Gray Lake Wolves Pt. 06

The ride to town is a long one. I sat in the middle, between Grayson and River, messing with an old iPod shuffle that plugged into the radio via cassette adapter. The iPod was a throw back from their college days and it was exciting to see what kind of music Grayson liked. Apparently, he is a 90s punk and grunge lover. The playlists are filled with Sublime, Weezer, and Ben Folds.

Before we left, we went around to the pack members and asked if they needed anything. Now I'm rewriting their personal lists into separate lists for each store.

"Are you excited that Bug is going to be here soon?" I ask River, using the nick name that everyone else seems to use.

His face lights up immediately and Grayson laughs at him. "So, just a little bit?" I ask, holding up my thumb and pointer finger to indicate the small amount.

"What do you expect? Mama Yara put us together with her voodoo magic?" River says.

"What?" I laugh. "What does that mean?"

River goes wide eyed and looks to Grayson. "You never told her?"

"Told me what?" I ask impatiently.

Grayson is laughing, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the seat behind me. "No. Go ahead and tell her."

"Yara is part human."

"What?" I gasp.

Grayson laughs again and River continues, "Yeah, like a quarter..." He looks to Grayson, who nods. "Doesn't matter anyway, all that matters is that her human grandmother was some kind of witch and Yara inherited some of her powers."

"Really?"

This time Grayson speaks up, "Who really knows? I have no idea if it is that human part of her, but she is able to recognize perfect mates. Mates that compliment each other completely, their pack prosperous, and their children bountiful. She can't tell you who your mate is, but if she thinks of two wolves and they are perfect, something just clicks."

"And you and bug are a perfect mates?" I ask River, then I jump to look at Grayson, not bothering to wait for River's answer. "Are we perfect mates?"

He gives me a silly smile, "Of course, baby."

"And all your brothers?" I ask, thinking about the crazy amount of children they each have. Shifters tend to have a hard time getting and staying pregnant, so one or two pups are normal. Grayson comes from a huge family and then each one of his brothers is hard at working creating their own extensive brood.

"Yep."

"Oh shit," I say, not filtering my thoughts, "We are going to have a ridiculous amount of pups too, aren't we?"

River and Grayson roar in laughter. "I can't believe how much shit your pack kept from you. You didn't even know about you and Gray. That match was made when your mother was still alive."

My brows knit together. Seriously? It's bad enough when I thought they kept it from me since I was nine, but now we are talking younger than three? Grayson sees my face and leans in for a quick kiss. "That isn't her pack anymore. I'm not keeping her in the dark. We get to decide how we want things done now."

I'm so in love with him.

"Do you want to hear the story of when my mom first matched us together?" He asks.

"Please" I say, leaning into his side and breathing him in. He smiles down at me and I search for his lips for a little peck.

"A pack to the east of Pine Mountain, where your father's mate is from..." He starts and I interrupt him to supply him with a name, "Monadnock?"

"That's it. Their Alpha wanted you for a mate. Your father was interested because it would tie together the two packs closest to civilization on that side, but your mother was hesitant. You were a baby and the Alpha was already in his twenties."

I blanched, realizing who he was speaking of. Sable, my father's mate, has a brother that is in his forties and has been alpha for some time, having stepped up when his father was killed in a freak hunting accident. When the Pine Mountain pack meets with Monadnock, they usually go to Monadnock's land, but I have seen him a few times. Large and burly, with eerie wolf-like yellow eyes, the Monadnock's alpha is nothing like my muscular, handsome mate.

"My Mom says that your mother convince your father to hold off and see if there were any other potential suitors. When the Harbor Spring pack and Pine Mountain pack merged for their biannual meeting, she pulled my Mom aside and asked her to feel out the match. Of course, there was nothing there. My Mom had never considered matching us together, but after seeing your mother so distraught, she thought of us together and we were perfect. Your father wasn't convinced. I'm the youngest and so I should have to go start another pack or mate with an Alpha's daughter to gain his pack. At that point, your mother was pregnant and your father was adamant that it would be a boy and his heir. Bug was just a little thing and my mother couldn't stand the thought of either of us being so far away. My Mom and your worked out all the details, then got my father in on it. Finally they brought it to your father and he agreed. The rest was history. All the fine details were worked out before they informed me."

