scarfing up just about everything Joey had prepared. The rest had gone to Annie. Their obvious happiness at being back together made Finn glad he’d thought to retrieve the pup that morning.
“Wow,” Will exclaimed after downing a fair amount of water. “That was wonderful.” He kissed the top of the pup’s head. “Wasn’t it, Annie?”
“Da,” she said in agreement before sticking the last bit of a slice of strawberry past her pretty pink lips.
Will sighed. “I guess I need a shower. Although,” he added with a shy smile. “You did a wonderful job of cleaning me up last night.”
Finn shrugged. “I figured you were feeling a little grubby and not up to an actual trip to the bathroom.”
“You were right.” The omega focused his attention back on his pup. “It was very kind of you.”
The awe on the boy’s voice, as if he still couldn’t believe he was entitled to that type of consideration, plucked at Finn’s heart. “I’ll always take care of you.”
They sat in somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes while Annie played with the last bit of her food. He supposed they needed time still, having known each other only for a little over a week. Matings often started out like that, between strangers whose families or packs had thrown them together for social advantages and treaty purposes. Mating for love was a newer and rarer concept. Even he and Ashley hadn’t known each other well for all that they’d been smitten at first sight of each other. He and Will would find their way eventually. They had time before the new pup came.
He sat up straighter. “Why don’t you hand Annie over to me and go catch a shower.” He frowned when Will hesitated. “You do feel up to it, don’t you?”
“Oh, sure. It’s just hard to let her go. It’s been the two of us for so long. I’ve even gotten used to bathing with her. Does that sound weird?” he asked with a worried look.
“It sounds like you weren’t given the kind of help a pack is supposed to provide for its members.” Sensing that his mate needed firmness still to change his life for the better, Finn got up and simply plucked Annie from her father’s hands.
The pup didn’t seem to mind in the least. She’d already started adapting to her new situation, the young being more malleable than adults no matter the species. She patted Finn’s cheeks with her sticky hands. Catching one, he pressed his lips to her palm. Once again, his heart did that slow roll. He was in deep with these two, no denying it.
“Go wash up,” he ordered with a jerk of his head. “Then we can spend the day together. Just the three of us. Would you like that?”
As he got carefully to his feet, Will nodded. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”
Trying not to be distracted by the fetching sight his nude mate made, Finn gave thought to what they could do. Hanging out in the room was out. They needed fresh air. “How about we go into town?”
In the process of grabbing clean clothes for himself, Will turned and gave him an alarmed glance. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not. Humans make me nervous, and Annie hasn’t been exposed to them except during our journey here.”
Finn knew the boy would have to get over that fear. Shifters lived in a human world. No matter that their species had evolved side-by-side, humans had reached a stage of intelligence and innovation faster than shifters. And while many packs still tried to live in hiding in the wild, most had chosen to adapt and live alongside the upright apes, albeit in a secretive way. Someday, they’d live in the open. It might not happen in Finn’s lifetime, but probably in Annie’s. He decided not to press the point at the moment, however. As a newly breeding omega, Will didn’t need extra stress.
“Let’s go for a walk in the woods, then.”
Will smiled brightly. “That sounds wonderful. I won’t be long.” Wrapping a towel around his waist, he hurried out of the room.
Finn watched him go, the sight of the pert ass covered in thin cotton making his dick get bad ideas. To distract himself, he walked over to the cubbies holding Annie’s clothes. “Let’s surprise daddy by getting you dressed in something appropriate for a day grubbing around in the dirt.”
“Da,” Annie agreed, with a kick of her legs.
****
“Look at the pretty flowers, Annie.” Holding both her hands, Will helped his pup toddle over to a cropping of something pink growing near the stream that ran through the pack lands.
Finn had been pleased with his mate’s approval over how he’d dressed the girl. She wore sneakers almost the same shade as the flowers, sturdy pull-up jeans and a white, long-sleeved T-shirt. The forest being cooler, Finn carried a light jacket for the pup, just in case Will decided she needed it.
