Chapter 8
Asher
Iwasn’t trying to be a hassle, but things had been going well, and then they weren’t.
I knew it wasn’t in any way Calum’s fault, nor was it mine.
Not really. But how would we explain things if at some point while I was a bit out of it during a fertile period and my magic became a bit off?
They may or may not be able to pinpoint it to here, but it was possible that they would have no clue as to where the issues were coming from.
I waited for Calum to push the cart into the hallway and then followed him into the bedroom. He pulled out a bag that was a flat cube and put it on the bed.
“Your pack is different,” I mentioned.
“Yes. It’s a suitcase. If we decide to travel extensively, we can get you one if you wish. It holds a great deal of things.”
I nodded. “I’ve not really traveled. Just to other villages when looking for my mate. But that was several years ago. I didn’t find him, so I had to return home and move back in with my parents.”
“Are you going to miss them?” Calum asked as he started to pull clothing from the bar in the closet.
“I won’t. They weren’t terrible parents, but we weren’t really close. They won’t miss me, so why waste time and energy on missing them?”
Calum stopped for a moment before he moved close enough to put the clothing on the bed.
I figured out what he was going to do with them and, with a little bit of magic, had the clothes folded and placed in the suitcase.
I wasn’t sure it was packed properly, but the things were in there.
Calum turned back from the closet with more things and froze. “You packed my bag.”
“Did you want me not to? It was only a little bit of magic to do it.”
“No, I appreciate your help.” He laid the clothes he had in his hands down on the bed and then went to the bathroom. I’d discovered it earlier when I was in here when the food arrived.
I used more magic and had the rest of his clothing put in the suitcase, and when Calum returned from the bathroom, he had a plastic bag with him.
“What’s that?”
“Dirty clothing. I haven’t had time to send them to the wash. I’ll take care of it when we get to wherever we’re going to end up. I would think most likely Montana somewhere.”
“That works. I can wash those for you,” I said, holding out my hand for the clothing.
“I don’t need you to. I can wash them in a washing machine when we get somewhere.”
“It’s not an inconvenience. But I understand.” I dropped my arm and continued sitting on the bed beside the suitcase. Calum placed the bag in the bottom of the suitcase, and as he turned to go back to the bathroom again, we both heard a loud knock from the door.
Calum looked at me, and I shrugged. “You’re popular today,” I told him. I figured it was most likely his father, but it could be anyone from the hotel or even the students from earlier.
Calum left the bedroom, and with a quick thought, I washed his dirty clothing and had it folded with the others in the bag. I had just slid off the bed when I heard voices. New voices. And these ones sounded a whole lot like Calum.
I slowly crept toward the door to see if I could peek out into the room without being seen. I could always use magic to make myself invisible, but Calum’s sire was a warlock. He would know I was there. His aura would no doubt be able to sense mine.
“You cannot simply say I met my mate and he’s adorable and then give us no more information, Calum.”
I grinned.
“We might not have let you have enough time to pack, but as soon as I read your email, I let étienne know, and he insisted we come as soon as possible. We sent Master Edison a message with regards to a place for the two of you to stay for the time being. We understand you’ll want somewhere permanent, but anywhere on pack or den lands will be safe for a fertile period. ”
“Thank you, Father. I really appreciate your help.”
“Really, Calum. Where is he? You said he was adorable. I can scent him, but are you hiding him?”
I bit my lower lip to keep from laughing. I figured I’d walk out of the bedroom to let Calum off the hook. These were my mate’s fathers. They would be in my life from here on out. And they really did sound amazing.
I slowly crept forward, wondering who I was going to encounter.
I quickly realized that Calum looked a whole lot like his sire.
My aura immediately recognized which man was which, and Calum certainly took after his warlock father.
His omega dad though, he just looked welcoming.
He spotted me shortly after I appeared around the corner, and his hands went to his face to cover his mouth while his eyes grew exponentially.
“Oh, Calum,” étienne said. I smiled a little and took another step forward.
“Asher,” Calum said, holding out his arm. “I promise they won’t bite. No, Dad might hug you until you can’t breathe, but he’s just friendly like that.”
