Desert Heat (Complete)

{Jedediah’s P.O.V.}

A month had passed since Vivienne and I fully mated and marked each other; things at Desert Moon couldn’t be any more perfect. Well, there was always room for improvement, but at the moment things were pretty f*****g perfect. Gunner and I were in shape again, and we didn’t feel like death during morning training. Andre and I were on good terms once he saw just how much I loved his sister. Vivienne was welcomed into the pack of girls and she was always with her entourage whenever we came to the packhouse to hang out. I finally got the job with Amos’ team and was set to become a full-time tracker for Dorian’s company next Monday. Overall, I was happy. I was so f*****g happy with my life.

Vivienne was currently in France visiting her parents for a couple of days, and I had no problem with it. She had a great relationship with them, and I would never keep her from visiting her family. Everyone else was at work doing their thing, but since I didn’t start my job until next week, I was stuck at home.

I figured I would go to the packhouse and hang out with anyone available. When I got there, I found Allie sitting in the living room reading a book and her twins were inside their playpen on the living room floor, having the time of their lives.

“Okay, how in the world are you able to read and keep up with what you’re reading while the twins are practically screaming their heads off?”

“It’s called selective hearing,” she replied and closed her book, but not before placing a bookmark to keep her place. “As long as they’re not crying, they’re fine. Plus, they can talk and get my attention when they really need something. They learned early on that when I have a book in my hands, it’s Mommy’s time to relax, and they have to find a way to entertain themselves until they really need something.”

“Wow, I just might have you raise my future pups.”

“Hell-to-the-freaking-no,” she replied and scowled at me. “I’m expecting, remember. I won’t have time to raise your pups, a-hole.”

I gasped. “Language, Allie.”

“What?! Hell is not profanity, jerk-face!” she replied and shoved me.

“Ah, and you’re using violence in front of the children, what kind of example are you setting?” I joked and she hit me again, only harder this time. Daisy and Demarco started to laugh at our antics. Allie shook her head and laughed as well.

“Alright, so all joking aside, how are you doing? How are things with Dorian?” I asked sincerely.

“Good,” she said with a smile. “We’re doing really good, and practically back to the way things were before all the drama.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Even though he and I lost touch for a few years, whenever we did talk once in a blue moon, he would never stop talking about you. You were all he ever talked about.”

“When was the last time you two talked? I mean, obviously before you came here.”

“Ummm … I think it was right after the bombing,” I replied and immediately saw her face falter. “Oh crap, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Oh no, it’s not you. It’s just … whenever that day is brought up, my heart breaks all over again, and I just can’t help it.”

“Hey, I completely understand. I can’t even begin to imagine what that day must have been like for you guys. Not only you and Dorian but everyone else too.” Allie just nodded.

“So, how’s the mated life?” she asked me while leaning back against the couch and rubbing her swelling stomach.

“Freaking amazing!” I said and leaned back with her. “Allie, may I?” I asked while hovering my hand above her stomach.

“Of course, this is your niece or nephew growing in here,” she said with a sincere smile. I placed my hand on her belly, and I could feel her little bump. She was barely showing, but you could still tell that she was pregnant now.

“How far along are you?”

“Seven weeks now.”

“What are you hoping for?”

“I honestly don’t care. I already have one of each because of the twins. I only care that this baby is healthy when he or she is born.”

“Any names picked out?”

“Well, originally Dorian and I were going to go with our second choice picks from the last pregnancy, but after talking about it some more …” she trailed off as she peeked her head over the couch to look around. There was no one in the living room except for us. “… Dorian and I want to pay a tribute to Ben and Eleanor,” she continued.

“How are you going to do that?”

“We’re going to use their middle names.” I c****d my head to the side in confusion. “Ben’s middle name is Karsten, and Eleanor’s is Christina. If it’s a girl, we’re going to name her Katrina and if it’s a boy, his name will be Kirstin.”

“Awww … I think those are awesome names. What about middle names?”

“His or her middle name will be one of the backups we had picked out. Lily if she’s a girl, and Lazarus if he’s a boy.”

“I think it’s amazing that you want to name your next baby after Dorian’s parents.”

