the stubborn tears he was still fighting back, he smiled. "Sounds great," he replied as he caressed the small lump in his belly.
In the past couple of weeks, he'd gone from shock, to disbelief, to acceptance, to happiness, to depression. He'd then oscillated between wild enthusiasm and crushing sadness that Finn wasn't here to share these moments with him.
Gavin and Jessie had been very helpful, though, and so had William Orwell. Without them, Parker would have probably had a nervous breakdown, especially since the Simmons pack still remained in a state of complete chaos.
"Have you heard anything from Alpha Simmons, Andreas and Erdi?" he asked his friend. Now that Gavin's brothers were gone, they could speak more openly of what had been going on.
Gavin shook his head, his expression sobering. "Nothing specific. Saul doesn't say it, but he's worried. The silencer guilds are notoriously unpredictable, and apparently, an advance Gathering is never good. According to Jessie, they're fine—he'd have been able to tell—but beyond that, it's a mystery."
Parker slumped against Gavin's shoulder, absently tickling Shannon's chubby chin. "I really hate this. It's so fucking clear that the guy is crazy and wants the Simmons pack lands. Why does anyone want to debate it?"
"Because even if Alpha Adler is crazy, he's still an Alpha," Jessie said from the doorway. "And apparently, if he were to be punished for his transgressions, it would cause yet another imbalance. With what's been going on here, Alpha Simmons isn't in a very good place, or considered very trustworthy."
He looked tired as he literally waddled into the kitchen. He'd grown quite voluminous in Parker's time here, and these days, he was even more depressed than Parker, since his own mate had departed into the unknown to fix a situation that was not his fault. He'd also been trapped in his room for a while now, since clothing had stopped being enough to hide his condition.
"You feeling okay, Jess?" Gavin asked as he watched his friend.
"Nope. I feel like crap." Jessie plopped down on a chair and grimaced. "Well, actually, I feel like a balloon that's going to pop any moment now. And apparently, I'm going to keep growing. Cos you know, I'm special, and I just had to have twins."
"It'll be worth it in the end," Gavin whispered, his gaze going to his sleeping son.
"Yeah," Jess whispered, his hand resting on his large stomach. "I just wish Andreas..."
He trailed off, since they were all in agreement on that one. Even Gavin was worried, because with Alpha Simmons gone and Finn out for the count, Saul had been forced to take over the leadership of a pack he didn't belong to.
At least Kyle and Jackie were safe, and Jensen hadn't been drawn into the mess. Courtesy of his concussion, Jensen didn't remember anything about the shape-shifting attackers. He'd been returned to the Amaretto, and while the Simmons pack still had people watching him, so far, he hadn't been targeted again.
Parker was debating giving Jensen a quick call to make sure everything was all right when he felt it, a niggle at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell what it was. In fact, he almost thought he was imagining it. That fear soon faded, though, settling into a sudden certainty.
He shot to his feet, drawing alarmed gasps from both Jessie and Gavin. It would have probably been a good idea to reassure his friends, but he was too focused on that knowledge, on the hope that finally, he'd see Finn's eyes opening again.
****
Parker.
That was the first thought that burst into Finn's mind the moment he came to. Regularly, when he recovered consciousness from an injury, there was a process, opening his eyes, taking heed of his condition, testing each muscle to figure out what damage the silver poisoning—it was always silver poisoning—had done. However, now he simply shot out of the bed and he was halfway across the room before he even became aware there was someone else there with
In the past couple of weeks, he'd gone from shock, to disbelief, to acceptance, to happiness, to depression. He'd then oscillated between wild enthusiasm and crushing sadness that Finn wasn't here to share these moments with him.
Gavin and Jessie had been very helpful, though, and so had William Orwell. Without them, Parker would have probably had a nervous breakdown, especially since the Simmons pack still remained in a state of complete chaos.
"Have you heard anything from Alpha Simmons, Andreas and Erdi?" he asked his friend. Now that Gavin's brothers were gone, they could speak more openly of what had been going on.
Gavin shook his head, his expression sobering. "Nothing specific. Saul doesn't say it, but he's worried. The silencer guilds are notoriously unpredictable, and apparently, an advance Gathering is never good. According to Jessie, they're fine—he'd have been able to tell—but beyond that, it's a mystery."
Parker slumped against Gavin's shoulder, absently tickling Shannon's chubby chin. "I really hate this. It's so fucking clear that the guy is crazy and wants the Simmons pack lands. Why does anyone want to debate it?"
"Because even if Alpha Adler is crazy, he's still an Alpha," Jessie said from the doorway. "And apparently, if he were to be punished for his transgressions, it would cause yet another imbalance. With what's been going on here, Alpha Simmons isn't in a very good place, or considered very trustworthy."
He looked tired as he literally waddled into the kitchen. He'd grown quite voluminous in Parker's time here, and these days, he was even more depressed than Parker, since his own mate had departed into the unknown to fix a situation that was not his fault. He'd also been trapped in his room for a while now, since clothing had stopped being enough to hide his condition.
"You feeling okay, Jess?" Gavin asked as he watched his friend.
"Nope. I feel like crap." Jessie plopped down on a chair and grimaced. "Well, actually, I feel like a balloon that's going to pop any moment now. And apparently, I'm going to keep growing. Cos you know, I'm special, and I just had to have twins."
"It'll be worth it in the end," Gavin whispered, his gaze going to his sleeping son.
"Yeah," Jess whispered, his hand resting on his large stomach. "I just wish Andreas..."
He trailed off, since they were all in agreement on that one. Even Gavin was worried, because with Alpha Simmons gone and Finn out for the count, Saul had been forced to take over the leadership of a pack he didn't belong to.
At least Kyle and Jackie were safe, and Jensen hadn't been drawn into the mess. Courtesy of his concussion, Jensen didn't remember anything about the shape-shifting attackers. He'd been returned to the Amaretto, and while the Simmons pack still had people watching him, so far, he hadn't been targeted again.
Parker was debating giving Jensen a quick call to make sure everything was all right when he felt it, a niggle at the back of his mind. At first, he couldn't tell what it was. In fact, he almost thought he was imagining it. That fear soon faded, though, settling into a sudden certainty.
He shot to his feet, drawing alarmed gasps from both Jessie and Gavin. It would have probably been a good idea to reassure his friends, but he was too focused on that knowledge, on the hope that finally, he'd see Finn's eyes opening again.
****
Parker.
That was the first thought that burst into Finn's mind the moment he came to. Regularly, when he recovered consciousness from an injury, there was a process, opening his eyes, taking heed of his condition, testing each muscle to figure out what damage the silver poisoning—it was always silver poisoning—had done. However, now he simply shot out of the bed and he was halfway across the room before he even became aware there was someone else there with
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