“Stop it…both of you,” Theo said. “You both heard Mac…I’m fine…our cub is fine, and I have stuff I’ve got to do.”
“Like what?” asked Smokey, frowning.
“Duh…kitchen duties, remember? And in between I have to design the nursery for our cub…who’s gonna be here a month sooner than we thought and don’t forget about the plants I’ve ordered for my garden, which will be here shortly and if I don’t get them planted, they’ll die.”
“That’s too much…” Smokey started to object.
“Maybe I could help,” Ollie spoke up. The Grizzly Bear’s fierce glare at his offer made him take a step back, attempting to fade into the background.
Briefly glancing at the man who spoke, Jackson paused for a moment before turning his focus back to Theo and saying, “We need to talk…Mac, will you show our guest into…”
“We’ll be in my office,” Mac answered, grasping Ollie’s hand and leading him out of the room.
Once the door was closed, Jackson headed over to a chair and pulled it over to the small sofa in the room before claiming it. “Why don’t we sit down?” he said.
“Good idea,” Smokey muttered. “Theo should rest after what just happened.”
Jackson grinned as Theo rolled his eyes, and once everyone sat down, he said, “Dakota said your cousin arrived.”
“Yeah…Oliver, but I always called him Ollie,” Theo said, nervously biting his lower lip. Looking down, he watched as his mates each claimed one of his hands, giving him the reassurance he needed at that moment.
“Were you expecting him?” asked Jackson.
Shaking his head, Theo replied, “No…that’s why I fainted. I didn’t believe it was really him.”
Frowning slightly, Jackson said, “Why not? Isn’t he a member of your old…?”
Speaking up, Norm said, “No, he wasn’t…and he didn’t have any part in sending Theo to Arald’s, if that is where you were going.”
Shrugging, Jackson replied, “That’s good to know, but…”
“He’s my cousin,” Theo said, “on my father’s side. His parents—my aunt and uncle—died when he turned twenty-one, and after that I didn’t see him at all.”
“He’s older than you?” asked Jackson.
Nodding, Theo replied, “He’s about ten years older than me.”
Jackson hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you know what he’s been doing since the last time you saw him?”
Shaking his head, Theo said, “I remember my parents talking about Ollie graduating from nursing school, so I’m guessing that’s what he’s been doing since then.”
“Right…that makes sense,” Jackson murmured, thoughtfully.
Smokey could tell there was something else about Ollie that interested Jackson, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t the same thing on Smokey’s mind. Remembering his friend, Ghost, warning him about Theo and Norm’s former Alpha offering a reward for their location, he doubted it was just a mere coincidence that Ollie had shown up. However, since he hadn’t discussed it with Dylon yet, he decided not to mention it.
Norm glanced at Theo and saw the worry on his face about all the questions Jackson was asking about his cousin, and knew he had to do something. Mac had told him how important it was to keep Theo calm, since stress could cause a miscarriage given the high risk of his mate’s pregnancy. Glancing over at Jackson, Norm asked, “Can we go now? Smokey and I promised Theo he could talk to Ollie after the ultrasound.”
Smiling, Jackson stood. “Sure…and I think it’s time I meet your cousin and officially welcome him.”
“Before you meet Ollie,” Norm smiled, “there’s one other thing we need to tell you about him. Mac says they are Fated Mates.”
Theo’s face brightened. “Perfecto…I can’t wait to tell Ki about Ollie.”
~/~/~/~/~
Bemused by everything that had happened since his cousin opened the front door, Ollie had kept silent while following Mac to his office. There was just so much to digest, especially the discovery of his Fated Mate. When he began his quest to findhis cousin, the only thing on his mind was the question of what had happened between Theo and his parents that caused them to send him to Arald. But the scent of Mac made him forget that. While being restrained by Smokey, he had watched Mac carefully examine Theo and realized that the Fates had picked the perfect mate for him—even though it was a wolf.
As he entered Mac’s office, Ollie paused for a moment to look around for any clues that might give him more information about his mate, but the room was devoid of personal items other than a framed picture on his desk of two Macs. Walking over to it, he picked it up, studied it, and suddenly realized…“You have a twin?” he asked, looking up at Mac.