Chapter Twelve
Graham set a punishing pace as they tore through the woods to return home. Blake was being pushed to the limit of his smaller sigma body. And even Draco was laboring because he had the added burden of carrying a pack on his back with his and the sigma’s belongings. He didn’t care. Something told him he needed to get back to his mate. There was an unnamed fear coursing through him, agitating his wolf and human brain alike. The feeling became particularly acute when he tried calling out to Tripp and got no answer in return.
Something is wrong. That was the only reason why his mate’s wolf would hide from him.
He put on a burst of speed as they cleared the perimeter of the packlands, sure that the others could now protect Blake without him. As he raced into the yard of the longhouse, his fear spiked. His father and the alpha were both pacing the area, obviously waiting for his arrival.
He shifted on the fly, skidding on his human feet in front of them. “What’s happened?”
Elijah clapped him on the shoulder. “Nothing bad. You’re a sire now. Congratulations.”
Graham gasped as if he’d been punched in the gut. It took a few seconds for him to be able to breathe again and speak. “Tripp whelped? It’s too early!” New fear gripped him.
His father came over to his other side and likewise clasped his shoulder. “They’re fine. The healer said you’ve got yourself a healthy sigma daughter and wait until you see her.” The older man grinned. “She’s as pretty as her father. Tawny-furred and blue-eyed.”
Elijah steered him toward the longhouse. “I had to change the pup because I wasn’t sure how long you’d be and you know waiting to cause the newborn shift isn’t a good idea. I had to do what was best for your daughter.”
Graham nodded. “I understand, Alpha, and I thank you for it.” As he walked, he was more weak-kneed than he’d ever been before. But for the two men holding him, he might have slipped to the ground. He told himself it was fatigue from the long run back and forth and lack of sleep. He knew better, though.
I’m a sire. Renewed doubts over whether he was ready threatened to swamp him. He shoved the thoughts aside. Tripp needed him to be strong. There would be time later to freak the fuck out in a more private setting. He was going to have to rely on his own father for a lot of advice, that was for sure.
His wolf and Tripp’s connected seconds later, and the pure joy they shared made Graham grin like a fool. He still wore the expression when he entered the birthing room and saw the two most important shifters in the world propped against a mound of pillows together in bed.
Tripp’s eyes lit up. “Graham! Come and see. Look at how beautiful our daughter Grace is.”
Our daughter. Yes, that was right. As he went to them, he searched himself for any doubts about his love for this pup that he was claiming as his own. There was none. This was his family now and he loved them both unreservedly. He would provide for them, protect them and even die for them, if need be. He intended to make sure that no such sacrifice would ever be required. He’d give them a safe and happy home to grow and flourish in. And there would be more pups in time, and they would be loved equally. No more, no less than this first one.
He sat on the side of the bed and reached over to kiss his mate. “Gods, I love you.” His eyes felt suspiciously moist as he stared into his mate’s already shiny ones.
To compose himself, he switched his attention to the pup. She was as his father had described with a golden coat and bright eyes that stared up at him with surprising intelligence given how newly whelped she was. He couldn’t wait to see her in human form once the first shifting ended, but for now, he memorized every inch of her, knowing that he wouldn’t see his wolf daughter again for many years. It was a shame that pups didn’t learn to shift until puberty. He understood the reasoning for the Gods making them that way. He’d seen for himself the mischief an unusual shifting pup could cause when he’d visited the Rogue Pack. Still in this moment, his pup was nothing but pure joy and he wanted to feel her in his arms.
He held out his hands. “May I?”
“Of course.”
Tripp didn’t need to pass their daughter over. The pup seemed to understand what was happening and wiggled in her father’s arms to get to Graham before they could move her. Amazed at the welcome, Graham took her and held her closely to his chest. Her soft fur tickled his face and she licked him.
“Hello, my sweet girl. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you when you first came out, but I am now and I’ll never leave you and your father when you need me ever again.”
Graham moved to sit beside Tripp and maneuvered the pup so that she sprawled over both of them. “I am sorry, sweetheart, that I couldn’t hold you through this. Was it very hard?”
