Chapter 40 Orion #2
She grips his wrist, fingernails digging half-moons into his skin. “Just take it out, Ghost. Please. I need to know everything’s... mine again.”
“I thought you wanted to wait. That you didn’t want to get pregnant yet?” Grayson asks cautiously. We are all much older than she is. We would be overjoyed with a pup. But Mona is young. And she’s made it clear she wants to enjoy life as it is for a while.
“I don’t,” she responds with frenetic energy.
“Not yet. I’m not trying to get pregnant.
But when I thought Deidre was stealing my womb, I just…
I panicked. I’m scared she damaged it or…
I don’t know. I just want to heal naturally.
Completely. Besides, you said it can take ages for a shifter to get pregnant, right?
So, I don’t need to worry about that for a while. I just…”
Ghost holds up his hands. “I hear you. But this is something Doc should handle. It will hurt, for one thing—”
“I don’t care about that!” she shrieks, her voice high and thin with panic, her scent turning acrid.
Ghost continues steadily, “And for another, we are all filthy. If you’re concerned about your fertility, I insist we wait. I refuse to compromise your health or take any more chances.”
Mona’s distress floods through the bond, but she manages a tearful nod. We all know what it means to have control stripped away—to watch helplessly as our choices are stolen from us. For Mona and Silas, though, especially. I hate this for her.
She draws her knees to her chest, curling into herself.
Hours later, her breathing finally evens out as exhaustion claims her.
We push forward through the night, only stopping at a motel when our forty-eight sleepless hours catch up with us.
Mona winces occasionally when we hit a bump in the road, but at least some of the color has returned to her cheeks.
When we finally return home to Silent Peak, Mona rolls down the window, letting in the scent of pine and mountain air.
She snuggles into Silas’s chest, her copper hair tangled with the breeze.
The winding road narrows as we climb higher, and Mona’s jasmine and dogwood flower scent intensifies by the second.
Despite the urgent distress flowing through our bond, there’s an unmistakable current of relief. She’s finally home.
Grayson texts Doc, explaining the situation, who arrives at our cabin before we’re even parked, Hilde’s sturdy frame following close behind.
They fuss over Mona—Doc checking her pulse, Hilde pressing a steaming mug of something herbal and bitter-smelling into her hands.
Normally, Mona would shrug away from too much attention, but her shoulders slump with exhaustion.
Wasting no time, Doc guides her upstairs to her bedroom and onto the bed. Everyone but Hilde follows.
Mona’s anxiety increases, breath growing rapidly as the room fills.
Grayson notices how overwhelmed she is and brushes his lips against her forehead.
We don't all need to be in here, but I don't want to let her go, so I'm grateful when he says, “I’ll be downstairs.” As he exits, her breathing steadies.
Silas plants himself at her side like a sentinel, while Ghost lingers in the doorway, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Ghost’s gaze darts between us, uncertain, but his scent warms with gratitude at not being shooed away.
He doesn’t know how to live in a pack—or a clan, even.
But his willingness to try is enough; the rest will come with time.
Silas and I sit on either side of her. Ghost proves himself more thoughtful than either of us when he fetches a towel from the bathroom without being asked.
Mona accepts it gratefully, and we use it to shield her as she removes her pants.
We’re shifters, we’re so used to nudity, it’s as natural as breathing—but this moment feels different.
Clinical. Invasive. Once Doc has her positioned, Ghost adjusts the towel carefully over Mona’s lap while her knees part.
He then takes his place at Doc’s side, watchful and protective.
Doc makes quick work of it, and she barely winces as he removes the small T-shaped device. “There we go,” he murmurs, tone soft. “Your shifter will accelerate the healing, though you might experience some spotting and cramping. Reach out immediately if anything seems amiss.”
“Thank you, Doc,” she says in a small voice.
Doc tucks his tools away. “The device was human-made, but there are herbs available, designed for shifters. It’s not commonly used, but can prevent conception. Visit me when you’re ready to discuss options.” With a gentle smile, he slips out of the room.
The air shifts as he leaves—Mona’s jasmine scent hangs delicately in the space between us. She lies there, the towel barely preserving her modesty while we—her bonded mates—form a protective circle around her. The moment defies simplicity.
Silas cuts through the tension. “I mean, Ghost probably could’ve done it on the road with his hand. Didn’t need that fancy tool Doc used.” He flexes his fingers demonstratively, then into a fist, before giving a half-shrug. I reach over and smack the back of his head for being so callous.
