Page 31 of Hunny and the Bear (Bearly Yours #1)

Thirty One

T ank thought he’d felt terror before, but it was nothing compared to now. Hanging up the call with his mom, he tossed his phone onto the dashboard before taking Hunny’s hand in his. Her touch was like ice, and her skin was paler than usual as he looked over at her, his brow furrowed with concern. The scent of her blood mixed with her own usual scent was unnerving, causing his inner beast to roar and claw at his insides, demanding to be set free in order to help their mate. The animalistic side of himself didn’t understand what was happening.

Not that his human side fared much better. Fear and uncertainty were riding him hard, though he was doing his damndest to keep those emotions locked up tight, at least until he could get his mate to his mom. Losing his shit wouldn’t do Hunny or himself any favors; not when she was relying on him to get them through this.

His stomach was twisted into knots, his limbs shaking as he fought to pretend that everything was fine. Hunny was checked out beside him; the only thing keeping her from sobbing was the gentle waves of dominance he sent her way every few minutes. Thank fuck he was a dominant shifter. All he could do right now was get her there quickly and try to force back the overriding panic pushing against her.

It was a strain to exert his dominance in waves like this for any length of time, though, but he didn’t care. He’d seen the look of pure terror on her face, had caught the scent of her utter despair as she’d realized at the same time he had that something was terribly wrong.

She thought she was losing the kits. Hell, he thought she was losing the kits. There’d been so much blood, he didn’t know what else to think.

He didn’t know how to help his mate other than to minimize her anguish, to keep her calm. It was a temporary solution until he could find someone to help her. His mom was already at the clinic, just a few minutes away. She’d know what to do. How to help them.

Fuck, he thought almost desperately. Please let Mom know what to do . These kits might not be his by blood, but they were his just as much as they were Hunny’s. He’d vowed to love and protect them, to keep them safe and raise them. If Hunny miscarried, he’d be devastated. But he knew that was nothing compared to the heartbreak his mate would feel.

Tank’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, the leather and metal creaking ominously.

“We’re almost there, darlin’,” he assured Hunny, pressing down on the gas pedal. If she heard him, she didn’t answer, only mumbling something about the time. He knew what she meant—what she’d said as he’d called his mom a few minutes prior.

Jason and his Beta would be at the den house, picking up Natasha’s body. The very thing he’d wanted to avoid—exposing Hunny to that prick ever again—was coming to fruition. He didn’t want Hunny, nor their kits, anywhere near that sick son of a bitch. But there was nowhere else to take her. It would take too long for his mum to grab all her stuff and get to his cabin. And if she needed more … surgery or something … then Hunny needed to be at the clinic.

No matter who they’d encounter there.

“I think I’m in shock.” Hunny’s voice was off. Hollow. She blinked hard as if to clear her vision. “I feel like I’m not really here, like I’m just detached from this entire situation.”

“It might be my power,” Tank admitted, hating that his attempt to help could be causing her more distress instead. “Do you want me to ease it back?”

She shook her head, her fingers tightening on his. “No. N-Not yet, okay? Not until we know …” She trailed off, looking out the passenger side window.

“Whatever my mom says, little rabbit, we’ll be okay.” Lifting his hand, he kissed the back of her palm. “It could be nothing.”

Even as he said it, acid burned in his gut. There’d been a lot of blood between her thighs. On the sheets, too. Was bleeding normal at this stage of her pregnancy? Fuck. He had no goddamn idea.

He clenched his jaw, furious with himself that he hadn’t picked up those books from his mom yet. They’d been delivered yesterday. If he’d gone to get them, he could have read up on this very thing. He could have been prepared for any kind of difficulty—

Hunny cleared her throat, drawing him from his thoughts. “You’re right. Maybe this is normal,” she agreed faintly, swallowing thickly. But he didn’t miss her small whine of discomfort.

Not a moment too soon, the den house came into view, his mom’s vehicle one of the first he spotted in the parking lot. Tank let out a relieved breath, pulling into a parking spot quickly. Less than a minute later, he had Hunny in his arms and was inside the building, prowling toward his mom’s office. He didn’t see the wolf or any of his pack, nor did he smell them, which he filed away to give a damn about later.

Hopefully, the fuckers hadn’t shown up. Or they had arrived earlier in the morning, sparing Hunny from further distress. Heart in his throat, Tank carried his mate into the clinic.

“ I ’ve got some good news for you both.” Pointing at an image on the ultrasound screen, Tabitha sent Tank and Hunny a reassuring smile. “Everything looks great. Kits are nice and healthy.”

Tank leaned over the bed his mate was lying on, all but sagging into her in relief as he placed a kiss on her forehead. He closed his eyes as his lips pressed against her skin, and he just breathed her in. His mom had cleaned Hunny up a few minutes ago, removing the scent of blood and replacing it with the stench of chemicals that stung his nose, but in that moment, he didn’t give a single fuck.

The last half hour had been a nightmare that he was unsure if he’d woken up from yet. Who knew the best blowjob of his life would turn into the worst morning he’d ever gone through?

“You’re sure everything is alright?” Hunny asked quickly, the fear in her eyes dissipating as she laid her hands on her belly. He followed suit, needing to touch her, to touch his little family and reassure himself that everything was actually okay. She looked at the screen and then back at his mother. “Nothing’s wrong? Why was I bleeding so much then?”

The reminder had Tank growling low in his throat on instinct. Luckily, Hunny had stopped bleeding on the drive over, not that he’d noticed, as stricken as he’d been.

