The Love He Squirreled Away (7 page)

Daniel’s reassuring words might have been only that, words, but they worked. Soren shook himself and focused on the road. They were close to Brody’s home now, and he needed to get his act together.

But even as he told himself this, he was still somewhat surprised when he reached their destination. Soren had never actually been here before, but he’d received accurate instructions from Liam, and he didn’t have any trouble in finding the right spot. It helped that through his bond with Daniel, he could almost absorb the knowledge the other man had of the area. There were many other cars around, and Soren guessed most of them belonged to Brody’s guests.

He parked at the edge of the forest, opened the driver door, and jumped out of his seat. Hastily, he went around the vehicle, intending to help Carlie. She gave him an ugly look as she left the car on her own, and Soren backed off, reminded of expecting she-werewolf hormones. “Back off. I’m pregnant, not handicapped.”

And Soren wouldn’t have worried, except Carlie was in the last week of her pregnancy. Unlike humans, werewolves didn’t take nine months to give birth. Instead, they were more like their animal equivalents. The new pups entered the word about two months after being conceived.

Still, pissing Carlie off would help no one, so Soren backed off like his beta asked. In the meantime, his father also parked and joined them.

“You know, I’m nervous, too,”
Daniel said.
“Your father must
hate me.”

“He doesn’t,”
Soren assured his mate.
“He’ll be too worried
about Brody and his grandchildren to be angry with anyone.”

Indeed, to anyone else, Elder Kevin Wade might have looked just as cool and composed as ever, but Soren had long ago learned to read his father’s moods. Now, he almost seemed anxious, insofar as the
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man could even feel that emotion. It amused Soren and, to a certain extent, calmed him. He hoped his father’s disposition would hold and he would focus on Angel and Clark, not on Daniel.

They grabbed the presents out of the cars and began the climb toward Brody’s house, keeping their pace slow for Carlie’s benefit.

Even from this distance, the sound of voices and laughter reached their ears. Soren’s nostrils were invaded by Daniel’s scent, and he struggled to suppress his body’s reaction to the smell. His mate had gone through here. Damn it, if his father realized his arousal, he’d never hear the end of it. Not to mention that he was going to a party full of shape-shifters, and most, if not all, of them would be able to sense it.

Through his bond with Daniel, he sensed the squirrel’s desire echoing his own. Thankfully, even with the slower walk, he and his companions reached the house quite quickly and without any particular incident. If either his father or Carlie noticed Soren’s physical excitement, they didn’t show it. Instead, they both seemed very focused on their target.

In Brody’s courtyard, the party was already in full swing.

Everyone on the guest list must have come, as there were more than a dozen people around. They all stopped what they were doing as soon as Soren and his companions appeared.

For a few awkward moments, no one spoke. Soren desperately scanned the courtyard for Liam, but the other wolf didn’t seem to be around. He might have tried to say something, but his eyes fell on Daniel and he froze, too caught up in his mate’s gaze to even move a muscle. Daniel looked even more amazing than Soren remembered.

His auburn hair had grown a bit, but his eyes, the same eyes Soren dreamt about every night, were the same, soulful, deep, and so amazing it hurt.

He was snapped out of his trance when, out of the blue, a small antelope jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of Soren’s father. It shifted into a young boy who gave the three wolves a wide-52

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eyed look. “Hello,” he said. He tilted his head at the elder wolf. “Are you my grandfather?”

Soren waited to see what his father would do. Much to his shock, the older man knelt next to the boy and hugged him. “I am. And you must be Angel. Happy birthday.”

Soren released a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. He produced the presents and offered several of them to the antelope. As Angel squealed in delight, a lion cub emerged behind him, followed by a disheveled-looking Liam. Shiloh trailed behind, carrying a cygnet.

“Hello, elder Wade, Soren,” Liam said. “I’m glad you made it.”

He turned to his sister and took her hands. “Carlie, you look amazing.”

Soren noticed Carson steering a distinctly reluctant Brody toward them and hid a smile. The lion cub shifted into a blond boy as their two hosts reached their side. “Welcome,” Carson said beaming. “I see you’ve already met our sons. But for the record, boys, be polite and introduce yourselves.”

