Pregnant with His Werewolf's Baby (7 page)

Terrence grimaced. "Your sexual interests are your own
affair, but they don't keep you from doing your duty to the pack."

"I don't think you understand," Saul drawled.
"I can only impregnate a female if I actually fuck her, and my dick isn't
agreeable with that idea."

"You've coupled with females before," Margot
pointed out.

Saul hated to say it, but she had a point. During his youth,
when he'd been confused about his sexuality, he had slept with women. But now,
he couldn't be aroused by any other person except Gavin. "Well, it won't
happen again."

His father finally intervened in the conversation. "Fair
enough, Saul. We can't force you to pick a mate if you truly don't want to. But
Lisbet's accusations are serious, and I can't just let that slide."

"Lisbet is full of shit," Saul snapped back.
"The guy insulted me and I pinned him against the wall. He was so drunk he
probably won't even remember getting to that street. If he does recall
something, he'd imagine it was all a dream."

"Probably," his father said, repeating Saul's own
words. "You don't know that, and we can't go with guesses when it comes to
the safety of our kind. You're aware of this, Saul."

The entire affair disgusted Saul. "Father, I won't ever
mate a woman. I never thought you'd go along with what the elders say and
blackmail me into choosing someone I can't love. That's not what a real Alpha,
my Alpha would do."

That was what truly disappointed Saul. He'd come here because
he'd trusted his father to do the right thing, but apparently, he'd made a
serious miscalculation in that regard. Moon be blessed, his father had actually
seemed open to listening to reason before this meeting, but now, he was showing
his true colors.

His father narrowed his eyes at Saul. "Are you
challenging me, Saul? Be very careful with what you say."

"I'm just giving you something to think about,"
Saul answered. He had no desire to fight his father. Even if he did win—which
seemed likely given that he was one of the strongest wolves in the pack—he
didn't want to be the new Alpha, and he still loved and respected his father
too much to take that step.

"Well then, the matter is easy enough. You will do what
you're told. You don't even need to take a mate. I believe Lisbet would be
agreeable to carrying your litter."

Saul was quickly losing his patience with the entire conversation.
He couldn't believe any of them thought he'd touch his brother's mate.
"Lisbet is Finn's mate, and I have no interest in her. And with all due
respect, Father, if you wanted a broodmare—or a stallion to impregnate one—you
should have been a horse-shifter."

He knew he'd crossed the line even as he said the words. His
father might have let the comment go if they'd been in private, but with the
audience they had, he couldn't do so. Releasing an angry snarl, he melted into
his werewolf form, his clothes ripping as he changed shapes.

Saul was done clinging to scruples. He changed shapes as
well, jumping back on four paws even as he freed himself from his now-torn
garments. His father was already lunging toward him, but Saul danced away from
him, evading his father's claws.

Truth be told, Saul hated fighting with fellow members of the
pack, which was actually why he'd become so good at it. The automatic fear
factor that came with being one of the strongest wolves meant he didn't have to
actually hurt anyone to prove a point. But right now, he himself was angry and
hurt. He still felt Gavin's fear and pain, and in his wolf shape, those
emotions triggered a ferocious instinct, unleashing the beast that regularly
hid behind his calmer exterior.

And so, he didn't waste his time with tiring out his older
opponent and draining his stamina like he might have done under different
circumstances. He just attacked ruthlessly, pouring all of his anger and need
for Gavin into the lunge, melting it into raw power.

His father tried to sidestep him, but Saul's claws still
raked over his chest. Of course, that didn't mean the other wolf was beaten.
Saul might have drawn first blood, but it just made his father attack more
fiercely.

He got a good bite in, nearly maiming Saul's front paw. But
Saul barely even felt the pain. The injustice of it, the fact that he was
expected to be something he was not, infuriated him so much he could barely see
straight.

When he attacked again, he used his claws, fangs and his full
bulk to his advantage, sending the other wolf to the floor. He bit and shredded
flesh, tired of being abused and ordered around when all he wanted was to be
with his mate. His father tried to fight back, clawing at Saul's exposed belly,
but he was only half-successful. In the end, Saul pinned him to the ground, his
fangs looming over the other wolf's jugular. If he wanted, he could have ended
his father's life on the spot, and no one could have said anything about it,
since it had been a fair battle for dominance initiated by the older wolf.

Instead, he growled, telling his father to surrender to him.
Fortunately, the other wolf didn't force him into doing something Saul really
didn't want. He bared his neck, and his submission effectively ended the
battle. Saul leapt back, releasing the other wolf from his hold and already
shifting into his human form.

