Chapter 12 Riven
TWELVE
RIVEN
The last turn in the mountain road revealed Moonridge Lodge nestled in its valley, with the snow-covered peaks behind it and the snow on the trees sparkling in the late-afternoon sun.
“Everything looks the same.” Indigo peered out the car window. “I half expected it to have changed.”
“The lodge has been here for decades and the mountains for millions of years.” I slowed the car as we approached the main entrance.
Nothing about pack land was different, unlike our lives, since the positive pregnancy test at the shifter clinic in the city had confirmed Indigo was carrying our child. And we now bore mating marks on our shoulders.
“We're not staying at the lodge?” he asked as I drove past the building.
“No. My real home is beyond the lodge.” I took the private drive that branched off from the main one. “The cabin we shared was for guests.”
“You have your own house? That you never mentioned?”
Shit! I feared we were going to have the why-didn’t-you-tell-me discussion again. “I wasn't hiding it. The protocol for witness protection required you to stay in the guest cabins while under supervision.”
“Oh.”
The conversation was cut short when we rounded a bend and my house appeared.
“Wow. It’s stunning. This is yours?” Indigo wound down the window.
“Ours, if you want it to be.”
He grinned but didn’t respond. We had a lot of issues to sort out, but for the next eight months, we were here together while he carried our baby.
I was proud of my home because I’d designed it myself. It had large windows that brought in the mountain light, minimal furniture so as not to detract from the magnificent view, and a huge kitchen because I loved to cook.
“Welcome home.” I opened the front door, but I put down our bags and scooped him up.
“What are you doing?” He giggled and draped his arms around my neck.
“Carrying you over the threshold. That’s a human thing, right?”
“It is.” He nuzzled my throat.
“This house is you.” He sniffed. “It even smells like you.”
“I hope you’re not saying it stinks.”
“Don’t be silly. It has a sexy scent, combined with something warm and old.” His cute smirk nullified him calling me old. “Nah, wrong word. Ancient, as if part of you has been here since the mountains formed.”
I was pleased with that description, and I took him on a tour. There was an open kitchen and living area, a den that could be used as office space downstairs, plus a guest bedroom and a bathroom. Upstairs were two more bedrooms and a bathroom, with the master suite on the third floor.
“Could I convert that bedroom into an office?”
“Now? It’s getting late.” Us being mated had me abandoning my Alpha Apparent restraints, and I was almost giddy.
He shoulder-bumped me. “Not now, silly. I’m thinking of future me.”
“Absolutely.”
He scrambled up the stairs before me to the main bedroom and oohed and ahhed as he took in the huge room and adjoining bathroom.
“Is this real? Are you sure this isn’t a luxury hotel?” He did a running jump onto the bed and covered himself with the duvet. “I could wake up to this every day.”
“That's the idea. The sun rises right between those two peaks.” I joined him on the bed, and we snuggled.
Indigo walked his fingers over my chest. “I have to start looking for work online.”
“Not today and maybe not tomorrow.” There had been so many upheavals in his life, I didn’t want him to feel pressured. He wanted to work, he’d told me, but if he said he never wanted to again, I’d be fine with that. We didn’t need the money, but I wanted him to be happy and fulfilled.
A knock at the front door interrupted the moment. I headed for the stairs. “There’s no need for you to come down.”
Antonia was on the porch, squeeing with excitement. “Is it true? Is Indigo really—”
“Yes.” I couldn't keep the grin off my face. “He is.”
She squealed and threw her arms around me. “A baby! A pack heir! Riven, this is wonderful!”
“Technically he’d be the heir’s heir.” I disentangled myself. “We're still adjusting to the news.”
“That’s to be expected.” She composed herself with visible effort. “How is he feeling? Morning sickness? Fatigue? Cravings?”
“All of the above.” Indigo was at my shoulder.
The pair hugged, with Antonia babbling about how happy she was that Indigo was back and learning about the baby.
“It’s still sinking in.”
Antonia clasped her hands together. “But you're staying? Here? With the pack?”
I tensed because nothing was finalized, but my mate told her he was. “We're figuring things out.”
“Well, whenever you're ready, the lodge has an opening for a part-time accountant. Our last one left to join a coastal pack, and the books are a mess.”
Indigo shot me a look. “I... what?”
