South Mountain Pack Ch. 14

Minutes later Carlo cleared his throat but didn't let go of his mate and he held his sons hand as he said, "Doc's ordering extra supplies for the anticipated births, for the clinic and the safe room. He's also ordering an ultrasound machine and more medical equipment, so we need to make sure the electrical system in the safe room can support them. Frank and Joe, if you think we need it, buy another generator. Rose and Annie, make sure there are extra supplies in the safe room; cribs, diapers, and whatever else you feel is needed. He also wants everyone to take classes to make sure if the women go in labor during the battle they have the proper care. I mean everyone...boys too." He smiled at the excited looks on the girls faces and started to laugh at the disgusted looks on the boys faces.

Enzo nodded and said, "We'll make sure to account for this when we make our plans Alpha Carlo. Gino, Paulo, Michael and I decided we would distribute duties and have regular meetings to change or update our plans as needed."

Carlo nodded as he looked the four boys in the eye and said, "I'm not worried, that's why I put the four of you in charge. You're Carlucci's through and through, you'll always do what you think is best for the Pack."

"Being a Rossi Alpha has always been made easier because we have always had your family standing with us. They have stood in front of us taking the brunt of the attack, at our side through the hard times and most importantly behind us to protect our backs from our enemies," said Dante as he looked at Ric, Rocco, Frank and Joe who sat up straight, basking in the praise from their two Alphas. He glanced at Carlo and Anthony before he said, "Even if you all are incredibly stupid."

The four men, Dante, Carlo and Anthony threw their heads back and roared with laughter while the youngsters looked at each other like they had lost their minds. "What the hell kind of compliment is that?" asked Damian with a scowl as the men laughed even harder.

Dom watched his intended in amazement; gone was the shy, timid girl and in her place was a vivacious outspoken young lady who cheered, jeered and heckled everyone. He'd never seen her like this and wondered if this was what she was like around her family and if she was feeling comfortable enough around him and Vin to finally be herself. Remembering what Madame Gina had said about her personality before she witnessed the rape of her friends, he felt like he was finally seeing the real Morgan Miller and he was completely captivated. At the end of the second game he looked at the clock and said, "We'd better go, we promised we'd have you home by 11, and it's almost 10."

"But we can't stop, we're tied, we each won a game," said Morgan putting her hands on her hips as she frowned at her mate. "There wasn't a winner, we've got to have a winner and I know we were going to win next game and beat you."

He pulled her into his side and whispered, "We'll finish next time, my competitive mate. I don't want to get your Dad mad at me for having you out too late and you said you wanted to talk to Emory and Cynthia before we left."

Morgan let out a large huff, "Okay, but I don't like it." She narrowed her eyes and took a step up, bringing them almost eye to eye, "Admit it Dominic Carlucci, I was getting too good and skeered you."

Dom threw back his head and laughed as he said, "Zenzero, last game I rolled a 168 and you had a 92. Yes, you were getting better but remember I was bowling with my left hand, if I was bowling with my dominant hand like you, I would probably have bowled a near perfect game. That would be a little suspicious so we always bowl with the other hand, just like when we play sports we always use the other hand or hold back on our athletic abilities. Appearances must be kept."

Morgan thought over what he said and he saw the twinkle in her eye, "I still think you were skeered." She turned and ran to her uncles and stuck her tongue out at him before she started to laugh. Matt looked down and saw she still had on her bowling shoes and reminded her to change shoes and get her pocketbook. She looked up and saw Dom holding her Keds and pocketbook and she burst out laughing and waited while he brought them to her. After Vin and Phil put their shoes and bowling balls in the lockers, the group went to the snack bar where Emory and Cynthia were sitting in the back corner away from everybody.

"How was the date?" asked Emory excitedly. "You two look beautiful." Cynthia motioned for them to join them at the table.

"Thanks, we went to Carmelo's then came here. It was so exciting and exactly what we wanted," said Brianna with a big smile as Morgan nodded. "How are you feeling? Is the little one moving a lot?"

Cynthia started to laugh and said, "She thought she was in labor ten minutes ago, but it was gas from all the food she ate. You should've seen Duke, he was so nervous I thought he was going to pass out."

