Birthright: Book 2: Know Thy Enemy Read online

  Barely listening to what he is saying now, I stare at the screen, barely breathing. I’m just trying to register the fact that we’re going to have two pups instead of one. Twins, I can scarcely believe it as a smile slowly spreads on my face. A soft knock on the door brings me out of my internal joy.

  “Who is it?” I demand.

  “Mason...”

  “Enter.”

  The door quietly opens and slowly walks Mason. The man has become a trusted friend to me over the past few months. He has been there every single time I asked for his help with no questions, and nothing asked in return. I have no idea how I’ll ever repay him for it.

  “Hey, how is she doing?” He asks quietly like he is afraid to wake her up.

  “She’s sedated, but she’s going to be okay. The doctor will wake her up in two days.” I answer with a surety that I have no idea where came from.

  “Good, that’s great.” He says with a smile. Movement from the side of her bed catches my eye, and I realize that I completely forgot that the doctor was still in the room.

  “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I have some more tests to run.” He says as he clears his throat and hands me a black and white picture that I didn’t see him print before heading out of the room.

  “What’s that?’ Mason asks, looking at the picture in my hand with his brows drawn together in confusion.

  “Ugh, a picture of my pups... I think.”

  “Pups?As in plural?” He asks, shocked.

  “Yep, apparently, there are two in there.” I nod towards Amara’s now covered up the stomach with a smile.

  “Wow, congratulations, man!” He says through a cough as he lightly pats me on my shoulder.

  “Yeah... thanks. You think she’ll be happy about it?” I ask nervously, I don’t even know if she knows that she’s pregnant yet. According to Raina, she’s been unconscious since right before the doctor found out, so it’s highly unlikely.

  “I’m not sure; did you guys ever talk about having pups?”

  “Not really we were working on getting married, that was our first concern.”

  “I’m sure she will be ecstatic about it, aren’t most females?”

  “How should I know, I avoided females except for the occasional tumble before her.”

  “Yeah, well, I guess just break it to her easy when she wakes up. Don’t dump everything on her at once, you know?”

  “Yeah, I get what you’re saying... thanks for the advice. So, how are you doing, man? I heard Cassius got the best of you, and you ended up pretty banged up?” I ask him curious about how he fell.

  “I’m fine! I hate to admit it, but I think I was distracted when fighting him. I came to find you because I wanted to know how Amara is, and I wanted to talk to you about Raina.”

  “Raina? What about her?”

  “Well... I know this is the worst time, but I like her. I mean, I really like her. I don’t know why but there’s something about her that keeps pulling Wolf and me to her. Whether I’m around her or not.” He says as a dark blush creeps over his cheeks.

  “Nice... you know it makes sense,” I say, thinking out loud.

  “What makes sense?” He growls.

  “Huh? Oh yeah, you and Raina make sense. You both were ill-fated to crappy mates from the jump if you ask me. Maybe this is fate trying to fix her mistakes, timing is damned.” I explain my logic to him.

  “But what if she doesn’t feel the same way that I do?” He asks nervously, reminding me of a schoolyard crush.

  “Only one way to find out, man, and that’s to go ask!” I say as I nudge him and point towards the door, laughing a little as he leaves.

  Chapter 9

  Amara

  Sighing deeply, I try to open my eyes. Feeling like I’ve been asleep for ages, I fight against the weight of them unsuccessfully. Making a small moan, I try again, but I’m only able to open them a crack before I quickly shut them again, blocking out the harsh bright light.

  “Amara?” I hear a familiar frantic voice.

  “Mmm...” I try to speak, but my mouth feels dryer than the Sahara Desert in the middle of a drought.

  “Shh it’s okay baby, I’ll get the doctor.” I hear the relief in that voice, the voice that makes me feel safe and loved. Declan! It’s Declan, oh thank God.

  He must have found me... but what happened? The last thing I remember is being at that house with Cassius and that girl... then nothing. I hear two sets of footsteps and crack my lids slower this time, allowing my eyes to adjust the light.

