Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Menage & More) (41 page)

“You’re both confusing me.”

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Hunter offered. “Your scent is different because our cub has changed it.”

“Our cub?” Abbey whispered, pulling her hands free from their hold and covering her belly, looking down at it quickly. “Are you sure?”

Both men leaned against her neck and breathed in deeply, loving the changing scent of their mate. Her pregnancy was new and the fragrance light, but there was no mistaking the sweetness of their baby growing deep within her. Their growls of happiness rumbled against her neck. Pulling back, both men looked down at her and smiled.

Abbey’s heart began to race as she saw the way they looked at her. She never in her life would have ever thought that any man would ever look at her like that. The complete joy and love that filled them was evident in their wide smiles and golden eyes.

“Your eyes are golden,” she whispered, reaching up and touching their faces tenderly.

“Our wolves have scented our cub,” Hunter told her.

“I don’t know how you can be so positive,” she told them, almost afraid to believe what they were telling her.

“Our baby is growing inside of you, honey,” Clay told her firmly. “Men can scent their woman’s pregnancy with one hundred percent accuracy. Don’t doubt it, Abbey. You’ve got a bun in the oven.”

He grinned at her, enjoying his own humor. Winking at her, he laughed at the roll of her eyes.

“A bun in the oven!” she teased him. “Really? That’s what you’re going to call it?”

Clay chuckled lightly. “I’ll call it whatever you want me to call it, Mate,” he promised her. “I’m just glad to call it what it is.”

“What is it?” Abbey asked him, smiling.

“A miracle.”

Clay’s seriousness made Hunter appreciate the beauty of what had just been revealed to them. He agreed with Clay. Abbey was their miracle. Their baby was their miracle. Their life with a wonderful future family was their miracle.

The softness in Abbey’s eyes as she looked at both men sent a surge of happiness through them. There was nothing better than seeing your mate look at you with such tenderness and love.

“Thank you,” she finally whispered.

“Are you happy about being pregnant, Abbey?” Hunter asked, reaching out and touching her cheek tenderly.

Abbey turned and nuzzled into his warm palm. “Very much,” she whispered. “Are you?”

“Very much,” he echoed.

“Clay, what about you?” she asked him, turning and leaning into his touch as he ran the pad of his thumb across her cheek.

“I’m very happy,” he told her gently. “I’ve already told you I want us to have five children.”

Abbey laughed and reached her arms around both of them and gently held them against her chest. “I remember,” she told him. “That’s still a discussion we need to have, Clay. We’ll talk about that after I have this one. Okay?”

“Absolutely,” Clay agreed. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me, too,” Hunter added, humming against her neck and biting down on his mating mark on her shoulder.

“You know what I’m looking forward to?” Abbey told them softly.

“What, honey?” Clay asked, pulling back so he could look at her face, concerned with how serious she had become.

Hunter felt Clay’s concern through their link and knew a moment of fear when Abbey’s eyes became glassy as tears filled her eyes. His wolf growled in anger. Abbey’s sadness was not allowed.

“I’m looking forward to holding our baby in my arms and loving him,” she whispered finally. “I’m looking forward to being a mom.”

Both men held her gently between them, unable to speak. Cuddling her between them, they did the only thing they could manage to do right then. They held her tightly, showing her visions of how they were going to love and protect her and their son.

“I think he has your eyes, Daddy,” she whispered, kissing Hunter’s cheek tenderly. “And I think he has your hair, Poppa,” she added, kissing Clay just as sweetly.

“I think he has your heart, sweetheart,” Hunter whispered, seeing the sweetness of their son as he reached out his arms, hugged his fathers and laughed as they growled against them.

They settled on the couch beside Abbey and pulled her carefully onto their laps, caressing her face as they whispered words of thanks. Abbey had never been so content in her life.

* * * *

“Abbey, sweetheart.”

Abbey mumbled in her sleep, turning over and cuddling into the warmth of Clay’s arms. “Tell Hunter to be quiet, Clay,” she whispered, kissing his chest lightly.

