Page 35 of Briggs (Paranormal Council Enforcers #16)

Todd

I was nervous. I shouldn’t be. I knew my brother and sister.

But they were meeting Briggs. My mate. My love.

The most important person in my life. Yes, my siblings were important to me as well, but they were going to grow up and find their own mates someday.

Briggs was it for me, and if they didn’t like him…

if they wanted nothing to do with either of us now that we were mated and I was expecting twins, what would that mean?

The entire hope was for them to eventually come live with us. They were my responsibility.

Briggs squeezed my hand, and when I looked up at him, there was nothing but love in his eyes. “It’ll be all right,” he whispered.

We couldn’t say more, though, because the door we were standing in front of suddenly opened.

I smiled at the man standing there. It wasn’t that I disliked Alpha Babak.

He was incredibly nice. But he intimidated me.

That wasn’t because he was the created cheetah though.

It was because he was a created anything. They all still had that effect on me.

“Welcome. Come in, come in,” Alpha Babak said.

“Mina and Victoria are fussing in the kitchen. I insisted on helping, but neither would hear of it. Dane is covering the grill at the moment, and the children are out back with him. We are having such nice weather, we thought we would eat on the covered deck?” Alpha Babak looked directly at me.

“Is that all right with you? I should have thought to ask before assuming.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m feeling well, and I agree. It is a nice day.” I felt Briggs’s hand on my back as we walked past Alpha Babak. “Is there anything that we can do to help? I don’t want to impose.”

“You are no imposition at all,” Alpha Babak said.

“Even if I were to suggest something, there is no way Mina would ever allow you to help. The children have basic chores, but that is all she allows them to help with as well.” Alpha Babak gestured for us to follow him.

“Would you care for something to drink? The children are excited to see you again,” he added as we left the entryway hallway and suddenly found ourselves in his massive house.

“Water is good for me,” I said in response. “Unless you have tea.”

“I didn’t think to bring your tea with us,” Briggs told me as he moved up beside me. “Do you want me to run home and get it for you?”

I shook my head. “I’ll be okay, I think. I’ll drink a cup of it when we get home.”

“I have the tea,” Alpha Babak said. “Edison has ensured that each of us has tea in order to offer it to others if needed.” He smiled. “One never knows which one of us will next end up with a pregnant member of our pride or the like.”

“I appreciate it,” I said.

“It truly is no issue.” We’d made it to the kitchen area, where Alpha Mates Mina and Victoria were most certainly rushing around. They were laughing at something they were talking about, but whatever it was, it had been shared before we’d arrived.

“Welcome,” Alpha Mate Mina said when she noticed us. She immediately wiped her hands on a towel and came toward us with a huge smile on her face. When they trailed down to my rounded stomach, the smile widened. “How are you feeling? Is the pregnancy treating you better?”

I rubbed my stomach and returned her smile. “I’m well. Tired, but that’s to be expected, I’m told. The babies are happy and healthy.”

“Babies?” she asked quietly.

I looked over at Briggs. I had said babies. But we weren’t keeping the fact that I was having twins a secret, I didn’t think. “It was okay to share that, right? I didn’t even think about that.”

Briggs just smiled at me and ran his hand up and down my back. “Of course it’s all right. You’re pregnant, and everyone knows that.”

I turned back to Alpha Mate Mina, and Victoria had come up to stand right beside her. Alpha Babak was off to my left, and my siblings could be heard further in the back room, talking about some game or something.

“Yeah, we’re having twins,” I said. “Baby girls, actually.” There was a bit of a squeal from both, and their smiles grew impossibly large.

“Two,” Alpha Mate Mina said. She glanced at Alpha Mate Victoria, who nodded enthusiastically.

“You need to be sure to let us know if you need anything at all,” Alpha Mate Victoria said. “Anything,” she stressed.

“We’re good as far as I know. We’re deciding on details now, and I’ll be returning to work next week.” That seemed to surprise everyone but my mate.

“Meat is ready,” Alpha Dane said as he stuck his head into the house. “Oh, good,” he said when he saw us. “You arrived just in time.”

“We will celebrate not only the mating and pregnancy but the upcoming arrival of two precious little ones,” Alpha Babak said. “Please let’s go outside and enjoy a meal of celebration.” He gestured toward the back of the house, where Alpha Dane was. “I will bring the tea.”

