Page 77 of Legally Mated
“What does he want?” A door opened and closed in the background, and then Laine could hear the noise and chatter of the pack going about its business of getting ready forMidwinterMoon.
“He said he was looking for sanctuary.” Laine held his breath and listened intently, trying to gauge Garrick’s reaction. The omegas had started spreading the word this fall, opening Mercy Hills’ gates to any and all omegas who wanted to come. But Garrick had been the first to admit that they likely wouldn’t see many, and notquickly.
Looked like Raleigh was going to be the exception that provedtherule.
“Holy shit,” Garrick breathed in a tone of wonder. “Holland’s going to be overthemoon.”
“So, this is good? You’re ready? Because there’s anothercomplication.”
“What’sthat?”
“I think he’spregnant.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Not sure it’s part of Holland’s agenda, but Bax wants to be sure that omegas have choices about whether or not they get pregnant.” There was a pause, then Garrick asked, “How do you know he’spregnant?”
“Not know.” Laine sucked in a breath and thought about it. “It’s more the way he holds himself. The hand on the belly thing. And when one of the pups tried to jump in him, he was quick to protect himself there. It wasn’t any one thing. But it sure makes methinkit.”
“Okay,” Garrick said slowly. “What do you wanttodo?”
“He wants to talk to Abel. Says Abel promised him help, back when he and Bax were gettingmated.”
“Abel’s not Alpha any more.” Laine could almost see Garrick sucking his lower lip into his mouth as he thought. “Do they have travelpapers?”
“I don’t know. He must, if he’s here. I mean, how else would he have gotten out throughthegate?”
“You’d be surprised. And if he’s there asking for a divorce, he’s not there with pack permission.” The rhythmic tapping of Garrick’s pen made the grinding of the gears in Garrick’s head audible. “Give me ten minutes, fifteen at most, and I’ll call youback,okay?”
“Sure.” Briefly, he wondered what Garrick was up to, but then he put it out of mind. Whatever the other man was thinking, it would be well-considered and probably the best pathway through what Laine sensed was going to be a shitstorm of massive proportions. Bits and pieces of Jason’s trial floated up from the well of memory and attached themselves like small barbs to the situation with Raleigh. The chiefest of them being that pups belonged to the pack of their sire, not their bearer. So Raleigh could go anywhere, assuming he could convince his mate to let him go, but the pups belonged to Jackson-Jellystone. It would kill Laine to have to let April go and never see heragain.
With a sigh, he tucked his phone back into his pocket and went back to the conference room to see if there was any applecrispleft.
Chapter63
They’d finished cleaningup and Jack had run out to buy some cheap games for the little girls to play when his phone rang again. “Hello?”
“It’sQuin.”
“Alpha,” Laine greeted him, careful of his pack manners in front of Raleigh. “Garrick talkedtoyou?”
“He did. I’m going to send Abel and Bax out to you with the sedan. How big arethepups?”
“A little younger than my daughter. Four or five, I’d guess, for the girls. The boy’s a bityounger.”
Quin was quiet for a moment. “That’s going to be too many bodies to sneak in,” he said. “Okay, I’m going to have to talk to Mac. I’ll call you.” And then hehungup.
Laine glared at his phone and then putitaway.
Raleigh watched him with worried eyes. “I won’t leave my pupsbehind.”
“No, he doesn’t expect that. But…you don’t have travel documents,doyou?”
Raleigh went white and he shoved his chair back from the table, though he didn’t stand up. The older of the two girls looked up at him in curiosity, but he stroked her hair and directed her back to the picture she was drawing on Laine’s new stationary. “Why would yousaythat?”
“It’s okay. I don’t care. But it’s going toaffectQuin.”
The young shifter seemed to collapse back in on himself. “Shit,” he said, then clapped a hand over his mouth and looked up at Laine with wide,startledeyes.
“I don’t care about that either,” Laine saiddryly.
