USELESS?

18

The next morning, Jeremiah, Archer, Anthony and I meet in the main kitchen, having breakfast before Anthony heads to his office and I join Jeremiah and Archer on their way to the infirmary. Jeremiah opens the door, revealing Victor and Joseph in a rather steamy kiss. The two jump apart, blushing furiously, as the three of us laugh.

"How much do you want to bet they've got mating marks?" I ask Archer.

"Not yet," says Victor, winking at me. "We know how to be patient. Besides, we've waited a long time to find each other, and we want to celebrate our mating with the pack."

"So we have a ceremony to plan?" Asks Archer. "Mom will definitely want a hand in that."

"That's ok with me," Joseph says. "Queen Grace has done so much for me. She's been like a second mother."

"Well, then, let's get this going, so the three of us can call and give her the good news," I say.

"Prince Archer, if you wouldn't mind providing a sample so I can confirm," Victor says, holding out a cup and pointing Archer towards a door. "Then we can do an ultrasound."

"It's just Archer," he says. "No need for formalities among friends." He takes the cup from Victor and goes to the restroom.

As expected, the test is positive. At Victor's direction, Archer climbs up on the table and bares his stomach. He winces as the cold gel hits his skin, and I chuckle. Victor smiles, and places the ultrasound wand on Archer's midsection, moving it around.

"Well, there we go," he says. "Hear that?"

We nod, listening to the thump-thump, thump-thump that sounds just like what I heard last night. "That sounds familiar," I say. "Are there two?"

"Actually, Luna, Archer, there are three." Victor answers. "And you're about as far along as Hunter, three to four weeks."

"Three?!" Squeaks Archer. "Triplets?!"

Jeremiah collapses to the floor in shock. I'm sure Archer would join him, if he weren't already laying down. It takes a few minutes for me, Victor, and Joseph to revive Jeremiah as Archer cleans himself off and watches. When Jeremiah wakes up, he lifts Archer off the table into a tight embrace, kissing him deeply.

"Well," I say, "it's not surprising that we're both about as far along. Our matings were less than twenty-four hours apart, after all."

"I'm going to get the two of you some prenatal vitamins," Victor says. "I would have brought them to you this morning, Luna, but I knew you'd be coming by with Archer."

I thank him, then look at Archer and Joseph and ask "Ok, are our eardrums ready for this? You know mother is going to squeal when we give her the news."

Archer and Joseph laugh, but sober up quickly when they realize that I'm probably right. I laugh at the looks on their faces, then turn to Victor to ask, "Is there anything else Archer and I need to know before we steal your mate for a few hours?"

"Nope, you're all set. Just make sure you take those vitamins every day, and come back to see me in...oh, about six weeks to see how you're doing. Also, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to stop by."

"I'm sure we will," I say. "How long until we can find out genders, if we want to?"

"Probably at your next visit," Victor says, "or the one after that. We'll be able to nail down a due date by then, as well. However, with multiples there's always a chance of early labor, so we'll monitor your third trimesters closely." Archer and I nod our heads in agreement.

Joseph, Archer, Jeremiah, and I leave the infirmary, heading to Anthony's office so we can make the phone calls together. As we reach the entryway, the doors open, and two werewolves I've never seen before step in. An extremely tall, blond man is followed by a beautiful dark-haired woman. Jeremiah seems startled, and goes up to greet them.

"Alpha Ty, Luna Angela," he addresses them, "you've returned."

"We heard that Anthony found his mate," the man, Alpha Ty says. "We wanted to meet her, and help plan the mating ceremony."

When he says this, I realize that these are Anthony's parents. Also, it occurs to me that, however they heard about Anthony finding his mate, it wasn't from Anthony. They think Anthony's mate is female, and don't know we completed the mating without a ceremony. I'm not sure if I should introduce myself or not.

Jeremiah takes the decision from me. "He did meet his mate, and so did I. Allow me to introduce you." He says, gesturing towards Archer and I. "This is my mate, Prince Archer Steele of the Silver Dawn Pack, and Anthony's mate, Archer's twin brother, Prince Hunter Steele."

I hold out my hand to Anthony's father, starting to say "It's an honor to meet you," but the words freeze in my throat as I see the look on his face.

Ty slaps my hand away, and growls. "A male mate? This is unacceptable. We'll put a stop to this immediately."

"There's nothing you can do," Anthony says coldly, coming up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and placing his hands on my stomach. "We've completed our mating, and Hunter is pregnant."

"And why weren't we informed of this before now?" Ty asks, his tone just as cold as Anthony's. "We are your parents. We are also the Alpha and Luna of this pack."

"FORMER Alpha, father." Anthony reminds him, "You turned the pack over to me four years ago, and haven't bothered to come back or even check in since. I tried calling you when Hunter and I met, and when we mated, and when his parents came-and gave us their blessing on our mating. The King and Queen are overjoyed that their sons have found their mates."

"The King and Queen?" His mother asks. "The royal family visited here?"

"Yes, mother. King Orion and Queen Grace were here about six weeks ago to reunite with my mate." Anthony answers, causing his parents' eyebrows to raise in confusion. "They brought Archer with them, which is how he and Jeremiah found each other. Why don't we take this to my quarters?"