Page 16

“M ad, I can’t find Blue anywhere,” Ciro says as he pokes his head into the new extension where I’m moving some new furniture out of the way. We’d decided to add to the back of the cabin once we bought it from Shep, building a home office, a spare bedroom, an extra bathroom and a large nursery. It was almost finished and just in the nick of time.

“I think I know where he is,” I say, sharing a small smile with the young man who was a regular feature in our home these days.

As I head back into the kitchen, I’m accosted by Finn, who’s glaring at me with his arms crossed. “Mam wants to know why Shep is cooking on the grill when you told her to bring tuna pasta, baked potatoes and salad.”

Glancing over at the dishes covering half of the kitchen worktops, I can’t see anything wrong with the food my mother brought for the barbeque.

“Have you seen how many of us there are? Tuna pasta and salad isn’t going to feed everyone,” I offer with a shrug. Plus, Shep made the best burgers in town. I wasn’t passing up on that. Having a vegetarian husband, who was also sensitive to smells right now, meant I had to eat meat out on the porch or head into The Antler. This way, I was getting the best of both worlds.

“I don’t know man, did you see how much she brought,” Arlo, my other brother, chuckles as he opens my fridge and grabs a beer. “There’s more out by the grill.”

Remind me again why I thought hosting at our place was a good idea? As they both head back out to the others, it seems the universe isn’t quite finished with me.

Tuesday blocks my way, slamming his hands down on the worktop counter before tapping his nails like a psychopath. “You know, you don’t deserve him.”

It was safe to say that while we were civil to one another, I hadn’t quite grown on the fussy feline fucker. But that didn’t really matter to me because Blue loved him, and he loved Blue.

Somehow the cat shifter had ended up staying in Aurora Pines along with my family, and in fact he’d bought the cabin right next door to them. Everyone was on everyone else’s doorstep. Wasn’t that nice?

It wasn’t nice when you were trying to chase your husband through the woodlands and fuck him in the dirt, but then you hear your mother calling you.

Or when he was naked, his peachy ass bent over the porch railing while you rail him and one of your brothers pops up out of nowhere.

Or when you’re giving each other hand jobs in the lake and his irritating best friend goes by on a boat, the look of disgust on his face halting your orgasm in its tracks.

So, it’s very, very nice to have family nearby.

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Not this again.” Scrubbing my face, I sigh before taking a deep breath. “Look, I already know exactly how you feel. You brought a twenty-six slide presentation to PowerPoint night about it—you don’t need to tell me again.”

Because PowerPoint nights were a thing in my life now, along with film nights, games nights, Thursday night dinners and every week, my husband would also have my mother, Ciro, Finn and Tuesday over to watch Great British Bake Off. Paul Hollywood could fuck off. I don’t care what my mother thinks. That man was a snake. Or maybe a stoat.

Trying to ignore the cat shifter, I open the cupboards and search for Blue’s emergency stash of pickled eggs, syrup and lemons. Grabbing a jar of mustard and a knife, I toss the lot into a bag to carry with me.

The corner of Tuesday’s mouth lifts into a sinister grin and I wince. “I made an animated video this time. I’ve already air dropped it to your phone.”

I can feel the notification vibrate in my pocket as I add a bottle of watermelon water to my stash.

“Great, thanks. I’m sure that was a really productive use of your time. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go and find my husband.” As I walk away with the snacks in hand, another thought occurs to me. I’d been picking up some weird vibes lately, which Blue said was all in my head, but I wanted to nip it in the bud.

Calling back over my shoulder, I yell, “Oh, and stay away from Arlo! The last thing I need right now is you seducing my brother.”

In the reflection of the window, I catch Tuesday flipping me off as he sweetly says, “He’s a grown man. He can think for himself.”

Fuck my life, I think with an eye roll as I climb the stairs to our bedroom. In the corner of our room, Blue had built a little hidey hole for himself, dragging in all the things that gave him comfort right now.

