Clyde (Southern Werewolf Enforcers Book 6), page 1
Clyde
Copyright © 2022 by Heather MacKinnon
Cover/interior design and editing: Blurbs and Baubles
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
. Chapter
More from Heather MacKinnon
About the Author
Chapter One
Clyde
“I finally got the numbers for those parts you wanted for that Chevelle,” Brad said as he climbed the steps to my front porch.
I glanced down the lane toward the lodge, but there was no one there. “Oh, yeah?”
Brad sighed as he took a seat next to me without being invited. “Yeah, man, and it’s not good.”
I clenched my jaw as I tried to control my temper. It wasn’t Brad’s fault I fucking hated when people beat around the bush. It also wasn’t his fault that she was ten minutes late, and I was worried. But still, he chose that moment to come talk to me, and I was doing my best.
“Just spit it out,” I said as I glanced down the road again.
Brad shook his head like he didn’t want to answer, and I squeezed the arms of the chair to stop myself from yelling.
“The transmission alone is gonna run you four figures!” he finally blurted.
I shrugged and relaxed my hold on the wood beneath my hands. “That’s fine. I don’t care how much it costs.”
Brad’s mouth fell open as he gaped at me. “We’re lookin’ at 20k just to get this thing runnin’ again. You really wanna spend that much?”
No, I didn’t. I thought it was ridiculous to waste that kind of time and money fixing an old pile of rust when I could go to the dealership and drive off the lot with a brand new, fully-loaded vehicle. But this wasn’t for me. This was for him.
“That’s fine. You can take my card and order whatever you need,” I said as I lifted my ass and reached for my wallet.
Before Brad could respond, that flutter behind my ribs I always felt when she was near started, and I heard the soft crunch of gravel. I turned to see Lena finally walking down the road toward the pack houses.
Or, I guess, waddling would be a better description.
I’d watched for months as everything about her changed. Her stomach grew, her hips widened, her breasts swelled, even her hair got shinier. Somehow, all that just made her more beautiful. More captivating.
Today was Friday, so she had her weekly appointment with nurse Doreen. I didn’t think she had much longer left of the pregnancy judging by the size of her belly, but I had no real way to know that. It wasn’t like I could just walk up and ask her.
I finally pulled out my credit card and handed it to Brad, eyes still on Lena.
“How can you afford all this?” he asked as he pocketed it.
I ripped my gaze off her to glare at Brad. The mechanic turned enforcer shrunk in his seat as he raised his hands in surrender. “It’s just a question! I know Asheville pays good, but not like that.”
With a huff, I shook my head and turned to peek at Lena again. She was only halfway down the road and moving slower than usual.
I tried forcing myself to focus on the conversation, but truthfully I was pissed Brad was here right now. There was only one day a week I was allowed to openly watch her, and he was fucking ruining it.
“I inherited a lot of money after my dad died,” I said with a shrug. “It’s not a big deal.”
Brad nodded, his eyes filling with recognition. “That’s right.”
I scoffed and turned away. “There are no fucking secrets in a pack, right?” I muttered as I focused on Lena again.
Brad laughed and punched my arm. “That’s true.” He sighed as he stretched out on my spare rocking chair, and I fought the urge to toss him out of it. “Well, I should get goin’.”
“Yeah.”
“You want me to order all the parts right away? Or stretch it out some?”
Brad’s word flowed in one ear and out the other, but I didn’t really hear any of them. I was too busy watching Lena and wondering what was taking her so long.
“Uh, what?” I asked as I scooted forward on my chair.
“Do you want me to buy everything right away?”
“Yeah,” I said with a wave of my hand. “That’s fine.”
Brad kept talking, but I completely tuned him out this time as I noticed how different Lena looked. Her features were twisted into a grimace and as I watched, her chest heaved with uneven breaths.
Before I could stop myself, I jumped from my seat.
“Woah!” Brad yelled, but I ignored him as I stood there watching Lena.
My hands fisted at my sides as I was reminded of the many reasons I’d kept my distance all these months. Why I didn’t go near her, why I hadn’t said a word to her since she’d been here.
Lena was like a bright, cheerful summer day, and I was a dark rain cloud that would inevitably fuck it up.
I had no business talking to her or touching her or taking a single fucking minute of her time. She was way too good for me, and I knew it.
But as I stood there watching her, I could tell something was wrong. I could tell she needed help, and I needed to do something.
I only took one step forward before a crushing pain exploded in my gut, and I stumbled. My hand caught the banister at the last second before I could face plant onto the porch.
Brad jumped from his seat. “Woah!” he said again. “Are you okay?”
