Fated, page 8
“I don’t want to hear that ridiculous idea again,” he said. “Is that understood?”
At any other time, I might’ve laughed at how serious he sounded, but right now, it was exactly what I needed. A wave of emotion hit me and I nodded with barely contained tears in my eyes.
I dunno what came over me. I buried my face in his chest and let him hold me as I tried not to cry, and ultimately failed. Maybe it was the stress of the past few days catching up to me, but tears flowed. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d cried, except maybe a couple happy tears shed when my niece and nephews were born.
As I cried, Xander was my rock. He rubbed my back with his large, warm hand and didn’t move as I used him as a big muscular wall to lean on. It felt good to just dump my feelings on him. It was a release I didn’t know I needed.
“Ugh,” I said when my eyes dried up, “I needed that. Sorry for getting snot and tears on you.”
“It’s fine. I don’t care.”
I sighed heavily as the crying-demon left me. “Phew. I’ve never cried like that in front of anyone.”
Xander sounded surprised. “Not even your brothers?”
“Nope. I mean, as a baby I probably did, but not as an adult. It’s weird, now that I think about it. It’s not like I don’t trust Dax and Hugo.” I glanced up at Xander. “But with you, it’s different. Like I’m not embarrassed about anything. With you, I can just… be.”
A tinge of pink flushed across Xander’s cheeks. He cleared his throat and grunted. “Good. That’s what mates do.”
“MATES?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when Red cried out. I whipped towards him. He’d slunk closer without us noticing, that sneaky fox.
“Oh, so first you make me cry, and now you’re eavesdropping on me?” I said.
Red shifted so we could talk face-to-face but he ducked his head like a submissive pup. “Aw, man, I really didn’t mean to make you cry, Sage. You know that, right? I’m sorry.”
Red’s heart was always in the right place, even if he accidentally slipped up. I couldn’t stay mad at him.
I wiped the last tear out of my eye and nodded. “Yeah. I know. Sorry I got mad.”
“Tch, don’t be sorry about that. You were right.” He opened his arms. “C’mere. You, too, big guy.”
I gasped. My bad mood had shrivelled up thanks to Xander, but now I forgot it completely.
“Group hug!” I yelled.
I threw an arm around Red, and both of us looked expectantly to Xander, who stared at us in confusion.
“Excuse me?” he said, dumbfounded.
“Oh, right, you’re new around here,” Red said sardonically. “Your, uh… mate has a fondness for group hugs. Can’t be a member of the pack without doing ‘em.”
“Group hugs,” Xander repeated like he was learning a new word. “Is this a thing that canines do?”
“I don’t think it’s a canine thing,” Red replied with a lopsided grin. “Just a Sage thing.”
“C’mon, Xander!” I urged, waving my empty arm at him. “Don’t leave us hanging!”
Xander inched closer like an animal warily approaching a trap. When he was close enough, I put my arm around him and Red did the same. Xander let out a muffled mrrp sound, like a startled cat. The sound was adorable and made me laugh.
“Yay! Xander’s first ever group hug!” I cried.
“We’re going to do more of these?” Xander mumbled to Red.
Red cackled. “Buddy, do you have a lot to learn.”
10
Xander
As we got closer to the grove, I noticed the fox slipping close to me with a shifty expression, like he wanted to say something to me. Sage was bounding up ahead like he was in a hurry to get home, which gave us a moment to talk privately.
“What is it?” I said. In my mountain lion form, a growl always laced my voice even when I wasn’t angry.
“Just makin’ sure I heard properly and that I didn’t hit my head,” Red began, “but you two are mates now. Is that right?”
“Yes. What about it?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged his scrawny shoulders. “I’m just wondering how the pack’s gonna react. Y’know, they took a long time getting used to me. I mean, there was this whole misunderstanding about me trying to eat Len and all—”
“You tried to eat Len?”
“And then this whole debacle about them all thinking I was a shifter-eater—”
“Are you?” I asked.
