Chapter 1 #2
Then he’d discovered he had children, that I’d been attacked by rogues more times than I could count. And, of course, that walking away from me had been the biggest mistake of his life. I still gave him shit for that.
Now we were married, happy, building a life together that felt impossible and perfect and terrifying all at once. Funny how life works.
“The rogue?” I asked.
“Handled.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“Cole twisted his ankle. Hunt made fun of him for twenty minutes.” His hands moved to my hips, steadying me. “You’re exhausted.”
“I’m pregnant.”
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
He was right. “I’m supposed to be running my very successful businesses, thank you very much.”
His jaw tightened but he didn’t argue. My independent streak had caused more than a few fights over the past year. Knox wanted to wrap me in bubble wrap, I wanted to live my life. We were still figuring out the balance.
Instead of arguing, he bent down and scooped me up in his arms, cradling me against his chest. Part of me wanted to protest, but the other part of me was too tired to care. My back hurt and my feet hurt and being carried sounded amazing right now.
“Show off,” I muttered, wrapping my arms around his neck. I sighed as I saw how strong he was.
“You love it.”
I really did.
Knox carried me through the front door and up the stairs to our room. The pack house still felt too big sometimes, with too many hallways and rooms. But our bedroom was ours, safe. Knox set me down on the bed with careful precision before disappearing into the bathroom. I heard water running.
When he came back he had a damp washcloth and that determined look that meant he was about to go full mother hen on me.
“Where are the twins?” I asked while he gently wiped my face.
“Sleepover at my parents’ place.”
I blinked. “Your parents requested a sleepover?”
“Apparently they want to bond with their grandchildren.” His mouth twisted into what might’ve been a smile. “It’s weird.”
“It’s progress.”
His parents had been cold distant authority figures for most of Knox’s life.
They’d treated their sons as assets instead of children, grooming Knox to take over as Alpha without caring about the damage they left behind.
But meeting Rowan and Thea had changed them.
Not overnight, not magically but slowly, over time, they’d softened.
Started smiling more, started showing up with presents and offering to babysit.
Started acting more human and less authoritarian.
The more time they spent with their grandchildren, the warmer they became. It still freaked Knox out.
“They asked about the Full Moon festivities,” he said, tossing the washcloth toward the bathroom. “Wanted to know if we’d come to the main house for dinner.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That I’d ask you first. That we make decisions together now. That I’m not the same person I was when they raised me.” He paused. “Okay, I didn’t say all that. But I thought it really hard while telling them I’d get back to them.”
I laughed despite myself. “Diplomatic.”
“I’m learning.”
He disappeared again, and this time when he came back he was carrying a small folding table already set up with plates. The smell of roasted chicken hit me and my stomach growled loudly enough to be embarrassing.
Knox’s mouth quirked. “Thought you might be hungry.”
“I’m always hungry. Seven months pregnant and this kid wants to eat constantly. I’m pretty sure I’ve gained thirty pounds. My doctor says it’s normal but I feel enormous and my clothes don’t fit and I miss being able to see my feet.”
“You’re beautiful.”
“I feel so big.”
“My beautiful big.”
I threw a pillow at him. He caught it easily, grinning in that rare unguarded way that made my chest ache.
He’d brought enough food for three people. Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, fresh bread still warm from the oven. I stared at it all while warmth spread through my chest.
“You’re ridiculous,” I told him.
“You’re welcome. And before you ask, yes, I made Noah pick it up from that place you love in town. Yes, I specifically requested extra gravy. No, I didn’t forget the butter for the bread.”
“Have I mentioned I love you?”
“Not in the last hour. I was starting to worry.”
He settled beside me on the bed, close enough that our shoulders touched and our thighs pressed together. I grabbed a plate and started loading it up while Knox did the same. For a few minutes we just ate in comfortable silence while the day’s tension slowly drained away.
“Vivi made raspberry cream cupcakes today,” I said between bites. “I may have eaten three of them. They were small cupcakes though. That counts for right?”
“Did you save me any?”
“No. But in my defense, you weren’t there and I’m pregnant and the baby wanted cupcakes.”
“The baby.”
“Yes. The baby. Who is very demanding about food choices and has excellent taste in desserts.”
He shook his head but I caught the smile tugging at his mouth. This was us now. Banter and domesticity and the kind of easy comfort I’d never expected to find.
“The new hires are working out well,” I continued. “Both shops are staying busy. Pine Valley had a rush this afternoon. The book club came in and stayed for three hours gossiping about the mayor’s new girlfriend.”
“Sounds productive.”
“Very. I learned way too much about the mayor’s personal life. Did you know he has a tattoo?”
“I did not.”
“Neither did his wife, apparently. Or at least that’s what I heard through very aggressive whispering and some extremely pointed looks.”
Knox snorted. “Small town drama.”
“The best kind of drama. The kind that doesn’t involve rogues or pack politics or people trying to kill us.”
His expression darkened slightly at the reminder that our lives weren’t exactly normal. That danger lurked in the woods and politics simmered beneath every pack interaction.
I bumped his shoulder with mine. “Hey. We’re okay. The twins are okay. Everything is okay.”
“For now.”
