Chapter 19: : Chapter 18

My alarm goes off way earlier than I’m ready to face the day. The scary part is I set it for eight a.m. That’s later than I normally wake up, but I spent several hours last night trying to catch up on work. Rolling over, I slap around for my phone but freeze when my face hits bare skin.

Kase’s nutty, blueberry scent instantly comforts my system. Confusion comes about three seconds later. He wasn’t in bed with me when I fell asleep. As a matter of fact, I barely saw him after dinner. He sat on the couch with me and Arden, then disappeared upstairs. I didn’t see him again, and to combat the anxiety, I threw myself into work. I’m pretty sure he insinuated that it was his first time. He’s gorgeous, so my brain tried to find other explanations, such as maybe he meant his first time with a pregnant chick or a woman.

He grunts, stretches out a long hand, snags my phone, and cuts off the alarm before dropping it back on the nightstand.

The handsome alpha snuggles back under the blanket, pulling it up around my shoulders.

“Morning,” he mumbles sleepily. The gravelly tone to his voice makes me shiver as his hand comes to rest on my back. “How’d ya sleep?”

“Great,” I tell him honestly. “A lot better than the night I spent at my house.”

“I’ll bet it was cold, even with the space heater.”

“Yeah,” I agree. That wasn’t what kept me up, tossing and turning half the night, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Well, I’m glad you were able to get some solid rest. Will you be able to see the baby today? Like an ultrasound?” His massive hand slides up and down my spine.

“I doubt it. Maybe because it’s a new doctor’s office, but honestly, I’m not expecting to.” My fingers land on his chest, running over the few hairs that line his skin. “I’m excited, though. I always look forward to being able to hear her heartbeat. I’ve only had two ultrasounds. One when they verified the pregnancy and another when they did the anatomy scan, but that’s okay. They’re expensive.”

“Hearing the heartbeat sounds incredible,” Kase says. “Maybe I’ll ask Arden to record it for us.”

My lips push together as I struggle against the urge to ask him why he cares.

Being alone for so long may have warped my outlook. I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. Every impulse I’ve got wants to be cared for and coddled by these men, but I’m sure it is a novel experience to have an omega so close. Their instincts could be pulling them to me the same way mine are drawing me to them, but everything is about to change for me in a huge way.

Babies are needy.

They take up all your focus for months straight.

After the first year, the baby books said I should be settled into a routine, but even then… What smoking-hot man wants to deal with a pregnant woman, then someone else’s baby, and I won’t be able to have sex for at least six weeks after Luna comes. I fully expect that my system won’t want anything to do with being intimate for even longer than that.

“I remember you saying your internet is supposed to be hooked up today,” Kase says, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Did they give you a time block of when to make sure you’re home? It doesn’t matter. I figured I’d stick around and work from home today, just to be safe.”

“When they set the appointment, they said it could be anywhere between eight and four.” My head shakes. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that. I don’t know if pregnancy caught up to me all at once…” I exhale heavily. “But I usually have a better handle on life.”

I’ve been an absolute mess recently.

“It’s no big deal,” the alpha says, still rubbing his hand down my back. “The doctor’s appointment takes priority, anyway.” He’s right about that. The office had one opening this week, and I snagged it without much thought. “I hope you don’t mind that I slept in here last night. All I could think about was how hot you were when you woke up from your nap yesterday. And I just really wanted to snuggle with you.”

My silly heart races. “I didn’t mind a bit.”

Sometimes when he’s shy and open about things others would keep to themselves, he reminds me so much of Clark. They’re totally different people, but Kase is easy to be around, and being around him makes thinking of Clark hurt a little less.

“Good.” He stretches down, pecking a kiss on the top of my head, and my stomach gets all melty.

I have no idea what’s going on, but it’s nice having someone to count on for once. I think I’ll let it ride until they realize how much of a hassle I really am.

Arden accompanies me over to my house to grab clothes. I shower at their house, and Kase gently pushes me to have a few bites of breakfast before it’s time to leave. I’m nervous, but I do get lightheaded when I don’t eat, so I force myself to nibble, even though I’m not really hungry.

Arden won’t let me out the front door afterward without a beanie and gloves. It’s sweet, but I’m already in the new jacket Lincoln bought me. That alone would make it fine to walk from the vehicle into the doctor’s office.

He bends, brushing his cheek over mine one by one. It’s almost as relaxing as hearing him purr, which I need more of.

“I just wanted to say thank you for coming with me. I’m sure I could have managed the drive alone, but I’m grateful that I don’t have to.” My teeth dig into my lower lip, and my cheeks flame.

Damn, now I’m overheating from too many layers. Or maybe my face burns from embarrassment because I didn’t mean to say that. Being an omega means I’m always going to feel safest with alphas at my side to help with the tough stuff, but I’m also about to be a mom.

Moms are supposed to be resilient and capable. My mom was. She was also an alpha, so comparing us is a little like comparing Sky the German shepherd to my old neighbor’s poodle.

Arden grins, grabbing my hand. “Come on. We don’t want to risk being late.”

