Loving the leech (Guardians of Red Moon city #4)
27. Awaited mate

Nathan’s POV

I’m sitting in the car on my way to my little sister Aleida’s territory for a visit. My pack has needed me more than usual in recent weeks, and hence I had no opportunity to visit her. Besides, it’s still hard from time to time for me to watch her with her mates. I shouldn’t think like that, and no, it’s not what you think. My sister is everything to me, and I wish her all the best in life. What’s hard is the thought that she has two mates, and I don’t even have one. Since Jason found Holly, it’s even more evident that I’ll continue to live alone.

I’m no virgin, absolutely not, but none of the women I enjoyed over the years can come close to my long-awaited mate. Unfortunately, I still haven’t found her, and it doesn’t seem that it’ll happen any time soon either. I try to accept my destiny, but it’s hard when both of my siblings have their predestined loves while I stand alone in the shadows without anyone to come home to. It isn’t optimal to walk around with these feelings in the chest, but there isn’t much I can do about it either, even though I want to. With a sigh, I close the car door and walk towards the front door.

I open and shout if there’s anyone at home. My sister comes up to me and hugs me. She smells amazing! A scent of forest berries and milkshake. No, my sister can’t be my mate! I sniff the air again and realize that the fragrance doesn’t come from her; it’s someone else’s. My nose takes me to the back, and there on the lawn lies the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life! I walk up to her and quickly realize that she’s pregnant. Who dares to make my mate pregnant!? I help carry my love into the house and put her down on the bed.

Her skin calls at me, and I can’t help but kiss her forehead. We walk back downstairs, and Aleida tells me everything she knows about my mate named Kaylin. I go through so incredibly many emotions while listening to what my little sister tells me, but the feeling that stays is devastation. Others have forced my poor Kaylin to endure so much pain in a short time. She converted into a vampire, lost her cousin, moved into an arena to fight for her life, lost her friend, lost her last living relative, was convicted for crimes she didn’t commit, and then expected to be okay after everything.

She’s ours, and I don’t know if I can let her go, Nathan. I don’t like vampires, and neither do you, but isn’t our mate worth it?

My wolf isn’t impossible, and I already knew when I first learned about mates that Zac would become a love-sick puppy when we replace her. I agree with him; even though I don’t like vampires, I’m willing to override that dislike for Kaylin’s sake.

I totally agree with you; we’re prepared to protect her no matter what.

Zac yips happily in my head before walking away in our shared mind. Aleida anxiously looks at me, and I know she’s afraid I’ll say I don’t want to be with my mate. But her concern isn’t necessary!

“It’s not the knowledge that she’s a vampire that’s the problem. The problem is that my mate-sharing vampiric participant exposed her to this. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Kaylin Clarkson is mine, and we got to work through our problems to make it work. Because my wolf, and I agree; we can’t live without her now that we’ve found her.”

Aleida squeals happily and hugs me hard. For a short little girl, she has one hell of a fucking grip! She lets go of me and smiles big.

“Congratulations to your mate, Nate!” she exclaims.

I laugh happily without knowing why and feel like a person with questionable mental health when I sit there. The happiness of finally replaceing my mate is indescribable. I had nothing against vampires before, but my mate’s beloved changed that, but that’s a story for another time. Suddenly my nephews come into the room with big smiles on their lips and run towards me.

“Uncle Nate!” they exclaim, and I laughingly pick them up on my lap.

“Hey, boys! Is everything all right with you?” I ask.

“Yes, we have found our mate!” the two little eight-year-olds in my lap exclaim, and I look astoundingly at Aleida.

“The child Kaylin carries is the boys’ mate,” Aleida explains, and I smile down at the boys.

“How fun!” I answer, and they smile big before Elias looks sad at me.

“I wish you had a mate too,” he says, and I feel the love in my heart when I think about her.

“I have,” I reply.

“No way!? Who? Is she here!?” Alexander exclaims and runs to the door to open.

I laugh at him, and Aleida makes a facepalm for her son’s nonsense. Kian picks up his son and places him on the couch.

“If you calm down, maybe your uncle will have the opportunity to tell you,” he laughs at Alexander, who looks sheepishly at me.

“So, who is she?” Alexander asks like a nosy girlfriend in a coffee shop when he calms down.

“She’s the mother of your mate,” I reply.

“Oh! Is Kaylin your mate?” Alexander asks happily and bounces in his place; I nod in response.

“What do you think of her?” I ask, and Elias is the first to answer.

“She’s pretty,” he says, and those little cheeks turn red.

“She really is,” I respond, smiling and trying to hold back a laugh.

“Okay, don Juan, you let your uncle’s mate be alone, do you understand?” Aleida laughs and tries to look serious.

“I already have a mate,” he declares.

“I’m happy for you, man,” Miliano says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

We continue to laugh with each other and talk for a long time before both little boys look towards the hallway. Without a word, they run up the stairs and disappear.

