Page 27 of Lost and Pound

“Nah, he’d have given it away for free.” Emry gave us a sharp-toothed smile that I peeked at through the rearview mirror. “Cat’s gotta keep himself in catnip and affordable shoes, ya know?”

And a gym membership. Holy fuck.I pulled down the road for Doctor Finnegan’s clinic.

“I guess. Let’s get the doctor to see what’s up with your chip and—”

“If he could put a new one in, that’d be great. Maybe take this old one out.” Emry rubbed at the back of his neck. “I forgot to update it. My mate’s number doesn’t work anymore.”

He cleared his throat and got quiet. The amber glow of his eyes dimmed a bit.

“Sorry if it’s a touchy subject,” I said. He waved me off.

“Nah, he passed on a few years ago. I kept meaning to update things, and I lost the password and—yeah. Pneumonia.”

It had to have been pretty bad for a shifter to have passed, so I didn’t press the issue.

“Sorry to hear.”

“Me, too. It’s been eleven years, and I still miss him. He was human, so we always knew I’d outlive him. I tell you, if I’d have been thieving sooner, he might have gone to the doc. Money was tight, aaaand now I ain’t got shit to hold me back. So, I go for it. Yolo.” He snorted and slouched as we pulled into the parking lot.

That explains a lot.

We unloaded, and Emry followed us, stepping into the facility. His face wrinkled with a little distrust. “Even in my human form, I still don’t like vets.”

“And I still don’t like you.” Dr. Finnegan stepped out, brow furrowed. “And I don’t even know you.”

“Fair.” Emry grinned and gave Dr. Finnegan a slow look up and down.

“Sorry to bother you, Paul. We went to drop off that paperwork and we found a straggler. Kitty here needs some paperwork.” I jerked my thumb at Emry, who made an effort to smooth his hand through the mess of hair atop his head.

“And a shower. You two head on back to the pack. I’ll take care of the kitty.” Dr. Finnegan waved us off and took Emry by the arm in back with a few halfhearted words of protest from me.

“Bank robber,” I finished, earning a careless swat of dismissal.

“You think they’re gonna f—”

“Iknowthey’re gonna fuck.” I shook my head and grabbed Nico by the sleeve and sidled out. We had a full moon coming up in a day and a half and an announcement to make.

***

Later that night we ran with the pack with howls of joy at our announcement. An alpha was only as strong as his pack and when an alpha grew his family, he was regarded highly. A little pup would be on the way, sure to join us in full moon runs and community center birthday parties. A little alpha or omega most likely.

We made plans for a puppy shower, but in our pack, we did things differently. Every couple expecting a pup was bought one bigger thing by the pack, a swing or furniture or the like. After, the item was put into a storage room at the community center and when the next couple was expecting, we contributed another item. So far, the only thing necessary for pack members when they were expecting was disposables.

I took Nico to the closet later that evening and let him rummage through the things we had. One of the pack womenwalked through the area with him, telling him all the useful things that she’d learned with her pups. Though, I was fairly certain that he knew a good deal of what she was telling him already, as he’d cared for pups both at his old pack and since he’d come to Pine Warren.

It wasn’t until he’d found a little fuzzy baby coat with cute little puppy ears on it, that he broke down with happy tears and forced me to stare at the little thing. I didn’t see what the big deal was about it, but I smiled and hugged him all the same.

Hormonal omegas were kinda cute.

Chapter Sixteen

Nico

The nursery was set, the house was puppy-proofed, and everything I’d wanted had been moved from the storage room and positioned then repositioned like a dozen times to suit me. Our little pup, definitely male, had kept his little behind turned at an odd angle, and Dr. Finnegan didn’t seem too keen on figuring it out. It was alpha or omega, he could tell me that much, but neither I nor Shilo wanted to press the issue or cared enough to know. A healthy baby was all we could ask for.

As if to remind me he was there and healthy, he kicked me right in the diaphragm and stole my breath before deciding to stretch out and continue my discomfort. “Ugh…”

Shilo peered into the nursery and glanced around, his eyes hooding. Keeping me out of his bed had been a hard feat the past few days, pretty much telling us both I was cutting things close. I was ready to be done with it anyway. I was fat, hot, tired, and every part of my body ached.

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