Chapter 13 Indigo
THIRTEEN
INDIGO
“You need to consume more red meat.”
“No, no, protein is important, but you should eat a balanced diet and include plenty of fruits and vegetables.”
“Ginger tea with honey every morning will help with the nausea.”
“Forget tea. You need a small piece of raw liver each day.”
Pack members surrounded me in the lodge dining room and were telling me what to eat, and I smiled as they tossed well-meaning advice at me, though the mention of liver made my tummy heave.
That had nothing to do with being pregnant.
I just hated liver. I decided to eat lots of red meat, fruit and vegetables, and drink ginger tea so they’d stop offering advice.
I was six months into my pregnancy, and I cradled my bump as I thanked everyone. The baby was awake and listening to the uncles and aunties hovering over me, and I wished Riven was here, because when the baby moved, he’d put his lips to my belly and talk to our little one.
But Antonia arrived and shooed everyone off, telling them to let me eat my lunch.
“Sorry. They mean well. There hasn’t been an heir born since…”
“Riven?”
“I guess, yes.”
“I’m fine with them telling me what to wear, how to sleep, and what to eat, but I object to them saying I should howl at the moon to strengthen the baby’s lungs.”
She choked on the fry she’d stolen from my plate. “Who told you that? That's not a thing.”
I wasn’t sure whether to believe her, but she bustled off, and I finished my lunch with no liver or tea in sight.
“Hi.”
My mate appeared as if by magic. He kissed my brow and brushed a hand over my belly before sitting. This was the same mate who gave me space when I needed it, cooked most of our meals because he was a better chef than I was, and massaged my feet when they ached.
“How are you?”
“Hungry, or I was.” I tapped my empty plate. “The baby wants everything except liver.”
“Oh, liver. I’ve heard that’s good for the baby and the omega dad.”
No, no. I had to put a stop to that. “Our child and I are boycotting liver as of now.” Or since I was a kid.
Perhaps it was my fierce expression but Riven held up his hands in surrender. “Okay. Got it.” He ordered a sandwich and mentioned our appointment at three.
I might have baby brain, but I’d never forget a scheduled doctor’s visit.
“I wanted to talk to you about something first. What would you think about taking a short trip before the baby comes?”
Work was busy, both my job at the resort and I had ten private clients. After being in the city and being a witness at the trial, I was content to stay home.
“A babymoon. I’ve spoken to Antonia and she can spare you for a few days.”
He asked about my other clients, and I was on top of the work, though I might not be if I took off for a vacation.
“Mmmm, maybe.”
But when Riven got excited, telling me about a lake with hot springs on pack land, my objections fell away. Being pregnant, my body ached in places I didn’t know I had, even though I was only six months along and hot springs would be great for my back.
“How about this weekend?” He raised a brow as he studied my face. “The full moon is Saturday. Maybe... it could be a chance for you to bond more with my wolf.”
Though I'd seen Riven partially shifted on Christmas Eve, and in wolf form many times since coming back, it was always a hello and goodbye before and after a shift—not that his beast could speak to me.
“I’d like that.”
An hour later we were at the doctor’s, and Dr. Allardi pronounced me and the baby in perfect health, though she reminded me to take frequent breaks during the hike and to stay hydrated. She didn’t mention liver, and I didn’t ask about yelling at the moon.
After warming the gel, she ran the probe over my belly and asked if we wanted to find out the sex, but we preferred to be surprised.
“See you next month.” She printed off the image.
I was regretting my decision about our three days away when Riven’s alarm went off at five in the morning. But he insisted I’d love the hot springs, so I showered before dozing during the one-hour drive.
“How do you remember where everything is?” The pack land was riddled with trails and small tracks big enough for a car.
My mate told me he and the other pack members never got lost because of scent markers. “Plus, I've run through these woods since I was a child.”
The road ended at a small clearing, just large enough for our vehicle, and a small trail disappeared into the forest. He might have to carry me if it was a long way or I’d stay in the car for three nights and he could dip himself into the hot springs.