“If they take as much as one step into Kaylin’s room, so help me, god, I swear on all that’s sacred that they’ll get spanked tonight!” Aleida exclaims and runs after.

Kaylin’s POV

I wake up with my stomach hurting me. Something push against one side, and I groan at the pain that my sweetheart in there is causing. The door slams open, and both of Aleida’s sons come in.

“Mate misses us!” Alexander exclaims happily, and they climb up on the bed to lie down next to me on each side.

As soon as their little hands touch my stomach, the pain disappears. The boys put their heads on my stomach and get one kick each in the face, to which I laugh.

“You guys are good boys,” I say, caressing their hair.

“Kaylin!” Aleida exclaims and gives her sons an angry look. “I’m so sorry! The boys ran up before I could react.”

“It’s okay,” I reply, smiling. “The boys miss their mate, and their mate misses them.”

Aleida sits down on the bed and looks at me with a glance that I can’t determine what it means.

“Aleida, what’s wrong?” I ask, and she smiles.

“There’s nothing wrong; I just worry about how you’ll react when I tell you this,” she replies with a sigh.

“What do you mean?”

“You have another beloved, a werewolf beloved or mate as we call it, and that’s my brother Nathan.”

“How is that possible?” I ask, unable to understand how at all there’s any possibility of it.

Aleida explains to me how mates work and that the moon goddess decides who fits with whom. Sometimes, the goddess of darkness, Nyx, collaborates with the moon goddess to pair vampires and werewolves. When she finishes, my heart beats hard, and I don’t know what to say.

“Are you okay?” she asks gently.

“Yes, I’m okay,” I answer with a sigh, more tired than before of the new information but not surprised. “I just have to go to the bathroom.”

She nods, and I walk into the bathroom. I should be surprised at this, but I’m not. There’s not much that surprises me anymore; just look at what my life has become! I do my business before returning to the bedroom and place myself on the bed.

“Boys, let Kaylin rest,” Aleida says, getting up from the bed.

“They can stick around; it’s all right,” I answer, smiling.

She nods and leaves the room. Alexander and Elias place their heads on my stomach again. While their little hands caress my belly, sleep drags me into the dark for much-needed rest.

I wake up, and this pain is worse than the one I had before. My breathing is heavy, and when it gets wet between my legs, I realize why. Alexander and Elias look up at me before hurrying to help me up from the bed.

“Thank you, boys,” I say, breathing laboriously.

Alexander runs to the bedroom door with a big smile on his lips.

“Mom!” he shouts.

“Yes, what is it? Don’t scream when Kaylin is resting!” she barks at him.

“But Kaylin is awake, and our mate wants to come out now,” he explains, and it gets quiet for a second before someone’s footsteps run up the stairs.

When Aleida reaches the room, it hurts so much that I scream loudly. She lifts me, and I don’t understand how she has the strength to carry me. Nevertheless, she hurries down the stairs where the men from before and a new man I don’t recognize are sitting. My head is spinning, and it’s hard to focus.

“What’s going on!?” the unknown man exclaims.

“The boys’ mate wants out, and Kaylin is going to give birth now,” Aleida replies, and Alexander opens the door for her. “Boys, you stay here with your dads until I call you to the hospital.”

“But—,” Alexander begins, who gets interrupted by the unknown man.

“I promise I’ll pick you up when it’s over, Alex!”

It doesn’t take long to reach the pack hospital, and I get a room right away. Aleida gently lays me down on the hospital bed and smiles nostalgically as she looks around.

“This is where I gave birth to my girls,” she explains when I look at her with a confused look. “And now the mate of my sons will be born here!”

The unknown man stands by the wall and stares at me. Is he my werewolf mate? He’s really handsome, and it’s clear that he’s Aleida’s brother. The man is a male copy of the beautiful Aleida; if he’s my mate, I should be happy that the goddess of darkness and the moon goddess believe I deserve him. I’m about to talk to him when yet another contraction hits me, and I double over with pain. Aleida arrives at my side in no time and holds a firm grip on my hand while the nurses connect me to the machines.

“Shouldn’t William be here?” I ask uncertainly. “It’s his child, after all.”

The man growls lowly when I pronounce my beloved’s name, and honestly, I want to do the same. William betrayed me, whether it was intentional or not. I was the one who had to endure the punishment that was meant for his ex and watch as he gave Jennifer all his love. I fucking have the right to be bitter!

“Blake has called the Everton clan, and they’re on their way, but it’ll take time because they’re far from here. Let’s focus on delivering your baby, okay?” Aleida asks and caresses my cheek tenderly.

I nod, and the pain in my lower region gets worse until I scream again, with tears falling down my cheeks. The unknown man comes up and stands next to me. He takes my hand in his, and I feel the fireworks with him that William also gives me. However, I have no time to focus or think about it right now, my child wants out into the world, and it wants to get out into the world now!