Will let Annie lean forward to smell the flowers. “Can you say ‘flower’ Annie? Fl-ow-er,” he repeated slowly.
The pup giggled as she rubbed her nose against the petals. “Da!”
Will sighed and glanced at Finn. “I guess it’s too much to ask her to leap into a two-syllable word.”
Finn cocked his hip and shook his head. “I wouldn’t sweat it. Shifter pups are slow to language. She’s obviously a smart girl.”
“You think so?” The hope lacing his mate’s tone made Finn’s heart ache. The poor omega was so worried all the time. Not surprising given his past.
“Absolutely. Lorcan was right when he said she had the look of a beta.”
She did, too, her brightness showing through even at this young age. Although he didn’t say it, his real concern was her lack of physical development. Most shifter pups could at least toddle around on their own two feet at Annie’s age. In that regard, she lagged behind. He made a mental note to ask Andrea about it. His experience with pups was limited, but he remembered his son careening around the house. The memory made his heartbeat hitch, except this time, he opened himself up to the past instead of immediately shutting it down. If he allowed the horror of his old family’s ending to scare him into not remembering, then it would kill the joy that he’d known as well. That gave the bad parts too much power. He was strong enough now to handle it. Somehow taking on this new family gave him more emotional strength.
“We’ll know for sure, of course, once she has her first shift,” he added, bringing himself back to the present.
A look of misery clouded Will’s face, and grabbing Annie up, he held her tightly. Finn recognized the gesture as his mate’s go-to way of comforting himself. It reminded him disturbingly of a pup hugging a stuffed toy. Shit, Will was way too young to be a father, and Finn was making him one yet again.
He closed the gap between them. “What’s wrong?” When the boy shook his head in denial, Finn pulled rank. “Will!”
Tears swam in the omega’s eyes as he pressed a kiss to Annie’s temple. “Magnus never changed her.” His voice was so low, Finn had to call up his wolf ears to hear it.
Finn furrowed his brows. “What?” His mind couldn’t quite grasp what his mate said.
“When she was born, Magnus didn’t come near her. He never brought on her first shift.”
Finn still wasn’t comprehending. “Was he away for something? He must have returned soon enough to do it.”
Ideally, pups were changed within hours of their birth, if not minutes, by their alpha. But, of course, sometimes he wasn’t around for one reason or another and the event would be delayed by days. Sometimes weeks went by, yet nothing longer. Annie was almost a year old. At this point, it might be too late, and if she didn’t shift in infancy, she would never be able to when she hit puberty. He was pretty certain of that. His animosity toward Magnus increased a thousand-fold. What was wrong with that guy? Who neglected a member of his pack in such an extreme way?
He reached out to embrace both Will and Annie. Unaware of the tension, the pup gleefully grabbed a fistful of Finn’s shirt. The omega, however, trembled, although whether it was from fear or sadness, Finn didn’t know. Not that the cause mattered. He hated his mate being upset.
“It’s okay,” he crooned and ran a soothing palm down Will’s braid. “We’ll figure it out. Let’s go back and speak with Andrea. She’ll know what to do. Don’t worry,” he added with a quick peck to the top of Will’s head, even though Finn was all kinds of worried at the moment. He feared this was one problem he wouldn’t be able to fix for his mate.
They hustled back to the compound and made a beeline for Andrea’s room. They found the healer mixing up a batch of some potion or other. The moment they entered, she gave them a reassuring smile and bade them to sit and wait for her to finish. It didn’t take long, and after she put aside her concoction, she came over to where they sat in her sitting room area.
“So, you’re breeding again, Will.”
“Yes, ma’am.” When he went to stand, she waved him down.
“Let me look at you.” She scrutinized the boy enough to make him blush. “You look good. Any morning sickness?”
“No, ma’am.” Pink tinged his cheeks. “I didn’t have any with Annie, either.”