“The pack needs an accountant.” Antonia took both Indigo’s hands. “And you're an accountant. Who happens to be carrying the future Alpha's child. It's perfect!”
I had to stop her pressuring my mate. “Let him breathe, Antonia. He just got here.”
She waved a hand between us. “I didn't mean right away,” she backpedaled. “Whenever you're ready. No pressure.”
“I'll think about it. Thank you for the offer.”
“Wonderful!”
“I hope you’ll both come to dinner at the lodge tomorrow? Everyone's dying to congratulate you.” Uncle appeared from between the trees.
My mate and I shared a glance. I let Indigo make the call.
After a moment, he said, “Dinner would be nice. Thank you.”
“I underestimated you both,” Uncle told us. “You didn’t bend to my will, Riven, but upheld your principles and believed in fate and love.”
Wow! I couldn’t imagine how hard that was for my uncle to say.
“And Indigo, you made a decision to remove yourself and not let your attraction to my nephew cloud your judgment. I admire your strength.”
“Thank you… sir.” My mate nibbled his bottom lip and added, “Uncle Lionel.”
“And now we have a baby on the way. New life is always something to celebrate.” He left as abruptly as he arrived.
When we were alone, my mate did a jiggly dance around the room. “I've been back less than an hour and I already have an apology of sorts from your uncle and a job offer? Woo-hoo. Go me!”
We high-fived and walked into the kitchen. “The pack takes care of its own.”
“So I’m pack now?”
“You’re the Alpha Omega Apparent.”
“That’s a mouthful.” He saluted. “Alpha Omega Apparent, reporting for duty, sir.”
I flicked his butt with a dishtowel before unpacking the groceries we'd picked up on the drive from the airport.
My mate leaned on the counter. “What exactly does shifter accounting entail?”
I pulled out ingredients for dinner. “The same as regular accounting, but with a few differences.” I explained about moon cycle payroll adjustments and other shifter-related expenses, such as pack tax calculations. I began chopping vegetables. “Nothing you couldn't handle.”
“Moon cycle payroll adjustments?”
“Shifters who work certain jobs get hazard pay during full moons. The pull to shift is stronger then, requiring more control.” I added the vegetables to a pan. “Those who work in town and interact with humans get a monthly bonus.”
“That... kinda makes sense.” Indigo tapped his lips. “What about pack taxes?”
“Each pack maintains land, which requires resources to defend and manage. Pack members contribute based on income and usage.” I picked up a slice of red pepper and popped it in my mouth. “It's similar to property tax.”
“Fascinating.”
I hardly dared hope that he’d be at home with me and the pack and the baby. The more comfortable Indigo was with his life here, the less he’d miss what he’d left behind. That was the theory, anyway.
We ate dinner on the deck despite the cold, wrapped in blankets with the outdoor heaters on, and my mate rubbed his foot on mine. “Guess what?”
“I can’t begin to imagine.”
“I've missed this place.”
“The mountains get into your blood.” I reached for his hand and brought it to my lips. “They call you back.”
“Trust me, I adore the scenery and the people, but it's you. You’re my home.”
My heart expanded, and I was convinced it was going to explode.
“I can't ask you to leave here.” He outstretched his hand toward the mountains. “This is where your pack is.”
“And while I want to, more than anything, I can’t expect you to leave the city and give up everything you’ve worked toward.” The words hurt, but we were equals in this relationship, and I wasn’t going to pull the alpha card.
“So where does that leave us?” His voice wavered.
“At an impasse?”
“Or maybe at a beginning. What if I kept the apartment in the city, at least for now, and worked part-time at the lodge and part-time remotely for clients in the city?”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“I'm also not willing to keep our child from their heritage, but I’m not just your mate and our baby’s omega dad.”
His honesty was refreshing, even if there was still a smidgen of doubt about our future. He leaned into my touch. “You really want this baby, don't you?”
“More than I can say. But what matters more is that you want it too. That this is not just something that happened to you.”
He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes on the heater. “It feels right. You and me, the baby, the mountains, even the pack.” His eyes locked on mine. “I want our baby and you, and this is where we belong.”
Taking a moment to let his words sink in, I gathered him into my arms and pressed my face into his hair, inhaling his unique aroma. He was staying and we were a family.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything.”