"By werewolf law, I am now leader of this pack," he
said, "but I don't want it. I'm done here. Call me a rogue for all I care.
If you come after me, you will regret it."

He turned, ready to go and return to his mate's side. He
caught one glimpse of Lisbet standing in the doorway, holding one of the
enforcers' guns. It was one single moment during which Saul knew he had to
move. And he tried to do it, tried to drop down and dodge the proverbial
bullet, but for once, he wasn't fast enough.

The silver struck him straight in the chest. If it had been a
regular bullet, Saul could have easily recovered from it—with some pain, yes,
but no real problems. Alas, his natural allergy to the silver in, and he
collapsed on the floor, writhing. Unable to keep hold of his human form, he
melted into his wolf.

The elders surrounded him, leaning over him and eyeing him
like he was a piece of meat. By rights, they should have punished Lisbet for
her actions—she had attacked the new Alpha in a treacherous manner, outside a
real challenge. They didn't. Terrence actually clapped while the other elders
watched impassively.
 

"Good job, Lisbet. He truly is magnificent. He'll make
for a nice replacement for your mate."

Saul couldn't even understand what in the world the elders
were talking about, but he did register the moment his father leaned over him,
now in human form. "Moon be blessed, Saul..." the other werewolf
whispered. "Can you hear me?"

Saul managed to release a small, tormented whimper. The
poison from the silver was already entering his blood stream, and he knew that
any moment now, he'd lose consciousness.

"Finn!" his father shouted, calling for his
brother. "Get a doctor in here."

Saul heard rushed footsteps, his brother's voice, then
agitated murmurs somewhere in the distance. All the while, his father kept
trying to help him, murmuring comforting whispers to Saul.

"Stop being so dramatic, Dean," Terrence said.
"He'll be fine. He's a born Alpha, and he will do his duty to—"

"Enough!" his father interrupted the elder,
temporarily looking away from Saul. "I don't care about what you have to
say. I don't care what definitions you give to this duty you keep speaking off.
I'm sick and tired of living under your threats. You've gone too far this time,
and you will pay for it if it's the last thing I do."

"And who will make me pay?" Terrence laughed.
"You? You don't deserve to be Alpha. You are weak. You—"

The last of the words were interrupted by a garbled scream as
the Alpha shot to his feet, lifted his claws and raked them over the elder's
face.

"Yes, I am weak," he said calmly. "I was weak
when I didn't pursue my dream, when I let people like you guide my choices
instead of claiming my true mate. I did get two wonderful sons out of it, but
I'll always regret losing my other half. And I'll be damned if I'll allow any
of you to tarnish that memory, or hurt my beloved sons."

The exchange confused Saul, which given his current
condition, wasn't surprising. However, he could still experience a measure of
satisfaction as Terrence staggered back, and Lisbet released a gasp. "This
is an outrage," she said. "You can't do this."

"Oh, yes, I can. Until my son can claim his rightful
position as Alpha, I am still the leader of this pack. And guess what, Lisbet?
You're out of it. You're officially rogue. You shot my son, a member of your
own pack, to achieve your own ends. Get off my pack lands before I hunt you
down and kill you myself."

With that, Saul's father knelt next to him once more.
"It's all right," he said, caressing Saul's fur. "We'll take
care of you, son."

That was the last thing Saul registered before the burn from
his wound spread out all over his body and the world went black.

Chapter Seven

Two weeks later

He was running out of ham. Gavin eyed the contents of the
fridge in displeasure and retrieved the last of the product. "I need to go
shopping," he mumbled under his breath.

As he carried his prey to the counter, Jessie sighed heavily.
"Hon, I'm worried about you. Eating won't help you snap out of this funk
and gaining weight won't do anything for your self-esteem."

Gavin ignored him. He added three slices of ham to his
sandwich, then mentally said a ‘what the hell' and added the remaining three.
Jessie released a disgruntled groan. He tried to reach for Gavin's sandwich,
but retreated when Gavin shot him an ugly look. "You have to do something
about this depression you're in. Hell, I hate to say this, but you might be
better off calling Richard again."

"I don't want to call Richard." Gavin bit down on
the sandwich and moaned in delight. "Damn this is really good. I really
need to buy more of this ham."

"You're acting really strangely, Gav," Jessie
pointed out. "You didn't even like this type of food before."

"I know, Jess," Gavin replied between bites.
"But people change, right?"

He finished the sandwich and licked his fingers. Damn, he was
still hungry. He hated to admit it, but he probably did have an eating problem.
Lately, he just seemed to be stuffing himself with all sorts of food, mostly
meats, and he never quite had enough.

