Red's Wolf

"Me too. I-"

SAWYER! Pups are here!! Everyone's healthy, they were born about an hour ago. Get your ass home when you can! I'm not sure why my little brother was the one to deliver the news, but his mind-link broke my concentration on what Scarlett was saying.

"Sawyer, are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! I'm an aunt officially, I guess."

Scarlett jumped back, "Your sister-in-law had the babies?! That's exciting! Why didn't you say so before."

"Oh, my brother just told me."

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Did he text you while we were driving back? I didn't notice you checking your phone."

Shit.

"No, uh, he called me?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed with a smile, "Your helmet has bluetooth, doesn't it. That's so great! What are their names?"

I mentally breathed in relief that she came up with a plausible explanation for me. "I don't know yet, my little brother isn't the best with communication."

She laughed, "Okay, okay. I'll let you get home to go meet the newest members of your family. That's so cool by the way, that they had them at home. I think home births are so special, must be the farm girl in me." When she smiled those brown eyes seemed to glow despite the lack of light on the street. Everything about her was enthusiasm and light.

"I really enjoyed our time together. Can I see you again?"

Scarlett's grin deepened and a little dimple appeared in her round cheek, "Yes, I'd like that. Maybe next time you can just come hang out here? I'll kick my roommate out for the afternoon and we can watch movies and cook."

I pulled her back to me by her ample hips, "You wanna cook for me?"

"Yes, because based on your own admission, you'd probably burn my kitchen down if you cooked."

"Fair." I kissed her again and felt her whole frame lean into mine. Fuck, this woman was amazing.

"Goodnight!" she cried as I climbed onto my bike and shoved my helmet on. I waved as she slipped inside her door, then sped out of town, eager to get home, but feeling like a piece of my heart had been left in that redhead's hands.

When I got home, all of the lights were still on in the house. It cast a warm glow out onto the now freezing ground. I parked my bike in one of the garages and darted up the back steps. Mom was waiting in the kitchen, rinsing out a large salad bowl. She looked tired but the smile on her face proved it was a good tired.

"You're home!"

"Hi, Mom. How's everyone?"

Her smile widened, "Amazing. May is upstairs, she said to send you up if you made it back tonight. How was your date?"

"Great!" I called as I jogged for the steps and took them two at a time. I paused outside of May and Callum's wing, taking a deep breath. Before I could knock, Callum opened it.

"Come in, Sawyer." He was smiling bigger than I'd ever seen. He threw an arm around my shoulders, something he hadn't done since we were both teens, and led me to their bedroom door. "They're in here."

I stopped him, "What are their names, Cal?"

He pushed me out at arm's length, "Adrian Jude and Mara Elaine."

I smiled, "I like those."

He nodded and opened the door, "Babe? Sawyer's here."

May was sitting up in bed with a bundle of blankets across her lap. She'd clearly been bent over admiring them as she looked up beaming.

"How are you feeling?" I asked quietly as I approached the bed.

May smiled, "Tired, but good. These little ones were cooperative in the end. Come see!"

Each time Colleen had a new baby, I was one of the first to visit and congratulate. With their third, I even stayed the night a few nights to help with the other kids, so I was no stranger to new babies. But, something about meeting a baby that's related to you, something about meeting a niece and nephew for the first time...it was special.

"Wow," I whispered as I sat gingerly on the end of the bed. Two little pink faces peeked out of the blankets, one under a green hat, the other under a yellow one. They were fast asleep with their little mouths scrunched up. Everything about them was little. "Hi babies."

May sighed happily, "I think they both look like your brother, but he says Adrian looks like me."

"They look perfect. Congratulations, May."

"Oh! How was your date?"

And that's how I spent my evening, talking quietly with my sister-in-law, cooing over her pups, and bringing her whatever she needed. Callum joined us, regaling me with the story of how amazing his wife was in birth.

As I made my way to my own rooms a little while later, I found myself staring at the empty spare bedroom and wondering when it would be my turn to have a family. I wasn't in a rush, I knew I was young enough and had time, but the more I thought about it, the more I craved that. I texted Scarlett because I was thinking about her and to tell her about the babies. When I prayed to the Moon Goddess that night, it was for a family of my own one day.

