Inevitably Yours

MICHAEL

Quinn was absolutely buzzing, and it was infectious. As soon as the first of the month hit, she set up a mini tree that had a base with 24 tiny drawers. Each night, she took Junior to the little tree, they opened a drawer to find a miniature ornament and hung it on the tree. Junior was completely clueless about the entire thing.

She played Christmas music all through the packhouse and made mountains of cookies as soon as her finals were over. The whole packhouse looked like an elf threw up on it. Green and red, snowflakes and bells. I wasn’t even sure where she got it all.

For once, Nic seemed to be in good spirits too. I wasn’t with her when she told Stephen, but she said it went about as good as could be expected. She was showing now but carried on like she wasn’t pregnant. She decided he would be allowed to come to Stary to see his pup, and they were going to work out a schedule. Quinn and Nic already started planning a nursery for the pup, and my best friend planned to have Stephen pay for it all.

I was working at my desk, going over some background checks. I started vetting the people contacting me for training a little more thoroughly since Hunter. I had turned a blind eye to things I should have brought to an end.

“Michael, come here! Quick come here!” Quinn frantically linked me.

I jumped out of my seat and raced upstairs. She told me she would finish the decorations on our floor while Junior played around in his little bouncing chair.

When I reached the top of the stairs, Quinn was kneeling next to Junior. She had some baby Christmas Special on the TV, but he wasn’t paying attention to it. “Say Mama,” she smiled at him.

“Da da da da da da da da,” Junior babbled. My jaw dropped before my chest swelled.

“No, Mama. Mama,” Quinn repeated.

“Da da da da da,” Junior prattled on. She turned around to look at me, frowning.

“His first word is Dada. He really does hate me for bringing him into this world,” she pouted. I couldn’t help but laugh. I joined her next to Junior, who smiled at my arrival.

I pointed to my face. “Dada,” I mimicked. He raised his little fists and made grabby hands.

“Da da da da da da,” he said. Quinn just stared at us open-mouthed. I picked Junior up and swung him around.

“What. The. Actual. f**k?” Quinn hissed grumpily.

“Oh, he’ll say it,” I smiled at her. Junior also gave her an adorable smile. “He still loves you.”

“I guess you can come running when he wants a bottle or diaper change now,” she huffed, turning on her heel to return to our tiny kitchen.

“Da da da da da da,” Junior said again. I laughed and started tickling him. My pup just said his first word.

–

Christmas was a much bigger deal this year for the whole pack. Andrea and Quinn had the idea to revive a tradition that had died out when I was young. They hosted a Santa’s Wonderland night at Stary High with activities for the whole pack. Hot cocoa was served, and candy canes were passed out. Games were set up all around. They found a Santa to take photos with the pups, and our little warriors did a skills demonstration. Quinn bundled up Junior in a tiny winter coated and carted him around in the baby backpack thing. He fell asleep halfway through, but everyone enjoyed coming over to meet him and talk with their Alpha and Luna. Adi tagged along with us most of the night since Andrea stayed with Quinn; at one point, she even talked me into a piggyback ride, claiming her legs were exhausted after kicking invisible butt so hard during the demonstration.

Seeing so much of the pack actively out and participating was great. Stary was beginning to feel like a real community again. The Wonderland was so successful that it took over most of the block where the high school was located. Quinn was elated by all of it, and I was happy to see the joyous sparkle in her eyes.

Christmas Eve was spent with my dad and Nic. I gave Andrea the week off to spend with Adi as well as Judy so she could spend it with her mate. She tried to insist she would come back and help at the packhouse, but I assured her we would survive.

My dad was much more comfortable with Junior compared to when we left him alone with him. He sat on the couch with Junior in his lap, playing with the baby drums and guitar he got him. Nic got Junior some new pajamas and a dino stuffed animal to match them. Quinn promised he would be wearing them to bed.

I relaxed on the couch as my small family enjoyed each other for the evening. It was nice to relax for once. Once she was done cleaning up, Quinn came over and sat on my lap. I wrapped her in my arms and dug my nose into her neck. It was bliss.

Eventually, Junior started to fuss, and my dad was ready to head home. I took my pup, and we said our goodbyes. Nic bid us good night as well, heading to her room. Quinn didn’t seem tired at all.

“Okay, he needs a bath and change, then bed,” she said, all business.

“I can handle that,” I told her.

“Then I will finish the wrapping! Meet me back down here to set everything up?” she smiled.

“Sure,” I mirrored her. I couldn’t help but be excited when she was. I already loved Christmas but Quinn being happy made it better. I took Junior to our floor and started getting him ready for bed. He fought me to take a bath, so I gave up on that; what Quinn didn’t know wouldn’t hurt this time. After wrestling him into his new dinosaur pajamas, I made him a small bottle and took him to the couch with a book.

Junior drank contentedly as I read him a story about Santa’s sleigh breaking down. Slowly, his eyes drooped, and he drifted off to comfortable sleep. I just watched him for a few minutes, still amazed at what Quinn and I did. He was the future of Stary, and I still had a lot of work ahead of me to ensure he had a healthy pack to inherit.

After getting him settled in his crib, I went back downstairs to Quinn. She had finished wrapping the last of Junior’s presents and was bringing the rest up from the basement. She had the lights down low, so the Christmas tree was the main thing illuminating the room as the fireplace was dying down to glowing ashes.

“How did that go?” she asked.

