Page 45 of Dual Nature

"Goodness, I'm sorry. I swear this baby is stealing brain cells every day. The shift will cause your baby to be terminated; the mutation in us does pass to our children but not while it's still being formed. If I were to shift, I would lose the child instantly," Kelly explained. "Typically, your wolf nature understands this and doesn't encourage it, but situations happen. It's tragic, but all you can do is try your best. This is why we as a pack treasure all children born. They are a labor of love. Some do end up deciding that it's not worth the pain or anxiety if they fail and lose the baby, but I’ve always wanted to be a mother, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes to see this child join the world."

That all made sense to me, but it had me thinking back to the fact that I couldn't have children yet… not that I wanted any right now—or ever. It was something I’d need to really reflect on for myself and my future. During their rut, my mates had already shown they wouldn’t mind me having a baby, so I wouldn't put it past them to try to change my mind on the matter.

"Are you planning on having kids now that you're mated? I feel like it would be impossible to prevent it with three mates; one is hard enough for me to manage," Kelly admitted, giving me a meaningful look.

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "So far they have been very respectful in letting me adjust to everything going on, like the fact that I was instantly bonded to all three of them. To be honest, I think they’re having a harder time wrapping their heads around the sharing part more than I am. I get all the benefits of the deal, minus the fact that they’re all so busy right now. My wolf is trying to be understanding about them needing to be gone while they take care of pack matters."

"Oh, but isn't Alpha Zander on a break after his last tour? That's what the pack gossip was saying, but you can never trust those rumors," Kelly huffed. "All some women see are the dollar signs around him—a bunch of hussies, I say."

"Well then, it's a good thing I landed a mate who has absolutely no interest in my wealth," Zander interjected as he walked over to us.

I couldn't help the smile that instantly showed up when I saw him. "You're back."

"Indeed, little dove," Zander answered, smiling down at me. "I've come to pick you up and take you home with me… unless you're enjoying yourself here too much."

Before I answered, I looked over at Kelly and Mike, wanting to make sure that was okay with them. "Go, on. Honestly, when a man takes the time to escort you home, you don't dawdle. Now, get," Kelly shooed me away. "Leave your things. We'll take care of it. Have a good night and we'll see you soon."

It was hard not to like Kelly, so I impulsively reached out and gave her a hug, surprising myself. "Thanks for everything today."

Kelly blushed as she waved me off, tears welling up in her eyes. "This darn baby makes me cry over the silliest things!" Mike wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek as he waved goodbye to me.

Feeling much better about my day and interacting with the pack as a whole, I returned the wave as Zander and I walked out of the greenhouse.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked as he opened the door to a sleek white Land Rover.

"Do you really think we didn't all know what you were up to today? Elias made sure that everyone was kept in the loop," Zander informed me as he buckled me in. "I know you can protect yourself, but I like to know you're safe," he stated before catching me in a toe-curling kiss.

"If I get a kiss like that every time, I suddenly don't mind being apart all that much," I purred, giving him a wink.

Zander flashed me a sultry grin as he shut the door and made his way to the driver’s side. "I should warn you though... Colt was not happy about how Peggy was treating you today."

"If Elias knew about that, I'm surprised she's still in one piece," I commented.

"That would be information we got from Milly. Apparently, she called Lane and Colt right after she dropped you off after lunch."

I glanced at Zander as we headed out to the main road. "What, did they call you right after to chat about it like a bunch of worried hens?"

"The three of us are your mates, Finley. Anything that happens with you is our business. It was only right that they called me to fill me in, which is also why I came to check on you. I needed to make sure things were going better this afternoon. Since there was only an hour left before five o'clock, I selfishly decided to just bring you home instead of leaving you to finish."

Even though he didn’t say it outright, knowing that he missed me made me feel all warm inside. Truth be told, I'd missed all of them as well. It was crazy to think it had been only a few short days since I’d picked up the phone and called Colt. Now I was here, mated, an omega and elf, working with the pack to provide for our needs. The lone assassin had turned into a housewife, and it was as oddly wonderful as it was terrifying. Seeing Kelly and her mate, the love and respect that they shared with each other, gave me hope that I might be able to give that to my men. All my life I’d been told to be aloof and to keep relationships short because you couldn’t be vulnerable. Maybe they were wrong… Maybe life could be better if I gave all of that a chance… maybe.

"How do you feel about going out tonight?" Zander asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Colt and Lane will be back around six, same with Elias, although the twins might not be back until tomorrow depending on how late the concert goes."

"That actually sounds like fun. I don't know the area at all, so it will be nice to get a feel for where I'm at. I'm so used to doing so much research on the location I end up in. It's odd to have no clue what's around me," I shared.

Zander took my dirt-covered hand in his and intertwined our fingers. "Do you think you can be happy here?"

His question caught me completely off guard. "What?"

"None of this was what you planned for your life, so it doesn't surprise me that this is going to take some adjusting. But do you think you could be happy living here in the woods of Tennessee with the pack and the six of us learning how to create a life together?"

The question he asked was something I'd been wrestling with all day, working without them to buffer how different my world really was now. "I'd like to try. You and the others mean a lot more to me than I would've imagined in such a short time. I don't know if that’s because of the mate bond or whatever the elves call it, but I've never felt so cared for and protected in my life. There are aspects that I think we need to work through as we get to know each other, but I want to work through them if that makes sense?"

"Guess that's as good of an honest answer as I could ask for," he murmured, kissing the back of my hand. "Take your time cleaning up. I also brought home some magazines with design ideas for your nesting room if you're not sure what to do with it. I put them in there if you want some time to decompress after such a social day."

Now that he’d offered the option, it sounded heavenly to me. "Could I read one of the books your mother loaned you instead?"

"Absolutely, little dove."