Seventeen.

Seven weeks.

It has been seven weeks off hell as Henry awaited for Eloise to arrive home for her antenatal check up and scan. He desperately wanted to reach out to her, to find out how she was, and find ways of easing those early pregnancy symptoms he had read so much about. He ached to know what she was feeling, was she running to the toilet to relieve her bladder every hour like some women? Was she vomiting? Were her breasts aching as they began to change? (Although, even he knew there was no reality where he could ask that question right now without it being taken totally wrong.) How was she coping with everything? But, mostly he was just desperate to hear her voice again.

However, Henry had restrained himself, because he knew he would never again be welcome in Montana, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt Eloise would not be ready to see to him for some time, nor would she entertain the idea of a phone call with him.

But, now the time had come, whether she liked it or not. Her and his sister's appointments were booked for tomorrow morning and thus, they were due to arrive any minute, and Henry was pacing privately as he awaited news of their arrival to reach his ears.

He decided to not be around them when they first pulled in to the pack house, that he would allow them to settle before he raised their anxiety with his presence. He knew whole heartedly that Sebastian would take care of them upon their arrival.

Suddenly the old grandfather clock in the hallway above him chimed, signalling it was now seven in the evening. This finally paused his pacing, which the old carpet was more than grateful for.

It never dawned on him until this moment that they would not show up to his land at all.

That Shane would allow them to risk the safety of his entire pack. They had no option but to be here, it was the law, he had made sure of it when he made his plans. However, now he was beginning to wonder, because it was now officially getting late and both Sammy and Eloise had early morning appointments at the best obstetrics clinic in his territory. Fitting in a small pack tour, and the necessary meet and greets to prominent pack members tonight, plus a visit with Grams... There would be just no way to fit it all in, and for the two pregnant she wolves to be able to get a sufficient amount of rest before their appointments in the morning.

Unless that was their plan, to make Henry look like he was going to cause damage to the children through his actions, and thus get the council on their side that way, enabling them to call a halt to his plan and terminate their visits.

His mind was spiralling. He was enraged at being made to look as though he could cause harm to the pack’s future children, by not properly ensuring the utmost care was given to the expectant mothers; one of which by rights was his own mate! But, how else would it look.

He would just have to cancel the tour and possibly even the visit with Grams, who would likely chew off his ear over it, but there was nothing else to be done.

Rather annoyed, he opened up the mindlink to those he had to communicate with, and cancelled his previous plans. He would not be made to seem reckless in any way shape or form.

He was just finished taking an earful from Grams when his brother’s voice came filtering through to his head.

*Henry? Henry, where the hell have you been?*

*I’ve been busy, Bast. Now what is it?* His own voice projected with a growl.

*You shut yourself off! Even your phone! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all afternoon.* Sebastian responded frustratedly. *I’m at the door, let me in.*

Henry got up and moved to the door, opening it to see the frustrated and annoyed face of his younger brother as he stood, shaking his head in annoyance.

“What?” Henry barked out with a frown.

Sebastian sighed, “You’re a fucking fool, Henry!” He stated, thrusting a manilla envelope into his brother’s hands, as he barged by him and entered the house.

It was the family home of their great grandfather, Grams’ father in law, and where they both went when they needed to be alone and shut out the world. It was where Henry had spent the day hiding, in case he went mad in front of his pack members as he awaited the news of Eloise’s arrival.

“What is this?” He asked, ignoring his brother’s disrespect and following him through the house.

“It is the report on both Sammy and Eloise’s pregnancies. Plus I believe, a letter to you from our sister dearest.” Sebastian sighed, moving to the small bar area of the lounge he was in and pouring himself a large bourbon.

“What? But, they need to be looked over on our territory, by one of our own. That was the deal!” Henry snarled, ripping open the envelope to see two thin files, with each woman’s name on the top, and another smaller white envelope with his own.

“It was,” Sebastian stated, swigging back his drink and enjoying the satisfaction of the alcohol burning its way don his throat.

“Then what is this?” Henry almost exploded, shaking the paperwork he carried roughly enough a small slip fell, face down to the ground.

“They came three days ago, went to a small clinic on the outskirts of our territory, and left the next day.” Sebastian clarified. “Thus, they did exactly as you requested of them. The report made its way to me to pass on, and arrived this afternoon. Conveniently, around the same time they would have made it back home should they have driven.”

Henry growled, “This is their home, Sebastian.” Before he moved and sank into the couch.

“I called Sammy,” Sebastian went on, “She was quite blunt in explaining that she will not be held accountable to the whims of, and these are her words not mine, *Marty Gray’s son.* Everything else you will need to know is in the letter apparently.”

