Cale zipped up his suitcase and took a step back, mentally cataloging everything he had just packed. While the second storm hadn’t been nearly as bad as the first, he was certainly glad they hadn’t spent it in the cabin; there was no way they would've been able to get out of there in a reasonable amount of time.

As it was, two weeks trapped in the lodge in close proximity was bad enough. It had taken another week until the roads to his territory were clear enough to travel and Cale couldn't wait to get going.

His door opened, and his brother entered without knocking. “When do you leave?” asked Conner.

“Now, more or less.”

Conner frowned. “There's a full moon tomorrow night, are you coming back?”

“No, I'm not sure when I'll be back this time.”

Conner's frown deepened. “You’ve got no one to spend the moon with there.”

Cale shrugged. “Well, with all that time stuck with everyone in the lodge, I guess I just need some time alone.”

“Are you okay?” asked Conner.

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“You've been acting kind of weird recently. I don't think it’s just a little cabin fever. And now you seem almost like you're running away, and right before the full moon too. What's going on with you?”

“I said nothing,” snapped Cale.

“Geez, I'm just asking.” Conner watched his brother in silence as the younger wolf rearranged a couple of things in one of his bags. “You sure that you're not running away from your true mate?”

Cale whirled and stared at his brother in shock. “W-what the hell do you mean by that?”

“Ah, so I hit a nerve.”

Cale glared at his brother for a long while before snarling, “What makes you think I have a true mate?”

Conner leaned against the door frame, a little too casually for Cale’s tastes.

“Well,” he drawled, “I noticed you acting really weird around Jaden in the lodge. In fact, he seemed a little funny too. I thought that maybe it was just from being snowed in together… maybe something happened.” Conner quirked an eyebrow and looked smug. “I did smell what was going on in there, you know.”

Cale blushed. He should've known that Conner would smell the aftermath of sex once he was inside the cabin. As a wolf it would have been as clear as day. “That doesn't prove anything,” he said stubbornly.

Conner chuckled. “No, it doesn't on its own. I can hardly blame you for having a good time when you're snowed in. But, unless there was an argument, or Jaden is particularly prude, I doubt a night or two of fun would lead to the awkwardness that I saw between the two of you. So, I started thinking… and I thought it was kind of weird that you insisted on going after him yourself. I remember thinking it was odd at the time.”

“I thought it was best that you stay at the lodge with your pack. It made sense that I went to go get him,” said Cale.

Conner shook his head. “I’d believe that if not for the fact you got downright aggressive when I offered to go after him myself. When you add that with the sex, and the awkwardness, and the fact that now you're running away…”

“I’m not running away,” said Cale, halfheartedly.

“Sure, that's why you're going to your new territory for the full moon, making it the first one you've ever purposefully missed here, and you have no plans on when you're coming back. I know how much you don't want a true mate; it doesn't add up in your favor.”

“It still doesn’t prove anything.”

The older alpha nodded in agreement, but the smirk tugging at his lips told Cale it wasn’t over. Conner waited a moment to let him stew before dropping the final bomb. “Oh, and I was quite curious when Mom let slip that you were the one originally supposed to go talk with Jaden. Funny, that you went in my place and then lied to me to get me to go talk to him.”

“I was delegating,” Cale argued. “Like a good pack leader is taught to do. You should know that.”

Conner snorted. “Then you should know damn well that what you did isn’t delegating. You lied to me about Mom asking me to do it. And I know you didn’t hand it over to me out of laziness or something. The only scenario I can think of is that you caught a whiff of him, realized he was the true mate you don’t want, and you panicked and asked me to deal with it.”

“What do you want me to say?” Cale groaned, knowing he was beaten.

“Well, you could explain just why you're leaving your true mate behind now that you’ve finally met him.”

Cale heaved a sigh, seeing no reason to continue denying it. “You answered that yourself; I don't want a true mate.”

The other wolf shook his head sadly. “I always thought you’d get over your strange desire to not have a true mate once you met him. And what about Jaden? How does he feel that his true mate is running out on him?”

