He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me in close to his body. Together we watched his father’s body burn until his ashes floated up into the night air, stolen away by the wind. As the fire crumpled into embers, the Pack chanted a melancholy farewell.
With the ceremony over, I helped Aren back up to the house while Adam and the others buried the embers to quiet the fire. Once I had Aren settled on the couch I elevated his ankle and went back to the kitchen to get him some water. On my way back I felt movement inside of me again and nearly dropped the glass. Aren sat up on the sofa, ready to spring into action.
“Everything okay?”
I nodded, rubbing at my stomach with my free hand. “Yeah. I keep thinking I feel the twins kicking, but I know it’s too soon for that.”
“How do you figure?” Aren looked like he was fighting back a smile.
I handed him the glass of water. “Because if I’m actually pregnant, I could only be a couple weeks along. Adam thought he could hear a heartbeat, but even so…”
The door opened behind me, and I smiled when Adam walked in. Jason was following close behind. Funny thing to meet a man when he was naked, now it seemed surprising to see him dressed. I hoped that would go away eventually.
Adam kissed my forehead and smiled over at Aren. “I felt like Dad was there with us tonight. Did you?”
“I think so. I was dreading the ceremony, but once it started…” His voice drifted off, and he shrugged with a slight nod. “It did feel like he was with us. I didn’t feel so much sad as I did proud.”
I looked up at Adam, relieved to see him smiling again.
“Me too,” he said as he glanced down at me. “I brought Jason with me to check on the babies.”
“What?” I frowned, suddenly feeling nervous. I looked over at Jason and then back up at Adam. “Sorry, but I haven’t even taken a pregnancy test yet. And even if it is positive, I’d rather go see an obstetrician.” I peeked over at Jason. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he said with a smug smile.
Adam shook his head. “You can’t go to a regular doctor. You’re not having a regular pregnancy. Besides, the hospital is how Nero found you, remember? All it would take is a red flag on a test that comes out irregular, and they’ll know where you are.”
“They already know,” I argued. “I want a real doctor, Adam.”
Jason stepped forward. “Excuse me, but I am a real doctor.”
“What?” I looked up at his hazel, almost-orange eyes, half expecting his hair to be a mane around him like it had been last night at the lake. He looked tame now with it all tied back. He appeared to be…professional. I sighed. “So you have a medical degree?”
“I do.” He nodded with a sparkle in his eyes. “I even have an office at the hospital. You can come inspect my diploma if you’d like.”
“That won’t be necessary.” I looked down at my hands. “I’m sorry. This is all happening so fast, I can’t keep up.”
Jason nudged Adam. “You haven’t told her, have you?”
“Told me what?”
Jason’s gaze met mine. “I can hear the heartbeats now. We all can.”
My hands went to my abdomen. Was it getting bigger? I looked down, my brow furrowing. I’d hardly eaten anything, but my stomach was definitely pooched out. In one day? Holy crap!
“What are you guys trying to tell me?”
Adam took my hand. “I’m trying to say I want Jason to check you over because—”
“Because why?” I could feel my blood pressure rising. “Talk to me, Adam!”
He chuckled and knelt down in front of me. Holding my hands in his, Adam looked up at me with the most gorgeous green eyes. No one should be that irresistible. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“The babies will be born in about four months.”
I would’ve fallen down if I wasn’t already sitting. I felt my jaw go slack. I glanced over at my new doctor. “Is this true?”
Jason opened his hands the way doctors do when they’re trying to calm their patients. I wanted to jump up and shake him.
“Well, for our Pack the average gestation time has always been four months. Since you weren’t converted”—he glanced at Adam, then back at me—“we’re wandering into uncharted territory here.”
I clung tighter to Adam’s hands. “Did Adam tell you I wasn’t bitten by a jaguar either? I was born into my power.”
Jason lifted a brow. “He did, although I still don’t know how that’s possible.”
“I’ve been changing for years, not knowing that’s what was happening.”
Adam straightened up. “Nero was experimenting with psychic women, trying to breed female jaguars who are born into their power. Sebastian smuggled the records out and gave them to Lana.”
Jason rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know the standard gestation for jaguar females. I’ll need to do some research.” He met my eyes and offered a smile that spoke volumes. “I’m sorry I don’t have all the answers yet, but we’ll get through this, Lana. I’ve got my bag out in the truck. Do you mind if I have a listen?”
I shook my head, and he disappeared outside. Adam rose up and kissed me tenderly before the pacing began. Jason came back in with a stethoscope around his neck and a bag in his hand. The doctors on General Hospital would kill to look so good.
He knelt down beside the chair and popped the black rubber plugs into his ears. “Can you lift up your shirt?” It was actually Adam’s T-shirt, but I slid it up over my stomach anyway, making a mental note that I had a major shopping trip coming soon.
The metal was cold on my skin, and I felt a flutter of movement again.
Jason grinned. “Did you feel that? They don’t like the cold.”
I smiled and nodded. “I felt it.”
“Do you want to hear them?” he asked.
I nodded, and he carefully put the earpieces in my ears. I could hear the whooshing of not one, but two small hearts. My eyes welled up with tears as I looked over at Adam. He froze, staring at me. I held up my hand and gestured for him to come over. When he did, I started to take off the stethoscope, but he shook his head, placing his hand, fingers splayed, over my abdomen.
“I hear them,” he whispered.
In that one single moment, I had a family. My family.
I pulled Adam to me and kissed him with every bit of love that was in my heart. I knew the future was uncertain. I was a medical anomaly, but I didn’t care. I felt safe and loved and a part of something larger than myself. Whatever the future brought, Adam and I would face it together. Two parts of one stronger whole.
We both drew back from the kiss, and Adam rested his forehead against mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Aren launched a pillow at us. “Get a room you two.”
Adam got up and retaliated, knocking his twin in the head with the soft projectile while Jason tucked his stethoscope back into the bag and shook his head. “Ignore them. They’ve always been like this.”
I grinned. “I hope they never change.”
Epilogue
Bruce loped around the arena while I worked the reins to get him to drop his neck. The wind blew past my ears, biting my skin with the fall chill in the air. Billows of fog floated by, giving the illusion that we were flying, racing through the clouds. The past three months had been quiet. Although we’d been patrolling the city nightly, there was still no sign of any jaguars lurking. Since taking out Cyrus and sending the surviving members of his team running, Nero had to be regrouping. It was obvious the Pack wasn’t going to relinquish Lana to them, and
