Chapter 6
I simply wanted to go home immediately. What was I thinking, having sex with a wolf shifter? It was the most irresponsible thing I've ever done in my whole life. But the ironic thing is, whenever I'm with Charles, Deporta Enoch was the farthest thing from my mind. Although I had first wanted to bed a wolf shifter out of revenge, in some way it all went out the window while Charles was nearby. It did not feel staged or rebellious or dangerous. It simply felt natural.
The bathroom door slammed suddenly.
"Go away!" I exclaimed, embarrassed that I had run out of the room to be sick. I wished I were back in the safety of Dean's apartment, where all of this would not be happening. I looked down at my bloated purple belly and cringed. How could I ever face anyone in this state?
"Are you alright?" Charles's gruff voice asked. He was gentler-spoken than the other wolf shifters I had encountered. I had had an idea that bikers were going to be all macho. In some way, however, I had ended up with one who was considerate enough to save a total stranger and call on him when he was puking in the can.
"I –"
My voice cracked and Charles pushed past me into the bathroom, his lips tight as if he was resisting a smile.
"There now, boy, it'll be all right."
Charles wrapped me in a bear hug and whapped me on the back. "It's just those wild wolf hormones playing tricks on your system. You may cry on and off, but it does not make you any less of a man."
My lower lip trembled and Charles smiled quietly, stepping back from me and reaching into the closet to pull out a cloth. He dipped it in some cold water and wiped my forehead. It was pleasant, and made me collapse into another irrational bout of crying.
Charles sighed deeply and rubbed my back.
"I'll tell you a little story to take your mind off things," he said. "Now I'm a carpenter.". I am a business owner and was contracted to build a house for this guy. The guy was a work in progress. Did not like him at first. Anyway, one day he came by to check out the house and he yelped in pain. No idea what was goin' on. So I ran over to him and was wonderin' what in the world was goin' on with him. It turns out he was in labor, and had been being a dick because of his hormones. The poor guy's alpha had just been killed by hunters, so he was solo and needed a den to raise his pups.
I sat, spellbound, while she explained. I had never heard anything about delivering shifter pups, and I was eager to know what it was like. Now that I apparently had some of my own on the way in my womb.
"What did you do?" I demanded.
"I'd never delivered pups myself, but way back when my mother, may her soul rest easy, was still living, she was a midwife.". I had seen her do it a hundred times, and she explained it to me straight enough so I knew just what was needed for a successful delivery. I made the fellow lie down, fetched the gear. Fortunately, the house was almost completed and had running water and all the facilities we required. We were able to deliver two pups in the end. A girl and a boy.
"Twins?" I said longingly. "I've always wanted twins."
Charles's eyes sparkled. "Well, they came out fighting, I know that. And their daddy was so happy. Said they looked just like his mate who had passed away. It was a very emotional experience. Anyway, they moved into the house where the babes were born and together they started a new life. It was a good thing there was a legacy left behind. Sometimes these things do occur.".
Charles went quiet for a second. I awkwardly stepped along beside him and Charles put a weighty arm over my shoulder.
"Better, kid?"
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Good."
Charles walked me to the bedroom, where we both dressed. I was surprised when Charles gave me a shiny new toothbrush and some warm pajamas.
Why don't you take a shower. It'll put some pep in your step. I'll go get us something to drink. It'll do the pups good."
"Okay," I said uncertainly. I disappeared into the bathroom again as Charles's whistle slowly faded as he walked into the kitchen.
I came out, feeling like a new man. It was nice to have toothpaste aftertaste on my tongue and to gently rub my bloated stomach as I walked around this foreign house looking for Charles. I found him sitting at a wooden table in the kitchen with two cups of steaming stuff on the table in front of him. It smelled great and herbal, and I didn't know if I liked it. They reminded me of the Chinese medicine stores I had lived beside growing up in the city before I'd met Deporta Enoch.
"Good to see you," Charles said. "You look great. Glowing."
Thanks," I said, looking down at the floor, reddening. I had never assumed that I could become pregnant, but somehow this was exactly what had happened. I had dreamed, as a child, longingly at least once or twice, that I would have children of my own, but this was something that surprised me completely.
Charles rubbed the arm of the chair beside him and I sat.
Bottoms up," said Charles, picking up the mug and looking at me hopefully. I raised my own mug. It was warm, and I had anxious butterflies in my belly. What did it taste like?
"Thanks," I replied, bringing the mug to my lips. To my astonishment, I found that the beverage was sweet and contained a minute bitter flavor that lingered on as an aftertaste. It was quite pleasing, very different from anything that I had ever had before.
"Any time," Charles replied, winking at me. "What do you think?"
"Really great," I said to him, grinning awkwardly at Charles. He was so hard and professional-looking. Even though he was a motorcycle man, when he was at home he was loose and game for anything. Whatever that was sentimental or hard, he looked like he would be a master of it. That sort of maturity was unimaginably sexy.
"I'm glad you think so. That means the pups are taking to it fine."
"What's that?"
"Oh, trade secret," Charles winked. "Herbs and things in a formula wolf shifters take from time to time to keep their spirits up. Allows us an opportunity to grow up and stay healthy long past the lifespans we'd have if we were regular wolves.". That way we can maintain instead of dying prematurely. Although the proverb 'only good die young' might have been created by someone from our kind. Before this recipe was made, it was hard for us to match the humans in us.
"Wow," I said, looking at the mug. "So this will age the pups well?"
