Chapter Sixteen
Striker
I was pregnant and now I had to tell my alpha. It wasn’t the telling part that was the problem. It was his reaction I was scared about.
We hadn’t discussed children or having a family. Our life was perfect. We worked. We went to the club. We had dates and dinners and lots of mating.
But, about two weeks ago, something had changed in me. It started with fluttering in my tummy I initially chalked up to digestion issues or stress but, as the time went on, I thought something different.
And three nights ago, my wolf told me what he thought.
Pup. Hear them. They are growing inside us.
I laughed it off at first, but then it all made sense. I went to the pharmacy on my day off and now, I was in the possession of a positive pregnancy test.
Two lines.
And a heart full of doubt.
What would Wulf say?
I decided to make an event of it. He was coming over after his shift and I intended to butter him up a little bit. A trip to the grocery store and the department store later, I was armed with the makings of a steak dinner and a gift bag with a onesie and the pregnancy test inside.
“Striker?” he called out when he came in. He had a key to my apartment and while I hoped he would ask me to move in with him one day, he hadn’t yet. Two of us barely fit in my apartment and a couple with a roommate wasn’t in the best interest of anyone.
“I’m here.”
“Damn, is that steak I smell?” He came into the kitchen and wrapped me up in one of his hugs.
The man gave the best hugs. They lasted at least fifteen Mississippis and were followed by a searing kiss.
Not a peck or a chaste hello. Something that made me want to forget about dinner and everything else in the world.
“Yes. A steak dinner. You’ve been working so hard.”
“Hmmm,” he pulled back and looked me in the eyes. “Is that all?”
“Maybe I have some news.”
He chuckled. “By all means, then. News first. I won’t be able to enjoy my meal until you tell me.”
I wouldn’t either. He knew me too well.
I felt the blood drain from my face. “There’s something for you in the bag.”
Wulf turned to see the pale yellow bag. He walked over and opened it. “A present? For…me…” His voice trailed off and my heart plonked right down into my stomach.
I should’ve done it differently. Should’ve just told him.
Goddess, I was a coward.
“Striker, omega, is this…is this what I think it is?”
My heart thumped so damned loudly I barely heard the words. “Yes. I’m…we’re having a pup.”
He picked out the test and held it up. “You’re having our pup?”
“Yes, alpha.”
He was as still as a statue. I got nothing through the bond. Not anger. Not fear. Nothing.
“Wulf, are you upset?”
“Have you ever been so damned happy that you couldn’t move?” He finally said after a few minutes of insufferable silence.
“Are you happy?” I asked, rushing over to him.
“I never thought. How long?”
“How long what?”
“Striker, how long have you known?”
“Three days. My wolf told me three days ago and I went for a test almost immediately.”
Wulf buckled into the nearest chair and dragged me onto his lap.
“Talk to me, Wulf. Say something.”
He had me in such a vice, I thought I might break though he would never hurt me. “I was happy. Content. To have you be mine. To live with my fated mate and be like this forever. But now you’ve told me this. I might pass out from all the happiness.”
I snorted. This alpha. This man. “Don’t pass out. I made dinner. I thought you might be upset. We never discussed having a family.”
“Maybe the best things in life are never talked about, omega. And this moment, second only to the time I met you, is the best of my life.”
That night, we had dinner. We made love and lay together, talking about nurseries and baby names and Wulf’s hand rubbed circles on my belly most of the night.
“You and…you and your partner never talked about a family?”
He nodded. “We did. But life took him from me before we could realize that dream. There will always be a part of me that laments him but all my life, my tears, my heartbreak, brought me to you. Life is strange sometimes. But it was all for the best.”
Wulf was quiet for a moment and we turned off the lights. He scooted closer and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Move in with me, omega. I don’t want to spend another night without you.”
I laughed. “Because of the pup?”
“No, omega. Well, yes but I was going to ask you tonight anyway. I laid awake all night, fighting the urge to come over here and sleep next to you. I’ve spent years sleeping alone but now, I get zero sleep without you. What do you think?”
“I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard yet. We would love to move in with you, Wulf.”