The antelope straightened his back and said, “Hello, sirs, madam.

My name is Angel Williams-Wade. Thank you for coming.”

The formal words were quite amusing, especially since Angel still clutched his presents to his chest. The lion cub offered them a serious, almost suspicious look and added, “My name is Clark Williams-Wade. We really appreciate your presence.”

The effect of the greeting was broken when a loud honk sounded.

“And this is Reed.” Liam chuckled, stealing the cygnet from Shiloh’s arms. Of course, Soren had seen Reed before, but it wasn’t the case with Carlie and his father. “My son.”

Soren took advantage of the opportunity and introduced himself, as well. He shook Clark’s hand and hugged Angel. “I’m your uncle Soren,” he said, “and this is your grandfather, Kevin.”

“And I’m your aunt Carlie,” Carlie piped up. “Come here.”

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The kids all crowded around Carlie, and she fussed and cooed over them. Reed seemed to like her a lot, and even Clark warmed up to her quickly. Finally, Carson knelt and took hold of Clark, while Brody did the same with Angel. “Let’s go. We’ve yet to introduce you to everyone.”

All of a sudden, Soren’s father froze, and he stared in the distance as if he’d seen a ghost. Soren followed the man’s gaze and noticed a pretty woman looking back at them. “Who is that?” the elder werewolf asked.

“Oh, that’s my mother,” Carson replied. “Would you like to meet her?”

The elder wolf nodded, looking a bit dazed. “I’d like that a lot.”

Soren blinked in surprise but went with it. He witnessed the introductions between his dad and Carson’s mother, Annabelle.

Quickly, he realized his father looked quite smitten with the ewe. He was a touch surprised by it, but he made the best of the situation and went in search of his mate. Carlie came with him, and together, they made their way to Daniel’s side.

“Hello, Soren, Carlie,” Daniel said, not making a move to touch Soren. “I’m—”

But Soren was sick of pretending. He’d hidden his bond with Daniel for as long as he’d been able to. He was tired of treating Daniel like his dirty little secret. Through Carlie’s help, he’d done his duty to the pack and his people. Now, he could take a break and enjoy his mating, like he should have been able to from the very beginning.

Without allowing himself to hesitate, he threw his arms around Daniel and pulled him close. Daniel’s eyes widened, but he didn’t protest.
“Soren,”
he whispered through their bond,
“I missed you so
much.”

Taking advantage of his mate’s acquiescence, Soren pressed his lips to Daniel’s.
“I missed you, too, baby,”
he replied.

Acutely aware of the young eyes on him, he broke away from Daniel faster than he’d have liked. It was, however, too late. The
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incredibly perceptive Angel had already zeroed in on what he’d done.

He bounded toward them excitedly. “Uncle Soren, are you uncle Dani’s mate?”

“Of course he is,” Clark answered in Soren’s stead. “Although… I don’t get it. I thought Aunt Carlie’s pups were yours.”

Puzzlement replaced the glee on Angel’s face. Soren was stumped as to how to explain werewolf politics to a baby antelope. Thankfully, Daniel took initiative. He knelt next to Angel and grinned.

“Remember when I said squirrels had two daddies, as well as a mommy?” Angel and Clark nodded. “Well, so will these pups.”

“Oh, I see.” Angel smiled. “That’s great. Can I play with them?”

Soren laughed at his nephew’s innocence. “Well, let’s wait for them to be born first.”

Carlie’s next words shattered the peacefulness of the gathering.

“Uh…Soren? I don’t think you’re going to have to wait for much longer.”

She was holding her belly and looking very pale. Under Soren’s astonished eyes, she shifted into her wolf form. Chaos exploded as everyone realized Carlie would be giving birth here of all places.

Liam grabbed his sister in his arms and carried her inside. Soren and Daniel hastily followed, and Soren’s father came behind them.

Normally, the wolf mother gave birth in her own territory, in a den of her choice. Carlie had prepared her den but insisted on coming to Brody’s party anyway. Soren had not expected the pups to want to come so soon. Damn it. He hoped nothing went wrong.

