Chapter 3
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Lina
“You did what?!”
My screech echoed off the bathroom tiles while Knox’s hands worked magic on my lower back. His thumbs pressed into the muscles on either side of my spine and I had to fight to stay mad at him when my body wanted to melt into a puddle.
“I didn’t throw them away,” Knox said, sounding way too pleased with himself. “I just replaced everything.”
“With what exactly?”
“Products with my scent. So you always smell of me.”
I twisted around to glare at him, water streaming down my face. “You replaced every single soap, shampoo, lotion, and body wash I own? That’s insane. That’s possessive psycho behavior and you know it.”
His grin was absolutely unrepentant. “You complaining?”
I wanted to complain. I really did. But his hands were still working their magic on my back and the pregnancy had made every muscle in my body feel stretched and sore.
Also, I was genuinely impressed he’d managed to find products that smelled so close to his natural scent.
How did someone even do that? Did he go to the store and sniff every bottle until he found the right ones?
The mental image of my very serious Alpha husband standing in the body wash aisle smelling bottles made me want to laugh.
I fought the smile threatening to break across my face. I could not allow these behaviors. We’d talked about boundaries. About personal space. About how just because we were mated didn’t mean he owned me.
“Knox, this is ridiculous and controlling and I’m about to give you a very long lecture about personal boundaries and respecting my choices when it comes to my own hygiene products and...”
He moved behind me and slid his hands under my belly, lifting slightly. The immediate relief from the constant weight made me groan out loud.
“Fuck you,” I grunted. “You know exactly how to make me feel good.”
“I know.” His lips found the sensitive spot just below my ear. “You smell amazing, baby.”
“Because I smell of YOU!”
He chuckled against my neck, the vibration sending shivers down my spine. “Yeah.”
The bastard sounded way too smug about it.
I sighed and backed into his body, letting him hold my entire weight while the warm water ran down both of us. His hands stayed under my belly, supporting the baby, and his chest pressed against my back.
This was nice. This was really nice. Even if my husband had officially lost his mind.
“You’re still in trouble,” I mumbled.
“Sure I am.”
“I mean it.”
“Absolutely.”
“Knox.”
“Lina.” He kissed my temple. “You can yell at me later. Right now just let me hold you.”
Damn him for being sweet after being completely insane.
We stood there for a while, just breathing together, until the sound of little feet running around upstairs told us the twins were awake from their nap. Knox pressed one more kiss to my neck before stepping back.
“I’ll handle them,” he said. “You take your time.”
I watched him step out of the shower, water sliding down his back and making me appreciate the view way more than I should considering I was supposed to be mad at him. He wrapped a towel around his waist and disappeared into the bedroom.
By the time I finished and got dressed, Knox had already taken the twins downstairs. I could hear Thea’s voice demanding pancakes and Rowan asking if they could read instead of eating. Normal chaos. The kind I loved.
I pulled on a loose dress that actually fit over my stomach and headed downstairs. Knox was in the kitchen with both twins hanging off him while he attempted to make sandwiches. Thea had climbed onto the counter. Rowan was reading the back of the bread bag out loud.
“Mama!” Thea spotted me first and launched herself off the counter.
Knox caught her midair without even looking. “What did I say about jumping from high places?”
“That I’m not a bird?”
“That’s right.”
“But I could be a bird if I tried really hard.”
“You’re a wolf, baby girl. Wolves don’t fly.”
Thea considered this while Knox set her on the floor. “What if I’m a special wolf?”
“You’re definitely special,” I said, ruffling her hair. “But you still can’t fly.”
She pouted but ran off to terrorize her brother instead. Knox handed me a sandwich and a glass of water without me having to ask. Marriage to a werewolf meant never having to announce when I was hungry. He always knew.
“Hunt is coming by in an hour for their wolf lessons,” Knox said. “I figured we could head to the shop after?”
“Both shops are covered today but I should check in on the Ravenshollow one. Make sure the new hires aren’t burning the place down.”
“They’re doing fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I have faith in your hiring choices.”
“You’re just saying that because you want me to agree to something later.”
His mouth twitched. “Maybe.”
We got the twins fed and dressed, and by the time Hunt showed up they were bouncing off the walls with energy. Hunt took one look at them and sighed.
“This is going to be a long session,” he muttered.
