The Mating Rules

Isaac’s POV

Two months later

‘Rae!’ I g***n from outside of the bathroom, my head thumping against the door which has been locked for ten minutes. The shower isn’t on so I don’t know what the hell she is doing in there. If she hadn’t already replied to me confirming she was fine I’d be worried she’d passed out in there or something.

Indigo and I are waiting to go running, Rae and Raven finally shifted for the first time two weeks ago and both have been eager to shift and run every day since then, something that Indigo is more than happy to accommodate. Our afternoon runs have become something of a tradition, Raven getting faster and faster with each shift.

Slowly the lock turns from the inside, the handle dropping before the door swings open to reveal my Mate whose eyes are wide as she stares at a small white stick in her hand.

‘Rae?’ I call, my hand going to her waist, as she opens her mouth, looking up at me and shutting it again. ‘What is it? Are you OK? What is that?’ I ask, feeling that well of worry building in my stomach.

‘I’m pregnant’ she murmurs dazedly, holding the stick out toward me.

‘What?’ I ask, my brain suddenly forgetting how to function.

‘I’m pregnant’ she repeats again, and I finally look down at the stick in her hand that has a big blue plus sign in the tiny window.

I meet her gaze, noticing the glimmer of excitement and nervousness there as she waits for me to say something.

A broad grin splits my face as I grab her, lifting her off her feet and crushing her to me, my lips finding hers.

As she giggles, I spin her around before carefully placing her back on her feet and dropping to my knees to press my lips to her flat stomach.

‘Hey little Beta’ I murmur against her shirt, ‘this is your daddy, and I love you so much.’

Raelyn smiles down at me as I clamber to my feet again and engulf her in a hug, ‘there’s a baby in there’ I whisper, ‘we made a person, he’s going to be the most perfect pup in the entire world.’

My Mate shakes her head in amusement, ‘it could be a girl’ she replies with a grin.

I shrug, ‘don’t care, he, she, makes no difference, this pup is going to be more beautiful than any other pup before them. She’s going to have her mum’s beauty and both of our Beta genes, this baby is going to make all the other babies jealous.’

Raelyn laughs, tugging away from me so she can place the pregnancy test in the waste paper basket before heading back into the bathroom to wash her hands.

‘When do you want to tell your mum?’ she asks as she steps back into our bedroom, making me g***n. My mother is going to be unbearable, not only another Grandchild but the firstborn of my mother’s first born.

‘Can we just not tell her, maybe pop round in seven and a half-ish months and hand her a kid?’ I grumble.

Raelyn gives me a look, ‘we’re telling your parents’ she growls, pointing at me, ‘and your siblings.’

‘Ughhhhh’ I g***n louder, my head falling back on my shoulders, if anyone is worse than my mother, it’s Jamie-Lee, the mother hen of our family.

‘Fine’ I grumble, ‘let’s get it over with.’

Grabbing her hand, I sit her on the bed, grabbing her sneakers and putting them on her feet as she rolls her eyes, ‘I’m not helpless’ she grumbles as I ignore her, ‘I can tie my own shoes.’

‘Just getting some practice in for when our baby stops you seeing your feet’ I reply, tying the bow and helping her to her feet again.

Lowering my head, to hers, I take her mouth softly, putting everything I feel into the k**s as she melts into me.

‘Come on then, lead me to hell’ I mutter, dragging my feet for good measure, causing Raelyn to look at me, fighting a smile.

Heading out of our room, we head up to the top floor, knocking on the door to the Alpha suite which swings open seconds later to reveal Haylee, the oldest daughter of Hadley and my sister.

‘Hey pipsqueak’ I greet her as she smiles up at me shyly, ‘where’s the she dragon?’

Haylee giggles, pointing behind her with her thumb, ‘Mum’s going to shout at you for that’ she says softly, stepping aside so we can enter.

I ruffle the girl’s hair as I pass, ‘I never said I was talking about your mum, you just thought I was, so it’s you that think she’s a dragon it seems’ I tease.

‘Who thinks I’m a dragon?’ comes the voice of my sister before she walks into the living room, her jumper already showing a small bump.

‘Haylee does’ I reply quickly, pointing at my niece as she squeaks.

‘No I don’t!’ she mutters, her wide eyes turning to her mother, ‘I didn’t, he said it!’

I place a hand over my heart, gasping loudly, ‘how could you say such a thing about your favourite uncle? I can’t believe that you would try to get me in trouble like this!’

Jamie-Lee narrows her eyes at me, ‘I know it was you’ she growls, ‘and FYI, Philip is her favourite uncle.’

Now I do frown as I round on my sister, ‘you take that back’ I huff, ‘I’m favourite uncle! Phil doesn’t even remember their birthday’s half the time, Missy does all the presents.’

A small pair of arms wrap around my waist as I look down at my niece who is gazing up at me seriously. ‘I love you both’ she says quietly, ‘you are both my favourite uncle.’

I nod, mollified, leaning down to k**s the top of her head, ‘good answer pipsqueak’ I agree before lowering my voice and adding, ‘I’ll pretend it’s true but we both know it’s really me you love the most.’

Haylee giggles, shaking her head before running from the room, no doubt to let her siblings know that we are here.