_ _

Getting the thoughts of domestic bliss out of my head was not easy. Especially not when Scarlett invited me over to her apartment the next weekend for dinner. She cooked a hearty dinner, chicken pot pie and apple crumble. It was amazing, better than Mom or May's cooking, not that I'd tell them that. She told me her secret for getting the crust perfect and we played Scrabble.

"Do you want to watch a show or something?" she asked after she beat me for the fourth time.

"Sure!"

She pulled up her streaming accounts and we settled on something funny. It wasn't long before she was curled up into my side and our fingers were tangled together intimately. Her soft body felt incredible next to me. I was keenly aware of everywhere our limbs touched. She looked up at me with a cheeky grin.

"So, can I get a few more sneeze-free kisses?"

I laughed, "No promises." And we made out on her couch. Her breasts pressed into my chest and I let a quiet moan slip out when she shifted closer. Her tongue darted between my parted lips and she moaned in response. It was blissfully warm and quiet, just our ragged breathing and the show playing lowly.

Her beautiful eyes popped open when I pulled back to get a better look at her face. "Everything all right?"

"Excellent," I nodded. We kissed more. I felt myself getting harder the longer we made out, but keeping everything above the clothes helped. I was thankful for the thick sweatpants and Scarlett's restraint. Of course I wanted to have a few conversations with her before we got to that part of our relationship, but I didn't know how to bring that up organically. Not to mention, we still had the wolves conversation ahead of us.

No one has said communication in relationships is easy, but boy, did mine feel extra difficult.

_ _

Our fourth date, we opted for a movie. I picked her up in one of the pack vans because it was officially too cold now for my bike. Wisps of white snowflakes danced on the wind as we hurried into the theater. She teased me about the number of snacks that I bought, but I'd had a hard day of training and felt that I'd earned at least two boxes of Sno-Caps. Her beautiful lips turned an alluring shade of red after a few sips from her frozen drink and I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the screen.

The movie was stupid, but we had a good laugh. We ended up back at her apartment, making out on her worn out couch. It didn't take long for my body to respond and soon I was trying to slouch to hide my raging hard on. It was futile though because Scarlett unexpectedly climbed onto my lap as her tongue tangled with mine. She let out a squeak of surprise and pulled back, then an evil grin slid across her face.

"Are you hard packing, you naughty girl?" She worked her hands to the waistband of my jeans. "Awful presumptuous aren't we?" Her delicate fingers teased my button as I tried to form a coherent sentence.

"N-No, I-I, it isn't, I mean-"

"Oh come on baby, let me feel the strap!" She laughed as she quickly pulled apart my button and zipper and dove her fingers into my jeans.

"Scarlett, it's not..." Her warm fingers closed around my shaft and I yelped at the intimate sensation.

Her face froze, the laugh disappearing instantly. She squeezed gently once, making sure of what she felt, then pulled back like she'd been burned. "Oh!" She flushed red. "Sawyer, I-I, I'm SO sorry. I didn't, I mean, I thought...I never would have-"

I let her slide off me and fell forward, burying my face in my hands. "I'm sorry, Scarlett. I should have told you." I felt the couch cushion move as she sank down next to me.

"No, I'm sorry! I thought you were packing to tease me. I never would have done that if I knew. Really, I'm so sorry. God, I'm such an idiot." She frowned so deeply little creases appeared between her eyebrows and around her mouth. "So you're um, you're..."

I took a deep breath and let my hands drop. She didn't look disgusted, just worried. That cute little frown line between her eyebrows melted me. "I'm intersex. I was born with both ovaries and, uh, this."

"Oh, not trans?"

"No, though my family did think I was a boy for a few years, until other things started to develop." I gestured to my chest.

"That's, unique?"

I sighed, "When I was born, my parents thought I was a boy because of obvious anatomical reasons. But, as I grew, I developed more feminine features. At around ten, they took me to a specialist and found that I had ovaries and am technically intersex."

"Whoa, that must have been-"

"Confusing?" I chuckled, "That's an understatement, but honestly I finally felt more like myself when everyone started referring to me as a girl. At first it was awkward, but soon I went through puberty and everyone sort of moved on and forgot that they'd referred to me as 'he' for ten years."

Scarlett chewed her bottom lip, I couldn't read her expression. She took a breath, then closed her mouth, thinking. I prepared for the rejection. My wolf whimpered.

