Revolting

Chapter Forty Nine - The Gift Heath

I watched and re-watched the footage of my sister. Strong emotions hit me in waves. First and foremost was relief that she was still alive. As long as she was alive, there was still hope. But then came the worry. She had marched right into a big city full of humans and committed arson. Arson!? Was she crazy? Was being out there alone already starting to affect her mentally? I was a little proud too. Here, all the alphas had sat around having endless and useless discussions about what to do about this new poison, how to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. While they were acting like an ineffectual government, my sister took matters into her own hands. And then there was the ever present anger and hurt. How could she leave me? Although I kind of understood her motives, it still felt like she had betrayed me.

Thank the goddess I had William to keep me grounded. He was the most patient man on the planet, I swear. All he had to do was wind his arms around my neck and stare at me with those perfect blue eyes, and the universe righted itself again. "Maybe now that she has accomplished her purpose, she will come back to us?" He suggested hopefully. "Let's work on the house so that she has a place to stay when she gets here."

William and I had started construction on a small bungalow. I felt bad that I had no money to contribute toward the cost of materials, but William insisted that I would contribute my share in "sweat equity." I took that very seriously, and did my part to swing a hammer. Another member of the pack had worked in construction, and was able to assist us with the more technical aspects of the building projects. I have to admit, it felt good to be busy. It felt good to be productive. It felt good to be staying in one place for more than a few weeks. And mostly it felt good that at the end of the day, I came together with William.

Some days I came to the pack house and shared his bedroom, other days he came out to my camp and we shared the tent. I was growing comfortable with William's pack. I grudgingly had to admit that Hannah was right. They WERE different from any pack we'd ever experienced. Everyone was treated as family, no matter their rank or station. They welcomed me in as William's mate without question. As I grew more comfortable, they started to joke with me, include me in conversations, and treat me... like I was one of them.

My strength had fully returned, and some days I joined the pack for training. Whatever skills I had as a hunter were all self-taught through hunger and necessity. I had to start at the lowest level, with the newly shifted kids, but I didn't mind. I was building new skills, training my atrophied muscles, and in some way I felt I was proving myself worthy of my beta mate.

And William fully appreciated the changes to my body as I recovered my muscle mass. The sounds of appreciation he made when he massaged my back, or traced his fine hands over my chest were extremely good for my ego.

Daisy seemed to gravitate towards us a lot late, and I didn't mind. My heart went out to the grieving woman. I hadn't known her well before she lost her husband, but even I could see the difference. She had lost a lot of weight, her shoulders always seemed slightly hunched. There were deep, dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes seemed dull, almost lifeless. She went back to her duties in the house, cooking meals and working out in the gardens, but you could see that her heart wasn't in it. She was like a robot, going through the motions.

We were sitting on the couch together, as we often did after a long day. I had just come out of the shower after washing away all the sweat and grime and sawdust I had collected while working on the frame of the house. I was wearing only boxers, and had my feet propped on the coffee table. William had given me a cellphone, and I was still fiddling with it, trying to figure out how to use it. William was beside me, with a little space between us, doing some work on a laptop. When his hands were not occupied on the keys, he would reach out and stroke my thigh, as though he were just reassuring himself that I was there.

There was a light knock at the door, and Daisy poked her head in. "Hi guys," she said soft "Can I talk to you?"

William gave her an encouraging smile. "Of course, Daisy, come on in." I noticed that her eyes were swollen and red rimmed again, and her blond curls, which were always a little crazy, seemed a bit limp and flat. She came over and surprised me by wedging her body into the small space between us, wiggling her butt until she slid between our thighs and landed on the couch cushion. I raised my eyebrows at William over her head, and he gave me a slight, one shouldered shrug in response. He draped an arm companionably around her shoulders.

“I have something to tell you," she said, picking at the hem of her jean shorts nervously.

William waited patiently for her to continue. I set my phone aside to give the woman my full attention. I always hated it when people played on their phones during an important conversation.

"I'm..." she sucked in a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

William's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Daisy! Daisy that's wonderful!" He squished her against his side in a one-armed hug. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Its all I ever wanted... to have a baby with Gabe. Now Gabe is gone..."

William stroked her hair and waited while she wrestled with her emotions. When she had pulled herself together again, she surprised me, by reaching for my hand on one side, and William's on the other. "Family was everything to Gabe. He wanted his kid to have everything that he never had growing up. Especially parents." She sniffled again, and swallowed with difficulty. "You were his friend, William. He loved you and respected you so much. And I know if he were here... he would want..."

Daisy took a deep, shuddering breath, and then repositioned herself so that she was sitting on the coffee table, facing both of us. "William... Heath... will you help me raise this baby? Will you be his dads?" She scrunched up her face. "I'm sorry, I know it's a lot to ask, I just..."

We didn't even need time to discuss it. William looked at me, his face eager and hopeful, and I nodded. I knew that William would be the most awesome father any child could ask for. I wasn't quite so sure of myself, but the idea of raising a child together with William and Daisy made my heart blow up in my chest. William grabbed Daisy and crushed her to his chest.

"What a gift, Daisy. What an amazing, generous, perfect gift."

I shrugged away an awkward feeling, and enveloped both of them into my arms, feeling so much love and gratitude wash over me that I thought I would drown in it. I was going to be a dad.