The Grey Wolves Novella Collection

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“When all else fails, play strip poker. That should really be a more common adage.” ~Jen

Jen smiled at her mate who sat at the small table next to the kitchenette. “You want to play strip poker?”

He shook his head. “No, baby. I said, let’s play some cards. You heard, ‘I want to get you naked by playing a game of poker.’ And then you jumped on the strip poker train.”

“It’s a fun train.” She grinned “You should buy a ticket some time.” Her breasts were killing her, but Thia had finally gotten something in her stomach and was sleeping. Jen knew it was only going to be a brief reprieve, but she’d take it. After putting Thia to bed, Decebel had suggested a game of cards. Shoot her if she happened to like poker—the stripping variety—best of all.

She walked over to the small table and sat opposite of him. “What are we playing? Texas Hold’em? Five-card draw? High/Low? Seven-card stud?”

Decebel paused his shuffling and shifted his eyes up to her face. A small smirk graced his sensual lips. “Do you really know how to play all of those, or did you just search the internet and memorize different types of poker?”

Jen gasped in mock horror. Her hand pressed to her chest as one shoulder dipped down and back, and her body slumped in on itself just a bit. “How dare you question my knowledge of such sacred card games? In Texas, them right there’s fightin’ words.”

He laughed and held up a hand, cards still clasped in them. “Please stop. Don’t ever talk like that again, and I won’t question your poker knowledge. Deal?”

Jen shrugged. “I suppose I can agree to your terms as long as you stick to your end of the deal.” She pointed two fingers at her eyes and then turned those same two fingers to point at Decebel. “I’m watching, B. I’m. Watching. You.”

“Baby, not that I’m questioning your actions, but my end of the deal requires you to be able to hear me. So maybe you should be pointing at our ears instead?” She could tell he was trying hard not to crack a smile, but his amber eyes danced with mischief as he stared back at her.

“Just deal the cards, B. We’re playing Hold’em,” she added. “And don’t go easy on me just because my boobs hurt.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. The distressed girls are hardly a reason to treat you with kid gloves,” he said as he winked at her. Well, really, he was winking at the girls because his eyes didn’t make it up to her face.

“Hey, fur ball.” She snapped her fingers at him. “My eyes are up here.”

“That’s good to know, baby. Makes it easier to find my way back to them when I get lost exploring other places on you.”

Decebel’s voice was a sensual purr that made a shiver run down Jen’s spine. “I will not be distracted by your attempt at seduction. You can take your prowling wolf and put him in a kennel.”

“Harsh.”

“You’ll live.”

An hour later, Jen was trying very hard not to use one of the cards to give her mate a paper cut. Small, maybe, but effective. Paper cuts brought grown men to their knees.

“Baby, don’t look like that,” Decebel practically cooed at her.

He needs paper cuts and a sock stuffed in his mouth, she decided. He was gorgeous. She didn’t need him to add to the effect by speaking.

“You look like you’re plotting something unpleasant, and I’m the intended target.”

Jen smiled and batted her eyelashes several times. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a sore loser, Jennifer. It’s written all over your beautiful, yet irritated, face,” Decebel said, his voice cool and calm.

“You want me to be happy I lost?” she asked. “You want me to be all, ‘Oh Dec, look at you, you awesome whittle wolf. You won the card games. Let’s dance in the street.’” She paused and grinned wickedly. “Plot twist. Whittle wolf gets hit by a school bus while dancing in the street.”

“Damn woman, you’re bloodthirsty.” He growled as he gathered the cards and put them back in the box.

Jen leaned back in the chair and rested her hands in her lap. “You might call it bloodthirsty, but I call it an innate determination to annihilate my opponent, in whatever form they may come.”

Before Dec could respond, there was a knock on their door.

“Come in,” Jen called.

The door opened and in walked Jacque, Sally, Peri, and some lady in a white lab coat who looked terrified and curious at the same time.

“Who’s that?” Jen asked, pointing at the scared confused lady, SCL for short, she added in her mind.

“She’s someone who can, hopefully, help,” Jacque said. “Can we sit over there and chat?” The redhead pointed to the sitting area where the sofa and chairs were located.

Sally, Peri, the SCL, and Jacque all took seats. Jen and Dec followed the group. Jen noticed her mate kept his body between Jen and the newcomer. If Jen shifted, he shifted with her. Overprotective fur ball, she grumbled mentally.

Decebel took one of the large lounge chairs and tugged her down onto his lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. Through their bond, she could feel anxiety but also a hint of hope as well. She turned slightly to look at him and frowned.

“You aren’t surprised by this, are you?” she asked, pointing at the SCL.

“Jacque might have mentioned finding a way to help you, and I might have agreed to it,” he said slowly.

“Well, thanks for wanting to help,” she said, feeling a tad stupid.