“Some females bleed irregularly during their pregnancies. It’s more common with multiple fetuses, but a bit of spotting, or in your case, bleeding, isn’t always a bad thing. Have you two been sexually active recently?” Tabitha asked clinically, rolling away from them both on her stool. Removing her gloves, she tossed them into the hazardous waste bin before turning back to face them.

“I mean, uh, well, we’re mated,” Hunny began awkwardly, a delicate blush staining her cheeks. Tank nearly collapsed at the sight, relief coursing through him as she regained her normal, healthy glow. She’d been so pale, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get the image from his head.

Tabitha sent Hunny a pointed look. “That doesn’t really answer my question, dear. You smell like Tank, but that could be from the mating bond itself and the bite. Nothing else.”

“Yes, we’re having sex,” Tank answered hoarsely. “Did I hurt her? Did I hurt the kits?” Dread churned in his gut at the thought, self-loathing roaring through his head. If his dick needed to steer clear of his mate for the rest of her pregnancy, he would make sure the horny bastard remained firmly contained in his pants.

Tabitha snorted, shaking her head. “No. Sexual intercourse isn’t something that will cause harm. But the cervix is more sensitive during pregnancy, so if you’ve been having more sex than usual, it could cause bleeding like this.”

Hunny bit her lower lip before adding, “We had sex last night.”

“That’s probably what caused it, dear. But as I said, the kits are healthy and so are you, so please don’t stress over today any more than you already have. To be honest, your panic might have made the bleeding seem worse than it was.” Tabitha rolled back over to their table, gently patting Hunny’s knee through the privacy sheet. “It was good of you to come as soon as you noticed it, though. It never hurts to be safe with matters like this, so you both did the right thing. Do you have any more questions for me?”

Hunny wrinkled her nose, something Tank noticed her doing whenever she had a distasteful thought. “Do you think I’ll bleed like this again every time after sex?”

Tabitha shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Every female is different. Ideally, this won’t be a recurring issue, but even if it is, make sure to either come in or call me so we can discuss if any action needs to be taken. Okay?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” Hunny reached out, giving his mom a quick hug. “Thank you.”

Standing from her stool, Tabitha gave his mate another sweet smile before she cast a hard glare his way. Immediately, he was on edge, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Congratulations on your mating, Tank.” She sniffed dramatically, dusting off her clean shirt. “It would have been nice to hear the news from you , but hearing it from one of my other children was fine, too.” She muttered under her breath, “I suppose.”

Tank sighed, running a hand down his face. “Jasper told you, didn’t he?”

“Of course, he did.” Tabitha threw her hands up in the air. “At least one of my boys cares about his mother’s feelings and wants to keep her in the loop. I swear, getting you and Murphy to talk to me is like pulling teeth. You never tell me anything.”

“It’s not like that,” Tank argued. “Of course, I planned on telling you, but the last day hasn’t exactly been uneventful.”

Tabitha raised a brow. “And your phone wasn’t working at all yesterday? Just this morning?”

“I didn’t think about calling. I wanted to tell you in person,” he told her reluctantly, his gaze moving from his mom to Hunny as she slipped from the table, straightening her clothing and dropping the privacy sheet back onto the table’s surface.

Tabitha walked over to an oak desk in the corner, grabbing a small stack of books. Bringing them over to Tank, she dropped them into his hands. They were heavier than he’d expected, and he looked down, glancing at the various titles.

“Start with the purple book. It’s the most detailed and goes over each trimester. I crossed out the information that wouldn’t pertain to a shifter pregnancy and highlighted the parts that you’ll want to pay close attention to. If you have any questions, call me.” Cupping his cheek tenderly, Tabitha waited until Tank looked up from the books. Her eyes swimming with happy tears, she whispered, “Congratulations, my darling boy. Hunny is a perfect choice for you.”

Tank’s throat tightened with emotion, and he nodded. “I think so too.”

Patting his cheek again, Tabitha dropped her hand, sending Hunny a grateful look as the rabbit shifter stepped up beside Tank. “Welcome officially to the family! I can’t wait for Phillip to meet you. He’ll be so proud to see such a wonderful female on his son’s arm.”

Hunny smiled, only a brief hint of her previous stress still lining the corners of her mouth. “Thank you. I’m a bit nervous to meet the rest of Henry’s family, but I’m excited too.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. Phillip will love you, just like I do.” Tabitha announced firmly. She pointed a threatening finger at Tank. “And if this grumpy old bear gives you any trouble, you just let me know, dear.”

Laughing, Hunny assured her she would, and that one simple statement, combined with the sweet sound of his mate’s laughter, vanquished the last of Tank’s fears.

Tabitha waved them both toward the closed office door. “You should get out of here before our guests arrive.” She hissed out the words, referring to the Moon Rose pack. “They’re late, and it’s made Murphy’s mood foul, but I’m sure they’ll show up at the most inopportune time.” Tank pulled open the door for his mate, following her out into the lobby as his mother continued, “And again, if you have even the slightest concern regarding the health of your kits, call me right away—”

“ Kits? ” a grating, masculine voice interrupted from across the room. Tank’s head jerked up right as he scented the obnoxious odor of several wolf shifters permeating the air. With his free hand, he grabbed Hunny, pulling her protectively behind him.

Jason stepped forward, Ben and Angela following closely behind him. “You’re pregnant with multiple pups, Hunny?”