“Hey baby, whatcha doing?” I ask as I kick off my shoes and sit on the rug with my bag of goodies. A small snuffling nose pokes out of the nest made mostly of our worn clothes. “You know you can’t hide in here all night, right?”

My husband, in his hare form, wriggles out into the open slowly. His ears twitch, moving to catch the noises from outside as his swollen belly drags across the fabric and he tries to make the faded pheromones cling to his gorgeous white fur.

“You might want to change back, since lots of our guests are eager to see you,” I say as I start slicing up a lemon and smearing mustard over each slice. I place the slices down near the edge of the nest and watch as he comes, his nose twitching before he nibbles at it.

He hadn’t wanted a traditional baby shower, so instead we’d opted for a barbeque on the edge of the lake and on our porch, but last night he hadn’t slept well and today he was a little more grumpy than usual.

Shifting just as gracefully as normal, if not a little slower, he changes into his human form and grabs the jar of pickled eggs from the bag. He didn’t really want the eggs, just the brine they came in. Swallowing back the urge to laugh, I watch as he pops open the jar and drinks half of it before returning to nibbling on the lemon slices.

“I’m tired, and I don’t want to see people,” he whines as he sits amongst the nest, naked, his scars on display. His pregnant belly seems to be sitting a lot lower now as we enter the last couple of weeks.

Handing him the watermelon flavored water, I shuffle around and rub his back.

“I know love, but they’re all here for you.” It was a strange concept to someone who had grown up with only two strangers on the internet for friends, but Blue was finally wrapping his head around our ever-growing family and the people who loved us. It’s why we put up with their overbearing ways and inconvenient visits. “Besides, they also brought lots of cute baby clothes.”

His ears prick up and he sits a little straighter. Unexpectedly, it turned out baby clothes were a weakness for my hormonal little hare. He couldn’t seem to resist picking up a new outfit every time something caught his eye. When you multiply that by two, since we were expecting twins, that meant the nursery was currently filled with more baby rompers, frilly little socks and dresses than I think they’ll ever wear.

Getting to my feet, I help Blue up and into a flowy white wrap dress he’d been wearing around the house lately. Maneuvering him, so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, I grab a pair of clean boxers from the drawer and kneel down to help him slide them on.

As I’m lifting his foot into them, he makes a soft whimper and something warm and wet trickles down his legs. We both stare at the mess for a moment before his eyes go wide with panic.

“It’s happening. Mad, it’s happening!” He grabs hold of my shoulder, fingers biting into my skin as his breathing becomes uneven and choppy. “I’m going into labor, what do we do?”

“We’re ready for this, remember?” I stay kneeling at his feet, reaching out to cup his face and stroke his cheeks with my thumbs. Releasing some of my pheromones to calm him, I watch his body relax under my touch. “Now would you like to give birth in your shifter form or your human form?”

When we’d found out Blue was expecting, we’d rushed to the doctors and started reading everything we could get our hands on about omega shifter births. Some omegas swore that it was easier to give birth in their animal forms, letting instinct drown out the human worrying.

“I’m scared, what if I can’t do this?” Blue whispers, dark eyes burning into me as tears well up and threaten to spill down his flushed cheeks. “I never had parents, Mad. What if I fuck up?”

Chuckling, I fish my phone out of my pocket and fire off some texts before stretching behind me to put it on the dresser.

Gently squeezing Blue’s knees, I kiss a runaway tear softly. “Love, as long as you don’t make our children steal antique jewelry, you’re already winning. Now, shifter or human?”

Sniffling, Blue hiccups a laugh before pouting. “Shifter, but just you and me. Make everyone else leave.”

“It’s okay, I’ve already texted Tuesday. He’s keeping everyone downstairs and away from our bedroom.” At least, I hope he was. He’d sent an eye roll emoji back in response.

