“What? But the pup...” Titan glanced at Mathlin’s belly. If Ottis was right, if Mathlin really was pregnant... Then Titan had to start preparing. He had to take responsibility. He had to prove himself—
“You need to take it easy,” Mathlin growled. “I know I agreed to let you use your other arm, but please don’t overdo it. Don’t pop your stitches.”
Titan’s wolf growled. They needed to make everything perfect for their mate; why didn’t Mathlin understand that?
But Mathlin was also the one who had to fix Titan’s injuries when he made them worse. Titan held back his wolf and nodded. “Just let me build you a simple nest. I already have the pillows and blankets.”
Mathlin wavered, chewing his lip. But interest flickered in his eyes; Titan’s instincts rumbled in response.
“Fine,” Mathlin said. “Be careful.”
Titan cheered up. He gave Mathlin a quick nuzzle and slipped out of the bathroom.
The cart was rolling back and forth by the front door, squeaking its wheels noisily. Hamilton was holding it in place.
“It wanted to race in after you,” the shapeshifter said with a grin. “I stopped it and made it wipe its wheels. Figured you didn’t need an audience for all that.”
“Thanks,” Titan said gratefully.
“You brought a cart home?” Mathlin asked.
“I found it stuck on a tree root. It said yes when I offered it a place in my cabin.” For a moment, Titan worried that Mathlin might not agree; Mathlin was living here too, and he had a baby.
But Mathlin’s gaze turned soft, and he came over to pet the cart’s cargo basket.
“Do you have a name?” he asked the cart. The cart gave a wobbly shake, as though it was saying no.
“I hadn’t thought that far,” Titan admitted. “I was out searching for a stroller and—Would you accept this cart as a stroller for Jannie? I know it’s not quite what you were asking, but—”
Mathlin beamed and threw his arms around Titan. “Yes! Thank you.”
“I’m glad.” Titan’s wolf rumbled in his chest. He nudged the cart with his knee. “Thanks, buddy. I appreciate your help.”
The cart flipped its wheels and squeaked.
“What would you like to name it?” Titan asked.
“Wildcart,” Mathlin said. “Like a wildcard, but better!”
Titan laughed. “How about that, Wildcart? You like that name?”
The cart nudged them both and squeaked; Mathlin grinned.
“Welcome to my cabin,” Titan said. “Now, please stay here while I work on Mathlin’s nest.”
Mathlin eyed the pile of pillows in the cart. “I can help.”
“Alphas prove their worth by building nests for their omegas,” Titan said, and froze.
He hadn’t even asked if Mathlin wanted to be his omega.
“Uh. I’ll get back to you about that.” Titan carefully grabbed some pillows with his right arm, then bit into the corner of another pillow and lifted that too. He hurried into his bedroom, dropping his cargo on the far side of the room.
His bedroom wasn’t huge by any means, but he wanted Mathlin’s nest to be inside his cabin and easily defensible. A nest in this corner would allow Titan to be the first thing an intruder came across, even if they were asleep in the middle of the night.
Titan kicked off his shoes and nudged the pillows around with his feet. He made two more trips to grab the rest of the pillows and blankets, then carefully arranged them so the nest had a soft, fluffy base, with a ring of pillows surrounding the comfy hollow in the middle. A few blankets went over the pillow wall, holding them down so they wouldn’t move around too much.
This was the simplest nest; it didn’t have anything fancy like toys or entertainment, or even snacks.
