Pregnant with His Werewolf's Baby (8 page)

Chapter Eight

There was something wrong with his mate. Saul could feel it,
in his bones, in his fangs, in every single inch of him and especially in his
desperate heart. He tried to reach for Gavin, but the darkness kept him trapped.
A silver collar seemed to be encasing his throat, keeping him from breathing
right. His whole body appeared to be in a silver cage, unbreakable, impossible
to bypass.

And then, the words drifted into his mind.
Please, Saul,
help me.

The fact that his mate had managed to reach out to him even
if they hadn't completed their bond spoke volumes of the urgency of Gavin's
situation. It was unusual even for full mate bonds, let alone unfinished ones.
Saul howled in distress, leaping forward, tossing his head back and forth. The
silver collar bit into his neck, threatening to cut off his breathing. The more
he thrashed, the harder the silver was on him, the poison of the substance
seeping into Saul's body through the raw wounds caused by Saul himself.

His mate's voice returned, haunting, yet so beautiful, full
of so much craving it nearly hurt.
Please, Saul. Come back to me.

Just like that, the silver cage broke, and Saul opened his
eyes. He took a deep breath and found himself staring at the ceiling of what
seemed to be one of the mansion's sick rooms.

"Saul?" a familiar voice asked by his side.
"Shit, can you hear me?"

Saul blinked a couple of times and when he could focus, he
saw his brother had been sitting by his side. A memory shot through Saul's
mind, that of his treacherous brother separating him from his mate. Snarling,
Saul extended his claws, his anger taking care of the lingering traces of
silver poisoning in his blood.

Finn leapt back, avoiding Saul's attack. He rushed to the
door and called out, "He's awake."

Saul left the bed and stalked his brother, already planning
how to remove Finn from his path. He could still feel how much Gavin needed
him, and any delay was unacceptable.

Finn lifted his hands, as if trying to say he was harmless.
"Stop this, brother. Get back in bed. You're still weak."

"I'm strong enough to take care of you."

Finn grimaced and replied, "I know I disappointed you,
Saul. I'm really sorry. I didn't want to go through with it in the first place.
But you always leave the pack and don't really care about pack politics, so you
don't know the kind of pressure we're under from other packs."

Saul listened more closely now, wondering if he could use any
of the information his brother provided. He waited, struggling to leash his
instincts even if, at this point, he didn't care about what happened to his
pack.

 
"I don't get any of this,
Finn," he admitted. Frowning, he tried to remember what had happened that
had led him to be here. "It seems so convoluted and my memory's still
fuzzy."

"You do remember Lisbet shot you, right?" his
brother inquired.

Saul nodded. Slowly, it was all coming back to him. "The
elders were angry. They wanted me to... Sleep with your mate." He
grimaced. "This is crazy. So Lisbet can't fall pregnant. Big deal. There are
plenty of females in the pack who give birth to whole litters of pups."

"There hasn't been a born Alpha since you," Finn
said. "As you know, our strength is unique, and it is needed as a pillar
of the pack."

"Just the same, it's bound to happen. This whole thing
is insane," Saul said. "I'm not an idiot, Finn. Why did Lisbet have
to be the one to give birth to the next born Alphas?"

"It was Elder Terrence," Finn whispered softly.
"He was blackmailing Father. Father agreed to step down as soon as one of
the two of us has a litter of pups, preferably containing a born Alpha.
Terrence's condition was that this litter had to be with Lisbet. She never
liked you, so she picked me to be her mate. It didn't work as she'd have liked,
because my wolf rejects her."

"Shit. This is what happens when elders fuck up."

Finn nodded. "We feared what would occur if other packs
found out about all of this. They'd run us into the ground and take our
territory. But you don't have to worry about that anymore. Lisbet has been banished,
and so has her grandfather. The other elders have retreated into their wolf
forms. At this point, we were just waiting for reactions from other packs. And
mostly, we were waiting for you to wake up."

Growing increasingly agitated, Saul asked,
 
"How long was I out?"

"Two weeks," Finn answered. "We were very
worried, Saul. At first, we didn't think the injury was so serious, but then
you wouldn't open your eyes. There's been talk of hunting down Lisbet and
enacting vengeance the old fashioned way if... If you didn't recover."

