Arrow Inferno
Chapter 131: Jeremy Stanton vs. Ryan Hicks ~ Feral attraction in the midst of hatred… Together forever!

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Ryan's eyes went to the clock on the wall immediately his eyes opened. It was already past noon. He noticed immediately how different he felt. His senses were heightened...sharper. Although he was lying down, he felt energized. He felt as if he could do anything. For a moment he closed his eyes, allowing the energy to flow through him. Ryan couldn't help but wonder where all that vitality was coming from. When he opened his eyes again, he looked down to see what was causing the slight weight on his stomach. A smile lit up his face when his eyes met the beautiful blue ones of his mate. They were slightly reddened but the blue still stood out.

Ryan didn't have to be a genius to know the cause of his mate's reddened eyes. Hell, he could feel the wetness on his stomach where Jeremy's head lay. He'd pushed Ryan's t-shirt up to enable him have contact with the flesh. He was no longer naked as he'd been in his Ojah state, earlier. He'd pulled on black sweats and a black t-shirt. Jeremy looked strikingly captivating in black, Ryan couldn't help but think.

"Hey..." Ryan reached out to touch Jeremy's head, running his hand over the short-cropped hair.

"I love you, Ryan," Jeremy said in a hoarse voice. "I love you so much."

"Well, you should," Ryan murmured with a teasing smile. "I'm giving you a baby."

Jeremy's eyes instantly welled up again. "You're taking it so well. I thought you would be upset."

"Oh, I'll freak out later." Ryan gave an uneasy laugh. "I have a lot of questions. There's so much I need to understand."

"Same here." Jeremy sighed. "Let's hope the experts..." he gave the word air quotes, "or should I say the more experienced, would know what to do."

"They had better," Ryan murmured. "For now, I'm okay thanks to Deloris and...you." He touched Jeremy's face, tracing his brow and his jaw with his fingertips. "Are you happy?" He asked in a small voice.

Jeremy gave a tremulous smile. "Happy doesn't even begin to cover it." He grabbed Ryan's wandering fingers and kissed them. "I don't know how to describe the feeling inside." He said softly. "No words come close to how I feel." "Give me the simplest description," Ryan whispered as the tension in his shoulders visibly eased. "'Cause I really want to have an idea of what's going through that gorgeous body of yours."

"I'm in seventh heaven, on cloud nine, over the moon, walking on air, beside myself with joy... I feel blessed Ryan. I feel favoured. I feel as if I was born under a lucky star."

"Well, you are highly favoured." Ryan drawled. "After all, you got me for a mate." He purred, making Jeremy laugh through his tears.

"I know I'm not the best person," Jeremy said shakily.

"To me, you are," Ryan said softly, wiping at Jeremy's eyes.

"You're my mate. You have to say that to make me feel good." Jeremy gave a sad smile. "But we both know that I'm not the best person to have as a parent." He reached out to place a finger on Ryan's lips when he made to interrupt. "Notwithstanding that fact, I promise you, Ryan; to instill in this child the appropriate values that will help him grow to become a better person than I am. Not only is our child going to be loved, but he or she will also be raised well." Jeremy spoke softly, almost as if he was talking to the life growing inside his mate. His hand gently and slowly rubbed Ryan's belly as he spoke.

"He will be taught to love...be generous with his affection. We will teach him to be considerate when dealing with others...he has to think about how others feel. We will teach him to be determined in all he does...he shouldn't be afraid to take on a challenge. We will encourage him to allow justice to rule in everything...he must know how to make amends. The importance of treating people fairly cannot be overemphasized. He will be taught to be honest in everything he does...he needs to always be truthful. Our child will not only become our pride and joy, or the pride of our pack, but he will also be the pride of every werewolf and warlock on this planet. I promise."

"He's a lucky child to have us as parents, Jeremy." Ryan didn't bother wiping at his own tears. He could see just how much his mate wanted that baby. "He has the most amazing grandma, aunties, and uncles to help raise him right. I didn't know you wanted a child." He added softly.

Jeremy shrugged. "I'm an alpha. I grew up knowing I had to have an heir. When you came along, I banished that desire from my thoughts because I knew we couldn't... then you..." He shook his head as he started tearing up again. "I got the full package," Jeremy whispered as Ryan tenderly wiped at his wet eyes. "You're the full package, Ryan."

"Yeah, you're not the one going to be looked at strangely so..." Ryan gave a mock scowl and then laughed softly. "Right back at you, Gorgeous. You're my full package." Jeremy huffed out a short laugh, filled with wonderment. "I've always wanted to give mum a child...my child, to dote on. Losing Travis was..."

"Travis!" Ryan suddenly gasped as he shot up into a sitting position. "Oh my god, it was him..."

"Baby?" Jeremy moved off Ryan to allow his suddenly agitated mate to stand.

"Now I remember where I saw him." Ryan was pacing like a mad person. "Jeremy, your brother... He was the one who was throwing the fireballs..."

"Calm down Ryan." Jeremy grabbed Ryan's hands and forced him to stop pacing. "Now breathe. Breathe baby." He encouraged softly. "Yes, that's it... deep bre..."