Before I could answer him a small cry sounded from nearby, and I knew it was Lena.
Just like I knew what this meant.
I started running, ignoring Brad and the excruciating cramping in my stomach. Lena was only halfway down the lane to the pack houses, but I cleared that distance in seconds.
By the time I made it to her side, she was kneeling on the gravel holding her belly and moaning. I skidded to a stop next to her and crouched down.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked as I finally permitted myself to touch her.
All I did was wrap my hand around her arm, but it felt monumental. And for some reason, it made the fluttering in my chest disappear.
“I don’t know,” she groaned. “My stomach has been hurting for hours, but it just got so much worse.”
“Okay,” I said as calmly as I could while inside I was freaking the fuck out. It didn’t sound good for a pregnant woman to have a stomach ache, but what the fuck did I know? “Let’s get you to the doctor’s house, and they can figure out what’s goin’ on.”
Lena shook her head as she staggered to her feet. “I’m fine. I’m just gonna walk it off.”
She took only one step before her trembling legs buckled, and I just barely caught her in time. “You can’t walk, Lena,” I said with a growl.
She froze beneath my hands before she slowly turned to face me. Lena’s hazel eyes were bright as she stared. “How do you know my name?”
I scoffed as I wrapped an arm around her waist and started walking us toward the Doc’s house. “Haven’t you lived here for like eight months?”
“Yeah,” she said slowly. “But you’ve never talked to me. I didn’t think you knew who I was.”
I ground my teeth together, wishing I’d never come over here. Wishing I was still on my front porch, watching the woman I could never have.
But even as I thought those things, I knew they weren’t true. It was clear Lena needed someone right now, and if anyone else had rushed in to help her, I would have torn their heads off.
It had to be me.
“Just because I don’t talk to you doesn’t mean I don’t know who you are,” I finally said.
Lena opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a groan of pain, and my stomach twisted tight with an echo of her agony. The cramping was enough to steal my breath, I couldn’t imagine how much worse it was for her.
When her legs gave out again, I picked her up, ignoring
“What are you doing?” she asked through gritted teeth, her eyes squeezed closed as she shook her head back and forth.
“I’m getting you help.”
I wasn’t sure if the pain was too much to talk through or if she’d finally given up, but she was quiet after that as I carried her to the doctor’s house. I’d just stepped foot on his property when Brad caught up to us.
“Hey. What’s goin’ on?” he asked as he hurried to keep up with my long strides.
I was ready to tell him to fuck off, but Lena started talking before I could.
“Hi, Brad,” she said, her words breathy with pain..
I frowned down at her as the mechanic answered.
“Hey, Lena. Are you okay?”
She nodded, even as I felt another cramp tightening my stomach. “Just peachy,” she gasped.
“How do you two know each other?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Brad looked up to frown at me, but it was Lena who answered. “He found me a used car and then fixed it up.”
I shot a glare at the mechanic but didn’t respond. Brad helping her get a new car was a reasonable answer, it wasn’t their fault I felt so unreasonable about it.
We were almost to the doctor’s front door when Brad spoke up again. “Is there something I can do?”
We both answered at the same time. “No.”
I looked down at Lena in shock, but her eyes were squeezed shut. Knowing I didn’t have time to analyze that, I shook my head and turned to Brad. “I’ve got it.”
The mechanic held up his hands in surrender and took a big step back. “Okay. Fine.”
“Go order my parts,” I said over my shoulder as I thumped on the doctor’s front door with my foot.
Seconds later, the nurse answered with an expectant smile before her face filled with worry. “What’s going on?” she asked as she ushered me inside.
“I don’t know. She collapsed in the middle of the road.”
We turned to see if Lena would answer, but she was too busy taking deep, shaky breaths.
Doreen shook her head and patted me on the shoulder. “Let’s get her to the back.”
I hurried through the house and down the hall toward the exam rooms, doing my best to ignore the memories that threatened to consume me. I couldn’t stop and think about the last time I was in this house. I couldn’t stop to remember watching my father take his last breaths within these walls.
“You can bring her to the third door!” Doreen called from behind me, and I blew out a sigh of relief. That room didn’t hold the ghosts from my past.
I did as Doreen asked and kicked open the last door in the hall to reveal a small exam room. Figuring Lena belonged on the narrow bed in the middle, I walked over and set her down. I tried to step away, but she grabbed my hand and held on tight.
I looked down at her pale fingers wrapped around mine, but before I could figure out what this meant, the nurse burst into the room.
“What’s goin’ on today, honey?” Doreen asked as she walked over to wash her hands at the sink.