“No!” Red yelled. “Anyway, my point is, don’t take it personally if they don’t welcome you with big, wolfy arms. Sage’s brothers are just protective over their families. Their mates are, too.” Red’s eyes flicked to my side, where the antler wounds still didn’t have fur growing over them. “Well, I guess you have personal experience with that.”
“Noted.”
It wasn’t long before we saw them. The family approached us in one big mob, with the wolves licking Sage to death in a big slobbery wolf-greeting.
Canines, I thought with a mental sigh.
As soon as the relief had passed, Hugo and Dax shifted to human form, and so did the rest of us. Dax looked the same way my alpha-father did when he was about to scold me for staying out late.
“Sage, do you have any idea how worried we were?” Dax demanded.
“I know, I know, I heard,” Sage said, sympathetic but exasperated.
“The omegas told us you needed time alone, but you never returned,” Hugo said.
“I know, I’m sorry,” Sage said.
“You can’t just run off and disappear during your heat!” Remington exclaimed.
Sage faced him. “I didn’t disappear. I went to find Xander after you told him to leave.”
Everyone went quiet. I noticed the fox-man had a knowing smirk on his face, but he kept his secret to himself.
“Maybe we should go take a bath,” Len said cheerfully to the twins in his arms. “Come, Ashe, you too.”
The kids briefly complained but Len was a super-parent, one of those adults that kids always listened to. Morgan gave Len a grateful nod as he ushered the kids away so the pack could talk in peace.
Sage mustered up his courage. “I know you were trying to do a good thing, Remmy. I know you were trying to make things less awkward for Xander, and trying to protect me. But you don’t have to, okay? I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions.”
I watched the shift in expression in everyone, not just Remington. The patronizing concern in their faces was replaced by a flicker of surprise, then newfound respect. The only person whose expression didn’t change was Morgan, who had a calm, knowing smile on his face.
“I… I’m sorry,” Remington mumbled. His pale cheeks were flushed in shame. He seemed taken off-guard by Sage’s speech. “I was still worried that Xander might turn on you again.”
“I know,” Sage said gently. He reached out and took my hand. “But I was never in any danger.”
Almost comedically, the three wolf shifters’ eyes glanced down to our linked hands. A lightbulb seemed to go off in their heads. Once again, Morgan was the exception. He looked amused and sincerely happy, like he already knew things were going to play out this way.
“Well, I’m glad you were safe by Xander’s side last night,” Morgan chimed in. “No harm, no foul.”
Sage brightened at Morgan’s support. He faced his brothers and Remington. “And, uh, I should probably tell you another thing? Um…”
When Sage faltered, I gently squeezed his hand for moral support. He smiled at me.
“Me and Xander… we’re mates,” he announced.
Dax was flustered. “Y-you, you’re… You’re mates? When did this happen?”
“Last night, obviously,” Red muttered with a barely restrained grin.
“Sage, you found your fated mate?” Hugo asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
There was that phrase again. The whole family seemed obsessed with it. But as soon as he said it, Hugo’s expression changed to one of wonder and joy, like hearing his younger brother found his fated mate made him the happiest sibling in the world. It was kind of cute, if I had to admit it.
Sage blushed. “I didn’t know, it just kinda… happened. It’s not like there’s a guide called How You Know You Found Your Fated Mate.”
Hugo hugged Sage. “Oh, I’m so happy for you. And you, too, Xander.”
Red’s jaw dropped. “What? That’s all it takes for you to trust a guy? Wow, I could’ve saved myself so much time if I just found a mate from the pack…”
To my mutual surprise, Dax also put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a firm, friendly nod. “I trust you’ll take care of my little brother.”
“Oh my gods, Dax, I’m standing right here,” Sage grumbled.
Sage was playing his comment off for laughs, as I knew he liked to do around his family, but I actually agreed with him. I pulled him closer to me.
“Sage is right,” I said. “I’m not simply taking care of him. He takes care of me, as well. We’re a partnership. And I… I didn’t realize how much I needed him.”
As the pack went silent, Morgan let out a small chuckle. “I knew I liked you, Xander.”
