Page 34 of Two Wrong Turns

He hiccupped. “It's not going to be okay. They're going to hate me. Just look at me.”

He waved his hands at his stomach. The previously flat area was protruding with his bump.

I rubbed it affectionately as I always did, and he whimpered. He loved it when I touched him this way. I knew it would soothe a bit of his worry, so I kept going as I spoke.

“My parents are overjoyed at the fact that they're going to be grandparents. They're ecstatic that I'm having a little cub that they can spoil. It doesn't matter how you look, which by the way, I feel like the correct answer here is gorgeous and stunning. You should let it go. If you're worried that they'll not like you as a person, you shouldn't be concerned with that either. You're my mate. Fate deemed you as mine. They already love you too.”

There were a few sniffles, and then he wiped his eyes and glanced up at me from where I had him tucked under my chin.

"You really think so?" he said, his voice a pitiful mess from how hard he had cried.

I kissed the tip of his nose. "Of course, I promise they're going to love you. They're so happy, and the only reason they're coming down is more for the baby than for me and you. We'll be completely forgotten once we have our child."

He smiled. "You really think they're just going to come in and take over?"

I rolled my eyes. "You'll understand once you meet them. They can be a bit much. With how long they've been alive, it's understandable. They've lived through just about every major event in the world."

His eyes went wide. "How old are they?"

I clipped my tongue. "I'm not supposed to tell you. Mom has this thing about her age, and if I tell you Dad's, then you'll probably be able to guess hers. It's a whole thing. I've just learned to keep my mouth shut."

My mate tilted his head back and stuck his bottom lip out. "But I want to know. How will I ever be close to them if I don't understand anything about them?”

I took advantage of the position we were in and pressed my lips to his. It was a soft kiss, though when his mouth dropped open and his tongue skimmed across my lips, it turned hungry quickly.

I let him have his way with me for a little bit, giving him the power when normally I was the one to control. His pregnancy had made him a ball of raging hormones.

Sometimes it manifested with tears, other times through anger. The majority of the time, though, it was through sexual discovery.

We had explored a variety of kinks and role-playing during the short five-month pregnancy. My mate wanted to try it all to know what satiated him best. Part of me wondered if they would stick around once he was no longer carrying our cub.

I kind of hoped some of them did because watching him fall apart like that was my addiction.

I wanted to keep him close and spoiled as much as possible, but I also knew that having him get pregnant again so fast was going to be a concern.

He had struggled through this pregnancy. With his human nature, his body had to work overtime to adjust. Thanks to the magic, he’d made it to the end.

However, mentally, he found himself torn between what was happening and what he felt like should be happening based on his research.

I personally felt like there was so much happening all at once. There was no way he would be able to keep up. Even most shifters struggled with knowing that they would be pregnant right away and start a family.

Shortened gestation sped up the process of things. Oftentimes that meant our families and relationships and even careers took a back seat to what nature intended.

Of course there were ways to prevent pregnancy. They weren’t the most pleasant, but they could be done. I intended to speak with the doctor about it the next time he came by. My mate deserved at least some time to rest between cubs.

Hopefully he would want more. Even if he didn't, I would be forever thankful for the family he's given me.

My parents had said they wouldn't be in for a couple of days, which gave us enough time to clean up the cabin and make space for them in the guest bedroom.

When Barrett fell asleep on me during the movie I put on to get him to relax, I eased him down and got to work. There wasn't a ton to do but the sooner I could get it done and back to him, the better.

It was my day off too. With me needing to work tomorrow, he was going to be alone again. I liked to have as much prep work done for him as I could since his range was limited now. He couldn't bend over and put his shoes on, and driving was a chore.

His belly was so big, we had even joked with the doctor that there had to have been more than one baby inside him. We'd been assured that that's just the standard for human-shifter pregnancies. Given his smaller frame, it was inevitable that his belly would be more pronounced.

When I finished my tasks for the day and went back into the living room, I stopped at the threshold simply to watch my mate. He was so peaceful in sleep. His hand rested atop his belly, and I could even see tiny movements across his skin where his shirt had ridden up.

I basked in the happiness that my little family had created.

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