  “Declan!” I croak out, sounding like a frog and hurting my throat.

  “I’m here!” He says, coming into my view. Smiling for what feels like the first time ever in my life, I’m overcome with relief and happiness that it’s really him.

  “Are you thirsty?” He asks as he grabs a glass of cold water from somewhere beside me. Still smiling, I nod at him before he leans down and places his arm behind my upper back and helps me into a sitting position. Placing the glass against my lips, I close my eyes in pure ecstasy as I feel the cold water slide down my throat. I start gulping it down when it’s pulled away from me, making me pout.

  “I’ll give you more in a second, but you need to take it slower, or it’s going to upset your stomach.” He says behind a chuckle.

  “Okay,” I said, sounding a little more like myself than a frog. “What happened?”

  “Let the doctor look you over, and then we’ll get into all of that, okay?” He says as he bends down and places a soft unhurried kiss on my forehead before giving the doctor room to look at me. It only takes about five minutes for the doctor to shine his lights in my eyes, check my vitals, and to assess my overall condition.

  “You look great now!” He says as he stands up and steps away from me. “I’d still like for you to come into the office in a few days just to be sure, though.” He says this to me but is looking at Declan, who gives him a nod in response before he leaves the room.

  Narrowing my eyes, I look at Declan in an ‘I saw that’ look, and he just stays smiling back at me like he doesn’t see me.

  “How are you feeling?” He asks as he sits down next to me on the edge of my bed and grabs my hand.

  “I’m okay, still thirsty, though!” He smiles as he hands me the glass of water, telling me to drink it slowly before he releases it into my free hand.

  “So, what all do you remember?”

  “Not much, just being in some house with Cassius. Oh, my God! You got him right, he wasn’t able to leave?” I ask frantically.

  “It’s handled, don’t worry about him. What else?”

  “Umm...then, there was a girl named Rain or Raina that somehow ended up in the room with me. Is she okay?”

  “Yea, she’s fine; in fact, she’ll probably stop by later to check in on you. She and Dr. Adams took care of you.” He says with a smile.

  “Then I felt sick and tired, and that’s the last thing I can remember. What happened?”

  “Well, after Cassius took you, you got really sick, and Raina told him you needed a doctor. When I put the pack on lockdown, it messed up whatever he initially intended for you. He abducted Dr. Adams to treat you until he could get rid of you. You were so sick that you had to be kept under sedation for a week.” He ends growling.

  “I feel like you’re not telling me everything. What kind of sickness would make me have to be sedated that long?”

  “I’m not sure what it’s called.” He says without looking at me.

  “DON’T LIE TO ME!” I yell, well would’ve been a yell if my voice wasn’t so hoarse and quiet from disuse. His eyes widen in shock, he obviously didn’t think I would notice he’s lying.

  “Look, there is something I’m not telling you, but it’s only because I’m trying not to overwhelm you! I just got you back for crying out loud!”

  “What in the hell does that mean? Am I going somewhere?” I demand as his eyes drop towards the floor when I feel overwhelming sadness mixed with despair and
fear. “What’s wrong? You’re scaring me!” I plead with him to tell me.

  Raising his head so that his eyes meet mine, I’m enveloped by pure love. Intently watching him as he moves until his head is just centimeters from mine.

  “I love you and need you to be with me always!” He whispers against my lips before he applies pressure, kissing me. Soft and slow at first, moving his lips against mine and licking my bottom lip with his tongue seeking entrance. Gasping, he takes that as my answer and runs his tongue against mine. Warming my entire body all over. My stomach is twisting into knots as he becomes more aggressive as he kisses me, making a wet heat pool in between my legs. Dropping my empty glass on the bed, I bring both hands up to his face and grab him behind his neck, pulling him into me more as my fingers lightly pull the hairs on the nape at the back of his neck. Groaning, he pulls away.

  “We have to stop!” He says on another groan, clearly not liking what he is saying.

  “Why? I’m okay... aren’t I?” I ask, suspicious of his answer. “Tell me!” I demand, seeing the struggle on his face.