Tripp put his head on Graham’s shoulder. “It wasn’t bad.”
He kissed his mate’s cheek. “You’re a terrible liar, Tripp. I’ve heard whelping is the worst pain ever.” He would have given anything to put it on himself to spare his mate.
“Cora, your mother and Wren were here to help, so I was in good hands. I didn’t mind the pain given what was coming after it.” He buried his face in Grace’s fur for a moment. “And you brought Blake back so that makes everything all right. He needed you more than I did.” The omega turned wide eyes on him. “He is all right, isn’t he? Garth and the others didn’t hurt him?”
“Yes. He’s fine. Draco protected him.”
Graham snuggled closer to his mate and settled farther down on the pillows. Fatigue washed over him. From the way the pup’s eyes were starting to close, he knew it wouldn’t be long before she fell asleep and her human form took over. He looked forward to napping with his family.
Tripp wasn’t done with his questions, however, apparently not too tired after his ordeal. “Did you have to fight Garth? I mean, the alpha mate said you didn’t but I wasn’t sure if he was saying that just to ease my mind during the whelping.”
“No, he spoke the truth. I was able to persuade Garth to give Blake up and go without bloodshed.” Graham wrapped an arm around Tripp and nudged his head onto his shoulder. He waged a short war within himself about how much to tell his mate. What had transpired had been dominant business. There was no reason to burden a servient with such detail. Still, he didn’t want the boy to worry that trouble continued to loom over them.
“I bribed him with something that I thought your sire would appreciate more than anything Elijah had given.” He took in a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “I promised that if our pup was a dominant, I’d send him to the Low Country Pack once he was old enough to shift.”
Tripp jerked his head to look up at him with a frown. “But you already knew we were having a sigma female.” In the next instant, he grinned. “Garth wouldn’t have known that. My old pack doesn’t have the technology to see inside the womb like Cora does. It was an empty promise.”
“That’s right. I feared Blake would give the game away, but I think his reaction helped sell the story.” He shrugged. “In any event, Garth agreed because he knew the alternative was a fight then and there. Plus, I figured the possibility of Victor siring a servient probably didn’t enter their minds.”
Tripp ran his hand over Grace’s head. The pup was down for the count now and soon the fur would disappear. “You’re right about that. Victor always talked about the pup as his son. None of the dominants liked it when a female was whelped. I don’t think any of them considered if they all sired sons the way they wanted, there wouldn’t be enough females in the pack to mate with.”
“Well, if Garth is anything to go by, they’re all morons.” He squeezed his mate briefly while stifling a yawn. “Let’s follow our pup’s example and get some sleep. We’ve all had a hard day.”
Tripp closed his eyes. “Yes, Graham. That’s a good idea…” Just like that, the omega was out.
Burrowing deeper into the pillows, Graham happily followed.
****
“I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me.” Tripp laid his pup, bundled in the blanket he’d crocheted for her, into the cradle Blake had just delivered. He ran his fingers over the smooth wood. “It’s beautiful, Blake. It’s going to be the first place all my pups are going to sleep.”
His brother blushed and hung his head where he sat cross-legged on the floor. “It’s not much. I wanted to stencil flowers on the sides but didn’t have time.”
Tripp settled himself on the bed once more. He was still sore from the whelping and tired from the effort to nurse and care for Grace. Having time to rest while the pup slept was something he took advantage of.
They were staying in Graham’s old room until their home was finished. Tripp would have preferred returning to the room they’d had in the longhouse, but his mate had insisted on this arrangement instead. He wanted Carol easily available to help Tripp, and of course, Tripp had submitted to his mate on the matter. There would be times to argue with the man over something important. Being coddled wasn’t one of them. Still, he was determined to do as much for himself as he could. In this pack, he didn’t feel like a helpless omega, and that new confidence meant everything to him.
A sudden flood of emotion swept over him. “I was so scared for you.” With just the two of them in the room, it was easy for him to finally speak frankly.
Blake rested his chin on his hand. “I know you were. I was, too, but I was tired of running from the past. Whatever was going to be my fate, at least I knew you were safe. Until you told your mate everything,” he added with a stern look. “What were you thinking, Tripp? Things could have ended badly for you.”
