A New Beginning

  Brooks smiled. “I’ll take protective David any day over no David at all.”

  David slid his hand behind Brooks’ head and pulled the beta in for a deep, sensual kiss that curled Brooks’ toes.

  “I love you, too,” David whispered when he pulled away. “I’d had conflicting feelings before Jax suggested you and I mate. I wanted him, but I also wanted you. I’m glad he brought us together.” He kissed Brooks again.

  Brooks responded with lips and tongue, bringing his arms around David until their bodies aligned, their son cradled between them. The baby did a somersault in Brooks’ womb, and, feeling it, David gasped and pulled back.

  “He’s an active little thing, isn’t he?”

  Brooks nodded, face flushed with pride.

  David took Brooks’ hand. “Let’s get some sleep.”

  “I’m going to take a shower first. I’ll join you in a minute.”

  Relieved that he’d been able to reassure his alpha, Brooks headed for the bathroom down the hall. He paused at Leo’s door, wishing the two of them could have a heart-to-heart like they used to, but Brooks wouldn’t be able to talk about this, and Leo was consumed with his omega’s pregnancy. Through the open wedge of the door, Brooks could see the bedcovers moving rhythmically, the larger bulge of Leo’s body thrusting against the smaller mound of Sam’s.

  Leo had always been so independent-minded and such a loner. Brooks was glad he had Sam now.

  In the shower, horny and unable to wait, Brooks took his hard cock in hand and jacked off. After washing all over, Brooks dried himself and returned naked to the bedroom. Quiet snores came from the bed, and Brooks slipped in behind his alpha, cuddling up to David’s broad back. The baby gave a few kicks, as though attempting to wake up his sire, and Brooks smiled into the pillow. The smile was still on his face when he gave in to sleep moments later.

  * * * *

  After his talk with David, Brooks hoped things would be easier and was glad to see his alpha seemed more relaxed than had been the case in ages. Brooks spent several days helping with the horses until one morning, when Brooks was brushing Smoke, the stallion unexpectedly backed up, nearly knocking Brooks over into the hay. Brooks doubted the fall would have done more than bruised his ass, and due to the werewolf’s ability to heal quickly, even that wouldn’t have lasted long; but the incident was enough to reactivate David’s overprotectiveness and cause the alpha to ban his pregnant beta from the stables.

  Brooks took to watching Sid study or hanging with Leo when the alpha wasn’t at work or with Sam. Sometimes Brooks and Sam would commiserate about their pregnancies while cooking. Unlike Brooks, Sam was good at cooking.

  “I don’t have a place here,” Brooks told Sam during one of these sessions.

  “What do you mean? Of course, you do! You’re mate to the second-in-command.”

  “I know, but what’s my job? At the compound, I loved being the librarian. We don’t have a library here. We don’t even need one, with the city library so close. So, what do I do?”

  Sam considered as he briskly chopped green peppers on a cutting board. “What are you good at?”

  Brooks sighed and thought about it. “I like books. I like to read them and sort them. I like to go through them for interesting information.”

  “Like research?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Well, that’s what you could do. You could research for people for pay and bring money in for the pack like you did working at Grind.”

  “Is that a thing? Researching for people?”

  “I think so. Get the laptop, and let’s check it out.” Sam put the vegetables into a pan and began sautéing them while Brooks retrieved Sid’s laptop from the living room.

  “Here’s something called an Information Broker,” Brooks said. He read the description aloud to Sam.

  “You should ask Jax about it.”

  “I would if I ever saw him.”

  Jax had returned from visiting his parents in his usual bad mood and had been spending most of his time at work. Brooks had a feeling the visit had been worse than usual and hoped Jax’s family hadn’t been too hard on the man. Unfortunately, the beta hadn’t seen enough of Jax to inquire. Brooks barely noticed when the human slipped into their bed at night and then out again early in the morning. As long as his body remained between Jax and Brooks, David remained calm, but Brooks knew that if the two were to touch in any way, David would go ballistic.

  Excited at the thought of taking on a job, especially one that he might be able to do from the pack house, Brooks went in search of Josiah, whom he found in the nursery scrubbing something off the side of the crib.

