Collin knocked and stepped back beside me as I took a deep breath.
The door opened and my mother beamed at us. "Come in, come in." She hugged me before giving Collin one as well. "My two favorite werewolves have finally arrived. Harold, they're here." She took the sheet pan with different plates of food on it from me.
My father walked out of the kitchen. "I'll never get used to seeing you in fur."
"Hi, dad." I gave him a side hug.
He squeezed me to him. "How have you been feeling?"
I let out a sigh. "We're getting there. Collin went to work today, and I managed pretty well by myself."
My dad pulled my head to him and kissed the side of it. "Collin." He held out his hand.
"Harry." My mate gave him a nod. "Thanks for having us over."
"I should be thanking you for helping my family." He laughed to himself. "I slept in today. I've never done that before. Maria and I woke up and just laid there for over an hour. We've never done anything like that." He took in a deep breath. "It was nice."
Collin laughed nervously. "Well, you did give me something special in return." He put his arm around my shoulders.
My father gave me an approving nod. "Milo has always been a good kid. He took after his mother, though. Our old master was hard on the boy but he did his best."
"Harry, check the grill. I don't want the burgers to burn," called my mother.
"I'm not going to burn them." He wandered back into the kitchen and out onto the patio.
My mom followed him outside, questioning him about his cooking ability. I didn't know if my father had cook anything in his life, so she had a right to be worried.
Liya wandered down the stairs. "Collin, you're here!" She hurried to him and jumped into the werewolf's arms. "Mom said you were late."
He laughed. "It took us a bit longer to get out of the house."
"Hmm..." I eyed the black werewolf.
My brother wandered down the stairs. "Hi." Carter seemed to still be a little nervous around my mate.
"How have you been?" asked Collin. "Do you like your school?"
"It's different, but I made a few friends." He smiled to himself. "I'm getting used to it. I feel like I need to be doing something all the time. My mom keeps telling me to stop pacing the house and sit down," he said with a nervous laugh.
"It's a big shift." I gave him a smile. "It took me a while to get used to the idea of being a werewolf's mate."
Liya eyed Collin. "Do you think I could be a werewolf one day?"
My mate nodded. "I think you have a high chance of getting yourself a werewolf mate." He put her down.
"Yes, mom!" She ran off outside. "Mom!"
"Liya, what's all this yelling?" She closed the door. "Carter, go outside and keep an eye on your father. I'm worried that he's going to burn his eyebrows off."
With a nod, he went outside.
"Collin said I might get to be a werewolf one day, too." She squealed with delight. "I wonder what color my fur will be?"
"Most likely dark brown." My mother sat down at the table and slice up a tomato. "Like your hair."
"Milo's hair was darker than mine," she whined.
"You're a girl, Liya," our mom replied.
My sister groaned. "It's not fair."
"You never know," said Collin. "In girls, it tends to be your hair color, but sometimes it can be a surprise. Not to mention, you could have all sorts of markings."
"See!" She tugged on my mother's arm. "I'm going to go tell Dad." She raced outside.
Collin laughed. "I think there's a dominant werewolf lying dormant in that little girl."
"Middle rank is fine," said my mother. "I don't want to have to worry about my daughter being shipped off to war."
I clasped my hands in my lap and glanced at the silver fur on my arms. I'd never be expected to defend the pack. If something happened, I'd do my best to fight but it wasn't like a werewolf of my rank would be much of a challenge.
"So have you started to get ready for the baby?" asked my mom.
I shrugged. "A little bit."
"It won't be long before the little one is here."
"We still have some time," said Collin.
A few minutes later, my dad brought in slightly charred burgers and placed them with the rest of the food spread across the counter.
"Help yourself," said my dad. "There's plenty."
Grabbing a paper plate, I started to fill it with food. The doorbell sounded.
"Who is that?" asked my dad.
"Oh," said my mom. "Collin and Milo invited a friend." She went to answer it.
"Wait!" Collin jogged after her. "I think I should get it." He went to get the door.
I sat at the table and put my plate down. I smiled when I saw Jedrek's red hair. The beta entered the room with a cake from a bakery in his hand.
The werewolf waved. "Hello."
My family simply stared. Carter backed into the wall.
"Um... everyone"—I went to the couple—"this is Jed"—I motioned to the human—"and his mate, Axil."