Saul froze. Two weeks. He'd been away from Gavin for fourteen
long days. He could only imagine what Gavin was thinking of him now.

His mind completely focused on the incomplete mate bond, Saul
pushed past his brother. Finn grabbed his arm and said, "Saul, come on.
You've just awoken. You can't..."

"I'm perfectly fine." And ironically, he was. His
concern for Gavin had cancelled whatever effects the silver still had on it.
"Let go of me. My mate is waiting."

Finn went completely rigid. "What? That can't be...
When... did you..."

Saul kind of regretted mentioning it, but it couldn't be
helped now. "It's a new thing. Finn, you have to help me out. My mate
needs me. I can feel it. Our bond isn't complete, but it's there, and it's
driving me crazy."

It didn't take long for Saul's brother to connect the dots.
"It's the human, right? The one who called that day. I could tell you were
furious that I insulted him."

"Don't remind me," Saul replied, not even bothering
to deny it. "I'm still tempted to skin you alive because of it and right
now, I'm not in the best mood to begin with."

"Saul... You can't be serious about this. You can't mate
a human male. It's simply not done."

"Oh, dear. And yet, somehow, I did it. I wonder who has
it right in this situation—me with a human mate whom I love, or you, with a
fake female werewolf mate who ended up a rogue."

Finn snarled at him, and Saul snarled back. He bared his
extended canines at Finn, his claws at the ready should Finn decide to attack.
He saw the moment something changed inside Finn. A realization seemed to dawn
in his eyes, and Finn's eyes lit up with that emotion that had once made them
close—before Alpha sibling rivalry kicked in. Finally, Finn seemed to make a
decision and he smiled. "You're lucky, Saul. On my part, go with the
blessings of the moon. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. If I'd known, I never
would have agreed to this."

"You never should have agreed to this at all, but
whatever. I don't care anymore."

Finn didn't argue against that. He just stepped aside and
even opened the door to the room.
 
Saul
took off running, already heading toward the exit to the mansion. His brother
caught up with him and said, "You're going to need clothes and your car if
you want to go see your human."

Saul hated to admit it, but Finn was right. He couldn't
exactly run into the city as a wolf—he'd end up in some pound before he could
even reach Gavin. Changing directions, he headed toward his room.

Finn joined him, which kind of irritated Saul, since he didn't
need a keeper. Once he reached his room, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a
random shirt, thrust his feet into some sneakers and pulled on a jacket. His
keys were nowhere to be seen, but Finn tossed him his. "Here. You can take
my car."

Saul acknowledged his brother's peace offering with a nod. He
hoped he'd be able to leave the mansion without further delays. Still, he
wasn't surprised when, upon exiting his room, he ran straight into his father.

The Alpha smiled at him, fixing Saul with his piercing gray
eyes. "Welcome back, son."

In spite of his need to be with Gavin, Saul had to
acknowledge his father's words. "Thank you for caring for me," he
replied.

"I should have never let them hurt you." The
Alpha's jaw clenched. "It was all my fault. My past came back to bite me
in the ass."

Now that his father mentioned it, Saul thought he could
remember bits and pieces of the conversation between his father and the elders.
"He was blackmailing you with information about your true mate, the
human."

His father sighed heavily. "I suppose both you and your
brother deserve to know the full story. Yes, I did fall for a human, and a man
at that."

Saul could have been told the moon was made out of cheese—it
would have shocked him less. "You mated a human male?" he asked his
father.

"I wanted to, but I never did." His eyes gained a
distant look, like he wasn't speaking solely for Saul's benefit anymore.
"I was young when I found him, and I was afraid. Both of us were. It was a
hard age for homosexual humans too, and my mate had to risk his life to come to
our dates. So in the end, we went our separate ways. I claimed your mother, the
one werewolf female who accepted I would never love her, but loved me anyway.
She was amazing, though, your mother, and I did care about her. Whatever
happens, boys, I want you to know that."

"We do," Finn replied, sounding as shocked at Saul
felt.

For Saul's part, he couldn't help but marvel at this twist.
He was more like his father than he'd ever thought. He'd agreed to come here
precisely to protect his mate. It must have been similar for his father.
"Did you... Did you never try to find him? After Mother died?"

