Hammers in the Shadows

Part Two: Hammers in the Night - Chapter Eighteen

By the end of the month of November the feeling in the Pride was one of joy and happiness at the prospect of what was coming. A couple weeks into the month Sergey and Minali came to us and happily told us that they were going to have a cub. Sergey had been around me for long enough and had learned enough that I was confident that he'd be a good father, with none of the hang-ups or problems that his own birth-parents had.

For the Pride though something much more joyous and exciting happened towards the end of the month. Anna and had been having a great deal of fun together, there were any number of games that we'd play to make the most of this time of year, and this year things seemed to have had that special spark that made it extra special. It was around the twentieth of the month, I was waking up, later in the morning than I was normally used to when I detected a scent around my mate that was different than I'd smelled from her before. It took a moment for me to figure out the scent, but when I did I gave a loud roar of joy and happiness.

At that Anna woke up and looked at me, "What you carrying on about you great lummox?" She asked blinking softly before closing her eyes for a moment and then smiling and giving me a tight hug.

"Love you realize that this is going to start a rather large celebration in the Pride, since this is the first time that the Pride's Matriarch has been pregnant since your parents were expecting you back at Blackwater thirty years ago." I told her softly with a hug as Tanya ran into the room and jumped into the bed between Ann and I.

Tanya looked at me and then asked, "Daddy why did you make that roar?"

I smiled an hugged her softly before softly replying. "I did that sweetheart because mommy is going to have a cub."

"What's gonna happen to me, Kat, an Shawn then?" She asked, with a slight quaver in her voice.

I saw the fear and worry in her eyes about what was going to happen to our adopted cubs and I understood her fears. I quickly gave her a gentle hug, "Sweetheart us having a cub won't change how we feel about you or your older siblings." I told her softly. "Ask Kat about that, she can tell you how things changed when I picked up Shawn or you for that matter." I told her gently.

"Baby," Anna started softly, "Daddy and I will always care for you, and you will always be our cub."

Tanya blushed lightly and looked away for a moment and I knew the reason for her blush. During the day she'd gotten much better, but at night things had yet to change.

I quickly sat up and took her into my arms. "Come on kitten let's get you set for the day." I said as I headed out of the room to the room where she slept.

She smiled and a short time later she was all set for the day ahead.

The rest of the morning was spent among the Pride as they heaped congratulations on myself and Anna, the cats were all in a party mood at the news that Anna and I were going to have our own cub.

Around mid-afternoon Adam and Brook, along with their team came back through, they were headed home and I could tell that Shawn was ready to go home to his team. When Adam found out about me and Anna he gave me his congratulations, though he also growled at me a good bit because of the headache that I'd given to him, Zane, and Alexander.

"What did you want me to do Adam? Hell, I was ready to go out there and dictate to that piece of pond scum that called himself an Alpha but you Second told me that it was better that I leave that in his capable hands. We'd just taken Shadow Valley from those... those... animals and was having to deal with the results of their management and Zane shoved the fact that we were in no condition to go getting into a fight with Ice Lake."

He'd looked at me with close slitted eyes as we sparred in the gym his moves showing his anger and frustration at the situation, though I had learned that the entire region had calmed down and peace had been restored, though, for the most part, the old guard had been ground into dog food. "Finding Alpha-material wolves is always difficult. There are so few of us around! I had a good team going at Wild Valley and then you had to throw a damned wrench into the works! By giving me another damned sub-pack that needs an Alpha Wolf and though your cousin is good for Ice Lake he still needs lots of training and seasoning before he will be ready to take that Pack on his own." He growled at me as he countered my moves with ones of his own. He fought in a strong, controlled manner and it caused me to have to stretch my own skills to match him.