Page 57 of The Protector’s Heart

“Acksel wants me to quit now, but I told him I wanted to work a little longer. I like getting out of the house and being around people. With you going to work for Doc, you’ll be there when I deliver the baby, right?”

“I suppose, I mean if you’d like me to be.”

“Hell yes!” She lowered her voice. “I’m scared as crap. I mean, how am I supposed to get a baby out of there? Did you know that she-wolves can shift after they have a baby and then when they shift back to their human form, they’re all healed? How unfair is that?”

Nila remembered Jack’s birth vividly, mostly because she’d been all alone in the hospital room. Even though the nurses had been friendly, it wasn’t the same as having someone she knew and cared about there with her. She’d wished that Diane had been able to be there with her, but she’d been out of town on vacation and had come to see her as soon as she got home.

She squeezed Brynn’s shoulder. “We’re made for it, you know. Even if you’re scared, your body will still know what to do. I remember what having Jack was like, but the pain and stuff is fuzzy in my memory. The thing I remember the most is that when they took him away after he was first born and did all the testing and cleaned him up, he was squalling like he was being tortured. Then they brought him back in to me and the minute they laid him on my chest, he quieted, as if he knew he was with someone who loved him and would take care of him. That right there is what makes the pain worth it.”

Brynn sniffled and rubbed away a tear. “That’s so sweet.”

Acksel and Malachi were suddenly between her and Brynn, and Nila looked up at Malachi in confusion.

“Are you okay?” Acksel asked Brynn.

“I’m fine, geez. Overreact much?”

Then Nila realized that Malachi was putting himself between her and Acksel, because Acksel was obviously the sort of guy who didn’t like his mate being upset. She wrapped her arms around Malachi’s waist and hugged him. “You’re awesome.”

He chuckled. “Yeah?”

“You put yourself between me and your leader. That’s pretty amazing in my book.”

“For the record, I would never hit a woman,” Acksel said with a huff.

“I disagree with that statement,” Eveny said from where she and her mate stood while Jack played on the floor with some toys at their feet. “In fact, I have photographic proof that you’ve hit me on many, many occasions.”

Acksel made a face. “Not since we were little, Ev, don’t make me out to be an ogre.”

Mia snorted and choked on her drink, spilling some of the dark soda onto the floor. Acksel snarled and Mia groaned. “Great. I’m the one who pisses him off and no one is here to protect me.”

Malachi said, “I’d get over there. Eventually.”

She made a face at him and everyone dissolved into laughter. Nila rested her cheek on Malachi’s chest and listened to his heart as he, Acksel, Brynn, and Mia teased each other. She really loved the camaraderie of the pack. Jack would get to grow up in this. In school, Nila had friends, but they hadn’t been the lifelong sort like Mia and Brynn or Acksel and Malachi. Being part of the pack, even only as a mate, meant that Nila was part of something bigger than her own small family, and Jack was too.

Acksel clapped his hands together and everyone fell silent. “The pack is gathering outside now. It’s cold as hell, so let’s get this show on the road. Ready, Malachi?”

“Yeah, we’ll be right out.”

Acksel and Brynn walked out onto the back deck after she bundled up, and Mia, Dade, and the elders followed. Eveny brought Jack to her and then she and Luke left as well, until it was just the three of them.

“After I’ve claimed you and Jack in front of the pack, we’re going hunting. I always hunt with Acksel and Dade and usually Sam or Ren. There isn’t anything other than hunting going on.”

“You’re not going to bring back any dead things, are you?” She made a face.

Laughing, he kissed her forehead. “Nah. We’ll be gone a few hours and then when I get back, I’m taking you and Jack home and, once he’s tucked in his crib, you and I are going to celebrate our mating night.”

A shiver raced down her spine. “Oh?”

He practically purred as he kissed her, and then he tousled Jack’s hair. “Let’s get you two ready.”

Malachi wrestled a very wiggly Jack into his snowsuit while Nila tugged on boots and a coat. They stepped out onto the deck and found an elder named Hollis standing between Acksel and Brynn. Hollis held a thick book in his hands. Torches were flickering on the deck, and the pack was gathered in the yard. Mia, Eveny, and Luke were in front of the group.

Nila, Jack, and Malachi stood in front of the trio. Malachi held Jack with one arm and gripped Nila’s hand, linking their fingers.

Hollis spoke in a loud, clear voice. “On this night, Malachi Slattery brings Nila Caruthers and her son, Jack Caruthers, before the alphas, the elders, and the pack, to declare them his mate and his son. The laws of our people are clear: a wolf may claim any person as his or her mate and that person is welcome into the pack. If there are any among us who would disagree, speak now or remain silent forever.”

She wondered if someone would say something. A she-wolf who thought she was better suited for Malachi, or a wolf who didn’t think that humans should be part of the pack. But no one said anything. After what felt like an eternity, Hollis smiled at them and took a step back. Acksel and Brynn grasped hands, and Acksel said loudly, “As alpha of the Wilde Creek Pack, I declare Nila and Jack Caruthers honored members, under the authority of the alphas and the protection of the pack. Welcome to the pack.”

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