‘So how’s it going mum to be?’ I ask, heading toward the couch and taking a seat, dragging Raelyn behind me and pulling her down onto my lap as she blushes.

‘Everything is sore or uncomfortable’ Jamie-Lee grumbles as she slides into a seat across from us, tucking her feet underneath her. ‘What’s going on with you two? It’s rare my brother allows you to leave his room Rae’ she adds with a laugh.

‘Well . . we came to tell you something’ Raelyn replies, nibbling on her l*p, making me want to reach out and pull it out with my own teeth.

‘Oh?’ Jamie-Lee straightens up, her gaze focused on us expectantly.

‘I’m pregnant’ my Mate confesses, a seconds silence following her words before my sister screams loudly, making me jump.

‘Ahh!’ Jamie-Lee yells, launching herself across the room as Hadley rushes into the room, and I clumsily catch her with my free hand that isn’t wrapped around Raelyn.

‘Sweetheart?’ Hadley growls, tugging my sister from my arm and pulling her into him, ‘what’s the matter, is the baby OK?’

Jamie-Lee waves him away, jumping on the pair of us again and hugging us tightly.

‘This is so great!’ she squeals! ‘We’re going to be pregnancy buddies!’

I extract myself from the two women, standing up as they squeal together, heading to my brother in law who shakes my hand, clapping me on the shoulder with the other hand.

‘Congrats man, welcome to the club’ he says, his eyes twinkling with excitement as I nod, grinning goofily.

‘We just found out, you two are the first people we’ve told, I thought Caden would be here too but I can grab him later’ I admit.

Hadley nods, ‘he’s dealing with two warriors who are arguing over a piece of land behind their houses. One wants to extend their porch, the other is saying it’s part of his house and doesn’t want it built on.’

I roll my eyes, ‘they realise that none of the land actually belongs to them right?’ I sigh, ‘it’s all pack land.’

Hadley shrugs, ‘yeah, I left it to Caden to deal with, he’s Alpha, he gets to smack their heads together.’

I laugh, knowing that if the two men are two stubborn, that might actually be what it comes too.

‘So you haven’t told your mum yet?’ Hadley asks curiously, ‘you’re brave.’

I huff, ‘I wanted to wait until we could throw the baby at her and run away, but Raelyn has said no.’

The Gamma laughs loudly, ‘yeah, your mother would hold tha kid under one arm whilst she chased you over the territory if you tried that, you better get down there and tell her before one of the kids do.’

I raise an eyebrow at him, ‘what kids?’ I demand.

‘Hadley jerks a thumb toward the bedrooms, ‘don’t think that those six aren’t eves dropping on this conversation, one of them will spill to grandma.’

‘We’re not eves dropping’ Cadence’s small voice comes through the door before a group of voices hiss for her to shut up.

‘Sh*t, we gotta go’ I hiss, heading toward the two she wolves and extracting my Mate from my sister. ‘Don’t you dare mind link Grandma’ I call out warningly, ‘if she finds out before I get there I’m coming for all of you!’

‘You couldn’t catch me or Hayden’ comes my eldest nephews cocky voice followed by giggles.

‘I could if I told your dad what you did, he’d help me hunt you’ I retort, cutting those sniggers off immediately.

Waving goodbye, I hurry from the Alpha suite, rushing Raelyn down the stairs and ignoring the car, set off at a jog toward my parent’s house.

Reaching their door, I throw it open, the pair of us falling into the hallway as my father looks up from the kitchen table where he’s enjoying a cup of coffee.

‘Isaac, where’s the fire son?’ he asks in amusement before standing up and coming over to hug Raelyn who returns his embrace eagerly.

‘We have something to tell you’ I stammer out quickly, ‘where’s mum?’

‘I’m here Isaac, what is it?’ my mother asks, walking through the back door and pulling off her gardening gloves.

‘Raelyn’s pregnant’ I gasp out seconds before my mother’s eyes glaze over. I’m going to kill those kids!

Her eyes clear and she shrieks loudly, hurrying toward us and pushing me aside so she can hug my Mate.

‘Rae! I’m so happy for you! This is so amazing! A Grandbaby Greg! A new Grandbaby!’ She gushes, stepping back so she can scrutinise my Mate who allows her to.

‘Hello? I’m your son, no hug for me? I’m pretty sure I was equally involved in the creation of this pup’ I growl, pointing at my chest.

My mother rolls her eyes, leaning over to peck my cheek, ‘please child, you were only there for the fun part. Shooting your shot and hitting the bullseye is hardly the same as growing a pup.’

‘Geez, thanks mum’ I reply sarcastically, as my father walks up and hugs me.

‘Well I’m happy for both of you’ my dad rumbles, releasing me to hug Raelyn again. ‘Congratulations son, and to you too daughter’ he adds, beaming at my Mate as her eyes turn glassy.

‘Thank you . . . dad’ she whispers, blinking rapidly as my mother wails loudly, hugging her again, my father joining in.

I smile happily, watching my parents embrace Raelyn, both of them accepted my Mate as one of their own from the moment she walked through the door with me on my Mother’s birthday. Today just shows how much they both love her, fawning over her excitedly, asking about nausea and giving tips.

I truly have the best family, and the Goddess blessed me with the perfect Mate, now I have a pup coming, nothing could make this any more perfect.

The End