But Mona’s lips quirk as she plays along. “Right? I am an omega, after all. If I can fit all your cocks inside me, I probably could’ve handled your hand,” she says bluntly, glancing toward Ghost.
Silas tilts his head thoughtfully. “Then again, the first time we fist you probably shouldn’t be in the back of an SUV on the side of the road.
” Ghost groans, and Silas inappropriately giggles.
With each inappropriate comment, the tension melts from Mona’s shoulders.
Silas tops it off with, “Want me to make you come, pet?”
Her perfume blooms a little stronger, but she laughs and shakes her head. “Not now, weirdo. Read the room.”
I deliver another light smack to the back of Silas’s head. He chuckles while rubbing the spot, muttering a half-hearted “Ow.”
A shy smile breaks across Ghost’s face as he rocks on his heels, no longer so out of place among us. Silas bends to press his lips to Mona’s bare thigh, then helps her shimmy her pants back on. As we make our way downstairs, I notice the haunted look in her eyes is finally fading.
The living room erupts with noise and movement. Mona barely has time to steady herself before Kellen sweeps her into his arms, her feet dangling in the air as he crushes her against his chest. When he finally releases her, Eli steps forward, wrapping his arms around her next.
Gray catches my eye, his jaw finally relaxed after weeks of tension, and we make our way to the kitchen, Ghost falling into step beside us.
We need to strategize before facing the clan elders and enforcers—they’ll want assurances that the witch threat is truly over.
The weight of the past weeks lifts slightly from my shoulders at the thought of finally giving our people something other than warnings and threats.
Hilde works around us, cooking enough for a feast, and eventually, Kellen, Eli, Silas, and Mona join us.
We have a busy day ahead of us, putting out fires, cleaning up the mess from the last few weeks. But we have our omega back, our mate, and our pack is whole at last. For the first time in weeks—months, really—hope pulses through our bond.
The scent of Hilde’s cooking wafts through the kitchen—roasted meat and herbs that make my stomach growl, even though we’ll have to leave before it’s ready.
We'll snack later when we get home. Grayson, Ghost, Kellen, and Eli disappear down the hall. The front door creaks open, then shut, while Silas remains in the kitchen alongside Hilde. He’ll keep watch over Mona here at the cabin while we handle business with the clan.
Hilde swats the back of his hand with a wooden spoon when he tries to taste whatever’s in the pot.
A laugh escapes me as I move to join the others, but the moment I enter the hallway, I spot Mona perched midway up the stairs, her eyes fixed on mine.
She crooks her finger at me, and I follow like a good little wolf. She steps down, then wraps her arms around my neck and swings her weight.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“You can tell me again,” I mutter against her soft skin.
“Orion. Thank you for always taking care of me. For being… you. You’re pretty amazing.”
“You’re making me blush.”
“I can’t tell,” she giggles, scratching her fingers through my beard. It feels so good it makes my spine shiver, my knot pulse. “I know you know this already, but in case you didn’t… you’re the glue. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
“I’m not the glue, Mona. You are most definitely—”
“Baby, you’re the glue. You take care of all of us.
I’m a hot mess half the time, and I’m still figuring everything out.
But I feel like I can figure it out because I’ve got you.
The others—you know I love them all so fucking much.
And we all have roles to play. Grayson protects us.
Silas keeps us grounded—somehow,” she adds with a chuckle.
“Ghost is our guide. I think he’s going to help us navigate this life, since my visions don’t seem to be going anywhere. ”
Mona had another vision when we stayed in the motel room last night.
She said she could tell it wasn’t a bad one, and it had nothing to do with the witches, but she’d yet to figure out what it meant.
Some vague message from the Moon Goddess, and Ghost was determined to help her learn to read her magic better.
“But you, Orion, you are our glue. Thank you for everything you do.”
I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep from tearing up. I kiss her roughly, and when we pull apart, I notice her smile is finally reaching her eyes.
“Now, go, alpha, you’ve got meetings to attend and wolves to whip into shape.”
I laugh, turning down the hallway to where Grayson is waiting in the living room. He’s got a giant, stupid grin on his face.
The fucking beast pulls me in, to rub his knuckles into my head like I’m a child. I shove him off, and for a moment, I feel like a kid again. Like we did when we were young. He and Silas weren’t the only ones who fought when they played.
We leave the cabin and find Ghost waiting for us, all serious, needing to make a plan.
Needing to find a way to fit into our clan, since he’s here to stay.
He told us his real name on the drive here, but I’ve yet to use it. I think it’ll still be some time before he feels like he’s in a place to let his guard down.
That’s okay. That’s why we’re a pack. He can take all the time he needs.