Chapter 54

Caturix came back into the eerily clean room, a charming picnic basket in his hands and a bright smile on his face. He motioned for the numerous guards to exit before placing the basket next to her on the bed. “What would you like to eat? You must be starving. You haven’t had a proper meal in almost two weeks.”

Ignoring his question, she craned her neck to look past him. “I get that you’re an alpha now and that we’re mated, tying our lives together. But…isn’t a dozen guards a bit much, Cat?”

He brushed off her comment and pulled out a plain sandwich. “Let’s start with something light, okay? Your stomach has probably shrunk a lot. The healer said a feeding tube wasn’t an option.”

Shemika declined when he tried to hand her a plate of food. “No, thanks. I’m not really hungry.”

“You need to eat,” he insisted, attempting to place the plate in her hands.

“I’m not hungry,” she repeated.

“That doesn’t matter. You still need to eat,” he urged.

“But I don’t want to,” she retorted.

“I don’t care,” he growled.

“I don’t care that you don’t care,” she shot back.

His eyes darkened.

It was common knowledge that an alpha could command absolute obedience from every member of his pack, except his mate. She was his equal.

“Please eat.” He tried to sound gentle, but it came out strained and forced.

“How about…no,” she responded, crossing her arms defiantly.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “If I can’t get you to eat, then I expect you to accept an NG tube before the end of the day,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Is that so?” she cooed.

Damn.

“Why are you being so damn stubborn?” he growled.

“Why are you being so damn pushy?” she growled right back.

“Because that’s my baby too, Shemika. I get to ensure its care,” he snapped.

“What fucking baby are you on about?” She gave him a puzzled look.

His anger evaporated instantly. “You…you don’t know? I…thought you’d been keeping it from me,” he confessed.

“Keeping?” she prompted.

Caturix abruptly sat on the edge of the bed, just staring at her. How was he going to tell her? She was the last one in the entire pack to find out, and she was the one carrying it. The healer had let another in on the secret and that woman had gossiped to another. From there, it spread like wildfire. Caturix’s new home as alpha had already been filled with not only housewarming gifts and lycan equivalent wedding presents, but also baby essentials. He’d assured the pack that his offspring was only a few weeks along.

“Shemika…you’re pregnant,” he said softly.

She gave him a disbelieving look before bursting into laughter. When Caturix didn’t join in, her laughter slowly faded. “You can’t be serious, Cat. There’s no way. I mean, we had sex when I was in heat, but it takes decades to conceive not…” Her words trailed off.

Oh fuck, they were destined. Which meant they were meant to have children together.

“How do you know?” she asked skeptically.

Caturix moved around the side of the bed to unplug the numerous monitors. He returned to his seat and gestured for her to be quiet.

There it was. The faintest heartbeat.

Still, she couldn’t believe it.

It took the healer performing another ultrasound for Shemika to stop denying it.

“That little bean is a baby?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Caturix answered before the healer. “That is our baby, Mika.”

She’d never thought she could have children, but…here she was.

“In about eight to twelve more weeks, you’ll be able to find out the sex of your heir,” the healer informed them, nodding encouragingly.

Caturix shook his head angrily. “Not heir, just child,” he corrected.

She nodded obediently. “Yes, sir. The sex of your child.”

She finished up, wiped the gel from Shemika’s belly, and packed up the ultrasound machine. “You can leave whenever you’re ready, Shemika,” she said gently before adding, “They’re all very excited to see you. The she-wolves haven’t stopped talking about it.”

“It?” she repeated for clarification.

“The…the baby,” the healer answered.

“How does everyone know I’m pregnant?”

The healer’s lips pursed as she realized she’d accidentally let that slip. “I’d have to say, someone with a big mouth, my lady.”

“My lady?” Shemika recoiled. What in the fuck.

“That’s what everyone’s been calling you since I defeated Lyosha,” Caturix informed her, patting her hand comfortingly.

“Well, make them stop. I don’t like that. I like my name and it works perfectly well,” she insisted.

He nodded at her and gave the healer a pointed look, a silent order to relay the message posthaste.

“So, what do we do now?” Shemika asked nervously, once the healer was fully gone.

“Well, there’s no one to tell us what to do,” he said quietly. Clearly, he’d given this much thought. “I’ve already liberated the prisoners and offered my deepest apologies for their torture. For the most part, they all left of their own accord, with the promise of no retaliation.”

“And Simu?” she asked nervously.

“He’s all healed up and has been waiting to speak with you before he returns to Vale,” he said.

“Anything else I should know?”

“Well, we have a house now. Kisa is there, impatiently awaiting your return. As well as…we have far more baby stuff than needed for an eight-week-old fetus,” he mused.

Was that how far along she was? The healer had never mentioned it. Though the bean was far from baby-looking. “I’d like to see Simu,” she said.

Caturix nodded, moved to the door, and murmured something to a man outside. He returned to her side. “To answer your previous question, the excessive protection was volunteered when the pack learned of the baby,” he informed her.

Ah, yes. It had been a considerable amount of time since they’d had a baby in the pack. Everyone was excited.

Shemika picked at the food Caturix had brought her, just to appease him before Simu came.

A guard opened the door, letting Simu in, but remained in the room now that a nonmember of the pack was in the room with the current alpha, his mate, and their developing progeny.

“Shemika!” Simu greeted, looking far better than he’d been the last time she’d seen him. He stepped forward to hug her but stopped mid-step.

The guard had a massive arm out, halting him. “Don’t approach her,” he ordered with narrowed eyes.

~Fancy~, was all Shemika thought.

Shemika got to it immediately. “What are your plans now, Simu? Considering you’ve been from Vale for months now.” He could be welcomed back to Vale with open arms, but Dancescu was fairly suspicious. He might be tortured for a while to see if he’s been recruited to spy for another pack. He’d done it before to a lycan who’d been hurt and taken into a ~Canis lupus~ rehabilitation center.

He shifted awkwardly from foot to foot before answering. “I’m…I’m not sure, really.”

“Would you do me a favor?” she asked calmly.

Caturix perked up at her words. He would fall onto a blade for her. Why was she asking another for a favor?

Simu nodded. “Anything, Shemika. You know that. Even before you were mated to an alpha.”

“Good,” she smiled. “You came to find me, correct?”

He nodded.

“I want you to find Ylenia,” she said.

“What if another has found her?” he asked.

She shrugged. “You said Dancescu sent you, Avram, and Ionut to find her and me. Avram and Ionut couldn’t find their tails on their asses. I’m certain they haven’t found her.”

He nodded, agreeing with her sentiments.

“Find her, or at least bring me news,” she ordered.

Simu nodded and paused. “Is there anything else?”

She shook her head. “You may be excused,” she said. Phew, being the mate to an alpha would take some getting used to, but she already liked it.

When left alone, Caturix began to pet her arm gently.

She looked over and caught him looking at her weirdly. “What are you staring at?” she snapped.

“You,” he replied.

“Why?” she demanded.

“Can’t I just look at you?” he cooed.

“No, you need a reason!” she snapped, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

“I’m just thinking,” he answered.

“About?” she prompted sassily.

“How much I love you,” he answered.

She’d need to become fluent in his non-verbal cues, given that his gaze didn’t exactly scream affection. It was more of a furious, ominous, and lethal kind of look. But maybe that was just his default setting—ominous and lethal. And let’s not forget, breathtakingly handsome.

“I love you too,” she murmured, her own shy smile playing at her lips. They’d both been aware of their feelings, but voicing them aloud, well, that was a whole new ball game.

End of Book 2