Shelly Laurenston: Go Fetch

As if on cue, Conridge’s kids stormed into the room. The boys were typical wolf pups. Loud, boisterous, with sharp teeth. The girl was different. She didn’t seem more than twelve or thirteen, but she moved slowly. Paced herself. She wasn’t doglike at all, but she smelled like wolf. She would be Pack leader one day. And she already knew it.

She walked serenely after her brothers, heading toward the kitchen door leading to the hallway. But suddenly she stopped and looked straight at Miki.

“You weren’t pregnant last night, were you?”

The entire room of people froze. If Conall didn’t know better, he would have sworn that the entire universe had frozen. That, like them, the universe wanted to see what Miki would do.

Miki slowly looked up and turned to the girl. “I’m sorry. What?”

“You. You smell pregnant. Papa taught me what that was when I smelled that same scent on my aunt. You didn’t smell like that last night. But you do now.” The girl shrugged. “I guess you had a busy night.” Then, after destroying his entire world, the little bitch left.

Miki turned around, but kept her head down, her hands flat on the stainless steel kitchen table. She began to tap both her forefingers against the metal and Conall watched all the wolves jump. Dunwich waved at him, trying to catch his attention. Then he mouthed something to him.

“What?” he mouthed back.

Dunwich held up his hand. Forefinger out. Thumb up. The other fingers bent into the palm. His hand looked just like a gun.

Oh, shit.

Conall glanced over at Miki and that’s when he saw the gun in a holster and attached to her waistband. He didn’t even notice her putting it on as they got dressed after their shower. Conridge must have let her keep one for the ride back.

And when Miki suddenly hit the table with her hands, every wolf but him and Van Holtz hit the floor.

Miki pushed her chair back. She looked at Conall. “I’m going to the bathroom. Then we are leaving.”

“Miki, I—”

“No. There’s nothing to say right now. And I mean nothing.” Miki looked at Conridge. “Thank you for everything, Dr. Conridge.”

“Anytime. Of course, when we take on a clan of hyenas together, I’m pretty sure you can start calling me Irene.”

“Thank you, Irene. I’ll call you tomorrow about your job offer.”

“That’s fine.”

She looked at Van Holtz. “Thank you for everything. I truly appreciate your hospitality.”

Simply from the expression on the man’s face, Conall got the feeling Van Holtz would be retelling this story until the end of time. “You are more than welcome.”

Miki looked around the table and realized that all the wolves had disappeared. She leaned down and looked under the table. Twelve wolves laid out on the floor for no apparent reason—that didn’t seem to distract her one bit. “I just wanted to thank all of you for helping us.”

“You’re welcome,” one of the Van Holtz wolves was brave enough to say.

With that, Miki stood and walked out of the room.

Conall closed his eyes. Like his fever from the night before, he was pretty sure this would get worse before it got better.

Conridge leaned across the table and touched Conall’s arm. “I wouldn’t worry.” She motioned toward her husband. “I stabbed him in the leg and set his Mercedes on fire before I agreed to marry him. She just needs time.”

Conall frowned. “Uh…thank you?”

Miki said nothing during the whole thirteen-hour trip that Conall and the Pack turned into a ten-hour trip by doing some seriously illegal speeding and keeping the bathroom and food breaks to a minimum. But really, what the fuck was she supposed to say?

The borrowed SUVs the Van Holtz Pack lent them pulled up in front of Sara and Zach’s place. The Alpha pair already outside, since one of the Pack called ahead.

Miki got out of the vehicle. She was barefoot because she couldn’t bring herself to wear Doc Martens boots with sweatpants. She wasn’t a fashion maven, but that was too tacky for words. She limped slowly toward Sara, her calf tender but already healing. Her friend’s eyes locked with hers and she pulled away from Zach. Sara knew something was wrong. The three friends always knew when something was seriously wrong with one of them without any of them having to say a single word.

As she reached Sara, Conall walked past her. He didn’t speak, simply went into the house. Zach followed after him.

“Your leg?”

“It’ll be fine.”

Sara stared at her. “What the hell’s going on?”

Miki glanced back at the Pack members behind her.

Sara motioned toward the house with her head. “Go.”

And they did. Once they were gone, Sara turned back to her.

“Okay, dude. What’s up?”

Miki looked at her oldest and dearest friend and burst into tears.

Conall had just punched a hole in the wall when Zach walked in. He closed the door and stood behind him.

Leaning his head against the wall, Conall closed his eyes. “She’s pregnant.”

“I know. I could smell it a mile away.”

“She won’t stay here.”

“She has to. Pregnant with a Pack baby? She’ll have every Pride member in North America gunning for her ass. And who the fuck knows what’s going on with that Clan. Besides, you marked her. She’s yours.”

“Not if she doesn’t want to be. You know that as well as I do.”

“Well, you can’t go around hittin’ walls. The house won’t last.”

Miki sat at the kitchen table with her head resting on her arms, a glass of buttermilk sitting in front of her, and Sara’s nose sniffing the back of her neck.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“You smell different.”

“According to Conridge’s demon child, I’m pregnant. And the little bitch found ‘flaws’ in my thesis.”

Sara pulled away, sitting down opposite from Miki. “I’m sorry. What?”

“You heard me. Flaws! In my thesis! Can you imagine?”

“I don’t mean that, you idiot! I mean the…pregnancy?”

“Oh, yeah. That Cro-Magnon impregnated me.”

“Did we not use the condoms Angie and I provided?”

“Yes, we did. But this happened during his fever.”

“Where were you?”

“Half-asleep.”

Sara smiled. “Was it good?”

“God, yes.” Miki covered her head with her arms. “The man fucks like a god.”

“Not everybody can be loved by Thor.”

Miki lifted her head just enough to glare at her friend. “Shut up.”

“So…am I happy or sad for you?”

“Christ, Sara, I don’t know. I wasn’t exactly planning on having a baby, you know, ever.”

Sara suddenly became serious and Miki raised her head to look at her.

“You know, Mik, no matter what you decide, I’ll stand behind you. Always.”

Miki almost burst into tears again, and she never cried. But knowing that Sara would always be there for her meant more than she could ever say.

She wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands. “That means a lot to me. But I think…I think…”

“You want to keep it, don’t you?”

“I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because I’m going to end up like my mother. Alone. Struggling with a baby.”

“Okay. First off, never ever worry about that. I’ve always got your back, Mik. And my potential niece or nephew will always be taken care of. Always. So that’s not even an issue. And you know Angie feels the same way.”

Miki wiped her eyes again. She really hoped she was pregnant; otherwise, she was becoming an emotional mess for no reason.