Chapter 26 #2
The baby chugs the bottle, his throat bobbing with every swallow. He pauses every few seconds to breathe, then gets straight back to it. I jolt when he momentarily chokes, my panicked gaze flying to Gilo.
“He’s fine.” Gilo chuckles. “Just eager.”
The baby coughs again, then drags in a large breath and resumes chugging.
Gilo makes himself busy, and it’s several minutes before Caleb returns. My mate zeroes in on me, immediately making his way over. He leans over the bassinet, silent as he watches me feed the infant.
“What’s going to happen to them?” I ask.
Caleb shrugs. “Sash is discussing options with the women. Once identified, they want their children brought to their rooms after examination. If they want, we’ll set them up with homes and all the resources they need to raise their children within the pack.”
I frown, my eyebrows pulling together as the baby I’m feeding spits out his bottle. Then he smiles, showcasing a mouth full of gums.
“What about the babies whose mothers were killed?” I ask.
Caleb takes a minute to answer. “There are shifters who never found their mates or were unable to conceive. The infants will likely be adopted by them.”
I hum, eyeing the little pink baby currently grinning up at me. He’s cute, and I laugh when he cranes his neck for the bottle again. I stick it in his mouth.
“Will any of these babies be able to shift?” I ask. “They are half-shifters, right?”
Caleb shrugs. “I’m not sure. Most half-shifters can. It’s not until they’re two generations removed that things get iffy. We won’t be able to confirm until they hit puberty, though.” He pokes the baby’s thigh, squishing a fat roll. “This chunk probably will. He’s huge.”
The baby turns his head to the side, staring down Caleb. He’s in a much better mood, and he bursts out in a giggle as Caleb dances fingers into his neck, tickling him. The child lifts and drops his legs, slamming his feet against the bassinet mattress.
“You’re a big, fat baby, aren’t you?” Caleb continues tickling his neck. “Big chunky boy. We’ll call you ‘Chunk.’”
Caleb’s good with babies. Surprisingly, nauseatingly so. I’m jealous. I want to be good with babies.
I turn toward Gilo. “What’s his name?”
Gilo sighs. “He doesn’t have one. We suspect HPAW referred to them by their numbers.”
They didn’t even name the babies. Red-hot anger burns through my veins. I can’t even begin to conceptualize how much I hate HPAW.
The baby’s attention shifts to me, his smile fading. Can he sense my anger?
I force myself to remain happy, at least in my outward appearance.
The baby’s smile returns.
“HPAW doesn’t get to get away with this,” I whisper.
Caleb slides a hand down my back, slow and steady. Grounding. “They won’t.”
I tilt my head toward him. “What are you going to do?”
He doesn’t answer right away. His thumb traces a small circle at the base of my spine before he speaks. “The Americans know that HPAW’s Florida facility was infiltrated. They know humans were taken.”
My breath catches. “And?”
“The American government hasn’t given any details,” Caleb says. “They obviously want to keep HPAW’s experiments quiet, and I’m hoping I can leverage that information into a deal.”
Nurse June enters the room with another baby. This one is smaller than the others, clearly younger. Thankfully, it’s not crying. She carries it to the nearest bassinet, quietly shushing as she lays the sleeping baby down. It stirs slightly, then stills, fast asleep.
I turn back to Caleb. “What kind of deal?”
“The other alphas and I will agree to keep quiet if the Americans dismantle HPAW,” he says.
“I want funding slashed and every facility shut down. We will share that the humans we removed from the facility were marked humans, but they’re not here by force.
Once they’ve had time to rest and heal, they can choose where they want to live. ”
Caleb places a hand on Chunk’s belly, feeling it rise and fall. “I hope they choose to stay in the pack, but I won’t force them.”
I take a moment to think over Caleb’s words. I don’t like this.
“You would agree to keep quiet about the experiments?” I ask. “People deserve to know what was done to them.”
“They do, but I have to put my pack first.” His voice lowers. “That includes you.”
“But—”
Caleb interrupts. “The American government wants to keep this information private. They’ll be willing to make deals they otherwise would never agree to. Dismantling HPAW will have lasting, positive impacts for my people.”
I shake my head. “But if you go public with the breeding program, the Americans will turn against their government. They’ll demand HPAW be shut down. They’ll demand change.”
“The people have no power, Ev.” Caleb sighs.
“They probably won’t even believe us. Even if they do, at best, they’ll be angry for two weeks before getting distracted by the next headline.
It won’t last, and the American government will work hard to redirect the hatred toward me. I need something that will last.”
Chunk burps, and a baby on the other side of the room begins to cry.
Caleb’s attention shifts toward the cot. I take this moment to study his face, my gaze shifting from the visible tension in his jaw and the downturned corners of his lips to his heavy eyes. He looks exhausted.
“Okay,” I say.
Caleb’s brows knit. “Okay?”
“I trust you,” I say. “Even when I don’t agree with you.”
Caleb’s entire body softens, his shoulders curling inward and his eyelids slipping shut. He pivots to face me, his hand sliding to my waist and pulling me closer. He continues until my forehead rests against his chest. I breathe him in.
“You don’t have to carry this alone,” I whisper. “I’m with you. Always.”
His lips press against the top of my head. “Thank you.”
I don’t need to be thanked for loving my mate. Loving him isn’t a burden.