Hunter's Secret

Raine’s POV

Hunter is working on cleaning up the mess I made yesterday. The whole announcing I am his mate thing. At least it wasn’t to the whole pack and just to his warriors. They are all unquestionably loyal and devoted to him and to the pack but still, I didn’t mean to make things harder on him. He promised me it was okay and that his plan for the meeting was to only beef up border security, increase border checks, and have some guards posted outside the pack house and hospital. I just feel bad that I messed things up already and I am not even the Luna yet. Emma thankfully pulls me from my thoughts of negativity and I focus back on what I am doing.

“Raine, can you hurry up and tell me already!?!” Emma excitedly asks and I smile at her.

“Patience. And stop moving, it makes the picture blurry,” I gently respond, and she lets out a small sigh.

Emma asked me to be the one to do her 3-month scan and to be the one to tell her the sex of her baby.

“You are halfway through your pregnancy now. How are you feeling about it?” I ask, as I move the wand over her belly, trying to keep my face emotionless as I snap pictures of her ultrasound.

“Really good. Ezekiel is really excited to be an uncle. And Cameron’s parents are thrilled that they will be grandparents. My mom doesn’t really talk to me anymore and that is okay. I can’t hold her hand forever. She may have lost her mate, but I lost my dad. I needed her then and she wasn’t available. If she wants to be in my life, she is going to have to make the first effort.”

“That is understandable. I am sorry though. Not having a mom is hard sometimes,” I pause, mentally reminding myself to thank Ash for stepping into that role for me, “How is Cameron feeling?”

“Nervous. Excited. All the normal things. I think he might even be more excited than I am but that is good. He is really looking forward to holding our baby in his arms. He talks about it all the time. And it is really sweet. He will be such a good dad.”

“He really will be. And you will be a good mom, Emma. You already love this little nugget. Do you want to hear the heartbeat?”

She eagerly nods her head and I flip a button on the machine and move the wand over to the left side of her womb.

A steady thump-thump-thump sounds out and Emma immediately starts crying.

“There’s Baby A,” I say, smiling. I move the wand to the right side and another thump-thump-thump sounds out, “And there is Baby B.”

Emma stops crying and looks at me in shock. She blinks a few times as my words sink in.

“Are you saying that I am having twins?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

I smile and nod my head, turning the screen to show her.

“This is Baby A, and he is a little boy. And this is Baby B, and she is a little girl. Congratulations, Emma,” I smile, and she just stares at the screen in disbelief.

“Twins….wow. And one of each.”

“Mhm. And now time for doctor talk. Twins are rare, so you need to be extra careful, Emma. You have 3 months left of your pregnancy and you will need to go on very limited activity and bedrest starting soon.”

“Sure, sure. Can you print off those pictures so I can show them to Cameron?”

I smile and start printing them off. I hand her some paper towels to wipe the gel off herself as I clean up the wand.

“They are both healthy and a good size considering they are twins. Their heartbeats are strong, and they will be so cute, I can just feel it.”

“Well, have you seen their dad? They will be way more than cute…” she winks, and I laugh with her.

“I am glad they are healthy though. That is all I really care about,” she says, swinging her legs off the bed and slowly getting down.

I hand her the pictures and her finger traces over their little bodies as tears spring to her eyes again.

“Thank you, Raine.”

“You are welcome. Now, go find Cameron before he tears my hospital apart to find out why you are emotional.”

She laughs but nods her head, knowing I am right. I walked her out to the entrance, sending Keegan with her to walk her back home. I headed back into my office and opened the door to find Hunter sleeping on my couch, his arm draped over his eyes. Even though his attack was only yesterday, and he is still tired, he has already mostly healed. I don’t think I will ever not be amazed by how quickly they can heal. However, since River was not able to heal him immediately, he has two long scabs running down his arm now. They will likely scar this time, but I don’t care. He will always be beautiful in my eyes. There is still some bruising around the marks, but they look so much better than they did yesterday.

I quietly go sit down at my desk, trying to not wake him up but I accidentally drop my stapler onto the ground, and he shoots up, slightly wincing from the sudden movement. He rubs his face before he turns his attention to me.

“Hey.”

“Hi. Sorry for waking you.”

“I would rather be awake when you are here,” he sleepily responds, and I giggle.

“And why are you here?”

“I missed you,” he quietly says, and I smile at him.

“You just saw me like two hours ago. Plus, Rebecca and Keegan were with me. Although, I did just send Keegan back with Emma.”

“Two hours is a loooonnnggg time,” he whines, before opening his arms and adjusting his body so he is sitting on the couch, with his feet resting on the floor. I smiled at him again and stood up from my desk, walking over to him. He pulls me down onto his lap and before he can wrap his arms around me, I stop him and gently lift the side of his shirt so I can check the slashes on his side.

“If you wanted me to take off my shirt, you could have just said so lovey,” he whispers, pulling his shirt off in one mostly fluid motion.

