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Donald Martin satat his desk in his study, chuckling quietly as he looked at his childhood pictures from when he was around ten years old. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him lately, but he’d been reminiscing about his younger years. He had a great family, a mom and dad who loved him and an older brother who doted on him even now.
Growing up, Donald had little to no worries in his life. He went to the best schools and experienced life in many ways. However, going through the pictures, his heart felt a bit troubled, as if someone or something was missing from his side.
He sighed, setting the photo down, and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if his feelings were related to his real parents, Azazel and Uriel. Donald had always known that he was adopted, and since his parents loved him and wanted him, trying to find his real parents was never a factor in his life.
Until a couple of years ago, when he met the love of his life and learned that everything he knew about himself was a lie. He found out that his lover was a god, he was an angel, supernaturals existed, and men could get pregnant.
He touched his stomach and smiled at the joyous feeling of knowing that his child was growing inside of him, safe and sound. He and Fenrir hadn’t told anyone yet, they were waiting until he was in his second trimester before breaking the news. Two years ago, he wasn’t prepared for the life-changing events, and at the time, Donald pushed his bearer away, even after Uriel had saved his life and that of the child he was carrying.
Picking up the pictures again, Donald stared at his ten-year-old self, wondering if he was thinking too deeply about things and his nostalgic trek meant nothing. He was pregnant, after all, and he was allowed to have an excuse, even for his wandering thoughts.
He stood and walked to the window and shook his head when he saw his reflection in the glass. Since he'd gotten pregnant a second time, weird things had started happening to him. His hair slowly changed from blond to black with silver tips, and one of his eyes was starting to turn from green to pale gray.
He thought about going to find Azazel and talk to him about it, but he knew his sire was busy since he became deputy mayor of Valleywood, so he pushed it to the side. Over the past three years, he had gotten close to Azazel and found that he liked the man, and even though he had a good life, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up with him as a father. Or even grow up with both parents.
A crazy thought came to him and he smiled.What would it have been like to have a twin to get into trouble with like my own kids have?
As Donald learned about his new world he found out that gods, angels, and those of a higher plan do not subscribe to the whole alpha, beta, and omega and either partner could get pregnant. Donald had twin girls, Danica and Maleeha, he'd given birth to, along with Liam. A few months later Fenrir gave birth to Fenris, and just like their sisters, they were called twins by the family. Although they were different in features, they were very close to each other, and it made him happy. Donald smiled when he felt strong arms wrap around him, and the scent of his mate surrounded him, pulling him from his thoughts.
“What are you doing in here? I miss you next to me.” Fenrir’s deep voice vibrated off his skin, sending pleasurable shockwaves through him.
“Just thinking.” He turned in his mate’s arms and pressed his palms to Fenrir’s naked chest. “I was thinking about Uriel and Azazel.”
“What about them?”
“I think I’m ready to let Uriel into my life. I didn’t want to know why he gave me away before, but for some reason now I want to, it’s like I need to.” He placed a hand on his stomach. “There’s something different about this child, and it’s making me want to get to know my parents more.”
Fenrir stared down at Donald, and he thought his mate was going to try to dissuade him. “Baby, I’ll support you in anything you want. You already have a good relationship with Azazel, so build on that relationship and see if you can do the same with Uriel."
"But no one can find Uriel, not even Azazel."
"I'll put the word out to the other gods and see if they have any gossip and let you know."
"Okay. Thank you."
“Anything for you. But if they hurt you in any way, I won’t be forgiving.”
Donald smiled and wrapped his arms around his mate’s neck. “I know you won’t, and that’s why I love you.”
Fenrir kissed him on his lips. “Love you, too. Now let’s go to bed and I’ll show you just how much.”
“Why do we have to go into the bedroom?” Donald pushed him away and untied the sash of his robe, letting it fall and pool at his feet. “The kids are in bed and the room is soundproof…” Before he could say anything else, Fenrir grabbed him around the waist and picked Donald up, and carried him over to the leather couch, taking away all thoughts of family and his childhood.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Azazel leaned against thewindow, watching the people go about their day. They had just finished a city council meeting, and Azazel had a lunch meeting he needed to head to soon. Although they hadn't been able to reschedule the dinner meeting with Director Fang and the other investors, they were making preparations for the pilot nonetheless. Azazel knew the casting director was still holding auditions for the child actor that would play the universal system he wanted added to the show.
He drained the last of his tea, letting the hot liquid slip down his throat, enjoying the sweet yet bitter taste of the hot beverage. While most liked coffee, he was a tea man, with no sugar and a splash of milk.
It had been a couple of months since his conversation with Loki, and he was still letting go of what they talked about. How could he easily get over Uriel when he couldn't stop thinking about the man? Azazel still had questions that needed to be answered.
Tired of looking at the people milling about, Azazel put down his empty teacup, then grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. It was a good day, and it didn’t make sense to stay indoors all day. He strolled down the street, appreciating the surroundings. For the past twenty-plus years he’d stayed away from human contact except for a few of his close friends.
Valleywood wasn’t a bad place to live. It had a lot of character that simply needed some care and love and could be great compared to other large cities. It was busy and crowded, businesses were open, and the state was financially booming. The residents looked happy, and the dark cloud that had been hovering over the town when he showed up a year ago seemed to be slowly disappearing.
There were still a lot of things that needed to be done that could not be fixed with magic, like the corruption that took over humanity's empathetic nature, allowing them to forget to be kind to their fellow citizens. Azazel had to give it up to Loki for seeking out Alistaire Vale and hiring him as the new police commissioner. Before a year ago, the crime rate was at a record high and bringing fear to the citizens.