“That’s all we ever get. For now. Might as well enjoy it while we can.”
He looked at me for a long moment, gray eyes studying my face before he leaned in and kissed me. Slow and sweet and full of everything we didn’t say out loud.
“Rowan asked me what happens when the baby comes,” Knox said after pulling back slightly.
“What did you tell him?”
“That he and Thea would be the best big siblings in the world. That they’d get to help take care of the baby and teach them everything they know. That having a little brother or sister is the best gift they could get.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Thea asked if she could bite the baby.”
I choked on a piece of chicken. “What?”
“She wanted to know if babies taste different from regular people. I think she’s been watching too many nature documentaries about wolves.”
“Oh my god.”
“I told her absolutely no biting the baby. That babies are fragile and need gentle hands. That biting is not how we show love in this family.”
“And what did she say?”
“She said okay but she looked way too thoughtful about it. I give it a week before she tries anyway.”
“Our daughter is feral.”
“Our daughter is five. And half wolf. Feral comes with the territory.”
We finished eating and Knox cleared away the plates, carrying everything back toward the kitchen. When he came back he had that look on his face. The one that meant he wanted to talk about things I did not want to discuss.
“We need to talk about security,” he said.
There it was.
I set down my water glass carefully. “Knox.”
“Lina. Please. Just hear me out before you shut me down.”
“I’m not shutting you down.”
“You’re making that face.”
“What face?”
“The face you make when you’re about to tell me I’m being overprotective and controlling and that you can take care of yourself.”
He knew me so well.
I’d been humoring him for months. Ever since I started showing, Knox had become increasingly paranoid about my safety.
He wanted guards following me everywhere, wanted me to check in every hour.
Wanted to basically wrap me in bubble wrap and lock me in a tower until the baby was born. It was suffocating.
“I have security,” I pointed out. “Cole checks on me three times a day. Hunt does a perimeter sweep every time I’m at either shop. Noah has my location on his phone. I’m probably the most watched pregnant woman in the state.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It’s plenty. Knox, I survived five years without you. Years of raising our children alone in a human town while rogues circled the woods, of running a business and paying bills and keeping us safe with nothing but a baseball bat and sheer stubbornness. I’m not weak.”
He flinched, his eyes flashing gold for just a second before he got control of himself.
“I know you’re not weak,” he said quietly.
“I know you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.
I know you survived years that would have broken most people and came out the other side fierce and whole and perfect.
” He paused. “I also know that you surviving without me is my fault. My failure. That I left you alone and unprotected because I was a coward who thought walking away would keep you safe.”
“Knox.”
“I fucking hate myself for that. Every time I look at Rowan and Thea and realize I missed their first five years. Every time I think about you facing rogues alone. Every time I remember that you didn’t have anyone to help you through your pregnancy or hold your hand during delivery or be there when you were scared.
” His voice cracked slightly. “I hate myself for it. And I can’t change the past, no matter how much I wish to.
But I can make damn sure nothing happens to you now. ”
My throat felt tight. The mate bond hummed between us, carrying his guilt and fear and desperate need to protect what he’d failed to protect before.
“You can’t bubble wrap me,” I said softly.
“I know.”
“You can’t lock me away.”
“I know that too.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want to know you’re safe when I can’t be there.
I want to sleep at night without worrying that another rogue is going to attack.
I want our children to grow up with both parents alive and whole.
” He reached out, his hand settling over my stomach where the baby kicked restlessly.
“I want this child to know their father from day one. Not five years later. Not after you’ve had to do everything alone again. ”
We stared at each other while the mate bond pulled tight between us, humming with tension and unspoken fear. This was the same argument we’d been having for months. He wanted me safe. I wanted to be normal. Neither of us was willing to bend.
“One more guard,” he said finally. “Just one. They stay back unless there’s a problem. You probably won’t even notice they’re there. But they’ll be close enough to help if anything happens.”
It wasn’t everything he wanted. It was more than I wanted. But it was a compromise we could both live with.
“Fine,” I agreed. “One guard. But they don’t follow me into the bathroom or hover while I’m working. They stay outside. Discreet. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“And you have to stop texting me every thirty minutes asking if I’m okay.”
“Every one hour.”
“Every four hours.”
“Two.”
“Deal.”
The tension broke slightly. Knox leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then my nose, then finally my mouth. Soft and sweet and full of love.
“Love you,” he murmured against my lips.
“Love you too. Even when you’re being overprotective and making me want to strangle you with my bare hands.”
“Especially then?”
“Especially then.”
He smiled. A real smile that made his whole face soften and his eyes crinkle at the corners. These moments were rare enough that I treasured them. Knox didn’t let many people see him unguarded. But he let me. Always me.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I grabbed it, expecting a message from Mika or Vivi about tomorrow’s schedule.
Instead I found a text from an unknown number.
Congratulations on the baby, Luna. Such a shame if anything were to happen to it.
My blood went cold. Ice flooded my veins and my heart kicked against my ribs. Every instinct screamed danger but I forced my face to stay neutral.
“What is it?” Knox asked.
“Nothing. Just Mika being dramatic about the supply order.” The lie came too easily. “Everything’s fine.”
But everything was not fine. What the fuck was that message?