"Just listen to me, Jeremy." Ryan breathed. "Phillip's mate. He's your brother."

"Travis is dead, Ryan." Jeremy's voice was scarcely a whisper. He didn't know what was happening to Ryan. Maybe it was because of the pregnancy... "Travis died sixteen years ago with my father. They were killed by hunt..." "Shut up and listen to me, Jeremy." Ryan suddenly growled. "Phillip's mate is the same person whose pictures are on the walls in the cave, who you called Travis." Ryan rasped.

"When I saw the pictures, I knew I'd seen him somewhere but I couldn't place him. And then you said he died at age five so I forgot about it. But it just clicked. I feel as if someone has turned up the volume of my senses. I don't know what caused it. My brain feels...sharper. I noticed that when I woke up not too long ago... Jeremy, are you okay?" Ryan gasped when he took in Jeremy's suddenly pale face.

"Are you sure?" The alpha asked gruffly.

"Positive."

"What do you say we cut this vacation short?" Jeremy asked roughly, suddenly looking very much in control.

Gone was the sniveling, emotional alpha. In his place was the take-charge, confident, dangerous, and commanding Jeremy that Ryan was used to. But inside Ryan was a thrill that just wouldn't go away. The fact that Jeremy felt comfortable enough around him to completely let his guard down and show that soft, vulnerable side of him, thrilled Ryan to no end.

"I'm ready to leave." A ghost of a smile curved Ryan's lips.

"Good. Come here." Jeremy drew Ryan into a fierce hug. "Thank you. I'll make it up to you. And I can bet my left testicle that this heightened senses of yours is being caused by my child." He murmured in a voice filled with pride. "Better get used to it mate. That's one powerful baby you're carrying in there."

"You would know, won't you?" Ryan smirked. "How are we going to find him?" Ryan frowned. "Travis."

Jeremy leaned down and kissed the worry lines on Ryan's forehead. "We have the best weapon. His mother and brother. Deloris will use either mum's or my blood to locate Travis. Piece of cake."

"Are you saying you never tried to locate him when..."

"They did but couldn't locate him so we assumed a wild animal had..."

Ryan shook his head in amazement. "He obviously blocked whatever locator spell you guys used. There are no words for Reynard Wyatt. And all these years, you've blamed hunters."

"I'm sorry." Jeremy grimaced, his face suffused with guilt.

"Hey, don't," Ryan said softly. "I wasn't even thinking about that." And it was the truth. When he made that statement, he hadn't been thinking about how he'd been mistaken for a hunter and tortured by Jeremy. "Now that the clan is no more, Travis can easily be located using yours or mum's blood. I can't wait to see the look on mum's face when we tell her."

"Me neither. I'm never going to forget this day. The day I got to know that not only am I having a baby, but my brother is alive." Jeremy looked overwhelmed.

"As you said; blessed and highly favoured." Ryan grinned.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, baby." Jeremy's breath hitched with emotion.

"Right back at you." Ryan breathed, going up on his toes to press a kiss against Jeremy's mouth.

"I swear I couldn't love you more than I do right now," Jeremy whispered. "And yet I know I will tomorrow." He rolled his eyes. That got him a laugh.

"Feeling is mutual, gorgeous," Ryan murmured in between kisses. "You are my life. And I don't even want to think about what life would be like without you." He said, looking up at Jeremy with eyes brimming with reverence and love. "Don't bother imagining because you're stuck with me," Jeremy growled and then proceeded to give his pregnant mate a heart-melting kiss which left both of them breathless.

"What do you say we go get Phillip's mate." He murmured against Ryan's kiss-swollen lips when the kiss ended.

"Let's." Ryan grinned.

And as the sleek CO50 Valkyrie Aircraft sored into the sky an hour later, Jeremy reached out to interlace his fingers with Ryan's. Both the alpha and his mate were beside themselves with excitement. Ryan knew that his life was about to be altered drastically. After all, he'd never seen a man with a baby bump. But he knew that with the love and support of his amazing mate and doting family, everything would work out just fine.

Jeremy couldn't help but think about all that had happened to him since laying eyes on his mate for the first time. He'd been at his lowest at some points and at his highest, at others. He was definitely at his highest that particular moment. The feeling inside was so unbelievably exhilarating, it was euphoric. He knew that he owed everything to his beautiful, sexy, adorable mate. To love was nothing. To be loved was something. But to love and be loved, was everything. Jeremy Stanton didn't know what he did to deserve what he had. But he sure as hell had everything and he was grateful.

Both Ryan and Jeremy basked in the knowledge that together, they would overcome any obstacles they encountered in life. They were not merely a part of each other's lives. They WERE each other's lives. Without pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat, they would choose each other over and over and over.

THE END!

"THE GREATEST HAPPINESS OF LIFE IS THE CONVICTION THAT WE ARE LOVED; LOVED FOR OURSELVES, OR RATHER, LOVED IN SPITE OF OURSELVES." ~~Victor Hugo

Watch out for Book 2 (Phillip & Troy's story and of course, Ryan's pregnancy). Thanks for reading.

Adjoaq