Waiting for Raine Outtake, or what happens when you are waiting for the arrival of pups.

 

Waiting for Raine, available on Amazon and in KU

It all started with the blanket his mates kept tucking around him each time he kicked it off. Raine hated the stiffness of it, the short, course threads, the way it dragged rather than slid over his skin. It smelled of lavender and daisies, scents he usually loved, but tonight he batted it away each time it touched his face, squirming when Gabriel pinned it against his bare body. Growling low in the dark when sleep wouldn’t claim him, Raine shoved at the blanket, fingertips snagging on the mock Sherpa fluff that was supposed to keep him warm.

Rubbing his fingers together, he felt the roughness of the pads, the minute cracks that reminded him he needed to apply lotion after each bath. The change of season had brought a cool wind and a dryness to their woods that left the air crisp with the scent of ripe apples and autumn leaves. Aiden smelled of them and the cinnamon sticks he’d been rubbing together earlier, spicing the cider that Gabriel had refused to let Raine help press.

Nuzzling the pulse point beneath Aiden’s ear, Raine inhaled deeply, catching hints of citrus, orange or maybe tangerine. Snuggling closer, he lapped at the skin there, chuckling low when Aiden grumbled and rolled into his embrace. Warm breath ghosted over his throat; a cold nose nudged his shoulder, but Aiden didn’t wake. Too bad. Raine would have loved to be pinned to the bed and fucked until the warm pull of sleep dragged him under. What he got was a rumbling grumble and that damned blanket pulled up over his shoulders again.

Uggg.

Snarling, he didn’t even try to be quiet this time, not that his mates moved one little bit, not even when he shifted and seized the blanket in his teeth, dragging it to the foot of the bed and onto the floor with him when he leapt down. If they wouldn’t get the point with how many times he shoved it away, then he’d just have to make certain it was banished from the bedroom forever, never to be seen again.

Only one way to accomplish that he thought as he pressed his snout against the bedroom door, glad they’d taken to keeping it cracked a little. While he could turn a doorknob with his teeth, it wasn’t the best feeling in the world, especially if he bit too hard or the knob was particularly cold against his tongue, which the back door one was when he opened it.

Moonlight lit the path to the forest’s edge, where shook the blanket fiercely, held it down with his paws and tugged at it with his teeth, trying to tear it apart. All it did was rip off a small piece that clung to his tongue and nearly choked him before he rubbed it off on the grass. Dubbing that a failure, he dug his front paws into the cool, rich dirt, kicking it back towards his tail with his front paws, a hole slowly opening up beneath him. It wasn’t as easy as it would have been before he was carrying pups. After less than a minute he was forced to pause, panting and resting before resuming his task.

More than halfway through, one of the pups squirmed, pressing on his bladder, something that happened several times a day. Fortunately, there were plenty of trees to lift a leg on, and low-hanging pears he leisurely munched before resuming his task. So sweet, succulent and juicy, the red skin revealing a beautiful off-white flesh when he sank his teeth into them. Pearls of liquid dripped from the corners of his muzzle, wetting the fur there, forcing him to lick it away before he made a bigger mess of himself.

As it was, his dirty paws meant he’d need a bath before returning to bed, but first….

The offending blanket lay like a dead thing in the moonlight, lumpy and twisted. By his guesstimation the hole needed to be a bit bigger before it would fit, wider too, so he got back to work on it, full belly and kicking pups making the task an arduous one.

He used his front paws to pack the blanket into the hole once he’d dragged it over, and his back paws to kick the dirt over top of it. A mound wouldn’t go unnoticed, so he walked over top of it until it was level, added more dirt and walked over it again. Hiding the blanket was exhausting, so he curled over the spot and closed his eyes, resting there for how long, he didn’t know. Somewhere along the line he must have fallen asleep, because opening his eyes revealed that the moon, previously overhead, was fading above the trees beside the river.

It was there he headed, slipping into the cold water, letting it wash the dirt from his fur and wake him up enough to catch a fish for his breakfast. Now that calmed the pups down, the trout consumed in a few gulps and snaps, requiring more cleaning to get the scales off his snout. He had another pear too, which prompted a return trip to the river, but the pups had settled at last, and his appetite was sated. Now if only he could solve the blanket issue. There had to be one somewhere in the linin closet that he could fall asleep with.

Slivers of light slashed across the hallway, the best of it spilling from the sunroom. His mates would be waking up soon, heading to their office to finish their final two projects, a plate of scones to set between them that Raine had baked the afternoon before. The electric kettle would keep them in tea while the warmth of the window filled sunroom would lull Raine into the sleep he’d missed out on the night before.

But first…

The linin closet was stacked floor to ceiling with all manner of blankets, from electric ones to faux fur, which was scratchy as hell to Raine’s way of thinking. Reaching them all necessitated shifting back to human, which was a slow and careful process with the pups he carried. Doc. Forrester had stressed the importance of a long, drawn-out shift that allowed the pups the opportunity to shift too. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but after learning of the risks of doing it too fast, he was extra cautious every time he moved between forms.

