Chapter 31

Chapter 31
Kathrine, Toby, and Jarold found a note on their kitchen table when they returned from their long run the next morning. They had decided to stay out all night and sleep in their wolf forms under their favorite waterfall. They couldn't explain why that waterfall called to them like a siren song, but it was almost impossible for them to resist it. Maybe their wolves knew they were going to be called upon later that night and had insisted they stay out to avoid it. Either way, the note from Jackson ordering their presence for dinner that evening had a note of foreboding crawling up Kathrine's spine.

"Well, honeymoon's over." Jarold said once he read the summons.

"I got a text from my father saying that him and my mother would be there tomorrow as well." Kathrine said as she stared down at her phone.

"Fucking family reunion." Toby muttered as he tossed the summons in the trash bin and pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Kathrine asked as she watched him type on his phone.

"Making sure my siblings are going to be there. I'm about tired of us being picked on. I'm going to make them be buffers." Toby answered looking up at her and grinning.

"They'll thank you so much for that." Jarold said with a laugh as he headed towards the stairs.

"Don't need their thanks. Just need them to take some of the attention off us. We're all nice and mated up now. It is their turn to get the pressure to find their mates. I intend on making sure that is the focus of the night." Toby responded and then gave Kathrine a wink before heading up the stairs as well.

"Diabolical." Kathrine called after him as she went into the kitchen to make their breakfast.



They entered the back yard of the pack house and found all of their siblings and parents were there waiting for them. The aroma of steaks and potatoes also filled the air. Kathrine sniffed greedily at the scent of food and felt her stomach growl. She gave a happy sigh as she followed her mates up the steps to the patio.

"Let me look at you." Letha said as she took Kathrine by the shoulders and gave her a long probing look. Kathrine's hackles immediately went up.

They gathered the family to sniff out whether or not I'm pregnant. She called through their mating bond to Toby and Jarold. They could hear the growl even in their heads.

Well, we did warn you this was going to be next, didn't we? Jarold called back through the mating bond and then shrank under the glare Kathrine shot him when he caught her eye.

"Yes…..yes….two I think." Letha announced and it was then that Kathrine remembered that Letha had a weird ability to tell whether or not a wolf was expecting pups and how many she was carrying. Twins. She was pregnant with twins.

Ready or not. Came Toby's singsong comment through the bond and she sent him the equivalent of the middle finger as she plastered a smile on her face as her parents and siblings swarmed her and hugged her. She was passed through her parents and siblings then back to Letha and before she could find a way out Jackson had pulled her into a hug. She had no choice but accept his embrace until he seen fit to free her. She immediately backpedaled until she was between Jarold and Toby.

"Well are you going to starve your grandpups?" She asked grumpily, trying to get the attention off how she had not so subtly disliked being touched by their Alpha.

A laugh ran through the group as she was ushered to a seat of honor at the table and served food by her mates. Within a few minutes her twins were the only subject being discussed around the table, by everyone but her and her mates. She knew they were all a little shocked, even if she had been expecting for her to conceive. No one noticed how the three of them simply sat quietly and ate their food without chiming into the conversation.

"When do you want the nursery put in?" Lacey asked them, pulling Kathrine out of her own thoughts as she sat back in her seat and stared off into space.

"Before they're born, probably. What kind of question is that?" Kathrine asked her mother giving her a look that was clearly meant to end that discussion.

"Obviously, but as you know pups come fast. We don't have as much time as a human to prepare." Lacey chided her daughter. "I think next week should be good. That'll give the you guys time to pick which room will belong to the twins and the guys to get it cleared out."

"If you two start swarming my house with baby planning I'll lose my mind." Kathrine split a look evenly between her mother and mother-in-law.

"Well, it isn't like we can set the nursery up in the pack house. So we have to have access to your house to do that." Letha rolled her eyes at Kathrine. "Goddess, it's like you don't even want these babies."

"And this is when we leave." Toby said instantly standing up and grabbing Kathrine's arm and pulling her up from the chair.

Kathrine divided a glare between Toby and Letha but kept her mouth shut when Jarold interjected a stern look to her and a sharp command through their mate bond telling her to keep the peace for the time being. Kathrine huffed and spun on her heel and stormed off.

It wasn't very long before they were coming into their own house. Kathrine turned to snap at Toby and Jarold only to freeze in place when she realized the anger she felt rolling through her wasn't just her own. Both of the guys were boiling with anger.

"They're going to have to learn the definition of boundaries. We literally just found out about the babies and they're already trying to take over everything." Toby fumed.

"I think we're going to have to have a strong conversation about their roles." Kathrine said.

"Yeah. We're the parents, not them. It isn't their job, or place, to decorate or prepare our nursery. That is our job." Jarold said.

"Next thing, they'll want to name them." Kathrine said with a huff.

"We're going to have to come up with a plan fast. Because diplomacy will only last so long with how things have been going." Toby said and was relieved when he received nods of agreement.