Sadly, his appetite also came with an even less welcome
development. No sooner had he finished eating the sandwich than nausea roiled
inside him. Gavin rushed to the bathroom and knelt in front of the toilet,
already heaving. His friend ran after him, kneeling by his side and supporting
him as he threw up.

After he was finished, Jessie helped him up. Gavin leaned
over the sink, washed his face and brushed his teeth. All the while, Jessie
watched him in obvious concern. "If your tests hadn't come out clear, I'd
almost suspect you had hepatitis, although given the whole eating-throwing up
thing, bulimia seems more likely."

Jessie didn't point out they couldn't be sure Gavin was in
the clear until he repeated the tests in a few months time. That was something
Gavin actively tried not to think about, and he was thankful for his friend not
prodding unnecessarily at the wound.

"I'm not bulimic," he answered morosely. "I'm
too fat for that."

He pulled up his shirt and looked at his now distended belly.
Jessie blinked. "Wow, you put even more weight than I realized. Gav, this
can't be healthy. You seriously need to see a doctor. This could be a tumor of
sorts."

Gavin wasn't listening anymore. He didn't know why, but he
tentatively touched his stomach, waiting. And then, he felt it. A kick seemed
to strike his palm—from inside his body.

Gavin nearly screamed. He slid to the floor, more terrified
than ever. Jessie knelt next to him. "Gav, what is it? Are you okay?"

"I... I don't know. I felt something."

Jessie just stared at him in confusion.
"Something?" he repeated. "What?"

"Inside me, from my stomach. Like... a movement."

"Well, I supposed your intestines are quite traumatized
with all the throwing up you're doing," Jessie answered.

Gavin shook his head and grabbed Jessie's hand, placing it on
his belly. That was when he felt it again, the kick. Jessie gasped. "Holy
shit, Gav. What in the world was that?"

Gavin wished he had an answer to Jessie's question. "I
think I do need to see a doctor, but... This is no tumor. I know that. I'm just
not sure who I can trust with finding out what it is."

"I'll call my dad," Jessie offered after a small
pause. "He might be able to help or at least give us a clue to what's
going on. Come on. There's no time to lose."

****

Jessie's father, Dr. William Orwell, looked more like
Jessie's brother than his parent. Gavin had met William before, and he'd liked
his warm, accepting demeanor. He'd never expected having to appeal to William's
medical skills, though.

William was a very renowned specialist in ob-gyn. Boasting
all the latest equipment in the field, his private clinic teemed with patients
waiting to receive his advice. Gavin had no idea if Dr. Orwell could help him,
but he needed answers, and he didn't know who else he could turn to.

Upon Jessie's plea, William moved around some of his previous
appointments and received Gavin as an emergency case. Jessie remained outside
the examination room as his father guided Gavin inside. He gestured for Gavin
to lie down on the examination table and offered him a comforting smile.
"Don't be frightened, Gavin. Even if this is an unusual case as Jessie
seems to think, we'll come up with a solution."

His smile changed into a frown when Gavin exposed his
stomach. "How long have you had this?"

"Two weeks," Gavin replied. "At first, I
thought I was just gaining weight because I've started eating like crazy."

William hummed thoughtfully. "And you say you felt
something from inside?"

Gavin nodded. "Like a kick."

"Okay, Gavin. I'll just do an ultrasound and maybe we'll
figure out what's happening after that."

He poured some cool gel on Gavin's belly and turned on the
ultrasound machine. Gavin studiously stared at the ceiling, too afraid to look
at the doctor, or the screen.

"Oh, dear," William finally said.

"What?" Gavin asked quickly. "What is
it?"

He stared at the doctor and then tried to catch a glimpse of
the screen displaying the ultrasound results. He couldn't really figure out
what he saw there, but William started to explain, "The good news is that
you don't have a tumor," he told Gavin. "The bad news—or second good
news, depending on how you want to see it—is that there's definitely a living
being inside you."

Gavin's head started to spin. "So... I'm pregnant. I
can't be pregnant. I'm a man."

"Pregnancy might not be the accurate term. It could be a
case of twin parasitism, although the strange part is how it never showed until
now." William pointed at the tiny screen, where the little being was
clearly visible. "Just the same, the baby is here. These are his legs and
his hands. You can see his eyes. The foetus is strikingly well-formed and there
seem to be no mutations. I do believe it's a boy."

Gavin just watched the screen in speechless shock. The baby
was moving around now—Gavin could feel him, so restless, unsettled, maybe even
a little scared. "That's enough," he told the doctor. "I think
the ultrasound is hurting him."

William complied and stopped the ultrasound, although the
image of the baby lingered on the screen. With the ultrasound gone, the baby
settled down, and Gavin could almost feel the warmth of his child's gratitude.