“Good, he’s out cold. Being a rockstar must be very tiring,” I laughed. We sat next to the tree and started arranging the presents. I still had Quinn’s hidden in my office; I planned to sneak out of bed once she fell asleep to put it out. What was Christmas without a little magic?

“Those toys will be going to Papa’s house, right? I love your dad but uh… noise,” she grimaced.

“Oh, most definitely,” I agreed. “Or they may just run out of batteries at some point.”

Quinn giggled and nodded. We got all the presents set up around the tree. Junior’s took the spot front and center with Nic’s set behind them; after all, he was now the pup to spoil. She left her presents to us at the back of the tree, so Quinn nicely brought them forward. She wouldn’t let me touch a burlap sack that said “Delivery from the North Pole” in big red letters, so I assumed it was my gift.

“So, I was wondering,” Quinn said as she bit into one of ‘Santa’s’ cookies. “Do you really not want to see your mom any time soon? I wouldn’t mind making the drive.”

I sighed. We agreed to go over to Quinn’s parents in the afternoon so we could have family time in the morning on Christmas. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. I knew opening the door to her parents would also bring up my mom. “No, I don’t. She hasn’t said a word to me. I shouldn’t have to be the one making all the effort,” I told her.

Quinn frowned and came over to me, reaching up to put her arms around my neck. “She’s your mom,” she said. “I just feel a little bad.”

I shrugged. “It is what it is. She’s the one missing out,” I concluded. I was sure my dad had told her about Junior; I knew they still talked regularly. If she didn’t feel the need to be a part of our lives, I wouldn’t force her to.

“Well, maybe she’ll come around,” Quinn tried. I pecked her lips.

“Let’s get to bed. Santa won’t come until we’re asleep,” I joked.

“I’m not tired yet. I’m too excited for Junior’s first Christmas,” she smiled back at me. She looked so beautiful in the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree.

“Oh,” I said, my member stirring. “I could think of a thing or two that might expend that energy.”

“Oh, could you now?” she said, biting her l*p. With a growl, I scooped her up by her thighs. She gasped and squeezed me tighter.

“Let’s both be naughty and save Santa the trip tonight,” I whispered in her ear. She tried to hide her giggle, but I didn’t miss the goosebumps rising on her skin.

“There’s snow one like you,” she replied, kissing my cheek. I started peppering k****s down her neck as I carried her toward our room. She was riding my sleigh tonight.

–

Nic knocked on my office door. “Hey, this just came for you,” she said, coming inside. She was grumpier every day; she did not enjoy being pregnant. She brought in a large, brown package.

“Who’s it from?” I asked, holding out my hand to take it.

“No sender is listed,” she told me as she handed it over. I smelled along the paper, trying to pick up anything familiar or wrong. “What do you think it is?” she asked as she flopped down in the chair across from me.

I had only been home a couple of days now. After the year-end holidays were over, I had some follow-up training to do with a client. When I got back, Junior was sick, and Quinn was doing her best to hang in there even though she had just started classes. It took a few days for everything to calm down and for me to get back to all the work left on my desk.

“I don’t know,” I said, observing the package. “It’s heavy.”

“Open it,” Nic demanded.

“You’re bossy,” I poked. Her eyebrow rose, and she gave me one of those looks that said, “is this the battle you want right now?”

“Alright, alright,” I conceded. I pulled open the brown paper carefully. Underneath was a leather-bound book that had seen better days. The embossed lettering read “Vestiges of Thaumaturgy.” I laid it on the desk and carefully cracked it open. I scanned the pages, trying to figure out what it was. They were yellowed and faded, indicating how old the book had to be.

“I think this is a book about magic….” I said after a moment. “I think this is shreds of evidence of magic and its workings.”

“Really?” Nic said, leaning forward slightly. Her belly made it somewhat difficult. “So, like, there could be something about how Q’s magic works.”

“I don’t know,” I said, looking up at her. “But it’s a solid lead. Maybe there is something here about the fae and what they really are. I mean, all the Galbraith records really don’t have much about what the fae were or could do. The internet is no help either.”

“Well, fae have always been the most mythical of all the supernaturals, right?” Nic said. “I’ve at least met a vamp. And witches. But fae have always been like unicorns, pretty ideas but not real.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know who sent this, but this could be really helpful. The more we can learn about them, the better chance I have of protecting her. They haven’t shown up again, even when her blessing exploded the training weapons. If I could just figure out what they could be after with her, we could make a plan.”

“Here,” she said, struggling to her feet. She started sorting the report files on my desk. “These are all dumb, those are pretty insignificant, this warrior needs a penmanship class, so don’t even try….” After a minute, I had two stacks of sorted reports. “Just throw those into the filing cabinet. These are the ones worth reading. We chased a couple of rogues away one night, but they got into someone’s garage first. That should give you some extra time to start reading that.” She pushed the smaller stack toward me, the one apparently worthy of my time.

“Can you distract Q for a little while? I just want to find something solid before I tell her anything, and I don’t want her sneaking in,” I asked.

“Think she’d make me food? Man, I’ve been wanting those big shell things she makes for a while,” Nic asked excitedly. We both looked at each other and then answered her question at the same time, “She definitely will.”

Nic left the room gleefully to seek out Quinn. We both knew she wouldn’t say no to Nic’s request, and it would keep her busy for a while. I got out a notebook and flipped to the front of the book. Mysterious gift or not, this could be exactly what I needed.