“Good luck,” I told him cheerfully.
Knox drove us to the Ravenshollow shop in comfortable silence. Well, comfortable for him. I kept sneaking glances at him, trying to figure out if he was acting weird. He seemed normal. Relaxed. One hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on my thigh.
We pulled up to the shop and I climbed out of the truck with far less grace than I’d have liked. Pregnancy had stolen my coordination along with my ankles. Knox was there immediately, steadying me with a hand on my lower back.
“I’m fine.”
“I know.”
“I can walk on my own.”
“I know that too.”
“Then why are you hovering?”
“Because I want to.”
We walked into the shop together and immediately the scent of coffee and fresh pastries hit me. The place was busy. Tables full. A line at the counter. Everything running smoothly without me.
Mika looked up from the espresso machine and her eyebrows shot up. “Well, well. Look who finally showed up.”
“I forgot we were coming to this branch today,” I admitted, glancing around at the controlled chaos. “Looks good though.”
“Of course it looks good. I run a tight ship.” She finished the latte she was making and slid it across the counter to a waiting customer. “How’s the parasite treating you?”
“The baby is fine, thank you for asking so politely.”
“I’m talking about your husband.”
Knox snorted beside me. I elbowed him in the ribs.
Vivi emerged from the kitchen with a tray of cookies, her face lighting up when she saw us. “Lina! Knox! I just finished a new recipe. You have to try it.”
“What kind?” I asked.
“Chocolate chip with sea salt and a hint of espresso.”
“Give me twelve.”
“You can have two.”
“Vivi, I’m pregnant. I could eat twelve and still be hungry in an hour.”
She laughed and handed me a cookie anyway. It was perfect. Obviously. Vivi’s baking was always perfect. I should probably raise her already high salary. She deserved it for putting up with my pregnancy cravings alone.
I wandered through the shop, checking on things and chatting with customers.
Knox followed me at a distance, not hovering but definitely keeping me in his line of sight.
Every time I walked past him, he made this low rumbling sound in his chest. Almost a purr.
Almost a growl. Something in between that made my face heat.
The third time it happened, Mika called out from behind the counter. “Your man has officially lost it.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered.
“He’s been doing that since you walked in. Every time you get close he makes that noise.”
“I noticed.”
“It’s actually pretty cute. In a creepy possessive Alpha way.”
“There’s nothing cute about it.”
“Lina, he literally purrs when you walk by. That’s adorable.”
Knox appeared at my side, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me against him. He buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply.
“You smell so good,” he murmured.
“You replaced all my products with ones that smell exactly the same as you,” I pointed out, trying to sound annoyed instead of pleased. “Of course I smell good to you. I smell exactly the way you want me to smell.”
“Best decision I ever made.”
Vivi was giggling behind her hand. Mika wasn’t even trying to hide her amusement. I was going to kill both of them.
“Can you please act normal?” I asked Knox. “You’re making a scene and people are starting to stare. I have a reputation to maintain here and you’re not helping with all the sniffing and purring.”
“This is normal for me. You smell good. I’m appreciating it. What’s wrong with that?”
“Everything is wrong with that. You’re being unhinged and possessive and you know it. You can’t just go around making noises every time I walk past you.”
“Why not? You’re my mate. I can make whatever noises I want when you’re near me.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“Pretty sure it is.”
He wasn’t wrong but I wasn’t about to admit that in front of witnesses.
We stayed at the shop for another hour, Knox making that ridiculous purring sound every time I came within five feet of him. By the time we left, both Mika and Vivi were placing bets on how long it would take before he just carried me around everywhere.
“I give it a week,” Mika said.
“Three days,” Vivi countered.
“I hate you both,” I called over my shoulder.
Their laughter followed us out the door.
That evening, Knox’s parents showed up for dinner. Serena arrived with a casserole and Marcus brought wine. The twins went absolutely feral the second they walked through the door, demanding attention and hugs and a detailed account of what presents they might receive for their upcoming birthday.
We settled around the dining table, Noah joining us because apparently this was now a family affair. The twins dominated most of the conversation, telling their grandparents about their wolf lessons with Hunt and how Thea had almost bitten Rowan during training.
“It was an accident,” Thea insisted.
“You said you were aiming for my arm,” Rowan pointed out.
“An accidental aim.”