I grinned as I came closer and immediately glued myself to Calum’s side. These were his parents, and I wanted to make the best impression I could. As it was, I felt I was already causing a huge inconvenience.
“Hello,” I said to both of them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
“You were right. He’s adorable,” étienne said. “I’m étienne. You’re welcome to call me dad if you so wish, but I won’t push.” étienne grabbed ahold of his mate’s arm, and if I’d not been staring at them, I would have missed Calum’s sire roll his eyes.
“I’m Rainier, and as my One said, it is very nice to meet you, Asher.”
“Thank you.”
“Welcome to the family. We understand you two might need some assistance to get to Montana,” Rainier said.
My eyes dropped, and immediately, Calum’s arm tightened around my shoulders. “Hey,” he said, using a hand on my cheek to move my face up to meet his gaze. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
I sighed. “But you said you wanted to show me places and we would be here for a few days. Now I’m ruining it because even if we don’t claim each other for days yet, I still might have a fertile period, and then we’ll still be in the same situation.”
“Fertile periods, although a bit of a frustration in the beginning,” Rainier said, “they are easier to control when they happen after the first one after claiming.”
I deflated and nodded. “I understand. I just feel inadequate because I can’t take us where we need to go. The two of you have taken time out of your day to help us.”
Rainier chuckled. “Well, if you were a shifter, we’d have to do the same for the pair of you. The fact that you have magic and are not able to use it because you are unaware of where to go shouldn’t be any different. We’re here to help. That’s what family does.”
I nodded and then chanced a look up at Calum. He was grinning down at me.
“I just need to finish packing my bathroom things,” Calum said. He took a step toward the bedroom but stopped. “Did you want to come back with me? You’re welcome to stay out here with my parents though.”
I glanced between Calum’s fathers and my mate, but it was étienne’s face that was begging for me to stay with him and Rainier that won.
“I’ll stay here. You’re not far, and it will be nice to get to know your parents a little.”
Calum grinned. He bent down, quickly kissed my forehead, and then went back to the bedroom to finish packing.
étienne seemed to be at the end of his ability to hold himself in check, and he made a little bit of a squeak, and then he held out his arms seconds before I was pulled into a tight hug.
He quickly started swaying back and forth at a somewhat quick pace, and I could just sense the happiness coming from him.
I happened to look up at Rainier to make sure he wasn’t upset at his mate holding me as he was, but there was only a smile on Rainier’s face.
“He was right. You are adorable,” étienne said. “You two will make such beautiful babies together.”
Rainier sighed. “Love, what if they don’t wish for children.”
étienne quickly turned a glare toward his mate. “You know Calum wants children. And I can just tell that Asher does as well.”
étienne turned me slightly, wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and started walking me toward the couch.
“Tell me, you do want children, no?”
I chuckled. “Yes. A few would be nice. I’m the youngest of four.
” We sat on the couch, and Rainier pointed over his shoulder toward the bedroom before he turned and walked in the direction Calum had gone.
I got it. He was probably going to ask his son all of the fatherly questions that needed to be asked.
étienne would distract me, and I’d do my best to make a good impression on my mate’s omega father.
“Youngest of four. Not a bad place or number. I’m sure you know Calum is the middle of three. We’d hoped for a few more, but it simply wasn’t meant to be.”
“I’m sorry,” I told him. I had seen fae couples that were torn apart because they only ever were able to have just one child. They’d wanted more, but fate hadn’t blessed them with more than their first.
“Thank you, but it’s not anything to truly be upset about. I have three amazing sons.” étienne sighed. “Yes, even the grouchy firstborn is amazing. He just likes to keep to himself, and we’ve let him be that way for too long now. That is in part our fault.”
“I really am sorry to cause all of this.”
“Nonsense. This is nothing. We are beyond happy that Calum has been gifted a mate. And I understand it will take time, but we are more than ready to welcome you into the family.” étienne took my hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Benjamin is going to be just as happy for the two of you. And Eli, I’m sure the two of you will become fast friends.
He’s twenty-nine, so I’m not sure how close in age the two of you are. ”
“I’m twenty-eight. So very close in age.” I glanced toward the bedroom, wondering how long Calum would be. Not that I felt overly uncomfortable with his omega dad. “Calum mentioned they have twins.”