At least as a human, he could do a proper touch test on all the blankets, not that he enjoyed the experience. Several made him cringe, and while he knew he was being extra-sensitive, after all, he’d slept many a night in piles of dried sticks and leaves, being pregnant had left him overly touchy and emotional about every little thing. It was clear that this week’s big trigger was the way things felt, especially when lounging about in skin.

He wasn’t a fan of the ultra-thin and lightweight fuzzy ones that didn’t deserve the term. It felt like the fuzz had been washed clean off them. The one under it had a descent enough plushness to it, on one side. The other, not so much. Courser, with some kind of webbing, it was not a good choice to snuggle up in.

Sniffing one made his nose tickle, another made him sneeze, one by one he determined that nothing had the feeling he was after, save for the smallest blanket in the pile. Pink and orange tie-dyed with lush, plush fabric on both sides, velvety soft and easy to sink his face into. He stood there nuzzling it for several seconds before putting everything else back the way he’d found it.

His precious tye-died blanket he carried into the sunroom, and onto the soft, overstuffed ledge beneath the bay window, where he realized the blanket would only cover his legs, or his midsection, depending on where he chose to drape it.

Huffing, he scowled down at his body and the baby bump that was distorting his abs. Was it too much to ask to have a blanket he could pull over him and cuddle with. Too many shifts in too short a period of time was as bad as shifting too fast, but damn it all…he draped the blanket over his shoulder and curled his knees up, only to begin shivering a short time later. He dragged it over his hips and hugged a pillow to his chest, only to wriggle around looking for something to shove his feet under when they grew icy. Putting it over his feet meant he had goosebumps forming on his arms less than twenty-minutes later and none of the discomfort he experienced was conducive to actually getting sleep.

Disgruntled, he shifted one more time, fully aware that he’d be staying this way for the remainder of the day, but at least in his wolf form, he had a better shot of covering himself completely. Sort of. Using his teeth to tug the blanket in place still left parts of him exposed, though not near as bad as before. Keeping one end clenched in his mouth, he stared at the golden hue shimmering through the woods until his eyelids grew heavy. They were just about to close completely when a soft gasp left him flickering them open again.

Aiden stood in the doorway, eyes wide, one hand pressed to his lips. Judging from the footsteps he heard hurrying down the hallway, Gabriel was on the way too.

“What happened, were we hogging the bed?” Aiden asked. “Did we squish you?”

I wanted another blanket. Raine thought to him, still clutching his find in his teeth. This is the only one that didn’t suck and it still doesn’t fit me.

If how he looked to his mate was anything like how his wolf looked in his head, pouting and clutching the blanket, eyes with that liquid softness that preceded tears, then he had about three seconds before….

Okay that had been more like two seconds, but Aiden was hugging him now, and with his mate wrapped around him, Raine finally felt warm and snuggly.

“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked as he joined in the hug. “Why are you hugging Nicky and Alex’s blanket?”

“Because it’s the only one soft enough to make him happy,” Aiden explained, saving Raine the trouble, especially when his eyes were drifting closed again, now that he was breathing in Aiden’s scent and had his nose pressed to his skin.

“Shit,” Gabe murmured, kissing the top of Raine’s furry head. “I’m sorry. We can go to town and fix that right away.”

Don’t wanna ride in the rolling death machine, Raine thought miserably. Just thinking about the Jeep made his stomach roil. Just had a yummy breakfast. Don’t want it coming back up.

“Awe. You’re sensitivity to the movement has gotten worse again, huh?”

Sorry.

“No need to apologize. You can’t help it. I’ll go, but I’ll need to take that blanket with me so I can make certain I get the right ones.”

Big ones? Raine thought.

“Enough to make your first nest if you’d like, do you think you’re ready to do that?”

If you’ll both help. I don’t want a nest that just fits me.

“I’m sure I can manage to find enough to start a big one, but I might have to put in an order for more if there aren’t enough at the village depot to make it deep.”

Mkay if you have to. Raine knew he sounded whiny as he relinquished his soft little treasure.

“I’ll be your blanket until Gabe gets back,” Aiden promised, shifting and wrapping his wolf around Raine’s.

“I’ll make it as quick as I can,” Gabe said.

No, be careful, don’t want you getting hurt.

Gabe kissed him on the snout, and Aiden too. “I will, I promise. I’ll be fine and back with a treasure trove of softness.”

Yey.

“You just get some rest now, you feel exhausted.”

Couldn’t sleep.

“Why didn’t you wake us?”

Was busy burying the other blanket.

“Burying…”

Blinking sleepy eyes at him, Raine huffed. Needed put out of its misery. Tried shredding it but it was too stubborn to die. Burying it was exhausting though. Who makes things like that?

He wrinkled his nose when he thought it, then tucked his head against Aiden’s shoulder, letting the warm vanilla scent of his mate lull him into peaceful dreaming.

 

^^^

 

Six months ago, when the bondmark had appeared on his arm tying him to Gabriel, Aiden had experienced a rush of excitement, followed by an overwhelming surge of fear. Gabriel had a mate, sort of, he’d been hunting Raine, who’d done his level best not to be found. He’d been marched to them like a prisoner, ordered away from his family by his father, who’d been at his wits end trying to love a son who’d both feared and loathed him. A son who believed until recently that his family wished he’d been drowned at birth.

