Fated, page 10
I cleared my throat. “Dr. Pine, we’ve come here to ask you a favor.”
“You wish to know if Sage is pregnant.”
My mouth, which had opened to respond, stayed stuck that way. A flustered sense of shock went through me before I realized she had done this twice before, with Sage’s brothers, so therefore this wasn’t new to her. Embarrassed again, I said, “Yes, that’s correct.”
She chuckled softly at me before she said, “Come here, Sage. Let’s take a look.”
Sage obediently stood in front of her and went still as he waited for her examination. Dr. Pine shuffled closer with her cane, then raised a hand to his midsection. She closed her eyes and hummed quietly. I watched closely, eager to see what was happening with my own eyes, but I didn’t see anything. All I saw was her hand hovering over Sage’s body.
She had been correct twice before—would she be right a third time?
“Oh, yes. I see,” Dr. Pine mumbled to herself.
I bit my lip, keeping my questions silent because I didn’t want to interrupt whatever mystical event was happening. I noticed Sage almost vibrating. No doubt he was full of questions too, except it was even harder for him to keep still and stop himself from bursting from curiosity.
My thoughts took a turn. What if Sage wasn’t pregnant yet? I remembered my conversation with Hugo, and how I’d erred on the side of doubt so I wouldn’t get my hopes up before I knew the truth. But I did want Sage to be pregnant—it was what I wanted more than anything.
But Dr. Pine’s examination was taking a long time. Did it always take this long? How much time had passed? How much longer would this last?
Great, now I’m turning into Sage with the million questions running through my head…
Finally, after what felt like an eon, Dr. Pine drew her hand away. Sage bounced anxiously on the balls of his feet.
“Well?” he asked, unable to stop himself from blurting it out.
“Mm.” The woman turned to me with a slight smile. Was she genuinely happy or sympathetic? I couldn’t tell. “Xander, the mountain lion shifter. I see many things in you, but the brightest of them all is the desire for a family.”
My heart raced. “Yes.”
“And you, Sage,” she went on, addressing him now, “your brightest desire was to find the one fated for you, as your brothers have.”
Sage nodded, wide-eyed.
Dr. Pine put both hands on the handle of her cane. “And you have both found what you desired—in each other. You fit together perfectly.”
Sage and I exchanged a glance, smiling at each other.
“Which is why I’m so pleased to tell you that Sage is pregnant,” Dr. Pine finally said.
Sage let out a shriek of ecstatic joy that echoed throughout the cavern. He bounced up so high his head nearly hit the ceiling. Meanwhile I was stuck, slack-jawed, wracking my brain to make sure I’d heard correctly.
“He’s—he is?” I asked.
“He is,” she confirmed. “I detect a little jellybean growing.”
“You hear that, Xander? A jellybean! I’ve got a jellybean and in a few months it’s gonna be a big one and come out as a wolf or a cat, I dunno, I don’t care either way! We’re gonna love it no matter what!”
He threw himself at me, laughing. I caught him with my strong arms and stroked his back. The shock in my system was dissolving into pure happiness.
Tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. I must not have cried since I was a child, but I was affected enough by this life-changing news to shed tears. Sage noticed and gently brushed them away with his thumb. He must have known I was feeling emotional because he didn’t make any joking comments. He just kissed me on the lips and we shared our mutual joy.
We had a long journey, so after a light dinner of meat jerky and homemade juice, we set out before nightfall. However, there was still something on my mind that I wanted to ask Dr. Pine. If anyone would have known, I had a feeling it would be her.
“Doctor, do you know anything about human alphas or omegas?”
She paused, putting a thoughtful finger to her lips. “Human, you say? Not shifters?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, are you talking about that guy we met?” Sage chimed in. “The one who somehow knew I was an omega?”
I nodded, suppressing the growl in my throat. I hated even thinking about him, but I wanted to know the truth.
“That’s odd,” Dr. Pine said. “And you said he was certainly a human?”
