Chapter 43 News
forty-three
News
*GWENDOLYN*
Ella greets me with a welcoming and warm smile. “I am very happy to finally meet you,” she says.
“Thank you.” I try to put Grumpy down on the ground, but he just looks at me, annoyed, his paws pressing against me in defiance, so I give up, keeping him in my arms.
Ella grins. “I didn’t expect the additional guests, but Charlie told me about your pets. It’s nice to see your gift in person.”
I sigh. “I am sorry. I didn’t plan this, but they both got clingy when I was about to leave.”
Ella just looks more amused. “The more the merrier,” she says. “Celine is already here. She is with Annie. We are just waiting for-“
“Hey girls!” A young man with brown hair and a pretty face comes running towards us. He is… He is human! Even I can tell.
“This is Dave,” Ella tells me as he reaches us. “He is Annie’s and my best friend. He is mated to a wolf from our pack.”
“That‘s amazing,” I whisper.
“What?” Dave grins. “That I am so hot? Or that I am human?”
“Well, the latter,” I say.
Ella links her arm with Dave’s. “He is a well-beloved pack member and even works for the council.”
“No way,” I exclaim.
“Gwen comes from a pack that shunned humans, and even human hybrids,” Ella explains to Dave.
“I am half-human,” I add. “Seeing you here in a pack, so free and well-respected, means so much to me.”
“It’s the way it should be,” Dave says, suddenly turning more serious. “That’s what the alpha and I are working on.”
It strikes me once again that Liam must be very progressive.
I guess it might not be so obvious for Felix and his other siblings, but for me being someone from a terrible pack, it is obvious.
Felix said Maddox is getting along with Liam in particular.
I found it weird at first, but now it makes much more sense.
Ella’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She seems to be discussing something more in-depth with Dave. “How was your appointment today?”
“Good,” Dave says. “Raffy and I are in the final steps. We are super excited. Goddess, I am really nervous.” He turns to me with a joyful smile. “My mate and I are going to adopt.”
My heart warms at his words. When someone talks about adopting, I always think about Faye. The people in this pack and in Silverlake are lovely, so it means a lonely child will have the chance of a healthy upbringing.
“We have been talking to Marius a lot. Raffy and I want to give a child who comes from a troubled background a chance. With our own pasts, we are up for the challenge.”
“That’s fantastic, Dave!” Ella says. “I am so happy for you. You will rock this!”
Together, we make our way towards the packhouse. It’s a bit more traditional-looking than Silverlake’s modern packhouse, but equally well-organized, and the interior has been brought up to today’s standard. It’s obvious where Liam got his inspiration and know-how from.
While walking, I hear some pack members chatting, and Annie’s name comes up a lot. They seem to really love and appreciate her. I guess no matter how talented Liam is, he wouldn’t have been able to do this without his luna.
“Pity that Finn can’t join us,” Dave says.
“Felix’s brother?” I ask.
“Yeah, he belongs to our friends group,” Ella explains. “But it’s hard to find a date when we all are able to get together.”
“We need to visit him,” Dave points out.
“We will, once everything is settled with Charlie and her mate.” Ella furrows her brows. “I can’t leave during such a situation.”
“Obviously not,” Dave says. “But when Liam and Annie are on it, I am sure they will find a good solution.”
“I have every faith in them,” Ella says. “Besides, Dante and I won’t let anything happen to Charlie. She is relying on our help in this, and I‘ll be damned if I won’t protect her.”
Listening to her makes me realize that she truly is Charlie’s parent. Charlie herself told me that she was a young teen when she came to live with Dante and Ella, but they obviously treat her like their own. It seems as though with every step I take, my hope for Faye’s future grows more and more.
“Here we are,” Ella says. “That’s the alpha suite. The dads are on childcare duty and went to the playground with the kids, so we have the place to ourselves.” She knocks. “Annie, we are coming in.”
Dave and I follow Ella into the suite. It’s spacious with lots of light. While renovating, Annie and Liam kept parts of the traditional architecture while modernizing the place. It looks fantastic. Modern, yet with respect to the style and materials of the original house.
“Annie?” Dave asks, before turning to look at us. “Where are they? Celine should be here, too.”
Ella frowns, ushering us through the living room, the dining room and the long corridor until we reach a spacious balcony. It’s set at the back of the building, away from prying eyes. There, we finally find Celine and Annie.
They sit together quietly, holding hands and looking at each other gloomily.
“What’s going on?” Ella asks, suddenly on alert, while hurrying towards them.
“Celine, what’s wrong?” Dave asks.
“Annie, did something happen!?”
“Yes,” Annie says tiredly. “I am pregnant.”
Celine looks at us, her eyes sad. “And I am not.”
Dave and Ella react quickly. With how focused they act, it looks like they have an emergency plan ready for any time. Ella makes sure to have us all retreat to the living room in case someone is listening in, while Dave orders pizza from the pack kitchen, with all types of extras.
