Page 19 of The Brave (Black Arrowhead #6)

A fter I informed the pack that Atticus was courting me, everyone ruminated in stunned silence. Krys cupped both hands over his mouth, elbows propped on the table. Tak’s brow furrowed as he stared blankly from the opposite end of the table.

The only one who didn’t look like she was hit with bad news was Melody, who was smiling in confusion.

“Are you kidding me?” She squirmed in her chair while looking at Atticus. “I’ve known you since I was a teen, and I’ve never seen you date anyone. All of a sudden you’re in love? Joy? When did this happen? Have I been living under a rock?”

Lakota stifled a laugh.

Atticus and I remained at the opposite end of the table from Tak, as if distance might lessen the blow.

“While at his house, we got a chance to know each other better,” I explained.

“I knew it.” Krys sat back. “He charmed you. That’s what they do.”

Atticus pressed his fingertips on the table and stared daggers at him. “On my word, I would never manipulate a woman’s feelings for me.”

“Bullshit!” Krys shot out of his chair, knocking it back. “Vamps manipulate people all the time to get whatever the fuck they want.”

This wasn’t the Krys I knew. While he loved a good fight, he wasn’t a hothead who went around yelling at people.

“Krys, sit down,” Lakota told him.

“This is a pack , not a coven,” he fired back. “A Vampire has no place here.”

Lucian scooted back. “I suppose that means I should leave?”

Being the peacemaker, Archer stood and gripped Krys’s shoulder. “Everyone needs to chill out and sit down,” he said, shoving his cousin back into his seat. “Let’s hear them out first before we go nuclear.”

Bear stroked his bushy beard. He didn’t like being in the middle of arguments, and I could tell by the look on his face he was trying to figure out a way to reduce the tension. “Anyone want coffee?”

“Whiskey,” Krys grumbled.

Tak folded his arms on the table. “Nobody is drinking alcohol at a pack meeting. If you can’t control your temper, leave the room. Attacking each other isn’t the pack way.”

When it quieted again, I continued. “I’m not sure yet what this is between us, but I can’t ignore my feelings. Good gracious, I felt the same way as you before all this. But then we spent time together, and… I can’t explain it. I’m here declaring that Atticus could be my future mate. I gave him permission to court me, and we’ll see.”

Robyn stroked Catcher’s ear from her seat. “If it does work out, what are your plans? If he were a Shifter, you’d be deciding whose pack to join. But since he lives alone, does that mean you’re leaving us?”

“That would be up to the Packmaster.” Atticus fastened his gaze on Tak. “Joy has given me the privilege of courting her. This isn’t what I ever imagined for myself, but it’s what I always hoped for. From the moment we met, she lit up a place in me that’s always been dark. Joy loves her pack, and if she wants me as her husband, it’ll be her choice where we live. She loves it here. You’re her family. But that’ll be your decision. I understand your concerns. My kind have a reputation, but I could be an asset to this pack. I’m willing to prove just how valuable my contributions can be. In every way possible.”

“I have laundry in my bedroom,” Virgil chimed in.

Salem directed his words to Tak. “She’s hormonal right now. You can’t trust she’s making the best decisions for herself.”

Atticus withdrew his hand from my back. “Don’t belittle this woman in front of me. I won’t stand for it. She had every opportunity to refuse me, and she still has that choice.”

I stroked my belly. “I’ve never trusted Vampires, but Atticus has always put his best foot forward even when I didn’t want to see it. Being alone with him allowed me to learn who he really is. More than that, he shined a light on who I really am. Maybe you should give him that chance too. I’ve always gone along with everyone and never caused a fuss, but my voice matters. I love all of you, and it would shatter my heart if I had to leave. But if that’s what you decide, so be it.” Tears welled in my eyes, and I gathered the courage to get through this and tell them everything. “I’m going to be a mother soon. I have to make decisions—make plans.”

That pulled their attention back up.

Hope touched her chin. “Does that mean… you’re keeping it?”