“I can’t know for sure, but I suspect he was human. He had no shifter species of his own. If he could shift, why wouldn’t he? And anyway, Sage was in heat and the guy knew it. But a human shouldn’t be able to smell it that strongly.”
“No,” she murmured. “A human shouldn’t.”
She gazed off into the sky, quiet in thought. For a while she said nothing. I wondered if there was some hidden nugget of truth that she wasn’t telling us.
“And you said there was only one of these men?” she asked.
“Yes. Why?”
She smiled. “No reason. In any case, I’m sure it was just a shifter who didn’t want to shift. Maybe he had an embarrassing animal, unlike your noble mountain lion form.”
“Perhaps,” I replied, though not entirely convinced. But it didn’t seem like she had any other information to give us. I left it at that.
After all, I had more important things to focus my energy on.
Sage and I were going to have a baby.
I should have been tired after the journey back, but I wasn’t. I felt more energy buzzing in my veins than ever. My mate was pregnant and I wanted the whole world to know.
Sage apparently felt the same. He couldn’t help himself from howling before we even returned to the grove. The pack met us halfway, streaking across the field to meet my summoning call.
“Sage, what is it?” Dax asked. “Your howl sounded serious.”
“You can tell just from his howl?” Red asked, raising a brow. “Sheesh, you wolves are so dramatic.”
Dax flicked his tail in Red’s face, which was enough to shut him up.
“Well,” Sage began, chewing his lip in anticipation. “As you guys know, we went to visit Dr. Pine…”
I found Hugo in the crowd. His expression was one of mild excitement, but also a healthy amount of sympathy, like he was getting ready to comfort his brother. I smiled when I realized he wouldn’t have to do that today. Today, we would be able to celebrate with us.
Sage had let the comment hang in the air for effect. I thought in amusement that Red hadn’t been entirely wrong about wolves being dramatic.
“C’mon, enough with the suspense already!” Red said.
“Okay, okay,” Sage said, the words flowing out of him like a burst dam, “so Xander and I went, and we talked to her, and she checked me out and everything and—” he took in a deep breath, “and I’m pregnant!”
The cries of delight and elation went up like a symphony. The pack lovingly mobbed both of us. I’d never been in the middle of so much fur.
“WAIT!” Sage cried out.
Everyone stopped.
“You know what this calls for?” Sage grinned. “A group hug!”
“Told ya,” Red mumbled to me with a smirk.
Fur shifted to skin, which became one family-wide group hug. It was tooth-rottingly sweet.
And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
13
Sage
I don’t know why I thought being pregnant would be fun. Honestly, it was mostly annoying and inconvenient. I had stupid aches in my back and feet, a sensitive tummy, random bouts of crying at nothing, and I wanted to eat weird food. Like grass. What the hell was that about?
But there was one thing I did like about it. Xander doted on me like crazy, even more than he already did. I could barely lift my head without him being there, asking if I was okay and if I needed anything. It was kind of funny—it reminded me of how Hugo and Dax acted towards Len and Morgan during their pregnancies. Maybe it was just an overly protective alpha thing.
There was another thing, too. Around a month into my pregnancy, I became… let’s say, needier than normal.
I was warned about it. After my pregnancy was confirmed, Morgan and Len took me aside and explained a list of normal things that happened to gestating omegas. I was glad for their help because if I had to do it alone, I would’ve freaked out over a bunch of crap. One of the things on the list was that being pregnant made an omega… horny.
I thought, yeah, sure, and didn’t really take note of it.
Until one day when I was taking a casual stroll around our territory. My belly was noticeable, but not huge yet. I could still move around easily so I wanted to get some exercise before I became a wolf-shaped balloon. Xander always came with me, obviously, since he never let me out of his sight. But it wasn’t the same annoying way that my brothers or the rest of the pack used to do it—it came from a place of paternal protective instinct, and it made me feel special.
I’d just bent down to examine a flower when it hit me.
The urge.
Uh oh.