  “Amara... honey, I don’t know how to tell you this...” He begins, but not liking how this sounds and becoming increasingly frustrated, I try to yell.

  “Just spit it out for crying out loud!”

  “You’re pregnant!” He rushes the words out together very fast.

  “Excuse me, I don’t understand gibberish!”

  “You are pregnant.” He says slower this time, and it takes me a second to register his words. What? I think with my mouth hanging open in shock.

  “Are you serious? How?”

  “Yes, baby. This isn’t a joke you really are pregnant, that’s the real reason you had to be sedated. As to how... you see when two people love each oth…”

  “I didn’t mean how! That was just a reaction!” I cut him off. “I’m still confused... why would I have to be sedated?”

  “See when she-wolves are pregnant they aren’t supposed to shift, the rearranging of body parts with a growing baby inside is not good for said baby. In the rare cases where it’s happened, and the pup survived, the poor thing...just wasn’t right. However, you have no control over the first shift, and fighting instinct is damn near impossible. Since there are no side effects from delaying your first shift, the doctor decided the best course would be for you to sleep essentially. Anyways so when the doctor figured out that you are, in fact, pregnant, he had to keep you from being able to shift. Otherwise, it could’ve killed you and our pups.” He explains, watching my face as I react.

  “Oh, my God! Did you just say pups, as in more than one?” I gasp

  “Uh... yeah.” He says while rubbing the back of his neck and raising an eyebrow in concern. “Look, I know we haven’t even talked about kids yet, but I want them. I’ve always wanted to have my own pups running around. And see what I mean about not wanting to overwhelm you at once? I can’t live with myself if you don’t want this and leave me!” He explains quickly as he stands up and starts pacing back and forth the length of the bed.

  Taking a deep breath, I try to stop and think about this. Do I want kids? Well yeah, I’ve always hoped that I would find a man that I would want to raise children with, and Declan is that man. Well were-man but still, mine. Can I do this, though, bring not one but two persons into this world? Honestly, I’m terrified, but watching Declan, I know that I won’t be doing it alone. What’s done is done now anyway, right? I look at Declan, who is still pacing, my mind made up.

  “Declan!” He continues to pace. “Declan!” I say more again loudly this time, making him stop in his tracks and look at me.

  “This is...okay. We’ll be okay!” I say trying to convince the both of us.

  “What?” He asks, completely dumbfounded.

  “I’m okay with this. I mean I knew I always wanted kids, I didn’t expect to be this young, but it’s already happened so...” I state while looking down at my stomach that now has the smallest hint of a bulge to it.

  “There’s really two of them?”

  He smiles and hands me a black and white picture from out of his back pocket. Not really sure what I’m looking at exactly, I stare at it amazed. I’m overwhelmed but in the best way, imaginable as tears of happiness begin to flow.

  Chapter 10

  Amara

  “Declan, wake up!” I shove his sleeping arm off me as I sit up. Terrible cramps in my back wake me from an already fitful sleep. It’s impossible to get comfortable when you have a bowling ball-sized gut attached to you.

  “Declan wakes up, I think we need to go!” I shove his arm harder this time.

  “Mmm...” Is all the response I get as he rolls over to his other side. Feeling like I have to go to the bathroom, I get out of bed and make my way there.

  “Two days! You guys couldn’t wait two more days!” I mockingly scold my unborn children. After attempting to use the facilities for a few minutes with no business happening and the cramps coming every few minutes stronger each time, I stand up. A pop accompanied with an internal lurching feeling from inside my womb are the only warning before there’s a gush of liquid trickling down my legs.

  “DECLAN!” I scream.

  Chapter 11

  Declan

  I am jarred out of bed, and with my eyes still closed, I call for Amara.

  “Bathroom!” She replies.

  Rushing into the bathroom, I find her hunched over with her arms and head braced against the wall for support.

  “It’s time Declan, we need to get to Dr. Adams now!”

  “But, it’s scheduled to happen in two days?” Confused and not entirely awake yet.