“Where’s T?” Blue whines, grabbing onto my shirt and yanking me close.

It had already been nine months, but I still hadn’t met the infamous Tawny. I didn’t take it personally, since Blue said he’d only actually met him a handful of times in person himself, but apparently, he was making an effort to be here in person for our baby shower. I only hoped he would actually show, otherwise it might leave a taint on the day for Blue.

“He’s on his way, he won’t be long. There was a road closure,” I promise, kissing the top of Blue’s head and relaying the text that had come through to my phone about half an hour ago.

Coaxing Blue back to the nest, I resist another laugh. Wasn’t it ironic ten minutes ago I was trying to convince him to come out and play nice? Now I was helping him back in so he could bring our daughters into the world.

Once Blue is settled on top of the fabrics and cushions, I peel off the wrap dress and toss it to one side. Blue’s shifts are always effortless, beautiful as his body accepts who he is in every form.

I’d been practicing more since I’d learned that a lot of shifting pain came from mental blocks. Blue had taught me that it was our human side, trying to reject the animal nature and protect us, but shifting became easier when you pushed past that. That still didn’t mean it came easy to me, and as I strip out of my clothes and climb into the nest beside Blue, the ripples of energy that move through my body brings me to my knees. After a few moments of what feels like my limbs rearranging, stretching, and contracting, I shake off the ache of the shift.

Blue has burrowed back inside the nest, and so I follow him. Approaching my white hare mate, I lick his nose tenderly, letting him know I’m here as he makes a pained noise that almost sounds like a newborn squealing. He nestles against my side, nuzzling my fur as I release more calming pheromones. Amazed, I watch as his belly moves, our babies preparing to enter the world. He nudges his head against mine, and I lick his face and ears, grooming him, comforting him, reminding him that I’m here every step of the way.

Two and a half hours, a lot of sweat, a few nasty bites and some fur pulling later, we welcomed Briar and Wren Stirling into the world. Blue and I spend some time with our daughters, cleaning their fur and covering them in our scents before we rest for a while.

Did you know that baby hares are called leverets, and they’re born with their fur and their eyes wide open? They have Blue’s dark eyes, and it feels like I’m staring out into a galaxy when they look at me, blinking slowly. Their fur isn’t completely white like his, but rather a pale ginger, with patches of white on their faces and chest. They’re perfect.

When we wake, there are rustling noises and whispered voices outside our bedroom door. Blue shoots me an alarmed look, his ears twitching wildly before we both shift back.

Quickly, I pull on some boxers before wrapping Blue’s dress back around him, making sure he’s somewhat covered while he cuddles two little balls of fur close to his chest.

Our room is a mess, with a bloodied nest taking up half of the space, and the scent of us saturates everything. But that apparently isn’t enough to deter our family as there’s a knock on the door.

“I tried to keep them away as long as I could!” Tuesday calls from the landing, sounding almost apologetic. Well, as apologetic as an arrogant cat can.

“I brought food! I thought you might be hungry.” My mother says gently, and Blue chuckles, looking more at peace than I’d seen him in a while. I knew bringing Wren and Briar into the world safely had been a big concern for him, but he’d done it beautifully. I was so proud of him.

As our family and friends pour in, congratulating Blue and cooing over our leverets who aren’t quite ready to shift yet, I can feel the love surrounding us. This is what I was looking for all those years ago, not some jewel thief or some missing runaway. I was looking for my Fated Mate. The love of my life. The father of my children.

“Oh! It looks like I made it just in time,” a small man with strawberry blond curls gasps as he enters the room.

His big wide eyes are hidden behind a pair of round glasses that are resting cautiously on his cute button nose. The way Blue’s exhausted face lights up tells me that this is the famous Tawny. As he’s about to step forward into the room, my brother, Kingsley, blocks his way with a low growl. T doesn’t hesitate, stepping forward and going toe to toe with King.

“Why the fuck is my neighbor here?”

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The End