True Nature Ch. 12

After I was dressed in my mates clothes, he scooped me up again and carried me to the kitchen, setting me down near the table. Then he pulled the food out of the oven and prepared a plate for me, making no move to get one for himself.

"Aren't you eating Alpha?" I drowsily murmured as I watched him cut my food into bite sized pieces.

"I will love, after you. I want all my focus to be on you right now, okay?"

I felt tears sting at my eyes and nodded happily, trying to get control over my emotions. I was so unused to being treated the way an omega should that his spoiling overwhelmed me. I'd never felt more cared for in my life.

Cain smiled as he listened to my thoughts, "Taking care of you and our pup is my number one priority," he promised, making me smile as more tears spilled down my cheeks.

"I feel like I need to keep pinching myself. This all seems like a perfect dream. I have a mate, a home and you even bought things for our pup. I saw them when I was changing," I added shyly. "We're an actual family. This is all so much more than I would have ever dared to hope for. Can it even be real?"

"This is completely real baby. I'm not going anywhere, ever again. You're stuck with me," he promised as he leaned in to kiss me.

My wolf practically beamed from hearing Cain's words and I nuzzled into my mate, taking in more of his incredible scent. "You're stuck with me too Alpha," I promised back. "I love you so much."

"I love you too sweetheart," he replied, sealing his words with another tender kiss.

The rest of the night was slow and peaceful for the most part. Cain fed me until I could barely take another bite and then had some food himself as we drank a delicious wine he'd bought called moscato. When he was finished with his food, he carried me to his couch and let me pick a movie to watch. I picked one about puppies but Cain had to change it the moment the evil lady with the fur coat came on the screen. I didn't like her and I was so scared she'd hurt the puppies that I'd whimpered in fear while I clutched my belly and couldn't stop. Cain told me it ended happy and the puppies got to be with their parents again but I didn't want to watch anymore.

I chose another movie, this time because I thought the blue man on the cover looked funny, but I was blown away when I learned he could grant wishes. As I watched, Cain took my feet into his lap and began to remove my socks before rubbing them. He worked his fingers from the soles of my feet into my calf muscles, massaging away any lingering ache from our playtime together. I sighed in contentment as I melted into the couch and before the movie had ended, I was fast asleep.

*******

"But I love it!" I pleaded with Cain as I held my collar protectively against my neck.

It was the next morning and we were getting ready to head back to the hospital to see if our bonding had helped strengthen the pup. I was ready to leave, anxious to see my mothers and an ultrasound of my pup but Cain didn't like what I was wearing. I'd been excited when I dressed this morning. I loved all my new clothes and since the weather was warming up, I pulled out a cotton pink and white dress with butterfly sleeves. It was modest and sweet and Cain told me I looked beautiful in it and that it didn't matter what anyone might have to say. The problem arose when I refused to remove my collar.

I knew why he wanted me to. My mothers would probably freak out if they saw me wearing it. They might even think that Cain was treating me like a house pet. The thing of it was, I couldn't bare the thought of taking it off, even for a few hours. The collar grounded me, reminding me that I was taken in a tangible way and I often found my fingers rubbing against it. I was no longer a sex toy for perverted men to use. I was a mated omega with a good, kind, strong alpha that adored me.

"Baby come on... your parents will probably freak out if they see this."

"How is this any different from your mark? Or do you expect me to cover that too?" I asked. I was being a tad manipulative, for I knew he would never make me cover that.

"Baby, I don't think it's a good idea. You can wear it for the rest of the day when we get home. I promise," he said, pulling me in to kiss my forehead as he reached for the back of my collar.

I pulled back from him, "Alpha don't... I can't.. I just got it. Please let me keep it," I begged, baring my neck to show him how badly I meant my words.

He sighed and gave me a worried look. "Fine but be prepared for them to be unhappy about it. Now let's go little wolf. I'm sure your moms are impatiently awaiting your arrival."

