Jamie
“Want to go shifting?” I took in my mate’s behavior. He had been getting a bit restless the last few days. Increased fidgeting, a little too frequent sighing or grunting, and I could sense his fox scratching at his skin. I knew the signs of a shifter’s restlessness, and Charlie was displaying them all. But for some reason, he hadn’t asked me to go take him for a run. He hadn’t shifted since his abduction. Today was going to change that, I decided. “It’s my last day off before a seventy-two-hour shift, my wolf is feeling a bit pent up and is growling at me to let him free. He wants his mate to join him.”
“Hmmm.” Charlie bit the corner of his plump lower lip. “I guess we could go for a run.”
“Perfect. I know exactly the perfect spot.” I could smell the anxiety building in my mate. The acidic burn of nerves blended with the natural scent when unease was present. “My family has a lot of land. I don’t know if you noticed when we went there, but they have tons of trees outside of their house. It goes for several miles of woods. What is good about it is that there are inconspicuous fences surrounding the area. And they have some security set up. No one can roam around back there without being spotted.”
“Really?” Charlie’s wide eyes locked on mine.
“You’ll be safe.” I took his smaller hands in mine. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Charlie took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “Let’s do it.”
When we arrived at my parents’ house, the driveway was empty, and only one light was on in the house. The one that always stayed on, even when no one was home. My motheralways said it was bad luck to walk into a dark house and to keep a light always on so that you could always find your way back home. I tended to follow the same rule at my own cabin.
“My parents have a date night down at the town bingo hall. It’s the place to go for their generation, I guess. I always see that place packed with the older locals on a Friday night.” I helped Charlie out of the truck and locked the doors. “But I already told them that we were going to be using their property for our run, so no worries.”
“What about your brothers? I forgot to ask if they live here with your parents still.” Charlie held on to my arm as we walked through the side gate and into the backyard. “Will they be around tonight?”
“They just moved out recently. They do stop by frequently, though, to still have Mom cook for them and do laundry. Don’t worry, though, they all have dates tonight. I checked.” I stopped at the small shed near my parents’ patio that we all used for undressing for shifts. “We can leave all our things here while we are out for our run.”
We shed our clothing and placed it on the bench inside the wooden structure. I couldn’t help but appreciate the side of my naked mate as he ensured everything was folded before we left. His belly large with our pups, his skin smooth and begging to be touched.
But we weren’t here for that. I needed to make sure my mate overcame his anxiety about shifting again, and his fox was able to roam free, even for a little bit.
“Wait.” Charlie stopped just before we left the shed. “I forgot to check if I can still shift while pregnant. I know some omegas have mentioned they couldn’t. Maybe we shouldn’t chance it.”
“Don’t fret, baby. I’ve already checked with Dr. Malcolm. He confirmed that since your pregnancy is going smoothly and you’re still at least two weeks from giving birth, you may stillshift. Although, this is probably your last chance to do so since you are carrying twins and need to stop shifting at least a week before the due date.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks for checking.”
“Of course.” I kissed his cheek. “Those other omegas may have had complications, or perhaps some shifters handle the shift differently. We can look it up later if you’re curious. All I know is that your specific case has received the doctor’s encouragement. He thinks it will help later if your fox can run before you deliver the babies. That way, there’s no pent-up discomfort on your beast. That can make labor and contractions more overwhelming on your body and spirit.”
“You really did research this with the doctor ahead of time, huh?” Charlie stretched out his body and opened the door that led to the yard. “Alright, then, let’s go.”
The shifting process was smooth and painless. My body morphed into my wolf within seconds, a tingling of magic running over my skin during the transformation. I saw Charlie out of the corner of my eye, his human body soon replaced with his adorable fox. My wolf couldn’t wait to properly greet his mate.
Just don’t get any sexy ideas.Charlie sent his message over our mind-link.I’m too pregnant to be rolling around on the ground with your knot. Even if we are in our animal forms.
I swear, no shifted sex tonight,I sent back to my mate.No promises I won’t be thinking about it, though.
Fair enough.
Charlie’s fox nipped my ear and ran off into the tree line. As my wolf gave chase, I heard him chuckling in my mind.
Little brat.
Chapter Seventeen
Charlie
A tingle within my stomach had me pacing all day. It wasn’t the babies, although they were active as well. This tingle was more like intuition telling me something weird was going on, and I needed to go find my mate. But was I just being a clingy, hormonal pregnant mate? I didn’t want to be one of those types of omegas who hounded their mate. But this feeling just wouldn’t fade.
So, I called my bestie.
“How’s my brat doing today?” Isaac still hadn’t thought of a better nickname for me, but I would let it slide this time.
“I want to go visit Jamie at work, but I feel like it will make me seem like a stalker.” I knew I was whining, but I didn’t care. My best friend would understand.