“As it happens, he doesn't want a true mate either,” said Cale smugly.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Conner threw up his hands. “I mean, he did say something about not wanting a true mate when we were talking but, I didn't think he was as serious as you are.” He arched an eyebrow at Cale. “So, the two of you seriously had that supposedly amazing true mate sex. And now you're avoiding each other and he's okay with you leaving?”

“Neither of us wants a true mate right now,” said Cale firmly. “We agreed to do our own thing and in like, five years or so, we’ll revisit the idea.” He finished pointlessly rearranging the items in his last bag and zipped it up. After a moment he realized that Conner was still staring at him, not looking very pleased. “What?”

“I'm just worried about my brother is all,” said Conner. “I want to make sure you're happy.”

Cale sighed. “I'm happy, Conner. I promise. I know you think it's crazy I don't want a true mate, but this is right for me.”

“If you say so,” said Conner.

Cale picked up his suitcases and headed for the door. He paused as he reached his brother and they regarded each other for a moment. Conner held out an arm and Cale leaned into the embrace. After a good hug goodbye, and a brotherly nod of understanding, Cale headed out the door.

* * *

Jaden hadn’t been in bed long before he awoke with an urgent need to go to the bathroom. He spent the night in Niles and Tanner's house often enough that he knew the way to the bathroom in the dark, without much stumbling. He relieved himself and started back to bed before his stomach growled. Jaden frowned. He hadn’t been able to eat much at dinner before starting to feel sick. He decided to tiptoe down to the kitchen and find some leftovers.

To his surprise, he wasn't alone. Tanner was sitting at the kitchen table, holding Maddie, while she sucked eagerly at a bottle. He looked up in surprise, “Do you need something, Jaden?”

“I was just hungry,” said Jaden. He made his way to the fridge and started looking through it. “You don't mind if I have anything, do you?”

“Not at all.” Tanner eyed him suspiciously. “You didn't seem to have much of an appetite tonight.”

“My stomach was bothering me,” said Jaden.

“And now you were so hungry you woke up?”

“I had to use the bathroom, so I figured that since I was up anyway…”

Tanner's eyes narrowed. “I noticed you go to the bathroom several times today,” he said.

Jaden arched an eyebrow at him curiously. “Yeah? That weird?”

Tanner put Maddie over his shoulder and gently started patting her back. “Not necessarily,” he said. “But, a small appetite while waking up hungry, and going to the bathroom a lot, especially in the middle of the night… That sounds kind of familiar.”

Jaden sat at the table, regarding his brother-in-law curiously. “Familiar?”

Tanner cleared his throat and shifted his weight awkwardly. “Well, I’m not sure how to say this… Maybe it's not my place. But… is there any chance you could be pregnant?”

Jaden started to laugh at the question. “Of course not,” he chuckled. But, his laughter died as it occurred to him that the frequent urination and his strange new appetite had started recently. He thought back to the multiple times he had thrown up over the past couple of weeks and chalked it up to nerves about trying to integrate himself into the pack. He felt his heartbeat quicken.

Tanner didn't miss the reaction. “Are you sure?” Jaden averted his gaze. Maddie let out a soft little burp and snuggled against her daddy. Tanner stood, rocking her gently. “I should get back up to bed,” he said softly. “If you go to the upstairs guest bathroom, there are a bunch of pregnancy tests under the sink, from before Maddie was born. I'm not entirely sure how many there are, so I wouldn't notice if one goes missing…” Tanner shot him a sympathetic look. “I'll see you in the morning, night Jaden.”

“Goodnight,” Jaden muttered.

He sat at the table for some time, considering Tanner’s offer. If he was pregnant, wasn’t it better to find out sooner rather than later? At last, he made up his mind. He stood and went slowly upstairs and slipped into the guest bathroom. Sure enough, there were several pregnancy tests under the sink, hidden behind a mass of diapers and wipes.