“Ben and Eleanor have been like my parents ever since I met them, and they definitely have filled that void I’ve had my entire life. I wanted to thank them the best way that I could, and what better way than making our baby their namesake.” I nodded my head and smiled. “Speaking of parents, and please stop me if I’m overstepping here, but I heard that yours passed away during a rogue attack when you were only a teen, is that true?” Allie asked delicately.

“Nah, you’re not overstepping, don’t worry. But yeah, I was 15 and it was out of the blue.”

“I’m so sorry, Jed. I didn’t even know my parents, and I barely got to meet my mother during my Luna ceremony as a gift from the moon goddess, but you actually got to have a relationship with yours. I don’t know what’s worse. Never knowing them or losing them at such a crucial age in life.”

“I think both are just as sad as the other, but I’m okay. I didn’t have the greatest relationship with my parents, especially my dad. He was a huge jerk, and my mom wasn’t all that present. I loved them, but it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows in my house. I think I was more saddened when Michaela’s mom was killed. She was more of a motherly figure in my life for those few short years than my mother ever was.”

“Jed, come on. I’m sure your parents loved you. I can’t even imagine parents not loving their kids. Even Sin’s mom loved her. She just didn’t make the best life choices.”

“One would think, but sometimes I honestly wondered why my parents were even together.”

“What do you mean?”

“They fought all the time, and always about me. As a kid, I sometimes wondered if I was just a mistake.”

“Jed, never think that about yourself. All children born into this world are gifts, and they should be treasured.”

“Hmph, thanks for the encouragement Allie, but I’m over that stage of my life now. It’s been forever since I was a stupid teenager with teenage first world problems. When they were killed, I was sad, but in the end, their deaths made me who I am, and I always swore that I would treasure my mate and my future kids.”

“Which is why you were so hurt when Michaela rejected you.”

“Yeah. I honestly would have given her the entire world had she asked me to. But, in the end, she and I weren’t meant to be, and now I’m honestly happy things turned out the way they did. I have Mon Coeur now, my new pack and family, and an amazing job that will help me be a stronger tracker and fighter.”

“Awww … I love that you call her Mon Coeur. It’s so sweet!” Allie said all giddy.

“Mama, hungee! Mum mum!” We looked down and Daisy was holding up her arms, waiting to be picked up.

“Okay princess, let’s go get a snack,” Allie said as she got up from the couch and leaned down to pick up Daisy out of the playpen. When she went back to get Demarco, I saw her struggling a little bit.

“Allie, may I?”

“Oh my god, please,” she practically begged. I chuckled and picked up Demarco for her.

“He’s getting so big and I’m already nearing the point when I will no longer be able to even pick him up.”

“He’s a stocky boy. He’s going to be huge when he becomes of age,” I said and helped her get them to the kitchen for a snack. “And I don’t mean as in fat, I mean as is muscular. If he has the Shaw genes, then he may very well end up bigger than Dorian.”

“Oh god, I can’t even imagine my sweet boy turning into a man yet,” she said while rummaging through the fridge while I put the twins into their high chairs. “You’re pretty good with kids,” she said as she looked back at me.

“I’ve always dreamed of being a father myself. I love kids. It also helps that all of the pups in this pack are freakishly adorable and easy to play with. Pups at Red Mountain are difficult because their parents spoil them rotten.”

“Oh no, not in this pack. Especially when it comes to me, Sin, and Leah. Sin and I grew up with practically nothing and had to work our entire lives to make it to where we were before we met the guys. Leah spent most of her life proving to her pack that she wasn’t weak since she was half human at the time, even though she was the Beta’s granddaughter. Some pack members call us spoiled and dramatic, but they don’t understand what we all went through growing up. Leah may have grown up with amazing parents and in a loving household, but for her, being a hybrid in a pack full of werewolves was hard for her. She didn’t have a lot of friends at Mojave Mountain, which is why she and Sin got along so well. Leah was more human than she was a wolf back then and in her own words, she blended in more with humans than she did with the supernatural. And I’m sure you already know the backstory for Sin and I.”