Now he was Aiden’s mate too, carrying pups that belonged to both him and Gabriel, and Aiden couldn’t be happier. His mates hadn’t judged him as less of a wolf because of his club foot. They hadn’t deemed him useless; they didn’t view him as a burden, shove him off to the side or complain he was constantly in the way.

Instead, they helped him discover his strengths, they helped modify their environment so Aiden could be an equal contributor to their home, and when something came along he couldn’t safely do, they devised an alternative, hugging and reassuring him along the way that every task was as equally important as the other. Unconditional love, that’s what he’d found with Gabriel and Raine, and soon, very soon, he’d hold a tiny, squirming combination of the three of them in his hands.

Raine had been asleep for about three hours now, and the pups he carried were getting squirmy, Aiden could feel them turning and nudging beneath his hand. Once, he was certain a snout poked at him, and another time, tiny churning paws did a little dance against his fingertips, and he barely resisted the urge to tickle them, not wanting to wake Raine in the process.

A grumbling snort proceeded a heavy sigh, as Raine’s shaggy head lifted off Aiden’s shoulder, his much larger mate pausing to lick his face and sniff his fur before standing completely and giving a full body shake. Tiny pieces of fur floated in a sunbeam, reminding Aiden that they’d missed the opportunity to brush Raine last night when their mate had fallen asleep before the ritual could commence.

Shoulda asked for those Salisbury steaks stuffed with cheese and quail eggs, Raine thought to him.

It’s not too late, Gabe isn’t back yet, Aiden replied, pausing for a moment to think Raine’s request to Gabriel.

I’ll bring some back with me, Gabriel thought back. I’m waiting for the truck to arrive, it’s about fifteen minutes out and there’s a new shipment of blankets in it. When I told Brenda what I was looking for, she said I could have first pick.

Raine will be happy to hear that.

Is there anything you’d like?

Root beer and vanilla ice cream, please.

Thinking of making floats?

Yup.

Oh yum.

Just make sure it’s sugar free for Raine and the pups.

Of course.

Maybe some Brussel sprouts too. Aiden suggested. I can cook them up with bacon and onions.

Perfect. I’ll be home as soon as I have everything.

Miss you.

Miss you guys too. I take it Raine is up?

Oh yeah and headed for the kitchen. Pretty sure it’s time for his mid-morning snack.

Time for mine too, I skipped breakfast. I’ll grab something from the bakery before I head back.

Okay, see you soon.

Not soon enough.

Warm, fuzzy feeling surged through him as he headed up the hall to the kitchen, where Raine had already pulled the door open and sat nibbling his way through a carton of blackberries. Shifting, Aiden retrieved his phone and silently took several photos of his mate, who feasted far more daintily than a wolf his size had any business doing.

Moving from the berries to a wrapped packet of leftover ribs, Raine grumbled like the foil personally offended him as he worked to get it open. Aiden snapped a couple photos of his efforts too, before stepping in when one of the corners proved too difficult for him. Raine rewarded him with several licks to the face before knocking over a can of whipped cream, pawing at it and looking up at Aiden imploringly.

“On the ribs?” Aiden asked, aghast and trying not to show it.

Please.

It took effort not to wrinkle his nose and turn his head away as he dotted a few dollops of cream over the cold barbeque sauce. Raine’s whine, and the way he nudged at Aiden’s hand, encouraged him to spray a bit more, before putting the can back on the top shelf.

Want some?

“No, thanks. I don’t think the pups would appreciate me sharing their meal.”

They’re squirmy today, Raine thought before digging in.

Aiden snapped a few more pictures of him polishing off that half a rack, knowing Gabriel would get a kick out of seeing their mate eat so enthusiastically after turning up his nose at several meals during the first two months of his pregnancy.

Raine nosed at the kiwis next, one of his favorite fruits, so Aiden grabbed a peeler and a plate, and sat on the floor in front of the fridge beside his mate, who was tapping at the last slice of angel food cake with his paw.

Share with me? Raine thought.

“Now that I’ll happily join you in,” Aiden replied, carefully peeling the kiwis and slicing them onto the cake.

Mmmm and asparagus too.

“W-with the cake?” Aiden yelped, looking from the cheesy vegetable to the fruit topped confection he’d been preparing to dot with whipped cream.

Please.

Puppy dog eyes. Damnit all his mate had those down pat. He even nudged Aiden and rested his furry head on Aiden’s shoulder, so what else could he do but cut pieces and stack the little morsels, a bit of asparagus joining the kiwi and cream on each one. Raine ate it from his fingers with little licks and long laps when the cream dripped down Aiden’s wrist, making him laugh in between bits of his own, smaller portions, though it wasn’t bad, he had to admit. A few selfies later, whipped cream bespeckled Raine’s nose, but his mate didn’t have a care in the world as he posed for Aiden, who’s hair had a streak running from his ear to his shoulder, the color blending in with his natural hue.

“We’re a mess,” Aiden laughed, giggling when Raine leaned in and licked the glob away, cold nose on his ear making Aiden shiver.

Warm bath time?

