Page 124 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

brYN

As soon as I sat up the next morning, a wave of nausea sent me hurtling into the bathroom. I made it to the toilet before everything I’d eaten the night before rushed up my throat. It forced me to my knees, and my hands turned to claws as I gripped the bowl.

A combination of embarrassment and dread hit me as I coughed and sputtered into the toilet. Dammit! What if Night figures out I’m pregnant before I can tell him? Will he be upset that I didn’t tell him last night? Will he be mad about the timing of the pregnancy in general?

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force the nausea away.

I needed to calm down. Freaking out now would only make everything worse.

There was no way I could pretend everything was fine when I went back out there.

I’d have to find out how Night felt about having children today.

Once I knew where he stood, I would tell him about the baby.

When my stomach settled, I got to my feet and washed up. As I stepped out of the bathroom, I found Night sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked at me, the smooth, handsome lines of his face drawn in concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching for me as I walked over to the bed. “Are you coming down with something?”

Despite my anxiety about how to break the news to him, his worry for me warmed my heart.

I settled on his lap and twined my arms around his neck.

He held me against his chest and nuzzled into my neck.

I let my hands drift through his thick black hair.

It was getting a little long these days—not that I minded.

I could tell him the truth right now. The thought sent a small burst of electricity down my back. I could get it all over with, but it didn’t feel right. Though time was running out, I wanted to make the announcement more special than revealing it right after throwing up my guts.

“I think I caught something while I was working,” I said, loving the press of his warmth against my body.

“You should take it easy today,” he murmured against my throat. “Maybe Tavi and I could take over looking through the paperwork for you.”

“I am tired, but I don’t think I can sleep. My mind is working a mile a minute now that I’m awake, you know?”

“Mm.” He didn’t sound pleased with that, and that made me giggle.

I remembered a time not so long ago when it seemed like he disapproved of everything I did, whether it was good or bad.

Back then, neither of us knew we were soulmates.

And now, we’d come so far, although there were still things we didn’t see eye to eye on.

Maybe I should tell him here and now. “Night…” I pulled back so I could look into his warm, jewel-green eyes. “Take a walk with me.”

“Sure. I’d like that.” He kissed me once, twice, and then we got out of bed.

After we got dressed, we headed out onto the compound.

It was a cool morning, not quite summertime, and the compound seemed peaceful for once.

These days, Night and I hardly drew any attention when we walked around together.

In the past, there was always the danger that I’d run into Troy or one of his lackeys, but since I became alpha, I could finally enjoy a stroll through the land I’d grown up on.

I slipped my hand into Night’s much larger, rougher one, and he squeezed it gently. I looked up at my mate and subtly ran my free hand over my stomach. I would soon have a family with this man, which was so scary and so exciting at the same time. I just needed to tell him.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s this place nestled in the woods.

It used to be my escape.” It was where I’d taken Tavi when I asked her to be my beta.

“I used to have little picnics there—either by myself or with my mom. Sometimes, I’d take a book with me, or I’d draw pictures.

” I’d packed extra paper from school and used the broken crayons and pencils the other kids didn’t want anymore.

He looked at me and smiled one of his rare, warm smiles. “Then I can’t wait to get there.”

Night and I walked into the forest until we reached a small clearing. It looked the same as when I’d taken Tavi here, with tall, thin spruces circling us. But there were other wildflowers out now, and it was the middle of the morning instead of the afternoon.

Golden yellow wildflowers mixed in with the white and purple.

There were camas, fairy bells, dogtooth violets, and trilliums. I took the presence of the trilliums as a good omen—my mother used to tell me they were used to aid expectant mothers in childbirth.

I imagined I’d need to start picking them as my pregnancy progressed.

We sat on the soft grass, close enough for our shoulders to touch.

The grass was still a little dewy, but it didn’t bother us.

When the trees shifted and let more sunlight reach the forest floor, the light reflected off the beads of dew, casting an ethereal aura over the area.

The dancing butterflies only added to the fairytale-like scene.

“This place is beautiful,” Night said, plucking a bright purple camas and placing it behind my ear. “No wonder you love it so much.”