“Of course I want to help, Jennifer. You’re my beautiful, diabolical mate, and Thia is my amazing, hopefully not-as-twisted-as-her-mother, daughter. I will always try to do what is best for you both.” He brushed her hair back away from her neck and pressed a soft kiss just below her ear.

“Jen,” Jacque said, sounding oddly formal and a bit apprehensive. “This is Kimily.”

“Wait for it,” Sally whispered from her perch on the couch.

A single brow rose on Jen’s face as she looked at SCL. “Were your names in a car accident?”

“And there it is,” Sally whispered again.

Kimily frowned.

“Or was it some terrible lab experiment gone wrong?” Jen continued.

“What are you talking about?” the woman asked.

“You’ve taken two perfectly normal names and squished them together into something…”

“Jennifer…” Decebel growled as his arm tightened around her waist.

“Odd,” she said, turning to glare at her mate. “I was going to say odd. And you have to admit Kimily is odd. Well, her name, I mean…” She staggered along. “I mean, her, as a person, I have no idea if she’s weird. But then again, she is in the company of Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and the Cheshire Cat. They say a person is known by the company they keep so… I’m guessing she’s not playing with a full deck of cards.”

The room was completely silent when she finished her monologue, and the SCL’s mouth had dropped open, causing her to resemble one of those baby dolls that comes with the toy bottle to put in its mouth. The woman even had the wide, creepy, baby-doll eyes going on. Jen wondered if she’d coo if someone squeezed her. Then she nearly smacked herself because that was a ridiculous thought, and her weird meter was beginning to shift in her direction.

Finally, Kimily closed her mouth and looked at Jacque. “Is she always like that, or is this just because of post-pregnancy hormones?”

“If you’re referring to her inability to keep her rude, bat-snitch-crazy comments to herself, then I’m afraid she is always like this. And before you ask why we are still friends with her,” she said, holding up a hand. “It’s only because if we left, she’d simply follow us around the world and then torture us for attempting to get away.”

Kimily turned to Peri, her eyes even wider. “Can you take me back?”

Peri patted the woman’s head as though she were a little child. “Soon. But first we need you to help the bat-snitch-crazy milk-producing cow.” She pointed at Jen. “She’s having trouble nursing.”

Jen gasped as she looked at Kimily. “You’re a lactation specialist?”

Kimily nodded, slowly, as if she were trying to keep from provoking a wild animal.

Jen jumped to her feet and nearly lost her balance. Luckily, she didn’t fall on her face, thanks to her mate’s strong hands. She hurried over to Kimily and knelt in front of her. Clasping her hands to her chest, she looked up at her. “I take back everything I said about your name. It’s by far the loveliest name in all the land. None could be fairer.”

“Why is she talking like we live in a storybook?” Jacque muttered.

“Just roll with the crazy,” Peri said. “If not, you’re going to get bowled over.”

Kimily’s whole countenance changed as if a switch had been flipped. Jen recognized it as business mode. She was ready to work.

“Get up,” she said to Jen, pulling her to her feet as Kimily, too, stood. “Have a seat on one of those dinette chairs. Tell me what’s going on while I examine you.”

Jen obeyed. She glanced at Peri and whispered, “You found her?”

Peri shook her head and pointed to Jacque. Sneaky redhead.

Jen promised herself to remember to make sure and let her friends know how extremely grateful she was. Then a thought hit her. “Did you flash here?” she asked Peri.

The fae nodded, looking utterly bored.

“So Kimily knows about us?”

“No,” Sally and Jacque said at the same time.

“Peri is working her fae mojo,” Sally offered.

“Or you could just call it my power. I’m using my power,” Peri said, looking slightly perturbed.

“Good to know,” Jen said and then looked up at Kimily, who had simply been listening to the conversation.

“Ready?” Kimily asked.

“I was ready twenty-four hours ago,” Jen said. “Ignore me. I’m nangry. That’s when you’re angry at your nipples.”

“Of course it is,” Jacque said, shaking her head at Jen.

Jen shrugged. “What? It’s a thing. I’m literally experiencing it right now.”

Kimily let out a sigh and then looked at Jacque. “Could you all please wait out in the hall? Give us some privacy while I do her exam and talk with her.”

Jacque nodded and grabbed Peri and Sally’s arms. “Let’s go, you two.”

As the door closed, Kimily pulled up another chair and sat close to Jen. “How many days postpartum are you?”

“Two,” Jen answered. “My milk finally came in.”

“Okay, good. Little boy or girl?”

“Girl. Does that matter?” Jen said thickly.

Kimily grinned. “Not really, but I have found girls can be a little more stubborn when it comes to latching. Boys seems to know instinctively where to suck.”

“It never goes away,” Jen deadpanned, casting a glance at her mate.

Kimily ignored the comment and said, “Now, tell me what problems you’re having.”

“Maybe I should just show you,” Jen said and then pulled down the strap of her gown and unclasped one of the maternity bra cups. She lowered it, wincing as the leak pad tugged away from the dried blood on her n****e.

