30. Hunter
THIRTY
HUNTER
“I have a surprise!”
Odell had been napping. He opened one eye and grunted. “Is it more room in my belly so the baby will stop kicking my ribs?”
“Sadly, no. I wish I could, Dellie. But you get to sit in a comfortable chair or a lounger—I have both. If it’s cold, I have blankets and a cloak if it’s windy.”
I’d built a fire pit, and even though we had one in our garden, it fit the theme so I could reveal the surprise while surrounded by trees. Dad was watching the flames to make sure a spark didn’t start a forest fire, but he’d disappear just before I brought Odell out.
“I’m intrigued. Am I cosplaying a medieval ruler? If I can sit, fine. Waddling, not so much.”
“You can be anything your heart desires, my love.” I didn’t want to give too much away until we were in the woods, but I added, “I’ve been working hard, learning new skills.”
“Is this a sex thing? That thing you do with your tongue is spectacular. Not sure how you can top that, but I’ll let you display your talent.” He grinned.
If that was what he wanted, sure. “I'm thinking of something hotter.”
My mate fanned himself. “I should shower.”
I helped him out of bed and into the bathroom. While he was showering, I texted Uncle Arnie saying I was nervous.
You’ll be fine. Remember what I taught you .
When Odell, Matt, and Tony went away for the weekend, I’d stayed at my uncle’s and he’d trained me.
Don’t start a forest fire . Ranger added flame emojis, lots of them.
Dad texted, I can’t wait to hear how Odell enjoys his day .
Tony and Matt sent thumbs-ups, while Flint asked for the location of a computer file.
Aren’t you going to wish me luck? I asked my big brother.
You don’t need luck. Odell loves you, so even if you mess up, it won’t matter .
Awww, that was so sweet. I went to reply with pink and purple emoji hearts. But this was Flint, my big bro and my Alpha. Would he roll his eyes? I’d never sent either him or Ranger hearts.
Too bad, he was getting them anyway.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Odell was getting dressed, and I took the rest of what I needed into the woods behind the house. When I returned, my mate was in a paternity tracksuit, wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.
I escorted him through the back gate and along the path to where I set up the picnic area.
A lush blanket covering thick padding was on the ground and cushions were scattered around. My mate’s favorite armchair was to one side and a lounger from our garden on the other. The cloak was neatly folded, and I had a table set up and a cooler along with the fire pit that I’d built. It was from a kit, but I had assembled it.
I placed the cloak around my mate and settled him in a chair with a blanket over his legs.
“Impressive.”
“Thank you.” I bowed because I loved bowing and it fit with Odell’s idea of medieval times.
“Something smells good.” He sniffed. “More than one something.” He glanced behind him. “Is Uncle Arnie hiding in the brush?”
“Nope.” I puffed out my chest. “It’s all me.”
Odell closed one eye. “Have you been taking lessons?”
“Maybe.” I didn’t want to boast too much in case what I’d planned was a disaster. “Care for a mojito mocktail?” I pulled a jug out of the cooler. “Lime, mint, and lemonade?”
“Okay.” He didn’t hesitate, make a face, or joke about Uncle Arnie preparing it, a sign he trusted me, and I loved him even more if that were possible.
We clinked glasses, and I waited for his reaction.
“So good.” He drank half the glass while I pulled out the kebabs I’d made this morning with lamb and vegetables. Placing them over the fire, I uncovered the stick breads I’d baked earlier by wrapping the dough around a clean stick and placing it over the fire while Odell was napping. They were a tad misshapen, but I hoped it didn’t affect the taste.
“Did you make that?” My mate was licking his lips, the drink now forgotten.
“I did.” I broke off two bits, and handed one to him. “Bread is life, and these recipes have been handed down in shifter families for generations.”
“This is so good.”
My heart, which had been guarded in the event of a food disaster, resumed its regular, monotonous beating.
I slathered butter on more of the bread, and we fed each other.
“You have to make this again. Maybe we should move into the woods.” My mate licked his lips, and I kissed him, lapping at the rest of the butter.
“And now for some meat and vegetables.” I grabbed a kebab from the grill and pulled off the lamb, feeding it to my mate. “Wolves are meat-eaters, as you are aware, and eating meat is a significant part of shifter culture. We bond when sharing it with our loved ones and the pack.”
The juice from the tender lamb dribbled over Odell’s chin, and he licked it off.
“And the vegetables?”
Bah! My wolf wasn’t a fan.
“That’s a custom from our human side. Growing our own food is a time-honored trait.” It made sense environmentally and health wise, but also in the dark times in centuries past, we had to feed our communities.
“How did you manage this? Did you take a class or watch videos?”
I explained how Uncle Arnie had given up his time to instruct me. There were a lot of disasters and a few successes. “It was fun. I enjoyed learning a new skill.”
“Well, you’ll be putting the skills to use when the baby comes, though I suspect for the first few weeks, we might be eating takeout.”
I waggled both hands in the air. “Or I can batch cook and freeze everything.”
Odell peered under the blanket. “Where is Hunter and what have you done with him?”
“Ha ha ha. It’s a new me, one who can cook, though my repertoire is small.”
We ate more bread and kebab, and when Odell had finished, I brought out the berries I’d picked and the honeycomb.
“This is a nod to our past when our kind lived in the forest.”
My mate pulled off a piece of honeycomb and popped it in his mouth, allowing it to melt on his tongue.
“I’m swooning.”
I didn’t quite understand the meaning but his face was orgasmic, so it had to be good.
“Sit.” He patted the seat beside him, and we shared the blanket. The sun was setting, reminding me of our wedding day, though I hoped the puking part wouldn’t be repeated.
“Thank you so much, babe. This is magical, and I hope we can do it again some day.”
“There’s one more surprise.” I unrolled a map of the stars and pointed out the constellations. “This is something we can share with our baby when they’re older. It shows the heavens on the night we were in this same spot when my wolf told us you were pregnant.”
Odell burst into tears, and I dabbed at them with his cloak. The night had been so perfect. Had I screwed up somehow?
“Thank you. I can’t think of a better gift for our family. We can put it in the nursery.”
With one arm around him and the other on his big belly, we sat in silence, enjoying the warmth from the fire pit.
“Fire must be significant to shifters, as it was to all ancient cultures.”
“Of course. A brutal taskmaster when it gets out of control, but when contained, it creates warmth, safety, and makes food edible.”
“I hope our little one is as comfortable in the forest as you are, even if they aren’t a shifter.”
While I’d been slaving away in the kitchen, Odell had been learning survival skills from Dad, or he had until the later stages of pregnancy. He wanted to experience some of what I did when away from people and a bustling city.
He yawned, and I put out the fire and took him home, settling him in bed before returning to pack up everything.
When I climbed into bed, Odell was asleep, and I checked my phone. There was message after message from my family asking how the night went.
Did Odell survive eating your so-called food? That was Ranger, of course.
It went perfectly .
Uncle Arnie deserves a medal, he replied.
There were emojis from the kids and encouragement from my brothers-in-law.
If you ever get tired of running the club, you can work for Uncle Arnie in his food truck , Ranger told me.
Nothing wrong with that , I texted.
Not that I’d consider cooking a full-time job. I loved my work, but I’d enjoy making meals for my family.
And how are your cooking skills, bro ?
There was silence from Ranger.
Ha! We could have a cook-off, and I could finally beat his ass.