Page 48 of Fated Despite the Moon

Caleb nodded. "I know."

He could tell she was trying, but he'd seen the terror on her face at the thought that something might be wrong with the baby. Despite what he'd seen of her in the past, she was now completely in tune with the baby, and she—like him—already loved it.

"Who was that couple in the waiting room? I've never seen them before," she asked.

"Oh, that's my godbrother Stix and his mate Satia."

"They live in Wolf River?"

"Yeah, Stix owns a bar outside of town, but he and Satia and his son Andre live in town. His mother and mine were best friends growing up. My parents are his godparents."

"But... he's not a wolf."

"Nope, he's an Ursa. His mate Satia is a saber."

Her eyebrows scrunched together. "Like a tiger?"

"Yeah. She's a Blood Born, so is Stix, but she's from Siberia. Relocated here about nine months ago. There's a whole clan of them a couple hours north. They have a lodge where most of them live. Except their Alpha and his mate. They live part-time in Seattle, part-time at Saber Mountain Lodge."

"That's so different than what my mom told me it was like here. She said Wolf River Blood Born don't mingle with other species or outsiders."

Caleb nodded. "Usually, we keep to ourselves. But that doesn't mean we turn away from those in need. The sabers needed help. The Night Shift asked us to help them. We did."

"Night Shift?"

"The emergency relocation service for shifters and Blood Born."

"I've never heard of it."

He wondered suddenly just what her parents had taught her about their life in Wolf River. It sounded very much like they hadn’t told her anything.

"Griffin knows them from the military. Great guys. They help shifters and Blood Born all over the world. They helped my cousin Natasha when her parents were kidnapped about a year and a half ago."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She and her mate Liam live in Malibu. She's finishing up school, and then I think they'll come back here to settle down. Might even bring her friends Cara and Noah with them. They're Bitten, but Noah is a friend of Griff's from Afghanistan. Neither one really have a pack or family support, so they're welcome here."

Makayla shook her head. "You know, I think my dad would have liked coming back here. His biggest complaint about Wolf River was the narrow-mindedness of everyone."

Caleb shrugged. "Things change. Times change. We needed to change with it."

Makayla yawned.

"I should let you rest." He stood to leave but she grabbed his hand.

"Would you... stay for a bit? We don't have to talk or anything. I just like being near you. It makes me feel safe."

The words struck Caleb like a lightning bolt to the chest. He never thought it was possible he could feel more for someone than he had for Franny, but somehow, he did. What he felt for Makayla and the baby far surpassed anything he'd ever thought he'd felt for Franny. Yes, he'd loved Franny. Loved her with everything he had, but… his wolf had never loved her, never accepted her because… Franny wasn’t meant to be his bonded mate.

"Of course." Caleb walked around the bed and removed his boots. He scooted up on the bed, and Makayla moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest. He leaned back into the pillows and wrapped his arm around her, letting his body melt into hers.

They lay that way for a long time. Neither speaking, him listening to the sounds of her breathing.

"If the baby is a boy,” Makayla said, voice soft. “I think I want to name him after my dad. I want to name him Simon."

Caleb nodded. "Simon is a good name. What about if the baby is a girl?"

She stayed silent for a long minute. "I don't know. Your mom said there haven't been girls in your family for a long time."

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