I snuggle into his side and he looks down at me with those beautiful brown eyes that are so dark you can barely tell where his irises end and his pupils begin. "I'm glad my mother had the insight to speak with Yara," I tell him.

"Me, too," He smiles and gives me a loving kiss on the top of my head.

I drift off for the rest of the drive, dreaming of sinister yellow eyes, warm dark brown ones, and even affectionate grayish blue that look just like mine, but I know they aren't. They belong to my mother, my angel, who saved me the day she traded her life for my own, but also saved me long before that when she fought to give me my perfect mate.

~

The town we arrive in is smaller than the one adjacent to Pine Mountain. It's just a little tourist trap, really, with one long strip of stores, a playground, and a bar. Grayson parks in front of a building with a grand log porch. The sign above has Wapack Woodworks carved into a large plank of wood, similar to the dining room table Grayson built.

As we step out of the truck, an old man with a long white beard and a red flannel shirt comes out to great us. "What are you doing here, boy?" He asks, glaring at Grayson. "Did you bring me some more shit? I barely sold the last batch!"

I look to Grayson, assuming this crazy old man is offending him, but he's just grinning. "I bet you sold out in a week, old man."

"Cocky little shit," the man mutters, then peeks in the back of Grayson's truck. "Did you get those custom pieces done?"

"Of course," Grayson says, pulling out a large plaque etched with the name Carson and surrounded by skiers flying down the mountain in a cloud of pines. The man gives a low whistle. "Ain't she a beauty. We are going to get a pretty penny for this and I saw that Carson lady looking at that fancy table in your book the last time she was in. Wouldn't be too surprised if they ordered one of those to be done by the winter when they come pick this up."

When the man looks up from the plaque, he seems to notice me for the first time. "Well, well, what do we have here? Who's this pretty little thing?"

Grayson wraps an arm around my waist. "This is my wife, Clara. Clara, this is Billy, the owner of Wapack Woodworks." The way he says wife makes my heart melt a little. Really, mating is even more permanent then human's marriage, but the ease and swiftness in which he dropped that word makes me happier then he could ever imagine.

"Wife, eh?" Billy asks. "You too look mighty young to be married."

Grayson smirks and pulls me even tighter against him. "We got married the day after her eighteenth birthday."

BIlly chuckles. "You dog! I remember what that feels like. I knocked my wife up when she was seventeen, so her daddy let us have a quicky wedding. He didn't want no bastard grandchild. Best thing that ever happened to me."

He congratulates us and goes back to looking through the bed of the truck. Grayson lines our hips up and pulls me so close that every inch of the front of his body is touching every inch of mine. He leans in so close that I can taste his breath on my lips. "I'm going to be here for a couple hours getting things priced. Stay close to River. I know you can take care of yourself, but I worry about you when your not right next to me." He hands me an envelope of cash. "This will cover what everyone asked for and more. Get anything you think we need. Maybe some more books or games. If we don't keep this pack occupied, we are going to end up blowing all our money on alcohol." We both laugh.

My lips are tingling from being so close to his so when he finally gives me a sweet kiss goodbye, I'm not ready to let go. I grip his jaw and pull him towards me, sneaking my tongue into his mouth and sucking on his soft lower lip. He growls into my mouth before pulling back. "I'll see you later," He says with one last kiss.

Our last stop is a little bookstore across the street from Wapack Woodworks. "This took way less time with the way you organized the lists. I'm going to go check on Gray and see if he's almost done," River says, hooking his thumb behind him.

"I'll be in here," I say, pointing to the bookstore door. He walks across the street and I enter the store. That powerful smell of books hits my nose and I cough. There's a petite girl standing behind the counter beside the door. She's my height, but much thinner and I wonder if she's naturally thin or if the human ideals have led her to look this way. She has should length blonde hair and blue eyes that fade to hazel around the pupil. Its intriguing and beautiful and I can't help but to stare for a moment.

"Lucky girl, he's a hottie," she smiles and I don't understand what she's talking about. Noting my confusion, she points out the window to where River is walking up to Wapack Woodworks.

"Oh, he's not mine," I say surprised. Despite the little conversation I had with Iris, I haven't had any girl time where we just giggle over boys since I left my best friend, Paloma, at the Pine Mountain pack.

