Page 83 of As The Shifter World Turns

“I can’t. I just can’t. I wanted you. No. I want you, but you aren’t ready to give yourself to me. You’re Kellan’s. Full. Stop. And I need to accept that and you need to accept it too.”

My parents picked right then to pull to the curb.

“My ride’s here. Be happy, Ryder. You deserve to be happy.”

I jogged down the sidewalk, not risking looking behind me.

I’d done the right thing. He needed to know I wasn’t going to be an ass to him… to make his life miserable just because he didn’t pick me. And really, at the end of the day I hadn't lied. He did deserve to be happy. I just wanted that happy to be with me.

31

WE’RE HAVING A BABY

Archer

“It’s time.”

“For the doctor’s visit?” Micah asked as he lay beside me. “I don’t think we need one now.” He sat up. “But you’re pregnant so maybe we do, but a different doctor. A shifter one.” He flopped back on the mattress and Patch sniffed him and gave him a big lick.

I tensed waiting for his ewww moment but there was nothing.

“No, not that.” I studied his unblinking eyes. “This is good news, right?” No response. “The baby, Micah?” That snapped him out of wherever he was and he shot up again.

“I’m so sorry. Yes, yes it’s the most marvelous, most welcome news ever.” He enveloped me in a hug. “I’m trying to process it. We’re going to be dads.”

“So to get back to what I was thinking.” My wolf was clawing his way to the surface and if we didn’t do this now, he’d take control and pounce on the man who’d fathered my child. I had to do this with his help. I’d told Micah once I couldn’t partially shift but for this I could.

“Mate, babe.” My voice was low and gravelly against his ear, and even without looking, my eyes were no longer my own, but my beast’s.

“Yes.” One word set us on a path. “I don’t know what will happen, but I feel it too.” He pulled off his shirt and yanked mine away from my throat. “Together.”

My teeth elongated and sunk into his flesh. I’d nibbled on his skin countless times, but this was deep, and the consequences would last a lifetime. Micah’sbite had me gasping and when an earthy, metallic aroma hit me, I murmured, “It’s done.”

“It’s done,” Micah repeated. He lifted his head and kissed me. Our first as a mated pair. “I don’t feel any different. A little giddy perhaps.”

“My nausea is gone. Maybe we should mate more often,” I joked. My wolf was excited. He was practically dancing as he intoned,Mate. Mate. Mate.

“Not likely,” Micah sassed.

“Can you believe we’re having a baby?”

“Gods, we have so much to do before the birth.” He tugged at his hair.

I lay back on the bed with Patch cuddled into me as Micah ran around the apartment. “Schools. We have to think of schools.” He flicked through his phone, his eyes glazed. And then he flung it down. “The apartment. We need to baby-proof it.” More scrolling through websites with him stabbing and cursing at the screen.

“The garden,” he whooped. “Daire might have poisonous plants or spray them with dangerous bug spray.” He raced down the stairs and I heard him yelling to the grizzly shifter. The thundering of his feet on the stairs had me waiting for his flushed face to reappear.

Patch gave me a look and hid under the covers. “You and me both, sweetness.”

Me too,my wolf agreed and curled up inside me.

I pulled the quilt up to my chin and closed my eyes. “Chest feeding or bottle?” Micah poked his head in the door but I pretended to be asleep. This was too much.

The phone beeped. Neil. A video call. “Hi.” His face popped onto the screen. “How are you feeling? I heard Micah tearing round the garden pissing Daire off. Did Patch poop on the path or something?”

“Nope.”

The phone chimed again and Ivor joined the conversation. “Hi. What’s going on? And what’s all the noise? Daire’s in a bad mood because Micah was babbling about poison. Everyone knows Daire doesn’t use that shit.”

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