Carson herded the kids upstairs and gave Soren a concerned look before following them. Soren only caught sight of it distantly, as he was too focused on Carlie. They reached the living room, whereupon Daniel proceeded to retrieve all the pillows and blankets in the area.

Brody and Shiloh brought more items from upstairs rooms and, together, they created a comfortable bedding for Carlie. Liam gently placed her down, looking worried and confused. Daniel knelt next to
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her, caressing her fur. He was biting his lip, concern radiating off him in waves.

Carlie nudged Liam’s leg with her muzzle, then licked Daniel’s palm. It was her way of reassuring them. Even if this labor had come unexpectedly, she remained a werewolf female. From the beginning of time, werewolf bitches gave birth and raised pups, as did their equivalents in nature. That wasn’t about to change anytime soon.

Still, a part of him felt relieved when Annabelle and Daniel’s mother, Ruby, entered the room. “Can we help with anything?” Ruby asked.

“We’re both mammals, and sheep are familiar with wolf anatomy,” Annabelle said. “If she needs a woman’s presence, we’d both be honored to help.”

Liam looked torn, but Carlie let out a little yip and gestured them closer with her snout. It was almost miraculous to see, since, as a rule, werewolf females didn’t allow strangers near her pups. It made Soren realize just how lucky he’d been in choosing Carlie as his beta and the mother of his children.

Encouraged, the two women ushered the men out. Daniel’s sisters soon appeared, followed by Shiloh’s mother. All of them went into the living room. While Soren didn’t know exactly what they could do to help—werewolf bitches did most of the work on their own, after all—he still felt relieved that Carlie wasn’t alone in there. In a way, his pups would be born around their grandmother, since he already considered the triplets as belonging to Daniel as well.

Daniel’s eyes were teary when his mate looked at him. The squirrel squeezed Soren’s hand.
“They’ll be fine, won’t they?”

Soren wrapped an arm around Daniel’s shoulder and pulled him close. He noticed Daniel’s various relatives watching them but couldn’t be bothered with it now. Instead, he focused on reassuring his mate.
“Of course, baby. Trust Carlie. She’s strong.”

Still holding Daniel, Soren prepared himself for a long wait.

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* * * *

Outside the house, the man watched the guests of the Williams-Wade couple fuss over the birth of the new pups. He smirked to himself. They were so wrapped up in their little drama they hadn’t even scented him approach. Well, truly he couldn’t do much else but watch.

There were many shifters around, of several species, but he had never been prejudiced. It was only one particular couple who bothered him. As he took in the form of the father of the new pups and his squirrel mate, the onlooker grimaced. He shouldn’t be waiting here and watching from outside. He should be with his man, sharing a joyful moment of their own. He’d always imagined that one day, it would happen.

He didn’t know if his distraction made him utter a sound or if his mere presence was enough to raise alarm, but at one point, he spotted the elder werewolf coming toward the window. He cursed to himself, realizing he’d underestimated the people here. The werewolf must have sensed him. Well, no matter. At any rate, there were far too many people around for him to attempt anything. He was better off completing arrangements for his plan.

Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, the man melted into his shifted form and disappeared into the forest, back the way he’d come.

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Daniel forced himself not to fidget as he scanned the gathering of werewolves. Today, Soren had summoned his pack to announce their mating and introduce his pups.

In the past few weeks, Soren’s second beta, Anson, had been in charge of the pack, with Soren traveling there from time to time. At first, it hadn’t been deemed safe for the triplets, Jace, Derek, and Melanie, to travel. The birth went great, but pups were always fragile in the first days after coming to the world. So Brody extended an invitation for them to stay with him and Carson. Daniel had thought things would be tense, but Brody and Soren managed to settle their differences. It had worked out for the best, since Daniel also got to spend some time with Carson. Alas, finally, three weeks after their birth, their little family left Brody’s home and headed toward the pack.

Daniel now admitted he felt terrified of facing the wolves. He hugged Jace tightly, finding comfort in the pup’s familiar warmth. His mate had been right about one thing. The pups loved him. When they weren’t sucking on their mother’s teat, they were hanging around Daniel, nibbling on his hair or simply cuddling to his side. Daniel already loved them as if they were his own flesh and blood.