Sage’s big eyes turned watery. “Holy crap, Xander, that was so sweet… I’m gonna start crying again.”
Hugo and Dax exchanged some kind of brotherly glance, then smiled and nodded in approval.
“Welcome to the pack, Xander.”
Soon after my warm welcome, Sage pulled me along to relay the news to Len, who was with the kids by the stream. The three of them laughed and splashed each other with water, shifting back and forth the whole time.
“That went so much better than I expected,” Sage said brightly. “And that thing you said, when you stood up for me? That was so cool, Xander!”
A smile played at the corner of my lips. “I didn’t stand up for you. You stood up for yourself when you told Remington you could make your own decisions.”
“Huh. I guess you’re right.” He beamed at me. “But I still loved it when you put your arm around me, and you were like—” he deepened his voice in what I assumed was an attempt to sound like me, “Sage takes care of me, too, we’re meant for each other!”
I ruffled his hair as he laughed at his own joke. His upbeat nature was contagious, increasingly rubbing off on me.
“Len!” Sage called out as we reached the stream, waving.
Before Len could reply, all three kids shouted, “Uncle Sage!” and began running at us in a mini mob. Lupa slammed into his legs, followed by Ashe and Leveret. They clung to him like burrs.
“Hey, guys,” Sage said, patting each one of their heads. “Having fun in the water?”
“Yeah!” Lupa and Ashe cried.
I noticed Lupa’s twin brother, Leveret, was quieter. He stopped clinging to Sage’s leg and wandered over to me with a curious expression.
“Xander,” he said.
I smiled. “That’s right.”
Leveret grasped my leg the same way he’d done to Sage. “Uncle Xander.”
My heart melted.
“Aw, he’s already calling you his uncle!” Sage cried. “That’s so cute.”
Not wanting to be left out, Lupa and Ashe suddenly joined Leveret in their hugging of my legs. “Uncle Xander!”
I could’ve died happy in that moment. This was all I’d ever wanted—to have a mate, and a family, with a bunch of kids crawling all over me.
“How’re you holding up, Xander? Tired of being used as a playground yet?” Len asked with a laugh as he joined us. The kids, who got tired of hugging my legs two seconds later, all ran back to play in the stream.
“Not at all,” I replied.
Len noticed Sage bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet and asked, “So, how did the big talk go?” He put a hand to Sage’s forehead. “Ah, your temperature’s back to normal. Is your heat already over?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Sage said. “And, uh, about that…”
“Hm?”
Sage leaned his head against me. “Me and Xander are kind of a thing now.”
“Oh.” Understanding flashed across Len’s face. “Oh! I see.” He smiled, then gasped and lowered his voice. “Does that mean you’re expecting?”
Len didn’t sound judgmental, just the opposite. I got the feeling Len was one of those people who was kind and open to everyone. I was glad to have him as part of my new extended family.
“Well, we’re not a hundred percent sure yet,” Sage said, grinning. “But we’re trying.”
Len looked like he might cry from joy. He nodded and hugged Sage. “I’m so happy for both of you!”
I smiled along with their radiating happiness. I didn’t think I’d ever smiled so much before meeting Sage and this strange, unique pack. But it wasn’t like Sage was changing me into a different person. It felt more like the sun’s rays hitting a shadow. I was still the same Xander, just with a little more light in my life.
“We wanna play with Xander in the stream!” came the kids’ war cry. Evidently, they’d gotten bored playing by themselves and wanted me along.
Sage laughed. “Don’t you guys know cats don’t like water?”
“What?” Ashe said, frowning. “Why?”
“Yeah, water’s fun!” Lupa added.
Leveret tugged on my ankle with his hand.
I smirked to Sage. “That’s a little stereotypical, don’t you think?”
I shed my human form, slipping into the lithe and powerful shape of a mountain lion. I stretched briefly, then plunged into the water, careful not to jump on any of the kids. They all cackled with joy as the resulting wave of water crashed into them.