Raine’s thoughts were hopeful, sleepy too, full belly and warm snuggles some of his mate’s favorite things these days. A far cry from the lone wolf, sleep in the cold and damp, tramp muddily though puddles to get at honeycombs and fresh rabbits, wild thing he’d been when they’d first moved in together.

“Yes, and then story time, I think, since someone looks to be ready for a cat nap.”

Narrow eyes left Aiden grinning, knowing how his mate felt about being compared to anything feline.

“Here scooch back and I’ll close the door,” Aiden urged, snapping one more picture as Raine drew his muzzle from inside the fridge with a honeydew slice clutched it in.

The whole way to the master bathroom, Aiden could hear him crunching away at it, nothing left of the fruit by the time they stepped inside the room, where thick, heavy towels already lined the floor in front of the huge soaking tub. Sprawling over top of them, Raine licked the juice from his fur, while Aiden turned the water on and adjusted the temperature, before turning his attention to the row of scented bubbles they’d amassed quite the collection of.

“Fruity or spicy,” Aiden asked as he appraised them.

Can you mix the orange blossom and cinnamon, please?

“I sure can,” Aiden replied, adding a little at a time until Raine sighed contently.

One thing he’d noticed over the months they’d been together, was that in his furry form, Raine gave over to the wolf, letting the human slip to the wayside and his animal instincts take over. Among that was diminished communication, Raine relaying on expression and action to relay his intentions and moods to them, which was perfectly okay with Aiden. Knowing his mate had grown up isolated, even if it was of his own volition, made it easy to work each day to learn better how to read him.

One of the pups doesn’t wanna settle, Raine relayed when Aiden turned off the water. I thought maybe the honeydew would do the trick but I’m still getting kicked, hard too, the little turkey.

Giggling, Aiden ruffled Raine’s fur as he climbed the steps Gabriel’s uncle had made for the tub, the slide into the water making the descent safe and fun.

“Betcha it’s the same one who insisted upon grilled pineapple and ham for a snack every night last week.”

And spicy pickles and lime juice the week before, Raine declared, snorting a puff of bubbles into the air. Ohhh niceee.

Slipping into the bath beside Raine, Aiden took the time to hug him and run his hands along his side to feel the kicking pup.

“Wow, super active today.”

Tell me about it.

“Guess you still haven’t gotten what you wanted, have you little one,” Aiden cooed to the pup, gently stroking over the spot where it moved. “You’re going to be our sweet little rebel, aren’t you? We’re going to have to keep two sets of eyes on you, or you’ll find a world of trouble to get into.”

That one is going to give birth to a whole new series of floofy stories. I bet they even devise some unique plots to catch the critter of their choice and enlist their siblings in the process.

“I can’t wait to write those stories, and see the drawings Rosalind does,” Aiden exclaimed.

That last batch, with the little wolf following the fireflies through the forest, was amazing, I loved how sparkly she made them, and the story the firefly queen told, I can’t wait to listen to you read it to our pups.

“You mean about the way they chose which tree to build their village in, and how every house was just like every firefly, unique and quirky in their own way?”

Yup, just like I know our pups will be.

“I can see it now. They’d devise a teeter totter and three will leap and land on the empty side, launching the other, who’ll try to knock a partridge out of the sky.”

Raine sighed, kicked his feet and splashed a little. Mmm partridge. I spied a couple from my rock the other day. Was too full to go after them.

“Didn’t you promise not to go after anything, not even a snapping turtle, without Gabriel to help you?” Aiden chided gently.

But…turtle soup.

Got you bit on the nose.

Got the turtle.

And a gouge down the center of your nose.

Okay so that kinda sucked and it took a while to get the pups to calm down after I yiped and came bounding up here with it clinging for dear life.

“Exactly. If you want a partridge, I’m sure Gabriel will help you get a partridge, without you having to do all the bounding, pouncing and dragging involved.” As he spoke, Aiden alternated between caressing the belly bump and rubbing suds into Raine’s fur.

First time I pounced a partridge, all I ended up with was a tail feather sticking out of my mouth.

“Is that the one you strung beads and shells off of and turned into a bookmark?”

I wish. I shoulda kept it, but I spit it out and went chasing after the partridge, which I didn’t catch no matter how high I leapt. Got turned around too and had to sniff my way home. The feather you’re thinking about is from the first one I caught. Was so pretty, with all its colors, I kinda did a very unwolfy thing and let it go.

Wow, now that might have been unwolflike, but it was one of the sweetest things Aiden had ever heard. Rubbing noses with his mate before peppering Raine’s snout with kisses, Aiden hoped to convey just how awesome it was to learn that Raine could be sweet and thoughtful, even when it came to hunting.

 I ruffled the hell outta it through. It was pissed. Kept trying to prune it’s feathers back into place, but it’d lost a few, including the one I kept. Sounded like a chicken on machine gun mode, cackling and fussing at me from his perch. I learned later, from this book I found in the library, that the males had all the beautiful plumage so they could attract the females, which were super hard to see ‘cause they could blend into everything around them. Needless to say, I had to learn to eat the pretty ones if I wanted to have partridge for supper.

“And now one of the little ones is suggesting it’s time for another pretty one to die, huh?”

