Examining the enchiladas with his chef’s eye, Dakota was impressed at how good they looked and smelled, making his mouth water along with eliciting more growling from his stomach. Cutting into it, and taking his first bite, he groaned; Slate had made them to perfection. Glancing at his mate, he found him looking smugly back, waiting for the praise he thought he deserved. Inwardly giggling at the image of his frowning mate impatiently drumming his fingers on the counter, Dakota deliberately took his time eating the first one. Just when he thought Slate would explode in frustration, he put down his fork and said, “Love it! It’s one of the best breakfast enchiladas I’ve ever tasted.”
Slate’s smile was so broad, he was sure his face was splitting in half. He sat down next to Dakota, and began eating his food while sending a silent thanks to Dr. Luna for being such a good teacher. When they’d finished, Slate rose to clear the table, refusing help from his mate. He almost missed what his mate asked while he was putting the plates in the dishwasher but when the question finally found its way to his brain, he stopped and looked at his mate, knowing it was very important. “Go ahead, babe. You have my full attention.”
“Do you want pups?”
Slate pondered the simple question, and then said, “I know the Fates answered my mother’s prayer and gave me a mate who could have pups and, while I appreciate them answering my mother’s prayer, it wasn’t mine. It’s nice to have the option but, and this is a big ‘but’, the decision to have pups must be made by both of us because it’s our lives.” Holding up his hand to forestall Dakota from responding, Slate continued, “This decisionwill affect you more than me because you will be the one to become pregnant, suffer the morning sickness and the tiredness. A Dire Wolf pregnancy takes an enormous toll on your body as you saw with Jackson, and there are other built-in risks.
“Would I love to have a pup with you? Surprisingly…at least to me…I would, and I swear to be there for you and our pup always. Am I nervous about the risks? Absolutely! Just the thought of something happening to you upsets my wolf and me. Given that all of what I just said has to be considered, I think before we go further we need to begin the conversation somewhere else. You never asked for the ability to have pups so I think this is where we should start.”
Dakota was astounded how quickly his mate had zeroed in to the crux of the matter and knew Slate was right. He’d never expected to be a parent, much less get pregnant, because he was gay so it’d been a non-issue in his dreams for his future, but now that had changed and he wasn’t sure what he thought about it. “I don’t know what I think…while I was growing up, the possibility of me becoming pregnant wasn’t something I ever imagined. And now, poof, I can. Do you see how fucking weird that is? What was impossible is now possible.”
“I do understand,” Slate said, covering a yawn. “Babe, if you don’t mind, can this conversation wait until tomorrow? I’m exhausted and really need some sleep. Is that okay with you?”
Dakota nodded. He, too, was feeling the emotional effects of the long day. “I agree. I could use a good night’s sleep.” He rose from his chair, wondering if Slate wanted to sleep alone since they wouldn’t be fucking—yet.
Slate’s wolf was pacing, clearly upset they weren’t claiming their mate, causing uneasiness in Slate’s gut. He blurted out, “Babe, I really want you to sleep with me tonight. I swear, not to claim you but I just need to feel you close to me.”
Joy filled Dakota’s soul as he spun around and leapt into Slate’s arms. Inhaling orange blossom, allspice, and whiskey, he buried his nose in his mate’s neck, relishing the scents representing home for him.
Slate chuckled. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”
Chapter 13
In Scotland, Logan woke to the delicious sensation of his cock encased in a wet, warm mouth while his balls were being fondled. Lifting the covers, his eyes met the vivid blue ones belonging to his mate, and he smiled as he felt the tingle in his balls signaling his soon-to-be-coming orgasm. Reaching down, Logan ran his fingers through Kieran’s hair—one of his mate’s fingers pressing against the nerves surrounding his hole caused his hips to involuntary thrust into the air. Unable to stop his orgasm whenever Kieran did that, Logan’s cum shot into his mate’s mouth. When his balls were empty, Kieran cleaned Logan’s cock and then crawled up to his chest. “I love your wake-up call,” Logan growled in a raspy voice, wrapping his arms around his mate.
Grinning, Kieran said sassily, “I can tell. You know, when Ian told me to have more protein, I wasn’t keen on it, I mean, after all, I’m not a big wolf and I couldn’t figure out how I was going to eat more meat when I was having a lot as it was, but then I remembered something I read about and realized I could do what Ian suggested by giving you plenty of blowjobs. Maybe that’s why my Shaman made me study semen, though at the time I thought it was strange. Huh. Wait until I tell Ian I’m following his instructions. Holy shit balls! I gotta tell Theo, Norman and Fionn because Ian told them to eat more protein though I’m not sure who Fionn is going to suck since I don’t think Theo or Norman will be keen on him giving them blowjobs. Nope, I’m just going to have to find someone for Fionn cause he really needs more protein after what his father did to him. I wonder if he could blow Zane when he comes next week.”
Shaking with laughter, Logan said, “Babe, no, no, no. You are not telling Ian, Theo, Norman, Fionn or mybrother about blowing me as a way to have more protein. Please let my brother find his own blowjobs…and for fuck’s sake, don’t play matchmaker with Zane and Fionn. Now, what am I doing today?”
Kieran giggled at Logan’s reaction. “The sunrise, then shower, brunch, and then it’s off to Fionn’s house so we can pack up his clothes and stuff.”
Groaning, Logan complained, “I hate packing.”
“I don’t think it’ll take long,” Kieran said, sadness in his voice. “Theo told me Fionn doesn’t have a lot of clothes because his father was a skinflint.”
“But what about Fionn’s hoard? I know it was his father’s responsibility but Fionn could have bought some clothes.”
“I don’t know the whole story yet, but I think it has something to do with Fionn trying to keep his hoard hidden so his father wouldn’t take it.”
“No fucking way! His father can’t take it. There are laws against it.”
Sighing, Kieran replied, “Duh…tell that to Fionn’s father.”
Rubbing Kieran’s back, Logan said, “Babe, I’ll talk to Fionn today about his hoard and if he’s worried about his father taking it, I’ll call Jackson and Cody and find out what can be done to protect it.”
Grinning, Kieran tweaked his mate’s nipple before giving it a kiss. “Thanks,macushla.”
“No problemo. So what else are we doing today?”
Kieran giggled at his mate using one of his favorite expressions. “I want to go shopping after we finish at Fionn’s and get him some new clothes…also do some shopping for our pup, if it’s okay. I know you don’t want Colton to find out but…”
“Of course we can go shopping for our pup. Babe, I’m proud I’m going to be a father and when I found out, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! The only reason I didn’t tell Colton is he’s worried enough already about Ian and I know my brother…he’ll want to do an examination right away.” Logan thought for a moment, then added, “You know what, I’m telling him today because, fuck it, I don’t want you to be worried about him finding out.”
“Oh, goody! Now I won’t have to worry about Theo or Norm letting the goose out of the bag!”
“Ahh, babe, I think it’s a cat not a goose.”
Kieran shrugged. “No biggie! I like goose because it reminds me of a slang term I read about when I was doing my gay studies.”
