To Love a Stray

Hallo Lit readers Here is the next chapter in my story.

I look forward to the comments left so plz vote and comment.

If you have any reasonable question about the story include them in your comment and I will try to answer them.

As for the comment that my readers opinions don't matter, well this story chooses to go on its own path. I am merely the one who puts it down in words for others to read.

MYGYPSY

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I glance across at Rosy where she is curled up between her brothers. I frown when I see her eyes are closed and she appears to be asleep. It is not the fact she is asleep that bothers me, rather the fact she seems to be avoiding sleeping in my bed with me.

I walk closer to where Sam and Mitchell sit relaxed on either side of her and catch Sam's eye. I jerk my chin towards the hallway door before heading that way without waiting to see if he follows. I don't stop in the hallway but make my way outside before turning around and waiting for Sam to reach me.

"Yeah, I guess I know what this is about," Sam says quietly as he walks through the door.

"I don't want to push her Sam, but this will be the third night in a row she has avoided sleeping with me," I say evenly.

"Has this talk got anything to do with a concerned phone call from Doc?" Sam asks calmly.

"No," I say with a frown. "He only called to say he informed the Board of Rosy's pregnancy."

Doc called yesterday to let me know he notified the Were Board of Governors of the pregnancy and received confirmation that it was noted in the records as with each confirmed pregnancy for a she-kitt or Queen.

"You got something to tell me?" I ask after a few moments silence.

"Doc phoned me today to ask how you and Rosy are getting on," Sam says quietly.

"Apparently the Board contacted him asking if Rosy is going to be getting married real soon," Mitchell says as he walks outside to join us.

"Neither of you thought of mentioning this to me?" I ask tightly.

"We don't want to see Rosy pushed into anything she doesn't want," Sam states firmly. "Doc said that when he told the Board she was seriously involved with you, they were satisfied for the time being."

"Either both of us, or one of us, was going to talk to you tonight," Mitchell says lightly. "You beat us to it."

"Rosy needs all the support she..." I start to say but Sam lifts a hand and I stop mid sentence.

"She needs to build stronger bonds with you," Sam states with a nod. "With all of us here. But at the moment I think she's embarrassed over what happened in the lounge room, and the fact everyone was watching is making her hesitant about sleeping with you."

"I didn't mean to lock-up inside her," I say with a glance towards Mitchell. Yesterday morning he got in a few good punches before Sam was able to make him back off. I didn't fight back as I realised it was his punishment to me for locking-up inside his sister so early in our relationship.

"You'll be wanting to sleep beside Rosy in the lounge room or have just you and her in your room tonight," Sam says with a quiet sigh.

"Yes," I admit. "Already there is a matebond forming. I can feel her at the edge of my mind. I can't get into her mind but I can feel her presence. I don't want to have to use our bond to make her let me sleep beside her."

"You sure there is a matebond forming?" Mitchell asks sceptically.

"Yes," I say firmly as I meet his eyes. Matebonds generally don't form so quickly between couples. It usually takes several years before the individuals can feel each other subconsciously - then a shorter time before they can communicate silently.

"Maybe if we back off, Rosy will turn to you for the support and reassurance she seems to need so badly," Sam says with a sigh.

"I'm going to go see if Rosy will wake up a bit," Mitchell murmurs as he looks away from my stare and heads inside.

Sam clears his throat and looks away when I meet his eyes. He is silent for a few moments but I can tell he has more to say.

"Doc warned me it might happen," Sam says gravely after a short silence. He meets my eyes with a shrug as if not sure of something. "Doc thinks that the matebond is formed when a tom locks-up inside his mate."

"Hence the reason we are told never to lock-up inside a young she-kitt when we are playing around before marriage," I say and take a deep breath.

"If what Doc said is true Micah, Rosy might have already formed bonds with another tom. She said nearly every tom that forced her locked up inside of her. If that's so, who is she bonded to?" Sam asks quietly.

I take a deep sharp breath. I don't want to think about that.

"Well I will just have to make sure our bond is the one she wants," I snap and head inside, desperate to be near her. The chance she might already be bonded with another tom worries me. It might be the reason she seems to be reluctant to become involved in a normal boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.