“Graham was never going to let me be hurt. And I was so angry at him—at everyone—that my life would have been worse if I hadn’t let the truth out. Knowing what had really happened while everyone else didn’t would have eaten away at me. I’m truly at peace now for the first time in my life. Are you?” He held out his hand over the cradle.
His brother took it, squeezed, then let go. “Yes. I really am.”
“Our sire will accept Elijah’s gifts and send a beta back here to demand more, I expect. He’ll be disappointed about the pup, but more goods will soothe that hurt, I’m sure.”
“He’s greedy and shortsighted,” Blake agreed with a nod. “I’m not sure that Garth will deliver Graham’s offer, though.”
Tripp furrowed his brows. “Why not?”
Blake shrugged. “From what little time I spent with him, I got the impression that he’s not quite as dumb a gamma as we might have thought. I bet he and the others decide to tell only half the truth of what happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m thinking maybe they’ll tell our sire that I’m dead, that you’re re-mated, and that Elijah had me killed so that I wouldn’t bring trouble to this pack. All those goods is fair payment for a breeding omega, and who cares about a murderous sigma? I got my comeuppance, and even though our sire didn’t get the satisfaction of dealing with me himself, he got a bunch of great stuff.” Blake shrugged again. “That’s what I would think to do and I’m only a dumb sigma.”
Tripp snorted. “No one would ever call you ‘dumb’. Look how well you took care of me in the human world. Graham has said that’s really impressive.”
“Maybe.” Blake shot him a smile before lowering his gaze and staring at the rug underneath him. “I could be wrong. Garth and the others might be too scared of getting caught in a lie. Graham might be mistaken, too, about our sire accepting a possible new dominant pup. They could still come here looking for vengeance.” He looked at Tripp again. “I’m not going to risk bringing more trouble to your safe home.”
Alarm shot through Tripp. He sat up. “What do you mean? You’re not leaving us.” He made it a declaration because the thought of losing his brother again was intolerable.
Blake sprang to his feet and walked around the cradle to sit on the bed. “Not until the spring and I’m not going far.” He grimaced. “I’ve talked to the alpha and Graham about this and they’ve agreed to have Draco take me to the Rogue Pack.”
“Why? What’s there that isn’t here?” He worked to keep his voice low so as not to wake Grace when all he wanted to do was shout. His bubble of happiness hadn’t lasted more than a couple of days.
“Misfits. Shifters who don’t belong anywhere else. It’s kind of the Rogue’s thing, you know? Alpha Lorcan founded his pack as a refuge for strays, like himself. Anyone who doesn’t have a pack to stay in is welcome.”
“But that’s not you. The Green Mountain Pack has welcomed us both. There’s no need for you to seek out a safe place.”
Blake closed his eyes on a nod before looking Tripp in the eye with the kind of fierce determination he’d seen before. “This is a home for me, yes. I don’t want to turn it into a battle ground for my sake. Not only is the risk of lost lives too great, a big fight might catch the attention of the nearby humans. That would be terrible for everyone. The Rogues are more isolated. Humans have no idea they exist. Any fighting would be unnoticed and that pack is a tough bunch of shifters. They’ve had to defend their territory already and are always ready for war.”
Tripp wrapped his arms around his knees. “So you’re okay with bringing trouble to their pack but not this one just because I’m here?”
“I’m hoping I won’t bring trouble to any pack. And yes, protecting you and Grace is the most important thing for me.” He looked down at the pup and grinned. “And anyway, it’s settled. Alpha Lorcan has agreed I can join them next spring. He’s still looking to add to their numbers and he said a skilled sigma is always welcome.”
Tripp was about to argue how nothing was settled in his mind when the door opened slowly and Graham appeared.
Blake hopped off the bed. “I should get back to work.”
“Coward.” Tripp spit out the word as his brother headed for the door.
“Oh, absolutely.” Blake winked over his shoulder. “I’ll leave it to your mate to take the brunt of your ire.” He slipped past the beta with a nod and was gone.
Tripp wasted no more time on his disappearing brother. Instead he glared at his mate. “We need to talk!”