"So, is he single?" the girl asks with a raised eyebrow and half a smirk.

I laugh. "No, he's with my husband's sister," I tell her, feeling a smile come to my face when I call Grayson my husband.

"Ugh! The good ones are always taken!" She says with a false pout. "Husband? He must be pretty cute if he is related to the girl that snagged that hunk of man."

"Mmhm, tall, dark, and handsome."

She brings her hands to her chest and crosses them. "A girl after my own heart! Does he have any brothers?"

"Four of them, but they are all married too."

"Boo!" she cries and I walk away laughing.

I pick out some new reads and I grab the Twilight Saga because of the movie the pack was watching. I go back up to the counter where the girl is arguing on the phone with someone.

"I'm at work, Pete, I can't just leave. There are customers here. I have to go," she says, sounding distressed before she hangs up the phone and places it to the side. She takes a deep breath and turns to face me with a shaky smile on her face. I don't know what to say, so I just place my books on the counter.

When she gets to Twilight she asks, "So, team Edward or Jacob?"

"Uhhh..." I start, shocked by the sudden change in her attitude. "I'm always team werewolf, no matter what."

"Mmmm, yes. I want me some werewolf abs. Yum, yum. I'm Ariella, by the way, if you ever find yourself around here again, make sure you stop by."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Clara. My husband is doing business across the street so I'm sure I'll see you again."

We say our farewells and I leave to find River sitting on a bench outside. He offers to take my bags for me and I hand them over. "Ooof! What did you buy in there? Bricks?"

"Books!" I laugh.

"It feels more like bricks. I'm going to bring them to the truck. Gray needs another half hour so we can hang out in there or go to Zeb's," he says, pointing to a building across the street. The sign says Zeb's General Store, but it's two stories tall and looks like the biggest tourist trap I have ever seen. I immediately choose to browse over there, thinking of the board games Grayson suggested.

I tell River and he tells me that he'll meet me over there after he drops the books off at the truck and tells Grayson where we are going. The wood porch is painted yellow and there's a tall stuffed bear greeting me at the door. I walk through and I'm bombarded by delicious smells. Glass encased counters line the right side, filled with fudge, cookies, and other treats. Rows of candy, cooking mixes, and novelty kitchen supplies line the other side. A steep staircase sits in the middle of the store and I decide to venture up there first.

It was a good decision because I can see board games ahead of me, but for some reason I keep walking. I pass a sweatshirt with the name of a popular skiing mountain on it. Another that just says New Hampshire. One that says "honk if you love moose" makes me laugh and before I realize where I'm heading, I find myself in a little corner filled with baby outfits.

I'm drawn, like fish to the water, to a little set. My eyes water as I take it in. The newborn sized onesie is a light gray and has white print that reads "I'm being raised by wolves" on the front. Attached are little matching gray and white striped pants with an all gray wolf embroidered on the bum.

I can't stop looking at it. Visions from the past and visions that I hope are for the future pass through my mind. Grayson's and my first mating. Laying in bed talking about his brother's children. The look in his eyes when he told me he wanted me to have his. Then I imagine my belly growing big with his baby. The way his large hand would hold it protectively while he listened to the heart beat. I picture a tiny newborn with his dark hair and my light eyes dressed up in this outfit.

I'm startled when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up at River, who wipes away my tears with the pads of his thumbs. "I know Gray probably gave you some speech about him not caring either way, but that's a lie. He wants this with you. So badly. It was all he could talk about when we were renovating the cabin. I know he must want it even more now that he loves you."

That does it for me. I grab the outfit and hold it close while we pick out board games. When we check out, I ask the cashier for a paper bag for the outfit so I can hide it from Grayson. She smiles and gets one from behind the candy counter. We meet back up with Grayson and stop by the farm before heading home.

The ride seems shorter or maybe I'm just too lost in my own head with dreams of baby socks and sweet little feet. Unloading the truck, it's Grayson that grabs the paper bag. "What's this?" he asks, looking at River, who is half out of the truck. "If this is that peanut butter fudge, I am going to throw it away. You are going to make yourself sick. Wolves are not suppose to eat that kind of food," he says, giving River an accusing glare.