Twenty minutes later we arrived at the hospital and I smiled when I saw my moms waiting for me right outside the front doors. As soon as Cain parked I hurried out of the car and practically dragged Cain over to them, needing to scent them, but when we got close I grew self conscious and partially hid behind my mate. The women were staring at my clothes and collar with a look of complete shock that was quickly turning into anger and, possibly, disgust.

"How dare you!" The queen growled at my mate. "He's a Prince and you have him looking like a-"

"Before you finish that sentence, you should know that Fae has been so excited to see you both. He picked his dress out special because he wanted to look nice for you and the collar makes him feel safe," my Alpha interrupted as he reached behind his body to place a protective hand on my back.

Both of the women instantly dropped from their fighting stances and breathed slowly until they were smiling happily at me.

"You look beautiful pup," the Luna softly spoke as she studied me. "Pink is really your color."

"I agree. You're the picture of perfection my darling," the queen agreed, holding out her arms to me.

I came out of hiding and nervously walked forward before I running to where the women stood. The moment I reached them I leaned in close to their scent glands, going back and forth between each one, breathing in their soothing scents as I ran my fingers up and down their arms, happy that they didn't seem to mind how close I needed to be. When I was finally sure that they were real, I stepped back to Cain and took his hand, feeling a little lost without the alpha touching me.

"Are you ready to see your pup, sweet boy?" The Luna asked as they walked us into the hospital.

I nodded, "Yes but mother... I'm scared it didn't work. I know the pup is in stasis but if bonding worked, wouldn't I be able to feel the pup kicking or moving around?"

"I don't know sweetheart but soon we'll see what's going on, okay?" She responded.

Just as we were about to go into the exam room, a guard ran up to my mothers, looking extremely concerned.

"Your majesties," he addressed them with a quick bow. "Has the young Prince broken the bond connection with the prisoner?"

Cain quickly pulled me into his arms, "I think so," I answered before anyone else could respond.

The man directed a bow towards me as a relieved look crossed his face. "For your sake, your highness, I surely hope that is true."

"Allan what's going on?" My mom demanded, looking worried.

"It's the Shadow Pack King-" the beta began.

"Is he trying to get his little friend out of prison?" My other mom asked, looking furious. "We agreed to a trial, not a release!"

"No ma'm... it's actually quite the opposite. The Shadow King has gone feral. He's trying to get in the prison to kill Frank right now as we speak."

"What? Why? I thought he wanted his friend to get out of this alive."

"No one knows what happened my lady but, if this situation is acceptable to you, would you mind giving the order for the rest of the guards to stand down? It doesn't make much sense to waste good men on protecting a prisoner if he's no longer a threat."

"I agree with you. Tell everyone to leave the Shadow King and the beta alone in the prison but station men outside just in case this is a clever trick."

"Yes ma'm," the beta answered before turning to leave.

"I want to help," Cain suddenly said as he let go of me. "That bastard hurt my mate over and over. I deserve the right to avenge him."

I quickly grabbed onto Cain's shirt with a death grip. I didn't want him to leave. I was feeling scared. I didn't know what was happening with our pup and I didn't know if the Shadow King attacking Frank would somehow hurt me. I understood why my alpha wanted to fight but I couldn't bare the thought of letting him go.

"Please stay," I begged as I pressed myself close to him. "I need to know about our pup and I need you here for that. You keep me calm. Please Alpha?"

Just as quickly as the fight had filled Cain, it disappeared and he curled his body around mine.

"Whatever you want love," he murmured, kissing my temple.

*******

Ten minutes later I was sitting in a hospital gown with cold gel spread across my flat belly. My moms, my mate and I gazed at a monitor that showed my little pup. The image was blurry and inconsistent but it was still there and it's little heartbeat could be heard pattering away like a hummingbirds wings. I felt my eyes fill with tears as I watched the little miracle on the screen, thankful for the sound of life since my little bundle wasn't moving.

"So, there's good news and there's bad news," the healer said as we watched the little dot on the screen. I turned to look at her, fearful that I was going to loose my pup. "The bad news is that despite the magic and the very strong, albeit fresh, bond between you two, the pup has suffered from Fae's previous situation and from having to wait so long for the bond to happen. As a result, there's a very good chance that the pup could give you complications at birth."

