The Gift

3

"Dad! She's doing it again!" Zach jumped up and ran to where his son's voice was coming from. His mate Suzy was going to give him a heart attack. He could only stare in horror as his mate climbed a very wobbly ladder with a can of paint in one hand and a paintbrush in her mouth. 

"It's called Nesting, Zach. Almost all women do it." Zach looked over to see his dad's gentle and soft spoken mate, looking up at his mate as she climbed that ladder.

"I don't care what it's called! She's going to be the death of me!" Then, turning to grab the ladder, he looked up and called out to his mate in a gentle voice, "Sweetheart, please come down from there. If you want the ceiling painted Tyler and I will be happy to do it for you." 

"But Zach, I just want a painted border in this room." Suzy sounded so reasonable. If she wasn't huge with twins and seven and half months pregnant, he wouldn't care.

"Sweetie, please come down here. This ladder is just no the safest place for you." Zach held his breath as he watched Suzy climb back down with a frown on her face and tears in her eyes.

"I did it again, didn't I?" Zach just wrapped her up in his arms and held her. Her pregnancy with their son Tyler had been completely smooth. The twins however, well, the twins were causing all sorts of problems and they weren't even here yet. His dad told him it was because one of the twins was an alpha wolf and the other was a beta wolf. Zach didn't care what they were, he just wanted them out of his mate so she could go back to normal.

"Dad? Do you smell that?" Zach took a deep whiff and stared at his mate in horror once again.

"What? Zach? What is the problem now?" Suzy's eyes were dry, but threatened to moisten back up at the slightest provocation.

"Baby, I think you water broke." was his gentle reply.

"Oh. I thought I had peed myself just now." Zach let out an exasperated growl, picked her up and carried her our to his truck and they headed to the pack hospital.

Tyler had stayed behind to call the Alpha, his grandad, and his uncle. Reaching for the phone, Zach called the last person on the list; Roan. Rose answered the phone. Tyler had to pull the phone away from his ear, her squeal was so loud. 

"We'll be at the hospital in about thirty minutes. Roan and Misty are still unpacking. Tell your dad and granddad that we will be there. Better yet, forget them, tell you mom." Tyler silently hung up the phone wondering if their children were as frenetic as she was. If they were, he felt sorry for their mates. Grabbing his keys, he jumped into his Jeep and went to the hospital.

Tyler had been sitting in the waiting room for over an hour when he smelled her. His mom was not having the easiest delivery. The twins were big pups. Another sign that they would be ranking wolves. She refused a C-Section. She wanted to give birth naturally if she could. 

Jerking his head up, he deep a whiff and turned his head to where the scent was coming from. The door to the waiting room. The scent was incredible. Honey, lavender, and frankincense. Strong but subtle as well. Standing, he went to the door and opened just in time to see a female wolf be engulfed in a hug by his grandmother. 

Tyler was trying his best not to growl. As the lead warrior, he was pretty aggressive. He always figured his mate would be soft and gentle, the exact opposite of his mom. No longer able to hold it in, he released a loud growl when his grandfather, the Alpha, hugged her.

"Boy, you may be my grandson, but I am still your Alpha. You watch yourself." Daniel felt his wolf rise to chastise his grandson. He had not been anywhere as harsh as he could have been.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just that you're holding my mate. I want her!" Daniel could see his grandson was becoming agitated, so he released the young lady that he was holding and turned her to face Tyler. As he did so, he heard her mother gasp.

"Misty! Your tattoos. They're glowing. He is indeed your mate. You father's did that the night that we met. He said that they would only glow for his mate." 

Tyler looked over at his mate. She was tall. Almost as tall as him, and he was 6'5. She would easily come to his shoulders, maybe his chin. She wasn't fat in the least, but her figure was incredible. She had blond hair and grey eyes. Her shoulders looked muscular and her arms long and strong. Her hands ended in fingers tipped with long slender fingers with short nails. Her chest, well her chest was something that surprised him. It was very full. Like his mom's or like his grandmother's.

"Boy! If your don't quit staring at my daughter like she's a meal, I will cut your eyes from your head." The Elf was still a force to be reckoned with. Even at 560 years old, he was still young, and still a fierce warrior.

"Hush Roan. Can't you see that he's trying to take all of her in. Just like you did with me all those years ago. Don't you remember what it was like when you found me. Or rather, when I found you." Rose smiled up at her mate and he softened instantly. Sighing he said, "Woman, I can deny you nothing and you know it." Smiling down at her, he cupped the side of her face and gently kissed her.

A throat clearing loudly pulled them apart. Roan looked over to where his friend stood with a big grin on his face. "Some things never change, do they Roan?"

"Aye Daniel. Tis true. Mates meet and fall in love. Children and pups are born and the cycle begins anew. Speaking of, I think your grandson is my daughter's mate."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at his grandson and waited. "It's true sir. But, I haven't even gotten to introduce myself yet." Tyler replied sullenly.

"Well, let's get introductions out of the way then." Motioning for the young woman to come forward, he then turned to his grandson, and did the same. "Misty, I would like you to meet my grandson and very possibly, your mate. This is Tyler. His father is the lead warrior and will take his place when he retires. Until then, he's in charge of training." Turning to Tyler, he said, "Tyler, this is the daughter of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Misty Talltree. Misty is our new Healer. She is here to work alongside the hospital staff to help the most e=severely injured supernaturals heal quickly"

Both reached out a hand and shook the others. When they touched it was explosive for Tyler. Need shot through his body at an alarming rate. Misty felt her tattoos heat up and start to hiss. They had never done that before. Once when she was in danger, they had hissed, but never glowed and hissed at the same time.

Seeing her confusion, her father stepped in. "Aye. sweet one, it is your true mate. Not just a mate. This man, this wolf, will achieve great things with you by his side. The same goes for you. The night I claimed your mother, my tattoos hissed. It's almost like the ancestors are giving their approval."

Misty looked at the big warrior and smiled. When he sniffed, he growled. She was pleased by what she saw. He was about to grab her and kiss her when his dad came busting through the double swinging doors. In both arms, he was holding two newborn children. One, a boy, was completely unhappy and wailing at the top of his lungs. The other, a girl was lying in his dad's arms quietly looking around as if her eyes were already focused and she could see everything. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ophelia and Adrian. The newest member of the family.." Zach smiled and held the babies close as everyone came over to look at the children. When Tyler and Misty reached the children, Zach looked at their clasped hands. Then he looked at their necks.

"They've not had time yet, Zach." Roan stated.

Zach looked from his son to his mate and said, "It won't be long before you'll be in here." Grinning, he turned to go tell his mate the great news.