“Uhm…about living here,” Smokey began. “I’m willing to give it a go, but…but I’m not sure my grizzly will be welcomed, especially in a wolf pack with so many pups, and…”
“It won’t be a problem,” Theo assured him, before turning to Norm for help. “Tell Smokey how good everyone is to us.” Before his mate could answer, a shadow fell over Theo’s face. “What about Ki? If we leave then he’ll leave and if he leaves so will Logan and then Jackson will be devastated.” Shaking his head, he continued on, “No…no, you must stay Smokey…you’ll see…everything will be all right.”
“I didn’t…” Smokey started to replied but was interrupted by several knocks.
Jackson stood in the doorway, his gaze taking in the different emotions reflected on each face staring back at him. Ignoring Theo and Norm for a moment, he focused on Smokey’s bear, his wolf sending out assurances he wasn’t a threat to anyone in the room. Waiting until the bear faded from Smokey’s eyes, he entered, stopping at the foot of the bed. “Hey…I wanted to see how Theo was doing but I couldn’t help overhearing you and I can assure you that Smokey is welcome here.”
Relief filled Theo. Letting out a breath, he smiled brightly at Smokey. “See…didn’t I tell you everything would be okay?”
Grunting in agreement, Smokey couldn’t help but grin. Theo was special, not only because he was his mate but because his inner light shone so intensely. And for the first time in a long time, someone could make him feel happiness—something that had been missing ever since his family died. “Then it’s settled…we’re staying here.”
“Are you sure?” Norm asked Smokey.
“I am.”
“Well…then…okay,” Norm murmured. “I guess we’re gonna need a bigger bed.”
Chuckling, Jackson said, “And maybe a bigger room. Talk it over and then let Steel know what you guys decide. But before you do that, I’d like to talk to Theo alone first and then Norm.”
Alarm flitted across Theo’s face. “OMG! Is something the matter with our cub? What did Mac tell you?”
“Hey, stop worrying,” Jackson said softly. “Nothing’s wrong with your cub. I just want to make sure you’re willing to claim Smokey.” Holding up his hand, he continued, “As your Alpha, it’s my job to confirm your intentions.”
“Oh…I guess that’s all right,” Theo said, looking to Norm for support.
“What about Smokey?” asked Norm. “Don’t you want to ask him if his intentions are honorable also?”
“We already talked,” Jackson replied.
Looking at Smokey, Norm caught his brief nod, then returning his gaze to Theo, he asked, “Will you be okay?”
“Yup…and while I’m with our Alpha, can you please go find Mac? I want to know when he’s going to do my ultrasound.”
“Uhm…sure,” Norm mumbled.
“Fastastico!” Theo exclaimed. “I’ll be waiting.”
Picking up on Norman’s hesitation, Smokey took the lead. “C’mon…let’s go find Mac…I know how eager he is to do it.”
Biting his bottom lip, Norm was trying to figure out how to approach Mac when he caught Smokey’s wink and grin. He didn’t know what it meant, but his anxiety faded when he took the hand Smokey held out. As their fingers touched, Norm again felt his world right itself as calmness flooded through him. It was at that moment, he knew that no matter what happened in the future, his pooh bear and their cub would be fine.
Chapter 27
Giving Theo one last look, Norm followed Smokey out of the hospital room. When they were far enough away that Theo couldn’t hear them, he said, “Smokey…wait…there’s something you need to know.”
Smokey stopped and turned to face Norman. “Is it about you firing Mac?” he asked, grinning.
“You know about that?” Surprised, Norm couldn’t help it when his voice cracked to a higher pitch, sounding like it did before it changed.
“Yeah…I was there when Mac told Jackson.”
“Jackson knows?”
“Uh…yeah. Why, is it a problem?”
“No…yeah…maybe…I don’t know,” Norm replied miserably. “I haven’t told Theo yet, and Jackson…”
“Is talking with Theo right now and you’re afraid he’s gonna tell him.” Seeing the confirmation in his mate’s eyes, Smokey wondered why Norm would be upset about it if Jackson did, especially considering the obvious good relationship between Theo and the Alpha. Coming to the conclusion he was missing something, he asked, “What happened? Why did you fire Mac?”
