Page 29

Chapter Twenty-Eight

T hey were all downstairs later, even Zack and Jacob, because the family was coming home, and Mo knew Zack was desperate to see his son. Mo had gotten Mattie a gift, and it had arrived that morning. He’d also found out that Jax, Riley’s mate, was a luna wolf, which meant not only could he tell what their baby was going to be, but also whether they were going to be an alpha, omega, or a beta. He was excited. He also wanted to speak to Luke about his own plans. He wasn’t in a hurry though, because the first time he shifted, he wanted to be able to share it with both his mates and Zack was currently banned from shifting.

He grinned as Khloe and Honey entered the living room, and Khloe practically danced with excitement as she skipped over. “I just spoke to Aunt Janelle.”

“Wow,” Mo grinned back. He hadn’t had a chance to even think about their newly discovered aunt with what was happening with Zack. They’d briefly been told their mom had a falling out with her father about a boy, not Mo’s dad, and had left the pack.

“She’s an alpha,” Khloe shared, her eyes huge, “and she’s invited us both to visit. I told her it would be a while for you, but would you mind if Honey and I went?”

Mo hugged her. “Of course not.”

“How are you planning on getting there?” Victor immediately asked, and Khloe chuckled. “If someone could get us to the Canadian border, Aunt Janelle will send her own enforcers to meet us.” Victor nodded his agreement, then Mo noticed Daniel had arrived and was making a beeline for him. He took one look at Daniel’s carefully controlled demeanor and his stomach dropped. Victor moved in close, obviously feeling the same. Zack looked up and narrowed his eyes.

“I wondered if I could have a talk with you?” he nodded to the office and Mo stood, clasping Zack’s hand.

“Just tell me,” Mo whispered as soon as Daniel had closed the door.

“I’m sorry, but yesterday afternoon, your father got shanked in the prison yard. By the time they got him to the infirmary, he was dead. Of course I’ll tell Khloe, but—”

Mo put his hand up. “No, I will.”

Zack and Victor surrounded him. “I’m sorry,” Zack whispered.

“Why?” Mo asked, still in shock. “He was a bastard to us.”

"He was," Victor agreed, his arm tightening around Mo's shoulders. "But he was still your father."

Mo leaned into Victor's solid strength, surprised by the complex emotions swirling through him. Relief, guilt, a strange emptiness where anger had lived for so long.

"I should feel something more," Mo admitted quietly. "But all I can think is that he can't hurt Khloe anymore. Or anyone else." He looked up at Daniel. "Do they know who did it?"

Daniel shook his head. "The investigation is ongoing, but prison murders are notoriously difficult to solve. Most inmates won't talk, and cameras are often conveniently malfunctioning in these situations."

Zack took Mo's hand, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on Mo's palm. "Do you want us to be there when you tell Khloe?"

“Yes, but later.” Mo inhaled and stepped back a little. “I may have to process this some more.” He shrugged. Or maybe not. Did it make him a bad person to feel such relief? No, he didn’t think it did.

“Is Alex down yet?” Daniel asked.

“I think he’s helping Noah with Jacob,” Victor said.

Daniel huffed. “I wanted to let him know he was on the money about the assistant coach. He was arrested an hour ago for identity fraud.”

“Come on, I want to meet Mattie and show him his present.”

“You got him a present?” Victor said, a little panicked. Mo grinned. “I got him one from you too.” He'd found a child-sized jeep that Mattie could actually drive around the property, with a remote-control override for when adults needed to take charge.

"He's going to lose his mind," Zack chuckled, knowing what it was, his hand resting on the noticeable curve of his stomach. "And probably run everyone ragged asking to drive it."

They heard excited voices from the kitchen when they opened the door and rushed to follow everyone else to the door where three large minivans were pulling into the driveway. Then it seemed like everyone was hugging and kissing and talking all at once. "Daddy!" Mattie's voice rang out, and Zack's face lit up with joy as the small boy broke away from the group and raced toward them.

