Part 75

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(POV - Aria)

"If you don't mind me asking," Aria said, tilting her head in thought. "Why are you devoted to Marcus? Apart from the obvious."

"The obvious being that he's Alpha?" Inara asked with a chuckle. "He's been my dearest friend for years."

Aria regarded her seriously, trying to spot the lie that 'had' to be there because there was no way that Inara was telling the truth. There couldn't be. Maybe she would just have to come out and be forthright.

"Have you ever had a relationship with Marcus?" Aria asked, straightforward, trying to keep her voice steady.

Inara sighed softly.

"I don't think what we had could ever be considered a real relationship," Inara admitted.

"So there 'was' something?" Aria pressed, taking an unconscious step toward Inara. "Enough of it that it could be considered something?"

Inara glanced away before making eye contact with Aria again.

"Could we sit down?" Inara asked, sounding almost shy. "I feel so rude making you stand outside my door like this."

Blinking in surprise yet again, Aria nodded. "Sure."

Inara gestured for Aria to come in, stepping aside and keeping her head bowed as Aria walked past her.

Inara's room was... unexpected.

There was very little on the walls apart from the shelves of books, each covering tactical warfare and the art of battle. There was a chest of drawers that Aria was willing to bet was stuffed to the top with weapons of all kinds, even though Inara was a weapon herself. She remembered Marcus mentioning that Inara had a very unique penchant for collecting dangerous weapons that couldn't be found anywhere else in their neck of the woods.

It was neat, but it gave Aria the distinct impression that Inara didn't spend enough time in her room to 'make' it messy. Only her bed showed any sign that someone lived there, the covers a bit wrinkled after being hastily thrown back into place before Inara no doubt left for her duties earlier that day.

"Please," Inara said, gesturing to an open chair with an open hand. Aria took the offered seat and waited for Inara to speak. She watched the she-wolf sigh again, her fingers relaxed at her sides. She sat on her bed, opposite Aria.

"My relationship, for lack of a better term, with Marcus was purely physical. But I do admit that I love him."

A wave of heat crashed over her, red igniting behind her eyes and drawing her wolf out of her slumber in a heartbeat. She battled against her wolf, knowing it would turn ugly if she shifted in another wolf's private room. But how fucking 'dare' she? Marcus was Aria's mate, he belonged to 'her', and Inara had no place to feel that way about Aria's mate.

"Luna, wait please," Inara said, holding her hands up, palms facing Aria in surrender.

Her entire body shook with the sudden rush of anger, but Aria took a deep steadying breath, wanting to hear her out before tearing her throat out at least.

Marcus would be proud.

"I do love him," she said again, and it did nothing to placate her seething wolf. "But I don't want him like that. He belongs to you, and he is off limits. He is my Alpha, and you are my Luna. I would never do anything to jeopardize that."

Aria was stunned by Inara's sincerity. There wasn't a trace of deceit or mischief in her words, and Aria found herself willing to trust her.

She also found herself feeling horribly ashamed for how she'd treated Inara.

"I'm sorry," she said, her shoulders sagging, the dizzying nausea from her anger still roiling inside her. "I don't usually blow up at people like that. I'm actually very quiet. I'm not the lashing type."

Inara waved it off, an easy smile on her face. She looked more at ease now that Aria wasn't upset.

"I honestly get it," she said, the hint of a joke in her upturned lips. "Maybe it's a Luna thing."

"I doubt it," Aria scoffed, chuckling at the thought that she could have any kind of Luna-centric trait considering she'd 'forgotten' she was one. She absently rubbed her stomach where the nausea swirled. "I've just felt so uneasy that it sets my teeth on edge. No matter what I do, I can't help but feel this gross sense of discomfort."

Inara's brow arched mischievously.

"Perhaps it isn't exactly a Luna thing. Maybe you're pregnant."

Oh.

Oh, God.

Was she pregnant?

She tried to count back, doing impossible math to figure out when her last cycle was, and it was entirely too possible that she was pregnant, but the panic in her made it difficult to process anything beyond that.

If she was pregnant, how would Marcus react?

She couldn't help but picture the way he'd collapsed to the floor, his chest heaving as the agony caved in on him when he saw the nursery in his old home. Would he want the stress of yet another pregnancy, with the grief and fear of the previous hanging over his head? He'd spend nine months in constant fear, and if he ended up getting hurt because he was too focused on her wellbeing instead of his own, she'd never forgive herself.