“I’ve heard the cliff notes versions, and I’m sorry you guys had to go through life so hard. That wasn’t fair to either of you.”

“That’s the thing though, life isn’t fair. Everything in life happens for a reason, and in the end, Sin and I are happy. We struggled growing up, but that made us who we are today. It made us value life and not the materialistic crap …” she paused a minute as she plated up some deli meat, cheese, and fruit onto two plates and placed them in front of the twins.

“Tank you, mama,” they both said to her and started to scarf down their food.

“Slow down, no one is taking your food,” she said to them and gave them their sippy cups. “What was I saying?”

“Something about not caring about materialistic crap?”

“Oh, right. Even though Mikey and Dorian have a lot of money, we don’t care about that. Sure we go shopping and spend thousands of dollars at a time, but lately, we’re not even shopping for ourselves. We’re shopping for our kids and investing in their future. Dorian and I have built trusts for the twins, and we’re going to do the same for this baby. They obviously won’t get the funds without working for them, but we also don’t want them to struggle in life if something were to happen to us before they hit adulthood.”

“That’s smart, I may have to do that for Viv and my future pups too.”

“The twins have to go to college and at least earn bachelor’s degrees. Since Demarco is the future Alpha, we want him to follow in Dorian’s footsteps and get a master’s as well. More than likely, Dorian will leave the firm to Demarco, and I think Amber is going to leave it to Cassius and Christian when she and Ronnie retire. For Daisy, even though she has Alpha b***d, she will lose her official rank when she becomes of age because she’s mated to an Omega. A high-level one, but still an Omega. We don’t want our kids taking advantage of the fact their parents have money. We want them to know that happiness and contentment don’t come easy and that they will have to work for it.”

“I completely understand that. Dorian, that mother effer was a CEO at 19 and went to school full-time. He worked his butt off and I have mad respect for him because of it. B-rod too. He took his life savings from allowance money to build his first club.”

“And Mikey, he didn’t even go to college. He followed in Ethan’s footsteps and became a bounty hunter. He worked for his net-worth just as hard, and he had bigger repercussions if he failed at any time,” Allie added on and I just nodded my head. Anyone could say that the Desert Moon pack was rich and spoiled, but they don’t know the whole story of how the current ranked members got to where they are now. “That’s why I can never understand people like Heather, or Michaela.”

“What do you mean?” I asked looking over at her as she stared at her pups eating.

“They were both raised in loving homes, with amazing parents, and had everything they could have ever dreamed of while growing up. Instead of being grateful for it, they took it for granted. Now they’re trying to make it seem like the world has wronged them when in reality, they brought it upon themselves. I mean, yeah, it is sad that Michaela’s mom died, but death is a part of life. We’re all bound to die eventually. It’s just a matter of when. They lived each day as if it were their given right when in reality, every day of life is a gift.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Allie. Life is a gift, and so is every one that is a part of it. Whether or not Heather and Michaela are our enemies, it’s our choices in life that will allow us to either move on and be happy or wallow in the past and let them make us miserable.” She looked at me and furrowed her brows at my response. “It’s as you said, each day is a gift, and we should live each day like the gifts they are. Don’t be consumed by the hatred you have for Heather, Allie. Yes, she wronged you, hurt you, and tried to kill your husband, but you will never be able to fully move on with your life if you keep letting her get to you.”

“Jed, she’s out there somewhere planning goddess only knows what, for who knows when.”

“Well, until that time comes, try to enjoy the life that you said you worked so hard for. Don’t let her ruin your day. You have a loving husband, two beautiful children, another on the way, friends and family that love you, and a pack that would gladly take silver bullets for you. Heather is just a speed bump you can easily just hop over.” She looked at the twins then back at me and smiled wide.

“You’re right, you are absolutely right, Jed, and starting today, I’m going to do just that. I’m going to concentrate on my family, friends, and this pack. And you should do the same. Michaela is in the past, and Vivienne is your present and future.” We gave each other fist bumps and I hugged her shoulder.

When the twins were finished eating. I helped Allie take them to their room upstairs to put them down for their afternoon naps. I seriously could not wait to have pups of my own.