I shake my head at him, and he gives me a very boyish grin. I look at his shoulder and notice the same thing as his arm, some bruising but it looks so much better than it did yesterday. He wraps his arms around me and holds me close to him. I let my head rest on his bare chest, and he places a small kiss on the top of my head, slowly inhaling. I return the gesture by placing a kiss on his collar bone and he stops breathing for a second. I slightly laugh to myself, and his arms tighten around me.

“I love you, Raine,” he says, his chest vibrating with his voice.

“I know you do. You only tell me every time you see me.”

“Sorry,” he quickly apologizes.

“No, no, no. Don’t apologize. I love hearing you say that you love me. It makes me feel special.”

I can practically feel the smile that spreads across his face and we settle into a comfortable silence. Him holding me just feels right. My pager goes off and we both audibly groan before laughing. I climb off his lap and check my pager. I am being called for a consultation for a patient who was admitted this morning.

I hold up my pager, “I have to go. See you later, love you.”

He nods in understanding and puts his shirt back on before laying back down on the couch, placing his arm back over his eyes. I shake my head at him again and turn off the lights as I leave my office. Rebecca finds me in the hallway and walks with me to the patient’s room.

“I am sorry for snapping at you yesterday, Luna. Please forgive me,” Rebecca mutters, keeping her eyes on the ground.

“Don’t worry about it. I overstepped. That is not my role,” I reply.

“Yet.”

“Right, yet.”

She lifts her head and gives me a slightly teasing smile and I roll my eyes at her.

I finish my rounds with all of my patients and head back to my office to finish my documentation before going home. I quietly open the door and Hunter is still sleeping. He must have been really really tired. Plus, pain meds can make you sleepy and I know he took some this morning. He is softly snoring, but his position looks slightly uncomfortable. He still has one arm draped over his eyes. His fingers on his other hand are resting slightly on the ground and his feet are propped up on the arm of the couch because my couch is too small for him to stretch all of the way out.

I successfully managed to complete my documentation without waking him up or dropping my stapler this time and when I am finished, I quietly walk over to him.

“Hunter?” I whisper, “It’s time to go home.”

He doesn’t move or stop snoring, so I gently shake his shoulder, and whisper his name again. He slightly stirs and grumbles out a ‘leave me alone,’ rolling over.

“Come on, Hunter. I want to go home. And I am not leaving you here in my office. Come home and sleep in an actual bed.”

I moved over to his feet and pushed them off the arm, causing him to have to shift his position to stay on the couch. He mumbles something about me being a meanie, but sits up.

“Come on sleepyhead. It is almost 3 p.m. you need to get up or you won’t be able to sleep tonight,” I say, grabbing his hand and gently pulling on his arm.

He yawns and stretches before getting to his feet and still holding my hand, pulls me into him, placing a light kiss on my lips before stretching again. I laugh at him and leave my office, locking it behind us. He keeps my hand secured in his as we walk back to the house. He yawns again and rubs his eyes with his other hand.

“Are you okay? You aren’t normally this tired?”

“Yeah, I am fine. Yesterday just really wore me out I guess,” he replies, his voice still sounding sleepy.

I don’t entirely believe me because there seems like there is more going on with him, but I don’t push him. Maybe he is only tired. I don’t really have too much time to think about it because we get to the house and Hunter knocks on the door.

“Sorry, I forgot my key this morning,” he apologizes.

We don’t have to wait long because Cameron practically throws open the door and grabs my hand, dragging me into the house. I hold onto Hunter’s hand and pull him in after me. Cameron pulls me into the living room and Emma is sitting on the chair with a gift bag on her lap. She gives me a very mischievous smile and I wink at her, understanding what her smile means.

Hunter’s eyes flicker down to my other hand and he lowly growls because Cameron was still holding it. Cameron immediately drops it and apologizes. Hunter pulls me closer to his side and I chuckle at his possessiveness. He leans his head down and deeply kisses me, taking me by surprise and I slightly lose my balance, but he quickly moves his hands down to the small of my back and holds me steady. I break the kiss and Hunter pulls me back to his side.

“Relax, H. I know she is yours. I just got excited when you told me you were on your way home. Emma said that she wouldn’t tell me until Raine got here,” Cameron says hurriedly, motioning for us to sit down.

I shoot Emma a glance and she shrugs her shoulders and we both laugh. I move to go sit down on the couch and Hunter follows me, sitting down as physically close as he can to me. Cameron rolls his eyes and takes a seat on the floor in front of Emma. He looks like a kid on Christmas, barely able to contain his excitement, and the way he looks at her makes my heart melt some. I am really happy she decided to include Hunter and I in this moment.

Hunter sighs and I look up at him and he offers me a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Making a mental note of that, I turn my attention back to Emma.

“Okay, open the gift first and then the card. I know that is the backwards way but just do it,” Emma explains, handing Cameron the bag.

He wastes no time pulling out the tissue paper, throwing it on the ground. He pulls out a pink onesie and reads it aloud, turning it around for us to see, ‘Daddy’s Girl.’ The smile that spreads across his face is magical. He is so happy. He sets the bag down and goes to stand up, but Emma just tells him to keep opening it. He gives her a confused look but complies. He pulls out a blue onesie and reads it, also turning it so we can see, ‘Mommy’s Boy.’ He looks slightly confused and nervously laughs. Emma tells him to open the card and he slowly does, pulling out the ultrasound photos from earlier.