“I don’t know,” Lena groaned as another cramp twisted my gut. “My stomach has been hurting all morning, but it just got really bad, and I’m worried about the babies.”
She squeezed my hand tighter as she admitted that last part, and my heart thumped unevenly.
“Did you eat something bad?” Doreen asked as she pulled on a pair of powder blue gloves.
“I don’t know,” she panted as the pain subsided a little. “It started off as just an uncomfortable feeling in my lower belly, but it’s just gotten worse throughout the day. Now that you mention it though, I’m thinking it probably is just an upset stomach because I really feel like I need to use the bathroom.”
Doreen paused for a moment before she started rushing around the room. “Uh-oh.”
The two of us were quiet until Lena finally spoke up. “Uh-oh? Is something wrong?”
“Clyde, I need you to carry her into the room next door.” When I didn’t move right away, she snapped, “Now.”
I jumped into action and scooped Lena back into my arms.
“Lay her on the bed and stay with her. I’ll be right there.”
“What’s going on?” Lena asked, but Doreen had already run out of the room. She looked up at me like I had answers, but unfortunately, I was as much in the dark as she was.
We were quiet as I carried her out of the room. When another cramp gripped my stomach, I couldn’t help but wince.
“Are you okay?” Lena asked, her voice small and sweet.
I turned to the woman in my arms and met her eyes which was a mistake. They were this perfect mixture of green and brown that I could stare at all day, but they were filled with pain now, and that hurt worse than the cramp in my gut.
My arms trembled with the need to pull her closer, to comfort her any way I could, but I held back. I knew my place, and it wasn’t with Lena, no matter what fate had to say about it.
I cleared my throat. “I’m fine.”
She was quiet after that as I brought her into the larger exam room. Before I could set her down, my stomach got warm, and a trickle of liquid started running down my arms. It landed on the floor and pooled at my feet as I tried to understand what I was seeing.
“Holy shit,” Lena breathed, and I turned to find her wide eyes taking up half her face. “I think I just peed on you.”
“You peed on me?” I deadpanned.
“I don’t know! Maybe!” she yelled, tears filling her eyes. “It didn’t feel like I needed to pee, but it obviously came from me, and now we’re both wet,” she cried. “I’m so sorry!”
My stomach fell to the floor as I realized how upset she was over this. Truthfully, I was only mildly annoyed about having to change my shirt. Hell, I’d been covered in worse.
Before I could answer, Doreen burst into the room and hurried over to us. She leaned close and took a delicate sniff. “That’s not urine, that’s amniotic fluid.”
Lena gasped, and I tried to figure out what I was missing. “No,” she whispered.
Doreen nodded and smiled. “Yes, your water just broke. You’ll be delivering the first baby very soon.”
Chapter Two
Lena
“I can’t do that! I’m not due for another four weeks!”
Doreen’s smile turned sympathetic as she crossed the room to me. “I’m afraid your boys have different plans.”
I shook my head. And then kept shaking my head. “No. No, no, no, no, no. I’m not ready! I don’t have diapers! I don’t have coming home outfits! I haven’t even put their cribs together yet! What am I gonna do?” I wailed, my voice getting louder with each statement.
The nurse reached out and wrapped her cold hand around my arm. “It’s okay. We’ve got a whole pack full of people to help. I just need you to concentrate on what’s going on right now. How frequent are your contractions?”
“Contractions?” I screamed.
Doreen winced as she nodded. “Yes. That’s the stomach ache you’ve had. You’re in labor.”
I shook my head again as my mind raced. There were a million things that needed to be done before these babies got here, and I’d only done half of them.
It wasn’t easy preparing for twins by yourself, but I’d managed. Thankfully, my brother Luke was usually available to help, but his mate was also very pregnant and needed him just as much.
Which is why I hadn’t asked him to put the cribs together yet, and my babies were going to have to sleep on the floor.
“No,” I said with another shake of my head. “I can’t have the babies right now. They don’t have beds!” I yelled again.
Doreen chuckled. “Babies are pretty easy. They could sleep in an empty drawer or a box even. Don’t worry about that.”
“My babies can’t sleep in a box!”
I could feel the hysteria rising in my system as the minutes ticked by, but I couldn’t stop. I wasn’t ready for these babies. I wasn’t ready to be a mom. I wasn’t ready for any of this.
Doreen started talking, but I couldn’t hear anything as another contraction twisted my stomach into a hundred different knots. I moaned and reached for my belly as the pain ratcheted even higher.
“How frequent are the contractions?” she asked again.
