Page 48 of Nope, No Regrets
“It’s not like that, Faust. Medicine here is a lot more advanced than where you come from. They can do a paternity test without risking the baby at all. They can’t do it for four months though, and over that four months, you will have been there when she announced she was pregnant, you’ll have gone with her to doctor’s appointments, heard the heartbeat, and found out the gender.
“You’ll have taken care of your mate through morning sickness, and satisfied whatever weird cravings she was having. She’ll likely have thrown valuables at your head because her favorite show got canceled, and that’s totally your fault because of the hormones. You’ll have tried to make her feel better when she complained about constantly having to pee, and volunteered to rub her feet and back before she asks you to.
“Then, after all of that, does it really matter if it’syourchild? None of us cared about the paternity test. They do them when a hybrid baby is involved for logistical reasons, to know how best to care for the mother and plan the birth. That baby might not be a fiery wolf, but she’s still my daughter, and I’m not going to treat her any differently no matter what or whose she is.
“Roman and Fergus feel the same way. We had to have an intervention and stop Roman from buying more weapons for the nursery. Fergus hand carved all the furniture in the nursery in the Fae style.”
That oddly made a lot of sense, and it was beautiful. Yeah, if Rei told me she was pregnant, I’d be damn sure I was at every single appointment. We all would. I’d hold that long white hair back when she got morning sickness, and I wouldn’t be mad in the slightest if she raged at me because of her hormones.
Four months of doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds, and hearing the heartbeat was enough for me to bond. Yeah, I could have gone a little crazy until I knew for sure, but I already knew what wasn’t me. I might kill people and keep to myself, but I’ve always loved kids. That was accurate. I’d love any child Rei had, simply because it was Rei’s, and I would treat it like my own. I wouldn’t take their father away.
I grinned at Skoll, then cocked an eyebrow at him.
“That all makes perfect sens… uh, except Fergus hand carving the furniture. Sota drove Wren and me around and told us a little about tree demons. I don’t take Fergus for one that’d kill a demon for their wood, and it sounds like if he tried, he’d be dead.”
“Seriously, Faust, don’t fuck with the tree demons. They are mean, horny bastards. The first time I met them, they found an entire team of assassins. They ripped everyone apart except Charley’s fiancé, Finn, after they decided he was okay. I was naked and covered in assassin gore. Serafina nearly started a war with all the trees by setting them on fire after they thought a bloody, naked wolf was sexy and wanted a go with me.”
“How does a wolf fuck a tree?” I asked. “Wouldn’t you get splinters all up in your dick?”
“I dunno, didn’t stick around to find out! Want to shift and get a little running in before dinner? There’s a full moon in three days. There’s going to be a ton of wolves out here. We’re gonna make a bonfire and roast a pig. You should come.”
I spent my entire life after I left my pack self-isolating. I didn’t want to do that anymore. I had Rei, and an entire family that came with her.
Nothing said I couldn’t have friends and a pack, too.
