The Pack's Nemesis (Quirin's Story) novel Chapter 89

Kennedy

“Hi Henry,” I say, hearing Quirin growling low in his chest at Henry’s teasing.

“Ah, shit. I’m not interrupting you two in bed, am I?” I hear him ask, although I'm pretty sure he snickered. He's obviously enjoying himself.

“Do you really think I would have answered the fucking phone if I was in bed with my mate?”

“You might have, if you were worried about me,” he says.

“Did you call just to harass me?” Quirin asks.

“Well, mostly yes, but I did call to check on Kennedy,” he says.

“My mate is perfectly fine. Her mother is here to make sure that her pregnancy and delivery are going well and Echo made her reappearance again this morning,” he says, smiling down at me.

“That’s awesome, Kennedy. I’m so glad to hear that. But really, I was calling to make sure you have a safe word.”

“A safe word?” I ask and Quirin starts growling, louder this time.

“Yeah, you know, in case Quirin keeps you locked to the bed because of his voracious need for you and you can’t get away even to use the bathroom. We need a safe word so I know when to call in the calvary to come help you.” I can tell Henry is having to work really hard to keep from laughing.

“Alpha Henry, maybe I like it when my mate ties me to bed and has his wicked way with me,” I purr, making Quirin’s eyes snap to me. “I mean, I’m proud to be carrying four of my mate’s pups and thrilled that everyone knows just how much my mate wants me.”

I watch Quirin’s slow smile, the smile that is only for me.

“Damn Kennedy! I had no idea Quirin was going to rub off on you like this.”

“I thought you understood how these things worked, Henry. I wouldn’t be pregnant if he hadn’t rubbed off inside me,” I say, watching my mate’s grin get wider and wider.

“What the fuck is happening? I feel like I’m in some alternate universe where Quirin is all sweet and lovey and you, Kennedy are now the hardcore one.”

“Love will do that to you Henry,” I say, watching and feeling my mate’s happiness.

“Talk later, Henry. I need to go practice putting pups in my mate. I obviously am not up to par if I only gave her four,” he says, growling possessively at me.

“You need to consider the safe word, Kennedy!” Henry yells through the phone as Quirin disconnects, making me laugh.

“Is family always that annoying?” he asks me, his eyes dark with possessive pride.

“Not always. Sometimes they’re great and other times you want to kill them,” I tell him.

“That describes my feelings toward Henry to a tee.”

He leans in to kiss me and I’m sure that he would have carried me back upstairs if my father hadn't interrupted us with his throat clearing.

“Did you want to look over the pack lands, Quirin?”

Quirin growls, but pulls back. “We’ll pick this up later,” he says.

“I’m holding you to that, Alpha,” I tell him.

“Let me know how it goes with Christy.”

“I will,” I say as he stands and sets me on my feet. He kisses me again before walking to where my father is waiting for him.

“Quirin,” I call as they turn to walk off.

He turns back to me. “I love you.”

His smile that is only for me returns. “And I love you.”

I smile and then look at my father. “Love you too, Dad.”

“Oh good, you did see me standing here,” he says, winking at me. “Love you, Ken,” he says before they walk off.

I turn and make my way inside, headed back to the kitchen.

When I arrive, I hear Arianna and Susie talking to Christy.

“It’s okay, Christy. No one’s going to hurt you. He’s gone,” Arianna says. I can smell the salty scent of tears as I walk in. The three of them are sitting at a small table at the edge of the kitchen that they use to take breaks or just get off their feet during the day. But right now, Arianna and Susie are focused on holding Christy’s hands and talking to her.

“Hey, can I join this party?” I ask softly.

Christy’s head snaps up and I can see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

“She just got a bit scared, Luna,” Arianna says.

“I think that’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot, Christy. It’s going to take time to work through that. That’s part of the reason I wanted to talk to you,” I say, taking Susie’s seat when she moves so I can get closer to Christy. I take the hand that Susie was holding as she pulls up another chair.

“I can work, Luna. I swear I can. Please don’t take this away from me,” she pleads.

“Shhh,” I say, running my hand over her hair like I’ve seen my mother do with the omegas in our pack when they get upset. Then I cup her cheek and brush away her tears as she leans into my touch.

“I’m sorry I’m crying,” she whispers.

“No apologies are needed, Christy. And I won’t take this away from you, if you want it. But I have a proposition for you, one that I hope you will seriously think about .”

She lifts her head out of my hand and looks at me.

“What’s that Luna?”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard that I have quite a few babies growing in here,” I say, rubbing my stomach.

“You know Leo and you know he’s making changes that are in line with the way our pack is now run and will continue to run in the future,” Lane says, presenting Leo next.

“Christy?” I call, turning to look at her.

She walks over, looking between me and the other warriors. “Yes, Luna.”

“How would you feel about Leo becoming part of the Luna Guard?” I ask her. Her eyes go wide again.

“That’s not my decision to make,” she says.

“As my nanny, you will be spending nearly as much time with my Luna Guard as I am. I believe that you should have a say in who becomes part of my Guard,” I tell her.

“Nanny? Oh, Christy! That’s perfect for you,” Leo gushes, making her blush. “Congratulations!”

“Yes, congratulations,” the others say.

"Thank you," she says and looks down, clasping her hands in a nervous gesture. “I would be okay with it,” she says softly.

“Leo, you’re in. Randall, why don’t you tell me why you’re interested in being part of the Luna Guard,” I say, not waiting for Lane.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, trusted the wrong people in my life. But having you as our Luna, having your family here, is changing things for the better and is helping me realize that what I thought was normal in a pack all those years ago, isn’t. I spent a lot of years hating your father. Now, I’d like to make amends for that hate by protecting his daughter and my Luna.”

I don’t take my eyes off of him. “What do you think, Christy?”

“Warrior Randall is a strong warrior, but he’s never once been mean or cruel to any of the omegas. I think you can trust him.”

“You’re in, Randall. Now, I already sort of accepted Terrance. Any concerns there?” I ask her, turning my attention to Terrance. He raises an eyebrow, watching Christy, but doesn’t say anything.

“No. He’s very protective of his mate and his new pup, so I think that having him as a Luna Guard would be good. I think he’d protect your pups just like he protects his own.”

“Good, you’re still in, Terrance.”

“Thank you, I think,” he says.

“What about me?” Lane asks.

“You’ve already passed,” I say smiling. “But just so we’re all in agreement, any issues with Lane, Christy?”

“No, Luna, other than his mate is pregnant again, so I’m guessing he’ll want some time off around the time your pups are delivered,” she says and we all look at her.

“How did you know that? We haven’t told anyone yet,” Lane says.

Christy smiles and shrugs. “Omegas know things.”

“Oh Christy, you and I are going to get along perfectly!” I say.