"You're welcome. And for the record, it's a sexy mental image."
Red cackled. "You're ridiculous."
"You love it."
"I do." Red paused for a moment, as if something struck his mind. "But if we’re going to raise the baby in the pack, I don't know when we should return…"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Red's gaze fell to his fidgeting fingers. A shadow had fallen over his mood. "It'll have to be after the baby’s born," he murmured.
"Why?"
He winced. "Because the whole pack thinks I'm an alpha. And I am. But that's notallthat I am. They don't know about my fluidity, or the fact that I have the ability to bear a child."
My heart broke for him. I knew he was scared, but did he really think he had to avoid the people he considered family for his entire pregnancy? They were kind, compassionate people. I knew they would want to be there for him when things got rough, or when he had questions, or when he just needed to cry on the shoulder of somebody who'd been through the same thing. That was something I couldn't offer him.
"Red," I said gently. "I'm not telling you what you should or shouldn't do. But the pack is your family. I've seen the way they treat you. I don't think they would have the negative reaction that you're afraid they will."
His gaze was conflicted. "That's what I thought the first time."
"The pack isn't like that. They're not like your parents."
Red went silent. He couldn't argue with that. He let out a deep sigh. "Even so, the process of telling them seems like so much damn work. I wish they would just telepathically know without me having to tell them."
I smiled. "How do you know they don't?"
"Very funny."
"I'm serious. You say you've never confirmed anything one way or the other. They might already have an idea about it, even if they don't know the details."
Red made a noncommittal sound. "Maybe."
I linked my fingers with his. "It's your choice. But if you want to, I'll be there with you the whole time. You don't have to be alone."
His eyes welled up with tears before he blinked them away. "Thanks, Orpheus."
I kissed him. "Anything for you, angel."
15
Red
I thoughtabout what Orpheus said and I knew deep down he was right. My instincts told me the pack would accept me, and they'd already proven that by letting me in after all the other crap I'd put them through. I just didn't want this to be the straw that broke the camel’s back—but maybe the camel had a stronger back than I thought in the first place.
Still, I was in no hurry to run back and blurt out everything. Vacation time was awesome. Sure, I missed the kids, but there was plenty of time to play with them when we got back. Maybe by then I'd be closer to my due date. Would they enjoy having a new friend to play with? The thought made me oddly excited. I imagined me and Orpheus's fox cub/raven chick causing trouble among the mob and grinned to myself.
We travelled around the wildlife reserve. I took him to all my favourite spots and old haunts, including the abandoned hunter's cabin I'd stumbled upon ages ago. Orpheus was curious so we decided to check it out. For once, I was glad about his weak sense of smell, for his sake. Remington had told me that he and Nero spent a couple nights here back when they realized they were fated, and I was glad for them and everything, but even though months had passed, I could still smell them on the sheets. Gross.
But Orpheus was more curious about the kitchen. The way he picked through the abandoned stainless steel utensils amused me. His raven traits must've been jumping out.
"Attracted to shiny objects?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied bluntly. "Sorry that I'm being a stereotype."
I laughed and joined him, picking up a particularly polished old spoon. It had been hidden away in a drawer so it hadn't collected any dust. Orpheus snatched it from me with wide, almost childlike eyes.
"This place is amazing," he said. "I have never been so close to human stuff for so long. Back in my trouble-making days, I got close, but humans scared me off before I could get a good look at anything. With the way they wave their arms around so much, you’d thinkthey'rethe ones that could take flight."