Half an hour later, Annie is covered in a blanket on the sofa, Celine is seated in one of the comfy sofa chairs, both of them with a cup of tea in front of them, and Dave comes in with the first batch of pizza. “They need a bit longer for the rest of our order,” he says. “We can share these first.”
“I am sorry,” Annie sighs. “I don’t want to be dramatic. This is silly.”
“It’s not,” Ella urges.
Dave has poured a glass of wine for himself and Ella, and hands me some soda in a funny children’s glass after I declined the alcohol. He didn’t bat an eye, though, just nodding in understanding. Brandon usually put up a fuss whenever I declined a drink. He truly was an asshole.
Now we are all sitting together in silence.
I feel completely out of place, like I shouldn’t be here in this very private moment between long-time friends.
While I still contemplate what I am supposed to do, Grumpy walks over to Celine, poking her thigh with its paw.
“Ah, sweetheart,” she mutters, carefully lifting him up so that he can roll up in her lap.
Her eyes fill with tears, much to my horror.
There is something about this strong woman being so vulnerable in front of me that makes it even sadder.
“I… I consider myself fairly sensitive in most situations,” Dave breaks the silence. “But I don’t know what to say. Neither of you has to tell us anything.”
I finally decide to speak up. “I think I will go for a walk around the pack,” I offer.
“No, please stay,” Annie says.
Celine nods. “I am sorry for pulling you into this drama. Annie is right. Don’t leave.”
They exchange another gaze. “I haven’t told anyone,” Annie says after a while.
“Just Celine knows it… We talked recently,” she pauses.
“My first pregnancy with the twins was awful. I love my two baby girls, I love my family, but the pregnancy was…” A shiver goes through her body.
“And then it took me weeks after giving birth to feel like myself again.”
“You had postpartum depression?” Dave asks, chewing on his bottom lip. He sounds anxious. “Oh fuck, I wish I had known!”
“I don’t think I truly realized myself,” Annie admits. “I guess I was on autopilot for a while, just trying to operate like I usually would. And eventually it went away, and things turned out alright.”
“Does Liam know?” Ella asks. “About any of this?”
“No,” Annie says quietly. “Like I said, I didn’t realize it at first. Plus, he loves a big family, and I want more children, too. It just dawned on me now when I found out that I am expecting again.” Annie hides her face behind her hands. “I should be happy, but I am terrified.”
Ella takes her hand. “Liam will always put you first, and he will always make a real effort to understand you. You need to tell him so that he can support you through this.”
She nods. “I know. I‘ve had a feeling I was pregnant for a while, and finally took the test this morning.”
Ella looks worried. “Dave is right… How the fuck did we not notice? At least, I as your beta, should have realized something was wrong.”
Annie turns to Celine. “I am sorry, Celine. Me moping about this is truly insensitive.”
“It’s not,” Celine says. She reaches out her hand again to take Annie’s other. “It would be much worse for me if you held back or even hid your pregnancy.” She pauses, taking a sip from her tea. “Marius and I have been trying to get pregnant for a while now.”
Dave nods tentatively, but he is obviously not sure how to react. Neither of us is.
“But it’s difficult,” she explains. “Twice, we were successful, but then I had an early miscarriage both times. We have been trying for two years now. For humans, this might be different, but as wolves… two years is an impossibly long time.”
“Did you see a doctor?” Ella asks, her tone tentative.
“Yes, we both did. Everything is great with Marius. I am the problem.” She swallows, tears filling her eyes again. “I just want a baby.”
“Fuck! I don’t know what to say,” Dave blurts out. “Aside from this sucks!”
“You don’t need to say anything,” Annie reassures him.
“Yeah, you listening is enough, and getting mad in our place is fine, too,” Celine adds. “I know I still have time, it’s just…” her voice trails off.
“And I technically know it’s great that I have a sibling for Asteria and Aurora on the way. I want this baby, but I wish I could skip the pregnancy.”
Ella places a hand on Annie’s knee. “It doesn’t have to be as difficult as the first,” she says quietly. “You were with twins after all.”
“True,” Annie mutters.
“And you were with Liam’s firstborn,” Celine adds. “It probably put even more strain on your body.”
“I will try to see the positive side,” Annie promises. “When I think about the baby being here, I feel happy. I am just,“ she pauses, “scared.”
“We won’t leave your side!” Ella says with insistence.
“Not at all? Goddess, you mean that, don’t you?” Annie mutters.
Her light comment relaxes the atmosphere a bit, and we all chuckle. While Ella and Dave hurry away to get us more food and beverages, Annie squeezes Celine’s free arm.
“If you want to, I can set you up with a specialist. He helped one of my pack members.”
“Really?” Celine asks.
“Yes, she had trouble getting pregnant and came to me for help. I researched a lot during that time, and the doctor I dug up was really fantastic. I don’t want to overstep, but...”
Celine lets her words sink in before she nods. There is new hope in her eyes. “I guess I could try. Thank you, Annie.”