“Hunter, go back to sleep, buddy,” Clay told him, pulling Abbey tighter against his chest.

“I just wanted to tell you something very important,” Hunter told her, leaning in and kissing the back of her neck lightly.

“What?” Abbey mumbled against Clay’s chest.

“Thank you for giving us this wonderful gift,” he whispered, sliding his hand around her waist to rest it tenderly against her belly and caress it lovingly.

Abbey released her hold on Clay and moved so that she lay on her back. Reaching up, she carded her fingers through Hunter’s black hair and tugged on the length to pull his face closer to hers. Turning and doing the same thing to Clay, she sighed with contentment as both men’s faces touched hers.

“I love you both so much,” she whispered. “And I already love our son.” She rubbed her cheeks against theirs, smiling at the low growls that escaped both men. “I never thought I would ever be so blessed. I love that you’re my mates, and I love that we’re going to have a baby.”

She kissed Hunter’s lips lightly then turned and ghosted her lips across Clay’s. Sighing against his mouth, she settled tiredly as both men rested their heads against the pillow so that they cuddled against her tightly and were able to kiss her shoulders lightly. She felt their love wrapping her in gentle protection, and she succumbed to sleep.

“She’s tired, Clay,” Hunter whispered.

“Pregnant women get tired,” Clay explained.

“Pregnant women,” Hunter repeated, filled with wonder. “Our pregnant woman.”

“Yeah. Our pregnant woman,” Clay agreed. “How freaking awesome is that?”

“Pretty freaking awesome,” Hunter whispered back.

“Yeah, I’m freaking amazing. Now be quiet and let me sleep,” Abbey whispered, cuddling deeper within their embrace and allowing them to nearly cover her with their bodies.

Both men smiled against her shoulder, kissing her neck lightly and breathing in her scent once again. They moved closer against her body, resting their hands possessively on her stomach. Beautiful visions of Abbey and their children followed them into their sleep. The smiles never left their faces as they held her throughout the night—two men who had finally been blessed with their mate. The woman who soothed the demons inside of them.

Abbey walked toward the beautiful home that belonged to Drew, Suzie, and Carter. Anxiety filled her as she worried about what she would find when she got there. The thought of Mia’s brother Dean being injured because of the cruelty of another pack alpha more than scared her. It terrified her. What did she really know about shifters anyway? Sure, she knew Hunter and Clay had been nothing but kind and gentle with her, but that didn’t mean the rest of the male population of shifters were the same—obviously.

She had dealt with many men in the business world. Some were honest and trustworthy. Some were vicious and only did what they needed to do to succeed. She was witness to the duplicitous nature of her husband. She had almost been a statistic—a mere blip on a report of a victim of spousal violence.

Despite the honest, caring feelings she experienced when she was around the men of Beckett’s pack, she couldn’t push aside her old fears. She was still cautious and, to some degree, skeptical.

As she stepped up onto the front deck of the pack doctor’s home, she decided that being cautious and skeptical was a good way to be. If time showed her that she didn’t need to be that way—great. If not, she would not be taken unaware. She would be sure to be vigilant in her support and protection of those who needed her.

Raising her hand, she knocked twice on the door that was off to the left of the main entrance of the beautiful log structure. Hunter and Clay had told her that Drew’s office was on the left side of their home.

The door opened immediately and she found herself facing the familiar, incredibly handsome man with a scar that ran from the bottom corner of his left eye to his mouth. The scar in no way detracted from the handsomeness of this man. His light blue eyes sparkled with kindness and Abbey felt comfortable with him immediately.

“I wanted to make sure Dean was okay, Carter,” she told him, the concern obvious in her voice.

He opened the door wide and motioned for her to enter. “Come on inside, Abbey,” he welcomed her warmly. “You might not remember, but I was the EMT on duty the morning Hunter and Clay found you.”

“I remember,” Abbey told him, smiling. “That was a good morning for me.”