“Oh, we have one ready just in case,” Alpha Mate Mina said. She quickly grabbed a mug and held it out. “We knew you were having pregnancy sickness and didn’t know if you would need tea or not. We figured it was safer to have it ready than not.”

“Thank you,” I told her as I took the mug from her.

“Todd!” I heard John shout from somewhere in the house.

It only took a moment for him to come into view behind Alpha Babak.

He stopped, though, before he reached us.

He looked up at Briggs before he glanced down at my stomach and then looked back at me.

“So it’s true?” he asked. “You’re actually pregnant? ”

Briggs had his arm wrapped around me, and I felt not only his body stiffen but his irritation through our bond. I tilted my head and stared at my brother in disbelief.

“That’s what happens when people find their mate, John.” I looked at the others. “You’re shifting. You should know how things work at this point.” I was honestly confused. He knew I’d met my mate and that other things had happened since.

“I do. I just…” John nodded but didn’t finish his sentence, which left me even more confused.

“I’m sure the pregnancy will be discussed more after our meal,” Alpha Babak said. “John, you and Tracy haven’t met Briggs yet.”

“Not formally, no,” Briggs said. “I have talked to John a few times on the phone, but he’s more of a texter,” Briggs said as he took a step forward.

“It’s very nice to finally meet you both.

” Briggs held out his hand, and although John shook it, Tracy didn’t seem interested in having anything to do with Briggs, or me, for that matter. She wouldn’t even look my way.

I sighed internally. This wasn’t really how I wanted this meeting to go, but I didn’t have too much of a choice. We needed to figure out what was going to happen with all of us, and soon.

“Why don’t we go out to the table, and we can talk after we get some food in us,” Alpha Mate Mina said as she wrapped her arm around Tracy.

The smile that my sister gave her told me everything I needed to know.

My sister was where she needed to be. She was withdrawn from me because not only had I let her down twice already, but she finally had stability, and I was able to take it away simply by saying it was time for her to come home with me.

Briggs was immediately at my side, and with his arm wrapped around my shoulders, I had the strength to push forward and try to get through this dinner. “Why would he ask that?” I asked Briggs through our bond.

“I couldn’t say. He scented unsure about something. But I don’t know him at all, so I couldn’t even begin to guess what about.”

Tracy helped Alpha Mates Mina and Victoria carry bowls out to the table that was on the screened patio.

Some of the houses had decks that were open; others opted for enclosed spaces.

Alpha Babak had obviously chosen a combination of the two, and although his back area was open to the weather, it was screened, and the bugs wouldn’t be an issue.

“Is there anything that you have found that you can’t keep down, Todd?” Alpha Mate Mina asked.

“No. I don’t have any foods that bother me.

Early on, it was just any and everything, it seemed.

I know I didn’t have it nearly as bad as others, and I’m thankful for that,” I responded.

I couldn’t help but look at my brother repeatedly because I wanted to know what was going on with him.

I understood that I had stopped our runs, but I simply couldn’t.

My cheetah was very much asleep, and he wasn’t waking anytime soon.

“That’s good to hear,” Alpha Mate Mina said. “I only asked because I didn’t want to serve you something that would upset your stomach.”

“I appreciate it. I’m eating just about everything I can find at this point,” I said with a smile.

Briggs gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze before he pulled out my chair.

I was right beside my brother, which was hopefully a good thing, and I’d get a chance to talk to him a bit while we were enjoying what smelled like was going to be a delicious meal.

“It’ll be all right,” Briggs told me. When he smiled as he sat beside me, I felt that he was probably right.

It would. Why? Because I had my mate, and he loved me.

I wasn’t alone in this world any longer, and I wasn’t going to ever be alone again.

Briggs might have to go out on assignments, but he would return to me, just as the others did.

“Can I ask you something, Briggs?” John asked as soon as we all sat.

“Of course. What is it that you want to know?” Briggs placed his hand on my upper back and rubbed gently. I knew it was to calm himself just as much as me. We were now the center of attention, not that we weren’t going to be anyway with all that had been happening.

“Do you love my brother?” John asked. Briggs’s hand stilled for a fraction of a moment before it started rubbing my back once again.