Alpha Brothers - the Lonely Brother (book 3)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25
Malcolm
It took me an hour after Callum had left to gain the courage I needed to, to do what was right. So, after sixty-minutes of soul searching, I returned to the house to find Tarna. But she found me first.
"Tarna!" I called out to her, when I reached the fourth gallery.
She spied me, turning to meet me. Even from far away, I could see her tear stained cheeks and red eyes. My heart broke, knowing that my actions had caused them. But I knew a way to make them better.
Just as I went to apologise, Tarna blurted out, "I'll get rid of it."
I frowned, not being able to process the words.
"I'll get rid of it and –."
"Stop," I told her, feeling anger rise inside of me, "Do you want to get rid of it?"
She opened her mouth to speak but struggled for words, "Well, no –."
"Then why the hell would you say that?" I snapped, "I don't want to hear those words ever again, do you hear?"
Again, she stuttered for words, confused to why I was so angry. I groaned and dropped my head in my hands, hating myself for losing it on her. Calm down Malcolm, I told myself, just start again.
"Look, I'm sorry for how I reacted. You didn't deserve that, you didn't deserve any of it," I told her, cupping her upper arms, just in case she decided to run, "See the thing, the last time someone told me that they were pregnant it ended with them dyin'."
"Malcolm, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not –."
"Your right, you're not Bonnie," she frowned, surprised that I was agreeing with her, "Because I love you more than I ever did her. Bonnie and I..." I was actually going to say the words out loud, "Bonnie and I didn't love each other. We were just two puzzle piece that someone had broken to fit together but we didn't, actually, fit together."
She nodded understanding.
"I'm sorry," I said again, "I made you a promise and I've broken it already."
"Aye," she nodded, "You have."
"And I will forever be makin' it up to you," I told her, "Startin' with takin' you to get checked out."
She frowned, "What?"
"There's a woman in the village," I explained, "she's a type of...doctor, for people like us."
She continued to frown, "A doctor?"
I nodded, "Aye."
"Um, okay," she said unsure.
But I couldn't focus on her fear. We needed to know how the baby was.
Taking her hand, I led her back down to the first gallery and stopped when I was at the library. Praying with everything that I had that no one was inside, I opened the doors. To my relief, it was empty. Pacing over to Callum's desk, I found the Jeep keys before taking Tarna's hand and heading back down the stairs to the void. Taking a left, I led her down the corridor till we reached a door that was almost camouflaged against the wall. Pushing it opened, I took careful steps, finding it hard to see with little light.
Remembering the precious cargo that Tarna now carried, I said, "Be careful okay."
"You're not goin' to be one of those over protected boyfriends, are you?" she asked, as she took careful steps down the stairs.
Once she was safely on the ground, I pulled her to me and growled, "Even worse."
She giggled with a small wine making a smile break on my lips.
I squeezed her hand tight feeling like if I let go, I could lose her forever.
The tunnel was cold and dark. I could hear the popping sound of water dripping into a puddle that filled on the cement floor.
Just as we reached the end of the tunnel, Tarna pulled back.
"Malcolm," she almost yelled, "I don't think I can do this."
I frowned, "What do you mean?"
Even in the dark, I could see the worry on her face, the fear in her eyes as she bit her lip to contained her words. But my Little Wolf wasn't very good at keeping her mouth shut.
"I-I don't know anythin' about babies," my grip tightened at her fear.
"It's okay," I reassured her, "I'm goin' to be with you every step of the way."
"But," she paused, "What if somethin's wrong? What if –?"
"We won't know a thin' until we get you checked out, okay?" I told her, "Can you do that for me?"
She was silent before she finally whispered, "I can."
It was good enough for me. I took her hand and pulled opened the old door. It squeaked in protest but it did as I wanted in the end.
Still acting my over-protected-mate roll, I put her in the car and even was going to buckle her in. But her I'll kill you if you continue to act like this look was a clear warning to stop.
Getting in my own side of the car, I stuck the key in the ignition and started the Jeep.
The car ride was silent, both of us too nervous to talk. We were still trying to get a grip on all of it. We were going to be parents.
Before that thought could settle on my mind, I was parking outside a little store. From the outside, it looked like a fortune teller's shop. That wasn't an entire lie. The shop's two large windows were draped with purple curtains and even had a small pine tree in one of them. An OPEN sign hung in the front of the door, making a small smile spread. She always had a sense of humour.
Taking Tarna's hand, I walked up the small front steps of the shop and opened the door. A little bell above it dinged, signalling that she had customers.
"Malcolm, where are we?" Tarna whispered, tightening her grip on my arm.
"She's someone who can help," I told her, making her eyes widen with worry.
"She? Whose she? Malcolm what the hell are we doin' here?"
I opened my mouth to tell her when a voice came from the back room, "My, my, my, what do we have here?"
I turned, smiling as I recognised the familiar face of a friend. She still wore that what have you done now smile, and her white hair knotted down her body. Her face showed a tried, wrinkled, old woman but her eyes shone brighter than a girl in her youth. I recognised her from all the times she had visited my mother and all the times my mother visited her. Though she was a witch, she was a friend and well trusted member of our family.
"Malcolm," she said, narrowing her gaze at me with her hands on her hips, "You bad boy."
Moria took three quick steps towards me before hitting me over the head.
"Ow!"
"Is this how your treat an old friend," she yelled, "You and your siblin's should be ashamed. If it wasn't for me, your mother would have had to deal with your father all by herself in that labour room and I'll tell you this now, Steaphan Patterson is not someone you want in a birthin' room."
I groaned, rubbing my head as her gaze turned to Tarna.
"Now, who do we have here?" taking a step, Moira took Tarna's upper arms.