"She's finally over her morning sickness, so she's starting to eat everything in sight," added Emory with a smile. "At two months, she's a third of the way through the pregnancy and the little one is starting to move."

"I can't wait until I have a little one," said Morgan quietly as she glanced at Dom who was standing with his back to them as his eyes raked the bowling alley. He heard her and couldn't help his body tensing as he thought of her round with his little one, but he didn't want to scare her by showing any other reaction. He could feel his wolf stand at attention at the thought of their mate having their little one and he started pacing back and forth.

"Are you going to the game?" asked Brianna. "Sophia, Maria and Gabby have been giving us extra practices so we know the routines, but we're nervous. I'm afraid I'll get up there and forget everything."

Emory frowned, "No, Alpha Carlo won't let any pregnant females, young ones or little ones off the territory. It's always been that way and this year all those deemed vulnerable will be in the safe room, he doesn't want to take any chances."

"But we'll be at the home game in two weeks against South," said Cynthia with a smile. "We'll see you then."

"I'll be there, if I can fit in the car," said Emory with a grimace as she rubbed her stomach. "I'll be two weeks away from my due date then. Right now he feels huge but Doc said in the last month he'll get even bigger." She looked at her stomach and laughed, "I can't see how that could possibly happen, I'm enormous." She glanced at her stomach again and started to cry, "I look like a beached whale, I'm a fat cow and my stomach is so big I'm going to burst open any second."

Brianna and Morgan looked at each other unsure of what was going on, one minute she was laughing the next she was in tears. Cynthia leaned over and grabbed her hand and said, "You're fine, it's just the hormones talking."

Duke came running around the corner, "Sweetie, what's the matter?"

Emory looked at him and said in a quavering voice, "It's your fault I'm fat."

"I keep telling you that you're not fat, you're pregnant Sweetie. That's our little one in there and as soon as he's born you'll feel better," Duke said in a calm reassuring voice. "Do you want some ice cream?" Emory sniffed as she nodded and he came back moments later with a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and cool whip. He looked at the other three and asked, "Do you want some too?" They shook their heads and watched as Emory attacked the bowl of ice cream and asked for some onion rings to dip in it.

"We've got to go, we don't want to be late," said Vin quietly as the girls hugged and said goodbye. On their way out, the Bellucci men wished them luck; it was the first football game they had missed in years. Carlo wanted extra men left behind to guard those staying in the safe room for added protection, so it would be one of the smallest crowds ever going to Shenandoah Pack. Minutes later they were in the SUV, Morgan and Dom in the third seat and Vin and Brianna in the second. Morgan was quiet as she tried not to glance at Vin and Brianna who were nuzzling each others neck and whispering quietly before they started to kiss.

"Dom, can I ask you something?" she asked in a voice so quiet he barely heard her as she glanced at her shoes.

He put his hand under her chin to turn her head towards him and answered just as quietly, "You can ask me anything."

"Well, this kiss thing...you know uhmm, the first kiss...how would it...would I or you..." she stopped talking as she looked deep into his emerald eyes and saw them dilate taking on an amber tint. She heard his low growl as a shiver raced up her spine and she held her breath as his eyes lowered to fixate on her lips. Morgan made a movement towards him but Dom wasn't sure if it was from the motion of the SUV or she was leaning in. His eyes moved to stare into hers, ready to pull back if he saw hesitation or fear, even if it would kill him. Seeing nothing but excitement and trust in the sparkling grey eyes, his eyes flashed amber and he groaned as he brought his head down slowly as their lips finally met.

The kiss was whisper soft, their lips barely touching but to Morgan it felt like Dom was branding her and marking her as his own and her wolf couldn't be happier; she was prancing back and forth in delight, her tail high in the air. The human part of Morgan was almost overwhelmed; his scent surrounded her, the heat radiating off him made her skin feel like it was on fire, the hand gently caressing her cheek was sending tingles racing over her skin and she felt light-headed from the combination of the sensations... but she didn't want him to stop.

