USELESS?

17

My eyes widen. "Pregnant?"

Victor nods,  holding out a plastic cup with a cap on it. "I believe so, Luna. If you can take this cup to the restroom over there, and provide a small sample, I'll be able to confirm."

I take the cup, and go to the room he pointed out. I return with it full a few minutes later. Victor pulls a small, white square with a small well and a window; and a dropper from a cabinet, and puts a few drops from the cup into the well on the card. "And now, we wait." He says.

The next few minutes are nerve-wracking. I hold Anthony's hand as we watch the card. A plus sign slowly appears in the window. We look at each other, not sure what this means. Together, we look at Victor questioningly.

Victor smiles at us, "well, it's official." He says, "congratulations."

Anthony stands up, pulling me into a hug and spinning me excitedly. I hug him back, tightly, laughing. "I can't believe it," I say. "We're going to be dads."

"I told you this would happen," jokes Anthony. "As much as we make love, it was bound to be sooner rather than later."

"We have to call our parents." I tell him, "and your sister."

"Typical werewolf pregnancies are a little shorter than humans'" Victor informs us. "Six months, rather than nine. Let's get you up on the table, and see how far along you are."

I nod my head and sit on the rather uncomfortable table, laying back and pulling my shirt up in front, being careful not to let my back be seen. Victor turns on a small monitor with a wand, and after applying a very cold gel to my stomach, begins spreading it around with the wand. A picture appears on the screen, and we hear a rapid thump-thump thump-thump.

"And there are the heartbeats," Victor announces, still moving the wand around.

"Did you say heartbeats, as in plural?" I ask.

"Yes, Luna. Plural. You're carrying twins." Victor smiles. "Given that you and Anthony are both twins, the odds were rather high." I nod in understanding as Anthony squeezes my hand.

"Ok, it looks like you're about three to four weeks pregnant." Dr. James announces. "Given the unpredictability of early pregnancy, I would wait another month or so before making any announcements other than immediate family," he advises.

Anthony and I nod, and he hands me napkins to wipe the gel from my stomach. I stand up and pull my shirt down quickly. The four of us leave the infirmary, and return to the pack hall. We've been gone about half an hour, and it seems they held dinner for our return. Every head turns our way as we enter.

Anthony raises his voice and announces "Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about," as we make our way back to the head table. We take our seats, and the meal is immediately served.

Archer leans over, and looks at me closely. "Is everything okay, Hunter?" He asks.

"Everything is perfect, Archer. I'll tell you later." I promise, rubbing my stomach. "And then you can call mother and father for me." His eyes widen, and drop to my abdomen, then meet mine in wonder. I realize what he's asking, and nod.

Archer smiles, and says "congratulations. Looks like we both have news to share with mom and dad." He winks at me, as he sees my eyes widen in understanding. We're both pregnant.

Anthony raises an eyebrow at his Beta. "When were you going to tell us?" He asks.

Jeremiah just shrugs. "We were waiting for the right moment. I can't help it if your mate has a flair for the dramatic, and had to faint in public," he jokes.

"I can't help it if my pups are already making their presence felt." I mutter.

"Pups?" Asks Archer, "don't you mean pup?"

"Actually, no. It's pups. Plural. There were two heartbeats," I answer.

"Wow. You heard heartbeats. We just took a test. We haven't gone to see Victor yet."

"You should do that soon," Victor comments. "We can get an idea how far along you are, and check for multiples. They often run in families."

"I'll bring him to the infirmary tomorrow, Victor" Jeremiah promises.

"And after you've seen Victor," I add, "We'll call and tell mother and father just how many grandpups they're going to have."

"It's been 6 weeks since Fischer met his mate, too. Could be expecting more than we know," Archer jokes. "Wouldn't that be weird...you, me, and Fischer's mate all pregnant at once?"

"Honestly, no weirder than you, me, and Fischer finding our mates in the same week." I say. "The only way it would be weirder is if we were triplets, instead of Fischer being 3 years younger."

Archer laughs at that, nodding. "You have a point."

"Do you want me to go with you to the infirmary tomorrow?" I ask him.

"Sure," Archer says, "We can call mom and dad right after, then you and Joseph can get busy with your tutoring...since he'll probably be with Victor," he finishes with a wink at Joseph, who is now blushing.

Victor takes Joseph's hand, kissing the back of it, and smiles at him. "Who knew I'd be lucky enough to have a beautiful Elder for my mate?" He asks rhetorically, earning awws from me and Archer and an even deeper blush from Joseph.

"That's another thing we have to tell mother and father about tomorrow," I say. "Joseph found his mate. Mother will be exited, knowing that the start of the exchange program went so well."

"Exchange program?" Victor asks.

"Yes," says Anthony, "We're starting a program where 4 unmated weres, 2 dominants and 2 submissives, from every pack we can reach will rotate through packs, trying to find their mates. It will be on an irregular schedule, so that the 4 have a chance to meet everyone in the pack they are visiting. Queen Grace and I planned it out."

"Well, it's a wonderful idea. Thank you." Victor says.

The six of us continue talking and laughing for several hours before Victor laughingly shoos Archer and I off to bed, for the health of our pups. Of course, Anthony joins me, and Jeremiah joins Archer, leaving Victor and Joseph alone at the Head Table...which might have been Victor's intention all along.