Finn had stood because he wasn’t comfortable sitting in the presence of an elder even if she said it was okay. “Is that a problem?” He remembered what had happened with Joey, and the thought of Will losing their pup made his stomach churn.
Andrea turned her kind eyes on him. “It’s fine. Many pregnant shifters have no morning sickness. It doesn’t mean anything’s wrong.”
Finn heaved a sigh of relief. It was as if the wise old woman could see into his mind. “That’s good to hear. Thanks.” He grimaced. “But, we do have a problem we need your guidance on. It’s about Annie.”
“She seems fine.”
“She is, except…” He told her the story and as the import of his words sank in, the healer’s expression changed.
“I see.” Andrea stood silently for a moment, her gaze fixed on the pup. “Please get the alpha,” she said to Finn, and the seriousness of her tone struck a new fear in him.
“On it.” Tossing a reassuring look to his mate, he rushed out of the room.
****
Will paced around the healer’s room, trying not to panic. Andrea was giving Annie another examination, and while he could hear and see for himself that his daughter was fine at that moment, he still couldn’t stop worrying about her future. This was something that he’d buried deep in the back of his mind. Compared to the daily challenges of caring for the two of them while still in their old pack, Annie’s future ability to shift hadn’t even rated. Now that their basic needs were being met, and the constant fear of hunger and safety had been lifted from him, this last problem took to the forefront.
He stopped and stared out the one window. The day was so beautiful, and he’d been enjoying his walk with Finn and Annie. His new pregnancy hadn’t seemed scary in the least. Why had he started in on Annie’s lack of vocabulary? His obsessive worrying had led them to this point. What if Annie’s inability to shift caused Lorcan to change his mind about her? The alpha might refuse to let her to stay in the pack, and now that Will carried Finn’s pup, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave with her. She’d be killed, and then he’d die along with her because he couldn’t survive that kind of loss. He pressed his palm against his still-flat abdomen. The new pup would also die before it had a chance to live.
His lungs froze with terror, and for a moment he thought he might collapse right there on Andrea’s floor. Then, just as suddenly, the fear washed away. He was being a silly, little omega. Finn would never let anything happen to Annie. The beta would protect her and Will. They were his family now, and that male had proven himself over and over to be trustworthy and protective. Annie’s inability to shift was troubling. Of course it was. Andrea had failed to hide her concern, as had Finn, although both had probably tried to for Will’s sake. No matter what, though, it was a problem the pack would handle as a whole. That’s what being in one meant. He understood that for the first time in his life.
Relief coursed through him when Finn returned with the alpha on his heels. The beta shot him another reassuring look before joining Lorcan over at Andrea’s exam table. Will shuffled toward them, not fearfully, but with restraint. He didn’t want to interfere with whatever the healer and the alpha wanted to say to each other. His feelings didn’t change, either, when Lorcan plucked Annie out of Andrea’s arms and held her up to gaze into her face. He trusted that Finn would protect her.
“So, Finn’s filled me in.” The big shifter shook his head. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Perhaps sensing the concern of the adult, Annie began to fuss. Before Will could reach them, the alpha handed the pup over to Finn, who promptly held her close and reassured her with some nonsense words. It worked like a charm, as it always did. Annie settled down immediately and sticking her thumb in her mouth, dropped her head on his shoulder.
Finn patted her on the back. “The question is, what do we do? Can Lorcan change her now?”
The healer gave them all a troubled look. “It’s possible.” She nodded. “I’m sure he could, actually. He’s a strong alpha and probably can break through her still-limited consciousness enough to call her wolf out and force the shift.”
“But?” The beta had obviously heard the qualification in her tone, the same as Will had.
“But, it would come with risks.” She heaved a sigh. “In infancy, pups’ bones and tendons are malleable. They can shift without danger that first time. Afterwards with each passing day, everything starts to firm up, and they don’t become flexible again until puberty hits. The change in hormones makes the skeletal frame and everything that connects it pliable enough to shift back and forth from humanoid to wolf without causing any harm.”