Rosy is awake when I walk into the lounge room. Steven and Malcolm are sitting either side of her and judging by the teasing going on it was one of them that woke her up. I am not surprised Steven has woken her; he has encouraged Rosy towards me every chance he got. While the support of my work partner doesn't surprise me, the quiet way Malcolm has been encouraging Rosy to become involved with me has come as a surprise.

"You okay there Rosy?" I ask quietly.

"These two were being silly and woke me up," Rosy says with a frown looking my way.

"We weren't being silly," Steven says seriously. "You were pulling faces in your sleep so we woke you up because I thought you were having a nightmare."

"How about I sit next to you to protect you from them?" I ask as I come around the lounge to stand near the mattress she was on. It was a new queen size mattress I purchased and had delivered from town yesterday. With an extra mattress, there would always be one on the floor in the lounge room whenever Rosy chose to take a nap in here.

"I just want to go back to sleep," Rosy protests as she lies back down and looks away from me, avoiding my eyes.

Malcolm gets up without a word and I sit down beside Rosy. She moves so she is lying on her side facing me with her back to Steven. I reach out and brush loose tendrils of hair back off her face and tuck them behind her ear. She closes her eyes and turns her face slightly so her cheek touches my hand.

It's been like that since she accepted me - allowing me to mount her not once but twice in a very short span of time. Since then she resists contact with me but once I touch her she leans into my touch, keeping the contact as long as possible.

"Can I touch your baby-belly?" I ask softly.

Rosy doesn't answer; instead she rolls onto her back pushing the blanket down below her hips. She pulls her t-shirt up until I can see the waistband of her sweatpants.

"Someone turn the lights out," I say firmly and stretch out on my side close beside her.

I place my hand lightly on her lower stomach and watch her face. She blinks slowly and turns her face towards me before closing her eyes. The light in the lounge room is turned out followed shortly by the kitchen light.

I pull the blanket up to cover Rosy up before resting my hand on her clothing over her stomach gently once more. I feel Rosy move slightly beneath my touch and then she is lifting my hand and sliding it beneath the waist of her pants. I barely breathe, not wanting to make any kind of movement that might break the fragile trust Rosy is showing.

"Rosy isn't going to let anyone else touch her belly tonight is she?" Donny asks quietly somewhere close by. Someone immediately shushes him and I am relieved when Rosy remains where she is.

I remain motionless with my hand resting lightly on her stomach until I am almost certain Rosy has fallen back to sleep. I lean towards her and brush a kiss against her cheek. I am surprised when she turns her head towards me allowing my lips to brush hers. I lift my head to look at her, expecting to find she has only moved in her sleep but I can see her eyes are open.

Deciding to take a chance I lower my head and brush a light kiss over her lips. Her lips part softly beneath mine so I kiss her again, forcing myself to keep it light. When I rest my head on the pillow Rosy crowds close to me wriggling and pushing against my chest. I roll away from her and onto my back with a sigh of disappointment; I wanted to hold her as she slept. I am surprised when she snuggles up against my side, her head on my chest and one leg thrown over mine.

"Comfortable?" I ask her quietly.

"Hmmm." Her hum of agreement is faint and I realise she is almost asleep.

I close my own eyes ignoring the tv program most of the others are watching and relax, enjoying the warm soft feeling of Rosy against my side. I am still awake when the tv is turned off and everyone but Steven heads for their rooms. I feel Rosy stir against my side and realise she was woken up by the few noises made as the lounge room emptied.

"You want me to go to the bedroom or stay out here by myself maybe?" Steven asks quietly.

I feel Rosy move slightly as if she has moved her head so she can hear my answer better.

"I don't care what you do," I say softly. "I am doing exactly what I want to be doing. Rosy? You want Steven to go away?"

"He's not trying to touch me or hurt me," Rosy murmurs sleepily and finishes with a yawn.

* * * * *

I lie on the bed and look around the bedroom, bored. It is midafternoon and Sam has sent me to Micah's room with orders to lie down for my mid afternoon sleep.

It is two weeks since I have been allowed to return to the quarters and the relationship between Micah and myself has been getting stronger. Micah has been gentle and understanding in our relationship. When I have trouble dealing with his sexual needs he accepts there are some things I need time to allow him to do. The times I have let him have sex with me, he has been very gentle and made sure I received as much pleasure as he seemed to get from it.