"I did try, but he disappeared without a trace."
Dean sighed again. "In my heart, I know he's still alive, but by now, he
must be over seventy, anyway. I can only hope he had a happy life."

"I have a human mate, too," Saul admitted.
"I... He's calling to me. He's terrified. I can't stay with the pack,
Father. I need to go."

All the blood drained out of his father's face. "Moon be
blessed... I can't believe I came so close into forcing you to repeat my
mistakes. Don't worry about the pack, Saul. Go to your mate."

Saul didn't wait to be told twice. He ran past his father,
ignoring the calls of the pack members who greeted him with enthusiasm.
Outside, he slid into Finn's jeep and started the car. As he drove away, he
caught a glimpse of Finn and his father waving at him. "Good luck!"
Finn shouted. "Keep us posted."

As Saul headed toward the city, a strange feeling of finality
gripped him. A bond seemed to be cut. He blinked, and realized that he no
longer belonged to his father's pack.

He still felt his natural closeness to his brother and his
father, which he hoped would help mend their relationship one day. But now, he
had only one priority. He could focus on Gavin and Gavin alone.
Wait for me,
baby. I'm coming.

****

Gavin curled on the couch, nibbling on a piece of ham,
chewing carefully as William had instructed him too. In front of him, Jesse
paced. "You can't keep it, Gavin. It'll kill you."

"Don't call my baby an "it"," Gavin
answered, putting down the food. "He's a boy."

"It's... He's not even human. Aren't you afraid?"

"Of course I'm afraid," Gavin shot back. "But
this is my baby, my son. I have to be strong for him. I've wanted a child all
my life, Jess. This is a gift."

Jesse plopped down next to Gavin on the couch. "I'm
sorry, Gav. I'm being awful about this. I have no idea what the fuck is going
on," he admitted. "When the hell did we fall into the X-Files and
when did my dad become Dr. Scully?"

"It really bothers you, doesn't it, that your dad kept
something like that from you?" Gavin asked quietly.

"Yeah," Jessie replied. "And I dunno. I guess
I'm just pissed he won't say more. I know him well and I get the feeling he's
hiding something even bigger."

"Bigger than a male pregnancy of mysterious
origins?" Gavin snorted. "Like that's ever gonna happen."

They snickered together and Gavin leaned against his friend's
shoulder, finding comfort in the touch. For a few seconds, silence fell between
them. "It's all right," Jesse finally said. "We'll get by.
You'll take some time off from work. The pregnancy is advancing rapidly, so it
won't have to be nine months like for human women. Dad already said he can get
you a certificate. And he's an amazing doctor. He'll help you through it."

Just like that, Gavin's composure cracked. "I wish... I
wish Saul were here." Tears filled his eyes as he spoke. "Oh, God, I
swore I'd never cry for a guy again, and especially not for Saul, but I guess
guys get hormonal too when they're pregnant. I'm trying to get a grip, but I
can't... This is so huge, and I just want to share it with him. I miss him, and
the baby misses him, and I'm such a mess, Jessie."

Jessie held Gavin, petting his hair, whispering words of
comfort in his ear. It seemed like they were doing that a lot lately, and Gavin
might have been embarrassed about it if he wasn't too busy being overwhelmed by
other emotions. And instead of getting better, the whirlpool of emotion just
kept getting stronger, making it hard for him to even breathe. His heart seemed
too big for his chest, and his baby responded with anxiousness and...
excitement?

Gavin barely had the chance to register that last emotion
before the reason for it was revealed. The door burst open—quite an impressive
feat given that Gavin had locked it upon returning from the clinic—and Saul
stalked inside. "Get the fuck away from him. Now!" he growled.

Gavin just stared at his lover, torn between astonishment,
anger and pure happiness. "Saul?"

"It's all right, baby," Saul said, fixing Jessie
with a furious glare. "I won't let him hurt you."

He moved so fast that Gavin didn't even see him cross the
room. One moment, he stood by the door, and the next, he was grabbing Jessie's
arm and pulling him away from Gavin. Gavin recognized the expression on Saul's
face as similar to the one he'd displayed when he'd attacked that bigot. And
yes, his eyes were definitely glowing. It hadn't been Gavin's imagination after
all.