"The beta?" breathed my dad.
I nodded. "Collin is his secretary. We live in the same building."
"Oh." My father took his seat and my brother snuck into his.
My mom smiled. "It's good to see you two again. Welcome to our home. We made plenty of food so feel free to eat as much as you like."
Axil put the cake on the counter and went with Jedrek to get a plate. I noticed that the beta never let go of his mate's hand. Jed looked a little nervous himself. I moved over a few seats so that I could be a buffer between them and my family. Jedrek sat down beside me. He had very little on his plate.
"How are you?" I said softly.
Jed shrugged. "Fine."
The atmosphere was tense as we ate. Collin and I tried to start a conversation but my family was giving tentative responses.
Liya was eyeing the beta. "Mr. Werewolf, sir?"
Axil wiped his muzzle and faced the young girl. "Yes?"
"You're Milo's friend, right?"
The beta nodded. "Yes, I am. We're very good friends. I work with Collin, and Milo comes and stays with Jed." He put his arm around his mate's shoulders.
Liya took a deep breath. "Well, I'm Milo's sisters."
Axil hummed. "I see." He arched a brow. "You know what this means right?"
"What?" she gasped.
"We have to be friends, too."
"Really!" She sat up. "You're the beta, though, and I'm a human."
Axil shrugged. "Some of the best werewolves start off as humans."
She grinned. "I want to be one day."
"With that kind of spirit, I think you will be." He took a drink.
"See, mom," she said. "My mom says not to get my hopes up because it might not happen."
Axil shrugged. "I think you have a good chance."
"Yes." She pumped her first under the table. "I knew it."
***
I sat with my mom on the patio step. Liya had somehow convinced Collin and Axil to play some dodgeball type game she had learned at school. My father and Carter had even lightened up a bit and joined in.
I laid my head on my mother's shoulders. "This is nice."
She slipped an arm around my waist. "We're here because of you."
"I'm sure Liya would have attracted a werewolf when she was older."
"You saved her from having to be raised as a slave. Carter will also get to spend some time getting to be a teenager. You did that for them."
Axil did a dramatic fall to the ground when Liya hit him with the ball.
My mother chuckled. "He's not as scary as I thought. The man on TV was always terrifying."
"Axil has a softer side." I glanced at Jedrek, who was sitting on the patio by himself.
"Alright, I think you've waited long enough." My mother stood. "I'll be back." She went inside and returned soon after with a box that had a ribbon tied around it.
I sat up straight as she put it in my lap.
"Everyone!" called my mom. "Come here, Milo's going to open it and let us see if we're going to be adding a little boy or girl to the family."
The bunch stood around me as I eyed the box. "Any guesses?"
"A girl," said Axil. "I've had a feeling for a while you two would get one."
Collin shrugged.
"You're not allowed to guess," said my mother. "You already know."
"I want a girl, too," said Liya.
"I think it's a boy," said Carter. "Gay couple have a higher probability of having a boy. I learned that in science class." He grinned at me.
Either was fine with me. I just hoped their rank would be high enough to make Collin happy. Taking a deep breath, I undid the bow and removed the ribbon. I took off the lid and felt my heart melt at the small pink shirt that had a puffy tutu. "A girl?" I looked at Collin.
He nodded.
"See," said Axil. "I could sense it."
Collin scoffed. "Sure."
"It's a girl!" Liya picked up the outfit. "It's so cute. I'm going to be an aunt?"
My mother nodded. "This is just one of the outfits I've ordered. It was the cutest and the others wouldn't fit in the box. If you come inside, I have more." She hurried off to go get them.
My dad and siblings followed her inside. Collin grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.
He gave me a kiss. "Are you happy?"
"Very." I kissed him again. "You're not upset that it isn't a boy?"
"Female dominant are scarier than males usuals."
"What if they're not a dominant?"
Axil patted my head between my ears as he passed. "She'll be fine no matter her rank. Don't worry about it pup." He wrapped his arms around Jed.
"It's less than a month until your son will be here," said Collin.
Taking a deep breath, Jed nodded.
"I'm excited to see who he takes after," I added. "Will he black or red, or a combination?"
Jedrek shrugged. "As long as he is healthy and safe"—he peered into Axil's eyes—"nothing else matters to me."