“On who?”His hyena laugh filled the empty room.“Lighten up.You’re more serious than a bag of snakes.I’m just glad to see you’re finally pounding something besides that keyboard.”
Krys flung his shirt at Virgil’s head.“Get cleaning.”
“What’s your catastrophe?”Virgil nonchalantly wrapped the T-shirt around his neck.“If you want to punish me, I’m available between the hours of seven and twelve.You people need to find your inner peace and calm down.It’s just a little H2O.”
Krys lifted a wet towel and dropped it into the bucket.“It’s no sweat off my back, but just wait until Tak gets ahold of you later.They’ve been planning this shit for months, and you tore it up in all of five fucking seconds.”
“Blame my wolf.”
Lucian stalked toward the center hall.“Where is everyone?Did they buy another pool?”
Krys caught up with him.“That ship has sailed.It’ll take too long, and she’s about to give birth any minute.The Relic’s here.”
As if on cue, they froze at the most guttural scream pouring out from the back hall.
“They’re in Tak’s oversized tub,” Krys explained.“Next time you’re out all night, call.We thought you drove off a cliff.”
Krys stepped into the bathroom by the back door to get more towels, and Lucian headed toward his room.As he neared Tak and Hope’s bedroom, another long moan tore free.Powerful emotions wafted from the open door.
Mercy flew out and smacked into him.“Holy mackerel!We thought you were dead.”Then she sprinted toward the kitchen.“Bear!Make sure they don’t use all the clean towels!”
When Krys emerged from the bathroom with a handful of fresh towels, Mercy snatched them and hurried back into the bedroom.
Krys and Bear stared at each other for a beat.
“Use old blankets,” Bear suggested.“Not the good ones, and leave the quilts alone.We’ll hang them out in the sun to dry.”Bear stroked his beard.For a big guy who panicked if his muffins were burning, he was surprisingly unflappable under the circumstances.Then his eyes lit up.“I’ll get the box fans out of the storage room upstairs.That’ll dry things up.”
Lucian turned the corner and shut himself in his bedroom.He changed into a white tank top and jeans.The emotional scents in the house were overpowering, but not entirely awful, though everyone’s anxiety and stress soured the wonderful smell of excitement and anticipation.Instead of putting yesterday’s shirt in the dirty clothes, he balled it up and tossed it next to his bed.It still carried Eden’s scent on it.
When he finally emerged from his room, Catcher barked excitedly from inside Hope’s bedroom.
Lucian lingered by the open door, listening to the voices coming from the bathroom to the right.Milly was coaching her.“Push!That’s it—you’re doing great.Push.”
He caught a scent that didn’t belong to his packmates, and when he heard a woman’s voice in the bathroom, he assumed it was Hope’s mother.
Cecilia emerged from the bathroom and joined the other women on the brown sectional to the right.The charm bracelet on her wrist jingled noisily as she wrung her hands, and it briefly reminded Lucian of the shackles that were now on their way to the higher authority.
“Who’s here?”Lucian asked quietly.
Cecilia gestured to the open door.“Tak, Milly, and Hope’s mom.Hope doesn’t want anyone else, so we’re here in case she needs us.”
“What about her father?”
“She wanted him to stay home.”
Probably for the best.Her old man was a seasoned Packmaster who had a tendency to take over every situation, which wouldn’t fly in another pack’s home.Had he seen the inflatable pool explode, Virgil might be outside digging his own grave.
Melody nervously rocked her leg.“Her dad’s coming later on—after the birth.”
Hope’s moan turned into a feral scream, and Melody bit her fingernails.They were childhood friends and closer than sisters could be, and Lucian smelled her fear above all the excitement.
“That’s it, beautiful,” Tak cheered from the bathroom.“I got you.”
The girls leaned forward with their attention locked on the open door.Hope bit down on her scream, water splashed, and Milly announced, “It’s a boy!”
Everyone jumped to their feet.
“That skin-to-skin contact is good bonding,” Milly continued.“Tak, do you want to cut the cord?”