The midafternoon sleep has somehow become routine since leaving the cage, probably due to my normally progressing pregnancy. I know I will fall asleep soon and roll onto my side cuddling a pillow to my chest and pulling the blanket up over my shoulders. I am nearly asleep when I hear soft footsteps and then I feel the bed dip beneath a slight weight. I open my eyes sleepily and smile when I see Jazzy settling down on the bed as well.

Since Micah and Steven left on their job a week ago, it has become a routine for Jazzy to sneak in and lie down when I am supposed to be asleep. We both know that none of the toms will order her out of the room if they think I am asleep for fear of waking me. We use these times to talk about what things will be needed for the coming baby, what colour the new room should be painted, and we get a chance to talk girl talk about the different toms belonging to the clan.

I wake to the sound of footsteps coming down the sunroom towards the room I am in. The angle of the sunlight streaming in the window tells me two or three hours have passed since Jazzy came in to lay down with me. I notice I am alone once again and roll over to face the door before I prop myself up on one arm as I look towards the doorway with sleep blurred eyes.

"Hey Darling, I was hoping you were awake." The sound of Micah's voice sends a shiver of excitement down my spine and I sit up for several moments before speaking.

"Micah! You're back!" I say before lying back down and patting the bed beside me in invitation. Micah needs no second invitation and hurries to stretch out on the bed beside me. One large hand immediately covers my still flat stomach and he moves it in gentle circles.

"How have you been? And how is Jelly-bean treating you?" he asks without looking away from where his hand rests on my belly.

"Good. As you can see I lie down of an afternoon because if I don't Sam and Mitchell get cranky, and Jazzy will sit down and glare at me until I do. Mind you she doesn't say a word - just glares," I say with a happy grin. "All of us usually end up eating outside because I get morning sickness at supper time most days now. I usually manage a tiny bit of food and have the rest of my meal about ten o'clock at night."

"You sleeping well or do you miss me?" Micah teases.

"I sleep pretty good but I usually sleep with Sam. If I sleep with Mitchell Jazzy gets so cranky if she can smell either of our scents on the other when she comes over from the house the next morning. She has even checked his bed once or twice to make sure I haven't slept in it," I tell him.

"Hmmm," Micah says and moves his hand up to cup my breast. His thumb brushes my nipple through the fabric and I gasp as I feel moisture gather between my thighs.

"One other thing," I say breathlessly, "Your father ..."

Micah growls and lifts his head immediately to look me in the face, "What has he done now?" His voice is a tight growl.

"Nothing really. Though he is usually over here at the quarters nearly everyday, mostly when Marissa brings me over some treat she has cooked or something for the baby she's picked up when she's been in town ... although I have noticed a couple of the things have only had Wade's scent on them with your mum's scent on the wrapping or bag they're in," I tell him and Micah gives an annoyed grunt that reminds me very much of the sound Wade makes when I annoy him with my persistence in keeping a good distance between us.

"Give them back if it bothers you," Micah tells me.

"I just thought ... you know if you wanted ... maybe ... if you want to be the father of this baby then maybe you'd better practice the father thing before it gets here..." I am saying but Micah cuts me off abruptly.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Micah's voice rises to a shout in his excitement and I flinch.

"If you want to be the father of this baby then maybe you'd better practice the father thing before it gets here," I say uncertainly now.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Micah yells and kisses me between each word, "Oh God yes!"

"If you'll hold me nice and tight so I know I'm safe and the baby is safe then your father can touch my belly and say hallo to his grandchild," I tell him quietly as I hear footsteps hurrying towards us.

"Oh he'll love that," Micah says and lifts his head to look towards the door.

"Is everything alright? We heard you yelling halfway over to the house," Sam bursts out as he and Mitchell along with several others skid to a halt in the doorway.

"All right? Of course everything is bloody all right! Now shut my door and get the fuck out of the quarters," Micah yells at them in annoyance.

I peer over Micah's shoulder and watch as Sam shuts the door with a frown on his face. "You sure everything is all right?" Sam calls through the door.

"All right? Top of the world! Couldn't be better! Frigging Won-dee-full!" Micah yells and it is hard to tell whether he is angry or excited without seeing the look of joy on his face.

