“Yup,” Kade said with a grin. “That complete about-face from you denying it was yours when you got here.”
“I never denied the baby was mine once you told me who was carrying,” I denied hotly, “and you damn well know it!”
“That’s enough,” Jeremy interjected, speaking over us. “This bickering isn’t going to help Connery and that’s what we’re here to do, right?” Kade and I gave grudging nods of agreement and Jeremy continued, “Good. Fang, is there any chance that his behavior could be because he’s concerned about the baby’s genetic makeup?”
I cocked my head, unsure where he was headed. Jeremy rolled his eyes.
“Maybe the fact that the baby will be a werewolf shifter? That might be difficult to accept for someone with Connery’s upbringing and background?”
My heart dropped and my stomach clenched. My dismay must have shown on my face because Kade’s generally affable countenance hardened into granite and Jeremy’s eyes widened significantly.
“I..” I stammered, shame washing over me. “He…doesn’t know,” I admitted, wincing.
“You didn’t bother to tell him you’re a monster before you knocked him up?” Kade snarled.
I shrugged helplessly even though I knew I was in the wrong. “You’re acting like I did it on purpose,” I argued. “The night we hooked up, I didn’t even know hecouldget pregnant. Without the Omega scent to tip me off, I assumed he was just another horny human. And we used a damn rubber! Did you always tell your hookups you were a shifter?”
Kade’s answer was in the guilty way he dropped his gaze, but far from feeling vindicated, I just felt slightly sick as I looked back to Jeremy.
“I wasn’t intentionally keeping it from him,” I insisted. “There’s been a lot going on and..” I gestured feebly. “It honestly didn’t even occur to me.”
Jeremy blew out a breath. “I understand but you have to see how problematic that is,” he said carefully, glancing at Kade as though he was concerned that his next words might anger me. Kade saw it, too, and he moved to stand beside his mate, one hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “Roger, knowing that the baby won’t be human could have impacted Connery’s decision to continue the pregnancy.”
Anger flashed through me. In my head, the werewolf screamed in pain at the thought of our mate believing his blood polluted our child, made it unworthy. I tightened my grip on the arms of the chair, my claws breaking through and leaving bloodstained scratches on the polished wood. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe, fighting for control over the increasingly desperate beast inside me intent on breaking free.
When I could finally speak again, I was exhausted and all I could do was nod. “You’re right,” I managed to get out between ragged breaths. “I swear it wasn’t intentional. I would never withhold that information to control the decision he made, it simply didn’t occur to me that he might feel that way.”
I took several more deep breaths. “It’s cowardly, I know, but I don’t think I can be the one to tell him,” I said quietly. “I don’t know how much control I would have if it goes badly or if I might try to influence him. Can you tell him?”
Jeremy’s eyes glassy with tears told me he understood my pain and he nodded. “I will tell him,” he assured me with a weak smile. “And if we make it past that, I will try to find out what has actually been on his mind, okay?”
Unsure how much longer I could contain my beast, I muttered my thanks and rose, passing by the parking lot as I left the building and heading straight for the woods. The monster was going to need to release its frustration before I saw Ari again.
In the woods surrounding ODI, I briefly weighed my options before shifting into a full wolf instead of my standard were hybrid. The creature was easier to control in that form and it would also make it easier to burn off the anxious energy throbbing inside me. I ran for hours through the heat with no destination in mind, focusing on nothing more than the rhythmic thud of my paws hitting the sunbaked ground. The sun was beginning to set when I passed the sign welcoming me to Palo Duro Canyon and realized just how far I’d run.
Pausing at a swiftly moving stream to drink, I veered off the path and picked my way up the crags to the canyon rim and settled in among the scrub trees and brush to rest while the sun completed its journey across the sky. The reds, golds, and oranges played across the already stunning layers of rock, highlighting the various colors in the stone as the day surrendered to night. My beast was content to rest there among nature and it wasn’t until the moon was high and the deep velvet of the night sky was broken by a million points of light that I finally rose to my feet and stretched to begin the long trip home.
ChapterSixteen
Ari
Any step forward is progress.
The credo that formed the basis of all of the programs at Omega Destiny, International flitted through my mind as I studied the papers laid out before me on the coffee table. It was taking longer than I would have liked to get my life in order, especially since I was still living in Roger’s home with him providing for my needs, but just over a week after the life-altering information that was dropped on me at the medical center, I was finally on the verge of being able to take the first steps on my own two feet.
I’d begun by making a near nuisance of myself at the public library. It was easily within walking distance of Roger’s home and I’d spent a significant part of the past week there. The kindly librarian had taken me under her wing, teaching me some basic computer skills and how to search the internet for employment listings and housing advertisements. That had led to a need for me to have an email address and phone number, a problem she explained could be solved by the purchase of an inexpensive cell phone from a local gas station.
With those basic needs met, I had interviewed that morning for a position as caretaker for a local man who owned several short-term rental properties. The salary seemed enormous considering I’d never earned a paycheck before, but the most promising aspect was that it included a private cabin on one of the properties. If I was hired, it would resolve my two most pressing concerns -a place to live and money to live on- in one fell swoop.
I hadn’t mentioned any of my plan to Roger yet. Not because I thought there was a need to hide it, but because I knew that he felt that he legally had to support me because of the baby. If I explained everything after I got a job and moved out, I was hoping he wouldn’t let guilt convince him to make me stay. That all led me to where I was when the knock came at the door, adding the previous days meals to the list of expenses I needed to repay Roger for as soon as my finances allowed.
I ignored it at first.
Roger had left a few hours earlier telling me he wasn’t sure how long he’d be gone, and I couldn’t imagine anyone would be dropping in to see me. A second knock came, harder and followed by a familiar voice calling out my full name.
“Connery? It’s Jeremy from ODI. Are you home?”
I sighed and carefully shuffled my papers into a neat stack, setting them aside. Unplanned visit or not, I couldn’t just leave him out in the hall. I rose to open the door, stepping aside to allow him in and then glancing down the hall.
