Chapter Twelve
Drew
Sat in the kitchen, I clutched at Leonidis’s hand as he stared into space. I glanced at Maximus who held the parcel, rocking them, giving him begging eyes.
He shook his head. He needs time to think.
I focused on blocking the parcel and Leonidis. If he does that, then he’ll never accept Butch. Did you see his neck was bleeding? If Leonidis ingested Butch’s blood, then he’ll need Leonidis to complete the mating or he’ll wilt.
Maximus shuddered and paled. Fuck!
He’d had firsthand experience of that, and it was scary. Butch… would he be as stubborn as Leonidis?
Have you found Butch?
I waited a beat for Goliath to answer, when he didn’t I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or worried about that.
“What am I gonna do now?” Leonidis muttered, his fingers icy in mine.
I gave them a squeeze, rubbing them with my other hand. “What do you want to do?”
“Leave.”
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Maximus growled, then lowered his voice when the babies started to fuss. “This is your home.”
He looked at Maximus, and there, in his gaze, I saw defeat. “It was. Now—”
“No,” I snapped in panic. “You said you were done running. That you’re gonna fight.” I gave him a pleading look as I tightened my grip on his hand to bring his attention to me. “It’s time Leonidis. Amell has taken too much from you already. Don’t let him take this too. Please.”
He sagged, tears glistening in his eyes. “He left.”
Maximus came to the table and without preamble placed the parcel into Leonidis’s arms, forcing him, and me, to let go or drop them. They looked up at him and tears fell.
Maximus crouched down and touched Leonidis’s knee. “You lioned out on him. Pinned him to the floor in a show of strength that for an alpha was probably a little…”
“Scary?” I supplied, when Maximus seemed at a loss.
“Yes, that, but more than that, we have two alphas mated to each other. It was a shock to you for different reasons than for him. You don’t want a mate. His name matches his stalk side—butch. I’m sure that he’s right now trying to figure out how that is—”
“He doesn’t need to figure it out, it’s not happening.” Leonidis sniffed and carefully moved the parcel to wipe at his nose, looking at Maximus. “I don’t want him.”
There was something in his words that didn’t hold true, and I didn’t want to call him out when he was so upset, but Maximus had other ideas.
“You do. I feel it. I’m sure he does too once he gets over the shock. You scratched him with your teeth.”
Leonidis ran his tongue over those same teeth, color leaching from his skin. His eyes widened. “The wilt!”
There was panic coming at the pride, and then the sounds of sneakers and booted feet running through the house came moments later and the room filled. I loved my pride, I really did.
Only it was Burke I watched when he clutched at his belly, looking decidedly peaky. “What is it? What happened now?”
He groaned and bent forward, and water gushed from between his legs, soaking his sweatpants. A puddle developed between his legs on the floor.
“Babies… babies… coming…” Ricky stammered, his eyes so wide they ate up his entire face, before he ran around in a circle, arms flapping. “We’re having babies. We’re having babies… oh to Great Rhu we need help,” he screeched.
One drama, for now, replaced another.
Tim rolled his eyes at Ricky. “Stop being so dramatic and go call Doc Picker.”
Ricky shook his head, his arms going around Burke, who whined, his legs buckling under him. “You do it. I’m not leaving my mate.”
“We need to get him outside and into the soil,” Maximus said, clearly taking charge, which was good because I was feeling more than a little queasy about the reality of what was going to happen. Why had I thought I needed to be here for this?
“Drew, grab the left side and help Ricky take Burke outside.”
Maximus had the ‘don’t argue, just do it’ face, so I got up reluctantly and stepped around the puddle. I tucked my shoulder under Burke’s arm and wrapped my arm around his waist over Ricky’s. “Let’s go.”
“What do you want me to do?” Apollo asked as we got to the door.
“Ring Doc Picker and tell him about Burke.”
“I could go get him,” Glass offered as we exited the house.
“Someone do something,” Ricky called back, looking at me with terrified eyes.
“Ricky, stalk of my heart, you’re gonna have to dial back the panic, the babies are pushing to climb a damn pole,” Burke gasped between moans.
“Sorry,” he murmured, directing us in the opposite direction to the pole in the garden.
There was no way anyone would want to see a mini bull giving birth on a pole.
I shuddered, my imagination running wild at thoughts of a gaping ass and babies hanging from it above my head. Nope… just no.
“Honest, you lot need to stop thinking,” Burke complained as we stopped at the section of ground that he used with Ricky when his mate wanted to stalk out.
It was my turn to apologize. “Sorry.” I glanced at the turned soil. “Is here okay?”
Burke nodded, already sinking to the ground.
“We need to get your pants off,” I murmured, trying to haul Burke back up.
“Scissors,” he moaned, “use scissors.”
The second his knees hit the soil, I darted for the house and burst into the kitchen. “Scissors, we need some, now!”
“What the heck?” Tim blanched as he held the cub in his arms.
Leonidis remained sitting, holding the parcel. “Guys… hey… shit… something’s happening!” he squealed.
“We know… oh they’re splitting.” Tim danced his way to Leonidis.
“Splitting… what the heck does that mean?”
“They are doing what stalks do naturally,” Tim explained, like Leonidis was acting silly.
Leonidis stood and held out the parcel. “Here, you take them.”
“Erm…” I shook my head. “I need scissors!” Yep, they were most definitely what I was going to have in my hands. This baby lark wasn’t all it was cracked up to be!