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If you were to ask the pack six months ago what their biggest accomplishment was, they would have said the success of Dark Side. If you asked them now, they’d all say Joonas’ pregnancy. Six months along and Joonas was treated like a king. He couldn’t play his guitar without strapping up his belly in protective gear, but he’d do it a million times over for the pup growing in him. Not all of their fans had been supportive of Joonas continuing to work while pregnant, but the pack ignored those people and trudged forward. They sold concert tickets as well as they always did, and Joonas played just as good pregnant as he did before.
The Finnish press was stirring up drama whenever they could. Anytime Joonas had been seen with a man or a female alpha outside of their pack since announcing his pregnancy in July, an article came out questioning if this could be the “true” sire of Joonas’ pup. Joonas tried not to let it bother him, but it did. He didn’t like that people would so easily believe him to be unfaithful to his mates. So, Niko and Joel made it their mission to be as up-to-date with the gossip rags so they could shut down every bullshit rumor as they came out and shame the authors for suggesting Joonas would ever cheat.
This far along in his pregnancy, Joonas knew he was having a baby girl, and they’d picked out a name for their little girl. Esteri, meaning star, for their own little star. Joel had been the one to first suggest it, as Joonas had been into old fashioned names that were making a comeback. So Joel looked for old fashioned names that he thought the pack would like and found Esteri. Instantly the pack loved it. Olli had suggested her middle name, Miia, and it was agreed that their baby girl would be named Esteri Miia Porko.
It was a dreary November day, but the pack’s Helsinki apartment was alive with activity. Over the past two months, Aleksi and Joel's room as a home studio had been slowly dismantled and was being turned into a nursery. This day was special because Tommi had returned from Oulu with his childhood crib in the van, and the alphas were now hard at work putting it together.
“No, no, no!” Niko cried. “It’s this screwdriver, not that one!”
Joonas lounged on the couch, one hand resting on his swollen abdomen as he watched his two alphas growl at the crib. Aleksi was cuddled up next to him, rubbing his belly, while Joel sat on the other side of Joonas with Joonas’ feet in his lap, giving him a much needed foot rub. On top of the weight gain in his abdomen, his nipples and areolas were growing darker, and his ankles were constantly swollen. Thankfully his mates were more than willing to help however they could.
“You guys are doing great,” Joonas called cheekily.
“Easy for you to say,” Tommi huffed.
“I can come help,” Joonas said, but all five of his mates were protesting before he could even sit up.
“No!”
“Absolutely not!”
“We’ve got this. Sit down!”
“I didn’t even get up yet!” Joonas cackled, unable to hold back his laughter at the situation. He looked down to his belly and began talking to his unborn daughter. “Esteri, your dads are so protective. They won’t let me do anything !”
“Don’t listen to him, Esteri,” Olli said, coming into the room with a bowl of fruit. “We’re just looking out for the two of you. He’s being dramatic.”
Joonas mock gasped, clutching fake pearls and the others laughed. Olli smiled innocently and handed over the fruit bowl with a soft kiss.
Joonas had never felt as attractive to his partners as he did while pregnant. Someone was always touching him, touching his bump, kissing him, rubbing his feet, massaging his shoulders, touching his hair. They were all over him, and it made Joonas feel like some sort of fertility god. But he preferred moments like these, where the kisses were full of love, and he was safely in his pack’s den. He could just be himself in this apartment, it was their home base, their den, his safe place, and he never realized how much it meant to him until his pregnancy with Esteri began.
“We’re not that protective,” Niko insisted, making Joonas roll his eyes. “We just want the best for you and Esteri. Like this crib! We want it to be perfect!”
“And that’s why it’s taking you forever?” Joel teased.
“If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you come help,” Tommi said.
Joel held up his hands in surrender, and Aleksi giggled.
“You’re all letting your desire for everything to be perfect get in the way of everything. If you calmed down, you probably would have finished this crib by now.”
Niko looked ready to growl at the omega, but Aleksi got up, giving Joonas’ belly one last gentle rub, and got on the floor with them. “Here, let me show you.”
Aleksi proceeded to easily put together half of the crib like it was nothing. Joel was rolling with laughter at the look on Niko’s face, jaw hanging open like he was trying to catch flies. Tommi was watching like he was actually trying to learn something, which didn’t surprise Joonas. Having known his tallest mate since childhood, he knew despite Tommi’s jokes and intimidating size, he was an intelligent guy that loves to learn.
“There,” Aleksi said once he’d finished the crib. “Perfect for a little princess.”
“For a little star,” Olli corrected.
Niko got out the tiny mattress for it, put a star-covered sheet on it, and placed it in the crib. “Now it’s perfect.”
“C’mon, let’s get this out of the living room and into the nursery,” Tommi said.
Together the two alphas carried it in. Joonas got up, and the others followed, all of them heading for the nursery. It had been painted a light green. Up against the wall sat the new crib, and right above it was her name that Olli had so carefully painted the weekend before. Next to it was a changing table Joel had put together yesterday.
On the next wall was a big window, and next to it was a beautiful wooden rocking chair that once belonged to Joonas’ mother. She gave it to him months ago when he announced his pregnancy, and now it sat proudly in the nursery.
On the opposite wall was an old wardrobe that was half for hanging up clothes and half drawers, and so far, that was all there was to the nursery. They still had months to go to prepare the room for Esteri.
“It’s perfect,” Joonas breathed.
He felt an arm wrap around him, then another and another. He leaned into the touch happily. He didn’t care to see which of his mates it was. It just mattered that it was his pack.
“Yeah, it is,” Niko said. “Absolutely perfect.”