"You sure? You both still got your pants on so why all the yelling?" Mitchell yells sounding half angry and half worried.

"Get out of the quarters before I get up and come out and hit you," Micah yells back angry now. I hear Mitchell growl low and threateningly and I grab Micah's arm when he goes to get up.

"Can you all just do as Micah says and go? We're trying to sort something out here and you're interfering," I call out. I hate it when aggression simmers between any of the toms. I even hate watching the sparing and training they do to stay in shape and fighting condition for work.

"You're ok?" Mitchell worries.

"I'm fine. Just go please!" I call out when Micah growls and pulls away from my light hold. Thankfully he stands by the side of the bed and faces the door angrily as he listens to the toms leave.

"That tom needs something else to think of besides my girlfriend and our baby," Micah says with a huge grin after an uncomfortable silence.

"Micah, he's my brother, and believe it or not, we are very close even if we didn't know each other a year ago. He's just over protective. He'll make a great uncle," I tell him.

Micah grunts non-committaly as he stretches out beside me to rest his hand on my belly and watches my face. After a few minutes he lowers his head to kiss me gently before lifting his head once again.

"When are you going to start thinking about proper names for the baby? We can't keep calling it Jelly-bean," he tells me seriously.

"Well I don't know how it works in the cat world, but in the human world that is something both parents work out together most of the time," I tell him as I slide my hands up his chest and along the top of his shoulders.

"With cats the mother has final say usually," Micah answers and lowers his head to nuzzle around my neck.

Surprisingly it is not a sexual action but one that werecats use between couples to display affection and strengthen their bond. I close my eyes and moan softly with the pleasure and contentment his gesture causes. I hear him chuckle before tensing and I open my eyes to look at him.

"Who ever it is, fuck off," Micah growls in warning as he glares at the door.

"Micah, it's me partner," Steven says from somewhere close outside the door. "Can I come in?"

I feel Micah tense for several moments then he slowly relaxes and moves closer to me snuggling me against his body.

"Yeah," there is a trace of annoyance in his voice as he answers.

"I'm really sorry to interrupt, mate," Steven says when he opens the door and walks in closing it behind him, "but there's going to be a problem real soon if you don't bring Rosy out so both of her brothers can see you've stopped yelling at her."

"I wasn't far off waking up from my sleep anyway," I tell Micah but make no move to get up. I am content to lie against his body.

"All right then," Micah says reluctantly. "I got a few people to talk to anyway."

"Hi Steven, good to have you back safely," I tell him.

"Hey Rosy, behaving I hope," Steven tells me with a grin before he leans down to give me a kiss on the cheek. One perk of being the girlfriend of a warrior I have found is that his partner considers himself like a honorary brother and so I have one more big warm male body to cuddle up to if I get upset.

"Steven, I want you to be the first to know Rosy has asked me if I want to practice being a father so I have the hang of it for when the Jelly-bean arrives," Micah tells him his voice thick with emotion.

My hesitancy to involve Micah fully with my pregnancy up to now has been a thing of concern amongst the toms, and they discuss it frequently when they think I am unable to hear them.

"Shit mate! I'm really happy for you," Steven says as Micah gets to his feet and they embrace in a back slapping hug. "No wonder you were yelling."

"Yeah," is all Micah manages. I get up and snuggle into Micah's arms, resting my cheek against his chest. I can hear his heartbeat and I close my eyes. I open them as I realise Micah hasn't kissed me properly yet and I lean back as I look up into his face.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I ask. Micah frowns as he looks down at me and I lick my lips making his eyes light up with desire. He grins at me before dropping his head to catch my lips in a hot and steamy kiss. I groan against his lips when he slowly lifts his head and I reach up to drag his head back down to mine so his mouth can work more of it's magic. Steven clears his throat noisily then starts whistling as Micah looks his way and I smile knowing from past experience Steven is looking up at the ceiling like it is interesting.

"Shall we go?" Micah asks. I hold on to Micah's hand as he leads the way out to the lounge room. He hesitates and Steven moves past us to lead the way outside and towards the stone building where the others are standing in a huddled group. Sam and Mitchell move away from the group and I see both of them eyeing Micah with tight expressions.