Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
MIKO
Orion slept with his head in my lap, curled into a ball. My hand rested on his back, his gentle breaths easing my tension.
Basil was finally asleep in his chair—after a few angry glares—Cate wide awake in hers.
“You okay?” I asked her.
“Yes. How are you?”
“Needing a cup of tea.”
She smiled. “Me too. He’s one resilient man, isn’t he?”
“He’s special. And smelly.”
“Werewolves in glass houses, sir.”
I stroked Orion’s scarlet hair. “It’s like silk.”
Silk I never want to stop touching…
“I wish I knew what to say to you, Miko.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“I know, but I wish I did.”
“Your husband said enough.” I smiled at her to temper my coldness.
You’re warming me up, I thought at my mate.
She tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. “But it didn’t change anything, did it?”
“Not really.”
She eyeballed a carriage clock on the mantelpiece. “I thought we’d always be together in Haven. The longer we were there, the more I settled into a routine. If I’m honest, I’d given up hope on finding a cure, and that was okay.”
I tilted my head. “Okay?”
“No, Dawn will never be okay. But I’d resigned myself to the new world, you know?”
“Like Lance?”
“Not like Lance at all. Come on, sir. You know I would never get behind his logic.”
“Some of what he says is logical. Nature’s way of evolving the status quo. Humans are done, now it’s the days of the supernaturals.”
She shook her head. “It’s cruel. I miss the humans. I miss the world as it was.”
“I know what you’re trying to say. I’m being a dick.”
“I blame Lance.” She stroked the side of her face with the back of her hand—she often did that when thinking.
“Can we not say his name for a while?”
“Yes, sir.”
After a minute of silence, Cate staring off into space, I asked her to continue.
She did. “Well, because we never really found any information on Dawn, the hunt for the oracle going nowhere, I planted some roots. For me, Haven was perfect. A fortress, having everything we could ever need.”
“Thanks to your husband’s genius engineering.”
“Yes. I suppose…I suppose I got too comfortable.” Her hand went to her belly, and I sat up straighter.
She met my hard stare. “Sir…”
“Cate…”
“I’m an idiot. I got too comfortable…” She dipped her chin. “I…”
Oh, God. “Does James know?”
“No. Oh, Miko. What have I done? We’re both always so careful. I…I don’t know what to do. I can’t bring a child into this world. Not when we’ve lost a safety that was never really there.”
“We can—”
“I’m an idiot. What is wrong with me?”
“Breathe, Cate. Just breathe.”
She held her stomach protectively. “This is supposed to be joyful. I’ve always wanted a family, especially after meeting James. He’ll be so happy when he finds out. Only…” She sobbed gently. “I can’t have a baby in a zombie apocalypse. What if it’s human? I can’t… I can’t…”
Highly unlikely the baby would be human, though not impossible. After all, look at my bloodline.
I lifted Orion’s head off my lap, laying him down to attend to my pack member.
I crouched before her, holding her by the knees. “Breathe with me. Come on. In and out. Deep breaths.”
She mirrored my breathing, slowly calming down.
I reached up, wiping her tears with one hand. “It will be okay.”
“How?”
“Let me get you some tissues.” There was a box on the mantelpiece. I plucked a few, handing them to her.
“Thank you.” She dabbed at her eyes, wiped her running nose. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to break down like that.”
“Never apologize for your feelings.”
She took my hand. “What am I going to do?”
“First, talk to James. Then we can figure the rest out afterwards.”
“Miko…”
I gave her hand a squeeze. “Everything will be okay.”
Another reason to see the oracle’s words through. Cate and James had a whole future ahead of them, one they needed to explore without biters banging on their door.
I looked back at my mate, knowing what had to be done.
But it would all come down to timing and certain conditions. There were things to do first, and then I’d get it done, no matter how much it fucking hurt.