The Pack's Nemesis (Quirin's Story) novel Chapter 86

Quirin

I come awake feeling disoriented. Something is wrong, or ... not wrong, just off? Unexpected? What the fuck? I’m never this disoriented. And why is my bed so fucking hard? And where is my mate? I can smell her. She’s nearby.

I force my eyes to open and immediately wince as the light above me shines in my eyes. Why is there a light above me? Where the fuck am I?

“There he is.” I hear Luna Yara say and a moment later she’s beside me. I know this positioning. I’m in a hospital. Am I still recovering from the bear attack? No, that can’t be right. I didn’t just dream my life, did I?

“Where’s Kennedy?” I ask, more harshly than is necessary.

“Bathroom. She’ll be right back. How are you feeling?” she asks me.

I feel fine, just disoriented.

“Why am I in the hospital?” I ask, realizing that I don’t feel like I have any injuries, and I’m completely dressed except for my shoes.

“What do you remember, Quirin?” she asks me in her gentle way.

“Hey,” I hear my mate’s sweet voice. In a quick motion, I’m up and turning to the sound of her voice. I get off the bed and look her over quickly before pulling her into my arms.

“What’s wrong? Why are we here? Why am I in a hospital bed? I’m not injured.”

She takes my face in her hands and holds my gaze. “Breathe for me, Quirin.”

I keep my arms around her waist and take a deep breath of her citrus and mint scent, letting it calm the turmoil inside me. What is wrong with me?

“You passed out, Quirin,” she says softly.

“I ... what? I never pass out.”

“You were a bit ... shocked and maybe overwrought?” she says, watching me.

Overwrought? I don’t get worked up about anything. The only thing that ever makes me nervous or anxious is Kennedy and how she feels about me. I frown at her. Did we have a fight? No, we wouldn’t be in the hospital if we did. I blink at her while she holds my gaze.

And then it hits me like a fucking tsunami. I look down at her stomach. “Oh shit.”

“Easy, Quirin. Do I need to call Warren back in here?” Yara asks, coming to put her hand on my shoulder.

‘Get your fucking shit together! Our mate is pregnant with our pups, pups that we filled her with, and you’re passing out on her!’ Raif growls in my mind.

I take a deep breath, watching my mate as worry flickers across her face. That, more than anything, makes me calm myself.

“Four?”

She nods.

“Do we know if they’re boys or girls?” Stupid question. It doesn’t fucking matter. Four mouths to feed is two more than my mate can nurse at any one time.

“Mom says in about a week we should be able to tell. She thinks I’m three to four weeks along.”

“Three to four, but then ...” Holy fucking shit! I got her pregnant with four pups on her birthday?

'It might have been after you finally stopped holding back on her. We were pretty pent up by then,’ Raif smirks.

She smiles at me, probably seeing Raif in my eyes.

“What does Raif say?” she asks.

“Raif’s pretty proud of the prolific bastard he is,” I say and she bursts out laughing.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asks me. I pull her into my arms, holding her to me, careful not to squeeze her too tightly.

“First, I should be asking you that. Second, as long as I have you, I’ll be perfect. But you know I’m going to need a LOT of help with this. One was exciting but still scary. But, four? Kennedy, what the fuck are we going to do with four?” I ask her.

“Probably not sleep much. Mom and I were talking while you were unconscious, and we had an idea.”

“How long was I out?” I ask.

“About an hour,” she says.

I kiss the top of her head. “How do you feel about all of this?”

“Terrified, excited. Mostly I was worried about how you would respond. I know it’s a lot and you said you never expected to have pups, and now, you’re going to have an entire family in about four months.”

“What do you think of making Christy our full-time nanny? It would give her a strong place in the pack and an important role. I thought it might help her to gain some confidence and maybe help her to heal. She’ll spend her days on the Alpha floor in the beginning, giving her a sense of safety when she returns to the pack. We can even make up a room for her at the end of the hall if she wants it temporarily.”

Of course my mate has the perfect solution, not only to help us with our pups, but also to help our pack member.

“Have I mentioned how perfect you are? How much I love you? How much I want you?” I growl, making her giggle.

“I’m pretty sure the pack is going to realize just how much you want me when we tell them I’m having quadruplets.”

“You know, I’ve heard that when your mate is pregnant with a girl, her scent gets even stronger. I fucking hope at least one of these pups is a girl and if so, you'd better be prepared for your greedy mate who can't get enough of you.”

I smile as her scent spikes, and she wraps her legs around me. I lift her off the table, still rubbing my face against hers.

“Are you ready to tell the pack? Because after that, we’re going to fucking celebrate. If you thought I was passionate before, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

“I am definitely ready to celebrate,” she says, nipping at my chin.

I reach out in the mind link to Kier.

‘Alpha, is everything okay?’

‘What’s going on with Slater?’

‘I’m not sure if the pack was just really angry and venting their frustration on him, or if he was weaker than I thought, but he’s not going to last much longer.’

‘Good, tell the pack I have an important announcement. Finish him off and have them wash up. Meet us in the packhouse in thirty minutes.’

It quiet a moment and then he’s back. ‘Do you mind if we toss him off the overhang? It was the warriors’ idea. A bit of justice since that’s where Jasper got Luna.’

‘Fine by me. Thirty minutes.’

‘See you then,’ he says.

I take my mate’s mouth again, knowing I have a few extra minutes before heading to the packhouse.

Off in the distance, I hear the scream of terror as Slater goes flying over the overhang, but I ignore it. Everything that is important in my life is right here.