Revolting

Shane

I had been groomed since I was a boy that I was a beta, and that was all I ever would be. My father was a beta, my grandfather was a beta... so there was nothing for me to do but follow suit, and be content to be second fiddle to the alpha. It had never occurred to me to question the tradition, and I never thought that I might deserve more. It wasn't until Nina that I ever thought outside the proverbial box.

Nina was worried that I was missing something... but the truth is I found so much more than I ever lost. I was an Alpha now, with my own little pack to protect. I cherished that responsibility. We were living in the city, but we had already begun to consider land upstate, someplace where we would have the freedom and the privacy to run free. If you had to ask me what I was missing, that was it. Being in the city, working and living with the humans meant that we had to keep our wolves restrained, except for the occasional trips out to the state forest for a weekend of camping and shifting and running.

I accepted that it was a temporary situation, and I had zero regrets. Being together with my mate was worth anything and everything. I enjoyed my work, but the best part was coming home every night to my beautiful Luna, the baby propped on her hip, her sweet smile and her lush lips ready to kiss me and welcome me home.

And my daughter, well she had me wrapped around her little finger from the very first moment. She looked at me with those eyes that were so much like Nolan's... a sweet reminder of the man I had once loved like a brother. But she was not like Nolan at all. She was the most contented baby I'd ever seen. Not that I'd spent a lot of time in the pack nursery, but still Raine seemed special. As long as she was held, she was perfectly content. And being a father was awesome. My heart grew and stretched in ways I'd never known possible. To think that I had joint responsibility for a tiny life... to imagine that this perfect little baby doll was going to grow up into a beautiful young lady.

When I thought of my baby girl finding her own mate, I got chills. He better be good to her, because God help the man if he ever made my baby girl cry. I would never ever let her suffer the way that Nina had suffered because of a mating gone awry.

I didn't want to put any pressure on Nina... but I was already wondering when we could add another little pup... maybe a little boy to tease and terrorize his big sister..

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The whole time I was pregnant, I had this fear in the back of my mind that my baby would turn out to be a sociopath like her biological father. But Raine was a quiet and peaceful baby. As long as someone was holding her, she was perfectly content, her little rosebud mouth always seemed to be smiling, and her big blue-grey eyes studied the faces of all her favorite adults. It wasn't just that SHE was peaceful... when you held her, that peace seemed to ooze out of her and infect whoever was holding her with an overwhelming sense of contentment. I thought it was just me, because I was her mother, and I was head-over-heels in love with her, but it was everyone.

I suppose that was why everyone wanted to hold her. All the time. It was a good thing I was breastfeeding her, or I might have to fight for cuddle time with my daughter. As it was, as soon as I pulled her off of my nipple, there was usually someone hovering nearby, wanting a turn. She was like a drug that people couldn't get enough of.

For once, we had a quiet moment together. I pulled her off from my breast and rearranged my shirt so that I was covered. She was four months old now. She could sit up, she smiled and laughed and cooed, and she was enamored with her own fingers and toes. I held her up in front of my face, and kissed her round little belly. She giggled with delight, and grabbed my face with her chubby little hands.

I felt something, strange when she grabbed my face, like a pressure inside my head. I almost wanted to set her down so that I could grab my head. When I looked into her eyes, she stared back at me intensely... too intense for a little baby. I felt a tingle run down my spine, all the way to my toes. It wasn't a bad feeling, just kind of warm and ticklish. "What are you doing, baby girl?" I whispered.

She smiled, and the intensity of her eyes faded away and she slapped happily at my face. I smiled back at her, because I just couldn't help it. In these quiet moments it felt like she held my whole universe inside of her tiny, warm body. "Hey!" William rounded the corner, still looking sleepy with his hair a crazy mess, and some make up from last night still smeared around his eyes. "Where's my niece? Its my turn!" I rolled my eyes, but I let him take Raine off of my lap. He propped her against his shoulder, and danced away toward the kitchen to get himself some juice. Raine loved it when William danced with her, and I heard her squeal happily.

How did I ever get so lucky? I pushed myself off the couch, and prepared to head into the bedroom. I would take advantage of a few minutes without the baby to make the bed and grab a shower. As soon as I took a step though, something felt wrong... and I froze in my tracks, trying to figure out what was different. I hesitantly took another step. And then I bent my legs and squatted a bit. And then I stood on one leg, and swung the other back and forth. It wasn't what felt wrong, exactly, it was what felt right. "William!" I cried.

William raced back into the room, his face contorted with worry. "What is it, Nina? Are you hurt?"

"Its my legs," I gasped, straightening.

"Oh my god...should I get the crutches? Should I put Raine in the crib? Do you need me to carry you??"

"William... they are fine. I mean really FINE. There is no pain, at all. Nothing hurts!" I took another step. I hopped. I bent from side to side, I gaped at William... and then I stared at my baby. My legs were perfect. The mysterious ailment that had kept me lame since before puberty had completely dissolved away into nothing. I felt strong. I felt limber. I felt perfectly balanced.

William followed my awed stare to little Raine, who was joyfully pulling at a fistful of his hair. "You mean...?"

I swallowed. "I think it was her, Will. I was holding her, and she grabbed my face... and then I felt this tingling..."

My baby... the last remnant of my fated mating with Nolan... was not the destructive soul I had feared. She was a healer.