Henry dropped his head to his hands. This is not how it was meant to go. He honestly wanted to build bridges with his sister, not make the chasm between her and her birth pack wider. It was her the damn tour was for, that was why he had even included their own veterinary practice in it, as well as an area he was deliberating over assigning as a protected area for injured wildlife. The meetings with pack members were so she could give her expertise, and they could enquire about funding responsibilities.

Yet, she had chosen to shun and embarass him entirely.

With a sigh, he begrudgingly opened the letter, deciding to get it all over and done with at once.

*Henry,*

*I make no apologies for treating you this way. You know this is the one place in the world I never wanted to visit, and yet you forced me here against my will to protect my loved ones. Not only that, but you do the same to Eloise! Knowing this place, and you have caused her pain, yet you try and drag her back to repeat the cycle!*

*So, we came, we were checked over and all things considered, everything is progressing nicely - You know stressing us out is bad for the pregnancies too, right?*

*Anyway, we will continue to visit the clinic we have found, it is a human one. Run by a mate of one of your pack members so it qualifies to your terms, but also meets ours as well. You see, as a human she is bound by HIPAA laws. We will agree to you getting basic updates of our progress, but that is all. All other information is private, and between us and the doctor. As we are still getting our full health checks at home, the council have agreed to this. So in short, you will not be informed of our appointment dates, nor will you be given any information other than that which we agree to share. If you try and close down the clinic or cause harm to our doctor in anyway, the council will hold you as unstable and will move to appoint Sebastian as acting Alpha for the duration of our pregnancies.*

*Eloise is under enough strain right now, Henry. DO NOT MAKE IT WORSE. I swear to all the Gods there are, I will personally make your life hell if you do.*

*Tell Grams I’m sorry I missed her, and I will video chat with her soon. And do not under any circumstances try and blame our younger brother for any of this! This is your doing, you hot headed moron.*

*Sammy*

Henry sat back with a sigh, the paper crumpling slightly in his fist.

“Well?” Sebastian asked.

Henry tilted his head to his brother thoughtfully, weighing up internally if he was part of this betrayal, before deciding against it.

“Looks like I have been out manouevered.” Henry stated, handing the letter to his brother. “And, if I fuck up again, you are in for a promotion, Little Brother.”

He watched as Sebastian scanned the letter. His eyes widening as he read. It was as he thought, this news was as much a surprise to his Beta, as it was to him. He did notice the small up turn of Sebastian’s mouth as he read the last line; Sammy’s declaration of protection to him over Henry. Obviously Sebastian was a steadier hand, and had more of their sister’s approval because of it.

“What does she mean, about Eloise being under strain?” Sebastian asked concerned, nodding towards the file on Henry’s lap. “Any clues in there?”

Henry frowned, that should have been his first thought, not his brother’s. A wave of failure washed over him as he picked up the file with his mate’s name.

All that was inside though was a summary of her scan. Estimated gestation was eleven weeks and three days. Meaning her estimated due date was next March.

That was all that was written on the printed table in front of him.

But it was everything, because next March he would become a father. He quickly flicked Sammy’s open and scanned over it. There was the same amount of information only with her and Daniel’s child. She was due a three weeks before hand according to the size estimations the doctor had measured. He quickly flicked back to Eloise’s folder, astonished at how so little information could mean so much. His fingers lightly brushed the text as if he could get closer to them both through it.

It didn’t work.

With a sigh, his hand fell from the page, noticing a paper clip for the first time as he did so. But there was nothing attached to it. Henry, ignoring his brother’s stare as he awaited an answer, began to look around for what may have been lost, throwing himself to the floor when he spotted the scrap of paper sat there. There was writing on the back, but it’s meaning was lost when he recognised the shine of the paper.

It was a sonogram.

An image of his child’s fuzzy silhouette stared up at him from the paper. A round head, lying safe in his mate’s belly, on top of a blob shaped body. The nose was visible but tiny, and there was what he assumed was an arm waving in the space above the tummy.

This was his child, and Henry just knew, he had to find a way to fix everything. No matter the cost, because this little one would need him. He casually wiped the tear from his cheek as he looked at his brother from his kneeling stance on the floor.

Sebastian had a shit eating grin on his face.

“What?” Henry asked gruffly.

“I just love karma,” Sebastian stated.

“What?” Henry asked again confused.

“Turn it over, Henry.” His brother suggested.

Henry’s brows crinkled as he did so, unsure of what was going on. Then his eyes widened in shock, as reality of the task in front of him settled upon his shoulders. Three little words, in a script he knew to be Eloise’s without question. Three little words that just brought the weight of his impending fatherhood onto his shoulders, that much heavier.

Three little words that read.

*It’s a Girl*