More like I can’t figure out what is gonna sate my appetite right now. I’m full but as soon as you said partridge, I started drooling.

“Then I’ll make certain whichever story we read doesn’t make mention of food in it.”

Yeah, that works for me, don’t wanna be a bother, constantly asking for different things.

“Hey, no, you ask for whatever you’d like to have while you’re baking those pups, and after too. We like when you ask for things, it shows you trust us to look after you the same way you’re always looking after us, so just put those thoughts out of your mind. I mean it, or the first thing you’ll get from me after those pups are born is a spanking for being stubborn.”

Even in wolf form, Raine managed to cock a brow ridge at him and huff. And what makes you think I won’t enjoy that immensely?

“We are so filing that away for later to find out.”

Lips curling in that trademark Raine grin, his mate laughed soundlessly, tail swishing thought the water in a lazy rhythm.

“All right you, before you decide to be naughty, lets get you cleaned up and dried. Then is it back to the sunroom, or the bedroom to wait for Gabe?”

The sunroom, ‘cause that’s where I want all the blankets to go. It’s the best place to nest and when it starts to snow, I can watch it while you’re working.

“You know we won’t be working on these projects for much longer. Gabe’s already moved everything into the file cabinets in preparation of shutting the office down.”

You really don’t need to be in such a hurry to do that, we have months before the pups come.

“Months we’d like to spend pampering you and them, if you don’t mind. I know you’ve been hesitant about us not working, but it’s our choice to set things aside until later. You might be carrying them, but we’d like them to know our voices too. And the feel of them squirming inside you is something I love having the chance to experience and I know Gabe does too. You’re not slowing us down, you’re giving us the greatest gift ever, and we plan to savor it every chance we get, understood?”

Raine locked eyes with him, so Aiden leaned in and rubbed noses, smiling when Raine licked his face.

I understand. As long as you’re both sure.

“We are.”

Then I won’t mention it again.

“Good. Now, if you’ll roll just a little.”

Raine went with the press of Aiden’s hand on his shoulder, exposing his tummy so Aiden could wash all the way down to the missing tip on his fluffy tail. They were past the days when just seeing it brought tears to Aiden’s eyes and the memory of the bear fight that had nearly killed Raine rushing back to the forefront of his mind. Now, he washed the sensitive end gently, then between the pads of his mates paws, Raine squirming, sloshing water about.

Oh my god that tickles.

“You say that every time, no matter how careful I am.”

‘Cause it tickles every time!

Churning paws kicked water everywhere, ‘til it was dripping off Aiden’s face. Declaring Raine as clear as they could manage with all his wiggling, he flipped the steps around, so Raine could climb up, then slide down onto the towels where Aiden commenced to dry him, even getting the blow dryer involved when Raine began to shiver.

“Better?” Aiden asked, once he couldn’t feel anymore damp spots.

Oh yeah.

“Then let’s go pick a book and get cozy. By the time you wake from this nap, Gabe will be back, and you’ll have a bunch of fuzzy goodness to paw though.”

Raine didn’t communicate with words, but his wolf sent back a surge of joy and gratitude that was unmistakable. They paused in the library, where Raine checked out three shelves before going up on his hind paws to view one slightly over his head. From there he selected a corgi cozy mystery, pressing his nose against it so Aiden could draw it from between two other books.

“You’re really coming to love these, aren’t you?”

Only the ones where the animals work to solve the cases, oh and the book club members.

“Don’t forget the quilters, you tore through that series so fast you’re already caught up to those on the waitlist for the newest book to come out.”

There was that bakery one too.

“Yeah, but it was only one.”

And that was just ‘cause the two guys were so sweet together it was awesome to read about how they fell in love while solving the mystery.

“I truly enjoyed that one too. I’m sure we can find more like that and get them delivered. I’d happily spend the night curled up reading them to you.”

Or we can get Gabriel to read them to us, then you can be in fur too.

“Gods yes. That deep, sexy growl of his leaves me melting every time he starts reading something.”

Exactly, which means we need to conspire to get him to do it more often. I don’t wanna wait until he’s doing all the voices in a story for the pups, then we’ll have to wait to show him what he does to us.

“And pounce him, Don’t want to have to wait for that either.”

Which we will if he’s holding a pup.

“Better get it out of our systems now.”

“Get what out of your systems, exactly?” Gabriel asked, filling the doorway where the pair stood, his arms laden with blanket, the look on his face one suggesting promise and a bit of naughtiness if they were up for it.

 

^^^

 

The gleam in Aiden’s eyes held wicked intent, while Raine looked ready to pounce, him or the blankets, Gabriel couldn’t be sure.

“So where would you like them?” Gabriel asked, lifting the blankets to direct their attention to them. “There are piles more in the jeep.”

“WOOF!” Raine exclaimed, dancing left, tail wagging exuberantly. “In the sunroom, please, you have enough to fit all of us right?”

“I bought out every blanket that felt like Nicky and Alex’s, just wait until you feel….ooof.”