Arden heads up to the check-in desk while I’m tackling the massive amount of intake paperwork. My old doctor’s office swore they would fax over all my records, and I can only pray they’ve been received and processed.

I frown when Arden reaches into his suit coat and pulls out his wallet. That was not something we discussed, but I suppose I can pay him back once we leave.

My heart pangs when I make it to the section dedicated to Luna’s dad’s information. It’s not like I have much, outside of the tragedy of how young he was when he died. His mom passed away before we met, and his father is supposedly still alive somewhere with his new wife and family, but Clark told me almost nothing outside of that. He clearly has a living brother, and I fill that in, but other than the fact he was Clark’s younger brother, I don’t have anything else to provide. Not even Emmett’s age.

I try not to let myself obsess about whether his family genetics will end up impacting Luna one day. That’s a whole lot of years into the future, and worrying about it now will only add to my stress.

Finishing up the paperwork, I bring it to the receptionist. Arden turns around, shoving his wallet back into his jacket. Once the woman behind the counter takes my clipboard, Arden accompanies me back to the chairs. He wraps an arm around my shoulders as soon as I’m settled, and I shamelessly snuggle closer.

Dr. Webb is nice, if a little to the point. She rushes through the intake, but my records did arrive, so that’s a huge relief. Honestly, everything seems to be fine. If she had concerns, I’m sure she wouldn’t be in such a hurry to move on to the next patient, right?

I sit back up after she does a quick pelvic exam and do my best to cover up with the awful paper sheet.

The nurse who monitored the exam leaves to bring Arden back in as the doctor pulls off her gloves and does a quick wash of her hands. The energy in the room changes once he’s back. And I’m grateful for the support of having someone else with me.

“We’ll have your Strep B results next week. Baby is head down, which is good. You’re one centimeter dilated, but that’s normal for this stage of your pregnancy.” The doctor takes a seat on her rolling chair, grabs the tablet from the counter, and starts typing. “First-time moms often have several bouts of practicing before true labor ramps up.”

“Wait,” Arden growls, rubbing his hand over the horrible paper sheet as he caresses my stomach. His other hand rests on the bare skin of my lower back, and he’s so close that it should be strange, but it’s not. “Isn’t it too early for her to be dilating?”

“Not at all,” Dr. Webb says with a lightness to her voice that she didn’t have when speaking to me. “Chelsea just hit the thirty-six-week mark. She made it to the point when babies can come at any time, and it’s past what we consider the danger zone. She could stay one centimeter dilated until forty weeks, or she may slowly progress up to two or three centimeters. Every pregnancy is different, but things are going well. Don’t stress, Dad.”

My heart races. I did make it clear that Luna’s biological dad is dead, but I’m guessing she believes I still have several other members in my pack.

Arden’s hand tightens on my back, and he nods. “She’s been sleeping a lot the last few days, and there was a small incident…” He goes on to recall how I woke up feverish, pounced on Kase, and didn’t settle until I’d been knotted and soaked up a fair amount of alpha pheromones. He’s tactful enough to leave out the implied soaked up a lot of semen, and I’m pretty sure that’s what keeps me from melting into an actual puddle of embarrassment.

I didn’t mention any of that, so he must have heard it from Linc or Kase. It doesn’t bother me. I would have told him myself. I’ve always been taught that secrets are the death of a pack. Well, that and jealousy. But I’ve never been close enough to see how a healthy pack interacts.

Dr. Webb nods, typing away on her tablet. “The fever came down after being knotted?”

“Yes,” I choke out. “But I’ve been feeling extra run-down since I moved.”

“I tend to follow the belief that it’s best to give your body what it’s asking for. Spend some time nesting; it should help to settle your instincts. Rest as much as you can, elevate your feet and legs to help with swelling, and monitor her fevers.” Dr. Webb finally glances up, but she makes eye contact with Arden. “During pregnancy, it’s not uncommon for omegas to have strong reactions to their alphas’ scents. The fact you aren’t bonded means those reactions are likely to be more severe. It’s her system attempting to entice you and her other alphas to stay close. Omegas with regular access to alpha pheromones have a lower likelihood of preterm labor and are at less risk for maternal and fetal complications.”

My jaw falls.

I didn’t know any of that.

Why didn’t my last OB warn me?

Maybe because she knew I was grieving Clark and wasn’t ready to start anything new?

“I see,” Arden says thoughtfully. “And it’s safe to continue intimate activities?”

The doctor smiles. “It is, but if you haven’t discontinued baths, it’s about that time. We need to know if your water breaks, and it can be difficult to tell if you’re submerged. Sexual contact is safe up until your water breaks or if you have any pain or bleeding, but otherwise, soak up that intimacy while you can.” She grabs her tablet from her lap and stands. “Take a tour of the hospital and get registered if you haven’t.” She walks over to the wall, picks out several pamphlets, and brings them over. I take them from her outstretched hand. “These tell you where our practice has hospital privileges, as well as what steps to take if you think you’re in active labor. I’d like to see you back in a week.”

My stomach wobbles. Everything is moving so fast. It all got real super fucking quick. The only plus side is that I don’t have the chance to be stressed about how the doctor assumed Arden was part of my pack.