"What kind of complications?" Cain asked, sounding tense as he hovered over me.

"Well... the pup might not feel safe enough to leave Fae's body, causing a difficult birth. We don't like to do c-sections on male omega's because it's harder from them to recover from but there's a big chance we may have to. That's why it's so important for a bond to exist in the first place because it allows the pup to form a connection to the outside world and that helps a great deal during delivery. We think that the lack of an early bond is also why the puppy is curled up into a ball rather than moving around freely. It seems as if it's trying to cling to it's only known parent."

I glared at the healer, disliking her tone as she talked about the importance bonding for I could feel Cain's guilt and anxiety through our connection. If I didn't want to punish my mate for not bonding with me immediately then no one else had the right to make him feel so bad.

"If the delivery goes better than we expect, there's also the chance that the pup will suffer from a disability but it's too soon to tell what kind. That kick to your stomach was extremely damaging and it's a miracle that the pup even survived this long. It's such a strong little fighter, it must be an alpha and it must already have a strong connection to you my Prince," the healer continued seriously.

"The good news?" Cain prompted as he held me tight so that I wouldn't shake so hard.

"The good news is, if nothing else goes wrong and if Fae takes things really easy, the pup should make it to full term. If we can deliver it successfully then the pup should be able to live a long and happy life, despite the possible disability."

I don't know when I started crying but I registered Cain's fingers wiping my tears away and I leaned into him even more, letting him completely support my back.

"This means," the healer turned to my alpha and looked him dead in the eye, "You're not to make him lift a finger for anything. He should be on bed rest as much as possible and I would advise that you spend his pregnancy locked up together, trying to strengthen your bond as much as possible. Now this doesn't necessarily mean you should only have sex to do that but since I suspect that will happen and the Prince looks... well, no rough fucking. Got that Alpha? Every precaution needs to be taken now that the stasis is starting to wear off."

"Of course. I don't want to do anything to hurt them further. Do you know the sex of the pup?" Cain asked, sounding in awe as he studied the little bundle on the screen.

"Unfortunately we can't tell that right now due to the pups positioning. We have other ways of finding out but those tests were inconclusive, showing both male and female markers. So, short of forcing the pup to move out of their position, we will just have to wait it out."

We both nodded and held each other close as we listened and watched for several more minutes, both praying silently to the moon goddess for the protection of our pup.

*******

Cain's Pov:

After the healer left I could tell that Fae was completely overwhelmed and exhausted. I had him lay down in a hospital bed to rest, telling him I'd be just outside the door to discuss things with his moms. After some coaxing and several long kisses, Fae finally allowed himself to be lulled into sleep while I stroked his forehead. Then I quietly shut the door to his room so no one would disturb him.

"Does anyone know what happened to Frank or why the Shadow King went feral?" I asked the queen when the door was securely shut.

"Nobody knows why the King did it, for he won't say a word about it, but Frank is dead. He was completely torn to shreds after the King basically played his his food. We do know he screamed out a few other names of people who were involved with hurting Fae but we'd need an investigation to confirm any of what was expressed during the Shadow King's attack."

I growled a little, I'd hoped to get another chance at ripping the beta apart but now it was too late. "That's better than he deserves," I finally said after getting a hold of my wolf. "And there are others. I will help identify them, I just hope you'll allow me the chance to express my rage when they're found guilty."

"Agreed," the Queen stated, looking through the hospital window to watch her son sleep. Then she turned to me, "It's come to my attention that you have no way to support our son. That you lost the job the humans gave you and your rent is due in less than a week. Not to mention, you depleted most of your savings on a shopping spree right before our son was rescued."

I blushed and looked at my feet, feeling like the worst alpha in the world. I knew I'd have to figure out a way to take care of my family and I felt completely ashamed that I currently didn't have a way when I wanted to prove myself to them.

"I think the job loss is for the best," she continued, causing me to look up and meet her gaze. "The truth is, regardless of everything our pup has been through, he's still our only heir and now that he's back, we need to think about making him ready to rule over Lotus Pack."