“It was a good morning for your mates, too, Abbey,” he told her seriously. “There’s nothing more important or gives us more happiness than the moment we find our mate.”

“I’m understanding that more and more every day,” Abbey admitted.

“Suzie has told me and Drew about you. Our mate is very impressed by the help you’ve given her best friend Meeka. Thank you for what you’ve done for her.”

He extended his hand and Abbey accepted it without hesitation, shaking it firmly. His handshake was warm and sure, making her feel that she could trust him. She had always been a good judge of people when she met them during her business day.

“I didn’t do much,” Abbey protested. “Meeka is a very capable woman who just needed a little push to believe in herself.”

“Well, we appreciate what you’ve done, Abbey,” Carter told her as he led her inside.

She found herself in a small waiting area that was filled with an abundance of very large men including Lucian and Cole and Nikki’s mates Alexander and Butler. Their stance showed her that they were tense as they waited silently. They all turned to look at her as soon as she entered and she had to fight not to fidget.

“Hi,” she greeted them softly. “I came to check on Dean.”

“Dean is doing very well,” Carter told her gently. “There’s been a dramatic improvement since last night.”

“There has?” Abbey asked, surprised. “That’s wonderful.”

Carter smiled and nodded, not giving away any personal information. It was Dean’s right to tell what had happened. Drew and Carter had found the claiming mark on Dean’s chest when they had checked on him that morning. Whoever the woman was who had put her mark on Dean had done two things. She had helped him heal at a faster rate because of her bite, and she had started the bonding process with one of the men of her fated triad. Drew had explained to Dean that the mating wouldn’t be complete until their unknown female wolf gave the same claiming bite to Mitchell, and Dean and Mitchell gave the same biting mark to their little wolf in return.

Dean’s smug happiness had made Carter and Drew smile. When they saw the hope that had flared in Mitchell’s eyes, they couldn’t help but be happy for their mate’s little brother. They wished him the same happiness they had found in a happy triad mating with their Suzie.

“Abbey, you know Lucian and Cole,” Carter told her, indicating the two men.

Abbey nodded, smiling. The men smiled back and nodded, acknowledging her. She felt their goodness and suddenly felt sad that Mia was pushing them away.

“Hello again,” she told them softly.

“I think you might already know Alexander and Butler,” Carter offered. “They’re the head of our pack enforcers and are mated to Nikki.”

“Yes,” Abbey acknowledged. “Is Nikki here?”

“Our mate is in Dean’s room helping Drew change his dressings,” Alexander answered.

The door to the adjoining room opened and Mia, Laurie, Nikki, Suzie, Drew, Jace, and Jackson entered, making the already crowded room shrink in size as the strong presence of both the alpha and beta filled it. Abbey could feel the power of the ruling triad, liking the fact that Laurie also held the same magic as her mates. It boosted Abbey’s happiness to experience the woman’s strength.

“Abbey,” Laurie whispered, stepping closer and reaching out to hold Abbey’s hand. “Is everything all right, honey?”

Abbey’s heart clenched at the kindness extended to her. Here was a woman whose son was lying injured in the next room, yet she worried about Abbey and the reason she might be visiting the pack doctor. Amazing.

“I’m fine, Laurie,” Abbey assured her. “I just wanted to make sure you and Mia were okay. How’s Dean?”

Abbey suddenly found herself surrounded by Mia and Laurie as they hugged her tightly between them. She couldn’t prevent the soft laughter that left her as Suzie’s and Nikki’s arms surrounded them all and squeezed them within their embrace.

“Such a kind woman,” Laurie whispered against the side of Abbey’s face. “Thank you so much.”

“Dean is doing better,” Mia told her, her usually strong voice scarcely above a whisper.

Abbey could feel Mia’s body trembling and realized that the young woman was barely holding it together. Looking over the top of Mia’s head, she searched for and found Lucian and Cole. She raised her eyebrows and hoped they could understand that she wanted them to be there for Mia. She saw the way both of them hesitated before stepping closer to lend their strong presence.