Immediately, my face went hot and my skin tingled. It was kind of like going into heat, but not nearly as intense. Still, it must have given off a particular scent, because when I glanced up at Xander his eyes were wide and he was frozen, staring at me.
A spark seemed to crackle in the air between us. My body was instantly alight with desire, from my flushed cheeks down to my flagging cock. I quickly looked around. There was a private area nearby, protected by small trees and thick brush.
“D-do you wanna—”
I didn’t even need to ask. Xander had already grabbed my wrist and hurriedly took me there. He was gentle not to pull too hard, but I sensed the urgent need in the way his fingers dug into my skin. His touch alone sent a jolt through me.
Throwing our clothes off was an inconvenience, but when it was done, Xander and I were instantly pressed together. My back was to the ground with Xander’s hot body on top of me. Our mouths met in a hungry kiss neither of us wanted to break. I was stupidly hard already—my cock brushed against Xander’s, which was just as erect. We didn’t need to speak to know what the other wanted. We simply knew.
Xander’s hand flew to grasp my dick, and I sucked in a gasp. His other hand gently massaged me, from my belly to my hips. It was deeply intimate and I melted under his hands. If I was a cat, too, I might have purred.
Ignoring his own throbbing cock, Xander placed his full attention on me. Both his hands worked in unison, massaging and stroking, and my body went limp, boneless. Little unintelligible murmurs of pleasure escaped me. My brain was totally conked out, knowing only the bliss of my fated mate’s touch.
I came soon, and I didn’t even have the brainpower to feel embarrassed that it happened so soon. I had a feeling it didn’t matter, and it didn’t—my cock only took seconds to rest before coming back to life.
Meanwhile, Xander was breathing heavily. His cock had been neglected. Now that an orgasm had taken the edge off my mind fog, I could think again. I carefully leaned to the side and held my legs open for him, offering full access. My hole twitched, already leaking with the omega fluid that came with my arousal.
As soon as the tip of Xander’s cock brushed against me, I moaned. The anticipation was too great. I pushed my body down impatiently, wanting him. We both groaned as Xander’s cock slipped deeper into my ass. His barbs were tiny pinpricks, not yet fully erect, but it didn’t take long. As the moments passed and Xander’s cock plunged fully into me, the barbs came alive and locked us in place. Xander slowly rocked his hips. Each pleasurable barb dragged against my sensitive flesh, creating hot friction that made me cry out.
I dug my nails into the ground and mumbled, “Holy shit.”
“How does it feel?” Xander asked, his voice gruff.
“A-fucking-mazing. Why do all the shifter sex toys have knots instead of barbs? If people felt these, they’d realize what they were missing.”
Xander let out an amused chuff. “Good to know you’re a fan of my cock.”
“Well, duh, I’m your cock’s biggest fan.”
He rocked his hips, sending electric currents of pleasure rocketing through me, and I yelped. My cock throbbed again, straining as if I hadn’t cum just moments ago. I felt like I could go all day and night if I didn’t pass out first.
Xander grunted and leaned forward so our faces were close enough to touch. He playfully nipped my lip before running his tongue along it, then plunged it into my mouth. I whimpered and kissed him back as he slowly moved his hips. Each rake of his cock’s barbs made my balls clench with need. I definitely wasn’t gonna last.
I gasped for air. “I—”
Xander fucked me deep. I went breathless. White spots exploded in my vision. It took me a second to realize I was having another orgasm, this time while Xander’s cum flooded me. When it was over, I felt so incredibly, obscenely full.
Xander pulled out with a grunt, and the final graze of his barbs on their way out made me shudder. I felt a stream of fluid pouring out of me. My cheeks went hot and red.
But before I could think about how much cum was leaking out of my ass, Xander leaned in to kiss my cheek and murmured, “I love you, Sage.”
If my cheeks were hot before, they were on fire now. I whimpered and nuzzled him. “I love you, too.”
With our desperate urges sated, we quickly washed off in the small waterfall nearby and went home, where we were greeted by a swarm of kids.