“My feelings are changing,” I confirmed. “I was so confused before, but now I’m bonding with the baby. That came as a surprise. Maybe I won’t be such a terrible mother after all.”

“Terrible?” Cecilia scoffed. “You would be a wonderful mother.”

I wondered if Atticus had any idea what I was internally struggling with at the moment. “Should I tell them?” I whispered so quietly that only he could hear.

He leaned in close to my ear and replied, “It’s up to you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I have other news that might change how you feel about me more than dating a Vampire,” I confessed. “Now that I’m thinking about keeping the baby, it’s important everyone knows the whole truth. If you can’t accept it, I’ll have no choice but to leave.”

Tak touched a leather bracelet on his wrist. “Do you want to discuss this with me privately first?”

I shook my head. “You already know. This is about the baby.”

Tak immediately scooted back his chair and crossed the room. I wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but when he stood behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders, I felt his unwavering support.

Based on the silence, he must have been doling out lethal glares.

I steeled myself and began. “You obviously know that Salem isn’t the father. But the reason I’ve been afraid of keeping this baby is because I never had time to process what happened to me. Maybe you pieced together a few theories when the Vampires came after Salem. I was kidnapped and held captive in a lab. I don’t remember any of it because they had my wolf. That’s who they impregnated, and I don’t know what experiments they were running.”

Krys turned his gaze to Salem. “Do you?”

Salem shook his head.

I didn’t want to throw him under the bus. “Salem rescued me, and by then I was pregnant. One thing is for certain: This baby is a Shifter. At least in part.”

Montana frowned. “How do you know?”

“Because it shifted inside me.”

Everyone gasped before shaking their heads and murmuring to one another.

“We have a special child on the way.” Tak gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

“I was afraid of what it might be,” I explained. “That’s why I wasn’t certain if keeping it was the best idea. After what happened, I didn’t feel connected, and it scared me. But then it started moving and kicking, and I saw pictures of it.” As I stroked my belly, I felt the baby move. “I’m still not a hundred percent certain I’ll keep it, but if I do, I don’t want to raise it among people who think it’s a monster or treat it differently. I know what that’s like, and it’s an awful feeling to have people you love reject you.”

“Reject you?” Mercy said in disbelief. “Why in the world would anyone treat you that way?”

“Because I was born different, and that’s why the labs wanted me.” Nervous butterflies filled my stomach, and I could hear my mother’s admonishment in my head from all those years ago. Words of rejection. Words of disgust. “I was born with two wolf spirits, not one.”

Virgil’s eyes widened. “Holy cannoli! Are you serious?”

Mercy held her hand to her cheek. “This day’s had more twists and turns than a pig’s tail.”

“Best day ever,” Virgil declared. “I haven’t seen this many shocking twists since the time I dated a contortionist.”

Archer put his arm around Virgil’s neck and covered his mouth.

“After my first change, my parents were in shock. They were embarrassed and disappointed at first, but something changed, and they wanted nothing to do with me. So I built my own life and kept the secret. My manager knew, and he betrayed me in the end, selling me to a lab. Those men were looking for Salem because he worked there, but he didn’t know what was going on. In the end, he saved all of us. Salem took care of me because I was the only one who was pregnant.”

“There was a tag on the cage they kept her in,” Salem added. “That’s how I knew.”

Montana set his hat on the table.

The silence resurrected all those old feelings, and I broke free from Tak’s grasp. “I need some fresh air.”

Once on the back patio, I swallowed hard and wiped away tears.

“Are you okay?” Atticus touched my shoulder.

“No.”

He wrapped his arms around me from behind. “You were brave in there.”

“I’m not brave—I simply had no choice.”

“One always has a choice. You could’ve kept it a secret. You could’ve left the pack. Give them time.”

“Don’t you see?” I faced him. “If even one person in there doesn’t accept the truth, how can I stay? I refuse to live with someone who rejects me, and I certainly won’t raise a child in that environment even if that means becoming a rogue again. And if Tak is in there badgering them to be nice to me and pretend, that’s not good enough.”