Dom's wolf stopped pacing and sat down howling his satisfaction at being this close to his mate and he couldn't control the feral growl that came from within him. Feeling no resistance from his mate he slowly deepened the kiss, moving his lips with increased pressure back and forth until he felt Morgan relax her lips and slightly part them; this was what he wanted and what he had been waiting for. Not wanting to overwhelm her, he continued to go slowly as he gently tilted her head to a better angle as he ran the tip of his tongue over her lower lip before sliding his tongue into her mouth. Feeling her shudder he growled again as he rubbed his tongue against hers and felt her first timid response as she mimicked what he was doing. He felt her hands settle on his shoulders and he kept one hand firmly on the back of her head and the other fisted on his leg.

Less than a minute later Morgan started to pull back and Dom instantly let her go and leaned against the side of the SUV as he took slow deep breaths. She glanced at him with a shy grin before she hid her face in her hands. Dom laughed quietly and sat up pulling her into his side as he whispered, "That was even better than I thought it would be, it was absolutely amazing, beyond amazing."

"Are...are you going to be kissing me like that all the time?" asked Morgan as she blushed bright red.

"I think your Dad might have some objections if we did that all the time, though I would like to...I'd really really like to," Dom answered with a growl. "We'll kiss like that when we have some privacy and you can kiss me whenever you want to, I don't always have to be the one to start. But I'd also like to start kissing you like this whenever we want." He leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth and was satisfied when Morgan sighed.

"I think I'd like that," Morgan said as she buried her head in his neck. "I...I think I'd like to do it again, if you want." Dom didn't answer, growling instead as he brought his head back down to hers and started kissing her again.

Matt glanced in the rearview mirror to check the traffic since he had to change lanes and saw both couples kissing. He reached out to hold his mates hand, "Morgan's learning to trust again, my mate. I think after tonight we'll have a completely different Morgan to watch over, protect and love."

Phil sighed as he squeezed Matt's hand, "Dominic and Vincent are good for them, they can help them heal after the hell they went through. Just like we helped each other and our new family has filled the emptiness inside of us both."

"Always together, until the end," Matt said as he looked at Phil who nodded as he smiled back at his mate. They were five minutes from the Millers house when Matt spoke loudly, causing the couples to jump apart, "Anytime you want to go out again, let us know. We had a great dinner, almost got in a fight, bowled two good games and were entertained by all the goings on back there on the way home."

Phil turned in his seat and looked at the youngsters before he started smiling, "Girls, you need to fix your hair and lipstick. Boys, you need to wipe the lipstick off your face and neck. Other than that, I think we're good." Morgan and Brianna dove for their pocketbooks to get their compacts to see what Phil was saying, while Vin and Dom laughed as they followed Phil's instructions. They pulled in front of the garage with minutes to spare before the curfew and Phil took a look at the girls nodding before they went into the house.

They were met in the hallway by Todd who examined his daughters with a critical eye and said loudly, "Why are your lips swollen? Your lipstick's smeared too." Brianna and Morgan blushed as their hands flew to cover their mouths and their eyes were wide as they looked at the guilty expression on their mates. Dom shoved his hands in his pockets and Vin hunched his shoulders as he rubbed the back of his neck as both boys suddenly developed a fixation on their shoes.

"Todd Miller, leave them alone," shouted Holly as she came down the hall with a smile on her face. "Don't you remember what it was like when we were dating? At the end of the evening you had on more lipstick than I did."

He glared at Vin and Dom who were looking everywhere but at him, "That was completely different, you were my mate and THEY are my daughters."

Holly rolled her eyes as she smacked Todd on the arm, "Todd, even for you that doesn't make any sense. Brianna and Morgan are THEIR mates."

"Daughters trump mates," Todd said as he raised his eyebrow as Matt and Phil couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Todd glared at them before he started to laugh, "I'm losing my mind, and I think Luna giving me ten daughters has been payback for what I did when I was young."

Holly said with a smile, "Come in the kitchen, we have cake and cookies." At the mention of food, Vin and Dom quickly ushered their intendeds into the kitchen and got excited seeing the three cakes and plates of cookies on the table.

Vin noticed how quiet everything was and asked, "Where is everybody?"

"Asleep," Todd replied as he poured each youngster a glass of milk. "With fourteen people in the house we have to wake up hours before everybody else to get ready. That reminds me, I need to talk to your Dad about getting a bigger hot water heater or adding another one, the one we have isn't big enough."