Raine’s definition of wait was to pounce and drag Gabriel to the floor, blankets and all, his mate rolling in the softness of them, tail never ceasing to wag. A few times he rolled over top of Gabriel too, not that he minded on little bit. Raine was ecstatic, it radiated from his wolf while Raine communicated how lush, snuggly warm and cozy they were. Gabriel knew that to be fact, he’d rubbed his face against every one of them, wanting to be certain they fit his mates’ exacting standards.

Sooo soft, Raine thought, his joy and appreciation impossible to miss. “Ohh goddess, this one is amazing.

There was a reason he’d brought it in among the first of his finds. The feel of it had reminded him of Aiden’s fur, lush, plush, and sleek. It was no wonder Raine had gravitated to it immediately, because he had too, hoping it could fill the gaps for Raine when he and Aiden couldn’t be in the nest with them.

“How about you take that one down the hall with you, and I’ll bring in the rest. Then we can see about arranging them to your liking?” Gabriel suggested.

Our liking, and why do you smell like turkeys? Raine asked, shoving his snout against Gabe’s leg and inhaling deeply. Snuffle, sniff, snort, huff, he worked his way up and down Gabe’s leg, across his hip, cold nose finding a way beneath his shirt to sniff his belly too.

“Oh gods, cold!” Gabriel cried, shoving gently at Raine while wriggling to get away.

You brought home a turkey, didn’t you! Raine exclaimed, shoving that nose right back where it been, drops of drool dripping off his muzzle as he began to lick.

“ACK!!! No, I…I…there’s no turkey!” Gabriel howled, laughing and completely pinned beneath Raine’s head and heavy paws.

But you smell like one.

“I smell like one because a flock of them staged an uprising and tried to take me out!” Gabriel announced, face heating up at the memory.

“Are you implying you got jumped by a gang of turkeys?” Aiden asked, the click of the camera phone drawing Gabriel’s attention to his mate’s betrayal. Instead of helping him out, he was documenting the latest bit of peril Gabriel had found himself in. It was almost as bad as what happened on the road, something he’d wind up sketching out for their next story, if Aiden didn’t beat him to it once he heard.

“I may have annoyed them a smidge, prompting them to retaliate with some aggressive gobbling and a lunge that sent one smacking into the back of my head.”

What exactly did you do?

“I swear, I’ll tell you all about it later…” Gabriel offered. “After I bring the blankets in.”

They’ll keep, Raine replied, shifting his weight to keep Gabriel pinned unless he wanted to use actual force to dislodge his mate, which he had no intention of doing.

“Looks like someone’s stuck,” Aiden remarked, grinning as he knelt beside them and damn it all, that little shit actually had the nerve to carefully tuck Raine’s new favorite blanket around him, effectively pinning Gabriel even more than he actually was. “Now commence with the storytelling.”

Snorting, Gabriel looked from Aiden’s brilliant crystalline blue eyes, to Raine’s shimmering emerald ones. Those appeared heavy lidded and as tired and droopy as they had before he’d left to collect the blankets. “Okay, if it’s a story my mates want, then it’s a story they’ll get,” Gabriel said, grateful he’d had the foresight to close the garage door as well as the one to his vehicle.

Aiden snapped one more picture, then moved around to sprawl on the other side of Gabe, where he could rest his head on the shoulder Raine hadn’t claimed.

“I’ll preface this by saying this never would have happened if someone up in city council hadn’t gotten a wild hair and decided it was time to smooth and regravel highland pass, which it doesn’t need. They have the east bound land blocked off, meaning its narrower than normal coming through there,” Gabe began.

“It is kinda rough,” Aiden offered, “Just saying. If I had a mug with a suction cup on the bottom, I’m betting I could attach it to the hood of the jeep and make a milkshake between here and town.”

“That’s what’s so charming around it,” Gabe huffed. “And it means wolves slow down when they go tear-assing around on it in some big ass SUV. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve nearly been run off the road over the years. Some of them are worse than humans when it comes to recklessness and speed.”

None of any of that explains why you smell like turkeys, Raine complained. Though I’m with Aiden; a smoother road would be nice, and by smooth, I mean packed dirt deer path small enough no vehicles are allowed.

Guffas racked Gabe’s chest, rattling his mates, who never failed to keep things interesting.

“I’m getting to the turkeys, I promise,” Gabe remarked, kissing the top of Raine’s head, before reaching over his shoulder to tussle Aiden’s hair. “I was just trying to explain that the gravel piles on the side of the road must have created a bottleneck for the turkeys too, they were all gathered at the same spot, having some kind of convention in the center of the road, because it was like every turkey in the forest was there and none of them were particularly impressed by my horn.”

To be fair, that’s what needs fixing,” Aiden declared. “It’s halfhearted bleat wouldn’t persuade a bunny to hop away, let alone anything bigger. Remember that buzzard just last week, the one that was feasting on the beaver carcass. I swear it flipped you off and ate several more bites before begrudgingly moving out of the way, and that’s only because you’d inched up so far you were practically nudging it with your grill.”

“I’d have done more than nudge if I hadn’t been worried about the thing launching just far enough into the air to vomit it’s lunch on my hood. Regurgitated buzzard breakfast sucks to clean off anything, especially a vehicle.”

“Am I sensing another story there?” Aiden prompted.