  “Sophie threw up last night,” Josiah explained unnecessarily when Brooks appeared at the door. The stale smell of regurgitated milk lingered in the air, turning the pregnant beta’s stomach.

  “Open the window,” Josiah said, guessing at the reason for the face Brooks made, and when Brooks did, the air began to clear. “I think it’s time for regular beds in here. The girls are getting too big for this crib, no matter how much they love it. Were you going to ask me something?”

  “I’d like to go to the Congress. Would that be possible today?”

  “Um, sure.” Josiah wrung out the sponge into the bucket of water on the floor next to where he was kneeling. “I think Kane has the bus right now, but we can work it out. Why do you want to go there?”

  “To see Jax. I need to talk to him, and he’s never around anymore.”

  “I’d noticed that.” Josiah got to his feet. “Is something wrong?”

  “The pregnancy’s making David very protective. I’m never able to talk to Jax.”

  Josiah picked up the bucket. “I think Kane will be back in an hour or so. Mark was going to drop the girls here when he got off, but I can always go get them earlier and take you with me.”

  “That would be great.”

  They left as soon as Kane unloaded the groceries. Brooks hadn’t been into the city in a while, and he kept fiddling with the jacket he wore to hide the bulge of his pregnancy.

  “Don’t worry; it’s not as noticeable as you think,” Josiah said as they walked into the building. They took the elevator to the second floor, and Josiah showed Brooks where Jax’s office was before heading for the nursery on the fourth floor.

  Jax was clearly surprised to see Brooks. “What are you doing here?” He came around his desk and rested his hands on Brooks’ shoulders.

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Are you all right?” Jax moved a chair closer for Brooks to sit on.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I just never see you anymore and…” he started to say I miss you, but at the last second changed it to, “I also want to talk to you about something.”

  Jax leaned on the edge of his desk, long legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. “If it’s about what’s going on between me and David, there’s not a lot to say. You’ve seen how he is with me lately.”

  “While you were visiting your parents, David and I had a talk. We ironed out a few things. I made it clear I didn’t care about…” Brooks looked over his shoulder. The door to Jax’s office wasn’t closed, but the hallway was empty. “About what you and I talked about that day we had lunch the diner. It isn’t anyone’s business.”

  Jax tilted his head. “I agree. I’m a little surprised David did, though. I’ve been singing the same song for a long time.”

  “I know, but a lot of his worry stemmed from how I’d feel about it, especially now that I’m pregnant.” Distant footsteps had Brooks looking around again.

  “Don’t worry,” Jax said. “Everyone’s on your side at the Congress, remember?” He crossed the room and shut the door anyway.

  Brooks had forgotten but was glad for the privacy. He licked his lips nervously. Jax almost seemed like a stranger these days. The human remained across the room, widening the breech between them.

  “David feels a lot better about it now. We agreed that a
fter the baby’s born and David’s alpha instincts ebb, we can get back to normal.”

  Jax looked at the floor. “The baby’s David’s.” It wasn’t a question.

  Brooks bit his lip and waited for Jax to meet his gaze. “Yes.”

  Jax heaved a sigh, and murmured, “I thought as much. Maybe it’s better this way. The baby will be all werewolf, and you won’t have to worry.”

  Brooks privately agreed, but he didn’t want to hurt Jax’s feelings. “It’s not that I wouldn’t want to have your baby,” he said honestly.

  “It’s that you can only have one, and you want it to be David’s.”

  “David’s my alpha—”

  Jax held up his hand. “Hey, you don’t have to explain. I may not get everything about the werewolves, but I get that. And maybe this makes me a jerk, but if I’m honest, I’m a little relieved the baby’s not mine. I’m not entirely comfortable in my role in the pack. If I even have a role.”

  “The pack’s accepted you.” That was true, to an extent.

  “Maybe. But I’m never fully going to be a part of it.” Jax stared at a framed document hanging on the wall that certified Jax Moreau with a master’s degree in public relations.

  “Do you regret…everything?” Brooks asked. His heart rate had taken on the rhythm of a cornered rabbit. He got the feeling this was an important moment—a crossroads—and he wasn’t ready for it.

