Page 75 of B Negative
“Pups are a priority. We don’t have a large window to work in,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Why not?”
Nikita leveled her impressive stare at me. “Shifter births are always multiples. Sometimes up to quintuplets.”
That’s five.
Five babies.
At fucking once?
She nodded. “Generally a welping mom will stay in wolf form for the majority of her pregnancy because of that. A wolf’s body is better able to handle the strain. But the toll that takes on the human body... Well, it can only be done once safely. After the first pregnancy, most wolves stop having their cycles entirely.
“But there’s an age limit. A window where women are most able to conceive, carry, and recover.”
“And you’re approaching yours?” I asked.
She nodded.
“I see the predicament. Here’s ours,” I started, not failing to notice her raised eyebrow when I referred to Jaxson’s problem as “ours.” “See, you deserve to have pups with someone who cares about you. Who wants to be by your side and feed you gross cheeses on your first date. Or make you feel like a teenager with butterflies with just the sound of his voice. You deserve more than a marriage of convenience. Just like Jaxson does.”
“I know that. Jaxson and I have agreed not to hold each other to the vows. We’re only doing this so I can have strong, beautiful alpha pups and the next line of leaders.”
“Nikita, there are so many other ways to give you alpha pups other than a fake marriage to a gay man.”
“Sure, there might be. For humans. But artificial insemination doesn’t work for shifters. Neither does in vitro. The only way we can make pups is the old-fashioned way. And Jaxson is the only eligible alpha in these woods.”
“If you give me some time, I promise to figure out a way to get you both what you want. No compromises. No loveless sham marriage. Just give me a few days.”
Nikita looked me up and down. “And what makes you think a vampire could figure out the ways of our packs better than we can?”
I let just a touch of blackness enter my eyes and temples. “Because I’m an alpha queen, just like you are, Nikita. And with my other alpha queen bestie over there, the three of us can fix this fucked up shit better than the patriarchal bullshit that got us in this mess to begin with.”
Nikita gave me a quick nod and a slow smile before patting Jaxson on the bicep. “I see why you like her. I’ll take care of getting everyone out of here,” she said and walked off to the murmuring crowd.
Jaxson gazed at me, amber eyes brimming with a whole mess of emotions I did not want to unravel while nude and in the forest with a bunch of strangers.
“I’d hug you, but naked hugging is weird with non-shifters,” Jaxson said, grinning. Instead, he took my hand and squeezed it in his.