  “NOW Declan, these kids don’t give a damn about what’s scheduled!” She seethes in between breathing

  ◆◆◆

  An hour later and we’re in a sterile surgical room inside the ambulatory facility we have for the pack with Dr. Adams and two teams of nurses, one for each baby.

  I’m up by Amara’s head, holding her hand while wearing matching hairnets and a sterile surgical gown, gloves, and booties. Lying on her back with heavy blankets draped on her chest and arms, IV in one hand, oxygen mask on her face with a few wires leading from her chest to a machine that’s monitoring her during the operation. A blue blanket like tarp is pulled up between Dr. Adams and us just below Amara’s chest, blocking our view of the actual procedure.

  “We have a... boy!” Dr. Adams exclaims as he pulls the first of our children out and holds him up over the curtain. We can see him for a brief moment before he hands him over to the first team of nurses waiting to clean and assess him.

  “He’s beautiful!” I beam looking at Amara. She just nods her head in response, waiting for our next pup to be born.

  “Okay, here comes the other one. Here we have a... beautiful girl!” He says as he shows her to us over the sheet before repeating the process of handing her to the other team of nurses.

  “She’s amazing, like you!”

  “They both are!” Amara says happily, turning my hand in hers before bringing it to her mouth and kissing it. Leaning down I kiss her on the forehead

  “You did great, Mrs. O’Connell,” I tell my beautiful wife, having eloped right after the doctor cleared her for travel. She was more than happy to avoid the stress of a big wedding for now, and the pack completely understood, given the circumstances.

  “So, have you guys picked names?” Dr. Adams says, bringing me out of my thoughts. We both glance over at the pups who are still being tended to by the nurses.

  “Uhm?” Amara and I say in unison, making us both laugh out loud. This entire time we have been arguing about names, but we were guessing that they would be boy/boy or girl/girl.

  “I guess we can pick one from each of the ones we had already picked out?” Amara says.

  “Okay, well, we had Keaghan and Kaiden picked out for boys. Which of those do you like better?”

  “Hmm, I like Kaiden better. It means warrior if I remember correctly, and he’ll need t
o be strong to protect his little sister.” She says with a smile on her face. I’m not sure how both sets of names ended up starting with the letter K, but that coincidence is coming in handy now. I don’t want to argue for hours again about how twins should have the same first initial!

  “And for our baby girl, we had Kassidy and Kennedy picked out?”

  “Kassidy, it means clever.” She states without question.

  “There we are, Kaiden and Kassidy O’Connell, it is then!” I proclaim to Dr. Adams and the nurses in the room.

  “Congratulations you two, they’re healthy and beautiful! I’m finished putting you back together, the nurses will change your rooms, and then you can hold your pups.” Dr. Adams explains to Amara. “Now, you need to take it easy and anything you need; you tell the nurses or your husband!” He orders with a wink.

  “She won’t even have to ask!” I tell him, knowing it to be true.

  Chapter 12

  Amara

  Has it already been a month? I think while taking a quiet deep breath of relief. They’re both finally asleep. The second I get one to fall asleep, the other wakes up screaming. Today it is Kaiden who isn’t a happy camper. Kassidy had just fallen asleep after eating within moments of laying her down next to her brother, he wakes up demanding food. Looking at them both bring a face-splitting smile to my face. I can’t help but feel happy when I’m around them. I can’t even remember what my life was like before two a.m. feedings, burping, and constant diaper changes.

  Well, I can’t say that I lack in the things to do department. In fact, I’ve had no alone time to myself, let alone with my husband since the twins have been born. If it’s not the pups, I’ve actually taken to calling them that too now, then it’s something to do with the pack. Declan is gone pretty much all day every day, and by the time he gets home, he is so exhausted he barely has time to visit with Kaiden and Kassidy. He still makes sure he does that every day before he showers and goes to bed. I understand how he feels, though, the women in our pack come to me for all kinds of advice. Some with legitimate issues, like wanting to start a new club or change rules about an already existing one. All of which have to be approved by an Alpha beforehand.