Nodding, Mystia said, “Please tell Logan I will be there in ten minutes.”
“Perfect, I’ll let him know,” said Jackson.
“Jimmy and I will be over later to see what Daniel can do,” Mystia said, smiling at Steel before leaving.
“Jackson,” said Oracle, “I will be gone this morning, but will be back at lunchtime to speak with Dakota. My son has promised me he will not claim his mate until Dakota meets with me, so I can explain his gifts.”
“Gifts? Dakota is getting more than one gift?” asked Jackson.
“Yes,” Oracle said.
“Will you tell him about the consequences if he doesn’t claim Slate?” asked Jackson.
“Sweetie, Dakota already knows,” Oracle said, “I told him everything after your brothers found out about your gift. We will talk more this afternoon, and try not to worry about your brother,” Oracle said, before leaving.
Sighing, Jackson said, “I better tell Cody and Dylon what’s going on because they’ll need to talk to Penn.”
Lifting his mate up, setting him in his lap, wrapping his arms around him, Steel nuzzled Jackson’s neck, giving him soft kisses interspersed with whispered words of love. He knew his mate was concerned about Dakota, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it.
~/~/~/~/~
Ignoring the streaks of early morning sun falling across his face, Dakota dozed until his inner clock told him it was time to get up to make breakfast. Then with his eyes barely open, yesterday came flooding back and he remembered going to bed with his mate. Even though Slate’s arm and leg were draped over him, pinning him to the bed, that wasn’t what got his attention.Wow! I feel great!For the first time since his childhood, he’d slept through the night without being awakened by nightmares.
Checking his wolf, Dakota found him sleeping peacefully with no signs of agitation. Inhaling deeply, his body responded to the scent of his mate, his cock becoming hard, wanting Slate’s hand on it to give him the pleasure he craved. Dakota squirmed back against his mate’s chest until he felt Slate’s hard cock along his crack, causing him to whimper. His mate was perfect for him in every way and he wanted to wake up in Slate’s arms every morning—but that would mean he would become pregnant.
So what if I do? Would that mean the end of my dream? Is that even what I want anymore?Thinking it over, Dakota realized there was something hewouldrather do than own a restaurant.My mate was right…I have to decide if I want to have pups.Well, let’s see…will I love them unconditionally? Absolutely!An image popped into his mind of his son in the kitchen helping decorate cookies, bringing a smile to his face.But what if hedoesn’t want to cook? What can I teach him other than that? Of course I do have a lot of talented brothers so that’s a possibility.
Hmmm, I was slightly envious of Jackson…well more than slightly…when he got this gift and I adore Daniel and I’m good with him. Okay, I have no problem with being pregnant and having a pup. And I’m pretty sure I’ll be a good father. But what about my curse? If junior is unhappy, I’m going to feel it and I know it’ll hurt me more than it does him. I wonder if Oracle knows of a better way to block other’s feelings…it might be worth asking her since that seems to be my only reason I have for not having pups.
“What are you thinking about?” Slate asked, his voice rough from just getting up.
Ohh, I love that voice!Dakota grinned, his mind exploding with erotic images triggered by his mate’s guff voice that sent tingles down his spine. “Good morning, sleep okay?” Dakota asked.
“Like a baby. And you?”
“Me, too,” Dakota said, unsure how his mate felt about having pups but deciding to be honest. “I was thinking about getting pregnant and having pups.”
“And?” Slate asked, keeping his voice quiet because he didn’t want Dakota to feel any pressure. After his mate fell asleep last night, he’d thought about the day and had come to some conclusions. All reservations about the Fates choosing a mate for him were gone; he’d fallen deeply and completely in love with Dakota.
He knew he’d do anything to protect his mate from the ‘curse’ though he didn’t regard it as such. It was part of what made Dakota who he was. Finally, Slate wanted to have pups with his mate—surprised at how much hewanted it—but that would depend on Dakota. If that wasn’t what his mate wanted, he’d accept it because Dakota would always be his first priority, now and forever.
Dakota turned to face Slate. Placing his hands on the broad chest in front of him, a very low moan caught in his throat as he felt the heat of his mate’s body. Slowly lifting his eyes to Slate’s and seeing the fire burning in them, he knew his mate was feeling the heat, too. Forcing himself to focus on Slate’s one-word question, Dakota answered, “I…uhm…well, it would be all right.”
“I hear a hidden ‘but’ in there, so tell me what still concerns you about getting pregnant.”
“Not with getting pregnant but with what happens afterward. If our pup is hurting, I’ll feel it and I know it’ll affect me badly…that’s my only concern.”
“I understand,” said Slate, “and I don’t want you to go through that either.”
“The only thing I could think of was asking your mom if she knew of a better way for me to block emotions…even if it would only work with our pups.”
“We can ask her when we talk later today if you want,” Slate said. Then, kissing his mate before continuing, “Babe, we don’t have to have pups cause it would tear me apart knowing you’d be hurting. I. Love. You. And I always will because my love for you is so deeply embedded in my heart it is now part of my very being. You are the part of me I never knew was missing until yesterday and I know…just as sure as I know the sun will rise tomorrow…I couldn’t survive without you anymore.”
“I love you too,” Dakota said quietly. “I’ve become quite addicted to you and I also can’t see a future without youin it.” He fell silent and, still thinking about pups, continued, “I do want to have pups with you. They weren’t part of my dreams simply because I knew it couldn’t happen unless my mate was an Omega. So I never included it in what I wanted in life. My only thought was to get away from my father, and make a life without having to deal with his constant hatred. But when he was killed, my life took a different road than the one I had mapped out when I was younger.
“I asked myself this morning if I still wanted to own a restaurant and the answer was ‘no’, I don’t. I love what I’m doing, especially teaching Theo. That’s when it hit me…what I’d rather do is to teach Cody’s boys how to cook even if it’s just basic meals. Once I stopped letting an old dream get in the way, I realized how much I wanted your pups…even with my curse.
“I’m not a brave person, babe. My hesitation comes from what happened to me in the past and I’m scared of what might happen in the future. But even with my fear, I still want to have your pups.”