Lupa was the best swimmer, especially with her wolf paws that were too big for her little body. Ashe was tall enough to stand on the stream floor with his long fawn legs. Leveret stayed in his human form as he paddled around me with Len’s help.
“I wanna play, too!” Sage complained. Without waiting, he shifted and cannonballed into the water, sending another wave through the kids. His golden fur was drenched. He shook his pelt and sprayed everyone with droplets, then shot me a big, toothy grin.
“You look like a soaking wet hamster,” I told him.
Sage snorted. “Well, you look like an overgrown kitten caught in the rain.”
I batted him playfully with my paw. He ducked and slapped the water’s surface with his own paw, splashing me in the face.
The kids all giggled at our play-fight. They started chanting, “Uncle Sage the hamster!”
“Look what you did, Xander,” Sage said with mock horror. “Now they all think I’m a hamster. I’ve lost all pride as a wolf.”
“Hampster, hampster!”
I gave his cheek a lick with my rough tongue. “Well, you can take pride in the fact that if I had a favorite hamster shifter, it would be you.”
If Sage was in human form, I knew he would’ve been blushing. He grinned and dunked me underwater, which caused a war in which the kids and I rallied against him. We spent the rest of the afternoon splashing around in the stream beneath a perfect blue sky.
I realized that I was happy here—and very much in love.
11
Sage
“How did you guys tell when you got pregnant?” I asked impatiently.
It had only been a week since Xander’s formal acceptance into the pack, and a week since my heat ended, but I was already tired of waiting. If I was pregnant, I wanted to know now. I kept putting my hands on my belly, as if a half-formed baby would magically appear and kick me, but obviously that didn’t happen. It was flat as ever.
The omega parents were taking a short rest and having a snack while the kids were passed out.
“Hmm,” Len said. “I knew when we visited Dr. Pine in the canyon. You were there, Sage, remember?”
“Oh, right. That wasn’t that much longer after we met, right?”
Len nodded. “But hare gestation is incredibly fast. I don’t know if my pregnancy would be comparable to yours.”
I grumbled. “What about you, Morgan?”
“I visited Dr. Pine as well, on your recommendation, Len,” Morgan said. “I believe it was a few weeks after conception.”
“Bleh, too much info,” I said, not wanting to think about my brother conceiving anything. Morgan grinned in amusement. “Does that mean a week’s too early to go check?”
“Probably,” Len said sympathetically. “But I totally understand. It’s hard waiting, isn’t it?”
“It sucks.”
Len and Morgan both grinned as they exchanged a glance. I’m glad my suffering was amusing to someone.
“I’m glad you found your fated mate, Sage,” Len said kindly. “I know Hugo’s been wanting that for you for a long time.”
I blushed. Hugo was such a huge sap, but I loved that about him.
Len’s comment made me think. “Y’know, I don’t think Xander believes in fated mates,” I mused out loud. “He’s mentioned it a couple times now that he thinks it’s a fairy tale.”
“Hm. I can understand that,” Len remarked.
“Me too,” Morgan added. “I definitely didn’t believe it when Dax said I was his.”
“Then it’s not uncommon?” I asked hopefully. I didn’t know why, but since my brothers both found their fated mates, I felt a little left out that Xander didn’t think of it that way. Just mates didn’t quite have the same ring to it.
“I think by the time I got pregnant with Ashe, I did believe it,” Morgan said. “So maybe Xander just needs time.”
I almost snorted. Xander was a stubborn cat. I doubted he’d change his mind so easily.
“I’m gonna talk to him about it,” I decided. “I’ll prove to him that we’re fated mates!”
Morgan smiled. “Good timing. He just got back with the other alphas.”
I whipped my head around with a big grin. There he was, my mate—my fated mate. Xander remained in mountain lion form, along with Dax and Hugo, to help haul their recent kill into the grove. It was a big elk that’d feed the pack for a while. Even though Morgan said he was okay with the predators eating deer, we always tried not to catch prey that resembled him too closely anyway. I was thankful that my mate was a fellow predator so we didn’t have that kind of problem. Hell, we were running out of prey animals to eat!