Atticus wiped a tear from my cheek. “He’s not. I assure you. Half of them are marveling over your wolves, and the rest are attacking Salem for being a part of it.”

“Oh no.” I hurried inside, back to the noisy dining room. “Stop! Stop it! Everyone.” When I reached Salem, who was on his feet, I stood beside him. “I won’t have anyone questioning his integrity. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be locked in a cage. He’s been good to me, and I’m grateful for what he’s sacrificed. He faked a relationship to give me a safe home. He gave up whatever dreams and aspirations he had for me. Salem did what no one else would. If I can’t hold a grudge against him for what happened, none of you can.”

Virgil rubbed his neck. “So that bullet I took was meant for Salem?”

“They want him dead, and if they find out I’m here, they’ll probably steal the baby and take me out too.”

Krys clenched his fists. “I say we hunt them down.”

“I don’t want violence,” I stressed.

“That ship has sailed.” Krys faced the Packmaster. “We’re sitting ducks, and now we got kids on the way.”

Atticus gripped the back of a chair. “As it so happens, I have the money and experience to end this. You say you got their phones?”

Tak leaned against the table. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now Joy has the floor.”

“Thank you.” I gave Salem’s arm a supportive squeeze before addressing the room. “I might keep this baby. If my having two wolves is too much for you, I’ll leave. But I won’t let anyone treat my child the way I was once treated by the people who were supposed to love me. Don’t hold your feelings in, or I’ll ask Lucian to sniff them out.”

“And I will.” Lucian slumped in his chair and looked around the table. “I lived in a house with a bunch of different Breeds. I’ve got no problem with it. But don’t think you can hide your true feelings from me,” he said, tapping his nose.

Montana put his hat back on and stood. “You said the baby’s a Shifter. Or is it part?”

“I don’t know what it is or how it was made. The baby could be like me—two wolves. Or maybe it’ll be part something else. But now that I know it can shift, there’s always a chance it might happen in public. Until they learn to control their animal… I don’t know. Gracious. I’ve never heard of a baby who can shift. What will people think?”

Archer tapped his hand on the table. “Well, I for one think it’s pretty badass.”

“We’ll put you on diaper duty then.” Krys gave him a sinister smile.

“That’s a hard no.”

Robyn stood and touched the ends of her short dark hair, her smile growing. “We’re going to have a baby wolfy?”

Everyone quietly smiled at the idea, and a weight came off my shoulders as I studied their faces closely.

“It might be different in other ways,” I reminded them. “Maybe it’ll be normal, but I have no idea what they did to me in there—no idea what’s growing inside me.”

“A baby. That’s what’s growing inside you, female.” Lakota rose to his feet. “A packmate. One who’ll keep our wolves on guard. And forget diaper duty; if we have a pup in the house, someone will be on poop patrol.”

Tak roared with laughter.

“Do you know the gender?” Robyn asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to know. It spoils the surprise.”

“You really have two wolves?” Mercy asked. “Dang. That must be a crazy feeling inside your head.”

Hope pushed in a few chairs. “I’m dying to meet them. What a blessing to our pack.”

Everyone looked up to Hope. She always offered good advice, so her public support eliminated any lingering doubt from the pack. The tension lifted as everyone stirred with excitement over the prospect of another baby in the house.

Archer gave my belly a friendly rub and said, “Can’t wait to meet the little squirt.”

They seemed to have forgotten all about Atticus courting me, and I heard Krys whispering something to Tak about going after the labs. Meanwhile, Salem hastily excused himself from the room.

Atticus put his hands in his pants pockets and approached Tak. “When you get a chance, I’d like to speak to you alone.”

“We need to celebrate,” Virgil insisted. “Let’s go to the Rabbit Lounge.”

Hope shook her head. “Not me.”

Mel skipped around the table. “Why don’t you boys head out and let the girls have a night alone to celebrate? We have a lot to discuss.”

“Trying to get rid of us, wife ?” Lakota scooped her up in his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You can show me later how much you missed me.”

He kissed her neck until her legs gave out. “Sounds like a plan. Should I make a pie?”