USELESS?

16

The day after Anthony mentioned the possibility of me getting pregnant, I went into my first heat. Anthony and I spent the entire week never leaving our bed. We made love every night, most mornings, and several times throughout the day. An Omega was tasked with bringing trays of food to our door, and collecting the empty ones.

As their mating was the day after ours, Archer and Jeremiah spent their week in much the same manner. Fortunately, Archer was able to postpone the arrival of my tutor by a week, due to circumstances, before his heat started. I was thankful he'd had the foresight to do so, saving all of us from an extremely awkward situation. Anthony and I were definitely in no fit state for entertaining guests, and neither were Archer and Jeremiah.

My tutor arrived, as promised, and things quickly settled into a routine. For the first two weeks, I spent several hours after breakfast, and after lunch, learning everything Joseph could teach me about werewolf and human history, diplomatic relations, and culture. He also taught me advanced mathematics and accounting, so that I could help Anthony with pack affairs.

In the third week, the construction was completed on the private training center, and I began spending mornings in my studies and afternoons in combat training with Anthony and Jeremiah. I learned quickly, much to my surprise. If I saw a move once, I could emulate it fairly accurately. After a week of training, I could keep a sparring bout with Jeremiah going for at least ten minutes.

It's been a month since Joseph's arrival, and things have finally settled down enough to have a pack dinner to welcome him. The announcement has been sent, and the pack hall decorated in the colors of both the Silver Dawn and Golden Moon packs. It's the morning of the dinner, and as I wake up in Anthony's arms, I'm immediately overcome with a feeling of nausea. I manage to slip from Anthony's arms without waking him, and run quickly but quietly to the restroom, closing the door behind me.

I empty my stomach into the bowl, and press my head against the cool porcelain until the nausea passes. I stand up, brush my teeth at the sink, and make sure to flush the evidence away. Anthony doesn't need to know that I've woken up this way for the last few days. I'm trying to figure out how to find my way to the infirmary without worrying him before I know what's wrong.

I make my way back into the bedroom, and back to bed, kissing Anthony awake as I always do. I wrap my arms around his neck and he deepens the kiss, as he always does. When we're both breathless, he whispers "good morning, my love," before getting out of bed. I pout a little, disappointed that it seems a kiss is all I'm getting this morning. Instead of complaining, I make my way back out of bed and get dressed. As always, Anthony and I choose complementing outfits without consulting one another, or even looking at each other.

We head to the kitchen for breakfast. Fortunately, after my nausea passes, I'm able to eat normally. We finish a rather large breakfast, share a quick but passionate kiss, and go to our duties: him to the pack office, me to the library for another tutoring session with Joseph. Today, however, we neglect tutoring in favor of discussing the upcoming dinner.

"Honestly, this pack is very welcoming," I promise. "Granted, I was introduced in a rather odd manner, given how I came to be here, but no one has said a word about it."

Joseph looks at me, puzzled. "What do you mean, how you came to be here?"

"Well, how much did King Orion tell you about me before you left?" I ask him.

"Very little, actually." He says, running a hand through his auburn hair. "Just that you needed a good tutor, and Prince Archer had requested me. I see that you and Archer look quite alike. Are you cousins?"

I shake my head. "We're twins," I say, making Joseph gasp, his blue eyes widening. "I was kidnapped at birth, and by a strange turn of events, managed to be raised among a group of rogues masquerading as a pack. Anthony and his warriors rescued me about six weeks ago."

Joseph shakes his head."That's crazy. I'm sure there's more to the story than that, but to be honest, I would rather you didn't tell me. There are some things a low-ranked werewolf is just not meant to know," he jokes.

"Low ranked?" I ask, confused. "I thought you were an Elder."

"I am," he confirms. "But I was born a submissive, and was ranked as an Omega when I had my first shift. I was lucky to be in the Silver Dawn Pack when I showed signs of great intelligence. King Orion saw to it that I got the best education money could provide."

"That was very generous of father," I say. "I'm glad you were well taken care of."

We notice the time, and decide to part ways to prepare for the banquet. A wave of dizziness washes over me as I stand, but it quickly passes. We leave the library, and part ways in the entryway, heading for our suites. An hour later, Anthony and I meet Joseph, Archer, and Jeremiah outside the pack hall, and with Joseph holding the middle, we make our way to the Head Table. We take our seats, and wait for the rest of the pack to arrive.

In short order, the room is full of laughing, chattering werewolves. As soon as everyone is seated, Anthony stands, and the room quiets. He clips on the microphone waiting beside his plate, clears his throat, and begins speaking. "Good afternoon, Golden Moon Pack. As you are aware, we are holding this banquet to welcome a visiting Elder from the Silver Dawn Pack. He is the vanguard of a new program, instituted by the Queen at my suggestion. In the coming days, unmated werewolves will be receiving an information packet on this program."

"That is not the focus of our banquet today, however," he continues, motioning for Joseph to stand, "So let me introduce our guest. This is Joseph-"

"Mate," a voice from a nearby table interrupts. A muscular, blond man stands, and all eyes in the room follow him as he approaches our table. Joseph stands, and steps back from the table as if in a dream, walking around the table to meet the man. The man pulls Joseph to him, wrapping his arms firmly around him, saying "Mine," As the room erupts in applause.

"And here, we see the purpose of the new program," Anthony says, chuckling. "As I was saying, This is Elder Joseph Andrews of the Silver Dawn Pack. Joseph, meet my cousin, Dr. Victor James. "

"Doctor?" I ask.

Anthony nods. "Victor here is our pack doctor." He says to me. Turning to the new couple, he says, "Victor, why don't you join us at our table?"

I stand to shift my chair in an attempt to make room for the addition, when suddenly the room goes fuzzy around me, and I collapse. Anthony curses, and reaches out to catch me before I can hit the floor. Victor and Joseph rush to my side. Removing his microphone and dropping it on the table, Anthony carries me from the pack hall, Victor and Joseph following. The four of us make our way to the infirmary.

"I'm sorry," I begin. "I've been meaning to stop in soon."

"Is something wrong, Luna?" Victor asks, all business

"Well," I begin, "I've been experiencing nausea and a little bit of vomiting the past three mornings, but it quickly passes. This afternoon, though, I had a mild dizzy spell in the library."

Anthony looks at me wide-eyed as Victor nods. "Given those symptoms, combined with the fainting spell, I think it's a very simple diagnosis. I'll have to run a test to be sure, though."

"Sure of what," I ask. "What's wrong with me?"

Victor smiles. "Nothing is wrong, Luna. I believe you're pregnant."