“Congratulations, Kaylin!” the nurse exclaims and puts my child in my arms. “You’ve given birth to a beautiful little baby girl.”

I cry and look down at my little lady. She looks like me but has apparent facial features from William as well. It has taken me several hours to get my precious girl out, and despite the pain, I can’t be happier than I am at the moment. The idea didn’t strike me until now that my pregnancy was shorter than it should be if I were still human. If I count correctly, I was a little over the sixth month in, so why did she come now? Maybe it’s different for vampires; what do I know? At the moment, it still doesn’t matter, because my princess is in my arms and she’s all right.

“Should I notify the others?” the nurse asks with a smile, and I nod in response.

She disappears, and I keep staring at my beautiful little girl. During childbirth, I felt panic that people I didn’t really know were in the room; hence I decided to cope with it alone, which I did. Aleida understood at once and said that it was okay; she still needed to make sure that her girls were all right at home. The unknown man that I suspect is my werewolf counterpart wasn’t happy when Aleida ordered him out of there, but he understood it was my will and not hers when he looked at me. The boys come running into the room with Aleida and the rest of their family behind them.

Alexander and Elias are standing next to me on the floor. They make an effort to see her, and when I laughingly change the position so they can see her, they look at her as if she’s their whole world.

“Oh, Kaylin!” Aleida exclaims with happy tears on her cheeks. “What a beautiful little baby!”

“Is it a boy or girl?” Miliano asks with a wide smile.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Aurora Clarkson,” I respond with a smile of my own.

“Can I hold her?” Alexander asks, and I indicate to the boys that they can climb onto the bed.

They sit on each side of me, and I put my little love between my legs on the bed. Aurora starts crying but stops immediately when her mates gently pat her on her cheeks. My tears fall when I see it; my daughter will always have protection with these little men as her mates. The unknown man walks towards the bed, and the two boys growl by instinct, causing Aleida to laugh while he looks at them with eyes wide open.

“Your mate hasn’t even been in the world for a day, and you’re already possessive,” the man laughs. “Just like your dads are with your mom.”

Our glances meet, and at this moment, it feels like only we exist in the world, no one else. I think I hear Aleida say something about them coming back a little later. When the door closes, I focus again and realize that even the boys have left the room. It’s just the unknown man left in here and me, except Aurora then. I look down at my daughter and draw in a deep breath before I begin talking.

“I’m sorry that we have to meet like this and that I can’t only be yours,” I say quietly and don’t dare to look at my mate.

He doesn’t respond, and the fear that he’ll hurt me spreads in my body. The horror that settled permanently in my brain after the treatment inside and outside my cell takes over. Without being able to control it, I start to tremble, and tears fill my eyes. The man walks up to me and instead sits down on the bed. Slowly I lift my gaze and expect to see anger or envy. Instead, the man looks down at my little girl with a fatherly love I haven’t even dared to hope for. His big index finger caresses her little hand, and she doesn’t even reach around his finger.

“You have nothing to worry about, Kaylin,” he answers softly, looking up at me. “I’m aware of what you’ve had to endure, and I want you anyway. Both of you.”

His gaze ends up on Aurora again when she whines. I caress her cheek, and she immediately calms down. He looks at her with such a longing that I feel a strong need to at least ask.

“Do you want to hold her?”

He looks at me with a big smile and nods. Carefully, I pick up Aurora and place her in his arms. He’s a natural with holding babies. I had no idea how to do it until the nurses showed me how. But my mate seems like he’s created to protect and care for little ones looking for his attention.

“Nathan,” he says suddenly without looking up from my daughter’s face.

“What?” I ask, dumbfounded, and he chuckles before his eyes meet mine again.

“That’s my name. Nathan,” he replies, getting up gently before lying down next to me on the bed.

I move to make room, and one of his arms holds my shoulders while my girl lies between us. The love I feel in this moment makes the darkness within me brighter for the first time in forever. But why should I ever have a quiet moment? Loud voices come from the hallway, and I recognize them right away.

“What do you mean by her mate already being there!?”

William’s screams echo between the walls of the house before murderous steps move toward the door. The door slams open, and I rise from the bed hastily with my daughter in my arms. I protect her and keep her safe against my chest.

“Nathan,” my beloved hisses.

“William,” my mate growls in reply.

They’re about to jump on each other when Aurora starts screaming in my arms, and I’m desperately trying to calm both her and me. My anxiety quickly comes back, and when I stand there, hidden in a corner with the most important thing I have in my arms, terrified of what’s going to happen, then I’m back in the cell I couldn’t get out of.

A/N:

Hello everyone!

This was unexpected that her beloved and her mate know each other since before. What’s even more surprising is Nathan’s kindness and love for Kaylin even though they’ve just met.

❀ Can Kaylin’s love interests solve their problems before it hurts Kaylin and Aurora?

✿ How will Nathan’s pack and William’s clan react to the new changes in the relationship?

❀ Will Kaylin have to choose? If so, who do you think she should choose?