“I’m glad you see why this place is so appealing,” I said with a grin. “I never had friends I could show this place to, but some part of me always hoped I’d be able to bring someone here.” Tell him! Tell him now! “But lately, I’ve been thinking about my future child sitting here with me.”

“Yeah?” He was smiling. That was a good sign, right?

“Mmhm. The two of us could play together, and I could teach them about wildflowers. I could read to them or make up stories and go from there.”

“That sounds like heaven.” He leaned back in the grass and looked up at me. “Am I included in that vision of yours? I’d love to experience that with you two.”

“Of course.” I lay next to him and cuddled close to his chest. His arm automatically wrapped around me. “As long as work permits it.”

His lips brushed over my forehead. “I don’t care how busy I am; I’ll always make time for you and our family.”

Butterflies danced in my stomach, mimicking the little white butterflies flitting from flower to flower around us. Night always knew what to say to fluster me.

“It means a lot to me that I can bring my soulmate here,” I said. “I’d given up on my dream of having a mate and a family because I didn’t believe anyone would want to have that with me.”

“It pains me that you suffered so much while you were here,” he said. “But I’m happy to prove you wrong.”

He lifted my hand. His hands, scarred from the years of battle and hard work he’d done as a Warg and an alpha, contrasted sharply with my smooth and unblemished skin.

Considering I had blood on my hands now, it jarred me to see them so unmarred.

But I pushed that thought away. I didn’t want to think of Troy or Evan, or anyone else. This moment belonged to Night and me.

“I feel so lucky we found each other,” he said softly.

“Me too.” I rubbed his arm before slipping my fingers between his. I knew I should just spit out my secret, but for some reason, I wanted to stall. “You know, I grew up wishing I had a father like the other kids. A big, strong wolf who would protect me from the things my mother couldn’t.”

Night nodded. “I get that. Before I knew what a monster Gregor was, I would tell myself that my dad was off fighting in a battle somewhere, and he’d come home to us when he won.

My mom never talked about him when I was a pup, but when she felt I was old enough to know the truth, she didn’t sugarcoat anything.

It shattered a lot of my ideals for who I believed my father was.

” He paused, then added, “To be honest, even after I knew what Gregor was, I used to wish he was different, that he’d change his ways and come rescue us. Just a silly dream, I guess.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “It must have been so hard for you to accept the truth about your father. I don’t know how I would have dealt with it if I were in your shoes.”

“It’s okay. Mom was more than enough for me, and I did have some positive father figures in my life. Dom’s dad, for example, was very good with me.”

“Oh, yeah? Tell me more about him.” I didn’t know anything about this aspect of Night’s past. A bubble of excitement stirred in my chest at learning new things about my mate.

He nodded and lowered our arms to his chest, squeezing my fingers.

“Lucian Slate. He made sure Dom and I grew up as brothers. Lucian went out of his way to include me when he and Dom went hunting or fishing or to the market. He taught us how to fight and what it meant to be a strong wolf. I still hold a lot of what he taught us as principles.”

I relaxed against him as he talked. He never spoke about his past like this, and I felt honored that he was revealing these things to me now.

“Dom and I wanted to live our lives making him proud,” he said. “I know for a fact that the strength and support Lucian gave me at a young age made me a better alpha. It made Dom a better beta, too. And I see a lot of his dad in him.”

I almost hated to ask, but I needed to know Lucian’s fate. “What happened to him?”

He let out a sigh. “He was killed twenty years ago. His body was never found, but according to Mom, there was enough of his blood around the area that he couldn’t have survived.”

“Goodness,” I breathed. “It sounded like it must have been a huge battle.”

He nodded. “Must have been. We did find the bodies of the wolves he fought and killed. Lucian would never have gone out without putting up a fight.”

“I’m sorry you lost him, that both you and Dom lost him.”

“It was hard,” he admitted. “But we managed to get through it somehow.” He squeezed my hand again and sighed. “Wow. I haven’t thought about these things in years.”

“I’m happy you revisited some of those memories. They sound like good ones.”