Vin and Dom nodded as Holly put a big slice of each cake on plates and handed it to them. She looked at the girls who shook their heads and instead grabbed a sugar cookie. After taking a bite of chocolate cake Vin said, "I'll let him know, he can take a look at it Sunday. The Moretti's will be here to help too and Mr. M is bringing thirty pounds of sausage patties to help with breakfast. Mom is sending over two breakfast casseroles, so you'll have to heat them."

"What's a breakfast casserole?" asked Holly as she took a bite of the vanilla cake. As Holly was talking to the boys, Todd looked at his brothers and asked them for details on how the date went and Matt and Phil made sure to let Todd know how protective and caring the boys were.

"It's two layers of buttered bread, hash browns, cheese, sausage, onions, mushrooms green peppers and she pours scrambled eggs over it and bakes it. She serves it with sausage gravy," answered Vin as he started to eat the red velvet cake.

Dom whispered, "I'll make sure she leaves out the mushrooms." Morgan nodded; pleased he would think about that.

Todd looked at the clock and said, "Okay girls, time for bed. I'd like to talk with your intendeds alone." Vin and Dom swallowed noisily and walked their mates to the kitchen door giving them a kiss on their foreheads. As much as they wanted to kiss them, with their Dad glaring at them they figured that was better.

"We'll be here at 8," whispered Dom as the girls went down the hallway, with Holly closely following them as she asked them questions about how the date went. Vin and Dom glanced at each other and slowly walked back to the table.

"Sit down," Todd said in a menacing tone which didn't help the boys unease. Todd continued to glare at them for several minutes before saying, "The reason I wanted to talk to you is we haven't told the girls about their friends yet. We talked it over and didn't want to ruin this weekend for them, with their first dates and the football game. But I'd like you to be there when we tell them Sunday evening."

"Yes Sir, we have training from 5 to 7, but we'll come right after," said Vin as he exhaled slowly as he glanced at his twin, knowing there was more coming.

"I understand you almost got in a fight protecting my daughters; made sure they ate well but most of all had fun. That's all a father could ask for, but I do have one request...don't slobber all over my daughters in front of me." Vin and Dom blushed bright red and nodded as Todd continued, "I can see a lot of myself in the two of you; I know what I was like at that age and how I felt after I made my declaration for Hols and to be honest...it scares the hell out of me, they're my babies."

"I want you to know we'll always treat your daughters with respect and protect them Sir," Vin said in a firm tone.

Dom nodded and said, "Madame Gina told me what happened with Morgan, and I want you to know I've let her dictate the pace of everything we've done, including our first kiss. I would never do anything she's not ready for."

Todd nodded and smiled for the first time, "That's all a father wants to hear. Now finish your cake and get the hell home. We've got a long day ahead of us and I understand since Shenandoah Pack is isolated, you'll be able to play against them full strength." Vin and Dom laughed and the five men sat and talked about football until all three cakes and the cookies were gone.

Vin looked at the clock and saw it was almost midnight, "We've really got to go Sir. We'll be here at 8." Todd nodded and walked the four men to the door and watched the vehicles pull out of the driveway before locking and alarming the house.

Vin and Dom entered the house quietly, reset the alarm and noticed the light under the door to their Dad's study. After knocking, they waited for permission before entering and weren't surprised to see the men having a beer. "How was the date?" asked Frank with a smile.

"Good," Dom answered. "Ate pizza, bowled, Weaver showed his ass and we almost got into a fight, took the girls home. Oh, and Nana Ellen made chocolate, red velvet and vanilla cake and cookies too...chocolate chip, sugar and oatmeal raisin."

"And she made brownies with cream cheese and cherries, one of the best things I've ever eaten," said Vin as he rubbed his stomach.

The men started to laugh and Ric said in a teasing tone, "You go out with your beautiful intendeds and the only thing you talk about is what you ate?"

Vin and Dom looked at each other and smiled as Vin said, "That's all we're telling you bunch of degenerates. See you in the morning."

They were almost out of the room when Frank said in a loud voice, "You might want to put some Spray 'n Wash on your shirts...it'll get the lipstick stains out." They halted in their tracks as the men burst out laughing.