Unexpected Mates

Jared shook his head. “You have to, Ty. She’s carrying your child, who’s half wolf. You can’t keep it from her.”

Ty shifted, irritated. “I fucking know that,” he said crossly. “I’m just saying I don’t want to tell her, not that I won’t.”

Jared smiled slightly. “Don’t put it off until she’s in labor, either.”

Ty hesitated before speaking again. “Even if she takes it well… Humans are fragile. What if she loses the baby? What if something happens to her while she’s carrying or having it? I’ll lose it. Chase will have to put me down. I don’t know if I can do this shit.”

“I don’t think you have a choice at this point, Ty.”

Ty glared at Jared, fighting the urge to deck him. “No shit, Sherlock. I didn’t really come here to hear you state the damn obvious.”

Jared’s lips quirked up as he shook his head. “Look, the majority of human women have perfectly normal pregnancies. Thousands have healthy babies every day, and they come through it just fine.”

“My luck has never been good when it comes to women, Jared.”

Jared studied Ty for a moment before speaking again. “Parker is different, Ty. She’s not Cassie. Odds are you’re worrying for nothing. I know it’s easier said than done, but try to relax. Parker will pick up on your worry, and it will stress her out. It’s hard work growing a baby, and she needs to focus on that, not on your freak out.”

“I know, Jared. I’m just not sure how I’m going to handle this. It hasn’t even been a day since I found out, and I’m already feeling like I’m going to come out of my skin.”

“Focus on what you’ll have at the end of this journey in just a few short months. You’ll be holding your first child, your pup, in your arms. There’s no other feeling like it in the world.”

Ty sat back in his chair, thinking that over. He was going to be a dad. He couldn’t picture it, but determination filled him. He could do this.

Jared spoke up again. “I think I know what you need. Follow me,” he said, rising from his chair.

Ty followed Jared as he left the office and headed upstairs, puzzled. When Jared walked into a room that was clearly the nursery, Ty froze in the doorway.

There was double the normal furniture, of course, because Jared and Adara had twins. The sheer amount of stuff in the room was overwhelming. He didn’t even know what he’d need for his baby. He thought it was time for a Google search when he got home.

Adara was sitting in a rocking chair, cradling a tiny infant. She looked up, surprise crossing her face when she saw Ty in the doorway. Jared immediately headed to her, leaning in to place a kiss on Adara’s lips before pulling back and touching a big hand to the baby.

“How are my gorgeous girls doing?”

A soft smile graced Adara’s face as she looked to the baby in her arms. “They’re wonderful.” She looked back up, her gaze going to Tyler. “Hey, Ty. What brings you by?”

Jared

turned from where he had just picked up the other baby from the crib. “Ty’s going to be a father. I thought it would do him some good to meet the girls and see what’s waiting for him.”

Adara beamed at Ty. “Congratulations, Ty! That’s wonderful. When is she due?”

Ty’s throat tightened as Jared walked closer and he got a glimpse of the baby in his arms. He didn’t actually know when Parker was due, but he knew exactly when she conceived. “She’s four months along.”

“So most likely a November baby, then,” Adara said, beaming. “This is so exciting. Do you want to hold Ava?” She asked, motioning to the baby in Jared’s arms.

Ty put his hands up, alarmed. “No, no, I’m good.”

Jared walked forward with a determined glint in his eye. “Practice, man. You need practice. I know what you’re thinking. You won’t drop her or hurt her.”

Ty swallowed hard as Jared put the baby in his arms. Ava, Adara had said. He looked to her tiny face and felt his breathing stall. He stared at the tiny baby, her weight feeling like nothing in his arms, chest filling with awe. She was beautiful. He touched a finger to her face, sliding it softly across her cheek.

Ava stirred in his arms, yawning and blinking open blue eyes. Ty held his breath, waiting for her to start crying when she noticed that a stranger was holding her, but she didn’t. She wrapped a tiny fist around his finger and seemed to lock gazes with him, blue eyes flickering with dragon pupils for a moment. She was only a couple of weeks old, and yet she seemed to be looking at him with intelligence in her gaze.

He wasn’t sure how long he held the baby. Everything else in the room faded as he zoned out, attention locked on the tiny baby girl in his arms. It hit him for the first time that in around five months, he’d have one of these. Maybe a girl like this one, maybe a boy. He suddenly longed to know what he and Parker were having. Whatever sex the pup was, though, he would love him or her with everything in him.

He might be uncertain about everything else, but there were no doubts about that.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d stood there, gazes locked with baby Ava, but he was jolted out of his daze when his phone went off in his pocket. He looked up to see Jared holding the other baby while Adara smiled at her mate. She looked to Ty and then came forward to take Ava.