“Oh, honey,” Kimily said gently. “I am so sorry. She’s chewing instead of sucking. This is not uncommon. It can be caused by a few things. She might be tongue tied, which is when there’s too much muscle beneath the tongue, which causes an incorrect sucking motion. Also, she might chew if the n****e isn’t far enough back in her throat. Or she may simply just be a chewer. Pure bad luck. Giving her a pacifier to suck will help encourage the sucking motion and reduce the chewing. I need to take a look at her and then observe her nursing. I’m going to wash my hands. Please, bring your little girl and we’ll get started.”

Jen watched as Decebel went and got Thia out of her basinet. She looked so small in his big arms. It amazed Jen how something so small could cause such huge changes in their lives.

Decebel handed her to Jen, and she pulled Thia close to her chest and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Little hell raiser, you,” she whispered to her daughter.

Kimily chuckled as she again took her seat. “What’s her name?”

“Thia.”

“That’s adorable. I need to pull her mouth open and look under her tongue.” The woman stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out a tongue depressor. “All my lab coat pockets are full of these.”

Jen shifted Thia so that Kimily could reach her face and watched as the nurse pulled down on Thia’s chin while inserting the tongue depressor. She gently placed it under Thia’s tongue and lifted. It didn’t take but a second for Thia to close her mouth, but apparently, that was all the time Kimily needed.

“Not tongue-tied,” she said. “Now I need to see how she latches on. Even asleep she has the rooting reflex. If you rub your n****e against the side of her mouth, she will turn toward it and open her mouth.”

Jen did exactly what Kimily said and, sure enough, Thia acted in kind. Jen quickly inserted her breast into her daughter’s mouth and tried not to cuss.

“Holy, mother duck, pissing pearl eggs!” The not-cussing thing was only partially successful.

“Okay, I see what’s happening.” Kimily leaned closer and then looked at Jen. “May I?” She asked, motioning toward Thia’s chomping mouth.

“By all means,” Jen growled.

Kimily stuck her finger into the side of Thia’s mouth and broke the seal the little demon had on Jen’s n****e. “When you go to latch her, two things have to happen. You have to put your breast in her mouth while also pulling her onto the breast. This is to ensure the n****e is back toward the rear of the mouth.”

Jen listened and watched every little thing Kimily said and did. She put her hands where she was told and then executed what Kimily called “proper latch technique.” It took several tries, and Thia was getting ticked, but finally, on the fourth attempt, it happened. For a second, Jen heard angels sing, and everything suddenly moved in slow motion. Her right hand held her breast, and her left hand was on the back of Thia’s little head. Jen stimulated Thia’s rooting, and as soon as her little mouth opened, Jen pushed the two together. The angels were gone, and the cussing was back.

“Bloody hell,” Jen nearly yelled. “There’s no chewing going on and that’s great, but what the crap is this sharp stabbing pain that feels like it’s coming up from my toes to my breast?”

Kimily smiled, and Jen was man enough to admit that she wanted to knock that smile off her face. Her boob still hurt. No one got to smile while boob pain was still a thing.

“Unfortunately,” the nurse said in a pacifying tone, “that’s a normal part of nursing. For some moms it gets less painful, or stops all together, but the majority experience it to some degree.”

“Like, forever?” Jen asked, her eyes widening. “Are you saying there’s no way to prevent that? No top-secret latch technique? And taking drugs before nursing is out of the question?”

Kimily shook her head. “I can’t tell if you’re joking so I’ll just make it clear. No drugs or alcohol. And, no, there’s not a secret latch technique. That’s just part of it.”

Jen looked down at Thia. Her eyes were closed, and she was sucking away, not a worry in the world. “I’m not going to lie, mini me, when it’s your turn and you’ve got a babe on your boob, I will laugh. And I don’t mean a cute, little, understanding laugh. It will be the full blow, villain cackling with my head thrown back and my fists lifted to the sky. And there will be thunder and lightning for effect. Put it on your calendar, ’cause it’s happening. Boob for a boob, little B.”

“Okay, well…” Kimily said hesitantly as she stared down at Jen as if she’d phased into a wolf right before her eyes. “If you don’t have any more questions, I need to be going. Out of curiosity”—Kimily paused and chewed on her bottom lip—“where exactly am I?”

“Romania, although this is the Serbia Pack mansion, but let’s not get into how that happened.” Jen smiled and winked at her.

“Pack?” Kimily asked.

Jen nodded and opened her mouth to speak.

“Jennifer.” Decebel’s growl was subvocal and, more than likely, Kimily hadn’t heard it, but Jen had, and ignored it.

“Pack,” Jen answered. “You know, because we’re werewolves.”

There was a thud as Kimily’s body crumpled to the ground.

“Wow,” Jen said, her voice a breathy chuckle. “Okay, that happened.”