"Luna?"

Aria glanced up at Inara, wide-eyed and suddenly feeling so small.

"What if I am pregnant?" she breathed, too scared to voice it aloud in case Marcus was somehow floating outside the second-storey window.

"Oh," Inara said, getting to her feet and walking the short distance between the bed and Aria's seat. She sank to one knee and placed a careful hand over Aria's. "Then this pack has something more to celebrate."

Aria frowned. "What about Marc? What if he doesn't want to be a father yet? Or at all, after..."

Her brows pinched in concentration as she searched for the words she needed.

"I think that's something you need to hear from him," she said, patting Aria's hand gently. "For now, why don't I introduce you to the pack doctor? I have a feeling you'll need to get well-acquainted soon enough."

With a shallow nod, she let Inara lead her out of the room and down into the communal areas below. It was a little while after lunch, and there were still quite a few wolves lounging around lazily while their food settled. They waved happily as she and Inara passed them, content smiles and full tummies making Aria feel as satisfied as if she'd eaten.

"His rooms are nearby," Inara said, opening the door for Aria. "He's really sweet; you have nothing to worry about."

Except that she may very well be pregnant. She kept that to herself, though, her thoughts conflicted.

The pack doctor's rooms were a short walk from the packhouse, removed enough that it was quieter away from the hustle that usually surrounded the main house, but close enough that it could be accessed easily and quickly enough in an emergency. It looked like a modified log cabin, the windows blocked by pristine white blinds.

It smelled as clean as a hospital, something that burned her nose the closer they got.

Or maybe that was the morning sickness...

"Oh, I think he's free, too!" Inara said excitedly. She jogged up the few steps to the door and pushed it open, holding it open for her.

She stepped into the entrance and glanced around, feeling a little more on edge now that she was actually in the doctor's rooms.

"Inara?"

The new voice came from one of the back rooms, and the owner's face popped through an empty doorway, looking far too young to be a doctor.

"Hi Jonah," Inara said, and her voice had lost its edge, turning soft. "Sorry to drop in without an appointment."

"That's okay," Jonah said quickly, and Aria recognized him as one of the wolves she often saw around Jaden and Mercucio. In fact, he seemed a little more familiar than that. "I've always got room in case you or-or your sentries need help."

Aria wasn't too panicked to miss the way Jonah's cheeks flushed at his little misstep.

"You're the best," she said sweetly. She turned to Aria with a smile. "You haven't officially met. This is our Luna, Aria. Luna, this is our dedicated pack doctor and all-round wizard, Jonah."

Jonah looked at Aria, wide, innocent eyes somehow filled with knowledge and wisdom beyond his years. He smiled and dipped his chin.

"It's an honor to meet you, Luna," he said. "You've already met my brother; I'm Jaden's little brother."

"Aha, that's why you looked so familiar!" Aria exclaimed, finally piecing it together. Jaden and Jonah both had piercing eyes and the exact same jaw shape. And there was something distinctly Jaden-esque about the young man standing in front of her. "It's nice to meet you."

He grinned, his eyes drifting back to Inara.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to formally introduce myself," he said. "I've been a little preoccupied with the younger sentries and their masochistic love for pain."

"I'm afraid that's my fault," Inara cut in with a smirk. "They just love training so much and, hey, Marc needs the bodies. I'm just the dealer."

"You always make it sound like you're this callous, heartless warden when you're the one carrying their sorry asses through my doors and waiting at their bedside until they're well enough to eat without assistance."

Inara stuck her tongue out at Jonah, and Aria kept her smile to herself.

She could sense the budding connection between the pair of wolves before her, and she wondered what their history was.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Aria said, lifting her hand jokingly. "But could I get a pregnancy test?"

Jonah choked on his own spit, but Inara skillfully elbowed him in the ribs.

"Uh, yes, yeah. Of course."

Inara rolled her eyes at him. "Smooth."

Author's notes:

Hey everyone! I am so happy that you all are reading my book. It truly means a lot to me and I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Just a small request: if you’re loving the story, don’t forget to vote!

Also, the next update will be after we hit 70K, so let’s make it happen!

By the way, what do you think—is Aria really pregnant? And how do you think Marcus will react?