Is this my future? he wondered, looking at the pile of baby supplies.

Jaden wasn’t sure if he’d need to pee badly enough to use the test, but once he started thinking about it he quickly developed the urge to go. After he finished up, he set the test down on a paper towel, horizontally like it said to, then started to count to sixty. It was, he thought as he counted, the longest freaking minute of his life.

When he was nearly at sixty, Jaden thought that maybe he was in the clear after all. Until, very slowly, a faint pink line began to appear next to the first one. Jaden stared at the line. His mouth went dry.

He was pregnant.

After staring in horror for quite some time, he grabbed it to pitch into the trash. He was about to drop it when it occurred to him that someone would find it up there.

Clutching the pregnancy testing his fist, Jaden hurried down the stairs, intending to toss it out in the kitchen trash, maybe even bury it, so that nobody saw it. He stumbled into the kitchen completely unprepared to see his half-brother sitting there with his daughter. Apparently, the bottle from Tanner hadn’t satisfied Maddie.

Niles looked up in surprise. “Jaden? You look kind of pale, are you okay?”

“Oh, I um…” Jaden stammered. “I was just…”

Niles’ eyes found the object in Jaden's hand and everything went silent. Jaden knew that even in the dim kitchen the alpha’s keen eyes could see exactly what he was holding. Jaden thrust the offending object behind his back too late to block it from Niles’ view.

“Is that what I think it is?” Niles asked softly.

“Does it matter?”

For a moment, Niles didn't seem sure how to answer. Then, he said softly, “It matters if you feel the need to confide in me or need someone to talk to. But, if you don't think it's any of my business, then no, I guess it doesn't matter.”

Jaden sank into the chair across from his brother. “It's positive.”

Niles nodded slowly. “You don't look very excited.”

“I am kind of single…”

“Do you know who the father is?” Niles tried to phrase the question somewhat politely.

Jaden shrugged. “It doesn’t make a difference.”

“Speaking as a father, I’d beg to differ. Is he in this pack?”

“Unfortunately,” moaned Jaden. “Maybe it's a sign that I should leave after all.”

“Without telling the father you're pregnant?”

Jaden winced. “I don't know. We agreed that we don't want to be together, so…”

“I didn't realize you had been with anyone here,” said Niles.

“It's complicated.”

“I don’t doubt it. But, I don't think leaving is the answer either.”

“I'm not sure I want to be here anyway,” said Jaden. “And now with this guy and the baby… I just don't know what to do.”

Niles regarded him for a moment. “I know we haven’t known each other long. And maybe you don’t want brotherly advice on how to live your life. But, if you do leave, then you're going to end up giving your child the exact same life that you had. On the run, with a single dad, and no support… I would've thought you'd want to avoid that.”

Jaden's stomach sank. Niles was right, that was exactly the life he’d be giving his child. He couldn’t do that.

“If you stay here,” Niles continued, “you'll have support and a place to live. You’ve got me, and Tanner, and Dad.”

“But, then what?”

“Well, you were saying at dinner to Tanner that you're thinking about getting a job.”

“I can't do that now. Besides, what if the father does change his mind? I'm not sure if I want a relationship. I don't want to play a little house omega to an alpha mate. That's part of why I didn't want to be in a pack in the first place; I want to live my own life.”

“Who it is?”

“It doesn't matter who it is because we’re not pursuing a relationship. We already discussed it.”

“He might feel differently knowing that he has a child,” Niles said.

“I know. But, it's a lot more complicated than that.”

“That's all the more reason to get a job now,” Tanner said, from the doorway.

Niles and Jaden looked at him in surprise. Tanner joined them at the table. “Sorry, I was coming down to check on things and I couldn't help but overhear.”

“You think I should still get a job?” asked Jaden.