Zack knelt, arms open wide, and Mattie crashed into him with the full force of a two-year-old's enthusiasm, his little arms wrapped tightly around Zack's neck.

Mo watched as Zack closed his eyes, holding his son close, the emotion on his face raw and unguarded. After everything they'd been through, this reunion felt like a missing piece sliding into place.

"I missed you too, buddy," Zack murmured, his voice thick. "More than you know." Then, much to Mo’s consternation, he stood with Mattie still clutched in his arms, not able to hide the wince. Riley’s head whipped around to his brother immediately, even as he was being greeted by his husband Jax and their kids. Victor noticed and reacted quicker than Mo could, and before Zack knew what was happening, he was sitting at the kitchen table with Mattie still clinging to him, insisting he was okay.

Mo relaxed. Mattie was adorable. He immediately put on Mo’s gift—a t-shirt saying “Big Brother” in huge letters that Mo couldn’t resist trying to help him spell out.

Then he opened the jeep and, of course, all the kids had to take a turn in it.

Zack sat and watched them all indulgently, until Daniel, Luke, and Olli decided to take their family home. Christopher disappeared with his wife and the rest of the kids, and just as he was deciding that bending down and lifting Mattie hadn’t been kind on his back, both Riley and Jax appeared in front of him. Victor and Mo arrived as well, and he knew Jax was waiting for Zack to ask what he was having. “So,” he said carefully. “I don’t care what it is. I think I’d rather be surprised.”

Jax chuckled. “Well, at least you don’t have to wait long to find out.”

Zack rolled his eyes but nodded. “You’d know more than me, but so long as everything’s slowed down properly, then it could be another eight weeks, I’m guessing.

Jax and Riley looked at each other and Riley shook his head. “Try eight hours.”

Jax snorted. “More like two.”

Zack felt the color drain from his face. “What?”

“You’re in labor, buddy.”

“No,” Zack said, his voice rising in panic, and thankfully Alex appeared and lifted Mattie up, asking if he wanted to show him how to drive the jeep. “I can’t be. It’s too early.”

Riley bent down. “It’s okay. He’s going to be okay. He's able to survive on his own.” He looked at Victor. “Let’s get him upstairs, yeah?”

“Upstairs!” Mo shrieked. “But we need an ambulance. What do you mean upstairs?”

Riley gazed at him. “Mo, he’s a guy—”

“I know,” Mo screeched. “But I also know you haven't got a surgical area upstairs and Dr. Adams isn’t here.”

“Surgery?” Victor said. “What—”

“Because he needs a c-section,” Mo snapped, like Victor was the most stupid person on the planet.

Riley grinned and moved to Zack’s other side. Between him and Victor, they got him upstairs.

“Mo,” Jax said calmly when it looked to Zack like Mo was going to tear his hair out. “He doesn’t need a c-section. He’s going to give birth naturally.”

Mo paled. “What do you mean?” He waved a hand at Zack. “I’ve seen all that man has, and trust me, he’s a hole short.”

They all laughed and if Zack hadn’t had been struggling with his breathing, he might have enjoyed the stunned look on Mo’s face as Jax explained.

Mo flushed bright red. “You guys are never gonna let me forget this, are you?”

Riley and Jax sprang into action, and soon Zack was back in bed. Jax had shown Mo where the protective mattress cover was and the clean sheets. Riley had given Victor a list of things to do simply to stop Victor leaning over them and growling because halfway up the stairs Zack’s first contraction had hit, and Victor didn’t like his mate in pain.

"Is it normal for it to happen this fast?" Mo asked, holding Zack's hand as another contraction rippled through him.

"For male shifters, yes," Jax replied, laying out sterilized instruments on a tray. "Especially bears. Once labor starts, it's usually quick and intense."

"But we thought we had more time," Victor said, returning with the supplies Riley had sent him for. His voice was steady, but Mo could feel his anxiety through their bond.

