Page 326 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

I slipped out of bed and went downstairs. I wanted to make him something special. He’d been doing the bulk of the cooking during my pregnancy, and I wanted to return the favor. Most of what was in his pantry were shelf-stable goods: jars of pickles, jams, chutneys, dried beans, rice, etc. Leaving the cabin to get fresh ingredients didn’t appeal to me, not when the thought ofhandling meat made me feel a little queasy. But the resources we had limited our options.

My baby kicked at the same time that my stomach rumbled. I smiled and touched my stomach. We were both hungry, but for what? I tapped my chin as I stared at the ingredients. How could I make this work? I must have stood there for several minutes with my mind blank. I glanced out the window and found a dreary, foggy morning. It would be nice to have something warm.

“Ah!” I said out loud, a recipe for rice porridge popping into my mind. I grabbed the rice and a jar of bone broth from the cabinet. I poured a cup or so of rice into a pot and opened the broth. It had some dust on the lid, but it smelled great to me. Shrugging, I dumped it in with the rice. Spices came next: chives, red chili flakes, onion and garlic powders, and pretty much anything else I thought would be good.

I stirred the pot and covered it to cook on low heat while I went upstairs. I jumped when I saw Night sitting up in bed.

“I thought you’d still be asleep,” I said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t.”

“That’s a relief at least…” But now that I was looking at him, I realized he didn’t seem as rested as he’d looked when he was sleeping. That sad, contemplative frown was back on his face, and he was avoiding my eyes. It stung me that he was trying to hide his feelings from me. Hadn’t we just had this conversation?

I went to him and felt his forehead. “Did you sleep okay?”

He pushed my hand away and got to his feet. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

I held my hand to my chest as he walked past me. Though he had been gentle about it, the rejection speared through me. “You don’t seem fine.” I followed him into the bathroom. “You haven’t seemed fine since we got here.”

He sighed. “What do you want me to say, Bryn?”

“I want to know how you’re feeling.”

He turned to me, his face as blank as it had been when we’d first met, when nothing I did could get through to him. It was like he was freezing me out all over again. Part of me felt like I ought to turn away, that I should just let him deal with this on his own, but a much larger part of me knew I couldn’t. I wouldn’t leave him alone about this unless he asked me.

“Love, what’s bothering you?” I asked. “I want to be there for you.”

He sighed. “You are here for me. I’m telling you I’m fine.”

I shook my head. “I don’t believe you.” I stepped toward him and reached for his face. “Is there anything I can say that will get you to open up?”

I was relieved when he let me touch him, even though he didn’t reply. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, but his stubble felt lovely against my hands.

“I think I know what’s going on,” I told him as I ran my thumb over his cheek. “You’re scared.”

He sighed and started to shake his head, but I held him still.

“You’re scared for me and our baby. You’re worried that you won’t be able to protect us whenever the time comes. Troy’s still out there, and as long as he is, our future is unknown.”

He looked away, deflating. Okay, I’d found the cause of his depression. Now I just needed to find some way to make him feel better.

“I know you, love,” I said, moving as close to him as my stomach would allow. “I know you’re capable of wonderful things because you’ve already achieved the impossible. We’ve had our bumps and our fights, but we always come out on top, don’t we?”

He nodded. “I just…don’t know why I can’t shake this.”

The uncertainty on his face tugged at my heart. I hated seeing him so upset. “It’s okay. I’m here to help you. If you’ll let me.”

I pulled his face down to mine and placed kisses on his forehead, the tip of his nose, and finally his mouth. He stirred under my insistent kisses, and hungry hands clutched at my waist and my ass. I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth, biting down just hard enough to make him growl.

“I’m here, baby,” I said into his mouth. “Be here with me.”

I deepened the kiss, letting the tip of my tongue brush over his lips. His breathing hitched, his hold on me becoming more insistent. Somehow, I guided him toward our bed, even with our lips locked. The taste of him was so deep, so masculine, I wouldn’t have minded spending the day in his arms just like that. But I also wanted him inside me, and my belly didn’t always allow for missionary anymore.

I broke the kiss and turned in his arms, pressing my ass flush to the erection tenting his boxers. I rubbed my ass against him,loving the sound of his moan, loving the feel of his fingers pressing into my hips.

“Let’s do it like this,” I said, tossing my hair back so the strands tickled across his chest as they fell. “With you behind me.”

He let out a shaky breath. “Get on your hands and knees, baby.”