I growled then, angry that she would even think about putting pressure on my mate when the healer had just told him to take things easy.

"Oh calm down," the Luna snapped at me. "We aren't going to have him do anything until his pup is born, he's just going to learn the politics of it all. Besides, most of the responsibilities will fall to you because your his alpha and by right, you outrank him. Because of this, and the fact that we haven't seen Fae in years, we would like to offer both of you a place to stay. When you're both on your feet and ready to rule, the house will become yours and we will move into a smaller place since the main house is meant for big families. However, until then, we thought we could stay and help with his pregnancy and get to know him more as well as teach you both what responsibilities you will have in the future. Of course, being his bonded means you'd have to approve of this," she finished with a little glare, as if daring me to say they couldn't live with their son for the next 5 months.

"We also understand you'll need to be... close to him. The bedrooms will be made soundproof, if that helps," the Queen offered, turning red from the implication that her words meant for all of us.

"What? You want me to live in your home? Your helping me? Why?" I asked, completely taken back. I had assumed that Fae and I would have to stay in my little apartment for a space of time while I tried to find a new job, so that I could get enough money together to buy us a real home. I'd even planned on asking the Queen if Fae could stay with them while I slept in a tent outside, if it came down to it. I knew my omega was a Prince and that his parents loved him but I didn't think that would ever extend to me in any way and I would have never asked for it to.

"You were always meant to help him rule. It was thought that your marriage would bring Shadow and Lotus packs closer together. At the time, we accepted that it meant we'd have to concede to a foreign alpha when our omega was born, instead of him being an alpha like most first births. In any event, you two are bonded and," the Queen looked at her wife, "We see how attached he is to you. He even seems happy now and we've observed how you've been behaving as a proper mate should. You told us how your own pack rejected you and even though that means we cannot join our two packs by marriage, there's still a chance that you could unite us because of your relation to the young Shadow King. In light of this, when your pup is born, we'd like you to have an official mating ceremony with Fae. Then, directly after, we will have a symbolic passing of the crown and, should you accept, you will become a part of Lotus Pack."

My mouth hung open in shock. "You.. want me to be part of your pack and you want us to live with you? You want me to help rule your pack? I thought you both hated me?" I asked, feeling as if I might cry. I hadn't been part of a pack in so long and even when I had been, I was kept separated from the other members so it had barely felt like I had one I was a part of at all. Besides that, I never thought I'd be a ruler over anyone. That right had been taken from me long ago.

"We still aren't pleased that you sent our son back to that repulsive beta but given the circumstances, it at least makes sense as to why you did," the Luna told me. "If we thought you wanted power and control or if you had continued to treat Fae badly, this wouldn't even be a conversation because you'd be dead or imprisoned. However, before you two bonded we had a nice, long talk with our pup and we could see how deeply he already loved you. It would hurt him if we never accepted you and we can see how much you care for him. I know our reaction earlier might not of shown it but in our defense, we never expected our child to be collared like a common mut."

I growled at that but she ignored me and continued, "Also, he might have threatened us over the idea of you standing trial yourself so we must release you of your crimes. Besides that, neither of us is willing to hurt our boy further. So, provided that you never do anything to harm our son again, we would be happy to offer you a place in our pack and will wipe your slate clean. After all, you are the part of the reason he was able to finally come back to us."

*******

A few hours later, Fae and I were back at the apartment. I was holding him close as he carefully examined everything I'd bought for our pup, occasionally murmuring about how soft everything was. He slowly traced his finger against the large printed A on the onsie before him that read "Our little Angel".

"Alpha," he whimpered and I was suddenly aware that his small body was trembling. "I-I'm sorry that I didn't protect our pup better when Frank had me. If I'd been smarter I would have never acted out when you left his home. If I hadn't, then maybe he would've gone easier on me. I... I weakened our pup. It's my fault they have a disability. I couldn't protect my baby." He began to cry and I turned him so that he could crawl into my lap as we clung to each other.