𝐃𝐞́𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐫 || 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐤𝐒𝐨𝐨

Chapter 27

Joshua was riding a rollercoaster of emotion. First it seemed like Seokmin didn’t care about him. And then the alpha did a complete one-eighty and confessed his true feelings, which left Joshua feeling warm and happy inside. Seokmin loved him too. He hadn’t read things wrong; he hadn’t seen what wasn’t there to be found. But then Seokmin laid bare the reality of what a pack mating would entail, and a ball of lead began to grow in Joshua’s stomach.

“So, wait. You’re saying our bond would be permanent?”

Normal bonds weren’t. It was as easy as Seokmin had said to break one: a legal dissolution and a quick dose of hormones usually did the trick.

“Almost certainly. Pack bonds can be broken, but normally it requires something huge, like the death of a mate or a child, or serious infidelity on the part of one mate.”

Joshua shrugged. “It’s not like I was planning to trade you in for a new model a few years down the line. If I mate, I want it to be forever.”

That got a smile from the alpha.

“But the pregnancy thing… how does that work?”

Seokmin shuffled around so they were sitting closer and rested his hand on Joshua’s knee. “I’ve done some research, but it’s hard to get information on packs these days. Most of what I know comes from a pack we encountered while on a mission overseas. The intensity of the bond floods the omega’s body with all the right hormones during mating, so pregnancy is almost a given.”

“We could use protection.”

“The bond won’t form properly if it’s not skin to skin, every inch of us.”

He felt himself flush and shiver at that, very much wanting Seokmin’s bare skin against his.

“Contraception?”

“Not strong enough to overcome the hormone flood.”

“I guess it wouldn’t be so bad. If I’d married my not-quite-fiancé when he proposed, we’d probably have tried for a baby early on. With nine months to prepare, we’ll surely be ready for the patter of tiny feet.”

Seokmin’s thumb, which had been idly rubbing circles over Joshua’s knee, stilled.

“We won’t have nine months?” Joshua guessed, remembering how, in the past, premature babies were sometimes called pack babies.

“Three is more usual. Pack pregnancies are more intense than normal pregnancies, but they end quicker.”

Three months! Three months was the blink of an eye, nowhere near enough time to prepare for a baby.

“How is that even possible?”

Could his body handle growing a whole baby in only three months?

“It won’t be the easiest three months you’ve ever lived through,” Seokmin admitted. “You’ll be most comfortable in your shifter form, especially toward the end.”

And wouldn’t that be inconvenient? How could he work if he was spending all his time as a fox?

“Next you’ll be telling me I’ll have a litter and not a baby,” he joked, trying to diffuse some of the tension that had sprung up.

When Seokmin stayed quiet, he lifted his head, eyeing the alpha in disbelief.

“Tell me you’re kidding.”

“Not kidding,” Seokmin said softly. “On the positive side, while you’ll have plenty of heats, you may only get pregnant once. Twice, at most. And it’ll be seven or eight years between pregnancies.”