Suddenly, she stood and paced in front of the couch. "So, when do you usually tell women that? Like, is this a normal fourth date conversation?"

I blushed, "I've never dated anyone. I've never had this conversation."

The look on her face was utter shock, "Fuck! I mean, wow, fuck. I knew you were a little inexperienced, but wow." She paced faster and further from me, tangling her hands in her red hair. "Just great Scar," she mumbled. "Basically assaulted your girlfriend! Not even your girlfriend, you idiot. Just some poor woman you've tricked into going out with you!" I'm not sure she was aware how well I could hear her quiet monologue, but my ears perked up at the mention of girlfriend. I watched from the couch after buttoning my jeans, trying to force myself to calm down as she strode away toward the window. She kept mumbling to herself and tugging her curls.

Once she finally settled down, she came to sit back on the couch, though farther away. "Sawyer, I'm so so sorry for touching you. I shouldn't have done that. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

She took both of my hands in hers, "No, you are allowed to tell me things at your own pace. I-I'd like to get to know you better. If you want that?"

"I'd like that a lot."

Her worried expression faded to be replaced with one of her sunny smiles. "Sorry for being a creep."

I laughed, "You're not a creep. I, um, liked the kissing?"

She giggled, "Is that a question?"

"No, but, 'Can I kiss you some more?' is."

"Please kiss me more."

With that we spent the next thirty minutes or so just kissing on her couch. She kept her hands strictly to herself or on my shoulders. I wrapped mine around the small of her back and was pleased with the delighted shiver I felt from her.

"Can I ask you something?" she murmured as I was running my hands through her hair and she lay back on my lap.

"Mmhmm."

"Can, um, can you- like, have kids?"

"I don't have a uterus," I replied matter-of-factly.

She laughed, "No, I mean, can you get someone with a uterus pregnant?"

"Oh," I shrugged, but blushed. "I think so?"

"But you aren't sure?"

I knew what she was asking and opted for the most medically appropriate answer...but I buried my red face in my hands in embarrassment before saying it. "I have semen, I don't know if it's viable. But yeah, it- uh, comes out."

I felt her warm, chubby hands pull at mine. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know for future dates," she said with a half smile. "If I'm going to be with someone who can do that, I need to plan for protection."

"Right!" I blushed harder and she just smiled.

"I really like you, Sawyer," she offered.

"I like you too."

When I finally left, she walked me to the door and leaned against the frame in the sexiest way. My heart was hammering in my chest at just how honest we'd been with each other. I think it was a little adrenaline, fear of getting hurt. Most people hold a little fear of intimacy, I think, because letting someone get that close gives them the opportunity to really hurt you. It's not that I thought Scarlett would, but damn could she. My heart was well on its way to being hers. Still, as she stood there looking gorgeous and a little ruffled from making out, I couldn't resist teasing her a little.

"So, girlfriend, huh?"

Immediately her face turned pink, "Oh, uh, I didn't mean. I mean if you wanted, that is...I know we haven't, for long-"

"I'd like to be your girlfriend." I leaned in, kissing her cheek.

She smiled, "You bully. Alright, girlfriends." She kissed my lips. "Text me when you get home safe!"

"I will. Bye, Scar."

She waved as I bounded down her steps and hopped into the van. Christmas lights dotted the neighborhood and little window displays were popping up in the shops. My mood was high as I tore out of town. She picked me, she found out and accepted me still. I smiled as the wind whipped around the van and a shower of snow began to fall.

Now all that was left was my other anomaly...hopefully she took my being a wolf as well.

_ _

All of our peace at home, well what was left of it, was shattered by those two adorable pups. May and Callum took over more of the house as they fell into parenthood. There were pacifiers, burp rags, and little socks all over in the most odd places due to the general sleep deprivation of the adults. Luke and I took it upon ourselves to wrangle some of these items...we also made a game out of the strangest places we found baby items.

"I think I win this week!" Luke called as he appeared with two pacifiers and a wrinkled burp cloth.

"Oh yeah? Where did you find those?"

"One paci was on the back of the toilet downstairs, the other was hanging from the bar in the shower. And this burp cloth..." he paused for dramatic effect. "Stuck halfway in the cellar door outside!"

I laughed, "Why was it there?"

"My guess? Callum had it over his shoulder when he went to check something in storage and it fell off."