Before Tarna could even get a word in, Moira's eyes landed on her belly, "Oo, my, my, you really have been a bad boy, Malcolm. And to think I thought you had learned with that other one."
Biting back every single insult I had for her, I said, "Tarna, this is Moira. A witch/baby doctor/psychic/ anythin' else you what."
Nodding in my direction, she said, "This ones just moody. You'll get use to his mood swings."
I bit my lip, controlling my anger. Tarna looked as if she was enjoying this way too much.
"So, you knew Malcolm's mother?" she asked.
"Coria Patterson was a good friend of mine. I helped brin' the five of them into the world," she said gesturing to me again.
I rolled my eyes making Tarna laugh.
"Well, I must say Malcolm, you picked a good one here," Moira stated, turning back around, "I'm glad that you finally came to your senses and ditched that other one."
"I didn't ditch Bonnie, she –."
"Whatever, whatever," she hushed me, causing the anger to just build in the pit of my stomach, "Let's get you on my table shell we?"
Tarna didn't have a chance to object. Moira was already leading her through to the back room where the real magic happened.
The little hall opened to an operation room, equipped with an exact table, ultrasound machine, a computer, anything that a baby doctor would use.
"Now, Tarna, darlin' take a seat, get comfortable," Moira told her taking a seat in a swivel chair.
"Okay," Tarna said, full of air making me chuckle as she got comfortable.
"So Malcolm," Moira started, getting my attention, "how's that brother of yours? Still with that little American lass."
I nodded, trying to ignore the insult she made on Liv.
"Aye, still with Olivia. They're gettin' married in a couple of months."
"Oo, how excitin'? What about that snake Brother of yours?"
I bit my lip, burying the anger.
"Aye, still with Amy. I would say their still happy but it's rather they're arguin' or shaggin' so I'm not really sure," I admitted.
"They're in love," Tarna corrected, nodding so sure.
I couldn't help but chuckle, "how do you know?"
She shrugged, "I just know."
Turning around in the chair, Moira had a tube of jell.
"I'll get you to unbutton your jeans for me, darlin' and lift up your shirt just under your breasts?" She asked her.
Tarna nodded and did as she was asked.
As I watched Moira spreading the jell over Tarna's belly I suddenly became nervous. And the same thought that came to me in the car, came again.
Oh my God, I'm going to be a father. Oh my God. My heart began to race and the thought never seemed to leave my mind. My hands started to shake at the very idea.
"Malcolm," I looked up at the sound of Tarna's voice, "take my hand."
I did as she asked, taking three steps towards her.
"You nervous?" I asked her, only because I was.
She nodded, "more nervous than I have been in my life."
I chuckled, kissing her cheek to calm her.
"Well, you should be happy. It's definitely your bairn, Malcolm. It's hidin'."
I had to bury my head into Tarna's neck to keep from speaking. She's an old woman and your Ma would kill you if you killed her friend. Tarna's giggles didn't help. She was enjoying this too much.
"But...there it is."
I looked up, feeling my heart jump inside my throat at the sight. At first I couldn't see anything, just a little bean shape.
Hitting two keys on her keyboard, the image zoomed in to the little human growing. Without realising, my grip on Tarna's hand tightened as I looked at the little thing.
"That's your baby's head," Moira pointed out, "and those bumps are its arms and legs. By the looks of thin's, your about seven weeks."
I frowned knowing that that meant something to me.
"Oh my God," Tarna said, "that was when you marked me."
My eyes widened, shocked before it finally settled in my brain. That night I thought I had only welcomed Tarna into my family but I was going to get something that could never be replaced.
"Well, it's a mate baby after all. It's goin' to be very strong. Do you want to listen to its heart beat?" Moira asked.
Lost for words, I allowed Tarna to answer for me before the fuzzy sound of a heart beat came through the machine.
"Oh my god," Tarna breathed, "that's really inside of me?"
"Really, really," Moira told her.
Cupping her hand over her cheeks, tears started to fill Tarna's eyes.
"Why are you cryin', Little Wolf?" I asked her, worried that she was rethinking this.
Maybe finally seeing her baby had caused her to change her mind and not want it anymore.
"It's just so small," she cried making me chuckle and hold her tight, "how can I protect that?"
"You don't have to," I told her, "that's my job."
"Babies are stronger than they look," Moira reassured her, "now, I want you to go to the prenatal classes in the village when you're about three months gone."
"Prenatal class?"
"There classes to teach you all about your baby," I told her, before Moira did.
I could stand Moira making snarky comments to me but not to my mate. Not when she was like this.
"Wait, in the village?" Tarna asked, "With humans?"
Moira nodded causing her to shallow.
"Malcolm, I can't do it with humans. I don't -."
"Tarna, you'll be fine. It's still a couple of weeks away, okay?"
It was so weird to see her like this. Sacred, worried, freaking out. It was also weird to be the calm one in this relationship.
"I'll be with you, okay," I reminded her, "you won't do anythin' stupid with me around."
"I feel so reassured," Moira muttered between her teeth making me groan and bite my lip.
Tarna giggled, washing away my anger.
I sighed, getting back to business, "does she need to do any tests at all?"
"Oh, you're an expert now," Moira said, narrowing her eyes, "no, she doesn't need a blood test because I'm not a real doctor. But everythin' is goin' fine."
I rolled my eyes, fighting back the urge to hit the damn woman. Could she just do things the easy way?
"And you, I want you to set up appointments with antenatal visits for her," she told me.
I nodded.
"Antenatal visits?" Tarna whispered to me though Moira probably heard anyway.
"They're visits to a nurse sometimes doctor. I'll tell you all about them in the car, okay?"
She nodded, returning to her nervous, insecure self.
"So are we finished?" I asked, not hiding the fact that I was eager to leave. 
She nodded, "I'll print out some photos so you can show your siblin's."
I sighed again. Great.