Monster
ThethingaboutWard’scurrent situation was that, at times, it was unfairly easy to forget he’d been thrust into a world not his own. He supposed that, as a human, he still maintained a level of self-preservation which manifested in denial. Oh, he’d accepted and embraced Mathias’s nature, but Mathias was special, and Ward’s mate. He didn’t count.
For this reason, Ward was far more taken aback than he should have been when, one night, he and Mathias awoke to the shrill sound of Mathias’s ring tone. His lover went to take the call, and through the brief exchange that followed, Ward got the message. Will’s son, Jessie was finally giving birth.
The moment Mathias ended the conversation, he started to pull his clothes on with a speed that Ward’s human eye couldn’t track. “I have to go,” he explained.
“I know,” Ward answered, curling into the heat of the blankets. “Is there anything I can do to help? Can I come?”
Mathias shook his head. “I’d love to have you with me, and I know Will would like it, but it’s not a good idea. Andreas isn’t in the best state of mind, and having someone who’s not a part of the pack there would make things worse. I’m told that when Gavin gave birth to Shannon, Saul had trouble letting Will tend to him, so it’s going to be difficult enough for me.”
Ward understood, but a small selfish part of him didn’t like it. He’d gotten used to sleeping in Mathias’s arms. While his lover still went to see Jessie regularly, they’d started to spend even more time together, and their relationship had thrived beyond anything Ward had expected.
Of course, he couldn’t begrudge Mathias for rushing to Jessie’s assistance. “Keep me posted, okay? Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.” Mathias finally finished dressing and stole a brief kiss. “Get some more rest. I’ll check on the wards, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
Ward nodded and leaned back against the pillows as he watched Mathias go. He stayed motionless and look up at the ceiling until he heard the door to the house open and close. The revving of an engine finally made him shove off the blankets. Ward left the bed just in time to look out the window and see his mate’s car disappear into the distance.
There was no way he could go back to sleep, so he returned to the room he’d sort of assigned as his painting studio. He’d moved a lot of things around since that first day, and he had more space now, which was good, since he had so many paintings of Mathias—as a wolf and as a man—that he should have felt embarrassed.
Today, he didn’t paint Mathias, or at least, not a realistic portrait of him. He still had in mind the explosion of color he’d experienced when he’d bonded with his mate. He wanted to somehow convey it on the canvas, to express it and share it with the world. Or maybe not share it—it was too intimate and precious to him—but definitely immortalize it somehow.
Ward was a very visual person. For him, the world meant color, and losing Peter, being betrayed had drained him, had washed out the most vibrant shades. It was why he’d had so much trouble painting after that debacle. Now, though... Now he felt alive, more alive than ever before.
As he set to work, he thought back at all the emotions and sensations Mathias stirred inside him and just painted. It was challenging to grasp that elusive, surreal beauty of the mental link between him and his lover, but Ward enjoyed it. All the while, a part of him remained aware of that same connection. He could sense Mathias calm focus and quiet wonder, and for that reason, he knew things were going well.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed when he was startled out of his creative trance by the sound of something crashing. Shocked, he dropped the paintbrush and stared at the open doorway, waiting for any other signs that something was amiss.
A few moments later, he realized what he was doing and set his supplies aside. He’d lived in New York for too long to be anything but cautious when he heard a weird noise.
It was probably nothing. Mathias had set magical shields around the house, strong spells of protection that would keep intruders out. Ward was still careful as he slid out of the room. He had a tazer in his bedroom and a baseball bat downstairs, but he hadn’t grabbed anything when he’d come to his workroom, and easels didn’t make for very good weapons.
The bedroom was very close, though, and the hallway was empty. Ward wondered if he was just being paranoid before deciding on his usual motto—better safe than sorry.
He was proven right instants after he entered the bedroom. Initially, he saw nothing amiss. The bed was still messy, with the sheets still bearing the traces of spent passion. One of his shirts—torn by Mathias’s claws—was still on the floor. But there was something distinctly different, and it sent shivers down Ward’s spine. The drawer where he kept the tazer was open—and empty.
Ward had enough time to wonder who could have known about it, before a shock of pain rushed through him. The jolts of the tazer he himself had bought had him convulsing and falling to the floor. The last thing that occurred to him as he collapsed was that he trusted all the wrong people, and then the world went black.
Delivering the twins was everything the Lone Wolf Pack could have hoped for, and more. Mathias’s past visits and his magic had ensured that Jessie was at his best, the risk of eclampsia no longer a danger. He had Will with him to perform the surgery, and while most of the pack was agitated, Jessie was largely just enthusiastic and more than eager to get the babies out already.
Will was the one to perform the incision. His hands didn’t tremble even if it was his own son whose flesh he was cutting. He kept a tight lid on his emotions all throughout the surgery, ever the consummate professional. Gavin was also present, but he simply held Jessie’s hand, providing support in Andreas’s place. The enforcer had wanted to be there, but the smell of Jessie’s blood would have agitated him too much and made the procedure difficult.
Mathias used his magic to make sure everything went smoothly and Jessie wasn’t in any pain. Their efforts were rewarded when at last, the wailing of two babies filled the room. “A boy and a girl,” Will said, his voice thick with tears. “They’re beautiful.”
As Mathias healed Jessie and made sure the birth wouldn’t leave behind any debilitating injury, Will and Gavin cleaned the children and wrapped them both up in warm fluffy blankets. Jessie immediately extended his arms, demanding to hold the newborns. Mathias watched the scene with no little amount of fondness. “Looks like this is our cue to get the other daddy in here.”
Gavin grinned and left the room, while Mathias and Will started gathering the supplies and cleaning up the area. They didn’t quite manage to eliminate the scent of blood, but that was to be expected. An agitated Andreas burst through the door seconds later and made a beeline for Jessie.
“Look, Andreas,” Jessie whispered reverently. “Look what we did. Aren’t they just perfect?”
Mathias didn’t wait to hear Andreas’s reply. He stepped out into the corridor, knowing that he’d played his part and it was time for Jessie and Andreas to be alone with the new members of their family. Will must have had the same idea, because he followed Mathias.
“Thank you, Matt,” he said with a smile. “I know it wouldn’t have gone nearly as well without you here.”
“It was my pleasure,” Mathias replied. “Sharing this moment with you and Jessie has been special, and I’m grateful that you trusted me with that.”
“What about you and Ward? Have you considered children?”