Page 38 of Two Wrong Turns

I had a mate. A child. A family, thanks to Nolan’s parents coming back to town. And then there was the town that had welcomed me.

Speaking of which, a knock came at the door. “Come in,” I called out.

It opened to reveal several people. Nolan smiled at them.

“Wow! What are you all doing here?”

The group moved into the room as one unit. A large basket and balloons were in the arms of the man in front. He extended it toward me with a big smile.

“We wanted to welcome the newest member of the town. Congratulations to you two!”

I nodded as I took the heavy basket. Before I could shift it to a more comfortable position, Nolan’s dad lifted it and moved it to a side table.

“Thank you,” I told him.

He winked. “Nothing to it. Sometimes the shifter side of us forgets how heavy stuff can be for those that don’t have our extra strength. It’s only right for me to help you along.”

There was no doubt in my mind Nolan’s kindness came from this man. And his big heart was all his mother. They’d gone above and beyond for us, despite my protests at letting them in during the actual birth.

“Mate, let me introduce you to our visitors.” Nolan’s words drew my attention to him. He went about telling me everyone’s names and designations. I tried to keep up with it all, thoughexhaustion weighed on me by the time we reached the eighth person.

I yawned, then covered my mouth quickly to cover it. “Sorry! It’s been a day.”

The group laughed. I didn’t feel as if it was to make fun of me or anything. More like they understood in some way. I had a feeling a few of them did by the looks they shot my way.

“We’ll leave you to get some rest,” Wallace, the basket carrying man, said before spinning around and herding everyone out.

As the door shut behind them, I sunk back into the hospital bed and closed my eyes. It was a relief to be back to our main group. I’d felt like I had to be ‘on’ the whole time we had visitors. My need to be liked was directly linked to not wanting to embarrass my mate.

Lenny fussed a bit, so Nolan handed him over to me. I wasn’t quite sure what to do considering the only thing I figured he’d want was something I couldn’t give him.

Except… I felt a tug in my chest. It wasn’t painful or anything. More like a heavy sensation.

When I looked down, I was surprised to see something leaking from my nipple. My wide eyes flew up to meet Nolan’s.

He winced, then motioned to his mom. “Can you help with this part?”

She clicked her tongue at him as he eased her hands over where I held Lenny. Turning him toward my chest, she tilted his chin until his mouth was able to latch onto my nipple.

There was an awkwardness to the position. His little mouth struggled to get ahold of me for a few seconds, then there was the feeling of suction and relief all at once. I sighed, not realizing how much tension I’d held.

“I’m lactating?”

“You are, dear,” she told me gently while rubbing the crown of Lenny’s head. “Just as your body adapted for the pregnancy, it will adapt to be able to nourish your cub. Not all parents are able to, but it seems as if your body is perfect for it.”

When I turn to face Nolan to see how he feels, I find him staring at me with a heated gaze. I gulp, then focus back on our son. No need to get aroused while feeding him. That would just make this even more strange.

And I think it only feels strange because I hadn’t even considered this as a possibility. Despite all my research to prepare me for giving birth, I didn’t consider the aftereffects like my healing body or the possibility of breastfeeding. I just assumed getting him out was the hardest part.

“You might need to give me a crash course on this, Mom,” I told her once Lenny started fussing again.

She laughed, then lifted him and moved his little head to the other side. “There’s not much to tell. He seems like a natural, much like his father was. He latched right on and sucked me dry every chance he got.”

Nolan fake gagged. “Don’t talk about me breastfeeding!”

“You’re acting childish, son. It’s natural. Besides, you’re obviously into men. There are no mommy issues lingering or anything.”

I giggled when Nolan rolled his eyes at her. Those two were fun when they went back and forth. Nolan’s dad hummed from the sidelines, wisely staying out of things.

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