  Brooks hadn’t noticed Jax’s shoulders were tense until they sagged at his words, and Jax’s head dropped.

  “No, of course not.”

  The silence that fell on the room was smothering. This wasn’t right. David should be here. Why were he and Jax having this conversation? This wasn’t what Brooks had come here for.

  He forced the words out of his mouth. “But you want out.”

  When Jax lifted his eyes, they were a shade of gray Brooks had never seen in them before. Not the glittering slate of anger, nor the molten silver of desire; rather, they reminded Brooks of glistening oysters just lifted from the sea, clouded, moist, and touched with regret at leaving their home. Sadness hit the beta like a wave.

  “I think so. Yes,” Jax said.

  Brooks hadn’t expected it to hurt so much. Hadn’t a part of him always wanted David for himself? But the beta had come to love Jax—certainly not with the all-consuming love he had for his alpha mate—but love all the same. Blackness crept into the edges of Brooks’ vision, and he fought to push back the sudden, overwhelming urge to vomit.

  “It’s because of me, isn’t it?” he whispered, lowering his head to his hands.

  Jax was suddenly there, kneeling by Brooks’, soft concern taking over the lost fatalism of a moment before.

  Jax caressed Brooks’ cheek with a warm, calloused hand. “No, baby. It isn’t because of you.”

  Unable to blink back the tears, Brooks squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the moisture roll down his cheeks and drip off his chin. He tried to swallow the great lump that had manifested in his throat, but it stubbornly resisted.

  “Come sit on the sofa,” Jax said, and helped Brooks to his feet and across the room to the long couch. Brooks hated himself for his weakness. His world had caved in. He’d been excited before, eager to talk to Jax about…now he couldn’t even recall what.

  Jax settled Brooks with cushions behind his back. They smelled of new upholstery, and the sharp scent brought another wave of nausea to the pregnant beta, and he covered his mouth with his hand. Jax produced the trash can just in time, and held Brooks’ shoulders while the beta emptied his stomach. Jax handed Brooks a tissue and went to dispose of the can liner.

  “Better?” Jax asked as he handed Brooks a small paper cone of water that felt deliciously cold going down Brooks’ dry throat.

  He nodded and gave Jax a trembling smile. “Sorry about that.”

  Jax stroked Brooks’ hair. “It’s fine. I’m sorry I upset you.”

  Remembering, the tears started again. “I…I…” he couldn’t seem to form words for his feelings and gave up, leaning into Jax, the solidity of the man’s shoulder and familiar scent of Jax’s skin comforting Brooks. Brooks relaxed while Jax slowly stroked his back. They sat this way for a long time.

  “I came here to talk to you about a job,” Brooks said when the fog in his mind cleared. He didn’t want to talk about Jax leaving. Didn’t even want to think about it. Jax seemed just as eager to dispense of the subject.

  “For you?”

  Brooks nodded. Reluctantly, he pulled himself from the safe cocoon of Jax’s arms, determinedly wiping at his wet face with still-trembling fingers. “Sam and I were talking about things I might be good at, and came up with research. Do you think it would be possible for me to earn money by doing that?”

  Jax thought. “Sure. I don’t know how easy it would be to get work in the city without a degree, though.”

  Brooks’ heart fell. The thought of going to college with the humans didn’t appeal to him at all. And, of course, that would be necessary. What had he been thinking?

  Jax continued. “But just the other day Mark was saying he’d like to know more about the laws, particularly inter-species law. And there’s always other stuff that comes up.”

  “But wouldn’t he want someone with a degree, too?” Brooks asked.

  “He’d make an exception for you. I can vouch for what a nut you are about looking stuff up, particularly now you’ve discovered the Internet.”

  The smile Jax gave Brooks caused the beta’s cock to stir between his legs, and he moved his clasped hands over his groin. “Could I do it from the pack house?”

  “One of the chief goals of the Congress is to blend the weres into society. You should work here. It’d be good for you. You’d probably only do it a few days a week, and there’s the daycare upstairs for the baby.”