“It’s not far, about a hundred yards.”
That was manageable if I hung onto his arm so I didn’t trip.
I no longer jumped or hid behind him when I glimpsed wildlife in the trees or if a wolf howled, though I might not be so brave if I was alone.
The trail opened onto a small beach of tiny pebbles and beyond stretched a lake. My mate had led me to many places on pack land, and each one was more stunning than the last.
“It’s beautiful.” The water shimmered in the sun and reminded me of glass.
He pointed out the hot springs around a rocky outcrop, but he grabbed my shoulders and turned me forty-five degrees. Turned out he’d snuck up here yesterday and set up a campsite.
Camping? Sleeping in a tent and peeing behind a bush wasn’t what I’d planned when I was six months along. While he hadn’t fibbed about our accommodation, Riven had hinted we’d be staying in a cabin.
But instead of a rickety tent, my mate had constructed a shelter furnished with a bed, a thick duvet, battery-powered lanterns, a small stove, and a portable heater for the cool mountain nights. Some distance away was a portapotty.
“This isn't camping.” I surveyed the setup. “This is glamping.”
“My pregnant mate deserves the best.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his hands on my belly. “And the temperature in the springs is not too hot for the baby. I checked.”
As I slid into the water, the mineral-rich water soothed my aches, and I told my mate we should come here more often. My eyelids became heavy, and I rested my head on Riven as the tension in my shoulders melted away. After being office-bound for days, this was what I needed.
We soaked until just before sunset, and my fingers and toes were pruney when we got out. Riven refused to let me help with dinner. He cooked a stew, made bread in the campfire, and had brought a small container of the apple crumble I’d been craving from the lodge kitchen.
“Yum.” Maybe we should come glamping more often.
The full moon appeared over the tree tops, and Riven lifted his face toward it. “My wolf hovers close to the surface on a full moon, especially here, away from other people.”
I encouraged him to shift because the purpose of the trip was for me to bond more with his beast and for Riven to run under the full moon.
He kissed my cheek and stripped off his clothes.
I relished watching him transform, unlike that first time on Christmas Eve.
Fur sprouted across his skin, a tail appeared and extended, and his canines elongated and glinted in the moonlight.
His beast was huge compared to the other wolves I’d witnessed, with thick dark fur, but he had my mate’s eyes. He was still my Riven. The baby kicked, as if our little one understood that this was their daddy.
“You are going to love watching him shift, my darling.” I cradled my belly as my mate’s wolf approached us. His ears perked up as I extended a hand and patted his head. “You’re as handsome in your fur as you are standing on two legs.”
He pressed his muzzle into my palm, and I giggled at his cold wet nose. I scratched behind his ears, thinking how impossible this would have been months ago. Even now, it seemed like a fairytale some days.
The wolf pulled back and swiveled toward the forest.
“Go. Hunt.” I waved him off. “I'll be fine here by the fire.” I made a shooing motion. “Just come back to me.”
He bounded toward the forest and disappeared into the darkness with a howl that echoed across the lake.
"Yes, that's your papa.” I patted my bump. “I wonder if you’ll be like him.”
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, a wet nose was nudging my shoulder.
“Have a good run?” I yawned.
He padded to where his clothes lay folded, and I perked up as he took his skin. I hoped I’d never get over the awe that shifters existed and that I was mated to one.
Now that he had returned, I dozed again until a strong movement, unlike the nudges I was used to, woke me. A big kick that was forceful enough to be visible through my sweater.
“Riven!” I grabbed his hand, placing it where I'd felt the movement. “Wait for it…” The baby kicked again, a little foot or elbow pressing against Riven's palm.
“They're trying to say hello.” I covered my mate’s hand with mine. “Maybe they sensed you shifting.”
“Hello to you too, little one.”
The baby kicked again, and I told him our baby was active like their alpha father.
“If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be camping by a mountain lake, pregnant with a half-shifter or shifter baby, watching my wolf mate run under the full moon... I'd have thought they were bonkers.”
“And now?”
“I can't imagine any other life.”