Riley patted Victor's shoulder reassuringly. "The accelerants they gave him at the facility are mostly out of his system, but they did their job. The baby is fully developed and ready to come. This is actually good—no more waiting and worrying."

Zack grimaced as the contraction eased. "Easy for you to say," he muttered, but there was no real heat in his words. His hand moved to rest on his belly, trying to calm down. "It's really happening."

"It really is," Mo whispered fiercely, pressing an intense, loving kiss to Zack’s forehead. "And you're going to be phenomenal."

Zack met his gaze, eyes aflame with worry. "What if he isn’t okay?"

“Zack,” Riley cajoled. “Do you really think either Jax, who is the best midwife in the world, or I, who am the superior twin—” he teased, “—would let anything happen to either of you?”

The labor progressed faster than any of them had anticipated. Victor paced at the foot of the bed while Mo remained steadfastly at Zack's side, murmuring encouragement and wiping his brow with a cool cloth.

"You're doing great," Riley assured Zack, checking his progress. "You're already at eight centimeters. Won't be long now."

Zack gripped Mo's hand so tightly that Mo winced, though he never complained. "I can't believe this is happening," Zack panted between contractions. "We haven't even gotten the nursery ready."

“Don’t worry about that,” Mo soothed. The next contraction hit before Zack could respond, more intense than the previous ones. He arched up from the bed, a low growl escaping him as his bear responded to the pain.

"Breathe through it," Jax coached, his calm presence a counterpoint to the tension in the room. "That's it. Your body knows what to do."

When the contraction passed, Zack slumped back against the pillows, sweat beading on his forehead as he labored to control his breathing through the intense pain. "I need to push," he gasped, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and determination.

Riley checked him again and nodded. "You're fully dilated. On the next contraction, I want you to push."

Victor moved to Zack's other side, taking his free hand. "I'm here," he murmured, pressing his forehead against Zack's temple. "We both are."

The next contraction built quickly, and Zack bore down with a guttural growl, his face flushing with the effort.

"Good," Jax encouraged. "That's perfect, Zack. I can see the head."

Mo squeezed Zack's hand. "You're doing it, love. You're amazing."

Victor's eyes were wide with awe as he watched. His wolf was near the surface, his protective instincts heightened as his mate labored to bring their cub into the world.

"Rest a moment," Riley instructed as the contraction eased. "The next one should do it."

Zack panted, his eyes meeting first Mo's, then Victor's. "I love you both," he whispered. "So much."

"We love you too," Mo replied, tears streaming down his face.

The final contraction built, more powerful than all the others combined.

Zack's roar echoed through the room as he pushed with every ounce of strength he possessed, his body trembling with the effort.

"That's it," Jax encouraged. "Shoulders are coming... and—"

A tiny, indignant cry filled the room, cutting through the tension like a knife. Jax cradled the squirming newborn in his hands, a broad smile spreading across his face.

"It's a boy," he announced, his voice thick with emotion. "A healthy baby boy."

Mo let out a sob, his hand flying to his mouth as he stared at the tiny red-faced infant. Victor seemed frozen, his eyes wide with wonder as he took in the sight of his son for the first time.

Riley quickly cleared the baby's airways before placing him on Zack's chest. "Here you go, Daddy. Meet your son."

Zack's arms came up instinctively to cradle the newborn, his tears flowing freely as he gazed down at the perfect little face. "Hi there," he whispered. "We've been waiting for you."

The baby's eyes blinked open—deep brown like Victor's—and seemed to focus on Zack's face for a moment before closing again, his tiny fists waving in the air.

"He's perfect," Mo breathed, reaching out to stroke the baby's downy, dark hair with trembling fingers. "Absolutely perfect."

“What are we calling him?” Mo asked.

Zack shook his head. “No idea.” It had happened so quickly they’d never given a thought to names.

“Just a thought,” Victor said. “Neither Mo nor I want him to have any association with our dads, but what about yours?”

“Christopher?” Zack asked.

“It suits him,” Mo declared, so Christopher it was.