“Absolutely,” said Tanner. “Look, I understand not wanting to be stuck in the house all day as an omega; I would never have been happy like that. If you get a job now, then you'll have a good few months to work up your experience and get to know your coworkers. Then, after the baby is born you have all the support from us, your family, and then when you're ready to go back to work a job will be waiting for you. And if you're single you'll still have family to help you out and you have a job, so you’ll be able to financially support yourself and the baby. And if you do have a mate, he won't be able to stop you from going back to work.”

“He'll be an alpha, of course he could stop me from working.”

Tanner snorted. “You have seen some pretty shady packs, haven’t you? If your alpha tries to tell you not to go back to work, you go tell Diana. She will make sure you keep working, if that's what you want to do. And then, since you have a job, you'll be able to get out of the house and you won’t be tied down. Either way, getting a job right now is the best thing to do. It'll also help you stay busy and keep from potentially freaking out.”

“I guess that's not a bad idea.”

Tanner yawned. “Well, I'm pretty tired, and Maddie is asleep.” He shot a smile to the infant dozing in his mate’s arms. “Why don't we all get a good night’s sleep, and in the morning you and I can go to Diana and Drake, and we’ll talk about what kind of job you want.”

“Do I have to tell them I'm pregnant?”

“Of course not,” said Tanner. “Besides, you want to go to the doctor first to get it confirmed and find out how far along you are.”

“I know exactly how far along I am,” said Jaden unhappily. “It's the only time I've had sex in a couple of years.”

Niles jerked in surprise, and his eyes widened. Tanner noticed his mate’s reaction and looked at him curiously. “What is it?” Tanner asked.

“Nothing,” Niles said nervously.

Jaden looked at him suspiciously, heart sinking. “You know, don't you?”

“You had his scent all over you... when we picked you up.”

“Who?” asked Tanner.

Well, considering his brother already knew… Jaden swallowed hard. “Cale,” he admitted.

“The father is Cale?! Diana’s son Cale?!” cried Tanner.

Jaden nodded miserably.

“When you were snowed in?” Tanner guessed. Jaden nodded again. “I can't imagine Cale not wanting to step up and take care of the child,” Tanner said. “His sense of duty is too strong for that.”

“It's a lot more complicated than that,” said Jaden.

“Because he's Diana's son?”

Jaden heaved a sigh. “Because… we’re true mates.”

Niles and Tanner's jaws dropped “Cale is your true mate?!” Niles gasped.

Jaden nodded again.

Niles narrowed his eyes. “But, you said you discussed not being together?” If he had been in his wolf form, Niles’ hackles would have stood on end. As it was, a growl started low in his throat. “If that asshole spurned you because he doesn't want a true mate…” Niles let the threat hang in the air, his growl echoing behind it.

“Neither of us wants a true mate,” Jaden said. “I'm sure I’ve told you that.”

“I knew you didn't want one,” Niles said. “I guess I just figured you’d change your mind if it actually happened.”

Tanner held up his hands. “Okay, so, you and Cale agreed that you don't want to be together, even though you’re true mates. But, now there's a baby involved…”

“I know,” Jaden said. “And I have no idea what I'm going to do about it. I don't want to get stuck being his house omega, job or no job. And he doesn't want a true mate, much less a baby, to be distracting him while he's setting up his new territory!”

“I think you'll find he’ll feel different once he realizes you're pregnant,” said Tanner.

“Should I tell him?”

“I think only you can answer that,” said Tanner.

“In the meantime, you're going to want to get settled down with that job. Then, if you still don't want a true mate for yourself, you have a good reason to stay in Maple Ridge, while Cale is busy with his territory,” suggested Niles.

“Yeah,” Jaden said thoughtfully. “I guess the job is probably the best way to go.” He stood. “I should get some sleep, we'll talk more in the morning. And you'll take me to see Diana?”

Tanner nodded.

Jaden was almost back to the guest bedroom when he realized he was still clutching the damn pregnancy test in his hand. Since it was no longer a secret, he chucked it into the trash can in the bathroom, before returning to bed. He tossed and turned for a while, mulling over the conversation, before finally falling into a restless sleep.