I grabbed the cloth from him and tossed it into a dirty laundry basket. "Well, I'll do another load today so I'll take it. But that's definitely on the leader board this week!"

Luke did a fist pump in the air, then took off back outside into the snow.

As I loaded up the washer which now never stopped running, I caught a text from Scarlett asking if I would come over that night. We'd had lots of good dates and I liked going to her apartment for meals and board games. She taught me how to make a real pizza and I taught her how to play chess. Sometimes if my pack duties were light, I'd run into town just to give her a ride to or from the university for the day. She gushed over every new picture of the babies and I got to hear about her classes.

In those moments of doing regular 'life' things with her, I could almost see our future. I knew she'd fit in great with the pack. Yet, I still hadn't found the right moment to introduce her. Callum and Dad suggested I wait until we were married, May and Mom said the sooner the better. It was an argument I was stuck in the middle of and no clear winner to choose. However, the feeling that I was lying to her was growing stronger and I knew it would have to be soon.

What I wasn't prepared for was Scarlett to initiate the conversation herself...that night.

"Sawyer, why don't we ever go to your house?" She asked as I lay across her lap on the couch. She was toying with my thick, brown hair as we watched a movie. My heartrate started to pick up.

"Um, super involved family, remember?"

"I know, I know. But don't you want me to meet them at some point?"

"No, I kind of like you. I'd like to keep you around," I joked.

She laughed, "I kinda like you too, but I still want to meet your family. You talk about how involved they are, how invested they are in your life, but I still haven't met them. Don't they want to meet me?"

"Believe me, they are chomping at the bit to meet you. I think my mom's asking me twice-a-day now."

"Then why don't we?" She ran her fingers through my hair as she leaned back on the cushions to stare at the ceiling.

I sighed, "Scar, there's just some things you don't know about my family yet and I'd like to tell you before you meet them."

She shrugged, "So tell me."

I pushed us up on the couch so I could sit upright. Giving her a sideways glance, "I just don't know if you're ready to hear it," I said heavily.

"Try me," the fiery redhead dared.

I stumbled over my thoughts, not quite prepared, "They're just a little embarrassing, okay? Like we don't always wear clothes and stuff."

She quirked an eyebrow, "You're nudists?"

"No! No, nothing like that. But we just don't wear clothes all the time because it makes it easier to- and with people coming and going all the time, so and then-"

"Sawyer, you're not making sense."

"I know, I'm sorry, I know." I rubbed my face with my hands, "Okay. Hold on."

I took a deep breath, "Alright, so do you know those books everyone was obsessed with as teenagers? The one with the- the vampires?"

She gave me a confused look, "Yeah?"

"Well and the other guy was, well you know, he was- So yeah and- it's like that."

"Sawyer, I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you trying to tell me your family believes in that stuff? Are you trying to tell me you're vampires or something?"

Shrugging I murmured, "Or something."

The skeptical look on Scarlet's face deepened, "So you're, what... werewolves?"

I stood and began pacing, "Look there's lots of things, lots of things people get- get wrong. Okay, but- but some things, some things are true. Fuck this is so much harder than I thought it would be!"

Scarlett's eyes raked up-and-down my body, I could see she was questioning my sanity. She sat there so primly with her little hands folded in her lap while only her eyes followed me around the room. Those gorgeous eyes, those eyes that saw into my soul and carried light. I waited for her to dismiss me, to tell me I was crazy, or to get up and leave. But instead my vivacious little mate looked at me as a slow smile spread across her face.

"Okay," she began hesitantly. "Prove it."

"Prove it?"

"Yeah, show me."

"I- you want me to shift?"

"Can't you? I mean, if you're a werewolf. Or is it only on the full moon type thing?"

"No, I can. I just....I'm big. You might not want me to do it in here. And I'd have to take my clothes off."

She narrowed her eyes, "That just sounds like an excuse to get naked."

"No, I just don't wanna rip my clothes!" I pleaded, "These are nice jeans."

"I'll say," she smiled, staring at my ass.

"You're sure? You really want me to do that?"

"Sawyer, I'm not even sure I believe you yet. I mean, how do I know this isn't just some elaborate scheme to keep me away from your family? Like maybe you're just trying to get me to think that you're all crazy."

"I mean, they are crazy-" she shot me a withering look. "Okay, okay, turn around."