That's the theory. And here's me," Charles said with a grin and a wink. "I'm still getting some silver yet."
My heart skipped a beat at Charles's intensity, but I tried to play it cool and not show such weakness. I didn't want to leave myself too vulnerable. I had seen the ability of the shifters, and now that I was pregnant with pups, would I then be held to them for the rest of my life? I was not part of the pack, so where did that leave me? I wished I could talk to my friend. Maybe he would know what it was like to be a normal human with shifter babies by mistake. But Timothy was different. Timothy had always been interested in wolf shifters since they were high school teens. It was not surprising to learn that he went straight into the world of wolf shifters, and somehow found the perfect mate for himself. No, maybe Timothy wouldn't be so comforting to talk to after all. He would just drone on about how great his life was now that he'd achieved his goal of being adopted by a family of shifters.
"Whiskey for your thoughts," Charles said, laughing heartily. I was shocked and embarrassed at the idea of sharing what was on my mind with Charles. The man's cool blue eyes were fixed on me, filled with amusement and secrecy. What was it that they saw? Clearly, he did not live a life like any that I could possibly adjust to. Maybe I could simply take the pups and leave them with Charles and return to my normal life. Charles could raise a shifter. I couldn't. I would be an oblivious dad.
"This is all sort of strange," I admitted. "I never would have imagined something like this would ever happen to me. And I have no idea how in the world I am supposed to raise a shifter baby. I've never done anything even close to this before in my life."
"Take it easy, you'll do fine. It's one of the most natural things in the world. You'll see.".
"Yeah, but what if I mess up? Maybe it'd be better if – """
"Listen, I understand you're scared. Most sane humans are scared when something like this happens to them. I've heard it all. Some men even go a bit crazy and start clawing at their stomachs, doing terrible things to try and kill the pups so they won't have to live with the mistake they made in thinking they could deal with getting involved with our kind.". All I ask is that you won't hurt the pups. Don't hurt yourself. If you can't do it, tell me truthfully. But have a go first. I think we'll be able to sort it out between us, you and I. If we give it a go.
I gazed at Charles and my eyes brimmed with tears.
Oh hell," Charles chuckled when he found me crying once more. "Here we go."
Charles picked me up in a big hug and I poured it out. I cried for what felt like an eternity, drenching Charles's brand new white shirt as the deep, resonating voice of the man soothed me.
"It'll be okay. Just hold on to me for a little bit and we'll figure something out. All right?"
I sniffled.
"Alright," I replied. "I'll remain with you."
***
Once we'd had our beverages and I'd finally settled down somewhat, Charles returned me to the bedroom.
Now it's getting on late and you've got a lot to consider. I'd like you to hang around here for a bit, okay? I'm going to make the couch into a bed in case you start feeling hormonal or whatever. Might as well give you some room, particularly on the first night.
"Alright," I told him. It made sense, but somehow I didn't want Charles to go anywhere. I was mildly frightened at the thought of lying alone in the big room, but Charles's mind was made up. He rolled up a blanket and a pillow and grabbed one of the sketchbooks from his bedside table.
If you require something at night, you simply yell. I have excellent hearing, so I will come and fetch you promptly. Understand?
I nodded and Charles smiled before he turned and shut the bedroom door behind him.
I was left surrounded by the room's darkness. I could hear Charles walking back and forth throughout the house, like a spirit, stirring wood in the stove and thumping down onto the couch. The rustle of paper as he opened his notebook and read the pages through. It was funny how comfortable it was to be in this guy's house when it was so strange to realize that we never had met previously. And there we were, already married. Yes, the kind of married couple who left plenty of space between each other, I guess, but nonetheless, it was entertaining.
I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. How would it be to be a couple with Charles? How is it to go out with a shifter? Maybe a call to Timothy would be appropriate. He was the least likely to judge me for my situation. Dean would laugh me into next week if he were to find out, but Timothy might be able to see through me. But if Charles's hearing was as good as he said it was, then it would be difficult for me to have a secret conversation. I would just have to grit it out and wait and see what happened.
It would not be so terrible to have a relationship with a man like Charles, I decided. Charles was good-looking, strong, and considerate. Those were some of the sexiest qualities that I could possibly envision in a man. Not only that, but would it be so terrible to try to make the best of my situation? I was going to have the man's children, for chrissake. We might as well try to get along. And, anyway, the sex had been the best that I had ever had. It was so good that I could feel myself trying not to cry again just thinking about it.
Those hormones were seriously messing me up. I had never been so tearful-eyed in front of any of the men that I had sex with. Nevertheless, it seemed as though life with Charles was already different from life with any other kind of man I had ever known. Every experience that we had shared together up until now had been deeply emotional. From having my life saved to getting pregnant the same night by the same guy. In how I was kind of out of sorts. It was maddening, and I couldn't wait to be myself again. I had so many questions about what it would be like to be pregnant with wolf shifter pups. How long would it take to give birth to the pup? How fast it would grow, and how emotionally attached would I feel to it? I already felt ruthlessly protective of the unborn child. How human would it be, and what kind of things could I expect from being its parent?
These were all questions I would have to pose to Charles in the future. It had already been a pretty rough and exhausting day. Despite wanting Charles to be in bed beside me, to be providing the same comfort he had provided throughout the day, it was nice to have a little space so that I might think about such things myself. Regardless of how hard and how long I did think about it, the fact remained the same. I had gotten pregnant with a mature, hot older man, and my life was now never going to be the same.