Page 97 of The Reluctant Alpha

"Twins," she repeated, turning back to me. "As in, two babies."

"No, two puppies," I deadpanned. "Yes, two babies. Two bear cubs, to be specific."

Gemma blinked rapidly, processing this information. Then, in typical Gemma fashion, she simply nodded and said, "Well, fuck me sideways. That's quite an update. And here I thought the big news would be you finally admitting you're in love with Mountain Man."

I couldn't help laughing, the tension I'd been carrying easing slightly. "Oh, that happened too. We're mated now."

"Mated," she echoed. "Like, werewolf-married?"

"Bear-married," I corrected. "And it's a whole thing with biting and bonding and—"

"Spare me the supernatural sex details," she interrupted, holding up a hand. "I'm happy for you, but I don't need the play-by-play." She settled back against the couch cushions, studying my face with the intensity that made her such a good reading specialist. "How are you really doing with all this?"

I considered the question, surprised by how much I wanted to give her an honest answer. "Terrified," I admitted. "Yesterday I was freaking out about one baby. Now there are two, and I'm bleeding, and there's a murderous vampire zombie hunting us, and in two days, I have to attend some supernatural political summit while on bed rest."

"Vampire zombie?" Gemma's eyebrows climbed higher.

"Revenant," Emery corrected. "Long story."

"I've got time," Gemma said, toeing off her boots, and settling in more comfortably. "But first—" She turned back to me, her expression softening. "Are you happy? About the babies, I mean. Underneath all the terror?"

The question caught me off guard. I opened my mouth to give my usual sarcastic deflection, then stopped. Gemma deserved better than that. We all did.

"Yeah," I said quietly, one hand drifting to my stomach. "I am. Scared out of my mind, but...happy. Which is weird, because a month ago I would have said I never wanted kids."

"Things change," she said simply. "Especially when you find the right person to have them with." Her eyes softened. "Bayer's good for you, Danny. I could see it when I met him. The way he looks at you like you hung the moon."

"He's too good for me," I muttered.

"Bullshit," Gemma said firmly. "You're perfect for each other. He grounds your chaos, you shake up his overthinking. It's beautiful to watch."

Emery made a soft sound of agreement. "She's right. You two balance each other."

I felt tears prick my eyes—damn hormones—and blinked them back. "When did everyone get so wise?"

"When you started being vulnerable enough to listen," Gemma replied, squeezing my hand. "Now, tell me about this vampire-zombie situation, because that sounds way more exciting than the drama at Minton High."

For the next hour, we filled Gemma in on everything—the revenant attacks, the silver-skin politics, the mysterious bears who'd shown up claiming to want to help.

"So let me get this straight," she said when we finished. "You're pregnant with bear twins, mated to an alpha who might face a leadership challenge, dealing with not one but possibly two threats, all while preparing for a gathering of supernatural politicians. And you're worried about being on bed rest?"

"When you put it like that, bed rest sounds like a vacation," I admitted.

Chapter twenty-four

Danny

Dr. Coughran arrived early Monday morning with his medical bag and what looked like a portable ultrasound machine. The sight of the equipment made my stomach clench with a mixture of anticipation and terror.

"Good morning, Danny," he said warmly, setting his equipment on the dresser. "I understand congratulations are in order."

"Or condolences," I muttered, earning a gentle elbow from Bayer. "Depending on how you look at it."

Dr. Coughran chuckled as he washed his hands in our bathroom sink. "I've been treating shifter pregnancies for over twenty years. Trust me, I've seen it all." He returned, pulling on latex gloves. "Now, let's take a look at what's going on."

"Never mind what's going on," I almost screeched. “How about you tell me how this can possibly happen in the first place when I don't have the right parts?" I glanced at Emery. "You probably did, even though you didn't know about them, but I had my appendix out when I was thirteen, and I’m pretty sure they'd have noticed."

"I know this is a lot to take in," the doc said gently, offering a small, reassuring smile. "But I promise—your body isn’t broken, and you’re not crazy. What’s happening to you is rare…but it is possible."