The Last Shifter’s Baby

Chapter 8

The month of December passed quickly for Rebecca. She and Luke had decided to continue their relationship but in lieu of everything that had happened, they had decided it would be for the best if they took things a little slower. At least for the meantime. So they went on dates to the diner and Luke took her to meet his dog, who she fell instantly in love with, and they snuck kissing and lingering glances.

Rebecca sighed as she checked her calendar again, noting the bright red X that she had circled two weeks ago but deciding she didn’t want to worry about that yet. She couldn’t believe that it was only two days until Christmas. Even worse, her sister had somehow convinced her to bring Luke to meet the family. She knew it had been a mistake to agree but now she could only hope that her sister didn’t scare him away. Or that her nieces didn’t scare Luke away from the thought of having children. They were planning on driving to her sister’s house in the morning and since Rebecca always liked to leave early, she got Luke to agree to spend the night. She nearly laughed, remembering the way he had stared at her when she asked. He looked almost scandalized, as if she planned to get him over and steal his virtue. However, it may not be completely true that she didn’t have any alternative motives.

While taking things slow had been a nice change, Rebecca was ready to move their relationship forward again. So she was planning on cooking a simple dinner that night, mainly because simple was all she could cook, and then make her move. If anything, she figured she could always use the shower trick again. That seemed to work well enough last time. She checked the time on her phone, cursing when she realized she only had five minutes to get to the medical center before she was late. She grabbed her keys and made her way to her jeep, not trusting the ATV now that they had nearly a foot of snow. My jeep is also much, much warmer, she thought.

When she arrived at the medical center she noticed Luke’s truck already parked outside and had a sneaking suspicion that he had been there all morning. She tsked quietly to herself. “That man is way too attached.” She muttered, climbing out of her jeep and sprinting to the door of the center. She shut the door behind her, shaking the snow from her hair. “Luke?” She called out. Sure enough, he walked out of the back, Henry laying calmly in his arms. “You have ruined that animal.” She told him. “Some wolf he is. Look at him, you’ve made him into a lapdog.” “I have not!” Luke protested. “He’s a ruthless killer.” “A ruthless killer that was supposed to go back into his habitat two weeks ago. You can’t put it off any longer. His wounds have completely healed.” “I know.” He said softly. “Are you ready to go?” She nodded and watched him to make sure he was actually going to follow her out. I have to be careful or he might just end up sneaking him home, she thought.

“I’ll drive us.” She said. It took a long time for her to be able to feel comfortable going into the wolf habitat alone. Just until recently, she would insist that Luke go in with her. She pulled into the habitat once Luke opened the gate, waiting for him to hop back in before driving them towards the river. They hadn’t returned to the clearing since burying the wolf there.

Her thought’s drifted to Agent Wilson as they drove. It had turned out that he really was FBI. It didn’t hurt their story though because he apparently had a reputation for acting withdrawn and strange around his colleagues. She was grateful that he didn’t have a wife or any kids.

When the local police contacted his closing living kin, it was his brother who turned up at their sanctuary. Luke seemed sure that he was also a hunter but he seemed to have no love for his dead sibling. He went along with their fabricated story well-enough and didn’t act shocked when the police had told him what his brother had done. He didn’t stay in town long, just a few days to arrange for a quick cremation before he was flying out again. Rebecca had been worried for weeks that he’d return with a small army of hunters with him but Luke assured her that Wilson had been an oddity. Finally, she accepted what he was telling her about hunters becoming just as rare as shifters were. Pulling up a few feet before the slant of the riverbank, Rebecca hesitated to turn of the engine. “Can’t we just stay here and be warm until the pack arrive?” She asked. Luke shook his head. “Sorry, love, they won’t come out until we get out of the car.” Rebecca sighed but shut off the engine, hopping out of the jeep and groaning when she sunk into the snow a little past her ankles. She always forgot that the snow was a little deeper out here.

They didn’t have to wait long for the first of the wolves to trot out from the trees. Henry’s mother walked right up towards Rebecca and Luke, stopping a few feet away from them. She growled low in her throat, as if sensing Luke’s hesitation to give up her baby, He at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry.” He muttered and set Henry down in the snow in front of him. The pup turned and looked at Luke for a long moment before bouncing off towards his mother. She gave him a sharp nip to the ear and nudged him back into the trees. They watched the wolves disappear into the tree line and soon Rebecca was bouncing from foot to foot to try and stay warm. “Okay, they’re gone. Can we go back to the car now?” She asked. Luke laughed. “Yes, let’s go before you freeze solid.” Rebecca practically threw herself into her jeep, turning on the engine and pressing her fingers to the heater vents as she waited for it to warm up. Luke smiled as he watched her. “What do you have left today? ”She smirked. “I am actually done for the day. Instead of spending my morning playing with puppies, I was actually working.” “You know, I could probably take the rest of the day off.” He said. “Well, you could, but don’t think you’re seeing me until tonight. I have to get ready and then I have to cook dinner. I still need to pack too and I can’t have you distracting me.” She said. “Okay, okay,” he relented. “But what’s the earliest I can come over. ”She giggled. “You are impossible. I guess you can come over at five but only if you promise not to bother me before then. That means no dropping by, no calling, and no texting.” “You make it sound like all I ever do is bother you!” He protested. She patted his thigh. “It’s okay. I like it when you bother me. But not today, got it?” He mock saluted her. “Understood.” She dropped him back off at the medical center and drove home, trying to contain her excitement. Luke had no idea what she had planned for tonight.