Lupa had taken to launching herself at Xander, who would always catch her and swing her in the air while she cackled.
“Again!” she cried.
All the kids loved Xander, which made me deeply happy, but Lupa in particular always wanted to play with him. I think it had something to do with him being a strong mountain lion shifter. She could rough play with him, unlike with Ashe and Leveret. Currently, she was biting his arm.
“You’re gonna have to bite harder if you want to take me down,” Xander said with a grin.
I laughed. “Don’t encourage her or Len’s gonna chew you out.”
“Grr!” Lupa bit down harder but Xander was unbothered.
“Here, pup. Let me teach you how to do it properly,” Xander said, setting her down.
“Whoa,” Ashe said, his eyes bright and excited. “She’s gonna bite Uncle?”
“Looks that way, buddy,” I said. “Don’t worry, though, she’s only gonna do it on Uncle Xander, not you two.”
Ashe and Leveret, though both prey shifters, watched intently, like Xander and Lupa were putting on a show for them. We sat together in the grass to observe this impromptu training session.
Lupa looked like a wild child with her long hair big and full of forest debris. Len spent time every night combing it out but it always puffed back up, no matter what. I wondered if she did it on purpose because Leveret had long hair too, but his was always smooth and never had any ‘nature accessories’ in it.
“Hey, Lev,” I asked him. “Does your sister put those twigs in her hair?”
“Uh huh,” he said casually.
I snorted a laugh. “Better not tell that to your daddy. He might tell her to stop.”
“Why?”
“Because he combs your hair at night, right? Picking out twigs and stuff makes it harder for him.”
“Oh,” Leveret said simply, and didn’t pursue the topic further. Instead he put his hand on my arm, like he always did when he wanted something. “Braid?”
“You want me to braid your hair?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Okay!” I said. “I’m not as good as Len is, but I’ll try. Let’s see… Take the three strands, do it like this, and…”
As I got to work, Ashe leaned over curiously, his interest now torn between Xander teaching Lupa how to bite properly and me braiding Leveret’s hair. His eyes kept flicking back and forth between the action.
“First things first,” Xander announced as he began his lesson, “is that you want to bite deep.”
“Oh,” Lupa said with a solid nod, like this made complete sense to her.
“What that means is, when you bite, you need to use your whole mouth. Sage, toss me that stick over there.”
“My hands are full,” I replied. “Ashe, can you take that stick to your Uncle?”
“Okay!” Ashe cried. Happy to be doing something, Ashe picked up the aforementioned stick laying nearby and ferried it to Xander, who rewarded him with a pet on the head.
“Good. Now, Lupa, watch me.” Xander raised the stick to his mouth and put it in so it pushed against the edges of his mouth. He bit down on it, then took it out to say, “Like that.”
“Hehe, you looked silly,” Lupa said.
“I looked silly because I was demonstrating as a human.” Xander grinned. “Hold this for me, sweetie.”
Lupa eagerly held the stick in her hands like it was an important item, then watched in awe as Xander shifted. His body became fluid and muscular, thick-furred and rippling with power. He was bigger than a mute mountain lion, and as an alpha, he was even larger. He absolutely dwarfed Lupa.
But she wasn’t scared of him. She thought Xander was the coolest thing ever. And honestly, I did too. He was amazing and every moment I spent with him made me glad he was my mate.
“I wanna be a mountain lion!” she cried.
He licked her cheek, which made her giggle because of his rough tongue. “You’re a wolf, but I can teach you to fight like a mountain lion. How about that?”
“’kay!”
“Now lift up the stick and watch your fingers,” Xander told her.
She carefully raised it long enough for Xander to open his impressive jaws and take the stick lengthwise into his teeth. It looked a lot less silly now. With Lupa’s fingers safely away from his fangs, Xander bit down hard. The stick splintered with a loud crack and fell into pieces when he opened his jaws.
“You add more strength to your bite the deeper it is,” Xander explained. “You get it now?”