She stepped closer to Finn and touched one of Annie’s feet. “I’m afraid these toddler bones may already be too firm. If Lorcan forces her to shift, they could break. She might become crippled for life. Or, even die,” she ended with a hitch to her voice.
It took a second for the full import of her words to sink in. Once it did, Will rushed forward with a cry and threw his arms around his mate and daughter. “No!” The loudness of his denial startled Annie, and she began to cry.
Finn immediately patted both Will and Annie on the back. “Hush, now. It’s okay. It’s okay.”
The reassuring touch worked. Annie settled her head back down on Finn’s shoulder, and Will did the same on the other side. He felt like a pup himself at the moment and didn’t care. He’d been cheated out of a fair amount of his pup-hood. Most of the time, he had to act grown-up because he had no choice. With Finn, he could let go and hand the worry and decision-making over to the beta.
Except, he couldn’t do that entirely. Not about something as serious as Annie’s health and even her life.
“I don’t want anything to happen to her.” With his mouth pressed against Finn’s shirt, his words came out muffled.
Finn hugged him close with one arm. “It won’t. I promise.”
“That’s right,” the alpha chimed in. Will dared to turn his head to look at him. Lorcan gave him a reassuring smile. “Nothing has to be decided right now. And, it will be your mate’s decision, not mine. He’s Annie’s sire now.”
Finn’s fingers pressed into Will’s hip. “No, sir. It’s Will’s decision. He’s her father, after all. I won’t force him to risk her if he doesn’t want to.”
The idea that his mate would hand that kind of power off to him, astounded Will. He’d understood from the beginning that agreeing to mate with Finn meant putting himself and Annie under Finn’s authority. Shifters were hierarchical by nature. Sure, some sigma couples lived in an equal partnership, but as a beta, Finn was far above Will. The most he’d hoped was for the guy to hear him out about this. He wasn’t even sure he wanted the final say about something this important and complex.
With his gaze fixed on his now-sleeping daughter, he gave a small whimper. “I don’t know what to do. She’ll hate not being able to shift when she’s older, and yet the idea of risking her life…” He buried his face in the crook of Finn’s neck and wrapped his arm around Annie.
“It’s okay, baby. We’ll talk it over. You’re not in this alone. How long do we have to decide, Andrea?”
“I have no experience with this problem. Soon, though. The longer you wait, the riskier it becomes. Every day, her frame solidifies more.”
“We won’t wait long, then. Something this important has to be thought out.”
“Indeed. In the meantime, I’ll look in my book of healing arts. It may contain something that will be of help.”
“Great, thanks. And, you know what,” Finn added with a nudge of his chin against Will’s head. “A run might clear our heads. We’ll do that right after dinner.”
Will’s wolf pricked up its ears at the proclamation and uttered a little whine.
Naturally, Finn heard it. “You don’t like that idea, baby?”
Pulling away enough to look at his mate, Will winced. “It’s not a full moon.”
Finn frowned and shrugged. “We don’t need that to take a run.”
Licking his lips, Will focused his gaze on Annie. “I know, it’s just…” He hated shifting, the memories of what that meant to him in his old pack ensured that he did. Just one more thing that Magnus had robbed him of.
“Will, what’s wrong?”
He pressed his lips together. Even if they hadn’t been in the presence of the alpha and the healer, Will wouldn’t have explained his feelings. This last shameful part of his past needed to stay buried. He felt only a small amount of guilt in lying to his mate.
“Nothing.” Forcing a fake smile, he added, “A run sounds great.” The stress of the last few minutes, added to his pregnancy, took their toll, making him yawn loudly. “Sorry.”
Finn chuckled. “Nothing to be sorry about. Let’s go back to our room. You and Annie both need a nap. She’s already got a head start, so we’ll get you down for yours quick as a wink.”
“Will you join us?” he asked shyly, surprised by how much he wanted the answer to be yes.
Guiding him to the door, Finn gave him what he wanted. “I’d like nothing better.”