"It's mine," I say with a shy smile. He looks over at me and I nod, "Go ahead and open it."

The bag crinkles as he pulls it open. He takes out the outfit and I can tell the exact moment when it stretches out and he can tell what it is. I will never forget the look on his face. It is a look of pure bliss. I have never seen him happier than he is at this exact moment. With his full megawatt grin he asks, "Does this mean what I think it does?"

I nod again and I can't help the giant smile on my face. He looks like a little boy on his birthday. "Yes!" He shouts, his fist pumping into the sky. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" He continues, getting closer and closer to me until the final word is whispered against my lips. My arms wrap around him. My fingers tangle in his hair. He groans and pulls me over to straddle his lap.

I hear River laugh. "I'm gonna go check the perimeter. You two have fun. Congrats!" He says before shutting the door.

We're frantic as I unbutton Grayson's jeans. He slips a hand up my leg, starting at my knee and ending on my ass so that my dress is bunched up around my hips.

"Panties?" He growls before sliding the offensive offensive material to the side and plunging a finger deep inside me. I moan, finally getting his pants undone I pull out his hard cock and line myself up over it. We both watch as I sink down, his thick shaft disappearing into my wet heat. Grayson puts his hands on my hips and guides me up and down aggressively.

"You're scent is already changing," he says, thrusting up and hitting just the right spot. "So tight and wet. You feel how hard I am baby? Do you feel how much I want you? I'm going to come so deep inside of you. I bet by the end of next week, you will have my baby growing inside of you."

His words lead me to completion. "Gray!" I yell out as my pussy spasms around his cock. He pumps a few more times before I feel him shooting his hot come inside of me. He pulls my head down to rest on his forehead. "Fuck," he laughs, "you make me really happy, incase you couldn't tell."

~ The house is empty as we walk through. It was late when we got home, but its even later now that we spent some time having a little romp in the truck. Sitting in the kitchen, hunched over a bowl of leftover beef stew, is a girl I have never seen before. She looks up after hearing us come in and motions to the bowl with her spoon. "This is really good," she mumbles, trying to keep the stew in her mouth.

Gray drops the bags he was holding and walks over to her with open arms. Seeing them next to each other, it finally clicks. This is Clover, or Bug, as everyone else calls her. They look so similar with dark hair and deep brown eyes. She's beautiful wearing just a t-shirt and little jersey shorts, long legs stretched out onto the bar stool next to her.

I join them and wrap my arms around her too. "I'm so happy to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you," I tell her.

"Not as much as I have heard about you, I'm sure," she says with a smile. "My brother is a little bit obsessed with you."

Grayson gives her a warning look and asks, "Where is mom?"

"She has retired for the evening," Bug replies in a false English accent. I think she is pretending to be a butler.

"And why are you not sleeping, little sister? Waiting up for someone?" He asks with a smirk.

Her cheeks turn pink, but then she scowls. "No. Just tell me where my room is and I'll be on my way. I'm exhausted."

"Sure, it's the master bedroom on the second floor," he replies, giving the location of River's bedroom. Our room is in the newly remodeled attic, so we gave River, the Beta of the pack, the old master bedroom.

"Fuck you, big brother," Bug growls.

"Why are you going to pretend? Just to piss him off? Just to hurt him? He loves you and you love him. Grow up and cut the shit."

Bug's spoon makes a loud clank as it falls into the empty bowl, then the stool screeches as she pushes it away from the island and gets up and stalks off into the dark living room.

I glare at Grayson and he gives me a "what?" expression. "It's her first day here. Be nice!" I snarl before walking away to join Bug.

I flick on the little light on the side table and the glow illuminate the tears on her cheeks. I sit down on the couch next to her and give her a side hug. "I'm sorry that your brother is an asshole," I whisper to her.

She laughs loudly. "Oh God, you are so perfect for him. No one puts him in his place like that."

I smile. "And you are perfect for River. He hasn't stopped talking about you, you know."

She hiccups and wipes the tears off her cheeks. "Did he sleep with anyone else since you guys got here?"

"Of course not," I answer immediately and its true. River hasn't so much as looked at another girl. That, combined with the glassy look his eyes get whenever he talks about Bug shows how much he cares about her.