12
Xander
Sage wokeme one morning by laying on my chest and staring directly on my face until I woke. I was an early riser, generally around dawn, while he usually slept in—so I wasnotexpecting to open my eyes to a face full of him. I let out a startled hiss, which made him laugh.
I groaned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. A glance at the sky revealed a milky pink and orange glow edging away the darkness.
“What are you doing up so early?” I asked.
“Today’s the day!” he announced.
“Day for what exactly?”
“You don’t know? It’s been two weeks since my heat ended!”
It took me a moment to recognize what he was talking about. As the pieces slid into place, I sat up. “Ah, you want to know if you’re pregnant. Is that it?”
He nodded vigorously. His hands were on his belly, the size of which hadn’t changed. I was more than willing to wait and see until his body showed naturally—some attempts sprinkled here and there wouldn’t hurt, either—but I knew this meant a lot to Sage. His enthusiasm, much like his radiating joy, was hard to stave off.
“All right,” I said. “So what do we do exactly? I believe you mentioned something about a doctor?”
He bounced up, rolling on the balls of his feet. “Yeah, Dr. Pine! She lives in the canyon outside the wildlife reserve. C’mon, hurry!”
I smirked. “You’re going to wake up the whole pack hopping around like that. Besides, the baby’s not going anywhere.”
Approaching footsteps made me look towards the trees. Hugo came towards us with a sleeping Leveret hung in his arms.
“What’s all the fuss?” he asked with a yawn.
“Oops,” Sage said, shooting me ayou-were-rightglance.“Sorry, bro. Me and Xander were just about to head to Dr. Pine’s place.”
“Already?” Hugo looked amused. “I’ve never known you to wake up early for anything. You must be pretty excited.”
“Yeah, I am! I wanna know if I’m having a baby or not.”
Leveret grumbled in his sleep and Hugo bounced him gently against his chest.
“I remember how excited I was before we knew about the twins. That feels like ages ago, now” Hugo mused. “Go on, then. Don’t wear out Xander too badly.”
“I won’t!” Sage promised in a very loud whisper. “Bye, Hugo! See you in a few days!”
Too impatient and bursting with energy to wait, Sage shifted and bounded ahead. Hell, I was a morning person and even watching him mademefeel exhausted.
“I trust you to protect him, alpha,” Hugo told me with a smile.
I returned it and said, “Always do. Don’t worry.”
Hugo was quiet in thought. After a moment, he murmured, “It was only his first heat, so there’s a chance it might not have taken. If that’s the case I hope he isn’t too disappointed.”
I nodded. I’d thought of that as well, but Sage was young and in his prime. He had plenty of opportunities to get pregnant again. Still, I braced myself for the possibility that we would both face disappointment this time around.
“Whatever happens, I’ll be there for him,” I promised.
“Thanks, Xander.” Hugo grinned. “Now you should probably get a move on before he reaches that fence before you.”
I glanced to where Sage had been a few minutes ago and noticed he was just a speck now. I shifted and chased after him.
* * *