“Maybe, but we’ll save all but the turkey story for after I get the blankets and food brought in,” Gabe declared. “That way, after the nest is made Aiden can make the Brussel sprouts and I can set up the surprise I found. Then we can feast and I’ll show you what I brought back before we return to the nest for more stories.”

“You brought a surprise,” Aiden asked, eyes lighting up. Raine’s tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth in a look Gabe was coming to recognize as eager anticipation.

“I sure did, but you have to give me time to set it up before you can see it, deal?”

A combination of huff and tail wag made up Raine’s response, while Aiden nod was accompanied by a pout.

“I mean it too, no slinking down the hall and peaking.”

“We won’t,” Aiden replied, a hint of indignation to his tone, while Raine just narrowed his eyes, neither agreeing or disagreeing with Gabe’s request. He knew how that worked too, and would be certain to secure the door and the latch at the top to be cettain Raine couldn’t get the drop on him again, the sneaky little shit.

Now what about the turkeys.

“Okay, okay, sheesh. We established honking didn’t move them, well, neither did rolling down the window and calling them a colorful array of names, none of which they appreciated, let me assure you. I even insulted their ancestry and just in case there happened to be a shifter hiding in the mix, I insulted their human relations too, putting special emphasis on my feelings on familial inbreeding and how it’s reduced the intelligence levels of their entire flock to that of a single celled ameba.”

And if there was a shifter among them, I’m sure that got their dander up.

“You could say that.”

“So, is that where they swarmed the jeep?”

“More like that’s where they ignored it’s presence and I may have stepped outside the jeep and attempted to chase them off.”

The looks his mates were given him clearly said they knew full well he was leaving out a key component of the story, which, he was, the part that already had his cheeks heating up again.

Uh-huh, spill. What happened when you got out of the jeep? Raine asked, his thoughts holding that growly, protective edge that Gabe had been trying not to kick into overdrive while he was carrying their pups.

“Well, I umm, waded into the middle of their little tete-a-tete hollering and waving my arms, which promoted them to puff up and wave their wings, gobbling like demented gremlins as they charged me. At which point, I decided to give them a taste of their medicine and shift, only…

Shrugging, Gabe could only imagine how sheepish he looked as he prepared to tell them the rest of the tail.

“I sort of still had my coat on, and my hat, and, well, damnit, the steering wheel was cold, so…”

“You were wearing gloves too, and your boots, and you wound up getting your furry self all tangled up in your clothes, meaning instead of scaring them, you left yourself trapped and at their mercy,” Aiden finished for him, giggling.  

Something like that.

“Uh, huh.”

“After I floundered around for a while, with them gobbling and carrying on and me snarling, snapping and generally getting laughed at by the feathered menaces, I decided to shift back, seeing as how there was no way I was getting myself untangled without opposable thumbs.”

“Only you wound up tangled worse, didn’t you?” Aiden remarked, all attempts at hiding his snicker behind his hand failing, not that he made much of an effort. Collapsing onto his back, he laughed until he was clutching his sides and wheezing for air.

“Glad I can be such a sort of amusement to you.”

“Oh, so am I!”

In the end I had to strip most of my clothes off before I could put them back on the right way again, all while dodging the merry gaggle, a few of whom decided to mimic my efforts to chase them away by launching themselves at me.

Which was how you got clocked in the back of the head.

No, that feathered bastard waited until I’d turned my back, and was on my way to the jeep before he launched. Swear I had a goose egg for a half a mile before it went away.

Be lucky it wasn’t from an actual goose or you might be forced to relive those stories before the day was through.

You are not funny

Oh, come on, I’m a little bit funny

Not in the slightest.

Aiden huffed, but it was Raine who sneezed and shivered a little, the library floor not exactly the warmest place for them to lay.

“Okay, nest building time, no more stories until it’s done. We don’t want to risk you catching a cold now do you.”

No, Raine replied, getting up slowly so the blanket wouldn’t fall off him.

“How about you head to the sunroom and I’ll make us a big pot of lemon-ginger tea we can drink during our nest building efforts,” Aiden offered.

Raine’s wagging tail was a sure affirmative. Gabe watched until he disappeared into the sunroom before heading to get the rest of the blankets.

“He’d just had a bath, I should have insisted we pounce you in the sunroom instead of in here,” Aiden whispered.

“And I should have made sure in here was less drafty, especially knowing how much he loves books. Fortunately, there are space heaters in the pantry, I think it’s time to set one up in here. The weather is changing fast and even in fur, it can be drafty sometimes. I keep forgetting to ask my uncle to come out and check these windows. I’m ashamed to admit I installed these myself and may have forgotten a step.”

“Didn’t you say it was a learning process.”

“Yeah,”

“Well, there you go, he was just happy to choose a new book, and we were both hoping you would be back in time to read it to us.”

“It’ll be my pleasure,” Gabe admitted, tugging Aiden into a kiss. His mate melted against him, the scent of orange, cinnamon and vanilla filling his senses.

“I love you,” Gabe murmured when he finally drew back.

“Love you too.”