How had he even missed it until now? It seemed so obvious
now. Looking at the image, his vision blurred with tears. He was so afraid, and
he didn't understand what was happening to him, but at the same time, he felt
so happy, happier than he'd been since Saul had left.

William cleared his throat, snapping Gavin from his trance.
"I'm going to ask you a private question, Gavin, and I need you to answer
me honestly. This is very important. Did you by any chance have sexual contact
with a man you didn't know very well around the time when this first started
happening?"

Gavin turned away from the recorded image of his baby.
"How did you know that?" It was embarrassing to talk about his sex
life with Jessie's father, but he admitted, "Yes, I had a one-night stand.
I kind of hoped it could be more but... Well, it didn't work out."

"I see," William replied. "And I assume it was
unprotected sex?"

Gavin just nodded wordlessly. "Did this man seem
particularly... aggressive in bed?" William continued to prod.
"Perhaps, after the act, he stayed inside you for a while longer, and it
seemed... different?"

Gavin was beginning to feel really uncomfortable now. Staring
at his hands, he nodded once more.

William's warm hand landed on Gavin's, and the gesture made
Gavin look up at the doctor once more. "I'm going to be perfectly honest
with you, Gavin. You might choose to believe me, or you might not. The fact is
that, yes, you are pregnant. That's your baby inside you. The guy you had sex
with was probably not human and managed to impregnate you even if you are a
man."

"Y-You're joking, right?" Gavin stammered. "Not
human? What else could he be, an alien?"

"I can't answer that, I'm afraid. It is a secret that I
swore to never reveal. Just know that yours is not the first case of male
pregnancy I've seen, but it's only possible under certain, very specific
circumstances. I won't ask any more personal details, because it's clear you
don't feel comfortable with sharing something so private. But as a doctor, I
must warn you that this is a serious matter. The male body isn't built to carry
a child. By the time the foetus is completely developed, your stomach and your
intestines might be affected. You'll have trouble breathing and you might not
be able to keep much food down. It could be very hard and painful for you, even
life-threatening."

"Are you saying... I should... abort?" The words
were too crazy to even utter. Gavin felt like he'd fallen into a dream, and if
he himself hadn't felt the baby kick, he'd have suspected he was in some sort
of evil Candid Camera episode.

"I can't make that decision for you," the doctor replied.
"Again, this type of thing is very rare. With the other case I've seen,
the birth father survived and so did the child. But it was a very close call,
for both of them, and the child suffered long-term problems due to the
traumatic birth. Therefore, you might not even be able to carry the child to
term. On the other hand, you'll find that carrying the child comes with some
DNA changes meant to help you. The end result is that once these changes settle
in, you'll probably start aging slower and be more resilient to regular pain
and stress. But again, there are no guarantees. The one case I have to go on
isn't really a reliable sample, so it might be completely different for
you."

Gavin just lay there, musing over the information William had
offered. He'd always wanted a baby of his own. It had been an unachievable
dream that he'd set aside because he'd known he shouldn't even consider
pursuing it. But now, he had a life growing inside him.

His train of thought came to an abrupt halt there. He was
pregnant. The doctor had uttered the words DNA changes. Even if everything went
well, he'd give birth to a baby who wouldn't even be fully human. He himself
would never be the same again. Shit, shit, shit. What was he going to do?

In his belly, his child stirred, as if feeling Gavin's fear.
Gavin closed his eyes and he could almost imagine his baby reaching out to him,
as uncertain as Gavin felt, so frail, so small, but so alive.

"I can't give him up," he whispered. "I'm
keeping him."

"Fair enough, Gavin," his doctor said. "I'll
help you with everything I can. Remember to eat well. Meats work best, but
don't push yourself. Eat slowly, small snacks once every hour or so. If you
feel sick or start bleeding, call me, no matter the hour. Try to go for a walk
once a day, preferably in a park—ten minutes or so, nothing tiresome. Fresh air
helps. And I'll prescribe you some vitamins that will be good for the baby.
Just keep in mind that what we do this must be completely secret. If anyone
learns of it... You don't even want to imagine the consequences."

Gavin mentally jotted down everything William had said. He
kind of wanted to ask how William had learned all these things, but he didn't.
He just considered himself lucky that he was not alone in this.

And yet, in spite of William's sage advice, Gavin realized he
felt more alone than ever. He didn't know why, but as he slid down off the
examination table, his thoughts went to Saul.
Please, Saul, help me. This is
your baby, too. I can't do this alone. Please, Saul. Come back to me. Come back
to us.