The Pack House

Spring

A/N: Comment & Vote! *WARNING: Reader discretion is advised*

There's something so refreshing about the snow melting away.

The renewal of life. Or, in the case of my household, the short arrival of it. Adam had grown comfortable in the few months he had been with us. Red was his usual hot and cold self with me, subtly blaming me for driving away his little brother. Cameron was bed ridden for the last few months because the extra weight was too much for him to handle.

Adam had been studying hard on how to perform a c-section and everyone was nervous.

Will had taken a vow of silence mid winter and while he was up and about, he'd yet to say a word to anyone. Red's stubbornness when it came to trying to remedy the situation made it even worse. But at least I had my job to distract me.

"Mason you have three regulars tonight."

"That's it?" I frowned.

Red nodded. "I can make it none if you'd prefer?"

I scoffed and moved away from him. "You know Cam is due at any point now." Red said quietly after a moment. "Do you think it'll be okay?"

"I think they'll both be fine. Adam seems to have a handle on everything."

Red nodded his head. "I uh...put up a tire swing. I know he'll be too little for a while but I always wanted a swing when I was a kid."

"What, murder didn't keep you occupied?"

Red rolled his eyes. "Finish up in here please. And don't leave food out so long--you'll attract mice."

That evening Red set up Will with four different men. And he didn't even have to tie him down. That was progress right? And I was able to make a nightly connections and pretend someone loved me.

Everyone was happy. Sure, somewhere deep inside me I wasn't satisfied with the fact I was mateless but I was able to cope.

~~~

Two weeks later Cameron was in agony.

Adam made a quick decision to perform the C-Section. "There must be too much pressure on his spine," he had reasoned with me briefly before kicking everyone out of the room--including Red.

Red paced the hallway for an agonizing two hours. At that point I was too was afraid for Cameron and their child. But when Adam emerged wiping his hands clean on a towel, there was a satisfied smirk on his face. "It's a boy--obviously."

Red practically bowled the warlock over as he lunged toward the door desperate to lay eyes on their baby. I couldn't help the smile that seeped over my face accompanied by a painful realization that I could have had this amazing moment--but I had ruined it and my only chance was long gone.

"Thank you."

Adam smiled. "I was just doing my job. Plus now I've had a bit of experience in this field I can begin to assist others."

"I thought it was a curse."

"It is. But it's a handy little curse that could most likely be applied to a single male if I do chose."

I frowned. "You said you didn't--"

"I didn't curse their home Pack. Not to say the curse didn't get passed down to me." He winked. "But don't you worry Mason. I'll use it solely for good."

I shook my head with a small laugh. "You know what? I believe you. Thank you again."

His smile vanished all of a sudden and he took off running. "Adam--"

"Get Red!"

He practically leapt down the flight of stairs and I turned to poke my head into the room. Cam was still unconscious but Red was cradling an impossibly fragile being to his chest. I nearly forgot about the urgency in Adam's voice as I watched the tenderness Red was displaying. It made me miss my own father.

"I think something's wrong."

Red's eyes snapped up. "He's fine!"

"Not him. Adam ran downstairs. He wanted you."

Red muttered a curse and kissed the child on the forehead. "I'll be back Sterling."

He settled him carefully in his cradle and followed me quickly down the stairs. I followed Adam's scent to the backyard where Red began to speak angrily. "Someone better be dead for you to drag me away from my baby."

Adam turned a flashlight onto the tree. My stomach lurched. "Well Red, he's certainly dead." Adam commented bitterly.

I couldn't look up. My eyes were glued in his feet, hanging two feet from the ground. To the left was the tire Red had strung up--the swing he'd always wanted.

"I'll get a knife and we can cut him down."

~~~

"Is there anything you want to say Mason?"

What could I say? I crossed my arms uncomfortably and shook my head. I stepped forward and took a handful of dirt tossing it into the hole. It sprinkled over Will's torso. "I hope you're at peace now." I whispered.

It was my fault. I hadn't taken his silence seriously enough. I had pushed him too far. I had practically allowed him to get pushed into ending the pain. The worse part was his face was so serene. We had buried him beneath the tree he had hung himself in.

Red hadn't left the house since it happened--he had taken the blame completely upon himself. Cameron put an arm around me. "I can finish up if you want to take Sterling inside."

The tiny baby was the only thing left in this house to bring anyone any happiness so I was determined to protect and cherish him. Regardless, Cam was too weak to shovel and Red needed more comforting than I did. "I'll be alright."

As if on cue it began to sprinkle as I took the shovel in my hands. Slowly I covered the corpse, unsure of whether it was rain or tears falling down my cheeks. The only silver lining was that nothing could hurt him now.

He was safe.

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