  Silence. Brooks realized he was staring at Jax’s full lips and wet his own with his tongue. When he lifted his eyes, Jax’s were fixated on Brooks’ mouth. Uncertain but unable to resist, Brooks leaned forward. It had been too long, and they eagerly opened to each other, sliding their tongues together. Jax pressed Brooks into the sofa, one foot planted on the floor while Brooks curled his other leg around Jax’s. They sucked at one another’s mouths while exploring with greedy hands.

  Brooks wondered if his pregnancy would repel Jax, but the human didn’t seem to care. Jax pulled Brooks’ pants to his knees, and sat up enough to get his own zipper open while Brooks gazed up at him.

  Jax’s dreads hung down, framing his face, and his breath came in short, urgent pants that made Brooks so hard it hurt. When the smooth, hot skin of Jax’s cock slid against Brooks’, the beta almost came right then. Jax bit at Brooks’ throat, heated kisses that left a trail of stings up to the beta’s ear where a whisper of hot breath brought Brooks’ hips surging up for more friction. Jax thrust against him, mouth returning to claim Brooks’.

  Brooks clutched at Jax’s shirt, fingers curling into the cotton and holding on. He was so close…so close. Their lips parted, and they breathed together as heat and desire spiraled to a frantic crest. Brooks closed his eyes and leaned his head back, puffing out great bursts of air as his climax hit in pulsing waves. Jax pressed his face to Brooks’ throat, body shaking. Seconds later, warm wetness hit the curve of Brooks’ belly.

  A sharp knock on the door brought Jax to his knees on the couch, fingers fumbling with the zipper of his pants. Brooks grabbed the wadded tissue beside him and mopped up the mess. By the time he got his pants secured underneath the swell of his belly, Jax stood in front of the door, waiting for the beta’s signal. Brooks nodded, and Jax opened the door.

  “Everything okay?” Josiah looked from Brooks to Jax and back again. Sounds of the girls squealing and racing up and down the hallway reminded Brooks that Josiah had just gotten the twins from daycare. It seemed like a lifetime ago. The smell of sex hung in the air, and it wasn’t long until understanding dawned on the first omega’s face.

  “I’m not in a hurry. We?
??ll visit Jaime a minute before meeting you in the lobby.” Josiah disappeared before either Jax or Brooks could say anything, and Jax closed the door again.

  Brooks found he couldn’t look at the human. Standing, he wobbled a little before finding his equilibrium just as Jax reached out to steady him.

  “I didn’t mean for that to happen,” Jax said.

  Hurt bubbled up in Brooks’ chest and must have shown, for Jax pulled Brooks into his arms.

  “I don’t mean it wasn’t incredible, I just hadn’t meant to have sex with you in my office. I missed you, you know.”

  Brooks smiled against the collar of Jax’s dress shirt. “I missed you, too. And I know David misses you. He can’t help how he’s acting. You need to talk to him without me around.”

  Brooks hoped—prayed—that Jax would reconsider what he’d said before. The man in his arms was hurting and maybe hadn’t really meant those words.

  Jax pulled back. “I’ll speak with Mark about you working here. You’re talking about after the baby’s born, right? I can’t see David letting you out of his sight until then. How did you manage to get him to let you come today?”

  With a spark of alarm, Brooks realized he hadn’t told his alpha he was going to the Congress. David had ridden off to the edge of the property to check the animal traps, and initially Brooks had planned to leave word with Briar, who’d taken his place in the stables, but Josiah had started talking about Nick and something the omega had said, and Brooks had forgotten all about it.

  “Shit.”

  Jax grinned. “You’re going to have some explaining to do.”

  Brooks was already to the door. “Yeah. I’ll see you tonight?”

  Jax nodded, the smile slowly dissolving.

  Brooks hurried down to the lobby, only to discover Josiah hadn’t gotten there yet. He paced until his friend appeared, girls in tow.

  “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going,” Brooks said in a rush.

  Josiah put a hand on Brooks’ arm. “Hey, it’s okay. Calm down; you’re white as a sheet. I know your instinct to obey your alpha is particularly strong right now; I remember it well from when I was carrying the twins. But David will understand. Come on, let’s go.”