He walked up the hallway staring at the sway of his mate’s rear before Aiden disappeared into the kitchen, issuing a command to the smart speaker the moment he entered the room. By the time Gabe passed the door again, Tiny Dancer spilled out to great him, Aiden’s voice mingling with Elton John’s.

Whoa.

“This is only the second bunch, there are four more piles this size in the back of the jeep,” Gabe explained, when Raine stared up in awe at the blankets.

Thank you. That doesn’t even seem like enough. I love you. I want you to know that.

“I do and I love you too. I can’t wait to snuggle with you in the nest.”

It um, sorta dawned on me that I don’t know how we make it more nest like and less like a pile of blankets.

“That is where the pile of overstuffed pillows in the back of the jeep come in. Mama G swears they are the secret to nest construction and she should know, with as many as she’s helped build over the years.”

She’s amazing.

“Yeah, she is. Once I have everything inside, we can start putting it together. I know the bottom layer should be the thickest ones, so you have padding, but I also brought a massive circle pillow to use, kind of like your body pillow, only three times the size.

How’d you fit that in the jeep?

“Didn’t, had to strap it on top,”

The softness in Raine’s eyes, along with that wagging tail said more than words ever could. Nodding, Gabe hurried out, collecting the food and depositing it in the kitchen, collecting the blankets, the pillows, and the huge base monstrosity and bringing them all into the sunroom where they’d already agreed their pups would be born. It was Raine’s favorite place in the house, and he wanted his mate as happy and comfortable as possible when the glorious time came.

Aiden entered, steaming tea bowls and a pot of excess tea on a platter he placed on the stand beside the door while Raine paced, trying to decide exactly where he wanted the nest to be.

Here, he thought at last, indicating the corner alcove that let sun in from two sides.

“If you ask me, that’s the perfect choice,” Gabe remarked, as he pulled the large circle pillow over to the corner, Raine hot on his heels with the first of the pillows. He took his time placing it against the wall, nudging at it and scrunching it down with his paws until he got it just the way he wanted it. By then, the tea was cool enough for him to lap some from the bowl Aiden held for him.

Gabe watched Raine eat tiny quiches from Aiden’s hand, before returning to move another pillow, Aiden beside him, walls slowly forming beneath their hands and paws.

We shoulda put a blanket down first, Raine thought, so down the walls came, and the careful selection of a blanket commenced. First a blue one, Raine pawing, rolling and wiggling on his back before determining it was close but not quite what he was after.

Now this one is perfect, Raine informed him after trying a magenta one and declaring it inadequate. Perfect was the large, tie-dyed version of Nicky and Alex’s blanket. Gabe should have known. As the walls went back in place a second time, a wide sunbeam hit the center of the nest, highlighting Raine, who looked so serine and content basking in it, that Aiden snapped off another picture of him.

We have enough here to triple drape the walls and still leave plenty to pull over us. Raine thought to them. They’re perfect, every one of them.

Want us to drape while you finish your tea?

Yes, please.  

When he lay down to drink, Gabe knew they needed to finish as quickly as they could, so they could get him in the nest before he fell asleep. The effort Raine expended earlier in an effort to rid himself of the blanket he’d hated, had left Gabe kicking himself over not looking into why Raine had kept kicking it off. Instead of constantly adjusting the temperature and the amount of wood he’d placed in the fireplace, what he should have been doing was asking questions of the wolf who hated being a burden to anyone.

Gabe was shocked from his thoughts by a tongue licking him from chin to temple, Raine’s bright eyes staring into his when he blinked.

You looked a million miles away

I found the blanket you buried, there was a little piece sticking up out of the ground, waving in the breeze, I’m sorry you had to go through that much trouble just to clue me in that something was wrong.

No, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be a bother, so I tried to problem solve and ended up exhausting myself. It’s kind of a good thing I’m going to be in this form for a few days, ‘cause even my sleep pants were starting to fit a little tight.

Oh, sweetheart, Raine, it’s okay. You’re carrying four puppies. You’re going to expand more before you’re through. It’s okay.

Gabe opened his arms and Raine snuggled in the shelter of them, more photos following.

“Okay photo bug, time for you to shift. Storytime too. We can worry about the sprouts and supper later. I think our wild thing could use a little nap, and you’re looking a bit bleary eyed and ruffled yourself.”

It didn’t take anymore urging than that to draw Aiden to strip and join them in the nest, the three of them having plenty of room to get settled, his two mates sprawling along his sides while he took up the book they selected.

“Angi was a Corgi,” Gabriel read, as they sighed and pressed closer. “And the happiest of dogs. Mascot of the Mill Creek police department, he spent his days curled beside the desk Sargent listening in on phone calls about wayward cows ambling down the highway, and missing garden gnomes, which the children in the town were constantly relocating from one place to the next. Only, on this particular morning, the call that caught Angi’s attention was from a frantic Mrs. Bixby, who’d dialed in to report that the tiny house, which housed her quilt shop and all her fabrics, was missing from her front lawn…”

Was no need to look away from the page to see his mates were already fading into slumberland. Raine’s breathing had evened out, Aiden’s wasn’t far behind, warm, content, and wrapped in a bubble of peace and love, Gage kept reading about the missing workspace, and the golden furred Corgi determined to track it down.