“Baby A? Baby B? What does this mean, Emma?” he cautiously asks, almost like he is scared to hear the answer.

“We are having twins, Cam. A boy and a girl.”

He just sits there, looking between the two onesies that are resting on his knees before he looks at me and asks, “Are you sure there are two?”

I chuckle and nod my head, “Yes, I am sure there are two babies in there.”

He blows out his breath and shakes his head in disbelief. He stands up and bending down over Emma, gives her a kiss before dropping to his knees and kissing her stomach too.

“I love all three of you so much,” he whispers, his voice breaking with emotion and pure love, and I look at Emma to see tears in her eyes too. They are so sweet together and their love for each other is blaringly obvious. Hunter sighs again and mumbles out a ‘congratulations’ that they don’t hear because they are too busy excitedly discussing names and nursery decorations.

Hunter stands up from the couch and grabs a water bottle from the fridge before heading upstairs. Something is definitely wrong with him. I excuse us both and hurriedly follow Hunter up the stairs. I go into our room and shut the door behind me. Our room. I like the sound of that. Focus, Raine.

“What is going on with you today?” I demand, my voice a little harsher than I meant it to sound. He pauses and turns around to face me.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” he shrugs.

“That is the girl answer for ‘I am mad at you but won’t tell you why so I just say I am fine, hoping you will leave me alone so I can be mad by myself.’ Why are you mad?”

“I am not mad,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“Well, then what is going on with you? You barely had any reaction to their news, and you have been quiet all day.”

“It’s nothing, Raine,” he firmly states, while the muscles in his jaw twitch.

“Don’t lie to me, Hunter,” I slightly raise my voice.

“I’m not mad. I promise. It’s really nothing,” he responds back, frustration lacing his voice now.

“Lies. What is going on with you!?!” I asked again, my voice matching the frustration in his.

“I’m scared!” he shouts, “There. You happy now?” he sarcastically replies, turning away from me. His outburst shocked me a little and I immediately lowered and softened my voice.

“No. Talk to me, Hunter. Why are you scared?”

He remains silent but lets out a long sigh. I walk up to him and interlock his fingers with mine and he relaxes some.

“I don’t want to lose you, Raine. The threats and attacks are really getting to me.”

“Why wouldn’t you just tell me that?”

“Because I have to be strong for you,” he sighs again.

“No. You have to be strong with me. And when you can’t be, I can offer you my strength to lean on until you can get yours back.”

He drops his head and I move in front of him, reaching up to grab the sides of his face, “It’s okay Hunter. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Why don’t you take a shower and a nap and then we can cook dinner together later tonight?”

He smiles and nods his head, leaning down to gently kiss me. I let him and then directed him toward the bathroom.

He paused, “I need to go apologize to Cameron first.”

He starts to walk downstairs, and I follow him. Emma and Cameron are still in the living room and when Cameron looks at Hunter, his eyes are gray, so I know Hunter is mind-linking him. Cameron stands up and kisses Emma on the top of her head before following Hunter outside.

Emma glances at me with confusion and I explain, “He is just feeling stressed and needs some best friend time.”

She smiles and nods her head toward the couch and taking her hint, I come sit down.

“So, was Cameron excited?” I ask.

“Definitely. He told me he wants to name the boy Cameron Junior. How silly is that?”

“Silly maybe, but it is kind of cute. I am so excited for you and for Cameron. He loves you so much. And the way he looks at you; damn, it even makes me swoon.”

“That’s how Hunter looks at you too, Raine.”

I smile, knowing she is right, and those pesky butterflies make my heart pitter-patter again. I know Emma can hear it because she grins at me, and I blush a little.

I take a deep breath, “So what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I want to go tell Cameron’s parents. I will wait until Hunter is done talking to him and then he will walk me over to his parent’s house. We will tell them together and then he has to do border checks at 4:30, 8, and 11:30. Not by himself, of course, but he does have to do them because he is the Beta. What about you?”

“Hunter is going to take a shower and a nap and then we are going to cook dinner together. Well, mostly he will be doing the cooking, and I will do the supervising. My cooking skills are *so* good that I can burn water. But I think a quiet evening would be good for both of us.”

“Noted. I will stay at Ryan and Emery’s house then so you can have the evening together. You are cute together by the way,” Emma winks and I blush again but thank her.

After a while, Hunter and Cameron come back in. Hunter gives me a smile before winking and heading upstairs, seeming to be more relaxed than earlier.

With him upstairs, I turn to Cameron, “Thank you for being there for him. I think he just needed a friend.”

“He did. And I am happy to be that for him. Now, may I take my lady to go tell my parents that they will be grandparents to *two* babies?” He grins and reaches for Emma’s hand, pulling her to her feet.

I bent down and repackaged the gift and handed it to Emma who thanked me.

“Have fun, you two. See you later!” I call after them as they walk out the door, hand in hand. I smile to myself and decide to sit down on the couch, wanting to take a short nap myself. I pull the blanket off the back of the couch and snuggle in with happy thoughts filling my head.